Holiday Markets in New York

By Go City Expert

Shopping at the holiday markets in New York should be on everyone's holiday must-do list. From soaps to stationery, they're the place to find goodies for just about everyone in your list.

Holiday Shops at Winter Village in Bryant Park

The holiday shops at Bryant Park are on pretty much everyone’s list of must-do holiday experiences in the city. And why not? Inspired by open-air European Crafts fairs, the market features vendors from literally around the world. The little kiosks are like tiny shops, and feature goods ranging from African baskets to one-of-a-kind-jewelry handcrafted in Brooklyn and made from materials like copper and bronze. (Through Dec. 24.)

Columbus Circle Holiday Market

With its festive striped booths, the Columbus Circle Market is visually one of the most appealing holiday markets. Located right across from the Time Warner Center and nestled into the entrance to Central Park, it’s also one of the most well-located (easily accessible by public transportation.) Here, you’ll be able to browse jewelry, home goods, crafts and food—ensuring that you’ll find something for just about everyone on your list. (Through Dec. 24)

Renegade Crafts Fair

The Renegade Crafts Fair offers up everything from jewelry to paper goods to poultry (yes, poultry)—it’s kind of one-stop shopping. The fair focuses particularly on up-and-coming makers (Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 at the Brooklyn Expo, but check for dates at other locations.) Since one of those places is Brooklyn, it’s probably not surprising that you can also expect to find live DJ sets, various food offerings, and “creative installations” -- we’ll just let you wonder about that one.

Grand Central Terminal Holiday Fair

The holiday market at Grand Central is something of an unexpected pleasure—it’s a nice surprise to find artisan crafts nestled inside one of the country’s busiest train stations. The focus is on American and locally made products; it’s one of the longest running indoor crafts fairs in the city. Half of Vanderbilt Hall is taken over with clothing, artwork, toys, and home goods. You’ll also find holiday ornaments, jewelry, bath products, and even pet accessories. After all, Fido deserves a nice handmade holiday, too. (Through Dec. 24)

Union Square Holiday Market

The Union Square Market is great all year round (that produce! those jams!) but it’s especially great at the holidays. Through Dec. 24, you’ll find 150 festive artisan booths that feature works of local craftsmen and artisans. The market always has a nice community feel, which is amped up during the holidays. In addition to crafts and food, you’ll also find a Kid’s Art Studio; live music; and a warming station. It’s also got a stellar vendor selection-- check out ones like Little Brooklyn and Urbanspace Provisions. (Through Dec. 24)

Crafts at St. John the Divine Cathedral

From Dec. 6-8, the world’s largest Gothic Cathedral plays host to a crafts fair just in time for the holidays; it’s actually inspired by Medieval crafts fairs. You’ll find gorgeous jewelry, textiles, leather goods, ceramics, metalwork, wooden pieces, and more, all displayed in one of the world’s most magnificent buildings. You’ll be supporting both the cathedral as well as local artists; the very shopping experience will be uplifting. (Dec. 6-8)

Want more tips? Check out a fun way to use the New York Pass!

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Attraction of the Week - Museum of Sex

Every week, we take closer look at one of the New York Pass attraction, big or small. This week we bring you Museum of Sex, New York City's spiciest cultural institution. [caption id="attachment_787" align="aligncenter" width="2015"] Museum of Sex[/caption] [spacer height="20px"] Museum of Sex is one of New York City's most risque museums, you certainly won't find any Monet here. Instead the museum brings you an in depth look at the history, science and the sometimes bizarre and shocking nature of sex. The museum boasts with interactive exhibits, lots of fun, hand-on toys and gadgets, as well ah hundreds of blush-inducing images and videos. You can see everything from informative exhibits about animal sex, the history of sex and eroticism, or you can have some fun at the Funland and the bouncy breast castle. Finish your visit by shopping at the infamous gift shop unlike any other in the city. Visit Museum of Sex for free with your New York Pass. [spacer height="20px"] Address: 233 Fifth Avenue at 27th Street, New York Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 10am – 9pm (last entry at 8pm) Friday & Saturday: 11am – 11pm (last entry at 10pm) Closed Thanksgiving day and Christmas day.
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What to do in Dry January

