Want to get the most out of New York City? It isn’t always easy. There’s so much happening all at once that deciding what to do can feel like a full-time project, and it’s often easy to walk right past something amazing.
Fortunately, the big apple comes with apps. Whether you’re looking for a happening happy hour, The New York Times critic’s favorite restaurant, or just the nearest subway stop, there are plenty of free apps to help you track it down. Most of them also have location-based features that can help you explore whatever nook of the city where you happen to be.
Below, find nine of our favorite mobile apps for exploring New York City
1. NYC Way
It’s hard to pack all of New York City into one app, but this one comes incredibly close to pulling it off. Delivering more than 60 apps for street vendors, nightlife, tourist attractions, subway stations, the garbage collection schedule, and everything in between, it’s hard to believe that this is also free.
2. Coovents
Looking for a beer near you? Coovents is a location-based application that shows you the happy hours going on right now. Even better, it gives you a map so that you can get there. If you’re more of a planner, you can also search drink specials by day or location. When you find one you like, you can connect to Twitter to alert your friends and add it to a list of favorites.
3. MoMA
For most people, modern art is something that goes down a little easier with some explanation. Instead of standing in front of a painting thinking, “I just don’t get it,” the MoMA app helps by pulling up an audio tutorial talking about the painting or special exhibit. You’ll like it so much that you’ll want to come back for all new exhibits and special events (which are also conveniently updated regularly in the app).
4. Wayfinder NYC
Navigating New York City can even be frustrating for locals and it’s completely daunting for the unacquainted. This augmented reality Android app helps you find the subway, bus, or train stations nearest you. Hold up your phone as if you’re taking a photo, and you’ll see icons for the stations that are located in that direction. Click a station to get walking directions.
5. NYTimes The Scoop NYC
This collection of four regularly updated lists from The New York Times is a great start to planning your week. An events section lists the week’s performances, events and other happenings. Ongoing events and excursion ideas can be found in an “Only in N.Y.” section.
They’ve got you covered for dining, too. Yelp can be great for crowdsourcing recommendations, but sometimes you need the class of Sam Sifton, the Times’ restaurant critic. He shares his current 50 favorite restaurants in New York on “The Sifty Fifty.” Similarly, the dining editor shares his current favorite bars on “The Top Shelf.”
6. Bookzee
Eight-million people sharing 20 library copies of Harry Potter? Clearly tracking one of them down isn’t going to be effortless. Bookzee helps by allowing you to search all of NYC’s libraries for an available copy. It plots the results on a map that can be clicked to reveal each library’s address, phone number, and hours.
7. American Museum of Natural History Explorer
If you’re nerdy enough to want a museum tour but still unwilling to pay for one, this is the app for you. The free iPhone app comes loaded with exhibit tours and has the option to create a custom tour. It gives turn-by-turn directions to the most significant exhibits and provides additional information about them.
8. UpNext 3D Cities
It’s a map that feels like a video game. Zoom into the bird’s eye view of NYC to explore a specific area. Click on individual buildings to find out what’s there. If you see something interesting, you can access its directory entry as well as relevant comments and tips left by other users.
9. iParks NY
iParks is a guide to New York City’s parks and park events. Sort by location, rating, distance from your phone, or filters like “must-see parks,” “parks with playgrounds” or “parks that don’t have playgrounds.” Every park has a grade assigned by an editor as well as a summary of its facilities and photos. Park events are also fully searchable. The Midtown version is free, but the guide to the whole city costs $2.99.
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Image courtesy of iStockphoto, gmutlu
Reviews: Android, Twitter, Yelp, harry potter, iStockphoto
More About: 3D City, american museum of natural history, apps, Bookzee, city explorer apps, Coovents, iParks, iphone apps, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, moma, new york, new york city, NYC Way, NYTimes The Scoop, upnext, Wayfinder
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