5 Essential Greenwich Village Activities Plus Where to Eat
What do Andy Warhol, the Village People, and Jack Kerouac all have in common? They all cut their teeth in Greenwich Village, one…
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One of the best things about New York is that there’s always something new to do. Done the Statue of Liberty, the Met, Central Park, and Times Square? There’s more, and undoubtedly something you’ve never done before and could only do here.
Case in point are the seven experiences below. They’re fairly new, including a tour that just opened this month (see #4) and a limited-run exhibit closing next month (see #7). They’re all thoroughly New York, from theater to art to food and more. And you need to add them to your next NYC trip.
1. Life And Trust, immersive theater with a twist
So many experiences claim to be immersive, and as a travel writer, I’ve tried dozens, but nothing — ever — has come close to the immersive theatrical experience that is Life And Trust.
Let’s begin at the beginning.
This is the story of J.G. Conwell, CEO and chairman of the Life And Trust bank. He’s traded his soul for the chance to relive his youth. And this is where things get good because we go with him, back to the Gilded Age, following his story arc — or one of the other 20-plus characters — like Alice in a Faustian Wonderland. I’m mixing metaphors, but it seems appropriate for this mind-bending evening that defies every preconception you might have about “theater.”
It’s a lot take in, so here’s the setup:
- Life And Trust is set in a 59-story skyscraper that once was a bank. Six floors have been transformed for you to discover on your theatrical journey, a labyrinth of dimly lit corridors, stairs, doors, and rooms. And a lake. (More on this below.)
- You’ll start in a cocktail lounge where you can grab a drink and socialize before being ushered into the office of J.G. himself. Here, a scene is acted out, including spoken dialogue, and you learn it’s 1929, on the eve of the Great Crash.
- Next, you move into an antechamber where more of the drama unfolds. You’re invited to don a mask and follow J.G. back in time to Progressive Era New York. And then you’re cut loose.
Insider tip: They have great mocktails, too, and the area where you meet before the show (Conwell Coffee Hall by day) is gorgeous, particularly with the massive 1930s mural behind the bank teller counter-turned-bar.
The entire experience lasts about three hours. Wander as your fancy dictates. The scenes continue, but sporadically, spread across six floors so that there’s no single linear narrative to follow. Dialogue is replaced with dance, gesture, expression, even acrobatic-level movement.
Most visitors choose to follow a character (or several) throughout the night. Sticking with one gives you a deeper sense of their story but may leave you wondering about what’s happening elsewhere. You can also explore the set — did I say set? — it’s more like a few dozen worlds in miniature. There’s a pharmacy, funfair, tavern, theater (ironically), laboratory, ballroom, garden, lake, stables, and much more. The attention to detail is dizzying, and I can easily see why ardent NYC theater-lovers return to Life And Trust more than once.
It’s impressive just to watch the performers dance in these dreamlike surroundings, but there’s a lot of subtext here if you want to dig in. There are plot lines touching on eugenics, queerness, spiritualism, feminism, immigration, addiction, social justice, love, and, of course, the single-sighted pursuit of wealth and power. The characters themselves are drawn from history, either real historical figures or the types of people who would have walked these streets in Victorian days, such as the vaudeville dancers.
Mephisto is the exception. He’s taken from the original “Faust” and given an impish twist as his abbreviated name implies. If you find him, follow him, at least for a while. And if an actor reaches out their hand to you — as I saw twice — take it. You’ll glimpse a part of the show no one else does.
The director calls it kaleidoscopic, and if I had to boil it down to one word, that would be it. Life And Trust is a tapestry of stories, of art forms, of ideas, of America. And its location in Conwell Tower in the heart of the Financial District couldn’t be more fitting.
The show is still new, opening last August, only five months before Sleep No More, the previous site-specific production from Emursive, closed after a 13-year-run that reached 2 million people and won international acclaim. There’s no word yet on how long Life And Trust will run. Go now — you don’t want to miss this.
Local tip: Wrangle three friends together, and you can grab their four-pack of tickets for a nice discount. Be sure to book early as shows do sell out!
2. Vessel now reopened
Interactive can mean so many things. You have an interactive show like the one above, and then you can have interactive art. Usually, that’s indoors somewhere (I’ll have examples of this with Mercer Labs below), but in the case of Vessel, it’s a 150-foot sculpture.
