Great local things to do

Descend into The Django and you’ll feel like you’ve entered another world. The subterranean jazz club, with its vaulted ceilings and exposed brick walls, was modeled after the boîtes of Paris. The venue consists of two cocktail bars, open dining space and a stage for live performances with the ne plus ultra: a state-of-the-art Meyer Sound system. The Django has become a place to call home for musicians and audiences alike. Providing opportunities for rising stars, seasoned performers, and eager audiences to enjoy a range of jazz music 7 nights a week complemented by a hand-crafted cocktail program by award-winning mixologist Natasha David and an elevated dinner menu.

There's little not to love about a place that knows how to do bread and circuses with this much panache. When the drinks are flowing and the band is playing, the Django is sheer magic, a fever pitch party as Gatsby had dreamt it: inhibitions melting into the dark night, revelers dancing in candlelit corners, bright smiles flickering in flame.

BY: TIME OUT COMMUNITY REVIEWER OMAR TUNGEKAR

In ancient Greece and Rome, public bathhouses were large, extravagant places where people would lounge in various water pools to clean themselves and cure their ailments. This Spanish import aims to bring the traditional bath experience to New York with the first overseas location of its luxury bathhouse minichain. The basement level of the gigantic three-story space houses the spacious, open room of baths, which consist of hot, cold, saltwater and multijet pools alongside steam and hot-stone rooms where you can lounge. Right now, The Ancient Thermal Bath is available for a 90-minute soak ($103).

The Travel Agency, your premiere destination for cannabis in New York City, is embarking on a new chapter at 587 Fifth Avenue—right on the edge of the Diamond District between E 47th and E 48th streets, next to H&M’s flagship store and across the street from Lululemon and Sephora. The new dispensary for the women-founded and BIPOC-founded company joins the flagship in Union Square and a Downtown Brooklyn store. In each location, you'll find the largest selection of any legal dispensary in New York. As one of the few dispensaries in the city licensed by the state, all the cannabis products are grown, produced and lab-tested in New York. Their superstar budtenders can help guide you to the best products for your needs and Doobie, The Travel Agency's exclusive delivery service, can even deliver to your door—across Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. 

One chair, one cut at a time: master stylist Katy Walsh offers an intimate, one-on-one approach that allows her to focus all her attention on each client's needs, providing a higher quality haircut to accentuate lifestyle. Along with the bespoke, individualized service at Wolf & Blade, you'll enjoy a relaxing environment where you can pick the vinyl that’s playing and relax with a local microbrew, spirit or fresh espresso.

Overlooking Rockefeller Center, Katy’s shop is dedicated to offering precision cuts and educating clients in how to get the most out of their texture and length to cultivate their style over time, leaving hair easy to manage and grow out at a desired pace. Wolf & Blade is a relaxing, private space for clients seeking a customized haircut experience.

Nowaday Vintage Car Tours offer a unique way to see New York City with tours themed to meet every rider's interest. Experiences include a tour through the city in a vintage car, speakeasy stops along the way, photoshoots and even a cocktail making class that takes you on the streets and into the Hudson for a yacht ride. Whatever you’re into, find three perfect night out ideas that are unique to Nowaday Vintage Cars Tours. 

1. Time-traveling date night: Picture you and your sweetheart stepping into a 1920s vintage car, cruising through NYC like a couple of time-travelers who've just landed in the wrong decade. 

2. Back to the future with a martini twist: While you're soaking up the 1920s charm in a vintage car, get ready for the big splash—literally. Go from a classic car to a luxury yacht where you'll be mixing cocktails like a Prohibition-era bartender with an Instagram account.

3. The Great Gatsby meets James Bond experience: Ever wanted to play dress-up but with a touch of class? Their themed experiences are like stepping into a formal party but on wheels and waves. 

Union Square Travel Agency is a legal cannabis dispensary licensed by New York State and located at 13th and Broadway. The dispensary focuses on selling legal cannabis that will transport shoppers on a journey of peace and relaxation through a wide range of product offerings. They are a woman and BIPOC-founded company that celebrates and supports BIPOC-owned, women-owned LGBTQIA+-owned brands and products. Above all, Union Square Travel Agency serves as a purpose-driven cannabis dispensary that redirects more than half of all proceeds to their not for profit partner, The Doe Fund. For more than thirty years, The Doe Fund has been providing housing, employment and community to formerly incarcerated and other at-risk groups in New York City. Shop in store at 13th and Broadway in NYC, or order online for pickup or delivery.

