NYC Staycation: Coronavirus Cancel Your Vacation? Explore Your Backyard!

The Coronavirus has been messing with a lot of people’s vacation plans. If you’re a native New Yorker and are looking to change your vacation plans to a staycation, try some of the following tips!

Flower District Explore the historic and century old flower district in Chelsea on 28th Street. It’s the perfect place to grab a posey and a selfie! You can drop by The Moxy Chelsea and see the Putnam & Putnam retail shop in the lobby - they did Gwenyth Paltrow’s wedding. 

Ladurée Enjoy a chocolat chaud and a fresh croissant at this iconic Parisian café in New York City. You might not be in Paris, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pretend. With three locations in NYC, you can enjoy all the sweets without the eight hour plane ride. 

Broadway Shows Take in a broadway show! They’re a bit of a splurge, but if you haven’t seen one in awhile, you deserve the treat. With a ton of shows, you have plenty of options. There’s everything from opera to plays to family friendly!

Forest Park Queens has a beautiful piece of nature in its back yard! This park offers great hiking and foraging opportunities. During the warm months, you’ll be able to find all kinds of berries growing wild. 

Walk the Brooklyn Bridge It will take you between 25 and 60 minutes to walk across the bridge, depending on how many pictures you take. It will give you a fun excuse to exercise and a beautiful view of the city. You can also see the Statue of Liberty!

Statue of Liberty It’s amazing how many New Yorkers have never been to see this iconic national symbol. If you’re one of them, take a trip! It’s a beautiful and unique piece of American history just sitting in the harbor waiting to be toured. 

New York Botanical Garden Head to the Bronx to see some gorgeous plants and flowers. Built in 1891, this glasshouse is a beautiful piece of Victorian architecture, and it’s home to flora and fauna from around the world. It’s open every day but Mondays and federal holidays. 

787 Coffee Try this farm to cup coffee shop near Tompkins Square Park. They have great coffee, tea, and nibbles. The shop has a coffee farm in Maricao Puerto Rico, where the beans are raised, harvested, and roasted before coming to New York City to be enjoyed. It’s a unique process, and the company supports local people and businesses!

Helicopter Ride If you want to take a truly unique tour of the city and have some money burning a hole in your pocket, take a helicopter ride! It gives you one of the best views of the city, and your friends will be incredibly jealous. Several companies offer helicopter tours of NYC ranging from brief 20 minute rides to extravagant two hour rides filled with champagne and romance.