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From giant menorah lightings to New Year's Day hikes, check out our picks for how to spend the holidays in NYC!
Photograph by Kenny Rodriguez, Courtesy of House of Yes
Love is in the air this week in New York City as Valentine’s Day approaches. If you are scrambling to make plans for you and your significant other, looking for something off-the-beaten path to do, or want to forget that it’s Valentine’s Day all together and mingle with other anti-Valentines Day compatriots, we’ve compiled a list of alternative ways to celebrate that will meet all of those needs.
Photograph by Sakeenah Saleem
Take your partner out for a classic dinner and a movie date at an all-in-one location, Nitehawk Cinema, Brooklyn’s premier dine-in theater spot. The Williamsburg location will feature Valentine’s drink specials and exciting movie screening events starting February 9th that run through the weekend as part of the theater’s Love is Love series. During brunch there will be light hearted film fare such as rom-coms Notting Hill and Love, Simon, while the darker side of romance is explored in midnight and evening screenings with movies like Crash, Bound and Only Lovers Left Alive. here.You can see showtimes and purchase tickets
Photograph by Jochen Enderlin
Impress your Valentine (or satisfy your own curiosity) by taking them into one of the most gorgeous buildings in New York City. Once the tallest skyscraper in the world, the Woolworth Building boasts a stunning cathedral-like lobby that would make anyone swoon. The magnificent lobby has been closed to the public for almost twenty years, but you can go inside on Untapped Cities’ Special Access Tour. This tour will also take guests down to the cellar level where you can peek inside the original vault, and up to the mezzanine where you can get an up-close look at the sparkling mosaic domed ceiling.
Insider Tour of the Woolworth Building
Learn about love in the time of revolution on a romance themed tour of the museum at Fraunces Tavern. On this special holiday tour visitors will discover 18th century courting and marriage customs and hear love stories of the Founding Fathers. The tour will run from 2:00PM to 3:00pm on Valentine’s Day and is included with the price of museum admission. No prior registration is required. Spaces will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
Photograph by Kenny Rodriguez, Courtesy of House of Yes
House of Yes, a Brooklyn hotspot for “intimate experiences, spectacular entertainment, killer parties and outrageous events” will hosts a slate of Valentine’s themed experiences for lovers of all kinds this year. The festivities kick off with
Amateur Burlesque Night on Wednesday, February 13th where anyone can get up on stage. The night of Valentine’s Day brings the F*ck Love dance party. The party will include kissing booths, performances, tarot card readings, chocolates, and even a Housing Works clothing drive. For those looking for an extra intimate experience, Friday night House of Yes will host Foreplay, an hour and a half long show that blurs the line between guest and performer. You can see all of the Valentine’s events and purchase tickets here.
Join couples of all ages, genders, religions, races, and backgrounds on the Red Steps of Times Square for an annual tradition, a mass vow renewal ceremony at the Crossroads of the World. Hosted by the Times Square Alliance, this event is free and anyone can register. The ceremony will be preceded a performance from the new Broadway play Pretty Woman: The Musical and will be followed by a confetti drop! One lucky couple will even win tickets to see the Pretty Woman show! The entire affair will take place in view of the annual Times Square Valentine Heart Design Competition winner “X” by Reddymade, the largest sculpture to ever win the competition. The sculpture is made of two intersecting aluminum planes that create a space to meet under. The more people that gather around, the brighter the structure glows. A hole in the middle of the intersection creates a heart shape when viewed from different angles making it the perfect backdrop for the vow renewal ceremony.
The festivities begin at 6:00 PM on Thursday, February 14th. You can register for the vow renewal ceremony here!
Image Courtesy of the Museum of Interesting Things
Celebrate President’s and Valentine’s Day in one and play with antiques from the Museum of Interesting Things at the museum’s latest Secret Speakeasy, Made in America. At this unique party/exhibit guests will get to actually handle historic artifacts and inventions that, in this case, were all made in America. Visitors also will get to help choose which rare 16mm films to screen, listen to music on vinyl, enjoy drinks and refreshments, and be entertained by vaudeville and circus acts.
All ages are welcome to the event which will run on February 17th from 6:00PM to 10:00PM at The Loft at Prince Street. Tickets are $10 in advance or at the door.
This Valentine’s Day, The Brooklyn Bowl and Thirsty Girl Productions present the Filthy Gorgeous Burlesque Valentines Spectacular! Hosted by Shelly the Singing Siren Watson, the evening will feature a special performance by Boss Tweed and DJ Momotaro, rockabilly music from Seth Kessel, and burlesque and circus performances by the Mastermind of Bizarre Extravaganza, Darlinda Just Darlinda, She’s The Pot & Kettle and more.
You can purchase General Admission or VIP tickets here!
Photograph by Rebecca Aranda, Courtesy of Littlefield
Looking to commiserate and laugh about terrible Valentine’s Day experiences? You can do so at Littlefield’s Mortified: Valentine’s Day Special, a comedy show where performers share their most embarrassing childhood artifacts, from journals and letters to home movies and art, to reveal stories about their lives. There will be two shows on Thursday February 14th. Doors open at 6:30PM and the show starts at 7:00PM. This event is 21+ and seating is limited. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased here.
Hop aboard the Woodlawn Conservancy’s new heated trolley for a ride back in time to explore love stories of the famous cemetery’s internments. Though many of the grandiose monuments that dot the landscape of this cemetery are symbols of wealth and power, many are also symbols of love. Hear a diverse mix of stories about love in all its forms on this special holiday tour.
The tour will meet at 1:45 PM and begin at 2:00 PM on February 17th. Tickets must be purchased in advance and you can purchase them here.
Get inspired by nature on a hike through Van Cortlandt Park then use that inspiration to craft a handmade Valentine for your special someone. This NYC Parks is event is free and open to the public. The event will start at 11:00am at the
Van Cortlandt Nature Center.
Impress your date or spoil yourself with a fancy dinner in the Club Car at the McKittrick Hotel. The romantic evening will feature a three-course meal, live jazz, unlimited beer, wine and champagne and amazingly lovely lavish decor that you would expect from the team who brought the immersive Sleep No More experience to New York City. You can pair your dinner reservation with tickets to the show. Space is limited, so book your spot here.
Go behind-the-scenes at the New York Historical Society to uncover the sentimental, sad, and often funny historical stories of love and marriage hidden within the museum’s collections. Led by a museum docent, visitors will examine how artists and craftspeople over time have depicted love in unique and unexpected ways. Curator Edward O’Reilly, head of the manuscript department, will even show visitors historical love letters that reveal the personal costs and consequences of romance in a bygone era.
The tour will run from 4:30PM to 5:45PM on Thursday. Tickets can be purchased here.
For even more ideas for what to do this weekend, check out all of the Untapped Cities New York City tours and events happening this week!
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