10 Best Things to Do in New York City Now (2024)

Foodies have been chomping at the bit ever since word first leaked that chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten was opening his first vegetarian restaurant. That was in 2013. It finally came to fruition this spring, joining his ABC empire's two other outposts (ABC Kitchen and ABC Cocina) in the ABC Carpet & Home in Union Square. As you may have guessed, abcV is about all things veggie and vegan—though the flavors, courtesy of head chef Neal Harden (formerly of Pure Food & Wine), are full and complex in dishes like crispy mushrooms with sunchoke chips and dosas filled with yogurt and avocado or maple syrup and butter. The room itself even echoes that "light and fresh" concept, with stark white walls and tables punctuated by pops of color in the form of neon green accent chairs, blush pink mugs, and a wall-length banquette lined with orange, maroon, and magenta stripes.

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Broadway’s fourth revival of the 1964 classic musical Hello, Dolly!, which opened in Sam S. Shubert Theatre April 20, is arguably its best iteration yet. Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce shine in their starring roles—Rolling Stone has hailed Midler “the new queen of Broadway” while the LA Times writes, “Rarely has an exclamation point in a title been earned as thoroughly”—but critics are quick to inform show-goers that these stars are the “icing on the cake” rather than the sole reason to go. In a show already beloved for its soaring, spirited numbers, the costumes are even more bright and theatrical, the sets equally so, while the choreography preserves the original staging. This is this season’s answer to Hamilton, and tickets are already proving just as hard to come by.

The opening of Porchlight, Danny Meyer’s Southern-inspired bar concept way over on 11th Avenue, seemed premature a year and a half ago. At the time, Manhattan’s Far West Side was nothing more than a gritty, multi-block wasteland of industrial buildings, car dealerships, and parking lots. But Hudson Yards, as the area is now known, is starting to pick up. Rezoning has brought in a wave of luxury condo high-rises (many are still in development), and with them new businesses opening up in anticipation of the big boom. Whitmans, an East Village favorite loved for its made-to-order burgers, has debuted its second branch near 30th St. and 10th, while Death Ave Brewing Company is drawing co*cktail lovers with its mixologist-made drinks, Greek comfort food, and speakeasy-style microbrewery. On warmer nights, you’ll find city dwellers hanging out on the newest extension of the High Line, which threads through the neighborhood.

All too often, movie theater experiences include one or more of the following: soda-sticky floors, popcorn-strewn aisles, and obnoxious movie-goers who seemingly can’t detach themselves from their iPhone 7. Skip all that in favor of a show with a view, and join the Rooftop Cinema Club for a screening in either Manhattan—on the rooftop terrace of YOTEL in Times Square (with drinks available from Green Fig)—or Brooklyn—on the top floor of East Williamsburg’s Office Ops (BYO booze). At both locations, you’ll find cult classics, Disney favorites, and blockbusters, as well as wireless headphones (to drown out chitchat), and cozy deckchairs. On the marquee this spring and summer are Annie Hall, Hidden Figures, Clueless, Moonlight, Mulholland Drive, and more. Tickets sell out fast, so find a movie partner and pick a film fast.

Summer in New York is all about one thing: rooftop bars. So when Rooftop Reds, the world’s first rooftop vineyard opened in Brooklyn Navy Yards last April, we knew it’d be a smash hit. The 15,000-square-foot space centers around a patio covered with close to 200 grapevines to make the delicious house cabs, merlots and malbecs. Plus, there’s a grove of hammocks, picnic tables, cornhole games and an indoor/outdoor tasting room, all overlooking downtown Brooklyn and the Manhattan skyline. Go on Thursdays for pizza and movie nights (through September) or on the last Sunday of the month (through the end of August) for a Ribs and Rosé cook-off with Fletcher’s BBQ.

The most anticipated restaurant opening of the year, The Landmark, comes courtesy of Major Food Group—y’know, the guys behind NYC cult classics like Carbone, Santina, Dirty French, Sadelle’s and Parm. This massive multi-restaurant venue marks the rebirth of the old Four Seasons’ Seagram Building, a transformation to the tune of $30 million. The Grill debuts first, in May, followed by the seafood-focused The Pool and the Lobster Club (in the former Brasserie), expected to open later this fall. Though the space will be drastically different, the menus and atmosphere stay true to the Four Season’s old-school elegance: waiters dressed in Tom Ford tuxedos push vintage Viennese trolleys (that cost $10,000 a pop) and serve crab Louie, Dover sole Meunière, and spit-roasted prime rib carved tableside.

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