Tired of the same old summer routine in NYC? Don't worry, we've got you covered with 5 fun things to do in NYC this summer. Whether you're a lifelong New Yorker or just a summer resident, there's always something new to discover in the Big Apple. From hidden gems to iconic neighborhoods, we've curated a list of five fun activities that will help you make the most of your summer in the city. So, grab your sunscreen and let's dive in!
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THINGS TO DO IN NEW YORK CITY | #1
Take yourself on a food tour in Chinatown
I've always had a soft spot for Chinatown in New York City - and in fact, I spent my first year in NYC in a tiny 6 floor walkup in the heart of Chinatown. I'll never forget rolling my mattress down those 6 flights alone when I moved out. Today with the Lunar New Year upon us, I wanted to go back to my early New York days with a fun day trip (from Brooklyn!) to Chinatown. We've gotten super into dumplings over the past few years and eat frozen Vanessa's Dumplings for lunch more days per week than I'd care to admit. But is Vanessa's actually the best dumpling place NYC has to offer? Let's find out on this free walking food tour around Chinatown.
Nestled in Lower Manhattan, New York City's Chinatown is the largest enclave of Chinese people outside of China. Bustling with activity, its narrow streets are lined with restaurants serving dim sum and noodles, markets overflowing with fresh produce and exotic spices, and shops selling everything from souvenirs and wanna be Chanel bags to traditional Chinese home goods. We're taking the 4/5 train to Canal; just bring an empty stomach, comfy walking shoes and get here however you like. Our food tour is based on research on reddit, google maps reviews and NYC word of mouth.
STOP ONE: Mei Lah Wah
62 Bayard St, New York, NY
Google rating: 4.4
Stop one of our Chinatown food tour begins in the heart and most touristy part of Chinatown on Bayard Street. Ironically this is the first street I lived on when I moved to NYC! Located between Mott and Bowery, Mei Lah Wah is likely the most popular stop in our walking tour-and you can expect to have to wait in line. Fortunately the line to order at their outside kiosk moves fairly fast. We waited under 5 minutes to place our order and another 15 minutes to get our food, which they alert you is ready via text.
So what should you order here? Look no further than the roasted pork bun with pineapple. This is after all what everyone is waiting for - and for good reason. We ordered this and the steamed pork bun for a whooping $5.26. So cheap! If I were to go back I'd skip the steamed bun and get the exceptional roasted pork bun with pineapple x2. This stop was 10/10.
Spend your 15 minute wait time wandering the streets of Chinatown. Look for Doyer street, home of the ever popular Nom Wah Tea Parlor. Check out a souvenir shop, try to win big on a claw machine or grab a bubble tea. If you want to do this whole tour in reverse, you can also start with dessert by hopping across the street and trying the unusual flavors at Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. (Best IMO is almond cookie).
Once your food is ready, head to Columbus Park a few blocks away to grab a bench to enjoy your buns. This truly is a local park and you'll see tables of Chinatown residents gathering here to play cards.
STOP TWO: King Dumpling
74 Hester St, New York, NY
Google rating: 4.6
Just 10 minutes away and out of all the tourist traffic of prime Chinatown is King Dumpling. I'll be honest, while King Dumpling is highly reviewed (4.6 on google!) this was by far my least favorite stop. There are definitely different styles of dumplings - and unfortunately these weren't my favorite. If you're worried about being overly full, skip it and head to STOP THREE.
If you're open to checking it out it - King Dumpling is known for their fried dumplings. We ordered the Pork and Chive Fried Dumplings. 10 dumplings for just $4, cash only. Not sure how common this was or if we just had bad luck (it was busy) but we had to wait 10 minutes for our food. We also were given shrimp dumplings by accident instead (which they fixed). These dumplings compared to others we tried, are very lightly fried, more like boiled dumplings and in my opinion lacked a lot of flavor. They do, unlike Mei Lah Wah, offer places to sit while you eat.
Overall review 5/10.
A DIGESTION MOMENT AKA NON FOOD BREAK: Clockwork Bar
21 Essex St, New York, NY 10002
Ok so far, the two of us have had 2 bun and 10 dumplings, so we're taking this moment to have an eating break by stopping at Clockwork Bar. Located just around the corner from both our second and third stops, Clockwork Bar is the quintessential LES dive bar. You want graffiti - they've got it in force. You want cheap drinks - no problem. You want to see what NYC bars were really like back in the day - this is the stop.
Hang here until that tinge of hunger begins again because your next stop is super close.
STOP THREE: North Dumpling
27A Essex St, New York, NY
Google rating: 4.6
A half block up Essex, you'll find yourself at hole-in-the wall North Dumpling. A bit out of the main area, we were pleasantly surprised to find no line at this no frills stop. They too are known for their fried dumplings so we stuck with the Pork and Chive dumplings as a point of comparison. Again 10 for $4. Their sign outside says "homemade" and it was fun to see the women behind the counter making the dumplings right there.
