Illustration: Bruno Zocca
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Once a year, the editors of New York set out to make the day-to-day task of living in this city easier for our readers — both those who have been here since birth and those who are still discovering (and adjusting to) its peculiarities and price tags. In 2025, we covered the basics of existence: eating, commuting, taking in a little culture, finding an apartment, getting a good doctor, and simply walking down the street. For the 2026 guide, we’ve delved into more advanced New York–ing: how to throw a party, where to get a haircut (and a facial, and your lashes tinted), how to catch the best concerts, how to keep a child and your schnoodle relatively happy, where to sharpen your mind, and even how to plan a funeral. All the wisdom comes from the staff’s hive mind and veteran New Yorkers with discerning taste. It’s not a comprehensive guide, but there’s enough here to give you the confidence you need to walk the streets another day. (For starters, you may want to get your boots resoled by Tina Brown’s cobbler.) We’re about to upgrade aspects of your city life you didn’t even realize could improve.
To find someone to mix margaritas at your house party, contact the Columbia Bartending Agency or chat up your favorite local bartender or server. Many of them (like Jeremy Haines at Little More in Tribeca) have flexible schedules and will pick up freelance gigs.
Magic-Al Garber is the magician to book. The big draw is his assistant: a bird named Poopsie.
Cookbook writer Ellen Morrissey has a side hustle as a custom-cake baker and a knack for meeting exacting standards. Prices start at $500. (DM @morrisseykohnhorst on Instagram.)
B&H Dairy in the East Village will do private parties at night for up to 35 people ($35 per person; $700 minimum). Besides the classic deli dishes, you’ll get a whole cake, decorations, a karaoke machine, and, as a free add-on, a tuna-melt lesson. Booze is BYO.
Throw bar and bat mitzvahs at Insa in Gowanus. It can do family-style food; there are multiple themed karaoke rooms; and the bar area with tables is slightly separate, giving adults a place to congregate and tweens a sense of independence.
Shop for party supplies where Darcy Miller, the UES celebration expert, does:
Economy Candy (108 Rivington St.)
“Should your event call for candy by color, they stock the rainbow in foil-wrapped chocolate balls and coins, jelly beans, and gumballs.”
Modern State (112 E. 86th St.)
“When you forget to buy candles, balloons, or sparklers, this store will have what you need.”
William Greenberg Desserts (1100 Madison Ave.)
“They make the best black-and-white cookie in the city. You can order them in any color combination according to your party palette.”
Amy Lee Flower, a longtime yoga teacher and somatic-mindfulness teacher (and cousin of Leigh Lezark), also guides tweens’ crystal-themed birthday parties.
Your local drag queens — the ones who weren’t on Drag Race, especially — want to work your gigs, and they can be surprisingly affordable. Slide into their DMs or reach out to Justin Habben, bar manager at Echo Bravo in Bushwick, a.k.a. the live-singing, mustachioed chanteuse Sarah Creamin’ Onion.
For a high-low engagement party, get dressed up and order Champagne in the back room at Scarr’s Pizza, says Sue Chan, founder of event production company Care of Chan.
You can get married at the New York Marble Cemetery on Second Avenue.
The Balloon Saloon in Tribeca has the best gag gifts and the biggest fake poops in town.
Avoid trampoline parks at all costs. Throw a less chaotic kids’ party instead at Twinkle PlaySpace in Williamsburg. For $399, hire NY Teacup Piggies to bring in three piglets for the young partygoers to play with.
We Adorn You will K-pop-braid your kids’ hair or bedazzle their Touchlands and Labubus.
Call Beverly Fish at Chezzam for out-of-the-box entertainment — think actors in rat costumes serving a cheese platter, says Mary Giuliani, founder of the MGCE catering company.
When planning a bachelor or bachelorette party, you won’t regret renting Sid Gold’s Request Roomin Chelsea for live piano karaoke.
Rent a theater at Metrograph for a themed throwback movie event, like a Goonies party, says Giuliani.
What’s in Tina Brown’s New York Rolodex
Dry Cleaners:La Mode Cleaners
“I have a delicate, chiffony dress that Charlie is very, very careful with.” (882 First Ave.)
Tailor: Nataliya Design
“She does a beautiful job quickly. Speed is part of everything I always ever want.” (65 E. 93rd St.)
Eyelashes, eyebrows, and nails:Eva’s Nails & Spa
“I’ll take anyone there. They’re all really good.” (883 First Ave.)
