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Spend Black Friday outside of shopping lines in NYC – Metro US

Spend Black Friday outside of shopping lines in NYC

Spend Black Friday outside of shopping lines in NYC
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New Yorkers looking to walk off their turkey dinner hangovers have their pick of activities following Thanksgiving that have nothing to do with shopping.

For those souls not brave enough to hit up Rockefeller Center for the window treatments, Bryan Park’s ice skating rink or Soho stores along Broadway, the holiday weekend might be the perfect chance to head to the outer boroughs, said Chris Heywood of NYC & Company, the city’s tourism agency.

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“See your city,” Heywood said. “We have a captive audience of 8 million New Yorkers. If they travel to another borough, they are sure to find such a rewarding experience.”

For folks looking to avoid shopping lines entirely, Heywood suggested a stop by the New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train show, where model trains travel through 150 different miniaturized city landmarks made from natural materials inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Tickets are $20.

A quick jaunt south will take you to Bronx’s Little Italy on Arthur Avenue, where passersby can pick up a pizza slice or their preferred seasonal confection as the neighborhood gears up for its Christmas tree lighting next week.

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New Yorkers and tourists alike looking to stay in the holiday spirit can jaunt over to the New York Hall of Science in Queens for the world’s largest gingerbread village, otherwise known as Gingerbread Lane — a staple for 22 years.

Tickets start at $12.

Meanwhile, the Prospect Park Alliance has a series of events scheduled at the Audubon Center from 12 to 3 p.m., including a “Bird Nerds Game Hour” and a hangout with animals during their lunch hour where participants can help feed the creatures.

Manhattanites have plenty of options, though, including the annual presentation of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Christmas tree and 18th-century Neapolitan nativity scene.

Admission is $25, but Heywood recommended visitors stop by the Jacqueline de Ribes “Art of Style” exhibit at the Costume Institute while they’re at it.

Stragglers looking for a more 21 and up event in Manhattan can spend Friday evening at the Miracle on Ninth Street pop-up bar at 649 E. 9th St. for Christmas- and Hanukkah-themed cocktails at a base $14 per drink.

With sweater weather sticking aroundanother weekend, Heywood said New Yorkers should still take advantage of city parks and waterfronts while they can.

“There’s a lot of culture here throughout all five boroughs,” he said.