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The Northeast contains some of the country’s oldest cities and states, and with so much history it’s become all too easy to miss some of the unique experiences that are found hiding amongst the bigger attractions in the region. Whether we’re taking in artsy New York weirdness, soaking up the vibes at a small Northeast music festival, or exploring the rich natural beauty of New York state, there is plenty to experience off the beaten path.
Which is why we spent the last month highlighting some of the less appreciated activities that are still worthy of your time (and hard-earned money) across the United States. Nothing beats going underground and experiencing the treasures that are hiding in plain sight near major cities across the country. Here are some of our favorite finds in the American Northeast.
Go Off-Broadway in New York
Let’s face it, Broadway just isn’t weird enough to really be exciting anymore. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Alexander Hamilton — but give me more of this: “I’m wearing a long, white mask watching a simulated orgy in a rave atmosphere — music thumps, lights strobe, topless women and a naked man gyrate feet away from me. I watch, impassively, with a few dozen other voyeurs. Suddenly there’s blood, but it doesn’t faze me. As if I watch a blood orgy every day.”
Writer Allison Sanchez takes us on an off-broadway adventure to the McKittrick Hotel for Sleep No More, a theatre experience that sounds like it literally has everything. Terrifying, electrifying, oddly sexy? It’s like a Kubrick film, but real life!
READ MORE ABOUT SLEEP NO MORE HERE.
Leave the city and discover New York state
New York City is so inescapable from the state that houses it — it doesn’t help that the state shares its name with the city — that it’s easy to forget that geographically the city is just one small part of a much larger area.
That’s why we turned to travel expert Jessie Festa, who filled us in on all the hidden gems throughout New York state. Whether you’re looking for intimate barnyard concerts in Woodstock or taking in the natural sights of the Thousand Islands, Festa will turn you on to the amazing attractions hiding in plain sight across New York.
Ditch cliche attractions for a New York skate park
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The Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building have been visited to death — plus, they look better from afar anyway. We decided that it’d be better to see New York City from the ground-level by avoiding the tourist traps and visiting the LES Skatepark instead.
Located in New York’s lower east side, the LES received a recent renovation thanks to a donation from Nike SB, and the new surfaces, verts, and obstacles have attracted skaters from all over the city, making this a premier city skate spot. The LES Skatepark is bursting with life, capturing that electrifying New York energy in a way that a basic tourist attraction never could.
READ ABOUT MORE ABOUT SKATE PARKS LIKE THE LES HERE.
Expand your mind at theselesser-knownn Northeast music festivals
If you’re bummed to be missing out on Coachella this year you’re not totally out of luck. The northeast has its own killer music festivals, and while they aren’t as big or notable as the Coachellas and Lollapaloozas of the world, they do still draw some pretty big names.
Next month Boston Calling will be commemorating their 10th anniversary with a festival lineup featuring Travis Scott, Tame Impala, and Michael Che, and Jenny Slate. Boston Calling offers a nice mix of big-name music artists and some of comedy’s funniest voices. If next month is too soon, you could always hit up Delaware’s Firefly Music Festival in June, where Post Malone, Passion Pit, and Zedd will fill out the festival bill.
Catch an intimate concert in the big city
Just because you live in a big northeastern city doesn’t mean you should have to miss out on an intimate concert setting. Writer Chloe Gilke filled us in on all the raddest small venues across the country and New York City and Philadelphia repped the Northeast with the Bowery Ballroom and the World Cafe Live.
New York’s Bowery Ballroom offers an intimate, 500+ capacity venue that has acts both big and small clamoring for a gig, and Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live offers a picturesque concert space to watch your favorite artists — featuring floor to ceiling windows for stunning views of historic Philadelphia.
LEARN MORE ABOUT COOL AND INTIMATE VENUES HERE.
Lose yourself in the thrill of a street hoops game
The Northeast is the premier region to watch an electrifying street hoops game. Writer Mike Botticello tipped us off to all the iconic street hoops courts across the United States, but no region racked up as many legendary blacktops as the northeast.
Whether it’s visiting the source of top-tier basketball talent at the Barry Farms court in DC or catching a league game at Dyckman in Washington Heights, you’re guaranteed to see an electrifying game played with the type of passion rarely seen in professional ball. Botticello makes us believe in the power of a transcendent game.
LEARN MORE ABOUT LEGENDARY NORTHEAST STREET HOOPS COURTS HERE.
Kiss screen fatigue goodbye at these Northeast Indie bookstores
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If you’ve found it more and more difficult to stay focused on a novel lately, it may have something to do with how you’ve chosen to consume the written word. Digital screens can cause a strain on the eye, and sometimes nothing beats the feel and look of a traditionally bound book.
The Northeast is home to so many great independent bookstores, like Brooklyn New York’s Books Are Magic — a modern book store that takes childhood whimsy and filters it through the lens of hip New York adulthood. It’s akin to watching a children’s cartoon from your past and finally understanding all those adult jokes that flew over your underdeveloped brain — you know, in bookshop form.
