Summer is when New York City really comes alive. From festivals and markets to parades, concerts, and cool drinks on rooftops, there’s so much you can do in the city no matter what you’re into.
If you find yourself in the Big Apple, do as the locals do to make the hot and sweaty city positively awesome. Here are my top four favorite things to do in NYC in the summer.
Read more about New York City
- Best Places To Eat in NYC
- The Perfect Weekend in New York City
- Top 10 Dessert Spots in NYC
- Going Off The Beaten Path in NYC
- Best Coffices in NYC
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Best Things To Do in NYC in the Summer
Buy An Ice Cream And Chill Out At High Line Park
Suspended 25 meters above ground, the not-so-secret-anymore urban park in the city is perhaps one of my favorite spots. This elevated park is part promenade, part town square, and part botanical garden. It goes by the name of High Line Park.
The views from here are delightful as you slice between old buildings and new. Summer days are perfect for a stroll thanks to chill-out benches like the above, food vendors and shade.
If you find yourself here, don’t forget to check out the adjoined Chelsea Market.
Rooftop Pool Party Time
Image via Flickr lemeridienhotels
The perfect way to escape the heat is to trade in for your swimsuit and take a dip in a nice cool pool with a view. While some hotels in New York City restrict their pool access to guests, there are ones like Le Parker Meridien that make their pools open to the public for a $100 day pass.
If you’re planning on heading there on the weekend, make sure you go early because these pools fill up fast.
Picnic At Central Park
It’s amazing that green spaces like Central Park exist in a hyper-urban city like NYC, so why not take advantage of it?
Another one of my favorite things to do in NYC in the summer every time I visit the city is to go to the neighboring food hall of the Plaza Hotel (location is now closed sadly), pick up a Luke’s Lobster, a slice of Lady M mille cake and set up an impromptu picnic on the pristine green grass with epic views of the towering skyscrapers of 59th Street.
Chow Down at Smorgasburg
Smorgasburg is a weekly food festival that runs on the weekends in two spots in Brooklyn – East River State Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
With 75-100 vendors every week, this is your chance to stuff your face with delicious food that ranges from age-old classics to the most bizarre of combinations. It’s at Smorgasburg where creations like the ramen burger saw its claim to fame.
Not only is the food fantastic, Smorgasburg is always a great choice for any visitor because both locations provide highly Instagrammable views of Manhattan.
Bring Out Your Inner Shakespeare
Shakespeare In The Park is a free program run by the city every summer at the Delacorte Theater at Central Park. The schedule varies from year to year but there are typically two productions of Shakespeare plays a summer that start as early as May and go as late as August.
The experience of watching a Shakespeare play in an open air theater just like it was intended to be watched can’t be beat.
The only trick is to be able to get tickets for the show. They’ve gained so much popularity that you will end up having to camp out in line to get tickets on the day of or try your chance at an online lottery.
There’s so much more to do than these things to do in NYC in the summer. There are an endless number of choices but just make sure you check out my top recommended places to visit and best restaurants before you go to start planning that perfect itinerary.
Finding A Place To Stay in NYC
One of the most challenging things when it comes to planning a trip to New York is figuring out where you’re going to stay while you’re here.
On one hand, there are a LOT of choices but on the other hand, it’s insanely expensive. The nights add up and before you know it, you’re paying a few thousand dollars in hotel costs and that’s before all of the activities and food.
Here are two properties that I think you’ll like that are great options when it comes to finding a place to stay in NYC.
MEATPACKING DISTRICT
This property can be considered a hostel since they have rooms with shared bathrooms but for a property in a prime location and with available private rooms, and very affordable rates you can’t go wrong. What makes this incredibly unique as well is that the rooms resemble ship cabins.
ROCKEFELLER CENTER
For the price and location, this place can’t be beat! The rooms here look fabulous with full-sized kitchens as these are apartments. Perfect for families and longer stays. In addition, there are over 2,000 reviews so you know you can rely on the quality of this property.
What you should read next
Travel Resources For Your Next Trip
If you’re in the process of planning your trip and putting together your itinerary, these are genuinely the best resources that the Going Awesome Places team stands by 100%.
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Hotels: Our go-to is Booking.com because they have the best inventory of properties including hotels and B&Bs plus they have their Genius tier discounts. Expedia is also worth using especially with their One Key rewards program which is basically like cash. The exception is Asia where Agoda always has the best prices. Always do a quick check on TripAdvisor as well.
Vacation Rentals: Your first instinct will be to check Airbnb but we always recommend checking VRBO as well if you’re looking for a vacation rental (now eligible for One Key).
Tours and Activities: When planning our trips, we always check both Viator and GetYourGuide to at least see what’s out there in the destination that we’re going to. They often have different offerings and prices so check both.
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If you need more help planning your trip, make sure to check out our Travel Toolbox where we highlight all of the gear, resources, and tools we use when traveling.
Nice post! You are so right about the Central Park. It’s so relax to just stay there! Thanks for sharing!Looking forward to seeing more of your post!
Be sure to check out Sleeper Scarf for your next trip http://www.SleeperScarf.com
New York, when it’s sweltering? I think about running through spray from an open fire hydrant.