New York on a rainy day

Museums

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  9/11 Memorial & Museum · Lower Manhattan · Memorial daily 08:00–20:00; Museum Wed–Mon 09:00–19:00 (closed Tue except selected days) · $24–$36
  Twin reflecting pools mark the Twin Towers' footprints, and the museum below tells the story of 9/11.

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  Whitney Museum of American Art · Chelsea & Flatiron · Mon, Wed–Thu, Sat–Sun 10:30–18:00, Fri 10:30–22:00; closed Tue · $30
  Twentieth-century and contemporary American art in Renzo Piano's building, with terraces looking over the High Line.

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  Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) · Midtown · Daily 10:30–17:30, Fri until 20:30 · $30
  Van Gogh's Starry Night, Picasso, Warhol and a deep collection of modern design, film and photography.

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  Intrepid Museum · Midtown · Daily 10:00–17:00 (last entry one hour before closing) · $38
  A WWII aircraft carrier on the Hudson holding a space shuttle, a Concorde and a submarine.

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  The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Central Park & Upper East Side · Sun–Thu 10:00–17:00, Fri–Sat 10:00–21:00; closed Wed · $30
  Five thousand years of art, from Egyptian temples to Impressionists, in the largest museum in the Americas.

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  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum · Central Park & Upper East Side · Daily 10:30–17:30 (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day; some Mondays members only) · $30
  Frank Lloyd Wright's spiral rotunda, with modern and contemporary art along the ramp.

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  American Museum of Natural History · Upper West Side & Harlem · Daily 10:00–17:30 (closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day) · $37
  Dinosaur skeletons, the blue whale model and the Hayden Planetarium, the museum of the Night at the Museum films.

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  Children's Museum of Manhattan · Upper West Side & Harlem · Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00 · $18
  Hands-on museum for children up to about 10, on the Upper West Side near the Natural History Museum.

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  New York Transit Museum · Brooklyn · Wed–Sun 10:00–16:00 · $15
  Museum in a decommissioned 1936 subway station, with vintage subway cars you can walk through.

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  SPYSCAPE · Midtown · Daily from 10:00 · undefined
  Interactive spy museum with missions and challenges that test codebreaking and surveillance skills.

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  African Burial Ground National Monument · Lower Manhattan · Wed–Sun 10:00–16:00 · Free
  Memorial and visitor center for the 17th–18th century burial ground of free and enslaved Africans.

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  The Frick Collection · Central Park & Upper East Side · Mon, Wed–Sun 10:30–17:30 · $30
  Old masters in a Gilded Age mansion on Fifth Avenue, reopened in 2025 after renovation.

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  Museum of the City of New York · Central Park & Upper East Side · Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00 · $23
  Exhibitions on the city's history, photography and design, on Museum Mile at 103rd Street.

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  Tenement Museum · Downtown & the Villages · Daily 10:00–18:00 (guided tours only) · undefined
  Guided tours through restored apartments of immigrant families on the Lower East Side.

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  The Morgan Library & Museum · Midtown · Tue–Sun 10:30–17:00 · undefined
  J. P. Morgan's private library with gilded study, manuscripts and rotating exhibitions.

Careful on Mondays: 4 of these museums are closed. Which museums are open today? →

Churches

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  St. Patrick's Cathedral · Midtown · Daily 06:30–20:45 (services; closed to visitors during some services) · Free
  The neo-Gothic Catholic cathedral on Fifth Avenue, with marble altars, stained glass and spires between the towers.

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  Trinity Church · Lower Manhattan · Daily 08:30–18:00 · Free
  Gothic Revival church at the head of Wall Street, with a free churchyard where Alexander Hamilton is buried.

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  Cathedral of St. John the Divine · Upper West Side & Harlem · Daily 09:00–17:00 · undefined
  One of the world's largest cathedrals, still unfinished, with huge stained-glass windows and a famous peace fountain.

Shopping under cover

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  Jacques Torres Chocolate (DUMBO) · Brooklyn · Daily 09:00–19:00 · undefined
  Chocolate factory shop in DUMBO: watch the chocolate being made and taste the famous hot chocolate.
• Li-Lac Chocolates (West Village) · Downtown & the Villages · Mon–Thu 11:00–19:00, Fri–Sat 11:00–19:30, Sun 11:00–18:00 · undefined
  New York's oldest chocolate house (1923), hand-making fudge and chocolate in Greenwich Village.
• MarieBelle Cacao Bar (SoHo) · Downtown & the Villages · Mon–Thu 11:00–19:00, Fri–Sun 11:00–20:00 · undefined
  Chocolate shop and cacao bar in SoHo, known for hot chocolate and hand-painted chocolates.
• Kee's Chocolates (SoHo) · Downtown & the Villages · Daily 11:00–19:00 · undefined
  Small handmade-chocolate boutique in SoHo with a tasting counter and truffles.