If you’re abstaining from alcohol in January (or even February or March), you still need fun stuff to do. And yes, plenty of fun, alcohol-less stuff does exist. You just need to think outside of the box/liquor bottle. Or box of liquor bottles. Our first tip? Don’t think of it as Dry January. Think of of it as Fun January, just without the liquor. Here's what to do in Dry January. Reunion in Brooklyn First up, breakfast! Head to Reunion in Brooklyn; it’s on UNION Avenue in Williamsburg, so that’s cute. It’s an Israeli Café with a cozy vibe, and sidewalk seating when the weather is, you know, not the next four months. Order the Yemenite Pancake, which is fried dough with tahini and a soft-boiled egg. Or maybe the schnitzel on challah, partly because it’s just really fun to say. Get yourself a pomegranate juice and a latte, and you won’t even miss the Mimosa. Robotic Church Ok, you need a distraction. Something different, something new. You need to visit the Robotic Church in Brooklyn. Yes, that's a real thing. Formerly the Norwegian Seaman’s Church, the space is now host to a series of kinetic robots arrayed throughout the entire building. And we do mean entire--they’re on the walls, on the floor, peering over a catwalk. They range from one foot to more than 15, and each one has a task that produces a particular noise, sometimes all at once. Visiting will provide not just an experience, but a story that will see you through Dry January and many days to come. abcv Looking for a bar experience without the bar tab and the bar drinks? Check out abcv, Jean George’s plant-based, largely organic bar and restaurant. Never fear—mocktails and juice-based concoctions abound. Try a cold-pressed organic juice, like the turmeric elixir, with turmeric, local honey, lime, and Himalayan sea salt. Or maybe a shake with pears, coconut, and bee pollen. They also offer homemade sodas and organic iced teas. You can also get actual food, like mushroom walnut bolognese, or sauteed leafy greens. Our favorite category? “Brunch’s dessert.” Try the chocolate mousse parfait. Outsider Art Fair Not drinking? Look at some art! The Outsider Art Fair takes place in January at the Metropolitan Pavilion (other versions take place in other locales around the world), and it’s the time to attend a variety of exhibits from artists who are outside of the mainstream, Exhibits include “Relishing the Raw,” in which contemporary artists display works from their own collections, and “Bogus Cinderellas,” a show about postage stamps that display often fictitious places. You’ll also find talks and special projects, so call up that ”Art History 101” knowledge and check it out this dry January. Wave-Field, Variation O From now through March 31, you can get different kind of buzz—head to Wave-Field, Variation O, a series of glowing, interactive see-saws at Pier 17 next to Seaport Square. Yes, you read that correctly. The exhibit features eight different-sized see-saws, each one with its own musical “vocabulary,” demonstrated when they’re in motion. Play, glide, call on your inner child and your sense of rhythm. Looking for more winter fun to distract yourself? Why not try The New York Pass?
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Is the New York Pass Worth The Price For Budget Travelers?

This post originally appeared in Follow Me Away, a travel blog by Victoria and Terrence, a model/photographer duo from Florida. Follow Victoria and Terrence on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. [spacer height="20px"] We can safely say that New York City is somewhere that everyone should visit at least once in their life. That being said, The Big Apple is extremely expensive and all of the tours, museums, and attractions continue to raise their prices. That is where the New York Pass comes in. Is it worth it for budget travelers? Let’s find out! [caption id="attachment_755" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] 3 Day New York Pass[/caption] What is the New York Pass? The New York Pass is a possible solution for budget travelers because you pay one price, and are granted access to over 80+ attractions. Unlike other passes we looked at where you had to choose between THIS or THAT attraction or only had access to a few attractions, the New York Pass allows you to see each and every attraction if you have time. How much does it cost? The price of your New York Pass depends on how many days you choose. For example, the 1-day adult pass costs $109 [as of August 2016]. The more days you add, the cheaper each day becomes. If you choose a 3-day pass the total price is $239 but the individual price per day is now just $80 instead of $109. As a budget traveler, the thought of dropping $100 in a day sounds horrifying. Unfortunately, if you are in New York City and you want to visit iconic sites other than the ever-free Central Park, you are going to have to drop some money. [caption id="attachment_754" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Downtown Manhattan Skyline[/caption] How does the New York Pass help budget travelers see more for less? The New York Pass helps those of us who don’t like to spend by saving us money. By paying a flat fee, you will be granted access to 80+ attractions, many of which you may not get to experience otherwise. For example, we would never do a paid walking tour, a behind the scenes tour, or a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, but the New York Pass allowed us this opportunity. Whether it is your first time to New York or you are a seasoned visitor, the New York Pass grants you access to a variety of different experiences. How to make the most of your New York Pass and save money: If you are still a bit iffy about dropping over $100, hear us out! You can spend $100 and only visit one museum with entrance valued at $30 and obviously you will lose money. OR, you can make the most of your New York Pass and spend the entire day using your pass on any and everything. First, divide the number of days you purchased by the price to find out your price per day. If you bought the three-day pass, you will spend $80 per day. Now, in order for the New York Pass to be worth it, you will have to visit enough attractions so that the price of the attraction on its own is more expensive than $80. With the New York Pass, this is super easy to do! For example, “The Ride” normally costs $74. If you choose this attraction and one more, you have automatically saved money. Most of us visiting the city are going to choose way more than 2 attractions so you can see where the savings come in. [caption id="attachment_756" align="aligncenter" width="1022"] View From Empire State Building at Night[/caption] Let’s look at a sample 1-day itinerary: The Ride-$74 Madame Tussauds Wax Museum-$37 Inside Broadway Tours-$35 Top Of The Rock-$32 Total Without New York Pass-$172 Total With 1 Day New York Pass-$109 [or cheaper depending on how many days you add] Let’s talk about the savings! With the simple 1-day, 4 attraction itinerary above, you will save a whopping $63! The best part is the vast majority of travelers can fit in a lot more than four attractions in one day, so we are pretty sure your savings will be greater! Who should purchase the New York Pass? We feel like the New York Pass is perfect for those of you looking to make the most out of your trip to the Big Apple. Make sure you have enough time to devote to your pass. If you are visiting family and don’t have much time, a 1-day pass may be perfect for you to pack everything into one day. If you are backpacking in and staying for a week, a 4-day pass may fit the bill for you so you can see as much of the 80 attractions as you can. [caption id="attachment_758" align="aligncenter" width="1023"] View from Big Bus Hop on Hop off Bus[/caption] Is the New York Pass worth it? After using our 3-day pass, we feel like the New York Pass was TOTALLY worth it! The Pass allowed us to do “touristy” things like visiting the top of the Empire State Building and taking the Circle Line Tour that we would have NEVER done otherwise because the individual price was just too high. With the New York Pass, the more you see, the more you save! So we encourage you to pick one up and go hog wild and see everything possible on your next trip to New York City! No matter what, remember to have fun! Have you used the New York Pass? What did you think? We would love to hear from you in the comments!
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