101 things to do in New York City in the winter

61. Celebrate the Festival of Lights
Watch as the world’s biggest menorah is lit in celebration of Hanukkah (Dec 11, 5pm; Fifth Ave at 59th St, in front of the Plaza Hotel). The nightly lighting ceremonies continue through the 19th (lighting is at 3:45pm on Fridays) and the last night will be accompanied by folk dancing and Hanukkah treats. The Borough Hall menorah lighting, led by Marty Markowitz, will take place on the same date, at the same time (Borough Hall, 290 Joralemon St at Adams St). At the 92nd St Y’s Hanukkah Festival, you can build a Menorah, make your own candles, produce your our own olive oil, decorate a dreidel, and don Maccabee gear (1395 Lexington Ave at 92nd St; 212-415-5500, 92Y.org; Dec 6, 10:30am-1:30pm; $20, $15/kids). The Schlep Sisters and Little Brooklyn are back for the 3rd Annual Menorah Horah, in which cabaret and burlesque meet latkes and lights (Southpaw, 125 Fifth Ave between Sterling and St. Johns Pls; 718-230-0236; spsounds.com).

62. See all the lights
From Borough Hall to the Botanical Gardens, the city’s most decked-out Christmas trees will be on view through Christmas, with many staying put ‘til after New Year’s. Check out our guide to the best.

63. Go to Park Avenue Winter
Manager Michael Stillman, chef Craig Koketsu and design firm AvroKO have conceived an ode to the legendary Four Seasons, except that the design, the uniforms and the very name rotates along with the menu. Craig Koketsu’s latest menu includes a meatball slider called “The Carmellini Challenger” and a more sober venison-steak tartare. We’re not sure if we’re excited or frightened by a dessert trio called “Winter Horrors Revisited,” star pastry chef Richard Leach’s interpretation of holiday staples straight from the grocer’s shelves (think fruitcake and eggnog). Another addition to the chilly vibe: custom-distilled vodka, presented tableside with mixers like pear and lychee-elderflower juices. Park Avenue Cafe, 100 E 63rd St between Park and Lexington Avenues (212-644-1900, parkavenuecafe.com)

64. Spin yarns at Cornelia Street Café
This thirty-year-old basement boité is the setting for the semimonthly Speakeasy Stories, a chance for NYC storytellers to grab the spotlight. Past performers have included Mike Daisey and Jonathan Ames, although anyone who can hold an audience's attention for twenty minutes is eligible. Email host Sherry Weaver at sherry@speakeasystories.com for an audition; official lineups can be found at speakeasystories.com. $10 plus one drink/food item minimum. 29 Cornelia St between Bleecker and W 4th Sts (212-989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com)

65. Have tea and pastries at Podunk
At this East Village tea shop, you can step through the creaky screened door and out of Manhattan. Elspeth, the Minnesotan owner, offers more than 85 types of tea (try spicy ginger-verbena or iced strawberry-hibiscus); and 22 “informal tea meals” featuring freshly baked vanilla cupcakes, lemon-ginger cookies and cranberry-pecan scones. While away the afternoon in an Adirondack chair or gather a dozen of your best friends for a private tea party. 231 E 5th St between Second and Third Aves (212-677-7722)

66. Take a spa staycation
Steer away from the tourist hordes to a zen carnival: The Six Flags-esque modern bathhouse Spa Castle. The squeaky-clean facilities—dozens of hot tubs, including a huge all-year-round outdoor oasis, and multiple sauna rooms comprising so-called healing materials such as gold, LED lights or mineral salt—are a great antidote to pre-holiday stress. 131-10 Eleventh Ave at 131st St, College Point, Queens (718-939-6300, nyspacastle.com)

67. Indulge all your senses in Chinatown
Start at Chinatown Fair Arcade (8 Mott St between Mosco and Worth Sts, 212-964-1542) a noisy old-school game hall where joystick lovers huddle around everything from Ms. Pac-Man to hi-def games like The King of Fighters XII. After you've worked up a sweat in a game of Dance Dance Revolution, relax your feet at Foot Heaven (16 Pell St between Bowery and Mott St, 212-962-6588), one of many massage spots lining Pell, Mott and Bayard Streets. When hunger strikes, try the excellent soup dumplings at New Green Bo (66 Bayard St between Elizabeth and Mott Sts, 212-625-2359).

68. Drink bourbon in Brooklyn
Start at The Pig (64 Lafayette Ave at South Elliott Pl, Fort Greene, Brooklyn; 718-797-0292), and opt for a three-liquor flight ($18) featuring one-ounce tastes of small-batch distillers such as Tuthilltown and Basil Hayden. Another fine choice is The Jakewalk (282 Smith St between Degraw and Sackett Sts, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn; 347-599-0294), where you can try one of two-dozen tasty bourbons like soft, buttery 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve ($19). But Smith Street’s true brown-liquor HQ is Char No. 4 (196 Smith St between Baltic and Warren Sts, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn; 718-643-2106), where you can sample the exceptionally smooth and affordable seven-year-old W.L. Weller ($4 for a one-ounce pour).

69. Swim with the pool sharks at Ocean’s 8
After a redesign, Park Slope’s cavernous underground pool hall is now Brooklyn’s upscale answer to Amsterdam Billiards. Teens, twosomes and grizzled gents take to Ping-Pong tables, bowling lanes and pool tables. Bring a friend or try to single out a weak opponent who you can challenge for a plate of spicy chicken wings or any one of the 24 draft brews (Blue Moon and Chimay make appearances). 308 Flatbush Ave at Seventh Ave, Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-857-5555)

70. Go to the Rose Center for Earth & Space
At this spectacular silver globe—dazzling to encounter on a winter night—you can discover the universe via 3-D shows in the Hayden Planetarium and light shows in the Big Bang Theater. Current offerings include Journey to the Stars," a space show narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, and "SonicVision," a collaboration between MTV2 and pop maestro Moby (he mixed the soundtrack featuring Radiohead, Goldfrapp, Coldplay and U2) that's a computer-animated dreamscape, beamed onto the interior of the planetarium’s dome ($15). American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St (212-769-5100, amnh.org)

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