Visiting New York City? Discover 6 Distinctive Experiences

Visiting New York City? Discover 6 Distinctive Experiences

Staff


Yes, New York City truly carries it’s own flair and unique style. From Lower Manhattan with the 9/11 Memorial and the One World Observatory to Upper Manhattan with the Met Cloisters and national monuments, New York City offers distinctive experiences in every square mile of the city. One of the favorite city highlights that calls all visitors, however, is Midtown Manhattan with the Empire State Building, the Broadway theater district and Times Square just a stroll away from your hotel. Let’s take a look at six distinctive experiences you’ll find while visiting Midtown Manhattan. 

1. Popular (and Sold-Out) Tickets To Broadway Shows 

Before you land in Manhattan, some pre-trip planning is in order. The first activity you’ll want to conduct is to obtain reservations and tickets for the experiences you’ve circled with your red pen. We’ll help you get started: First, check out the most popular Broadway theater shows and book your tickets to guarantee your preferred dates. 

The most important factor in choosing a broadway show is to find one that will appeal to each member of your family or group. Equally important, choose a Broadway show that you’ve read about and feel comfortable in choosing. It should be interesting and potentially exciting for those in your family or group. 

Choose a Broadway show that is a massive, long-running hit and one that carries excellent reviews, such as The Book of Mormon, featured at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre. This distinctive theatre is absolutely charming, as it carries the old-world design of 1925, when it originally opened, along with the newest theater seating configurations, offered with delicious food and beverage services.

2. Personalize Your Hotel: Make It Yours

After arranging tickets and reservations, your first foray into Midtown Manhattan will be to arrive at the hotel where you’ll stay. There are many excellent hotels in the area and most offer amenities that will support your efforts to see the all the sights throughout the city. Many chain hotels are well-established and offer amenities and services that may be important for you. However, a select few of the hotels in Midtown Manhattan are truly distinctive and call out to guests who want a special experience. Try a hotel that is small and caters to a certain clientele or look for one without a restaurant or bar. Choose a hotel that has a swimming pool for summertime enjoyment or a fireplace for snowy weather. Whatever you choose, enjoy it and make it yours.

3.  Stay Where You Explore 

The first of our hotel favorites, The Pearl New York, is a contemporary boutique hotel that sits in the heart of the theater district and within a five-minute walk to Times Square. The hotel is not part of a chain, nor is it big and unwieldy to navigate. It is known as a “quiet and comfortable” haven for visitors who want to fully explore Midtown Manhattan by walking to various destinations. Reasonable rates and a steakhouse offering delicious fare draw a full house of delighted guests. If you want to get out there and explore the city, followed by a quiet evening of rest, this boutique haven is your hotel.

4. Looking For Peace & Quiet At The End Of The Day? Choose A Sanctuary

If you are seeking a serene, calm environment, perfect for first-time visitors to New York, book your stay at the Sanctuary Hotel, where “personalized” is taken seriously. You can choose from a number of amenities, all cloaked within a very quiet, serene setting. The hotel offers comfortable rooms, beds with floor-to-ceiling tuck-and-roll leather headboards and a rooftop terrace lined with oversized loungers that comfortably hold two adults. Think “quiet” and “calm” at the Sanctuary Hotel. A long day of sightseeing calls for a soothing, comfortable evening.

5. Wine And Dine At Inviting Midtown Eateries 

Distinctively different and in demand, the popular periodical, Barrons, has listed Midtown Manhattan as “…a Dining Destination…” Even if you are hesitant to try new food or flavor combinations, Midtown Manhattan is the perfect place to dip your toe in the water (or dip your freshly-made bread into the Spanish tapas). A few of our favorite destinations include the following restaurants that you won’t typically find in most cities. 

Located in the close-to-upper Manhattan area, Community Food and Juice is an experience as much as it is a place for delicious meal choices. Most tables are set to serve eight people, which means the highlight of your evening may be making new friends, sharing travel adventures with others, and enjoying convivial conversation. The menu is inviting and the experience is rich, as well as memorable.

Another epicurean adventure awaits at the Glass House Tavern. The delightful atmosphere is exactly everything a tavern should be: a full bar menu, dinner and prix fixe menus, brunch and appetizer menus. In addition, the beverages served include classic bar concoctions, along with exotic first-time mixes waiting to be sampled. Your Nitro Espresso Martini Float, served over a scoop of vanilla gelato, is both a rich martini and a luscious dessert.

6.  Try The Extraordinary Throughout Manhattan 

Sure, there are many well-known, deserving places to visit throughout Manhattan. You can easily access information about most of them online and plan for your trip prior to hitting the road. The museums of New York City are especially popular and draw visitors from around the world. In fact, according to the American Alliance of Museums, every age group, from six-years-old to sixty-plus years, is represented by the visitors to national museums in 2023. After you’ve determined which popular places you’ll want to visit, consider adding a a few extraordinary sights to visit, as well. 

First, take a stroll to the Mmuseumm, a teensy little shelved museum built inside a freight elevator in Lower Manhattan. You’ll find the museum is open only on a limited basis, but it is well worth a tiny look into a tiny space. The museum is packed with odd pieces of seemingly little value…until you read about the significance of each. Next, take a walk on the High Line, a linear park created on top of a railroad spur. The one-and-a-half mile walkway is on the west side of Manhattan and is the best place to spend a sunny afternoon in the city. 

Finally, when you are fatigued by the grueling toll of sightseeing and exploring, check out Please Don’t Tell, a mysterious speakeasy located behind a telephone booth in St. Mark’s Place. It is accessed by entering the Crif Dogs miniscule hot dog cafe, entering a telephone booth, and calling a certain number to be admitted. This speakeasy is the real deal, serving James Beard Award-winning food along with mixologists’ dream drinks. We can’t give you the access phone number; you must discover that by yourself. Enjoy!

The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.