How to Spend a Rainy Day in New York City

These are our editors' favorite corners of the city to spend a rainy day in New York.Getty/Hotel ChelseaA rainy day in New York City is no new phenomenon, but that doesn’t make its occurrence any less disappointing. According to reporting from News 12, Central Park only reported nine completely dry weekends out of the past 40 weekends of 2026, putting a real—forgive me—damper on park hangs and beach days. In case you count yourself among the masses with foiled plans, we at Condé Nast Traveler have you covered. Our editors have weathered their fair share of cold and dreary days in the city and learned to love the rain. After all, it’s the best excuse to dry off by the crackling fireplace of a plush hotel lobby, or conversely, to take a dip into the steaming Russian Turkish baths to cure the sinking cold. Instead of willing the clouds to part, bear your galoshes and head to our editors’ favorite things to do in New York City on a rainy day.Hotel Chelsea Lobbby Annie SchlechterNest inside a hotel lobbyThat travel editors love a hotel lobby is about as unsurprising as a dad joke, but there’s nothing like a mini staycation to salvage a lost weekend. Commerce writer Jessica Chapel is partial to The Hotel Chelsea. The neighborhood institution has moved far past its roach-ridden days when Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe were Just Kids, and the experience of their lobby is the apotheosis of that evolution. There’s a lot of modern polish, sure, but all the charming verdigris has been kept intact. There’s the art from the hotel’s most (in)famous guests splashed over the walls, the wrought iron chandeliers bathing the space in romantic lighting, and the aforementioned fireplace tying a bow around the mood. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the hotel’s Lobby Bar is just right next door. If Chelsea feels like a slog to commute to, there are plenty of great options scattered across the map, from the Ace Hotel Brooklyn which has plenty of public workspaces, or Times Square’s Algonquin Hotel, which saw the genesis of The New Yorker just 100 years ago.Amant AmantGet lost inside a small museum or galleryThe easiest remedy for rainy day restlessness is to stretch your legs at one of the city’s finest museums, though even the impressive 2.2 million-square-foot expanse of the Met becomes easily dwarfed when you’re crammed in by a surge of fellow museum-goers who had the exact same idea. Instead, spend your day exploring NYC’s smaller scholarly corners. Editorial assistant Skyli Alvarez heads to East Williamsburg art organization Amant whenever she feels like she’s cooped inside her apartment, watching the hours just slip away. To start, there’s no need to worry about ponying up big ticket prices as entry is always free. “Peruse the titles at Kis Café and Bookstore, then head to gallery spaces 932 Grand and 315 Maujer; across the street, you’ll find multimedia installations in Géza,” says Alvarez, “The exhibit Sentient Earth currently spans all three galleries, bringing together 28 artists to examine the ways we’ve impacted the planet (and what—if it gained sentience—its response to us might be). Do explore Amant's event programming of screenings and panels, which you can find here.” Other small but mighty options include the Financial District’s public poetry library Poets House, which overlooks the Hudson and Bushwick’s Bone Museum, which also houses resident tuxedo cat Bone Jovi.Metrograph Jeremy Liebman/Courtesy Metrograph"New York, New York, USA - March 8, 2012: The AMC Loews Lincoln Square movie theater complex located on Broadway on the upper west side of Manhattan. People can be seen on the street."wdstockExplore New York's finest movie theatersFilm critic Anthony Lane once posited, “as a rough rule, cinema can be sundered into two halves: six-o’clock films and nine-o’clock films,” and a rainy day is certainly the occasion for the six-o’clock variety and all its ritual: rallying a group to go with, booking the early dinner reservation, whiling away at a nearby bar after to unpack what you’ve just seen. Commerce director Madison Flager likes the Lincoln Center AMC, home to the largest IMAX screen in the country, clocking in at 75.6 feet tall by 101 feet wide, which is roughly the size of a 10-story building. News editor Hannah Towey, on the other hand, dodges the rain at the Metrograph, a boutique two-screen theater keeping the spirit of Prohibition-era New York alive and well. Whichever way you lean, you can always count on NYC’s trusty movie theaters to show you something new.Step back in time at a vintage storeThe less-than-stellar weather shouldn’t keep you from embarking on a treasure hunt, and doing your due diligence enclosed inside one of the city’s coolest vintage stores is a surefire way to uncover a few gems. Alvarez recommends the Flatiron District’s Surrender