A Weekend in The Big Apple: 5 Ways to Take in New York Culture

New York City is one of the biggest, most vibrant, multicultural cities on earth. So it makes a pretty perfect holiday destination, especially for a weekend away.  

But there’s so much to do and see it can be difficult to decide where to focus your attention. And one thing’s for sure – you don’t want to end up walking around aimlessly, missing out on what the city has to offer. 

So if you’re looking for some ideas for what to get up to in the Big Apple, check out the list below for all the must-see cultural…

Galleries and Museums

New York boats some of the world’s most impressive art galleries and museums. If you’ve got a couple of days in the city, you’re gonna want to see some of them for yourself. 

In terms of modern art, you can’t beat the MOMA – New York’s premier modern art museum, located in Midtown Manhattan. Offering exhibitions ranging from architecture and design, painting, sculpture, photography and film, there’s enough to keep you busy for a whole afternoon if you’re feeling artsy. 

You could also check out the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Whitney Museum for some more visual delights. 

If science and history are more your thing, be sure to visit the American Museum of Natural History, or the Brooklyn Museum.   

Catch a Show

Broadway is the home of the American theatre industry. Slap bang in the middle of Manhattan, forty different theatres offer a variety of broadway shows all year round, that will delight any theatre fan. 

It’s best to research and book shows online in advance, but you can sometimes find tickets on the day or on the door. There are also a number of smaller theatres off-broadway (or off-off-broadway) if plan to make your trip a full-on entertainment extravaganza!

Live Poetry 

Allen Ginsberg, Hettie Jones, Langston Hughes – New York has produced many of North America’s most famous poets, and the scene is still thriving today.

If you fancy an evening of live poetry, jazz and live performance, Nuyorican Poets Cafe might be just the place for you. Founded in the East Village in the 1970s, this cafe has served as a home for New York’s diverse voices and has produced some of its seminal talents. 

Alternatively, you could check out The Moth, the home of New York storytelling. Each show starts with a theme and a variety of storytellers take to the stage to explore the theme and share experiences through their personal stories. To get an idea of what is in store, you can listen to The Moth Podcast here.  

Chinatown & Little Italy 

Foodies and the culturally curious will want to check out Chinatown and Little Italy, located close to each other in Lower Manhattan.  

Chinatown is teeming with restaurants, bars, boutiques, bakeries, temples, and nightclubs, which retain Shanghai flair, making visitors feel as if they have just stepped foot in a foreign land across the globe. 

Whilst Little Italy was the primary US destination for immigrants from Naples and Sicily in the 1880s and remains a vibrant region of Italian pride and history. If the sumptuous pasta, pizza and ice-cream aren’t enough to draw you, then Little Italy’s trendy clothes shops and boutiques will surely make this a must-see New York attraction.     

*This is a collaborative post.