Unlike King Dumpling, North Dumpling has the crispy skin we were looking for. The flavor was good and these are solid dumplings I'd eat again any time. They are reminiscent of Vanessa's Dumplings for any one who is a fan and we would give them 9/10.
We're getting close to finishing this food tour - think you can cram in another 5 dumplings? Hope so cause our last and favorite stop is coming up!
STOP FOUR: Shu Jiao Fu Zhou
295 Grand St, New York, NY
Google rating: 4.6
In all my research, Shu Jaio Fu Zhou came up over and over again. By for many (this now includes myself) this is THE stop not to be missed in Chinatown. Located under a 5 minute walk up from North Dumpling, you may experience a bit of line here. Luckily it moves fast and the food is worth the wait anyway. Shu Jaio Fu Zhou specializes in boiled dumplings and a peanut butter noodle dish we spotted on every table while we waited to order. Our pork and cabbage dumplings were 5 for $3 or 10 for $4.50 and the peanut butter noodles just $3. While we were here, we also stocked up on frozen dumplings 50 for $12.
As I've already said, I'm now a Shu Jaio Fu Zhou convert. These really are the best. Their super thin skin is chewy and delicious and the pork is perfectly seasoned with an interesting ginger pop. I was glad we waited to have these at the end and excited to make 50 more at home.
Thanks for reading! Check out our other NYC day trip ideas and guide below.
THINGS TO DO IN NEW YORK CITY | #2
Explore Long Island City, Queens
This weekend, branch out and check out a different hood. We're headed north to Queens. Long Island City is just a quick ride from Williamsburg and the perfect way to feel active for a day trip (while actually just conquering one small bridge and an otherwise easy ride). Check out a Citibike from your nearest station (our trip cost us just $4) and head north.
Don't know much about Long Island City?! We didn't either so let's learn:
Long Island City started off not just as a neighborhood but its own stand alone city in 1870. It was formed by merging what is now Astoria, Ravenswood, Hunters Point Sunnyside and more into the town of Newtown. With all that land, Long Island City only had between 12,000 and 15,000 residents but its own mayor and ten member board.
Fun fact, the first elected mayor of LIC ran as both a Democrat and Republican. Political divide? Not in 1870!
Want another quick fact? In the 1880s, Mayor De Bevoise almost bankrupted the Long Island City government by stealing all its money! The residences were so unhappy, the neighborhood of Astoria even tried to secede. They were however denied.
A few years later in 1898, Queens became part of the larger New York City metropolitan and the government of Long Island City was no more.
Now that you're prepped for Queens Trivia Night - back to our day trip at hand. You've just checked out your Citibike, your legs are feeling fresh and the day is young. Park at Center Blvd & 51 Ave (or wherever you can find) and headed towards the river.
Walk north making your way along the river in the Gantry Plaza State Park, stopping to admire the Manhattan skyline as you like. You'll also pass the iconic Pepsi sign!
A state park in the middle of the city seems like an odd thing so you may be surprised to know that Gantry Plaza State Park is a 12 whole acres directly next to the river. It has some of the best views of midtown Manhattan's skyline and the Empire State Building. The park is set along four piers which were once used to load and unload rail car floats and barges. Still visible today they provide eye catching reminders of how our city once looked. Want to do more than just lounge along the water? The park also has basketball courts, playgrounds, handball courts, and a fishing pier.
After an hour or so in the sun, we were ready for some lunch. A couple blocks away from the park we found a new favorite, The Baroness. They claim to be Queen’s #1 Burger & Craft Beer Bar.
Located at 47-18 Vernon Blvd, Queens, NY 11101
We got a couple beers ($9/$10) and some burgers.
I had THE TINA - peanut butter & black pepper bacon
"brisket-short rib blend patty, smoked bacon, sharp Vermont cheddar cheese, smokey peanut butter sauce, sea salted pretzel bun"
I think that says it all.
Next we headed to Fifth Hammer, a brewery we've been wanting to check out for a while.
Located at: 10-28 46th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
They have a great selection and its a super cool, casual vibe. Plus its dog friendly!
After our burgers and beer, we were feeling a bit sluggish and opted to take the NYC Ferry home. We walked to Hunters Point South where we paid $2.75 (actually a steal) for a scenic 20 min ride back home to Brooklyn!
THINGS TO DO IN NEW YORK CITY | #3
Governor's Island
This weekend bucket list idea is an oldie but a goodie - a day trip to Governor's Island (and the ferry) is always fun. If you've already been there you know the deal so just take my advice on one thing. Do not go on a holiday weekend. Seriously. The ferries are insane and everyone has the same idea as you. Wait til a normal weekend, otherwise you're going to be queued up for a WHILE and anxious about getting on the boat before it hits capacity.