Vessel first opened in March 2019, but it closed for several months during the pandemic and only just reopened October 2024. And it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
A climbable sculpture of interlocking stairs, Vessel offers different views of the city as you scale it. Your perspective is always changing, and even the facade, with its bronze-colored reflective surface, shifts throughout the day.
If you’re thinking it’s fun to take photos here, you’re right! You can snap pics of the honeycomb-like structure outside, from the ground level within looking up, and from each of the different platforms. In total, there are 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings to climb, so you get a workout in too!
Unlike the several observation decks in Manhattan, Vessel doesn’t give you a bird’s-eye view of New York. It’s not high enough for that. Instead, it’s a view of the city from within the city, and the sculpture itself can serve as a frame for your photos.
It takes about 30 minutes to climb and explore, which is great because you can fit it into even a packed-out NYC itinerary. And there’s an elevator so it’s accessible to all. It’s also completely safe with new wire netting along the stairs and platforms.
If you want to explore the area around Vessel — Hudson Yards is a multi-million-dollar development that’s an attraction in its own right — see it with a local. Our Hudson Yards Tour also includes upgrades for Vessel and the Edge skydeck so you can visit those attractions after your tour.
Whether you add on a visit to Vessel with our tour or go on your own, tickets are just $10, making this an affordable NYC attraction. Tickets for kids 5 and under are free.
3. Market 57, a modern, multicultural food hall
Before an evening wandering around six floors of immersive theater or after an afternoon climbing 154 flights of stairs, you might be hungry. If so, you can’t go wrong with a visit to Market 57.
Located on the ground floor of Pier 57, this new food hall opened in 2023 with culinary input from the famous James Beard Foundation. It’s the newest food hall in Chelsea, and it stars a wide variety of food, from seafood and hot dogs to Korean, Cajun, Mexican, Mediterranean, Japanese, Chinese, and Thai. And let’s not forget the coffee, craft beer, and boba tea.
The appeal of food halls is an easy one. You have plenty of options so everyone can get what they like. The space is open and casual with lots of seating. And the food is generally affordable. All of this is true for Market 57, but there are a few things that make it stand out.
For one, the space is comfortable, open, and fairly uncrowded for Manhattan, at least it was when we visited. And you can’t beat the views of Little Island. To enjoy our meal, we walked down a hall to a quieter area with lots of tables, a large screen with dancing lights, and tall windows looking out on the river.
This was our nook, part of Pier 57’s Living Room on the ground floor. Isn’t it pretty?
It also has a mission-driven focus as an incubator for small businesses, particularly those owned by women and minorities underrepresented in the professional food industry.
Here’s a lineup of the current Market 57 vendors:
- Ammi, for homestyle Indian comfort food
- Bessou, Japanese favorites like karaage fried chicken
- Bird & Branch, cute coffee shop
- Due Madri, hearty Italian sandwiches
- Local Roots, for healthier fare
- Little Banchan Shop, for Korean kimchi and bibimbap
- LoLo’s on the Water, Caribbean flavors and seafood
- Mijo, Mexican street food
- Mothershuckers, oysters where the shells are recycled
- Nom Wah, dumplings galore, including options for vegan and gluten-free
- Harlem Hops, craft beer and bar bites
- Sahadi’s, Mediterranean deli with takeaway options too
- Glizzy’s NYC, dressed up dogs
- Zaab Zaab, authentic northeastern Thai food
I recommend trying dishes from a few different places. Think of it as a progressive lunch or dinner. Ammi was one of our first stops. Most of the recipes here come from Chef Jimmy Rizvi’s mother and his family, some dating back close to a century. I tried the dosa (pictured above), a crisp, thin rice and lentil crepe, cooked on an open griddle and filled with chicken. It came with sides of chutney and sambar, perfect for dipping, and was filling but not too spicy, as I had requested.
We also tried the tasty wings from LoLo’s on the Water and the incredible dumplings at Nom Wah. I liked the steamed shrimp better than the pork dumplings, but it’s nice to be able to try two flavors with one order.
Sahadi’s was probably our favorite spot. The bowl of beef, veggies, rice, and hummus was huge — definitely big enough for two people. And the lentil soup I had was so wholesome and warm, good tasting but also good for you. However, the pistachio tres leches stole the show, lightly sweetened and airy.