Dorothy, where the racks are piled with the well-loved and pristine, collector’s items and forgotten blasts from the past, avant-garde art pieces, and buy-it-for-life workwear. It’s dopamine dressing at its best. You could also try your luck at one of the city’s larger franchises like Beacon’s Closet, or, if you’re willing to face the elements, dive into a flea market.Othership Ian PattersonWarm up at the bathsOne of the best spots to people-watch in the city, come rain or shine, is the baths. And having a place to hide from the chill and unforgiving precipitation is a welcome bonus. Commerce writer Jessica Sulima touts the East Village’s Russian Turkish Baths as the perfect place to drop by. Melt away whatever’s ailing you in the 215 °F Russian Sauna, and if you need any help doing so, get the platza oak leaf ritual where spa employees forcefully smack your pores open with bushels of oak leaves in the sauna. If you’re looking for something a little more communal, Flager likes to warm up at Othership, which sets itself apart with its guided wellness experiences that combine breath work, aromatherapy, visualizations, somatic movement, live music, and group “shares.”Shoot your shot at a pool hallNothing brings a bar together like its pool table, but if you’ve spent more time watching the queue of quarters waiting for your turn than the game itself, head to a dedicated pool hall instead, where there’s a better chance of scoring a table all your own and watching the real pros practice their hand. Union Square’s Amsterdam Billiards has been a staple ever since I came to the city five years ago. The 11,000-square-foot hall decked with its array of Brunswick tables might seem intimidating at first, but take it from a real amateur: they may be serious about their snooker here, but they’re not snobby. Pool aside, patrons keep occupied with the hall’s other offerings like table tennis, beer pong, and darts. If you’re serious about upping your game, you can even book one-hour lessons with their in-house pros.Duck into a jazz clubJazz is one of the country’s greatest art forms, and New York is the genre’s most inspiring muse and resourceful studio. The city cemented its status in the 1920s Harlem Renaissance when legendary venues like the Cotton Club and Small’s Paradise put Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Billie Holiday in the national consciousness. Jazz in the city has traveled beyond its uptown crucible, and there’s great clubs peppered throughout the boroughs. Some of our favorites include Ornithology Jazz Club, which also has a killer vegan menu; Funny Bar, which comes from the same team as Baby’s All Right; and Greenwich Village’s Smalls Jazz Club, which keeps things true to form and no-frills.Book that tasting menu you've been putting offIt’s rare in this insomniac city that you find the time for a proper, sit-down meal, let alone one that seeks to take you on a narrative journey. On a calendar-clearing day, our editors love to trawl through our map pins and notes apps for the best in slow dining. Take French-Korean bakery Lysée, famed for their trompe d'oeil pastries like the corn cake made from corn mousse, sable cookie, and grilled corn cream. Dessert is a thing of wonder here, and every Thursday night, they host “The Journey,” a tasting menu of their almost too pretty to eat creations. Tasting menus also don’t have to break the bank. Some of our top picks come in at under $150.Go Off-BroadwayNew York’s historic theatre scene is far from confined to Broadway’s flashing lights. Some of the most exciting, intimate, and interactive productions in the city are playing Off-Broadway. Big names like Andrew Lloyd Webber have found a second wind in shows like Masquerade, a roving retelling of Phantom of the Opera, and fresh concepts like Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody are attracting their own audiences with their lower budget, DIY charm. Shows like these are a trove of talent, and odds are you can find one where you won’t have to pay an arm and a leg for entry at venues like La MaMa or Signature Theatre.Sunny's Red HookRyans DaughterTake a dive…barAssociate social media manager Bridget Knowles swears by the people's princess of a dive bar as a haven from the harsh weather: “Interjecting here with what I’m sure we’re all thinking. I mean, sheesh. This is unspoken. A great dive bar is an oasis in New York City on a rainy day: a grunge mecca, a throw-some-hours-away swan song. My kind of place. A healthy dose of grime on an already lyrically imposing, moody day is great for the soul. Even if you’re off the Miller High Life (ah, it hurt to type, but pun intended) one of the greatest pastimes in life, according to me, is to simply load up touch tunes and shoot at a table a bit. Make some friends, watch something insane playing on a corner TV. You know, commiserate. Get your hands on some of the best in the city here.”