A rainy day in New York is no excuse to stay at home or in your hotel room. Instead of letting inclement weather dampen your spirits, take advantage of some of the Big Apple's best indoor attractions. On a rainy day, you may even find yourself with shorter lines and lighter crowds than usual.
On the day of a performance, you can often score last-minute tickets to Broadway shows as long as you're at the box office at least half an hour before showtime. New York's slowest months--January and February--deliver the most wicked weather, and patrons are more likely to cancel than troll for parking and slog through wet streets. Websites such as Playbill can tell you what's playing, while the New York Theatre Experience lets you know what's good.
Whether you're into art, dinosaurs, space technology or New York history, there are museums with enough exhibits, tours and lectures to keep you occupied for 40 days and 40 nights of rain. For starters, the city's "Museum Mile" on 5th Avenue, between 82nd and 105th, includes the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of the City of New York and the Guggenheim. Other rainy day retreats include the American Museum of Natural History (popularized by the film "Night at the Museum"), The Frick Collection and the Paley Center for Media, where you can be the ultimate couch potato and enjoy over 50,000 TV and radio shows.
American Museum of Natural HIstory
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NY 10024-5192
212-769-5606
amnh.org
The Frick Collection
1 E. 70th St.
Between Madison & 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10021-4967
212-288-0700
frick.org
The Paley Center for Media
25 West 52 Street
New York, NY 10019
212-621-6600
paleycenter.org
If you're a sports nut, Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Center is a year-round mecca that offers bowling, golfing, skating, batting cages, basketball, soccer, swimming and dozens of other ways to stay fit and have fun. Memberships as well as drop-in specials for tourists are available.
Chelsea Piers
23rd Street and the Hudson River
New York, NY 10011
212-336-6000
chelseapiers.com
Manhattan has no shortage of iconic landmarks, including the Empire State Building, Radio City Music Hall, New York Public Library and the United Nations. Group tours are available daily.
Empire State Building
350 Fifth Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Streets
212-736-3100
esbnyc.com
Radio City Music Hall
1260 Avenue of the Americas
212-247-4777
radiocity.com
New York Public Library
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street
917-275-6975
nypl.org
United Nations
First Avenue between 42nd Street and 48th Street.
212-963-TOUR (8687)
un.org/tours/pages/gi.htm
