Sep 4, 2020 4 min read Arts & Culture

Labor Day Weekend NYC-cation: NYC Open, Bike Tours, Hikes, And More To Do Across The City

Few of us have ever fully explored NYC, and with all the travel restrictions in place this may just be the best time to discover something new. The US Open Tennis Championships are currently taking place in Flushing Meadows, Queens, but you can also playing tennis in the Bronx, take a bike tour of Brooklyn, climb the Vessel at Hudson Yards, learn to surf in the Rockaways, or hike in Staten Island. Museums have reopened, so put on your mask, keep your distance and explore. The following list was compiled by NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau for the City of New York.

Brooklyn

Tour some of Brooklyn’s most iconic locations and get some exercise at the same time. Fit Tours NYC is currently offering private tours, including a Brooklyn Bridge Fun Run, which takes guests on a casual run across one of New York City’s most recognizable landmarks and down into Brooklyn Bridge Park. Brooklyn Bike Tours is offering a few different tours this weekend, featuring pizza and dessert spots, historic brownstones and more.
While near Brooklyn Bridge Park, check out Public Art Fund’s Reverberation, the new large-scale exhibition by Davina Semo at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1. The piece is also part of NYC & Company’s All In NYC: Public Art Edition.

Manhattan

The Vessel-courtesy of Forbes Massie Heatherwick Studio

Last week, Museum of the City of New York reopened with exhibitions including City/Game: Basketball in New York, which explores the history of the sport in NYC and all those who love it.
Reopening today, the Whitney Museum of American Art is now home to Around Day’s End: Downtown New York, 1970–1986, a new exhibition paying homage to Gordon Matta-Clark’s Day’s End and featuring works by 22 artists from the 1970s–early 1980s. Also on display is Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945, with nearly 200 works by more than 60 Mexican and American artists.
Head to Hudson Yards, where the climbable public art piece Vessel and the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere Edge reopened yesterday, as well as select shopping and dining experiences and new interactive murals as part of HYxOffTheWall.

Queens

Visit Forest Hills and the West Side Tennis Club, where the US Open was inaugurated and held annually until 1978 and members are able to play today. While in the neighborhood, make sure to also explore Forest Park, known for its high hills, lots of trees and birds, and views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Long Island Sound. And don’t forget to grab an ice cream to go at New York City’s oldest ice cream parlor, Eddie’s Sweet Shop.
In The Rockaways, Thai Rock is now open for outdoor dining and waterfront views, and Rockaway Jet Ski—located on the docks of the restaurant—is offering jet ski rentals for the remaining weeks of summer. Book a lesson in advance at nearby Locals Surf School, to learn or perfect your surfing skills.
If you find yourself in The Rockaways on Saturday, head to The Rockaway Hotel for an outdoor livestream of MoMA PS1’s Warm Up, one of the longest-running music programs housed within a museum. The program will also be livestreamed at the Queens Botanical Garden and select venues in Brooklyn.

Staten Island

Spend the weekend outside at one of New York City’s best-kept secrets, the Staten Island Greenbelt—a network of lush parks, wetlands, open meadows and hiking trails located in one of NYC’s greenest boroughs.
While hiking the Greenbelt, try bird-watching or check out the Greenbelt Nature Center, to learn about Greenbelt history, geography, flora and fauna, and current happenings.

The Bronx

The South Bronx is famous for the iconic Yankee Stadium, home to the 27-time World Champion New York Yankees and MLS’ NYCFC. Though the arena is not currently open to visitors, there are plenty of great photo opportunities outside.
In walking distance of the historic stadium, make a reservation to play tennis at New York City’s newest indoor/outdoor tennis center, Stadium Tennis Center at Mill Pond Park.
After a game of tennis, refuel on the Grand Concourse–a majestic Bronx thoroughfare with extravagant art deco facades and noteworthy structures dotted along its entire length–which offers something for everyone to enjoy like Court Deli, Billy’s Sports Bar, or Molino Rojo Restaurant.

South Bronx High Bridge. Photo by Adam Pape

This week, the US Open kicked off in Flushing Meadows, Queens. While there are no spectators at this year’s event, fans can watch the best in the world compete on the ESPN network as well as the Tennis Channel, both online or on your TV. The full schedule can be found here.

The “NYC-cations” initiative supports All In NYC: Staycation Guides, which is part of NYC & Company’s All In NYC local revitalization effort.