Cobbler: Leather Spa
“I had a bunch of old Manolo Blahnik shoes. I thought, Should I just throw them out, or should I look at the Leather Spa? They came back like new shoes.” (55 W. 55th St.)
Weekend breakfast: Sutton Cafe
“I sit in the corner, and I hole up with my phone and my coffee and my iPad and my newspapers and my everything and spend a very cozy hour and a half there.”(1026 First Ave.)
Celebratory meal:Orso
“When Jane Hartley, the ambassador to France and Monaco, came back to New York, I gave a great lunch for her there, which was enormous fun.” (322 W. 46th St.)
Tigre, the cocktail lounge on the Lower East Side owned by the same team as Maison Premiere, has pocket rooms it calls “snugs,” with wooden walls, velvet, and warm lighting, where a small group can sit.
At Zara Forest, a Turkish restaurant in Staten Island, special occasions are marked by massive flaming meat plates presented with a flourish in the dark by the whole staff singing.
Le Veau d’Or, one of the hardest reservations in town, has a private room upstairs with space for up to 20 for a seated meal. Enjoy the same escargot Provençal, duck Magret, and chilled martinis but in an airy high-ceilinged space that’s easier to book with a bit more elbow room and better acoustics.
You can rent out the manicure room at Akiko Nails for a sweet-16 gathering of up to 25. All guests get a regular or gel manicure and accent nail art.
The birthday-party snack menu at Melody Lanes in Sunset Park includes six-foot subs ($29 per foot) from Lioni’s nearby.
A $125 three-course prix fixe, reservations taken only by phone, tables with breathing room, and a low decibel level make Eulalie in Tribeca ideal for milestone birthdays like the big 8-0.
Throw a wedding (or a bar mitzvah or a birthday party) on a Circle Line Cruise. Some ships fit up to 600 people.
The bookable room at Fraunces Tavern is shockingly affordable, says Giuliani. It has great Revolutionary War vibes, and the bartenders often throw in a round.
Hosting your kid’s birthday at Rullo’s Bar in Park Slope means free-play pinball, karaoke, hot dogs, and Shirley Temples (plus a free round for the adult plus-ones).
— Fiorella Valdesolo
The fastest way to get around the city with toddlers and preschoolers is via electric cargo bike. If space (and budget) are strained, get a collapsible utility wagon.
The Parent Artist Advocacy League for Performing Arts & Media offers free babysitting by off-duty performing artists for select Broadway and Off Broadway performances via Broadway Babysitters.
Your 3-year-old is too young for The Lion King and will likely be turned away at the door. But really, your child’s first experience of theater should be at the New Victory Theater.
The consignment kids’ market here is excellent. To access it:
Browse in person at Jane’s Exchange in the East Village.
The Sunnyside Book and Media Swap at the Lou Lodati Playground in Queens has hundreds of gently used children’s books.
Carousel sells personalized “capsules” of pre-owned children’s clothing online. To donate: Pickup is $10, or drop off at Canopy in Williamsburg.
P.S. 8, P.S. 29, and Grace Church in Brooklyn and the Play Area Association on the Upper East Side, a hospital-family co-op, all hold rummage sales full of great finds.
Fall and spring bring vibrant elementary-school-run street fairs in every neighborhood. The Bank Street School for Children (the mayor’s alma mater) in Morningside Heights goes all out every year on the third weekend of October.
If you’re considering conceiving with a donor egg, go to NYU Langone’s fertility clinic. It allows expectant parents to use eggs from approved outside agencies as well as offers a wait list to find a match through its in-house egg-donor program.
You can hire a babysitter to walk your child (ages 4 to 15) from school to your home (or wherever they need to go) using the service Trot My Tot. You’ll pay a maximum of $25 per hour.
The Queens County Farm Museum’s annual Apple Blossom Carnival in April is magical.
Many YMCAs around the city offer up to two hours of free child care (for children ages 6 weeks to 11 years with a family membership) while you work out. At Life Time gyms, provided your children have memberships too, you can drop children ages 3 months to 11 years at the in-house Kids Academy for up to two hours with a reservation.
Climate Families NYC routinely shows up at demonstrations with snacks and homemade art and periodically hosts park playdates with sidewalk chalk and sign-making.
Most online parenting groups are geared toward younger kids. The Parents of NY Teens & Young Adults email list (PoNYTYA) is an exception: It’s citywide, has close to 3,000 members, and is full of recommendations for everything from where to get a teen boy a good haircut to the best-priced neuropsych evaluators.
