Travel

10 Things to Do in New York City After Midnight

by Abigail Royston

    New York Fashion Week is coming to an end and I haven’t been able to make it this as my invite (as perhaps yours was too?) was somehow lost in the post. However to make up for this series of unfortunate events, I thought it would be nice to share my night time experience in the city which never sleeps and the pictures that I took on our 12 hour stop over in the city some months ago. Our plane arrived in from London at 11pm and we were to fly out to Punta Cana at 6am, and so we would have the whole night to see the lights, the action, hail a yellow cab and perhaps even have time for a trip up the Empire State Building. It was hard to find things to do for such an awkward itinerary and so I hope that this will help anyone who has a quick stop over in the city.

travel-wallpapers-empire-state-building-night-wallpaper-34499

1. GO UP THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

The Empire State Building is open every night until 1am and going up such an iconic building is such a special thing to do it must be at the top of your list! The views over the city are spectacular and the lobby is gigantic. I loved seeing all the lights and the beautiful skyline. A truly magical experience.

view-from-empire-state-building-at-night-3

view-from-empire-state-building-at-night-620425154

2. WALK AROUND TIMES SQUARE

Although Times Square is really great when it is bustling and full of people (including the Naked Cowboy), a night time tour of the theater district is really fun and spectacular. There will be few people so a great opportunity to get uninterrupted views and the lights will look really impressive. I loved seeing the warm air rise from the sewers, the yellow taxis flash past and the NYPD cop cars which for me looked just like toys. It was so exciting driving there too, as I loved seeing the large avenues all lite up and glowing. If possible ask your driver to go via the Brooklyn Bridge for a really special journey.

DSC_0161

DSC_0197

DSC_0137DSC_0149DSC_0154DSC_0184DSC_0208DSC_0166DSC_0175DSC_0167

DSC_0185DSC_0169DSC_0138

DSC_0202

4. EAT OUT

 Veselka is an East Village favorite among locals, visitors, and celebrities alike. They serve dumplings, crepes, soup, and coffee at all hours and it seemned that the guests were happy to engage in conversations about everything from art, to punk history, to socialism. Even better, it has wi-fi so that you can send a few pics and make a few status updates to make your best friends jealous! Midnight dates are popular at French Roast’s uptown and downtown locations. This French bistro offers plenty of hearty menu selections, like quiches, sandwiches, salads, and soups, 24 hours a day. If you want Chinese in China town then head to  Wo Hop one of the few places still open passed midnight.

5. GO SHOPPING

Around Times Square there are lots of shops which are open passed midnight, where you can buy some great souvenirs and clothes. This city never sleeps and a great example of this is at Kate Spade,which may have closed its doors, but allows shoppers to order anything from their catalogue via its touchscreen window and have it delivered by a courier at all hours. Stuck out in the rain at 2 a.m.? Order a cute umbrella (and maybe receive it from a cute delivery boy!).

DSC_0228

6. SEE THE LIGHTS AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER

One of the things we really wanted to see was the giant Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center, you know the one that features in Home Alone! The whole area is fantastic and the large sky scrapers looked really impressive. Angles lit the path and US flags blew in the wind. The ice skating rink looked beautiful and was illuminated, although it was closed. Sadly the big tree was there but it was shrouded in darkness as the lights are on but not all night. The other decorations still made the whole square rather spectacular though, so it was worth the short ride from Times Square.

DSC_0248

DSC_0243

7. THE CHRYSLER BUILDING

Looming high up ahead we saw the diamond glass tip of this imposing building shinning like a star. The view at night of this incredible architectural wonder really reminded me of a scene from Batman and could very easily have been Gotham City itself. Walking up to the enormous jet black door was such an experience and to think that it was built almost 100 years ago now!

DSC_0217

DSC_0250DSC_0276DSC_0265

8. WAVE GOODBYE TO CENTRAL STATION

We walked away from the Rockefeller Center and towards the very famous train station. It was closed but we could see in and the entrance to the station was magnificent in itself.

DSC_0258DSC_0263

9. LISTEN TO JAZZ

Head to Fat Cat which is open until 5 a.m and which is a great place to grab a beer for $3, lounge on the sofas, rent ping pong paddles, or challenge someone to a Scrabble or snooker game.

10. GET YOUR HAIR AND NAILS DONE

Still have got some time spare before you have to head back to the airport? Head to Hair Party 24 Hours for a manicure and hair styling party with your girlfriends. Check out the karaoke room in back while waiting for your nails to dry. Services are discounted between 6 a.m. and noon.