I can also recommend the paletas from Mijo, which we’re still talking about weeks later. Their tacos looked delectable (wild mushroom confit? yes, please!), but one can only eat so much. And I loved my “blackbird” latte from Bird & Branch, sweetened with blackberry syrup, honey and housemade almond macadamia milk.
Local tip: You can take your food upstairs to enjoy al fresco. The Pier 57 rooftop is a nearly two-acre public park with sweeping views of the Hudson River, Little Island, and Lower Manhattan.
4. Midtown NYC tour With Empire State Building ticket
When it comes to new in New York, it doesn’t get much newer than this. Our Midtown NYC Walking Tour just launched this month, covering one of the most historic and architecturally rich neighborhoods in town.
None of the sights on the tour are new — quite the opposite — you’ll be visiting the skyscrapers and landmarks that have defined NYC’s skyline for decades. But you’ll see them in a new light with your local guide.
Pro tip: This is your opportunity to spend 90 minutes with a New Yorker who’s an expert on their city. Want to know the best place to grab pizza, take the kids, or enjoy a romantic night out? Ask your guide!
One of the cool things about this tour is that there are stories along the way to entertain you as you admire the various buildings. We begin at One Vanderbilt, where you’ll learn about an epic feud and how it changed Manhattan’s skyline.
You’ll see plenty of Art Deco and Beaux-Arts architecture, but even if you’re not into that sort of thing, you can’t help but be dazzled by the sheer scale of these landmarks. At the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, American Radiator Building, and more, your guide points out interesting details and shares some of their history.
My favorite is the New York Public Library, called the People’s Palace and certainly a palatial National Historic Landmark, down to the marble lions that guard the entrance. But do you know what’s underneath it? Your guide will tell you this — and more!
The tour covers other classic Midtown spots like Bryant Park, Fifth Avenue, Herald Square, and Macy’s. I recommend doing it early in your trip so you can get familiar with the area because you may want to go back to some places. For example, the library is gorgeous inside too. And those tips from your guide can be helpful for exploring more later.
It culminates in a visit to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, boasting 360-degree views of the city and even as far as Delaware and Massachusetts on clear days. Your observatory ticket is included in the tour.
5. Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology
New York has many museums, but until it opened in 2024, there was nothing like Mercer Labs.
Located in the heart of Lower Manhattan, just steps from Financial District landmarks like Trinity Church and the Oculus, this 36,000-square-foot building features 15 distinct spaces, each containing a unique interactive and multisensory experience. They involve digital projections, sound, light, mirrors, and other elements, experimenting with the interplay between art and technology.
You can never be sure quite what you’re going to get when you round a corner or step through a door. In one room I entered, I found everyone laying on the floor — why? There’s a QR code you can scan outside (wifi is free) explaining that the artist blindfolded himself in New York City for a week as an experiment in sensing the world without sight, which inspired him to create a listening room of spatial sounds, which you not only hear but also feel through vibration. It involves omnidirectional speakers and vibro-acoustic transducers under the floor, hence the reclining positions of my fellow museum goers.
In another room, I sat on a swing and spun in circles as a giant dove, brought to life in 16k projection, flew toward me, trailing glittering digital dust in its wake.
Down yet another corridor, I found a large mechanized arm, contorting and shaping a sandy landscape, hypnotic in its precision and robotic movement.
But my favorite was The Dragon, the feature photo of this story. I’ve been in infinity rooms before, but this one was different, spacious, for one thing. And it has an unusual setup that suspends voxels (that is, 3D pixels — I had to look it up, too) of light in space, so it’s like walking through a hologram. It’s mesmerizing, yes, but also quite the technological feat, involving some 507,000 synchronized LED neurons-microchips, the largest installation of its kind in the world.
Many of the exhibits are kinetic, inviting guests to draw their name in shifting light or create a character that comes to life on screen or build sandcastles. Every person’s experience is different.
Roy Nachum, the multidisciplinary artist behind Mercer Labs, describes it this way: “It’s not about what I have created. It’s about how viewers complete it through their own unique experience or interaction. The function of art is to see the world with new eyes.”
And that’s what happens here.
The inaugural exhibition, Limitless, is currently on display, though future exhibitions are already in the works, meaning this is a museum to rediscover again and again.