Search the See Saw app for gallery shows even vaguely described as light or sound art for a free sensory-play experience.
Museums are surprisingly welcoming to children. Good spots to let your kids be (mildly) silly: the lobby of the Brooklyn Museum; the play space in the education center and the Temple of Dendur, both at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and the carpeted area and staircase under the big blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History.
If you really want to find out if a school is the right fit for your child, stand outside it during drop-off and pickup and ask the parents to tell you about it.
Remember that extracurricular options here extend well beyond the usual soccer and karate. The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music holds sessions with ukulele, banjo, and mandolin. During school holidays, Circus Academy New York hosts single-day camps in flying trapeze, trampoline, and stilt walking. At the Be Brooklyn equine stable in Prospect Park, children can take English-riding lessons and walk horses on bridle trails.
WeBop at Lincoln Center has up-close jam sessions five days a week with jazz musicians for children ages 8 months to 7 years.
Choose a 2’s program in a school that offers public 3K and pre-K, especially if your zoned public school does not. Enrolling a year early gives your child priority over non-enrolled kids for admission to the free school years through the NYC Early Education Centers, says Dana Szarf of NYC School Help.
What’s in Sandeep Salter’s New York Rolodex
Clothing repair: Eva Joan
“They’ll do moth-hole darning with little polka dots, and you can choose different colors, or they can make it into some interesting graphic that can be really artistic.” (28 Jane St.)
Nails and Massage: Starry Nail Spa
“I always try to fit in a 15-minute chair massage. They’re really good there.” (163 Remsen St., Brooklyn Heights)
Cobbler: Brooklyn Heights Shoe Master
“I’ve had my Varda suede boots reheeled there three times.” (100 Henry St., Brooklyn Heights)
Framer: Daphne Art & Custom Framing
“Muhsin has been the Picture Room framer for over a decade, and he always does beautiful work. He has a great selection; I especially love his American-grown walnut and oak frames.” (154 Montague St., Brooklyn Heights)
Takeout dinner: Iron Chef House
“My daughter is sushi obsessed, so she would like to have Iron Chef House every day of the week. But we have to kind of space it out.” (92 Clark St., Brooklyn Heights)
Cheeky tweens tend to enjoy the “butt scavenger hunt” at the Brooklyn Museum; ask for it at admissions.
The days of people noticing pregnant women on the subway are largely over. Speak up and ask a sitter to stand.
Dadurdays, held the second Saturday of each month at Wild East Brewing Co. on Sackett Street, is the rare parent-child event aimed at fathers.
If you have an athletic kid, eventually you will spend weekends on Randalls Island. The John McEnroe Tennis Academy can make this tolerable: It has nice bathrooms, Wi-Fi, and a café with decent coffee and chicken fingers.
Wear your baby — instead of taking the stroller — to ease the friction of getting out the door. The nonprofit Wear Together NYC (@weartogethernyc on Instagram) has a lending library of carriers in Long Island City and Park Slope and hosts monthly meetups.
Stick to one hospital system for all your child’s medical appointments. This way, when you show up to see a specialist, all their information is in the back end and the person in front of you can treat the whole child.
In North Brooklyn, Brooklyn Baby Hui now rivals Park Slope Parents with 10,000 members on Facebook and multiple WhatsApp chats.
Improv 4 Kids hosts an improv show every Saturday at the Broadway Comedy Club.
— Anya Kamenetz
To learn to fly-fish, contact angler Jim Fulton, who usually takes his students to the Harlem Meer to practice casting, tying knots, and approaching the water. You might even catch (and release) a carp or bass or two. (Book via [email protected].)
Brooklyn Brainery in Prospect Heights is all about the quirky one-day knowledge dump. Dumpling-making and the History of Toilets both make for a surprising date night.
If you’ve turned 60, your era of college-class auditing has arrived. While most private colleges charge a small fortune to audit their courses, the CUNY system has a senior audit rate of $65 (plus $15 service fee) per semester to any New York State resident over 60.
The artist Yuko Gunji teaches a four-week introductory class on ‘kintsugi’ — the Japanese art of repairing cracked ceramics — from her apartment-cum-studio in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The class only occurs if at least four people have signed up, so convince your friends.
