New York City Needs 'Affordable Tourism' to Reach Young Travelers

I moved from a small town of roughly 8,000 residents to New York City over four years ago.

Few traditions are as cherished and timeless as the annual performance of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker by the New York City Ballet, which will be performing through December 31, 2023. This beloved production has become an integral part of the holiday festivities, attracting over 100,000 spectators annually.

Let’s face it: most restaurants located in Times Square are usually tourist traps with overpriced, mediocre food, especially “red sauce” Italian joints. Diehard New Yorkers— me among them—typically avoid dining in the area at all costs and gravitate to other hip local spots instead.

“That’s the restaurant I could never get into in Rome,” said the woman walking behind me on Soho’s MacDougal Street to her friend. “Now I can’t get into the one in New York either.” Roscioli, the restaurant in question, a mixed street level trattoria/salumeria and basement level tasting menu dining room has definitely been a tough table to get since its phased opening: the downstairs dining room in July and the A La Carte street level space in October. But for those who persevere (for walk in tables and a few reservations on Resy), lively, authentic, classic dishes will transport them instantly to Rome.

Christmas Eve is Sunday, December 24. And while Sundays aren’t typically the hardest nights to grab reservations, the holiday is changing things up, with plenty of top restaurants already fully booked. If you procrastinated, have a change of plans or just want to leave the cooking (and cleaning) to the pros, there are still plenty of great options to dine out in New York City this Christmas Eve. Here’s where to go:

The Hollywood Sign, a world-renowned tourist attraction, reached its 100th anniversary this month. Destination marketers everywhere can be inspired by how the landmark evolved from a generic real-estate ad in December 1923 to the quintessential symbol of Los Angeles.

New York City is practically synonymous with New Year’s Eve. The entire world watches and waits for the ball to drop in Times Square, while revelers at the crossroads of the world and across the boroughs celebrate the upcoming New Year. Plenty of restaurants far away from the chaos are also hosting celebrations for festive meals, toasts and a fun ambiance to ring in the 2024. Here’s where to celebrate:

What do you get when you cross two alums of the fine dining pantheon The Modern with the finest Italian seafood, creative cocktails and deep and esoteric wine list all in a gorgeously chic Soho setting? Say hello to Principe, which is fast becoming everyone's new favorite downtown destination.

Chinese tourists won’t be coming back to New York City at their pre-pandemic levels next year. Affordability and limited flights are two issues holding back the rebound, say travel executives.

You'll be waiting a long time to get into Soho House in some of the world's largest cities.

For most New Yorkers, Times Square is a place to be avoided at all times—especially and unequivocally on New Year’s Eve. The Ball Drop looks fun and exciting when watched from the warmth and privacy of your couch but in real life, it looks like a million people packed between police barricades and squished up against each other in the cold for way too many hours, waiting for a 10-second countdown. And there are no public restrooms.

This is a shot of a tournament game at a basketball court — colloquially known as ‘The Cage’ — in Greenwich Village neighbourhood. It’s a dynamic scene, and one I felt really captured the energy of the game. I showed up around mid-afternoon as I was meeting an art director for a dinner later that evening. It was pure luck a game was happening — I only intended to scout out the location for a little while. But the end-of-day light was great, and the hosts said I could take as many photos as I liked from inside the court. After moving around the back and sides of The Cage for a bit, I decided this was the shot I really wanted: the leading lines from directly behind the hoop were just too good to pass up.