Midterm season is upon us and undeniably rough. Luckily, there is a light at the end of the tunnel: Spring Break— the time when many of us excitedly pack our bags and get away to somewhere warm, or somewhere that feels like home. But what if you’re staying in New York City over the break? I wouldn’t quite say that you would be missing out. New York City is definitely not the most disappointing “college town” to stay in over vacation. However, if you’re truly stuck, I’ve gathered a list of some fun things you can do to pass the time, and reward yourself for getting through those exams!
Visiting the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side is the perfect way for a college student to spend a day in NYC because of its affordability; they offer a pay-what-you-wish admission for NYC residents, which would be anyone staying in campus housing over the break! This is a great option for commuter students as well!. Pay-what-you-wish extends to residents of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. I had the opportunity to visit the museum last year, and I had a blast! My favorite exhibit was the Garden of Green, featuring the Van Cleef and Arpels jewelry collection.
If you waste absolutely no time, Japan Fes is happening on the very first day of Spring Break, March 23. This food and culture festival will be held in the East Village, which is not far at all from the Pace NYC campus. Some of the vendors that caught my eye as I scrolled through their website were the matcha croissant cube by Softbite, Destination Dumpling, and Japan X Brooklyn Style by Japanklin. According to their website, Japan Fes is the world’s largest Japanese food festival. And, as someone who has traveled to Japan, I will say the food is absolutely delicious. For more information on the event, here’s the link to the Japan Fes website: https://www.japanfes.com/
“Apollo: When We Went to the Moon” is going to be the largest temporary exhibit that the Intrepid Museum has ever hosted. This exhibit, which opens on March 26, will feature Apollo artifacts, a virtual moonwalk, and the opportunity to climb aboard a lunar rover model. If the moon isn’t quite your cup of tea, there is still plenty to see at the Intrepid Museum, including an awesome fleet of military fighter planes, and the Growler, which is the only American-guided nuclear missile submarine that’s open to the public.
Fun fact: even though I grew up in Wilton, Connecticut, I was actually born in Greenwich, Connecticut. A quick 50 minute train ride from Grand Central Station on the New Haven line will take you to this beautiful town on Connecticut’s gold coast. One of my favorite ways to spend time here is strolling up Arch Street, which is only steps away from the Greenwich train station platform. I like to describe Arch Street as a quieter version of Broadway in SoHo, because there is so much shopping that you can do here, including but not limited to Loveshackfancy, Aritzia, Lululemon, and Aerie. There are some super cute cafes here too. My personal favorite is called Maman.
The scenic town of Cold Spring, New York, is about a 1.5 hour train ride away from Grand Central Station on the Hudson Line. I think this is the perfect place to visit as the weather warms up because of its small town charm, nature, and shopping. Cold Spring is a favorite weekend destination for many New Yorkers, who even document their experience on Tik Tok. Some of the videos that inspired me the most are linked here: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLRQP9g6/ https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLRQXM84/
A huge shoutout goes to Oliver from the Honors Advisory Board for introducing me to Time Out Magazine, which is where I collected many of these ideas. Time Out is a portal of discovery for fun activities to do all over the world, although they do have a dedicated column for New York City. I sincerely hope that my short list of ways to pass the time inspired you, but if you’re looking for more ideas, I highly recommend checking them out!