The city’s best cooking classes (for the masses) are held at Macy’s in Herald Square at the Degustibus Culinary Studio, says chef Akshay Bhardwaj of Junoon, Jazba, and Room 207. The classes (not hands on, but they do include tastings; from $150) are taught by premier chefs like Steven Barrantes of La Tête d’Or, Loel Miller of Malka and Miznon, and Jacob Siwak of Forsythia.
Julia Knox has designed hats for Stevie Nicks, Daniel Craig, and Helen Mirren, and at her shop, East Village Hats, she’ll teach you (provided you already know some basic sewing) how to felt a fedora for $325.
If you’re craving the feel and intellectual rigor of a liberal-arts college, there’s the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research. Its four-week courses are under $400 a pop. Suzanne Schneider’s course on the modern history of Palestine is particularly popular (one time, there was a 60-person wait list). Sign up for the email list to get first dibs on registration.
The cheapest way to learn to swim is to join a city rec center (memberships are free for people 24 and younger and range from $25 to $150 for others) and then enter the swim-lesson lottery. The pool at the Flushing Meadows–Corona Park aquatic center is the nicest; it’s the only Olympic-size indoor pool within the Parks system.
New York kids (and adults) often learn to ride bikes later than their suburban peers. The nonprofit Bike New York offers free instruction and groups everyone by age to avoid embarrassment.
A seminar at the Strother School of Radical Attention in Dumbo might help you get off your phone. The courses on topics like Attention and the Earth and Radical Imagination are taught by artists and local spiritual leaders and cost around $200 each.
“Wildman” Steve Brill has been teaching New Yorkers how to forage in the parks for more than 40 years — and he’s still at it. Public tours run from March to December and alternate among Prospect Park, Central Park, and other locations. (Call him to book at 914-400-9135.)
You don’t have to enroll in a full-time M.F.A. program to get stellar creative-writing guidance. The Writers’ Institute at CUNY Graduate Center, led by André Aciman, pairs small cohorts of writers with major editors at publishing houses like Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Knopf, and W.W. Norton and literary magazines like Harper’s and The New Yorker.
If you’d like to stop calling Task Rabbit for everything, Dykes With Drills’ Intro to Tools class will show you how to safely use drills, impact drivers, and chop saws.
There’s an underground laser laboratory at Holographic Studios on the Lower East Side, where the founder’s protégé, Sy Rivers, teaches students how depth, detail, and dimension combine to make a 3-D image and assists as they make small holograms of their own.
What’s in Andrew Kuo’s New York Rolodex
Record Store: Black Star Vinyl
“The guy’s a neighborhood legend. He sells records and books and has a big smile and is always helpful.”(480A Madison St., Bedford-Stuyvesant)
Card Shop: Med Pharmacy
“The cards look like they’re from a warehouse holding inventory from 1991. I take so many pictures of them.”(264 Malcolm X Blvd.)
Paint and Canvas Supplier: Soho Art Materials
“I’ve been shopping with Wally and John for 25 years. Not only are they friendly experts; they are also artists and poets themselves. It’s nice to make the steps of the process real and close, if possible.” (3 Wooster St.)
Specialty Paint Brushes: Oriental Culture Enterprises Co.
“This [eastern bookstore] has imported ink brushes for calligraphy and ink paintings that are either 50 years old or imported from China.” (13-17 Elizabeth St., second fl.)
Sweet Treats: One Girl Cookies
“I’m delighted by the kind of shop where there’s an assortment of little treats that you didn’t know you wanted but you need.” (68 Dean St., Cobble Hill)
The most economical way to learn mahjong is with a $40 lesson at the Sparrow’s Nest Studio, a Japanese mahjong club in midtown. Discerning players also swear by the American mahjong lessons at the Mah Jongg Table (three locations in Manhattan; $118 per lesson).
You can learn to sew at 92NY, where, in the past decade, the sewing program has exploded from a single class for about ten kids to more than ten classes per week. Over 200 children and adults signed up last year. Each class is capped at 12 students so everyone gets their own machine.
Some of the best DJ-ing instruction happens on Staten Island. The education division of Maker Park Radio, a nonprofit streaming station based in Stapleton, offers courses on vinyl, hip-hop lyric writing, live remixing, and intro to music production and sampling. Many of the classes are free.
There is just one path to becoming a true expert of NYC’s history: Daniel Golliher’s Maximum New York, which meets throughout the city. Golliher requires students to devote about five hours each week to the course and to score at least a 95 percent on a midterm to stay enrolled. The dedication of the students makes for a tight group: “I was so excited to be around other people who were really excited about learning after class,” says Jillian Richardson, founder of The Joy List newsletter. “Everyone would go to a diner and keep talking about what we’d just learned.”