Bonus: New York museums often close at 5 p.m., but Mercer Labs is open till 8 p.m. Sunday through Friday and till 10 p.m. Saturday (last entry ticket 75 minutes prior), so this is a great activity for the evening.
6. The Sky Chalet at Edge
Speaking of new Manhattan experiences (and skyscrapers), the Sky Chalet inside Edge just opened in January.
Edge is the city’s tallest public skydeck, and it’s located right by Vessel at Hudson Yards, so you can easily do both on the same visit. Sky Chalet is their winter pop-up where you can book a private curling lane for 50 minutes and play surrounded by panoramic views over 1,200 feet above New York.
If you’ve never done curling, it’s a fun seasonal sport that’s accessible for all skill levels. Bring the family or enjoy it as a couple or with friends. There’s also lots of cozy seating as well as snacks and drinks for purchase if you wish.
You can book your Sky Chalet session through March. There are three curling lanes available, and they have food and beverage packages if you want to upgrade.
The nice part is that your reservation includes access to Edge’s indoor and outdoor viewing platforms. Don’t miss the angled glass walls and glass floors outside, bringing you closer than ever to Manhattan’s iconic skyline.
Reminder: Edge is an optional upgrade on our Hudson Yards Tour. Even if you don’t make it for curling this winter, we highly recommend visiting to enjoy the views!
7. Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy at The Shed
Running through March 16, 2025, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy brings back into the light the world’s first art amusement park. First created in 1987 in Germany and soon achieving worldwide acclaim, Luna Luna was then forgotten for decades, for a time housed in a storage facility in Texas, until now, when it’s been reimagined as an interactive art exhibit.
You can see many of the original rides of the 1980s version of Luna Luna — a Ferris wheel by an NYC street artist, a swing ride painted by an LA-based pop surrealist, a carousel of bright colors and bold shapes. If you’re into art, you’ll recognize the collaborators: Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sonia Delaunay, David Hockney, and Roy Lichtenstein, among others.
Some attractions you can even go inside, like a chapel where you can marry anyone or anything, an Enchanted Tree playing Johann and Joseph Strauss, a glass maze, and a mirrored geodisc. That last was designed by another well-known artist. Maybe you’ve heard of him? Salvador Dalí.
Savings alert: Your Luna Luna ticket gets you discounts at several Hudson Yards eateries (shootout to Magnolia Bakery’s decadent banana pudding) and 20% off at Edge.
There are a few 21st-century updates to Luna Luna, such as a new soundtrack by modern musicians and performances and installations by Puerto Rican puppetry group Poncili Creación, but this is largely an ode to the Luna Luna that was. You can read about its history, see artifacts, watch video clips, and wander through this surreal fairground.
Some attractions you can even go inside, like a chapel where you can marry anyone or anything, an Enchanted Tree playing Johann and Joseph Strauss, a glass maze, and a mirrored geodisc. That last was designed by another well-known artist. Maybe you’ve heard of him? Salvador Dalí.
Savings alert: Your Luna Luna ticket gets you discounts at several Hudson Yards eateries (shootout to Magnolia Bakery’s decadent banana pudding) and 20% off at Edge.
There are a few 21st-century updates to Luna Luna, such as a new soundtrack by modern musicians and performances and installations by Puerto Rican puppetry group Poncili Creación, but this is largely an ode to the Luna Luna that was. You can read about its history, see artifacts, watch video clips, and wander through this surreal fairground.
The installations are colorful, absurd, and nostalgic, but the story itself is stranger than fiction. Luna Luna was conceived by a Viennese artist and pop singer, André Heller. And after disappearing from the world for over 30 years, it was purchased, sight unseen, by another pop singer, Drake. Of course.
The important thing is that you can see it now in New York, following its successful run in downtown Los Angeles. As chance has it (or perhaps by design), this rendition of Luna Luna has been extended twice due to demand, just as the original one was in 1987.
But if you’re not traveling to NYC in time for Luna Luna, don’t worry. The place where it’s currently housed, The Shed, is always bringing in new exhibits to Hudson Yards, ranging from music and dance to sculpture, theater, digital media, and more.
There’s bound to be something new soon. That’s the magic of New York!
Feature photo credit: Mercer Labs
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