Here at Time Out, we love a name that throws you off. Whatever you think Swingers is gonna be, we promise you that’s not it. This Swingers club is of the crazy golf kind. (Get it?). If you’re no more enlightened, crazy golf is a British term for mini-golf with a little more edge—think wild routes, obstacles, windmills and more. Swingers opened its first club in London, and is now a hit in D.C. 

Their new NYC lcation, Swingers NoMad, is located beneath the Virgin Hotel at 29th Street and Broadway. But it’s not just the golf that will make you say ‘Oh yeah!’—the venue is serving up authentic cocktails, premium spirits, beers and wine, as well as a whole array of street food. Choose from Sauce Pizzeria, serving up classic New York thin crust pies from vodka and pepperoni, Tacos Fonda’s punchy Mexican, and Emmy Squared Burger which is a concept by Emmy Squared Pizza that is exclusive to Swingers. There’s even Mah Ze Dahr bakery to get your cookies and ice cream fix after. Oh, and there’s a DJ. 

Either show up and see where the night takes you, or choose from one of Swingers’ four crazy golf packages, from the humble two-person golf-and-drinks for $53pp to the premium for $112, including golf, drinks, food, dessert, your own table and your own tee off time. General admission is $22pp for nine rounds, or $26pp during peak times. 

Murray’s Cheese has been New York City’s most famed and beloved, vast and varied dairy purveyor since it first opened in Greenwich Village decades ago. Today, it has additional locations in and outside of Manhattan, as well as availability via large retailers throughout the United States. 

Here at home, you can still consult Murray’s top cheesemongers at its charming Bleecker Street shop, Grand Central outpost and Long Island City locale for samples, including proprietary cave-aged varieties prepared right here in town. They’ll also help you match your picks to charcuterie, jams, spreads and crackers for a veritable feast you can source all in one spot.  

You can even learn a bit of the trade at Murray’s downtown flagship via burrata and mozzarella-making classes, or lessons on wine and cheese pairings. The classic address also hosts a mac and cheese pop-up, replete with that titular item, sandwich melts and cheese flights, among other menu items.

Through innovative programs and classes, guests are invited to explore the diversity that is Jewish culture and tradition. Find live music, book recommendations, political conversations and theater all under one roof at the Streicker Cultural Center. Find a full calendar of events on its website and follow along on Instagram for the latest updates!

Collina Italiana serves as the leading Italian language and cultural center on the Upper East Side. Both adults and kids can learn Italian in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

You’ll get a well-rounded schooling in the language, including pronunciation, reading, writing and speaking. Conversation classes and speaking practice are available too. A little nervous about jumping into a new language? Grab an espresso or prosecco during class and you’ll feel right at home.

Kids’ classes include arts & crafts, singing, dancing, games and more tools to help them learn the language (weekend workshops, school holiday camps and summer camps are available too).

Dive deeper into the culture with courses covering Italian art, literature, music and… mmm… cuisine. Wine tastings, book clubs and lectures are available too. Prepare for your next trip to Italy or just feel like you’re there for a while — browse Colina Italiana’s full calendar of events and sign up for classes on their website below.

Between 1876 and 1924, millions of Italians immigrated to America. Among them was a man called Antonio Veniero, who settled in New York City and opened his own cafe in 1894. It's here that he sold candy, espresso, and biscotti – all homemade, naturally.

Over the years, the Veniero family has placed greater focus on cakes and expanded the premises, but the Veniero's traditional essence remains. Yes, you can still grab a great cup of Joe and freshly baked biscotti here. But you really should allow yourself to be lured in by gorgeous cakes, cannoli, and deliciously creamy deep-dish cheesecake behind the counter.

Then pull up a chair at one of the charming wooden tables and savor your purchase while marveling at the Neapolitan glass ceiling and Italian renaissance art decorating the walls. And if it's so good that you simply cannot wait to return, you can order Veniero’s online with nationwide shipping. Who says you can't have a cannoli kit to yourself?

While Temple Emanu-El is best known as a synagogue, it's also a destination for variety of socially engaging events open to all. The progressive, multicultural and multigenerational Jewish community space offers classes for new parents (and grandparents), enrichment programs for babies and toddlers, social events for young professionals. Keep an eye on its social calendar for upcoming concerts, book readings, films, art and more.