There are quite a few places for role-playing games across the five boroughs, but only at Twenty Sided in Williamsburg can D&D and Pathfinder enthusiasts learn to paint bespoke miniatures. The workshops ($20) cover priming, wet mixing, glazing, and inking.
The most affordable way to earn college credits (say, if you need them to apply to graduate school) is through the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Courses are $265 per credit for students who live in New York City. BMCC offers in-person, virtual, and virtual asynchronous classes.
— Abby Schreiber
West 8th Street, between Sixth Avenue and Macdougal, is foot-massage row with three perpetually bustling spots (ShunFa, All Seasons Body Work, and Renew) for speedy, thorough foot massages.
The pre- and postnatal massages at Red Moon Wellness in Park Slope are a staple in the Brooklyn-mom whisper network. Team members aren’t afraid to dig into a pregnant client when necessary.
Romeo & Juliette laser hair removal in midtown is known for wiping out hairs sprouting from all skin tones. Book with Liliya Novozhylova.
For amped-up natural makeup, Natalia Thomas ([email protected]) does house calls. And when she’s not working with Dakota Johnson, Emma Strachman (emmastrachman.com) does too.
Go to Athena’s Beauty in the East Village for a low-frills lash tint before dinner at Lucien.
Be nice, pay cash, and tip your service providers handsomely — and you can get virtually any service at home. (Publicist Melissa A. Vitale used this strategy to get a haircut in her kitchen while recovering from surgery.)
Drop in to Violet Grey on East 78th Street to get subtle event makeup.
You can book an injection of a low-dose steroid at Spotless on the Upper East Side to quash a major pimple before an event without having to wait around for a derm appointment.
For beard trims and shaves, go to Pisterzi in Soho. “It’s an Italian hair-and-beard-care company that I stumbled on, and it’s a little hidden gem,” says dermatologist Daniel Belkin.
James Corbett uses Bokashi, a quickie Japanese rinse-away treatment designed for graying men, on his female brunette clients who want a gray blend without coming to his salon every few weeks.
Baiba Torman’s precision cuts are the draw at Smith & Morgan. Mischa G. at Treehouse Social Club is the Michelangelo of the shag cut.
The sauna is no place for your phone or a workout, says Celia Ellenberg, a brand strategist and the former global beauty and wellness director of Vogue.
You can get excellent discounted massages with students at the Swedish Institute in Chelsea and Mildred Elley in Fidi, says dietitian Jenna Hollenstein.
Ume Cosme in Koreatown carries harder-to-find beauty brands like Paul & Joe, Suqqu, and Flower Knows. And Teso Life has the real Bioré UV sunscreens.
Some Chinese spas offer discounts on multiple treatments. Ask; you could save money, says Viveca Chow, an actress who shares finds on Instagram.
At Carrie Lindsey in Fort Greene, go for the eyebrow shaping (book Catherine Tomala) and stay for the jewelry shopping.
What’s in Isaac Mizrahi’s New York Rolodex
Hair Salon: Julien Farel
“I go to Alexis Unno for color. She originally convinced me not to color my hair when I was coloring the gray. I thought after that I would trust her with anything.” (540 Park Ave., second fl.)
Cobbler: Hector’s Shoe Repair
“The only thing I would ever use a cobbler for is to put a sole on a Belgian loafer. I’m sure they think I’m crazy, because I have 100 pairs of Belgian loafers in every color.” (11 Greenwich Ave.)
Eyeglass Shop: Clairmont Nichols Opticians
“I wear Ray-Bans and these round glasses from Anglo American that are fitted with my prescription, which is for reading.” (1016 First Ave.)
Coffee: OCAFE
“They don’t have strange words associated with sizes. It’s just small, large, extra large, etc.”(482 Sixth Ave.)
Lunch Spot: La Goulue
“It’s the one place in the city that actually still makes quite a good cheese soufflé.” (29 E. 61st St.)
Get a medical pedicure once a year at Medi Pedi NYC in Murray Hill to rehab your feet.
The Spa at Hotel Chelsea makes you feel like you’ve escaped the city. A massage-heavy facial with Amity Murray adds to the sensation.
The buzzy K-beauty treatments people are flying to Seoul for, like PDRN microneedling with salmon sperm and XERF treatments, are available at dermatologist David Kim’s Soho office.
