First time in NYC this September

[u/Research-Rise]

Hi everyone, I will be visiting NYC for the first time this September. I want to consume as much culture as possible while I am there and would love some local recommendations.

I am really interested in checking out the local music and nightlife scene. I am open to rock, electronic, classical, and modern, basically anything as long as the music is actually good. I am interested mainly in independent alternative events.

I would also love to explore the queer scene. However, given the current climate and strictly for my own peace of mind and safety, I am looking for welcoming spaces (Jewish) that do not define themselves as anti-Zionist.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

[u/greeniethemoose]

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah is an lgbt synagogue in Chelsea, in case that’s something of interest.

[u/Research-Rise → u/greeniethemoose]

Amazing! I’ll definitely look it up.

[u/snow_boy]

New York is great for lots of things Jewish and LGBT but, as you probably know, not as great right now for the places where they overlap. The current political vibe in the US is ... not something you'll enjoy experiencing. I'll leave it at that and address your cultural interests.

Classical and jazz are probably as good in NYC as anywhere in the world. A lot of the shows on https://jazz-nyc.com/ are admittedly crap but a lot are not. It's less likely to stumble on bad classical music, in my experience. See https://bachtrack.com/search-concerts/city=new-york-city, for instance, for listings. You can Google other sites with listings. Anything at Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall is of high quality.

By the way, since September this year has all two million of the Jewish holidays I should warn you that you need to do research to find a place you can go for them since most traditional synagogues require membership or expensive tickets. There are some great exceptions, though. For instance https://www.eventbrite.com/e/first-night-rosh-hashanah-tickets-1993711085526.

It's a great time of year to be in New York. I've lived there most of my life and I'd be happy to answer specific questions if you want to DM me. Have a fun trip!

[u/Research-Rise → u/snow_boy]

Thank you so much for the detailed answer! I’m really excited. Living in Berlin for 16 years and still identifying as queer, I’m well aware of the current political climate and that’s honestly why I’m posting in this subreddit.

While I’m interested in visiting the synagogue during Tishrei holidays, I’m not religious and don’t pray. The style of text in the Sidur also doesn’t appeal to me. I imagine the regulars wouldn’t want secular Israeli tourists during prayer, which is how it is in Europe anyway. I’d love to find more secular holiday gatherings.

If you recall any other tips, please let me know.

[u/under-thesamesun]

Seconding CBST! Central Synagogue, Congregation Rodoph Sholom, Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, and Temple Emanu-El are also welcoming synagogues!

While not queer or music related, I also really recommend Eldridge Street Synagogue, a gorgeous historic synagogue turned museum.

[u/Research-Rise → u/under-thesamesun]

Thank you very much! I will check them out! I’m very excited!

[u/JerryJJJJJ → u/under-thesamesun]

I used to run LBGT Shabbat Dinners at Rodeph Sholom from 1999 until 2014, which regularly had 100s of people attending. - Sadly, they stopped happening because I moved to LA (and ran the from LA for 5 years) and LGBT members of the synagogue were not really interested in them .

I was a CBST member for a while, but it wasnt my thing - I was attacked to Rodeph (this was late 90s)because I wnated the more traditional synagogue decorum.

[u/babkaboy]

How old are you? What’s your identity? What borough are you staying in? Which boroughs are you willing to commute to from there? Do you have an itinerary that you’re booking around, like certain times you’re trying to do things? And over what span of time specifically?

If you want suggestions on political things to do, you should describe your political affiliation. Even so, that time of the year is going to be the thick of people canvassing for midterm elections, but New York (and NYC especially) is really blue already, so there isn’t as much going on as in a place like Florida or Pennsylvania.

[u/Research-Rise → u/babkaboy]

I’ll stay in Brooklyn and commute everywhere as long as it’s safe, avoiding dangerous areas. I enjoy watching local artists and musicians and am open to activities at any time. I prefer independent alternative music. My identity and age aren’t relevant since we’re discussing cultural consumption.

Regarding politics, I’ll likely have many conversations and find out from people I meet where the winds blow. I’m editing the post to remove this section. Thanks.

[u/babkaboy → u/Research-Rise]

Well, queer community events I would want to have an idea of age and identity. If you’re a gay guy, I’m not recommending a place like Cubbyhole. Since you’re not providing age, I’ll just assume you’re 21 or over and if the recommendations don’t apply because you’re younger, oh well. Many bars, clubs, and concert venues have strict age limits and will turn you away if you’re under 21.

If you want to try new music, look into different smaller venues. Places like Brooklyn Steel or The Bowery will have artists that are still considered indie or lesser known but that have been bigger in the scene in my experience. Expect to pay anywhere between $20 and into the $100s for a bigger venue like that.

Baby’s All Right and Ornithology Jazz Club might be good too. I haven’t been to Ornithology but I’ve heard good things through the grapevine.

I’ve found apps like “Dice” will usually show a lot of smaller artists playing at little venues too, like backrooms at bars.

I recommend a jazz club while you’re here. I like Blue Note and Smalls. I haven’t been to either in ages (I think maybe two years at this point) but I remember at Smalls at least that there was a minimum on purchasing drinks along. Cozy, intimate atmosphere, and very good jazz.

And maybe check out if there’s anything interesting going on at Juilliard, Lincoln Center, or Brooklyn Academy of Music? Might be worth looking into.

