October NYC Events (10/27/21)

Pre Covid-19 we searched the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you didn’t have to.” We made it as easy as 1-2-3.
Covid has required some changes.

101 Thrilling Things To Do In New York This October

“Everyone’s favorite cozy, spooky month is here!

That’s right, New York, it’s October. The time for all of the pumpkins, apples, hot ciders, and Halloween costumes you can get your hands on.

Plus it’s still not too cold yet, so there are tons of outdoor activities you can still enjoy, along with foods to try and NYC locales to visit.

From magical pumpkin extravaganzas to spooky spectacles to munching on the yummiest fall treats, check out these 101 tips for awesome activities to enjoy all October long:”

Here are my top 10. For all the rest go HERE

1. Attend NYC’s macabre cocktail soirée ‘House of Spirits’

Prepare yourself for a night full of mystery and magic, paired perfectly with cocktails at a stylishly eerie mansion! House of Spirits is a two-hour immersive cocktail experience that weaves a disquieting and interactive storyline certain to leave guests delightfully chilled. You’ll have the chance to explore the eerie mansion, invoke a giant ouija board, and meet mystical tarot readers, and more. Don’t miss this awe-inspiring, curiosity-filled occasion, get your tickets here

3. Go absolutely mad at this Wonderland-themed gin & tea party

Join the Dormouse, March Hare, and your delightful host the Mad Hatter on an immersive, 90-minute-long cocktail crafting experience. Prepare to be welcomed by helpful wonderland assistants, who will encourage tea-party goers to assume a unique personality by choosing an outlandish hat and taking a sip of Drink Me potion (which is spiked with a bit of gin!). Don’t miss your chance to join in on the fun, get your tickets now!

5. Enjoy shopping, dining and fresh new events at the shops at the Oculus

If you haven’t explored The Shops at the Oculus, then you need to get down there right now. Seriously – run, don’t walk. Grab all your fall essentials at the amazing transit hub with all the incredible restaurants, entertainment and events you can explore whilst you’re there. From a colorful beer garden, greenmarkets, and spots for every foodie, who could resist a trip to The Shops at the Oculus? Find out more here!

7-12. Celebrate Halloween in style

It’s spooky season! Which means it’s time to get ready for your favorite scary holiday: Halloween! And as NYC’s never one to hold back, there are plenty of exciting, spine-chilling ways to celebrate. Here are some of the best Halloween events across NYC:

13. This dreamy astrological nouveau circus in Brooklyn will completely amaze you

Combining dance, acrobatics, theatre, music and visual arts, this immersive experience will take you on an astrological journey that immerses all five senses. From the gasp-inducing nouveau circus acts to the herbaceous cocktails and essential oil blends, it’s perfect for astrology fans, New Agers, or anyone who wants a unique and ~ethereal~ night out! Get tickets to this spellbinding experience here.

14. Partake in NYC’s 48th annual village Halloween parade

After New York’s most iconic Halloween event was canceled last year due to COVID-19 concerns, the parade organizers have announced that it will officially be back for 2021 — and we can all thank a very gracious donor! After New Yorker, Jason Feldman heard that the annual Halloween Parade was in danger of not happening this year, he made a bountiful donation of $150,000 that practically saved the spooktacular event! Read more details about the parade here.

15. Step into a cinematic playground at this immersive ‘Army Of The Dead’ VR Experience

Enter a cutting-edge, adrenaline-fueled world where the Westfield Garden State Plaza becomes a dystopian quarantine zone, riddled with flesh-eating zombies. Your mission: Battle the dead. Save the living. Zack Snyder’s zombie-heist hit “Army of The Dead” was one of the most anticipated releases of the year and Netflix partnered with Pure Imagination Studios and Fever to bring it all to “life” in an explosive way. Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s 30 minutes of action that will not disappoint—and it’s all only 35 minutes outside of NYC. Book your tickets here!

16. Explore this gorgeous immersive exhibition of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel

You can now see iconic frescoes that have decorated the walls in Vatican City for over 500 years, come to life in your own city! The spectacular exhibition of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel will briefly transform SoHo’s 100 Sixth Ave. building into the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The industrial space will serve as a stunning, modern backdrop for the exhibition of ancient artworks through high-quality, licensed photographs and a special printing technique that reproduces the original paintings’ look and feel. Grab your tickets now!

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15 Perfect Itineraries For How To Spend 24 Hours In NYC, According To NYers – Secret NYC

“Need some new weekend plans?

Of course NYC is the city that has everything, and there are unlimited restaurants, activities, arts, museums, theater, parks, etc. to enjoy. But if you need to liven up your weekend plans, or are visiting the city and want a not-too-touristy itinerary while still seeing the sights, OR have friends coming into town, these 15 itineraries provide the perfect ideas!

