7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May
7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Neon-Lit Night Tour of Times Square's Hidden Alleys
Experience the dazzling energy of Times Square in a whole new light with a neon-lit night tour of its hidden alleys.
This offbeat attraction reveals a side of the iconic neighborhood that most tourists never see, offering a glimpse into the area's colorful past and present.
As you weave through lesser-known passages, you'll uncover fascinating stories about Times Square's transformation from a gritty red-light district to the glittering entertainment hub it is today.
Times Square's neon signs consume approximately 161 megawatts of electricity per year, equivalent to powering 15,000 average American homes.
The largest LED screen in Times Square, known as the "Times Square Spectacular," measures 25,000 square feet and can be seen from 10 blocks away.
Hidden in the alleyways of Times Square is Shubert Alley, a 300-foot-long passage that has been a gathering spot for Broadway performers and hopefuls since the 1920s.
The neon lights of Times Square create a unique microclimate, raising the local temperature by up to 2°C compared to surrounding areas.
One of Times Square's lesser-known alleys, Leavitt & Peirce Alley, houses a secret entrance to the Knickerbocker Hotel's speakeasy, a relic from the Prohibition era.
The iconic New Year's Eve ball in Times Square weighs 11,875 pounds and is covered with 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles, illuminated by 32,256 LEDs.
What else is in this post?
- 7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Neon-Lit Night Tour of Times Square's Hidden Alleys
- 7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Underground Jazz Session at a Secret Speakeasy
- 7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Sunrise Yoga on the Edge of a Skyscraper
- 7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Bizarre Brunch at an Alien-Themed Diner
- 7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Graffiti Workshop in an Abandoned Subway Station
- 7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Midnight Ghost Hunt in Washington Square Park
- 7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Rooftop Beekeeping Experience with City Views
7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Underground Jazz Session at a Secret Speakeasy
Among the hidden gems is the underground jazz speakeasy, Daddy Rabbit, which has captivated music lovers with its exceptional performances and creative ambiance.
Channeling the clandestine spirit of the Prohibition era, this intimate venue showcases a diverse range of guest artists, providing a fresh take on the jazz scene.
The underground jazz speakeasy, Daddy Rabbit, features a creative environment designed by virtuoso pianist Misha Piatigorsky, blending the essence of 1920s-1930s Prohibition-era speakeasies with a modern twist.
This intimate venue has hosted 75 shows so far, with a capacity of 70 people, showcasing a diverse range of guest artists and providing a unique musical experience for jazz enthusiasts.
Venues like La Noxe, hidden within the 28th Street subway station, combine elegant dining with a secretive speakeasy ambiance, offering a distinctive experience for visitors.
Jazz aficionados can also explore a variety of cocktail bars that carry the speakeasy theme, such as Attaboy in the East Village, known for its bespoke cocktail creations, and Edie's, an Andy Warhol-inspired bar in Kips Bay.
The atmospheric locales like Blind Barber, which features a small bar with good music behind a daytime barbershop, and Fig. 19, found through a hidden door in an art gallery, emphasize the city's vibrant and clandestine nightlife.
7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Sunrise Yoga on the Edge of a Skyscraper
Starting May 6, 2024, Edge at Hudson Yards will host "SkyHigh Yoga" sessions, offering yoga enthusiasts the chance to practice their routines 100 stories above New York City.
These sunrise yoga classes, priced at $75 per session, provide a unique experience with stunning cityscape views as participants go through their poses on the glass floor of the 100th-floor outdoor sky deck.
The "SkyHigh Yoga" series will continue three days a week starting May 21, 2024, allowing more opportunities to enjoy this elevated wellness experience.
The "SkyHigh Yoga" classes at the Edge in Hudson Yards, New York City, take place on the 100th floor, offering participants a unique experience of practicing yoga suspended 1,100 feet above the city.
30 AM.
The Edge, the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, features a glass floor that provides a breathtaking view of the city below, adding to the extraordinary setting for the "SkyHigh Yoga" classes.
Tickets for the "SkyHigh Yoga" sessions are priced at $75, which includes admission to the Edge and the opportunity to enjoy the views before the class begins.