George’s 2 Barbershop in Park Slope is full of awesome barbers, and the prices are very reasonable. Perfumer David Seth Moltz says to ask for Mark.
— Fiorella Valdesolo
During store hours, you can stow a bag in the lockers at Fleet Feet Columbus Circle for free — handy for running or walking in Central Park.
The fitness equipment in public parks is varied enough for a full-body workout. McCarren Park features pull-up bars and sit-up seats.
Starting in mid-April, an hour of open play pickleball for players without a fixed group at CityPickle’s 14-court Wollman Rink location will be just $5.
If the Fort Greene tennis courts are full, try the South Oxford Park Tennis Courts on Cumberland Street. Or book a court at the Prospect Park Tennis Center at an off hour. It’s $15 in the summer, and there’s no permit required.
At the Corner Yoga Studio in Williamsburg, there’s a gentle yoga class on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons known as “yoga for bartenders.” It’s pay-what-you-can.
To find a sports team to join, you’ll need an app. GoodRec and Meetup are great for pickup basketball, soccer, and volleyball. Organized softball, flag football, and pickleball are on Volo. Soccer is on NYC Footy.
Staten Island’s Ocean Breeze athletic complex is one of the few rec centers in the city with a full indoor track-and-field facility.
If you get shut out of New York Road Runner races, sign up for races with Prospect Park Track Club, Rockaway Track Club, or NYCRuns.
At Real Pilates, you can take classes for $10 with a teacher-in-training.
Club Pilates, Pure Barre, and Core Power all offer some free classes for first-timers.
Try Ishta Yoga near Union Square for the antithesis of hot-girl yoga. Take a class with Susan for a Thai Yoga foot massage at the end.
On Thursday nights (from March to June and September to November), there is pickup field hockey at Columbia University’s Baker Athletics Complex, set up by the North East Field Hockey Association. It’s $15 for adults and $10 for students.
— Jeremy Rellosa and Anna Medaris
Most restaurants allow you to have an animal with you as long as you’re sitting outside.
No big tub at home? There are self-service pet-washing stations across the city. Try Maxx & Fluffy’s on the Upper West Side (starting at $30) or Astoria Dog Wash ($20).
Don’t leash your dog outside a restaurant or store. They could be dognapped (it’s happened before) or get attacked by an aggressive dog walking by.
You don’t need a dog to spend time with one. Anyone can sign up to take a dog on a walk at Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in Soho or Sean Casey Animal Rescue near Windsor Terrace.
A $100-per-year “Buddy” membership to Biscuits & Bath dog care lets you walk into any location and play with the dogs there.
Woof Wellness hosts Instagrammable puppy yoga; $65 gets you a 45-minute class and time to play with rescue pets. For kids over 6, many of the city’s public libraries host regular read-to-a-therapy-dog sessions.
When fostering in an apartment for the first time, resist the urge to get a puppy. Find a small- to medium-size middle-age dog who will be more low maintenance.
If it can be avoided, never walk your dog down Broadway. The curb’s collection of discarded chicken bones and weed will make them go bonkers.
The least complicated, best-priced vacation boarding option is a membership at Woofs ’n Whiskers in Red Hook. Memberships start at $180 per month for dogs and $90 for cats and give you access to 30 nights of boarding per year. Dogs have access to 7,000 square feet of backyard space, and cats get private condos.
Bittersweet coffee shop makes and sells homemade dog treats. Pair them with the off-leash hours at Fort Greene Park (across the street) for a perfect morning.
Uber Pet works in a pinch if your dog can’t walk for a medical reason. It’s likely up to $6 extra.
Eventually, you’ll catch a vibe of which local businesses allow pets. Wine and liquor shops, clothing stores, and other places that don’t have kitchens (even Starbucks and CVS) are usually cool with dogs and sometimes have treats.
Pacific Aquarium & Plant on the Lower East Side has the best selection of exotic fish. For reptiles and their accoutrements, go to Nature’s Reef and Reptile in Jamaica.
What’s in Gabrielle Hamilton’s New York Rolodex
Card Shop: Exit 9 Gift Emporium
“There’s so much useful, fun crap in there that I’m like, I’ve been wanting a head scratcher.” (51 Ave. A)
Exterminator: Suburban Pest Control
“Avery knows how to read the signs. ‘Aha,’ he says. ‘It’s a female.’ If she’s chewing through paper goods, she’s nesting, apparently. Obviously, this is all hypothetical.” (914-368-6872)
Coffee Shop: Abraço
“It’s very focused. If you want a matcha, you’re not getting it.”(81 E. 7th St.)