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  Macy's Herald Square · Midtown · Mon–Sat 10:00–21:00, Sun 11:00–20:00 · Free
  The world's largest department store (flagship since 1902), famous for the wooden escalators and the Thanksgiving parade.

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  Strand Bookstore · Downtown & the Villages · Daily 10:00–20:00 · Free
  Famous independent bookstore with "18 miles of books", new and used, near Union Square.

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  Brookfield Place · Lower Manhattan · Mon–Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 11:00–18:00 · Free
  Upscale shopping and dining by the Hudson, with the glass-roofed Winter Garden and palm trees.

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  FAO Schwarz (Rockefeller Center) · Midtown · Daily 10:00–20:00 · Free
  Famous toy shop reopened at Rockefeller Center, with the giant floor piano.

Food and drink

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  McSorley's Old Ale House · Downtown & the Villages · Mon–Sat 11:00–01:00, Sun 12:00–01:00 · undefined
  The city's oldest Irish tavern (1854): sawdust floor, light or dark ale, nothing else.
• Other Half Brewing (Rockefeller Center) · Midtown · Daily from 12:00 (closing time varies by day) · undefined
  Taproom of the Brooklyn craft brewery known for its hazy IPAs, at the foot of Rockefeller Center; 21+ with ID.

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  Old Town Bar · Chelsea & Flatiron · Daily 11:30–23:59 · undefined
  Tavern from 1892 with a long wooden bar and tiled floor near Union Square, serving beer from lunchtime.

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  Pete's Tavern · Chelsea & Flatiron · Daily 12:00–02:00 · undefined
  Pub in Gramercy that claims to be the city's oldest continuously operating bar, open from late morning.

More to see indoors

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  One World Observatory · Lower Manhattan · Daily, hours vary by season and date (check the date before you book) · from $39
  The Western Hemisphere's tallest viewing deck, on floors 100 to 102 of One World Trade Center, with 360-degree views.

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  Chelsea Market · Chelsea & Flatiron · Concourse daily 07:00–22:00 (individual shops and restaurants vary) · Free
  An indoor food hall in the former Nabisco factory with tacos, lobster rolls, bakeries and shops.

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  Hudson Yards, the Vessel & Edge · Chelsea & Flatiron · Edge deck daily, hours vary by date (about 10:00–22:00 or later); Vessel timed slots about 11:00–19:00; The Shops Mon–Sat 10:00–21:00, Sun 11:00–19:00 · Edge from $42
  A glass-and-steel district with Edge, the western hemisphere's highest outdoor sky deck, and the Vessel's staircases.

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  Empire State Building · Midtown · Daily 10:00–22:00 (hours shift by date) · from $46
  The 1931 Art Deco icon, with open-air views from the 86th floor and an optional glass-walled 102nd floor.

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  Grand Central Terminal · Midtown · Daily 05:15–02:00 (the station), the Main Concourse is free to walk · Free
  The 1913 Beaux-Arts station with the celestial ceiling, the four-faced clock and the Whispering Gallery.

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  SUMMIT One Vanderbilt · Midtown · Daily 08:00–24:00 (last entry 22:30) · undefined
  An immersive observation experience with mirrored rooms, glass-floor Ledge terraces and a glass elevator on the building's side.

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  Rockefeller Center & Top of the Rock · Midtown · Top of the Rock daily 08:00–24:00 (last entry 23:10); the plaza is always open · Top of the Rock from $42
  The Art Deco complex with the Prometheus fountain, plus a three-level observation deck facing the Empire State Building.

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  The Oculus (Westfield World Trade Center) · Lower Manhattan · Daily 10:00–20:00 · Free
  Santiago Calatrava's white winged transit hall with shops, free to walk through.

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  Essex Market · Downtown & the Villages · Mon–Wed 08:00–20:00, Thu–Sat 08:00–21:00, Sun 10:00–18:00 · Free
  Lower East Side food hall in a modern building: pastries, cheese, dumplings, coffee and bagels.
• Eataly NYC Flatiron · Chelsea & Flatiron · Daily 07:00–23:00 · Free
  Large Italian market and food hall with counters for pasta, pizza, gelato and coffee, plus a rooftop.

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  Katz's Delicatessen · Downtown & the Villages · Daily 08:00–22:45 · undefined
  Lower East Side deli since 1888, famous for hand-carved pastrami sandwiches and the "When Harry Met Sally" table.

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  Time Out Market New York (DUMBO) · Brooklyn · Sun–Thu 08:00–22:00, Fri–Sat 08:00–23:00 · Free
  Food hall in DUMBO with 20 or so local vendors and a rooftop with a view of the Manhattan skyline.

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  Grand Central Market · Midtown · Mon–Fri 07:00–21:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–19:00 · Free
  Gourmet food stalls inside Grand Central: cheese, seafood, bakery and spices, a quick lunch under the arches.