Various activities in NYC?

NYC night life? Also some day activities?

• Me and my roommates are going to NYC from February 21 (sunday) to february 26 (friday). We want to find some inexpensive, but fun bars to go to those nights. Also, what night is the busiest night to go out between Sunday and Thursday nights. Is is slow out during the week? We really like to dance so any place to go dancing is good too. What are some good activities to do during the day...no tourist-y things like the statue of liberty or the empire state building, but fun stuff like Ripley's believe it or not. Thanks for the help!

• Answer:

  You can try the Fat Black Pussycat on West 4th Street. It's a bar that has pool, darts, and comfy couches, but there's also a dance club right downstairs. At No Idea they choose a different name every day (or is it every week? I forget.) and if that's your name, you drink free all night, provided you tip your bartender and bring friends. Trailer Park is fun if only because of the atmosphere. It's decked out with spare tires, old lunchboxes, tacky Christmas lights...you get the idea. And the menu consists of tater tots, corn dogs, mac and cheese, etc. Again, drinks are not dirt cheap though. Ooh, or you could go to Japas on 55th St. between Broadway and 8th Ave. for some karaoke (only $1.25/song at the bar) cheap drinks, and super cheap sushi. Always a good time. Bar None has affordable drinks, comfortable seating, and often live bands. (Plus the tater tots there are off the hook.) Or just go to Dave & Buster's in Times Square. You can eat, drink, and play skee ball or a bunch of other games. Brother Jimmy's is fun if you want a super relaxed place to hang out, watch sports on huge flat-screen TV's, and eat the most sinfully good Southern food. You and your friends can share the Swamp Bowl--an enormous drink with a little of everything in it. As for dancing, you might want to swing by LQ. Huge dance floor, good DJ, somewhat pricey drinks, but they have drink specials sometimes. The Copacabana is fun too. One floor is salsa, merengue, etc., and downstairs they play hip-hop. I find Tuesdays and Thursday nights are usually pretty live when it comes to nightlife in NY. But there is always, always something going on here, any night of the week. During the day, if you like Ripley's, you'd probably like Madame Toussad's Wax Museum, which is right next door in Times Square. Since you'll be here on a Thursday, maybe checkout the Chelsea Classic Cinema night on 23rd street. They show a classic movie (they have a calendar online) and you get a raffle ticket for buying a ticket. I actually won the last raffle and got all kinds of good stuff. (A Whip It CD, a T-shirt, the 50 First Dates DVD...) It's fun. Movies start at 7 PM. Or swing by Serendipity 3 to have a dessert the size of your head. Or you can do some bowling at Leisure Time Bowling in the Port Authority or at Bowlmor Lanes or at Chelsea Piers. Have fun!