NYC Cultural Treasure Hunt: 10 Activities For A Rainy Day

From winter snowstorms to summer heat waves, New York sees its fair share of bad weather. In the city that never sleeps, there’s more to rainy days than Netflix binges and take-out dinners. For bar-hoppers, bowlers, and more, here are ten of our favorite rainy day activities.

1. Spot Dessert Bar

Dessert Shop, Restaurant, Bar, Asian, American, Dessert

Instagram addicts will love Spot Dessert Bar, an Asian-inspired café serving creative confections almost too pretty to eat. Escape the rain while you indulge in chocolate green tea lava cake, condensed milk ice cream, and smoked coconut cheesecake. Sure to satisfy your sweet tooth, Spot’s extensive and unique menu will keep you busy long after the rain has stopped.

2. Saturdays

Store, Shop

The sun’s always shining at Saturdays, a SoHo surf shop marrying laid-back living and downtown-cool. Featuring everything from coffee table books to wet suits, the shop’s curated collection of men’s goods exudes a refreshing, bohemian spirit. Also hosting an espresso bar stocked with La Colombe brews, Saturdays is the perfect place to lounge and explore while dreaming of better weather to come.

3. Caracas

Bar, Restaurant, Venezuelan

Embark on a culinary journey at Caracas, a Venezuelan eatery serving up tasty and traditional Latin fare. The restaurant’s flavorful menu of cheese-stuffed plantains, chorizo croquettesand plenty of popular arepavarieties will transport you to sunny Venezuela with just one bite. Also offering an array of tropical-inspired desserts and cocktails, Caracas makes rainy city days feel like a vacation.

4. Brooklyn Museum

Museum, Ruins, School

Robert Gober, Untitled Leg. 1989 – 1990, 11 3/8 x 7 3/4 x 20” (28.9 x 19.7 x 50.8 cm) | Courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of the Dannheiser Foundation,

Spend a rainy day visiting one of New York’s best-quality cultural institutions notfeatured on the average tourist’s to-do list. Honoring the diversity of its patrons, the Brooklyn Museum offers collections and exhibitions focusing on everything from Williamsburg murals to feminist installation artwork. Balancing global and local influences, Brooklyn Museum promises patrons an enriching and educational cultural experience.

5. Nitehawk Cinema

Cinema, Theater, Movie Theater

Rainy days and movie-watching go hand in hand, and with its fully-stocked bar and elevated movie snack menu, Nitehawk Cinema beats out your living room for the best venue to watch a film. Trading in candy and chocolate for meatball hoagies, spicy fried pickles, and truffle butter popcorn, Nighthawk redefines the concept of ‘dinner and a show.’ Showcasing contemporary indie flicks and documentaries alongside time-honored classics, this unique spot offers something for every film fanatic.

6. Meow Parlour

Cafe, Contemporary, French

Meow Parlour is New York City’s long-awaited answer to those pesky ‘no pet’ policies. Manhattan’s first-ever cat café unites sweet treats, free wifi, and furry friends under one roof, allowing animal-lovers to interact with adoptable cats while munching on macaroons, Blue Bottle coffee, and more. Good fun for a great cause, Meow Parlor is an ideal spot for a rainy day catnap.

7. Beauty Bar

Nightclub, Bar, Cocktail Bar, Pub Grub

Martinis, manicures, and more await you at Beauty Bar, a delightfully kitschy night club/nail salon catering to a diverse crowd of fun-loving New Yorkers. An unbeatable ladies’ night destination, Beauty Bar’s live comedy shows, ’80s playlists, and retro décor are sure to cure your rainy day blues.

8. Rose Main Reading Room

Library

Sit back with a good book at the Rose Main Reading Room, one of the New York Public Library’s most iconic aspects. A haven for bibliophiles and aficionados of local history, the room provides a peaceful and elegant environment for reading and studying.

Rose Main Reading Room is currently closed for repairs and is set to re-open in 2017.

9. The Butterfly Conservatory

Museum, Park, Building

Bad weather doesn’t have to keep you from experiencing nature. The Butterfly Conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History invites patrons to explore its indoor arena filled with flowers, foliage, and free-roaming butterflies while learning about the environment’s flying friends. Educational as well as entertaining, this exhibition is an excellent option for those rainy days you don’t want to spend indoors.

10. The Gutter

Bar, Pub Grub, American

Combining your love of craft beer and bowling, The Gutter is a no-frills Brooklyn bowling alley boasting a vintage vibe, affordable prices, and laid-back environment. With its ‘adults only’ policy and carefully-curated selection of brews, The Gutter is a great place for kids-at-heart to indulge in some grown-up fun.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.