Things to do at night in New York

Times Square is full of smart office buildings, skyscrapers, hotels, stores, restaurants, and other attractions that appeal to New Yorkers and tourists. Broadway from 47th to 42nd streets is now entirely pedestrianized so it makes wandering around much easier. Come here at night to see the whole square lit up with dazzling lights and to really get a feel of the neon city - it’s one of the best things to do in New York City at night.

‘The Village,’ as Greenwich Village is usually called, has been separate, casual, and very different from the rest of the city ever since its beginnings. In colonial times it really was a distinct village called Greenwich, which became a neighborhood of conservative Georgian brick houses and carriage barns in back alley mews. A few of these houses remain, mostly on Bedford Street and the streets around it, but conservative the Village isn’t. It got its bohemian reputation after World War I, when artists and writers moved here for the area’s cheap lodgings, inexpensive restaurants and speakeasies. Bleecker Street with its craft and curio shops, antique stores, cafés, and tiny restaurants has long been the main shopping strip of the neighborhood.

For dazzling views of New York head to the Top of the Rock bar. It offers visitors an unparalleled and unobstructed 360- degree view of the city from the 70th floor. The elevator to the top features a transparent ceiling so that visitors can view their rapid ascent all the way up the elevator chute. A light show and projected images add to the fun of the ride.

New York offers every kind of music style imaginable, from opera and classical music to jazz, pop, blues, country, world, and reggae. Admission to many concerts is free. But New York is perhaps known as the centre of world jazz. Listen to Jazz at Iridium , the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, or Birdland. Some other places where you can hear good music while you drink and/or dine include the Metropolitan Room and Joe’s Pub.

Hotel bars can be pretty swanky in New York. You will find popular ones at the Shoreham, Mansfield, Baccarat, and Standard hotels. The lobby bars at the Royalton and Four Seasons hotels are fashionable places to meet. Monkey Bar at the Hotel Elysée and the Paramount Bar & Grill in the Paramount Hotel are old standbys. Have a Cosmopolitan or two at one of these joints and really feel like Carrie Bradshaw!

The thing to keep in mind about dance clubs in New York is that clubs can be quite different depending on when and where you go. Among the hundreds of ever-changing venues (and themes), you might consider trendy Marquee or house (Cielo. There is also always the megaclub Webster Hall to have a boogie in.

One of the most popular activities for visitors is to take in a Broadway or off- Broadway show. Broadway theaters are concentrated in the Times Square area, but smaller off-Broadway houses are located all over town. Tickets for current hits must be booked ahead, sometimes months ahead. Curtain times are generally 8pm for evening performances. Be prepared for a shock; the top shows charge over $100 for their best seats. Heading to a Broadway show is definitely one of the most rewarding things to do in New York at night.