Celebratory Restaurant: Estela
“The food is so consistently delicious and surprising and not ill-conceived or weird in any way.” (47 E. Houston St.)
Pharmacy: Avalon Chemists
“It’s an intimate and delicate exchange to get your meds, and the two guys behind the counter are so polite.”(7 Second Ave.)
Veterinarian:Heart of Chelsea Vet
“My dog, when she realizes where we’re headed, trots very happily right to the door.”(241 Eldridge St.)
For $25, you and your “reactive” dog can have the entire AKC Museum of the Dog in Murray Hill to yourselves for 45 minutes on select Saturdays. Reservations required.
Keep your dog from going up to other dogs on the sidewalk by holding it on a tight leash. You never know how other dogs will react to your dog saying “hi.”
It’s illegal in the city to own anything other than cats, dogs, small birds, and some rodents and reptiles, so don’t tell your landlord about your ferret.
The size of your apartment should determine what size dog you get. Energy level is equally important. Cavalier spaniels, terriers, and basenjis are ideal breeds for small apartments.
Dog & Co. in Chelsea offers custom pet portraits by oil painter Rory Gevis. And Deborah O’Conner is famous in Brooklyn Heights for the freehand silhouettes — of people and pets — she does several times a year at the Brooklyn Women’s Exchange.
Dogs are allowed on the subway or bus only if they’re in a bag or container, but for better or worse, this is an “Ask for forgiveness, not permission” situation that most people ignore.
The cutest dog accessories can be found at Zoomies in the West Village, Canine Styles on the Upper East Side, and Gone to the Dogs in Park Slope (home of the wool MetroCard).
If you don’t go the rescue route, you’ll have to travel out of the city for an ethical breeder (pet stores selling dogs and cats are prohibited in New York City). Go off word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and neighbors, and check that the breeder is AKC registered.
Transmitter Park and the Salt Marsh Nature Trails, both in Brooklyn, are standout spots for walks.
Take Your Dog Where ‘the Dogist’ (Elias Weiss Friedman) Takes His
When there’s a dog scuffle on the sidewalk, you’re responsible for removing yourself from the situation (even if you didn’t do anything wrong).
If your pet has an emergency in the middle of the night, BluePearl Pet Hospital (four locations across the city), VEG (five locations), and the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center (on the UES) are your best options for walk-in treatment. For complicated cases, go directly to AMC — it handles everything from imaging to surgery and care for birds and reptiles too.
Every dog park has a different vibe. Jemmy’s Run in Madison Square Park is “the very fancy dog park,” says Sophie Vershbow, mother to Simon, the honorary dog mayor of New York, and Dog Run 72 in Riverside Park is the best spot for energetic dogs. “It’s larger than a lot of other parks in the city, so the dogs can really run.”
Always ask the owner if you can pet their dog. It’s simple respect.
— Cassie Hurwitz
Short people, take heed: The floors at Berlin, Cassette, and TV Eye are flat, so you’ll want to get to the show early for a spot up front. The back of Baby’s All Right near the bar is good for views, and the Hart Bar basement has ledges you can stand or sit on. At Union Pool, hang around the left side of the stage for good visibility and a spot to put your coat or drink.
Many venues keep a stash of earplugs behind the bar and will give you a pair if you ask nicely.
Remember, venue box offices still exist and can save you money on Ticketmaster fees. For example, Music Hall of Williamsburg sells tickets for Bowery Presents shows on Saturday afternoons, and the Brooklyn Paramount office is open Mondays, Fridays, and show days.
You don’t have to be inside the venue to enjoy the free shows at the Prospect Park bandshell. Sitting nearby on the Long Meadow lets you hear almost as well.
Every Friday night from May to November, the Legendary Cyphers crew hosts a hip-hop free-for-all in Union Square Park with rappers of all skill levels taking turns freestyling over a communal beat. Walk up and join the circle, then decide whether you want to spectate or participate.
Operation Gig puts on free porch concerts in Ditmas Park and nearby areas as well as indoor shows during the winter. It’s a great way to hear some local musicians and meet your neighbors.
At Madison Square Garden, avoid being seated beneath the sky bridges. It’s a cool place to sit for basketball and hockey games, but in the 200s section from the 12th row up, views of the stage are obstructed and the acoustics can be muffled.
