BLUF: Might not be worthwhile…read more The primary experience of the Hayden Planetarium is "Encounters in the Milky Way", a 20-something minute movie narrated by Pedro Pascal about how our planet fits into the solar system, how our solar system fits into our galaxy, and how our galaxy fits into the universe. "Encounters in the Milky Way" is good, but might not be worth the extra cost of admission these days, as there are any number of Netflix shows, YouTube videos, etc., that explain the same material with equally impressive visuals. Admission to the movie isn't included for Pay-As-You-Wish customers. For these customers, the total price paid jumps from whatever one chooses to pay, say $1 per person, to a minimum of regular admission plus the ticket for the movie -- at least $30 per adult. For those who decide to pay for the movie, choose a seat in the back, along the walls if possible. Those seated in lower rows will have to crank their necks to get everything into view, because the seats don't recline. It is possible to visit the supplemental exhibits that surround the planetarium (the movie theatre itself) without paying for the movie, but then that experience might feel a little incomplete.

I truly love the Hayden Planetarium,it sort of magical to me with a true realistic how planet works…read more The Hayden Planetarium, located in New York City's adjacent American Museum of Natural History, was founded in 1935 The exhibits are fabulous with breakthrough astronomical studies inspiring for all to go to enjoy

LOVED spyscape! Amazing for family or group event. Clean facility and well coordinated from staff…read more It was a nice break from the hustle! The staff was beyond helpful finding a lost piece of jewelry! Forever grateful for their professionalism and diligence with recovery!!

This was such a fun and unique experience! I surprised my boyfriend with this for his birthday, and…read morehe absolutely loved it. The challenges, puzzles, and games really make you think--you definitely have to process the clues carefully! There are multiple levels to complete, and throughout the experience you're asked questions that determine what type of agent you are, which was a really cool touch. It was challenging, but in the best way. Now that I understand how everything works, I definitely want to go back and do it again to see if I can do even better! If you're looking for something interactive, different, and a lot of fun, I highly recommend checking this place out. We'll definitely be back!

Banksy popped into my radar one day and I bookmarked it. I forgot all about visiting this public…read moreart until today when it showed up nearby in my search. It's unusual so I felt lucky I saw it as I passed by. It's been covered in plexiglass for protection against the weather. It appears people and businesses are rallying to keep it from removal. It fun to photograph public art or as some call his work Graffiti. I'm glad I have the photos in my collection. It's my first Banksy.

Banksy made this public art in 2013 and it's still intact. It's covered by an acrylic shield…read more Pretty hard to find unless you're using a map app or Yelp. Check it out on the UWS and get some cool pictures in front of here. The art doesn't look like it's complex, more of like a commentary that's the more complex thing about this. It somehow has become a thing to check out, because it's one of the few surviving pieces of Banksy public art. Officially it's titled Better Out Than In #20, and was part of a series. These appeared on the UWS in October 2013 and most disappeared soon after that. An acrylic panel protects it from graffiti artists...such as Banksy. So ironic. Zabar's put up the protection and has made the public aware of this. Cool that a great place like that takes an interest in art. They have some of the best bagels so be sure to go get some. As Banksy has gone onto bigger things it's cool that one of his older projects is around. It's at Broadway and 79th on the side of a building. This is a few blocks from Zabar's.

I went to The Bumper Factory twice in two days during some of my limited time in NYC. That's a…read morepretty solid endorsement right there. Even better, they have the deluxe versions of many machines while some arcades only offer the stripped down versions. For example, at The Bumper Factory, their Godzilla machine features the building that crumbles to the ground as it gets destroyed. That's pretty cool, and certainly adds to the fun. If you are a good pinball player, you will certainly find the pricing model to be vexing. I do enjoy going to a place where all the games are set to "free play". But $15 for 30 minutes, even in Manhattan, feels steep. Largely that's because I am a good enough player that a few bucks can keep me busy for over an hour. That said this is a great place, and a great price, to teach younger kids the game. And that is exactly what I did with my nephew. What I discovered was that on Monday, despite the hours posted on Yelp, The Bumper Factory was still open. However, the games were not set to free play, and instead of taking the admission fee I was able to simply use quarters to play. Woo hoo! I had one of the best games of my life on Guardians of the Galaxy. One ball alone was kept in play for the better part of fifteen minutes. Had I been paying by the half hour, that victory would have been tinged with sorrow. One other small ding against the place is that the Stern machines which feature the Stern Insider Connect feature were not activated. This is always a bummer, and also why I wasn't able to find this really nifty arcade on the Stern Pinball site. Most of the machines are new and in great shape. The space is pretty small and cramped, but it is NYC. From the arcade's website it also looks like there is a $35 all day rate, which I think I would much rather pay than $15 for 30 minutes. I'd have to take some breaks for coffee and pizza, but there are nearby options for both. More than anything, it's great to see pinball making some kind of comeback and salute the good folks at The Bumper Factory for putting in some machines in a space where kids can discover this great game.

