If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw my many Instagram stories of our recent trip to New York City. We had a blast! We stayed for 3 nights and had 2 full days. In my opinion, that was too short because our first full day rained. Even without rain, I think you need at least 3 full days. The rest of the trip we were running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to fit everything in. Although it rained, there was still plenty to do and we still made the most of our day.
5 Things To Do On A Rainy Day In New York City:
- Explore The Areas Nearby Your Hotel: Pretty much no matter where you’re staying, there is probably something interesting to explore within walking distance. We knew it would be rainy, so I packed rain boots, a rain coat and umbrella to be extra prepared. We stayed in Time Square, so we explored nearby places like The New York Public Library, Bryant Park and went to the TKTS office to get show tickets (I will share how to get discounted tickets later in the post). We walked around Time Square for a bit before heading to brunch.
Times Square
- Brunch:We ate at Jack’s Wife Freda. They have two locations and we went to the closer one to us (Carmine St) due to a time crunch. Getting around in NYC takes much longer than you think, so we didn’t want to chance missing our show. Jack’s Wife Freda has been on my list for some time after seeing it on Instagram. The atmosphere was cute and we luckily didn’t have to wait for a long time. Overall I liked my food (The Madame Freda), but it was not amazing. Jake’s on the other hand was not good at all (Eggs Benny). There are soooo many cute brunch spots in NYC. I want to visit Jacob’s Pickle next time we visit. Sadly we didn’t have enough time.
- See A Broadway Show: Before going to NYC, I did tons of research to find ways to get cheap show tickets. We didn’t have a particular show in our minds though. I decided to go the lottery route originally for “Wicked”. What you do is Google the show name and type “lottery” after it. If it is available via the lottery, you just enter it online. We sadly didn’t end up getting tickets, so my backup plan was to go to the TKTS booth when they opened at 10 a.m. for shows. They have an app that will tell you what is available and when to go to the box office to purchase tickets. You cannot purchase them online which was kind of a hassle. Next time we will suck it up and just buy them ahead of time if we can find them discounted (TKTS sells tickets for 50% off what it would cost to buy ahead of time most places). Luckily TKTS’ line was quick and we decided to see “The Play That Goes Wrong.” Jake had heard it was funny and it definitely was. It is not your typical Broadway show, as it was it is a play where, unsurprisingly, everything goes wrong. Next time I would like to see something more classic.
- Happy Hour: The show ended just in time for happy hour. The rain was finally gone, but it was not the prettiest day outside, and it was chilly. We decided to go to Haven Roof Top at The Sanctuary Hotel due to the close location to our hotel and since their patio is enclosed. They have amazing happy hour drink specials, so I definitely recommend going then. On a beautiful day I probably would have opted for an open roof top bar instead.
- Dinner: After not having the best brunch we wanted something “safe.” I did a little research and found The Smith recommended. They have multiple locations and we picked the Lincoln Square one due to it being closest to us. The food was excellent and they had the best Moscow Mule I’ve ever had. They make their own ginger beer and it was amazing. We split the Mac and Cheese appetizer then I had the shrimp and grits for dinner. Having southern food in NYC was a little different, but it was surprisingly amazing. We did not expect anywhere in NYC to be able to cook authentic tasting Southern food. After dinner we were both stuffed, so we went home to get plenty of sleep to wake up early for a full day in NYC.
Stay tuned, as I will be sharing a blog post about Central Park and then my full guide on everything we did in NYC. Jake and I are heading to Louisville, Kentucky tomorrow for The Kentucky Derby. Be sure to follow along on my Instagram stories and I will be sharing a blog post soon highlighting our experience.
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Sounds like a fun day! Rain or shine, NYC is one of my favorite cities of all time!
Katherine | http://www.oneswainkycouple.com
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Yes it was definitely still fun. I want to go back bc we didn’t get to see/do everything
Such a cute look Courtney! Sounds like a fun day in NYC 🙂
Taylor | http://www.livingtaylored.com
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Thanks Taylor. We had sooo much fun.
You always have the cutest rainy day travel outfits! It rained on us last time we were in NYC. We had planned to ice skate that day at Bryant Park so I just pretended the rain was snow 😉
I thought the same thing about Jack’s Wife Frieda. SO CUTE but not very tasty.
We use the Today Tix app for Broadway shows. Highly recommend! I think you can get the tickets a week or so in advance and you don’t have to wait in line. We’ve gotten great seats for not very much money!
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You’re so sweet. Oh no. That’s smart though. Can’t not take advantage of a day there.
Yes I was sad Jack’s Wife Freda didn’t live up to the hype.
Oh that’s smart. We definitely will have to use that next time. Luckily the TKTS office was so close to our hotel, but still it would’ve been nice to just have tickets already.
Oh my goodness, I am obsessed with your pink umbrella and boots. You make rainy days look adorable! 🙂 Also, I love these ideas for NYC. I’m all about exploring the different foodie options everytime I go which makes for a good rain or shine activity.
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You’re so sweet. I knew it was going to rain ahead of time, so I took advantage of wearing my new rain great.
Yes there’s really is much fun stuff to do rain or shine.
This all sounds so fun! Your outfit is adorable! I love it for spring.
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Thank you so much! It was a blast.
I ADORE your amazing outfit firstly! Secondly, brunch is always a good idea!
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Thank you so much. Omg yes I definitely agree.
Hi Courtney, I am so jealous( well a little anyway!) that you got to visit “my city” Even though I live in Minnesota now I will never forget the 8 years I had in the big apple. You walked in my footsteps ! I love the rainy day outfit, you look so cute!! Hugs and have a nice weekend, Terri xo
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Omg I had no idea you used to live in NYC. How cool? I bet you loved it. Thank you.
Yes Courtney, I was there 8 years, still miss it.
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How amazing! I bet that was a fun experience.
It was so fun Courtney!
Oh gosh, you’re making me miss NYC! Even on a rainy day, there’s still so much to do. Great suggestions! I love your rain outfit too! Your boots are adorable.
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Absolutely. It was still so fun. Thank you.
I love that you have featured how to have fun in the city even if the weather is not cooperating. Those pink boots are absolutely adorable!
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Thanks, Becca. It can be disappointing but I still want to make the most of a trip.
First, those boots are so cute! We are heading to NYC this week and seeing a Broadway play. Can’t wait!
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Ahh have so much fun. You’ll love it. Yes definitely see a Broadway play. That’s a must do.