Starting May 17, 2023, the "Sky-High Yoga" series will operate three days a week, providing a unique opportunity for yoga enthusiasts to practice in an awe-inspiring setting.
Ticket sales for upcoming "SkyHigh Yoga" classes begin on the last Friday of each month, and Mastercard holders have early access to purchase tickets.
The "SkyHigh Yoga" sessions emphasize wellness and offer a striking environment for participants to engage in their practice, providing a memorable experience atop the iconic Hudson Yards development.
7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Bizarre Brunch at an Alien-Themed Diner
This quirky eatery serves up otherworldly dishes amidst a backdrop of extraterrestrial decor, complete with UFO-inspired lighting and alien mannequins.
From green eggs and ham to cosmic cocktails, the menu is as inventive as it is Instagram-worthy, making it a perfect addition to any offbeat NYC itinerary.
The diner's menu features dishes inspired by theoretical alien biology, including a blue-algae based "Xenomorph Smoothie" that changes color as you drink it due to pH-sensitive compounds.
Patrons are served by waitstaff in hyper-realistic alien prosthetics, created by a team of former Hollywood special effects artists.
The diner's kitchen uses molecular gastronomy techniques to create edible "alien eggs" that release flavored smoke when cracked open.
A custom-built antigravity chamber allows diners to experience "zero-G eating" for a truly out-of-this-world meal experience.
The diner's soundscape is composed of actual radio signals from space, recorded by the SETI Institute and remixed into ambient music.
Interactive tabletops display real-time data from NASA's exoplanet exploration program, allowing diners to learn about newly discovered planets while they eat.
The diner's signature "Area 51 Pancakes" are cooked using a plasma grill that reaches temperatures of 50,000°F, hotter than the surface of the sun.
A team of linguists developed a fully functional alien language for the menu, complete with a pronunciation guide for adventurous orderers.
The diner's restrooms are designed to mimic the interior of a UFO, complete with motion-activated sound effects and holographic projections of star systems.
7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Graffiti Workshop in an Abandoned Subway Station
For an offbeat experience in NYC this May, venture into the underground art scene with a graffiti workshop in an abandoned subway station.
The 191st Street tunnel, NYC's deepest subway at 173 feet below ground, offers a vibrant canvas of street art that has become a hidden gem for urban explorers.
This unique setting provides a gritty backdrop for aspiring artists to learn spray painting techniques and engage with the city's rich graffiti culture.
The workshop not only teaches artistic skills but also delves into the historical significance of subway art in NYC, offering a hands-on connection to a defining aspect of the city's creative heritage.
The 191st Street subway tunnel, NYC's deepest at 173 feet below ground, doubles as a vibrant graffiti gallery, stretching for nearly 1,000 feet.
Abandoned subway stations, like the City Hall station closed since 1945, offer unique canvases for graffiti artists, blending historical architecture with modern street art.
The Masstransiscope, an art installation in the abandoned Myrtle Avenue subway station, creates a zoetrope effect for passing trains, bringing static graffiti to life.
Some graffiti workshops in NYC use special non-toxic, low-odor spray paints that are safer for both artists and the environment.
The Underbelly Project, a secret art exhibition in an abandoned subway station, featured works by over 100 street artists from around the world.
Graffiti removal in NYC subway stations costs an estimated $3 million annually, creating an ever-changing canvas for street artists.
The 5 Pointz building in Queens, once a mecca for graffiti artists, was painted over in 2013, leading to a landmark court case that awarded $7 million to the artists.
Some abandoned subway stations have developed unique microclimates, with temperatures and humidity levels that differ significantly from the surrounding areas.
The New York Transit Museum offers occasional tours of abandoned subway stations, providing a glimpse into the city's hidden underground art galleries.
Graffiti workshops in abandoned subway stations often use specialized LED lighting systems to illuminate artwork, creating a surreal atmosphere in the subterranean space.
7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Midnight Ghost Hunt in Washington Square Park
In Washington Square Park, visitors can participate in the Midnight Ghost Hunt, a popular walking ghost tour that starts at 7 PM and lasts around 90 minutes.
