NYC Arts & Culture

Midtown Manhattan

41 Broadway theaters — 14 million tickets sold per year

Broadway is not a single theater — it is 41 professional theaters in the blocks surrounding Times Square, each with 500+ seats. The Majestic (Phantom), the Gershwin (Wicked), and the Shubert (Hello, Dolly!) are historic houses. TKTS booth in Times Square sells same-day tickets at 20-50% off — the line is long but moves fast. Best seats for the best price: Tuesday and Wednesday evening shows.

Greenwich Village & East Village

Where every major playwright starts — 100-499 seats

Off-Broadway is where theater takes risks. The Public Theater on Lafayette Street premiered Hamilton before it moved uptown — their free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park is a summer institution (line up at 6am or enter the digital lottery). Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop (where Rent premiered), and the Cherry Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village are essential venues.

Upper West Side, Manhattan

NYC's performing arts campus — opera, ballet, symphony, and jazz

The Metropolitan Opera House alone is worth visiting for its Chagall murals in the lobby (visible from the plaza at night, free). The New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall, the New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater, and Jazz at Lincoln Center in the Time Warner Center form the most concentrated performing arts campus in the Western Hemisphere. Free outdoor concerts on the plaza throughout summer.

Upper East Side, Manhattan

5,000 years of art — 2 million works in 2 million square feet

The Met is not just the greatest museum in America — it is one of the three or four greatest in the world. The Egyptian Temple of Dendur, the European paintings galleries (Vermeer, Rembrandt, Monet), the Arms and Armor wing, and the rooftop bar with Central Park views could each justify a visit on their own. Suggested admission is $30, but New York State residents pay what they wish. Allow at least 3 hours; art lovers need a full day.

Midtown Manhattan

Starry Night, Campbell's Soup Cans, and Persistence of Memory under one roof

MoMA houses the most important collection of modern art in the world. Van Gogh's Starry Night, Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans, and Monet's Water Lilies are all here. The 2019 renovation added 47,000 square feet of gallery space. The sculpture garden is a quiet oasis in Midtown. $25 admission; free on Friday evenings 4-8pm (arrive early — lines are long).

Upper East Side, Manhattan

Frank Lloyd Wright's spiral masterpiece — the building IS the art

Even if you don't care about the collection, the building itself is worth the trip — Frank Lloyd Wright's spiraling rotunda is one of the most recognizable structures in architecture. Walk the continuous ramp from top to bottom, viewing art as you descend. The permanent collection includes Kandinsky, Chagall, and Picasso. The museum's stark white exterior against Fifth Avenue is one of NYC's most photographed facades. $25 admission.

Upper West Side, Manhattan

Dinosaurs, the cosmos, and the blue whale — open since 1869

The T. Rex skeleton in the fossil halls is the museum's icon, but the new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation (opened 2023) is a game-changer — a cave-like, flowing interior with insectarium, butterfly vivarium, and a reimagined library. The Hayden Planetarium's Dark Universe show, narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, is spectacular. Suggested admission $28; NY residents pay what they wish.

Chelsea, Manhattan

300+ galleries between 10th and 12th Avenues — all free

The largest gallery district in the world stretches along the 20s streets west of 10th Avenue. Gagosian, David Zwirner, Pace, and Hauser & Wirth show blue-chip contemporary art in massive, museum-quality spaces — all free, all open to the public. Thursday evenings are opening nights (free wine, buzzing crowds). Start at 24th Street and work your way north. The High Line park runs directly through the district.

Bushwick, Brooklyn

The Bushwick Collective — open-air gallery of world-class murals

The Bushwick Collective along Troutman Street and Jefferson Street has transformed an industrial Brooklyn neighborhood into one of the world's premier street art destinations. Building-sized murals by international artists cover entire warehouse walls. New works go up regularly — the annual block party in June attracts thousands. Free, open 24/7, and constantly changing. Combine with a visit to nearby galleries and breweries.