There are few venues as dynamic and surprising as Pioneer Works in Red Hook. “They move the stage around to facilitate what’s best for each show. When you go, you’re never sure where it’ll be,” says Allen Tate of the band San Fermin.
A lot of coat checks are still cash only, so bring a $5 bill with you to shows.
Go to New Jersey. If your favorite arena act is playing both Newark’s Prudential Center and MSG or Barclays, the Jersey option will likely be cheaper — and it’s really not that hard to get there.
You will hear everything a Randalls Island festival headliner is playing from the bridge on the walk out, so don’t sweat leaving early.
Singer-songwriter Sofia D’Angelo (formerly of the pop group Michelle) hosts a cozy monthly round-robin songwriters’ circle in the basement of Ray’s Bar called Round Here, where you can hear up-and-coming acts perform stripped-down sets and discuss their writing processes.
A fun place to go dancing for people born before 1980 is the roving Friends From New York party.
Don’t ignore churches; you can find indie rock in the chapels. St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church has hosted Mount Eerie, and Geese’s Cameron Winter has played at St. John’s Lutheran Church.
You can’t go to the Bronx without visiting Beatstro, a bar-lounge-restaurant with great food, music, and a wall covered in speakers, says Ariel Palitz, New York’s first nightlife mayor and a former club owner.
DJs often have free RSVPs on sites like Eventbrite and Dice that let you avoid a cover charge. Check before you head out.
— Dan Reilly
A handful of churches don’t require membership to host a funeral. These include St. John the Divine, the Parish of Calvary St. George’s in Stuyvesant Square, and First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn in Brooklyn Heights.
If a funeral home quotes you a fee to file the death certificate, don’t pay it: Charging for this is illegal.
For a top-notch cemetery within city limits, Green-Wood is the go-to with cherry-blossom trees that rival those of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. A single grave (which allows up to three burials) costs $21,000 to $32,000.
Owing to cost, many New Yorkers are forced to leave the city upon their death. But you can try Calvary in deep Queens (graves cost $5,600 to $12,000) if you want to be subway accessible.
If you have an aging family member, consider joining a synagogue now. When the time comes, you’ll have a spiritual leader to guide the service.
It’s expensive, but the Frank E. Campbell funeral home really does throw a perfectly bespoke funeral.
Death doulas swear by the Sparrow Funeral Home in Greenpoint. Greenwich Village Funeral Home on Bleecker is a good choice if the deceased used to kick around Washington Square Park, and Farenga Funeral Home in Astoria is nice if you need help landing a cemetery plot in Queens. On the Upper West Side, Plaza Jewish Community Chapel has a warm neighborhood feel; Riverside Memorial Chapel is grander.
The NYS Department of Health requires funeral homes to show you a price list, if you ask.
Don’t send flowers or pastries. Few apartments can handle a large influx of deliveries.
You won’t go wrong with a classic shiva spread from Russ & Daughters, Zabar’s, or Murray’s Sturgeon Shop. But at Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen on Long Island, you’ll be assigned a shiva coordinator who will ensure fresh food is delivered every day of the mourning period.
If your partner or roommate isn’t on the lease and you die, they might get kicked out.
A perk of living here while grieving is the smorgasbord of support groups:
• The Center for Loss and Renewal offers bereavement support groups led by a psychologist or psychotherapist.
• The New York Zen Center’s bereavement groups are centered in contemplation.
• Green-Wood Cemetery hosts a monthly “grieving and weaving” gathering.
There are many ways to memorialize a loved one:
• A bench in Central Park, Riverside Park, Madison Square Park, Prospect Park, or the botanic gardens costs $5,000 to $25,000. A bench in other city parks is $5,000.
• A Central Park paver block is $3,500.
• A plant in Washington Square Park is $50 to $600.
• A chair plaque in the New York Public Library’s central branch is $2,500 to $10,000, depending on the room. At the Metropolitan Opera, it’s $5,000 to $15,000, depending on location.
• For $50, you can print your person’s name in a book circulating at the NYPL.
The Medical Aid in Dying Act goes into effect in August, giving choices to terminally ill New Yorkers.
— Cassie Hurwitz
Illustrations by Bruno Zocca
*This story has been updated to reflect Sparrow’s Nest Studio’s new pricing.
Thank you for subscribing and supporting our journalism. If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the March 9, 2026, issue of New York Magazine.
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