We asked our followers what they would tell someone who asked them the best way to spend 24 hours in NYC, and they delivered. Check them out below, and you can read the original post here for even more ideas.”

Here are just three Itineraries. For ALL the others go HERE

Itinerary 1

Walk along Broadway starting from Battery Park going uptown, but before you do that, take a round trip ride on the Staten Island Ferry to see the harbor and the skyline
Then along the way, you can divert from Broadway to see some major spots like the One World Trade Center and the Brooklyn Bridge
But after diverting, go back to Broadway and keep walking uptown. Don’t sit to take a break for too long, just to grab a bite.
Then finish at Central Park. Best in spring or fall!

Itinerary 2

Head to Queens and take the Long Island City Ferry station, enjoying the city views and the bridges
Get off in Brooklyn and walk the Brooklyn Bridge, heading towards the 9/11 memorial and the new development in the area
Catch lunch at Brookfield Place by the water and walk your way down to the Staten Island Ferry
Get on board and enjoy the view of the Statue of Liberty for free
Then get on a return ferry and back to downtown Manhattan and then back home to relax
If you don’t fall asleep (like we did), a night at a rooftop would be perfect

Itinerary 3

Early morning walk on the High Line
Jazz brunch at 1803
Check out some local flea markets (like Chelsea Flea)
Hit up a museum (like Fotografiska, The Morgan Library, or the Museum of Modern Art)
Pre-dinner drink at R Lounge
Dinner at one of our amazing restaurants
Night cap at Bo Peep
Fill your time WALKING the city and enjoying the parks

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Best new NYC restaurants

If you are looking for some of the best info on food and drink, restaurants and eating in New York City, then you want to head to New York magazine’s Grub Street.

Right now you want to check out: The Return of Restaurants

“Make up for lost meals. No takeout, no pasta kits, just 66 of the best new (or newly relevant) places to eat.”
Edited by Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld, Photographs by Dina Litovsky

Here are 3 more of my faves:

Feast on Escargot and the Scene

Pastis / 52 Gansevoort St.

We’re happy to report that whatever strange alchemy it was (the warming onion soup, the cheeseburger “à la Americaine,” the spacious sidewalk operation sturdy enough for any blizzard) that elevated this fashionable Stephen Starr–Keith McNally Meatpacking District brasserie into one of the go-to destinations during the dark pandemic months is still very much intact. Like everywhere else around town, the dining room is beginning to fill up again, but the best seat in the house is still outdoors, where the sidewalk between the tables along Gansevoort Street has turned into a kind of promenade for the vibrantly reopened city. There was a jazz trio spinning out New Orleans sounds when we dropped by the other day, and couples walking arm in arm on their way to the High Line or an evening picnic in the park. Any picnic here should include some oysters and the bubbly, shell-less escargot, but be sure to save a little room for the baba au rhum, the nougat glacé, and the rest of the underrated brasserie desserts.—A.P.

Snag a Seat for Vietnamese Vermicelli

Di An Di / 68 Greenpoint Ave., Greenpoint

Cymande’s “bra” piped through the outdoor jukebox on a recent Friday at the Vietnamese restaurant Di An Di while patrons slurped up brothy vermicelli noodles underneath strings of white lights. Those who arrived after 8:45 p.m. were out of luck, as every table was filled with fashionable young folks in T-shirts and hosts had stopped taking names. Bowls of mi xao bo do bien, firm egg noodles studded with fat slices of squid and shrimp, scented the air with its garlicky perfume. The Before Times menu still hasn’t returned, which means no more rice-paper pizzas for now, but there are newish bánh mì lunch sandwiches stuffed with fried chicken, tofu, or pork belly. And the aromatic shaking beef (bo luc lac), with its wok-seared cubes of medium-rare sirloin and crisp tomato-watercress salad, remains.—R.P.S.

Sip Vermut Like a Basque Boulevardier

Ernesto’s / 259 E. Broadway

The pandemic was a disaster for everyone, but few felt the old “defeat snatched from the jaws of victory” moment more keenly than chef-owner Ryan Bartlow, who had to close this elegant little Basque-themed bar operation just as the buzz for its special brand of convivial tapas-style cooking was building. The bare-bones staff managed to survive on PPP checks and a pickup menu until early summer, before throwing open the floor-to-ceiling windows and filling the sidewalk with rows of tables, which, on a warm night, as the evening light filters through the leafy trees across the street, can feel a little like an outdoor café in San Sebastián. These days, the long, dinner-friendly bar is humming again, and with the first-rate drinks program (try the vermut and tonic), a roster of expertly rendered Spanish classics (the croquettes, the morcilla, the tortilla española), and a peaceful, unhurried vibe, there are, for our money, few more-enjoyable indoor-outdoor-dining options in town.—A.P.

Also see Eater New York’s interactive map that highlights
these 66 restaurants that deserve your attention.

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