DUMBO, Brooklyn

Waterfront galleries and curated outdoor installations

DUMBO's cobblestone streets and converted warehouses host some of Brooklyn's best galleries. The DUMBO Arts Festival transforms the neighborhood into an open-air exhibition. A/D/O by MINI (now closed, but its spirit lives on in local galleries) pioneered the neighborhood's creative identity. Smack Mellon Gallery in a former boiler building shows emerging artists. The iconic Manhattan Bridge view on Washington Street is itself a work of art.

Greenwich Village & Harlem, Manhattan

Where jazz lives — from intimate basements to legendary stages

The Village Vanguard on 7th Avenue South has been presenting live jazz since 1935 — the most recorded jazz club in the world. Blue Note in Greenwich Village books the biggest names. Smalls Jazz Club is a tiny basement where young musicians play until 4am ($20 cover, cash only). In Harlem, Minton's Playhouse (where bebop was born) and Bill's Place (Harlem's last speakeasy jazz club, Friday/Saturday only, $20 BYOB) are essential.

Manhattan & Brooklyn

From 200-capacity clubs to Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden (20,000 capacity) hosts the biggest acts. Brooklyn Steel in Williamsburg and Warsaw in Greenpoint are the best mid-size venues. Bowery Ballroom on the Lower East Side is intimate and legendary — every major band has played there. Barclays Center in Brooklyn hosts arena tours. For classical music, Carnegie Hall (opened 1891) has arguably the best acoustics in the world. Check OhMyRockness.com for indie shows.

Midtown Manhattan

Opened 1891 — the most prestigious concert hall in America

The old joke goes: "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice." Tchaikovsky conducted the opening night. Since then, every major musician from Billie Holiday to the Beatles has played here. The main Isaac Stern Auditorium seats 2,804 with acoustics that make every seat feel intimate. Tours ($19) run daily and include backstage access. Rush tickets (day-of, $10) are available for many performances. The smaller Zankel and Weill halls host chamber music and jazz.

Fort Greene, Brooklyn

America's oldest performing arts center — since 1861

BAM is where art gets adventurous. The annual Next Wave Festival brings the world's most innovative dance, theater, opera, and music to the Howard Gilman Opera House and Harvey Theater (a beautifully un-restored 1904 theater). BAMcinematek shows independent and classic films. The BAM Rose Cinemas and BAM Fisher building round out the campus. Fort Greene's restaurant scene makes it easy to build an evening around a show.

Hudson Valley

Massive-scale art in a former Nabisco box-printing factory

One of the most extraordinary art experiences in the Northeast. Dia:Beacon occupies a 300,000-square-foot former factory on the banks of the Hudson River, flooded with natural light. The collection focuses on large-scale works from the 1960s to present — Richard Serra's enormous steel sculptures, Dan Flavin's fluorescent light installations, and Agnes Martin's meditative canvases are permanently installed. $20 admission. Take Metro-North from Grand Central (80 minutes).

Hudson Valley (New Windsor)

500 acres of monumental outdoor sculpture

The greatest outdoor sculpture park in the world. Five hundred rolling acres of Hudson Valley landscape dotted with monumental works by Alexander Calder, Maya Lin, Mark di Suvero, and Andy Goldsworthy. The Goldsworthy stone wall that weaves through trees and into a pond is unforgettable. Bring a picnic, rent a bike, and spend half a day. $22 admission. Open April through November. Best in fall when the foliage frames the sculpture.

Woodstock

America's most famous creative community — since 1902

Woodstock was an arts colony long before the 1969 festival (which actually took place 60 miles away in Bethel). The Byrdcliffe Arts Colony, founded in 1902, still operates artist residencies. The town is packed with galleries, craft studios, and the Woodstock Artists Association & Museum. The Maverick Concert series, running since 1916, is the oldest continuous chamber music festival in America. Tinker Street is the main drag — wander and browse.

Cooperstown

Summer opera on Otsego Lake — world premieres in a pastoral setting

The Glimmerglass Festival runs every July and August on the shores of James Fenimore Cooper's "Glimmerglass" — Otsego Lake in Cooperstown. The 914-seat Alice Busch Opera Theater opens its walls to the surrounding forest during performances. The festival produces four operas each summer, including at least one new work or American premiere. Pair with the Fenimore Art Museum and a visit to Cooperstown's Main Street. Tickets $30-$130.