We've all felt the lure of the largest city in the United States. New York City's endless shopping opportunities, the perpetual line of yellow cabs that stream down the roads, and some of the world's best night life all beckon to us from the movie and television screen. The night life is so good, in fact, that jet setters from all over the globe think nothing of flying into New York City for a good party. With so much to do, how does a mere mortal like you and I figure out where to best spend our time? The entertainment choices are daunting, to be sure, but there are some good guidelines to use to weed out the dud venues and find the stuff great vacation memories are made of.
The best place to start is to determine what to do. Dancing? Clubbing? Theater? New York City has it all.
Clubbing and Dancing
Most of the better bars and clubs will have a cover charge ranging from $1 to $15 and many of them don't even open until 9pm or later. New York is broken down into districts and is quite a large city. If you're not familiar with (or able to figure out) the complex subway train system, you might want to look for bars that are close to where you are, but there are always an endless supply of those yellow cabs to help you out if you want to stray farther afield. So what are the best bars in New York City? Well, tastes in bars is as varied as the bars themselves so the quickest way to find a bar that interests you is to go online and take a look.
TicketsinSeconds.com has a great section on New York night life as well as listings of concerts and other activities in the bustling metropolis. The aptly named NY.com (http://www.ny.com) has a listing of bars categorized by genre – Jazz, Dance, Bars & Pubs, and even a section listing venues that people under 21 can get into. Finally, 10 Best (http://www.10best.com/New_York,NY/Ni...ubs/index.html) has a ranked list of dance clubs in New York City. How they're ranked isn't all that clear, but if you like top 10 lists then this is the site for you.
Theatre
Aside from the clubs, New York City is world-renowned for its theater. We've all head of Broadway and guess where Broadway is? You guess it! Broadway is in Manhattan which is one of New York City's largest boroughs. There are almost 40 theaters on Broadway so if you're into theater it's almost inconceivable that you won't be able to find something to interest you on Broadway. Check out Broadway.com (http://www.broadway.com) for show times and to book tickets online.
Television Show Tapings
All big cities have clubs and some theatre, but New York City also presents some really exclusive opportunities. Saturday Night Live, a popular live comedy show that has been on the air for over 30 years, is recorded in New York. There are only two ways to get tickets to SNL. If you're thinking ahead you can submit a request for tickets in August for the upcoming year to snltickets@nbcuni.com. Sooner or later, you'll get tickets to either the live show or a dress rehearsal. The other way is be a 'standby' which means lining up at 7am at 30 Rockefeller plaza. If you're lucky, you'll get tickets to either the 8pm dress rehearsal or the 11:30 pm actual show.
As well as Saturday Night Live, other night time shows such as David Letterman (http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/) and Conan O'Brien (http://www.nbc.com/Late_Night_with_Conan_O'Brien/index.shtml) also tape in New York City and ticket information can be found on their respective sites.
The trick to mastering New York City nightlife isn't finding things to do, it's wading through the mountain of things to do to find the stuff that interests you. With a little planning and little time invested online, you'll be able to narrow down the field and have a great time in New York City.
Jon Watson from Nova Scotia |
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