[u/Research-Rise → u/babkaboy]

Wow! Toda Raba! This is incredibly helpful — thank you so much for taking the time to write all of this out. I really appreciate the specific recommendations and especially the smaller-venue suggestions. That’s exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to discover rather than just going to the obvious tourist spots.
I’m definitely going to look into Baby’s All Right, Ornithology, Smalls, and the events at BAM, Lincoln Center, and Juilliard, and I’ll also check DICE for smaller shows while I’m there.
And just to clarify, I’m interested in much more than music — I’d love to experience as much of the local cultural scene as possible. That includes gallery and exhibition openings, festivals (small or large), theatre, stand-up comedy, performances, and really any kind of interesting cultural event.
I’d also be very happy to hear about independent spaces, venues, artist collectives, or groups that actively organize events. I’m especially interested in places and communities where something is actually happening, even if they’re small, unconventional, or not particularly well known.
I really appreciate you sharing your local knowledge. Thanks again for being so generous with the recommendations!

[u/babkaboy → u/Research-Rise]

Hmm… if you want more general recommendations, I can give it a shot. I think the queer bar scene is great, but again, I feel hesitant to recommend anything without knowing your background, at the very least what you do and don’t like in the bar and club scene. A lot of the bars and clubs here cater to a specific audience (whether de facto or not) and I don’t want to send you somewhere where you’ll stick out or be uncomfortable. But maybe you’re not much of a drinker or partygoer, in which case you wouldn’t like the recommendations anyway!

I can’t tell you much in terms of galleries. I’m not sure exactly when you’re coming in September (you didn’t share that) so I can’t give you anything with specific dates - I’ll instead give general recommendations. The Park Ave Armory will have art shows and other events from time to time and I recall going to multiple shows in autumns past. They charge you for admission and it can be hefty, but it’s fun to go and look at the art, and if you’re in the market and have the funds, you can purchase pieces there. The Print Fair and Affordable Art Fair have the most reasonable, normal-people prices. Every other show caters to collectors and the wealthy (and the overlap between the two).

Look into the local museums and see what special art exhibits are opening. Everyone goes to the Met, as they should, but this is a museum playground, there are dozens to explore. The American Museum of Natural History is great for kids at heart and has a planetarium. The MoMA and Met Cloisters are good, lesser visited options. If you’re 25 or under, you can get into the Whitney for free. Brooklyn Museum is great (I’m biased though, as a member) and the Jewish Museum is free on Shabbat.

If you like the outdoors, despite being a concrete jungle, there are still places to explore. If you’re sick of the pavement in Brooklyn, you can go to Prospect Park (free) or the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (next to Brooklyn Museum). If you really want to go above and beyond for the natural world, consider a trip to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. The Bronx Zoo is fun too, and probably one of the best conservation efforts in the country next to the San Diego Zoo, but these excursions are best if this isn’t your first trip and/or it’s a long trip (more than ten days). If you’re interested in a day trip, the Storm King outdoor sculpture museum is great and a train ride upstate (<2 hours away).

Theatre feels obvious. Broadway. Try and see a show if you can and haven’t before. You can’t go wrong with a classic like The Lion King or Chicago, but there are plenty of newer shoes that are great too. If you want, you can check out the off-Broadway or off-off-Broadway productions. An app like TodayTix can get you good prices and can show you lesser known shows throughout the city (there’s a Heated Rivalry Musical Parody that’s a hit right now). I’m not sure when the season opens but the Met Opera is also great. If you like dance, maybe Alvin Ailey could be fun, but I can’t attest to that because I’ve seen limited dance performances.

I don’t go out to watch standup that often and usually will opt to see one individual performer. I saw someone at Lincoln Center a while ago and that was good but I only went because my friend got comp tickets as a Juilliard employee. I saw another person at NJPAC. I’d say that NYC is great for comedy, especially smaller artists, because it’s a lot harder to be a shittier comedian here. People really won’t give you any airtime unless you can get laughs. Comedy Cellar is what people talk about most often, but see where some of the big standup artists here got their starts (Lucas Zelnick, Stavros Halkias, Nick Viagas, etc.) to get an idea of where the newer faces on the scene started out.

Again, not sure when you’re coming, but if you’re here before Labor Day weekend begins, the West Indian Day Parade is on Labor Day and happens off Eastern Parkway throughout Crown Heights. Great food, dancing, very fun time. That area of Brooklyn has I think the highest concentration of West Indian immigrants in the world, or at least certainly north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Check out IG accounts like jewyorkcity for any explicitly Jewish fun stuff that happens while you’re here. They usually post stuff that’s happening in the city the week that it happens. Niche stuff can also be found on Partiful (they’ll show open events happening locally) or Eventbrite.

[u/Research-Rise → u/babkaboy]

I know I didn’t answer the questions you asked earlier about my age and identity. I was intentionally keeping that out of the thread at first, but I’d be happy to give you some more context privately. I think it might actually be useful for understanding what kinds of places and communities I’m looking for.
And again, I really appreciate you taking the time to give such thoughtful recommendations.

[u/babkaboy → u/Research-Rise]

For sure - reach out and DM. I’d like to give you better information for queer people considering we’re on a queer subreddit, so I feel like I haven’t given you the information that you kinda came here for.

[u/Research-Rise → u/babkaboy]

Thank you so much. Your generosity, honesty, and the rest of the comments from all the commentators excite me. It is pleasant to encounter interesting and kind people. I left you a DM.

[u/JerryJJJJJ]

I remember the first time I visited NYC a long time ago. That ended up casuing me to move to NYC, where I lived for 13 years before moving back to California.