Rainy Day Activities NYC

Here’s what I did today to scope out how your rainy day can look:

1:  The perfect coffee shop.

There are tons of coffee shops in Manhattan, but only some of them have that something special that makes you feel like you are in another place.  Here’s my list, but don’t assume they are the only ones.  Just the ones that I go to.

• Felix Roasting Co. — This one’s worth planning around, since each location has its own opulent, over-the-top design. Locations include 450 Park Ave S (NoMad), 280 Park Ave (Midtown), 145 Greene St (SoHo), 2 Astor Place (NoHo), and inside the Hotel Hugo in West SoHo.
• La Tazza D’Oro — 220 Park Ave S. The NYC outpost of a well-known Prato, Italy café, with espresso, cornetti, and an evening aperitivo switch-up.
• Mori Coffee — 529 2nd Ave (Kips Bay). A small, minimalist café with a back patio and sunroom — worth it for the matcha alone.  This place has the best coffee.  I want to go now.
• Cafe Sahola – The cutest place ever, also in Kips Bay, but that’s ok, because you will really love my next recommendation. 108 E 31st St, just off Park Ave S)
• Remy Flower coffee – 425 Park Avenue South
• Think Coffee — Multiple locations, including the original flagship at 248 Mercer St and a spot at 1 Bleecker St.

2:  Have a Spa day

• Go to one of the 1000s of manicure places all over Manhattan
• Try out a new haircut at some of the top salons in the country!
• Or go to one of the Hotels in Manhattan that actually have SPA services.  Click on the link: Spa Services at Hotels

3:  Take the 34th Street bus all the way east to the River.

Call me crazy, but it is fun for me to take a bus cross-town, or uptown, or anywhere!  Because I love sightseeing for $3.00 a pop.

• Right before you stop at the East River, get off at NYU Langone Children’s Hospital to see Spot, a 30-foot fiberglass Dalmatian sculpture by artist Donald Lipski, installed outside NYU Langone’s Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at 424 E 34th St. The dog is balancing a real yellow cab (a gutted Toyota Prius, painted taxi-style) on the tip of its nose.
• Once you get there, you can sit under the covered Ferry Terminal and watch the ferries come and go.
• You can eat lunch or a snack at The Hole In The Wall.  Did I say DAY DRINK?  No, I did not.
• Or, for $4.00, hop on a downtown ferry to Wall Street, Pier 11.  The ferries have a beautiful indoor seating area with phone chargers.
• From there, you can either get on a return ferry, or explore downtown (depending on how much it’s raining). In addition, the South Street Seaport is there and largely covered with lots of restaurants

4:  Go to Chelsea Piers:

A phenomenal place of history, sports, and a hidden museum

• Check out the Rock Climbing classes – private and group
• Walk along the piers and read about the history of Chelsea Piers — from the historic landing of sailors during World War II to other interesting NYC facts.
• Go to Chelsea piers Golf driving range.  It’s indoor and covered!

5:  Visit ARTE Museum:

While at Chelsea Piers, visit ARTE Museum.  One of my favorite places to go.  This digital immersion museum is only in 3 places in the world and worth every minute.

6:  Ice Cream Splurge:

I want to do this right now.  Here are my two top places that are not TikTok famous.  I don’t think so, but nothing compared to some of the lines I see.

• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream — Multiple Manhattan locations, including a stand inside Grand Central Terminal itself, so you can knock out two items on this list at once. Other spots include 152 W 10th St (West Village) and 1250 6th Ave (Midtown, near Rockefeller Center).
• Il Laboratorio del Gelato — 188 Ludlow St (Lower East Side), with a newer Upper East Side location at 1062 Third Ave. Close to 200 rotating flavors made in small batches — this is where a lot of NYC’s top chefs source their gelato.
• Glace:  Multiple locations, but the main one is 1266 Madison Ave, which, wonderfully enough, is not too far from The Metropolitan Museum

7:  Grand Central Station:

There’s a lot to see and do there – it can take up an hour looking at the architecture, going to the whispering tunnels, and eating at the Oyster Bar.  There is also a huge food court downstairs.

• If the clouds break up, splurge on Summit One — even on a somewhat cloudy day, the view of the city can be divine.

8:  New York Public Library:

There is a downstairs free museum.   See things like the original Winnie the Pooh, and other unique exhibits.  The reading room is AMAZING:  PRO TIP tell them you have a research project to get in without a reservation. But there are many other things to do in the Library as well, including a free tour.  Less than a block from the New York Public Library is the Bryant Park Grill. The Bryant Park Grill offers great food and has an excellent view of Bryant Park.

9:  The Metropolitan Museum:

After chowing down at Glace, head over to the Metropolitan Museum. This is one of my favorite Museums in Manhattan, and I can go 12 times a year without seeing everything.  It’s about 9 blocks.  Toughen up.  Unless it’s torrential, you can do it!

10:  Go to the Movies!

There are dozens of movie theaters to pick from, but my favorite is the Angelika Film Center.  It is this theater where you will get the Indy film roster instead of blockbuster movies.  But that is all up to you!

Your vacation will NOT be ruined and you’ll get to see more of Manhattan from a NYer’s viewpoint!