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Free Things to Do in New York
After Work / All Ages / Bars / Free
Party Earth Review With its famous chess tables dotting 14th Street and its alternative artistic vibe, Union Square has been one of Manhattan’s defining cultural landmarks since the 1800s when it was the site for union rallies. Now a favorite with NYU students and local lunching workers, the park offers plenty of conversation pieces and people ... more
14th to 17th Street between Union Square West (University) and Union Square East (Fourth Avenue)
New York, NY 10003
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Affluent Hipsters / All Ages
Party Earth Review A dream come true for shopaholics, foodies, and art lovers alike, SoHo is a versatile downtown neighborhood offering an unending variety of shops, galleries, and restaurants. On weekend afternoons, the area is usually swarming with young creative professionals and tourists who flood mainstream stores like Zara, Bloomingdale ... more
Between Houston Street and Canal Street, and Broadway and Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10012
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All Ages / All Types / Burgers
Party Earth Review No place epitomizes the spirit of New York City quite like Central Park, an 843-acre swath of green that stretches from 59th Street to 110th Street, making it a much-needed and much-loved escape for the city’s overworked urbanites. Seven bodies of water and countless sprawling lawns provide a playground for everyone from ... more
Central Park
New York, NY 10019
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All Ages / All Types / Bars / Clubs
Party Earth Review A labyrinthine explosion of smells, people, stores, and activity, Chinatown is a bustling enclave that feels like a genuine slice of Hong Kong. Visitors may notice that typical rules don’t apply in this neighborhood, where tourists openly haggle with counterfeit handbag vendors on Canal Street and ancient grandmothers aggressively ... more
Borders Broome Street and Delancey Street on the north side; Broadway and Lafayette on the west side; East River Drive on the south and east sides
New York, NY 10013
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All Ages / All Types / Bars / Free
Party Earth Review Sprawling from 48th to 51st Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue, the world-famous Rockefeller Center is a bustling nerve center that welcomes millions of local and foreign visitors every year. Weekdays see the area abuzz with everyone from business people and ad execs hurrying off to lunch meetings to the more ... more
48th to 51st Streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues
New York, NY 10112
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All Ages / All Types / Baseball
Party Earth Review An eighty-five-acre stretch of piers, marshes, lawns, and coves, Brooklyn Bridge Park has something for just about everyone – and all of it with views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan skyline, and the Statue of Liberty. Though portions of the park aren’t slated to open till 2013, the wide green lawns and center hill of ... more
Extends along the East River Waterfront
from the Manhattan Bridge to Pier 6
Brooklyn, NY 11201
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All Ages / All Types / Barbeque
Party Earth Review Designed by the same architects who created Central Park, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park is a popular getaway for locals and visitors looking for a bit of respite from the city’s hectic pace. A 585-acre expanse of natural beauty, the park connects Park Slope, Crown Heights, and Kensington, bringing together otherwise disparate ... more
Between Prospect Park West, Eastern Parkway, Washington Avenue, and Parkside West
Brooklyn, NY 11218
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All Ages / All Types / Bars / Free
Party Earth Review One of the busiest, most frenetic, and most visually stimulating urban centers in the world, Times Square offers a vast assortment of dining, shopping, and entertainment options that go beyond its famous bright lights and giant flashing advertisements. Usually filled with hordes of tourists and people who work in the area ... more
42nd Street to 50th Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019
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All Ages / All Types / Bar Food
Party Earth Review A playground for grownups, families, and tourists alike, Chelsea Piers and its restaurants, bars, and 28-acre sports facility truly offers something for everyone. Athletic types will find plenty to do by day at the gymnastics stadium, rock climbing walls, and several indoor basketball courts and sports fields, while savvy ... more
West 23rd Street and the Hudson River
New York, NY 10011
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After Work / All Ages / Brunch
Party Earth Review A luscious swath of green just behind the New York Public Library, Bryant Park is an activity-filled mecca for people of all ages and interests. Young professionals and local office workers take over the hundreds of patio tables on sunny afternoons to people-watch over lunch, as students stretch out on the grass to read ... more
Between 40th and 42nd Street just east of Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
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20s / 30s / 40s / Artsy / Courtyard
Party Earth Review Once just another abandoned and overgrown set of elevated railroad tracks, the High Line has been transformed into an urban park where patrons stroll down artfully slanted concrete planks, peruse the booths of local artists, and enjoy a peaceful atmosphere three stories above the city streets. Planted with over two hundred ... more
Washington Street and Gansevoort Street, and Tenth Avenue at West 14th Street (elevator), West 16th Street (elevator), West 18th Street, West 20th Street, West 23rd Street, West 26th Street, West 28th Street, and West 30th Street
New York, NY 10011
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30s / 40s / Affluent / Burgers / Free
Party Earth Review A whirlwind of designer fashion, celebrity sightings, and the festive aroma of roasted chestnuts, New York City’s famous Fifth Avenue shopping district is a half-mile stretch of consumer heaven riddled with chichi shops. On weekdays, the area – which stretches from 48th to 59th Street – attracts successful New Yorkers stocking ... more
Fifth Avenue between 48th and 59th Streets
New York, NY 10022
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NYC Free Things to Do Overview
Although New York is famous far and wide for being the most expensive city in the world, there are still a surprising number of free things to do in New York. Indeed, the city itself is an activity that doesn’t cost a dime, a place where you can wander for ages, soaking up the affordable attractions located on any street corner.
People- and city-watching are some of the most common and rewarding free things to do in New York. All around town, one can see curious tourists and observant older locals taking in the endless parade of glittering skyscrapers and strangely dressed fashionistas that seem to dot every street corner and alleyway. Central Park and Prospect Park are free public spaces for the city’s athletic younger population to toss around a Frisbee or brown-bag a tall boy.
For chicer and more traditional Big Apple fare, the bars and clubs of the city feed into NYC’s free things to do. Places like Union Pool in Williamsburg and Santo’s Party House in downtown Manhattan offer free concerts where budget-conscious hipsters can catch cutting-edge bands and secret shows.
While the tourist-friendly areas of town can often be a serious drain on the wallet, much of New York City is chock-full of exciting free things for everyone to do.
Popular New York Neighborhoods
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