Rainy Day New York: Places to Go in the City When the Weather Turns Frightful

See also the related post, Good Subway Stops for Bad Weather Days: A List of Stations Near Major New York Attractions.

When bad weather hits, I find it hard to leave the apartment. But, sometimes you get sick of staying at home and need to be somewhere else. Fortunately, New York City has many great places to spend a day indoors. The hard part is getting motivated to get there. As much as I like walking, I don't care to stroll in blowing and freezing rain. Trains, taxis, and buses are useful means of transportation in the megalopolis, and I don't mind them one bit.

• My favorite places to go on rainy days are the large Beaux Arts palaces where it's possible to spend hours on end without getting bored. As a museum person, this means, first and foremost, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (link to WOTBA posts). The museum is often crowded, but understandably so, as the entire history of art is on display. A great way to enjoy the Met on a rainy day is to bring a sketchbook and make drawings of some of the sculptures or of other people looking at the sculptures.

To get to the Met, bundle up and take the 4, 5, or 6 trains to the 77th or 86th Street stations, or take the C to 81st and take the crosstown bus to the other side of the park. For the holidays, see the Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche on display in the Medieval Sculpture Hall. If anyone on your gift list likes art, it's easy to spend an hour just in the museum store.

• Another place I enjoy during frightful weather is Grand Central Terminal. In addition to the amusements of watching people come and go, the shopping is convenient. Browse the New York City Transit Museum, get something to eat in the food mall, or dine at one of the nicer restaurants. Visit the Main Concourse December 1 through January 1 for the Kaleidoscope Light Show. The shows run every half hour from 11AM - 9PM daily and are free to the public. I like to pick up some food items in the market, so I don't have to cook. The holiday market in Vanderbilt Hall is worth checking out. If you get really bored, you can take a Metro-North train somewhere, like Beacon (Hudson Line), Croton Falls (Harlem Line), or New Haven (New Haven Line).

• Bloomingdale's (1000 Third Avenue at 59th Street) is a lovely rainy day spot, especially with the reopening last year of the renovated subway stop at the store's Metro level. Just take the 4, 5, 6, N or R to 59th, walk into the store, and behold. The department store played an important role in the development of New York, and sometimes, it's nice to pay homage.

• Other places where you can take the train and walk into a major NYC attraction without getting wet (or, at least, not too soggy) include:
• 81st and Central Park West: American Museum of Natural History
• 59th, Broadway, Central Park West and Central Park South (Columbus Circle): Museum of Arts & Design (MAD) and the Time-Warner Center
• 42nd St.: New York Public Library
• 47- 50 Sts.: Rockefeller Center
• 42nd St.: Port Authority
• 34th St. Herald Square: Manhattan Mall, and Macy's
• 34th St. (A,C,E): Pennsylvania Station. Another opportunity to shop or to whimsically escape out of town.

Rainy Days and Mondays: The above list is designed for visiting New York on rainy days. For Mondays, follow this link.

Read many more ideas in the post 25 Great Things to Do in New York City.

Image of Grand Central Kaleidoscope Light Show from December 2007 by Walking Off the Big Apple.