 

Now we just happened be  arrive right at the time of of the Arctic Freeze brrrrrr….so I wrapped up warm in a faux fur hat, a silk wool scarf and brown leather boots. If you go at night really make sure to really wear warm clothes, especially gloves. I made the mistake of removing mine and my fingers almost froze whilst I snapped away with the camera. Also I am heading back to NYC hopefully within this year, so please could you suggest any other must see places (whether day or night)?? Thanks xxx

DSC_0199

WEARING

Brown Faux Leather Boots – PRIMARK

Faux Leather Trousers – GUESS

Faux Fur Hat – ACCESSORIZE

Silk and Wool Scarf – PINGYAO VILLAGE CHINA

Black Wool Coat with Silk Lining – JOBIS

bloglovin4_zps362d6fc6Instagram-icon-pinkTwitter-icon-pinkfacebook_thumbnail

44 thoughts on “10 Things to Do in New York City After Midnight”

    1. Great! I am so glad this post has given you some ideas about what to do there at night 🙂 It was so so cold when we went, so really do prepare for arctic conditions 😉 I don’t know if I mentioned if but the light of the Xmas tree at the Rockefeller center get turned off at night (not sure how late), so it is worth going a bit earlier in the day to see it. Have an amazing time! Please let me know if you can how your trip goes and if you have any tips or advice of your own to tell me on your return 🙂 All the best, Abi xxx

      Like

      Reply

    1. When are you off? Do you have your tripped planed yet? I hope this post gave you some ideas about what to do in NY at night 🙂 I am hoping to go back within this next year too, it is such a fantastic city! You will have an amazing time! I you can let me know how it goes! 🙂 All the best, Abi xxx

      Like

      Reply

    1. Oh! Thank you so much 🙂 We were quite lucky because it was quite late at night and so there were very few people still out so we got pretty much uninterruped views. I just loved all the lights and driving around seeing the glowing air around the Times Square. The Sky Scrappers were enormous! I can’t wait to go back to see more! I hope you will get to go there too one day and if you do, do let me know how it goes! 🙂 All the best, Abi xxx

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thank you so much Nancy! That really means a lot! 🙂 I tried my best… We weren’t there for that long so I hope next time to go back and spend longer as we just loved the city so much. Again, thank you for your lovely message, all the best, Abi xxx

      Like

      Reply

    1. Hey! Great! Thanks so much for your suggestions! We didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time in NYC on our last trip there so I hope that we can go back again soon. Your suggestions are therefore much appreciated and I will be sure to give those a go when we next go back! They all sound so fabulous and super fun. Can’t wait! Thanks Abi xxx

      Like

      Reply

    1. I know it was so beautiful and lively! The city that never sleeps 😉 I am so glad that you enjoyed the post and that it brought back some great memories for you 🙂 Truly appreciate your lovely comment, Abi xxx

      Like

      Reply

    1. I am so glad that you enjoyed the post 🙂 I really want to go back too! I feel I have so much left to see and that there are so many cool things that the New York has to offer! Its an incredible place, so totally agree with you! Abi xxx

      Like

      Reply

  12. I’m loving that you found a salon open in the middle of the night. That kind of cracks me up. I love little gems like that. Keep them coming!

    Your travels make me jealous, but it’s cool. I’ll just live a little vicariously, if you don’t mind.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hey! Thank you so much for your lovely comment and I am so pleased that you liked the post and my salon tip 😉 To be honest we didn’t get to spend nearly as much time as we would of liked in NYC the city is just amazing and has so many fun things to do and incredibly sights to see! I am pleased that you enjoy my posts and that I can share my travels with you. I guess a little wanderlust never hurt nobody 😉 heheh Abi xxxx

      Like

      Reply

      2. Aww I am so chuffed to meet a fellow travel lover! I totally agree with you 🙂 The experiences are great but its experiencing them with people that really matter that really makes them special. Thank you for your lovely comment, Abi xxx

        Like

    1. Hey Zeena,

      Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I am so pleased that you liked the post and my suggestions. I wasn’t there for long, so perhaps you have some places that you could recommend to me? I would love to go back as well, I just feel the city has so many things to offer and such incredible things to see! Too many for just one trip 😉 Abi xxx

      Like

      Reply

    1. Eduardo, thank you so much for your lovely comment. I am so pleased that you liked my photos and post about NYC but most importantly that you it brought back all of your own great memories of such a fantastic city! Was it something you saw or did there that made you decided to start you blog? Or did you start particularly to share your experience and pics from your trip? Anyway thank you for your kind comment, Abi 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  16. Abigail, I guess a bit of everything you say! New York has been photographed so much you might think there is nothing new to picture. However, when I see pictures like yours that clearly contain your feelings and excitement, I realize that photos are just as much about the photographer as they are about the subject: this is what makes them different. This is also why first I tried blogging, and also Instagramming, about a place a lot of people have shared.
    New York is a city that pushes you to step out and try new things constantly, like London or Berlin. It urges you to follow its lead!
    Have to go back!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much! I am so pleased that you liked it! That’s great that you added it to your bucket-list, its a city that has so many things to offer! To be honest, I can’t wait to go back to see some more myself! Let me know when you get to go, I’d love to see your pics! Abi xxx

      Like

      Reply

  22. Your photo’s are amazing 🙂 Getting to New York has always been a dream of mine and your photo’s only intensified the desire!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thank you! I do hope you get to go! I would love to go back soon as well because it was such a great place, with so many places to see and tings to do and we weren’t there for long, but I am pleased that you like the photos I took! Abi xxx

      Like

      Reply

  23. Amazing posts i actually been to NYC over 9 times in my life i think you just get addicted to the city amazing post btw! one more thing i really love your style! 🙂

    Like

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Google photo

You are commenting using your Google account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s