That being said - NYC ferries make this trip super convenient.
Download the NYC Ferry app and pre buy your tickets. This works like a MTA card and the tickets are good until you active them.
From Williamsburg, we caught East River (teal) route to Wall Street and then transferred to the South Brooklyn (yellow) route to Governor's Island. This will cost you just one ferry ticket.
Enjoy the views of both Brooklyn and Manhattan and even take a far away peak of the new Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 collab designed by the late Virgil Abloh in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
First things first on Governor's Island was to eat. In retrospect, due to how crazy busy the island was on Memorial Day, we wished we would have brought food or just eaten at home. The lines everywhere were crazy - and we ended up wasting a lot of our day in line.
That being said, we grabbed some beers from Three's Brewing to distract us while in line at Tokyo Drumstick.
Total wanna be blogger fail - I didn't take a pic of our food. But I will say it was delicious. We had Korean Nachos: chips topped with cheese, beans, kimchi, cheese and DUMPLINGS?! What a combo. Preview their amazing non dumpling version here
Next stop, Citibike. The island has 3 stations, on the north, south and east sides. The north station definitely seems to be the most popular so I'd recommend planning to park elsewhere. You can bike all around the perimeter with views of the Statue of Liberty. We parked on the southern most station and then decided to chill on the grass for a bit before catching our ferry home back to Brooklyn.
THINGS TO DO IN NEW YORK CITY | #4
Catch a Mets Game at Citi Field
So like Ken is included in this blog by default, I've also become a Mets fan by default. 162 games per year and the TV somehow always on SNY?! It was basically unavoidable.
Fortunately going to a Mets game is the perfect idea for a weekend "away" in NYC.
If you're not a Mets fan, you might not know about the "7 Line Army." As the name suggests - you take the 7 line to Citi Field. There are always lots of tickets available on seat geek, ticketmaster or stubhub.
Brush up on some other fun facts to impress your friends here
All you really need to know though is - don't show up in Yankees gear.
Follow the stream of passengers in Mets hats and get off at Mets Willet Point. The stadium is conveniently located directly by the subway station.
Take a stroll to check out the upper and lower decks or the food and drink selection across the bridge. Then find your seats and cheer along with the crowd like you actually know what's going on.
No matter how high or low you sit, the crowd is fun, the food is fried and hey - the Mets are actually good this year! LFGM
Check our a video of our night here:
THINGS TO DO IN NEW YORK CITY | #5
Bathhouse: Williamsburg, Brooklyn or Flatiron, Manhattan
If you're in the mood to get out of the house but just want to do something low key, look no further than Bathhouse. The original is located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn but they have just recently opened a second location in Flatiron. I've been to similar spas in the past (ie: Spa Castle) but this one really has a different feel. First off, its super nice, clean and well done. It has a very relaxing, other worldly feel to it and its really set up for you to spend A LOT of time there.
The cheapest way to enjoy Bathhouse is by booking one of their Day Passes. The price for these varies based on the day of the week and time you want to go. For the most inexpensive slot at just $45, book yourself an early bird pass Monday through Friday. These passes start before 11am, after and prices go up to $55. On weekends, a day pass will run you $70. Book your appointment here and book it early. Bathhouse is super popular due to a lot of publicity on Instagram so definitely plan ahead.
If you want to splurge a bit more, try one of their service treatments. The most popular seem to be their massage and body scrubs, but they also offer packages. Learn more here.
Once you're booked, all you need to know is that swimming suits are required and it's suggested that you bring a water bottle. Phones are not allowed in the baths, but if you like to read, books seemed to be popular.
At check in, you'll be given a bracelet that can be connected to your credit card for any purchases and that will lock/unlock your locker. Towels and sandals will be provided. The locker room also offers everything you will need to shower afterward, with face wash/lotion, hair driers and mouthwash.
Once you're ready to start the relaxation, head down stairs to enjoy their various pools.
They offer 3 pools at different temperatures, 2 saunas and a steam room. If your timing matches up be sure to attend the Aufguss located in the tropical sauna. It's a music and scent based therapy included with your day pass. Enjoy the sudden wafts of essentials oils and relax into the music.
If you're in need of a snack, head back up stairs again to enjoy drinks and food at the cafe. I found the prices here to be super reasonable - so don't miss it. The ambience is again super relaxing and you can go up in your towel and/or swimming suit.
Your pass allows you to spend as much time at the Bathhouse as you like. So relax to your heart's content, going in and out of the rooms and pools, cold to hot, hot to mild. Whenever you've hit your max, shower and dress back upstairs before checking out and tipping for any services.
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