New York News Today

New York is one of the great live music cities on earth, a place where on any given night you can hear world-class jazz, cutting-edge indie rock, classical masterworks, and global sounds from every continent. From storied concert halls to sweaty basement clubs, the city offers an overwhelming range of options. This guide helps you navigate New York’s live music scene, from the famous to the hidden. The Jazz Tradition Jazz and New York are inseparable. The city helped birth and shape the art form, and it remains the global capital of live jazz. Greenwich Village is the historic heart of the scene, home to legendary clubs that have hosted the genre’s greats for decades. An evening in one of these intimate rooms, drink in hand, with a trio working through a set just feet away, is a quintessential New York experience. Beyond the famous Village clubs, Harlem retains deep jazz roots, with venues and jam sessions that connect to the neighborhood’s pivotal role in the musi...

Here's a secret that saves visitors a small fortune: many of New York City's world-class museums are either free or operate on a "pay-what-you-wish" basis — meaning the suggested admission is just that, a suggestion. With a little planning, you can experience some of the greatest art and science collections on earth without spending much, or anything at all. NYC museums are expensive at full price, so knowing the free days and pay-what-you-wish policies is one of the most useful tricks in any budget traveler's playbook. Here's how it works. Understanding "Pay-What-You-Wish" Several major museums set a suggested admission price but legally have to let you in for whatever you choose to pay — sometimes even a single dollar. The suggested price is displayed prominently, and the staff won't pressure you, but it's worth knowing the policy before you walk up to the counter. If you can afford to contribute, these institutions rely on it; if you...

Just east of SoHo and south of the numbered streets lies a tangle of old tenement blocks that has long been the beating heart of downtown New York’s cool. The Lower East Side and the neighboring East Village are where immigrant history, punk rock, cheap eats, and late-night energy collide. These are neighborhoods to wander after dark, to eat your way through, and to feel the creative pulse of the city. This guide is your introduction. A Tale of Immigrant New York The Lower East Side was, for generations, the first stop for waves of immigrants arriving in America — Jewish, Italian, German, and many others. At its peak it was one of the most densely populated places on earth, its tenements packed with families chasing a new life. That history is preserved at the Tenement Museum, whose intimate tours of restored apartments tell the story of the people who lived here. Traces of that past remain everywhere: century-old pickle shops, Jewish appetizing stores selling lox and ba...