In some ways, New York City is an ideal traveler's town in November. It isn't usually very cold yet, so the plentiful outdoor activities are still comfortable. At the same time, indoor activities--such as the theater season--are in full swing, and there are also special one-of-a-kind New York events that happen only in November.
Early November in particular is a fine time to spend outdoors in New York City. According to the National Weather Service, the average high temperature for the month is 54 degrees and the average low is 41 degrees, above freezing. That means that going outside usually doesn't involve a heavy coat or other winter gear.
It does mean going out in one of the great walking cities in the world. Manhattan offers easy-to-navigate streets with an endless array things to see, shops to investigate and people to watch (discreetly). Walk downtown's narrow bustling streets, such as the famed Wall Street, or head through Midtown up the equally famed Great White Way--Broadway--to Times Square and on to Central Park.
For travelers who have had their fill of busy streets, New York's parks in November offer colorful repose. Central Park's thousands of trees are ablaze in fall glory this time of year, and so are the trees of Brooklyn's oft-overlooked jewel, Prospect Park. Even the smaller parks and squares (Washington Square Park, Madison Square Park, Riverside Park) have their colorful autumn charms.
On the first Sunday of November, visitors can watch--or participate in, with advance registration--the New York City Marathon. The great race's course winds its way from Staten Island to Brooklyn to Queens to Manhattan to the Bronx and then back to Manhattan. "The course unite[s] dozens of culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhoods, cross[es] five bridges, and finish[es] at Tavern on the Green in world-famous Central Park," notes the official website of the event.
The New York Veterans Day parade, beginning at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 every year, is a Fifth Avenue event that features bands, floats and marchers. It is one of the largest parades in honor of America's veterans.
A little later in November is the world-famous Macy's Thanksgiving parade. Visitors should come early to stake out positions along the parade route, which used to be along Broadway, but which now is mostly along 7th and 8th avenues from Central Park to Macy's on 34th Street
Toward the end of the month, visitors can start enjoying the trappings of the holiday season in New York City. Rockefeller Center lights its Christmas tree, holiday decor goes up along Fifth Avenue, and the dozen giant stars at the Time Warner Center begin lighting up Columbus Circle, among many other holiday features.
In November, the great indoors of New York beckons travelers, just as it does any time of the year. The array of cultural and entertainment choices is virtually limitless: art, clubs, comedy, dance, film, museums, music, shopping, theater and more.
The best strategy for dealing with all those choices is to find a good guide, either on paper, the Internet, or in the form of a knowledgeable native. Then go after what you really want to see and do.
But don't forget to pace yourself, and also to look for the unexpected around the corner or in that odd little shop or deli. New York is full of well-known wonders, but smaller surprises as well.
