Best Things to Do This Summer in NYC

places I frequent with my go-to orders + tips to travel like a local

Thank you so much for your kind wishes regarding my move to the new Brooklyn apartment. Roadway Moving did really show up and deliver, and I’m so grateful for their help. This weekend, we are doing a little last-minute road trip to Montreal (with nothing planned - so DM me some recs if you have any!). I don’t enjoy long car rides very much anymore, but it’s nice (for my own insanity) to get out of the city every once in a while. Moving is not an easy task, and I am exhausted from all of the packing and unpacking. It’s crazy to see how much stuff one person can accrue (aka me even though I constantly declutter and let go of my things). I keep coming up with ideas and things to shop for my closet and now the new apartment. Pretty sure I have an undiagnosed OCD of some sort. My head is all over the place these days, so it’s been hard to sit still for a second. Thankfully, we’ve finally got wifi (Wednesday), emptied our storage unit (Thursday), and have a somewhat organized living space. Follow my new series on TikTok - making a home.

Anyway, I am doing a quick round-up of all of my favorite places in NYC. I have a series of my favorite NYC spots here on An’s List, so you can have access to the full archive with the paid subscription. Happy to send specific recommendations that fit your needs, so feel free to DM me on IG.

BEST IN NYC - SUMMER 2O23

SIGHT-SEEING - NYC skyline, art & exhibitions

Most museums offer free entrance with a NY Public Library or Brooklyn Library card or pay what you can for NYC residents, and I usually just pay $1 for me and my guest/s. Skip on City Passes or anything pre-paid and give yourself some free days to explore other parts of the city.

• NOGUCHI - check out the museum gift shop for Akari lamps & LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2023 (through June 18)

• THE MET - check out the Cantor Roof Garden on the 5th-floor rooftop, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty (through July 16th), Van Gogh's Cypresses (through August 27th)

• GUGGENHEIM - architecture & Gego: Measuring Infinity

• MOMA - check out the MoMA Design Store at the museum and Soho location

• AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY - check out the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium in the new Gilder Center (aka “New York’s most exciting new building), Invisible World, and Butterflies.

Best observation deck: TOP OF THE ROCK (second best view) & EMPIRE STATE BUILDING (the NYC classics!). We’ve had an ok experience at SUMMIT ONE VANDERBILT (the best views, but I don’t love the experience - crowded, loud noise/music) & THE EDGE. TIP: Go on a sunny day with good clouds around sunset.