What to Do in NYC When You've Already Done Everything
Published on drhoneybrew.com · Est. read time: 5 min
New York City is in your future, I think.
There's always a rooftop bar to barf off of, an escape room to be insanely high in, and a comedy show to doom scroll your iPhone. But true New Yorkers know the difference between doing something in NYC and actually experiencing something.
This list is for those who wish to rule the city like Dr. Honeybrew (without blowing chunks). These following experiences are built by my fellow friends and I can vouch for every one of them.
So — what are you waiting for? It’s been waiting for you as T-Swizzle once sang.
1. A Coffee Fortune-Telling Ceremony at Dr. Honeybrew's Turkish Coffee Room ☕🔮
[Disclaimer: I may be a little biased about this one.]
Your friendly neighborhood shaman will not mince words. That would be “Granny Energy” as the Koreans would say. Heck, my wife even helped curate this list. So that shaves some heat off my back, and put it right in your cup where it belongs!
Wait — is there a delete button on that last sentence?
But honestly — we'd recommend Dr. Honeybrew's Turkish Coffee Room even if someone else wrote this post. I mean it. Fortune tellers never lie.
Tucked into the East Village, it's one of NYC's most genuinely singular experiences, and the press agrees: the New York Times, CNN, BuzzFeed, and Travel+Leisure have all covered it. We're not bragging. We're just... citing sources. :)
Here's how it works: you join up to nine other guests in an intimate ceremony space, drink a cup of thick, rich Turkish coffee the traditional way, flip the cup, and then Dr. Honeybrew — theatrical, gifted, and disturbingly accurate — projects your coffee grounds onto a screen and reads what the universe quietly left behind.
It's rooted in a 16th-century Ottoman tradition called tasseography. Dr. Honeybrew makes it feel alive, funny, and personal. Skeptics walk in. Believers walk out. (We've never had a complaint about the direction of travel.)
"Some answers can't be Googled. They're in your cup."
(Yes, we wrote that. Yes, we're proud of it.)
Sessions cap at 10 guests, sell out weekly, and we've read over 25,000 cups since 2018. So — shameless plug fully acknowledged — go book it.
Perfect for: Date nights, birthdays, solo adventures, and visiting friends who claim they've already done everything in NYC.
Not in NYC? The Coffee Fortune Box ships nationwide — a $25 at-home kit with a personalized video reading. The universe delivers.
2. NYC by Sandwich with A Man and His Sandwich 🥪
Ben Gollan — the host of the world’s greatest sandwich tour — is our affable Australian buddy who moved to New York upon realizing being a lawyer is not that fun.
He falls completely in love with the NYC's sandwich culture, and did what any reasonable person would do: burns his law degree, start a sandwich tour company, and becomes the #1 reviewed Airbnb Experiences host in all of New York City.
Chase those dreams, Ben! But always chew before swallowing, please.
With over 1,255 verified reviews and coverage in Forbes, Lonely Planet, Eater, and the New York Times, his A Man and His Sandwich tours are the rare kind of NYC experience that regulars recommend as enthusiastically as first-time visitors. Across two hours, you'll eat your way through three incredible spots (plus a bar or two), debate whether a hotdog is technically a sandwich, and learn more about the history of this city through its food than any walking tour has a right to deliver.
He runs three routes: The New York Sandwich Tour in the East Village (perfect before or after a Dr. Honeybrew ceremony — same neighborhood!), the Brooklyn Sandwich Tour in Williamsburg, and a Times Square version for those who want to reclaim that neighborhood one bite at a time. All tours are $75/person, vegetarian-friendly, and end at a bar.
The details: 2 hours, all ages, groups up to 16. Private corporate tours available (Amazon, Google, and Audible have all done them).
3. A Sunset Sail Around the Harbor with Brooklyn Sail ⛵
Most people see the Manhattan skyline from the ground. Seeing it from the water at golden hour — under the Brooklyn Bridge, past the Statue of Liberty — is a completely different city. And that’s why my wife booked this amazing experience and why I’m sharing it with you now.