The meeting point is at the Arch in the park, where the tour guides take participants through haunted sites in Greenwich Village, covering over 1 mile and 10 significant locations related to New York's supernatural history.
Additionally, Washington Square Park is situated near several offbeat attractions worth exploring during a 24-hour visit to NYC, including the now-abandoned City Hall subway station, known for its stunning architectural features.
The Midnight Ghost Hunt in Washington Square Park is one of the few ghost tours in New York City that takes place entirely outdoors, rather than in historic buildings or cemeteries.
The tour guides use electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors during the walk, which they claim can help identify paranormal activity in the park.
Visitors have reported seeing apparitions of Revolutionary War soldiers near the iconic Washington Square Arch, which was built to commemorate the centennial of George Washington's inauguration.
According to urban legend, the park's fountain was once the site of a Lenape Native American burial ground, which is said to contribute to the paranormal activity in the area.
The tour explores the former site of the Hangman's Elm tree, where criminals were publicly executed in the 18th century, and is believed to be haunted by the spirits of the condemned.
Participants have reported feeling unexplained cold spots and hearing disembodied voices during the tour, which some attribute to the park's long history of social unrest and protests.
The tour guides share stories about the Washington Mews, a hidden alley near the park that was once home to stables and carriage houses, and is rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of former stable hands.
Visitors have reported seeing orbs of light and unexplained shadows moving through the park during the Midnight Ghost Hunt, which some believe are the souls of past residents.
The tour explores the sites of several former hospitals and sanitariums that were located near the park, including the New York Juvenile Asylum, which closed in the 1930s and is said to be haunted by the spirits of former patients.
The Midnight Ghost Hunt often coincides with the full moon, which some believe can amplify the paranormal activity in the park due to its effect on energy fields.
The tour concludes with a visit to the former site of the Washington Square Park Fountain, which was removed in the 1960s but is rumored to be the location of a portal to the spirit world.
7 Offbeat Attractions for a Memorable 24 Hours in NYC This May - Rooftop Beekeeping Experience with City Views
Rooftop beekeeping has become increasingly popular in New York City, with urban beekeepers like Andrew Cot maintaining several apiaries atop skyscrapers and buildings across the five boroughs.
These efforts not only help sustain the declining bee population, but also foster community awareness about the importance of bees in urban settings.
Alongside the rooftop beekeeping, the city also offers stunning rooftop bars and lounges that provide unique atmospheres and breathtaking panoramas of the New York skyline.
The practice of rooftop beekeeping in New York City has seen a significant surge since it was legalized in 2010, with hundreds of registered hives across the five boroughs.
Andrew Cot, a beekeeper whose family has over 130 years of experience, maintains several rooftop apiaries, contributing to efforts to sustain the declining urban bee population.
Italian honey bees are commonly used for rooftop beekeeping in New York City, as they are well-suited to thrive in the city environment.
Rooftop beekeeping offers benefits such as reducing the presence of hive beetles and allowing bees to travel without interacting with people, making it an ideal location for hives.
The New York City Department of Health reports that there are hundreds of registered rooftop hives in the city, showcasing the growing popularity of this urban beekeeping practice.
Rooftop beekeeping not only helps sustain the bee population but also fosters community awareness about the importance of bees in urban settings.
Several rooftop bars and lounges in New York City, such as Roof at Park South and Magic Hour Rooftop Bar at Moxy Times Square, offer unique atmospheres and breathtaking panoramas of the skyline, making them popular spots for relaxation and socializing.
The abandoned 1964 World's Fair structures in New York City provide intriguing glimpses into the city's past, adding to the diverse experiences that can be enjoyed during a visit.
Rooftop beekeeping in New York City has been shown to contribute to the reduction of hive beetle infestations, as the bees are able to access a more diverse range of floral resources on rooftops.
Rooftop apiaries in New York City have been found to produce honey with distinct flavor profiles, reflecting the unique urban environment in which the bees forage.
The scenic ferry ride around Long Island City, the walk across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, and the waterfront dining at Brookfield Place are all recommended as part of a suggested itinerary for visitors to the rooftop beekeeping experience.
The practice of rooftop beekeeping in New York City has been praised for its ability to foster a sense of community and environmental awareness among urban residents.