If
you are tired of visiting destinations where they literally roll up the sidewalks
at 10 p.m. , welcome to the city that never sleeps! Here, no matter what time
of the day or night you can get yourself a meal, go dancing, or find something
to do all night long. Most people come
to New York City to see a show…a Broadway show that is. If you have your heart
set on seeing a particular show then it is wise to book the show in advance through
one of the online ticket retailers. If, however, you are traveling on a budget,
and just seeing a show will make you happy, then you should head on over to the
TKTS booth in Times Square (47 th Street and Broadway) where you can get half-priced
tickets for shows the same day. Make sure you bring cash or a traveler's check
because they do not accept credit cards, and oftentimes you can get really great
seats at an incredible discount. The booth opens at 10 a.m. on matinee days (
11 a.m. on Sundays) and at 3 p.m. for evening performances. Be sure to get there
early because people line up way in advance. Hotels which are nearby to TKTS and
Broadway theaters include the Ameritania,
The Time
Hotel, the Belvedere,
Amsterdam
Court , Crowne
Plaza Times Square, the Millennium
Broadway, and the Edison
. If you are truly on a budget yet want
to experience the New York theater scene, then consider Off-Broadway. Many of
the big shows like Urinetown got their start Off-Broadway in smaller theaters
with lower ticket prices. The quality of many Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway
shows (a show is considered Off-Off if there are less than 100 seats in the house)
are on par with Broadway productions in terms of quality of acting and content…the
scenery may just be a bit less lavish. You can find out what is playing Off-Broadway
through some of the retailers like Ticketmaster and Telecharge or smaller theater
dealers like SmartTix. Radio City Music
Hall is also an important stop for many visiting New York — especially around
the holidays when they perform their annual Christmas Spectacular. Radio City
is also the year-round venue for a wide variety of musical events and concerts.
The Warwick
Hotel is just steps from Radio City . Jazz
lovers will appreciate New York 's music scene with clubs like the Blue Note offering
a chance to see some incredible jazz musicians. There are so many clubs throughout
New York that offer performances by musicians, poetry readings, etc. It all depends
upon what you are looking for. One New York City mainstay is The Cornelia Street
Café which has incredible food but also features a cabaret downstairs where
there are many types of original acts from singers to actors to poetry readings.
The hot nightclub scene is ALWAYS changing
here…the action at most clubs doesn't get started until 10 or 11 p.m. Be sure
to check-out Time Out New York or ask the front desk people at your
hotel for recommendations on where the “in” crowd is now hanging out. Cover charges
can be a bit pricey for New York clubs — as are the drinks. Don't be shocked if
you have to pay upwards of $10 for a glass of wine! And
finally there is traditional New York …where the mainstays of cultural entertainment
can be found including opera, ballet, the symphony, and more. There is the age-old
joke, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” with the response “Practice. Practice.
Practice.” But you can find it on the corner of 57 th Street and Seventh Avenue
. Their website offers a calendar of performances as well as the opportunity to
purchase tickets online. The Salisbury
Hotel and Hudson
Hotel are both just a few blocks from Carnegie Hall. Another
cultural hotspot in New York is Lincoln Center , the largest cultural center in
the world, located between West 62nd and 65th Streets and Columbus and Amsterdam
Avenues. Lincoln Center is home to a wide variety of performers including The
Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, the New York City Opera, the New
York Philharmonic, the Midsummer Night Swing (a swing dancing event), and much,
much more. For details on performances that will be on during your trip, visit
www.lincolncenter.org. The Empire
Hotel is right near Lincoln Center . If
you are a movie enthusiast, you will find an incredible variety of movie theaters,
from the big stadium-style modern theaters to some old-time classics. For cultural
and foreign films, the Angelika theater downtown offers a great selection. No
matter what your preference…piano bar to strip clubs, boy bars, beer bars, authentic
Irish pubs, disco, performance art, song and dance, romance and candlelight, New
York City will not disappoint.
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