Strangest thing, walked into a martial arts school and found Pinball machines. Went to a Kids…read morebirthday party here yesterday and had a blast playing pinball. They have about 10 pinball machines and I had to battle my kids to get in on the action. Downside, they are open on weekends.

Lock me in this museum for a week straight & it still wouldn't be enough time. Wow, wow, wow, wow!…read more There's so much to write about/admire here - but I have to give the amphibian & reptile exhibit a huge shout out. I was completely entranced by the everything in there, & loved how it was organized. The benches right down the center of the exhibit were so appreciated - I could sit down & admire the snake bones while resting my own bones. I can't wait to return!

It's a classic. What's not to love? Tons of new interactive exhibits to keep the kids entertained,…read morelike the bugs and bees. Basketball Trophy with the NY Knicks on display made my kids jaw drop to the floor. Great new show at the Hayden planetarium about the Milky Way that will make you feel infinitesimally small. Special science experiment room with hands on stuff for ye kids to explore that kept them entertained for quite awhile. Plus all the classic exhibits as well with animals from around the world, and my favorite, the giant blue whale.

This is such a fun experience, if you go with friends it's like an opportunity to bond and if you…read morego alone you'll end up making new friends with your teammates. I definitely recommend for couple date nights or small/large groups. They also offer drinks on site which elevates the experience if you're making a night of it!

Such a great date night idea or a fun night out with friends. Had an absolute blast here. Started…read morethe night with drinks at the bar, hit the Photo Booth and then it was game time. Without giving too much away, we were laughing and just having an all around blast the entire night - it was a 10/10 experience!

this place was nice and vibey got my brainsicles working to make sure i could escape otherwise i…read morewaas sleepin there for the night

Mission escape room is on the 8th floor a building close to the time square/penn station area of…read moreManhattan. We went with a group of 4 to do the Hyde room. The rooms are clean and well maintained. The puzzles for the most part make sense and were solvable. The room used some technology and everything appeared to work correctly. Room was linear for a lot of it but did have sections where several activities could be completed at once. I'd say it was medium difficulty we asked for one hint and finished with 3 minutes to spare. I'd definitely return to try out the other two rooms at this location.

Date: Monday, March 2nd, 2026 Time: around 3:15pm…read moreParty of: 4 GUESTS THAT DAY - *Nicole Kidman *Luke Thompson *Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes & Hilary Knight *Chef Mario Carbone One of my friends has been wanting to go to a Fallon show for the past few years. We take a yearly trip to NYC, so he always signs up. This year, we scored and got tickets. We actually signed up for two days and got into both. Mon had the better guest lists (at least in our opinion) so we gave up the other tix. It's a process to get in, so nothing too surprising. The earlier you get there, the more of a chance you will sit closer. All in all, we were out by around 6:30pm. Tho they did add a game that was going to air on a another day with I believe the One Piece cast? A good experience if you are into talk shows. It's free, and we got a jar of carbone sauce due to mario carbone being a guest. What's there to complain about? REVIEW #4000

