If your New York City vacation turns rainy, don't despair. A sudden rain may spoil a ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty or a hike through Central Park, but the city offers a myriad of indoor activities that will keep you busy until the sun shines again. Just don't attempt to hail a taxi in the rain, unless you want to postpone your fun for a long time.
Spend a Day at the Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which spans several city blocks on the Upper East Side, is an art lover's paradise and the perfect place to spend a rainy day. In addition to hosting special exhibitions of important artworks, the Met houses a permanent collection featuring everything from ancient Greek and Egyptian art to Oceanic art and French masterpieces. If American art is more your taste, you can lose yourself in the American wing. The Costume Institute contains a vast collection of historic fashions from around the world, depicting what people wore in past centuries. Visiting the Met's gift store alone can take an hour or more.
Tour Grand Central Terminal
You can still take a train from historic Grand Central Terminal, but you can also easily while away an afternoon here shopping and eating. Free guided tours of the iconic structure are available on Wednesdays and Fridays at 12:30 p.m., or you can do it yourself with one of the indoor walking tours suggested at the station's website. Shop at dozens of retail stores and gourmet food shops, then treat yourself to the fare at the world-famous Oyster Bar.
Get Some Exercise at the Chelsea Piers
So, the rain disrupted your plans to take a bike ride up the Hudson River Park or to cross the Brooklyn Bridge on foot. You can still get in some physical activity at the city's Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex. The massive indoor sports center, located on the west side from 17th to 23rd streets, offers rock climbing, ice skating, bowling, an indoor track, sand volleyball, a spa, yoga and more. Choose one of several boat tours for a leisurely rainy-day cruise around Manhattan.
See a Show for Half Price
Take advantage of the rainy weather to see an additional Broadway or Off-Broadway show at a greatly reduced price. TKTS booths offer same-day sales of tickets to musicals and plays at up to 50 percent off the full price, which saves you a bundle. Booths are available in Times Square, South Street Seaport and downtown Brooklyn. Selections change throughout the day, so be adventurous and try a show you might not have considered seeing at the regular price.
Step Back in Time
For an out-of-the-ordinary museum experience, head down to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and step into the past. Housed in a 19th-century tenement on historic Orchard Street, the museum re-creates the experience of immigrants to New York in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Enter through a dark hallway that demonstrates what life was like without electricity, and then tour apartments lived in by Irish, German-Jewish, Italian and Greek immigrant families. Afterward, grab an umbrella and have lunch at Katz's Delicatessen, which has been in business since 1888.
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