Brooklyn Sail, run by brothers Ian and Andrew out of Pier 5 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, takes up to six passengers at a time on their 34-foot sailboat Enchantress. This is not a tourist ferry. Over 2,000 reviews, a 4.96 average rating, and the lowest rates of any sailing tour company in the Manhattan area. Individual spots run $89–109 for a 2.5-hour group sail; private charters available too. Five departure times daily, April through October.
He has even hosted the guys from the boy pop band New Edition on his boat. Ask him about those stories. You never know the tale of a man until you personally yank his tail.
4. The NYC Backpacker Tour with Erin 🎒
If you're visiting NYC on a budget — or you have friends coming to town and want to show them the city without dropping $200 on a bus tour — our dear friend Erin's NYC Backpacker Tour is the answer! She truly knows all the best things New York City has to offer… we’re always learning something new from her!
Meet in Bryant Park, then walk through Midtown hitting the New York Public Library, Rockefeller Center, and Times Square, with Erin loading you up on insider tips the whole way: where to find $1.50 pizza slices, cheap beers, free entertainment, and how to score discounted Broadway tickets. The tour ends at a neighborhood bar with cheap drinks and free hot dogs. Yes, really.
Erin has lived in NYC for 15+ years and brings an energy that turns a walking tour into something that feels like hanging out with a local friend who genuinely wants you to love this city as much as she does. Reviews use words like "infectious," "like a local," and "I can't believe how much we saw."
Hot tip: Erin plays a main ukulele. She does a crazy Maui style rendition of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” (that insane intro guitar solo). It will make a vegaterian eat cold SPAM.
The details: Starts at Bryant Park. Perfect for solo travelers, first-timers, and groups who want to cover a lot without spending a lot.
Dig and share your next favorite album for $1
5. Dollar Record Club — Pick a $1 Record, Listen Together 🎵
[Another shameless in-house recommendation. We contain multitudes.]
From the same East Village universe that brought you Dr. Honeybrew comes Dollar Record Club — a small-group listening experience where 10–12 guests each pick a $1 record, gather around a hi-fi system, and actually sit down together to listen.
No phones. No background noise. Just the crackle of a needle hitting vinyl and a room full of strangers finding out what someone else's $1 pick sounds like.
In a city where music is everywhere and actually heard almost nowhere, this is the antidote. It's quiet, it's communal, and it's the kind of evening that sneaks up on you.
Perfect for: Music lovers, vinyl nerds, first dates, and anyone who's forgotten what it feels like to just... listen.
The tin ceiling at Ten Bells is 🤌💋
6. A Natural Wine Night at Ruffian or Ten Bells 🍷
The natural wine movement has taken deep root in NYC, and a few spots do it so well that even people who "don't really know wine" leave with opinions and a new favorite pour.
In the East Village — right in the Dr. Honeybrew neighborhood — Ruffian has been a destination for natural and orange wine since 2016, with 250+ selections and a vegetarian menu that makes the pairing feel like a full evening. Ten Bells on the Lower East Side is an institution: tin ceiling, knowledgeable bartenders, and a standing invitation to tell them what you like and let them guide you. This is a great spot to hit up after your Turkish coffee fortune ceremony! Pull up a stool, order oysters, and start talking.
Neither requires a reservation for small groups on weekdays. Just show up.
The Common Thread
None of these are passive. You're not watching something happen in front of you — you're in it. That's what separates the best NYC experiences from everything else on every "things to do" list you've already read.
The city has infinite options. The ones worth seeking out are the ones built by people who are genuinely, a little unreasonably, in love with New York.
Dr. Honeybrew's Turkish Coffee Room is located in the East Village, NYC. Sessions are intimate (max 10 guests) and sell out weekly. As seen in the New York Times, CNN, BuzzFeed, Travel+Leisure, and Time Out New York. Book at drhoneybrew.com.
