Shoot your shot at a pool hall
Nothing brings a bar together like its pool table, but if you’ve spent more time watching the queue of quarters waiting for your turn than the game itself, head to a dedicated pool hall instead, where there’s a better chance of scoring a table all your own and watching the real pros practice their hand. Union Square’s Amsterdam Billiards has been a staple ever since I came to the city five years ago. The 11,000-square-foot hall decked with its array of Brunswick tables might seem intimidating at first, but take it from a real amateur: they may be serious about their snooker here, but they’re not snobby. Pool aside, patrons keep occupied with the hall’s other offerings like table tennis, beer pong, and darts. If you’re serious about upping your game, you can even book one-hour lessons with their in-house pros.
Duck into a jazz club
Jazz is one of the country’s greatest art forms, and New York is the genre’s most inspiring muse and resourceful studio. The city cemented its status in the 1920s Harlem Renaissance when legendary venues like the Cotton Club and Small’s Paradise put Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Billie Holiday in the national consciousness. Jazz in the city has traveled beyond its uptown crucible, and there’s great clubs peppered throughout the boroughs. Some of our favorites include Ornithology Jazz Club, which also has a killer vegan menu; Funny Bar, which comes from the same team as Baby’s All Right; and Greenwich Village’s Smalls Jazz Club, which keeps things true to form and no-frills.
Book that tasting menu you’ve been putting off
It’s rare in this insomniac city that you find the time for a proper, sit-down meal, let alone one that seeks to take you on a narrative journey. On a calendar-clearing day, our editors love to trawl through our map pins and notes apps for the best in slow dining. Take French-Korean bakery Lysée, famed for their trompe d’oeil pastries like the corn cake made from corn mousse, sable cookie, and grilled corn cream. Dessert is a thing of wonder here, and every Thursday night, they host “The Journey,” a tasting menu of their almost too pretty to eat creations. Tasting menus also don’t have to break the bank. Some of our top picks come in at under $150.