This was a fine experience. I'm not really a Fallon fan but the experience of watching a 'live to…read moretape' recording was pretty interested. We didn't have tickets, so we went to the gift shop at 30 rock through the 6th ave entrance to score some stand-by tickets. We arrived what I would call late, at about 11am. If you want to get these stand-by tickets I'd recommend arriving as close to 8am as you can, because every ticket is numbered and they can only fit so many people into the studio (they will always try to fill it). If I recall correctly the tickets said to come back to 30 rock at 3:15 but note - if you arrive a bit later, say 3:30, it won't effect your chances of getting in - the most you can do to increase your chances to see a show that day by walking in is to get there at 8am when they first start giving out the numbered stand-by tickets. Also, while they say you cant bring in bags, I had a smaller sized north face backpack and my friend had a large plastic bag and a small purse. If your number gets you in to see the show that day, you will pass through security like at an airport. Everything is extremely orderly and organized, the only stressful part is 'am I going to get in to see the show or did I just spend an hour and a half of my day for nothing.' My friend and I just got in under the wire, with the guy behind us being the very last person to stand-by for this day's show (there were about 56 stand-by visitors accepted that day). You will have an opportunity to use a bathroom before you sit for the filming, so don't be concerned about that. If you're a fan of TV or of Fallon you might prepare a question or two to ask him, he took a number of questions from the audience. The funniest one was 'are you going to use that entire bit you just did' because Jimmy and Drew Brees spitting pumpkin seeds went on far, far, FAR too long, about 3? minutes, which was about 2:45 longer than it needed to be. Jimmy was quick with the 'no, that's going to be edited down.'

Space...the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the…read moreStarship, Enterprise. Its 5-year mission... To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before! Awwww-aw-awwww-awww-awww-aw! OK, enough with the Star Trek theme...I think the Rose Center is very cool for young and old alike, and I've been about three times since it opened in 2000. That's probably enough for an old curmudgeon like me who remembers staying up for those all-night TV broadcasts of the Gemini and Apollo missions. It's a great set-up that begins with the Big Bang Theater, where you're led into a dark room and a circular screen on the floor where Maya Angelou's voiceover explains how the universe was first formed. It used to be Jodie Foster's voice right after she did "Contact", but I guess even in space, contracts expire. Then you walk down the spiral walkway known as the Heilbrun Cosmic Pathway, an image-oriented timeline of the universe's history from the Big Bang to the present day. Lots of cool pictures taken from the Hubble to peruse, though watch out for impatient kids attempting to age you faster than you want. Most people pay the extra $14 for the 1/2-hour film in the Hayden Planetarium. They make a big ta-dah out of it by making you go up an elevator into a darkened waiting room and then into the rocketship-type seats in the planetarium. I remember the Tom Hanks-narrated one very well as it tracked a voyage from Earth to the outer reaches of the universe. I missed the Harrison Ford-narrated film which discussed extraterrestrials. However, I did just see the Robert Redford-narrated one where he shows how cosmic collisions formed the moon and the Milky Way. I just kept thinking how old and grizzly Bob is starting to sound. There is one shocking moment when a meteor hits Earth...like a gazillion years ago. Pretty soon, they'll run out of male menopausal American movie stars to narrate what's left to describe of the universe. I assume Barbra Streisand will be next singing "Somewhere" to an enraptured audience of Martians. My one complaint about the Rose Center is the poor coordination with the adjoining Museum of Natural History, in particular, how little direction you are given to buy the combination ticket that would save you money on the ticket for the planetarium show. We had to go back and ask for a refund in order to get the significant discount. What a pain. Oh well, there's a great gift shop...always the sign of a great museum, including my favorite item, a kit to show how farts happen. Gee, I think I have the perfect white elephant exchange gift for the office.

Great show on the origin of the universe. Interesting exhibit outside the planetarium showing where…read morehumans fit in with the beginning of the universe, but it's hard to fathom.

This is a very cool experience…read more While this is a great date spot I went with my friend as this was on her birthday wishlist. So if you are going for a "real" art experience this may not be your vibe. This was more a sensory experience, very therapeutic. Our instructor was very thorough. The lighting and aromatherapy was very therapeutic as well. I won't give to much away only that you should try it but I will also warn you if you are doing sculpting you DO NOT take the finished product home with you. As I said this is a great therapeutic experience.

A must-try creative date or weekend hang!…read more I went to Brunch With Monet and had the best time. Love that it's part paint class, part bottomless mimosa brunch. From the moment we walked in, the space had such a chill, artsy atmosphere. The instructor was not only super talented, but also so kind and helpful. He walked us step-by-step through the painting, demonstrating each part on a sample canvas and checking in with everyone as we painted. He kept our mimosa glasses full and refreshed our paint palettes There were also fresh pastries and fruit to nibble on while we painted, and he even helped us take photos and videos throughout the class Whether you're planning a cute date, a girls day out, or just looking for something creative and fun to do in NYC, this is such a unique experience. Highly recommend and yes, I'll be back with more friends soon!