New York: a winter in Manhattan

It's November 12, 1955, and Marty McFly is onstage, playing the electric guitar at the school dance at Hill Valley High School. At that very same moment, he's also treading the boards of New York's Winter Garden Theatre in late 2023.

This has nothing to do with quantum mechanics; I'm just watching a modern-day Broadway production of Back to the Future: The Musical. Marty's blasting through a rendition of "Johnny B. Goode" (a song that wouldn't be released for another three years) on a cherry-red Gibson ES-345 (a guitar that also wouldn't appear until 1958). Although the song makes sense in the story, the Gibson is the result of infamous production errors in the movie. The performance is intended to show us just how much has changed between 1955 and Marty's own time of 1985.

Now, nearly 40 years since the film's release, the spectacle has lost none of its power. The audience's feet stamp to the beat, and we're all whisked away to a time when Manhattan was populated by Ghostbusters, Crocodile Dundee, and a mermaid played by Daryl Hannah.

That's the New York I fell in love with as a child - but Manhattan is a destination that's set on fast-forward. I've visited the Big Apple many times over the past few decades, drawn to the city's vibrant culture and timeless landmarks. It doesn't take long for the rhythm of the streets to change dramatically around here. Each visit reveals new secrets: a club, a bakery, a brand-new attraction.

The city in winter

Like Marty, I'm a man out of his time: While tourists flock to Manhattan in summer, I usually visit during the quieter weeks of January. It allows me to beat the heat, savor the city's less hectic side, enjoy shorter lines, and, of course, take advantage of NYC's annual two-for-one winter ticket deals on attractions and Broadway shows.

Much of what makes New York great remains so at any time of year. A stroll along the High Line - a repurposed elevated rail line, dotted with gardens and art installations - to the Whitney Museum of American Art might be a little chilly, but the journey's always captivating, and the museum's program of winter exhibitions is just as radical.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers something new each time, no matter when you visit. It's the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere, so if you went there every day for a week, you'd still discover fresh secrets.

Then, there are iconic New York experiences that you can enjoy only in the colder months, such as ice-skating beneath Prometheus, a gilded statue at the world-famous Rockefeller Center rink, or against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline at the Wollman Rink in Central Park (both rinks open from late October to March).

Up in the clouds

With Manhattan just 3.7 kilometers across at its widest point, the island is, by necessity, crammed with skyscrapers. Land is so scarce here that, in 2022, it became home to the world's thinnest skyscraper, at 111 West 57th Street: Steinway Tower is 435 meters tall but only about 18 meters wide. With its surreal height-to-width ratio of 24:1, this apartment building stands like a giant pencil scribbling on the clouds above.

I've visited the Empire State Building's art deco decks many times, as well as the Top of the Rock viewing platform on the 70th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. So this time, I go to SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, which opened in October 2021. You can visit it every day from morning to midnight.

This experience is a completely fresh take on an observation deck. The New York skyline becomes almost a secondary attraction to the multisensory installation spanning the top three floors of this 93-story Midtown Manhattan skyscraper. Every surface of the open-plan 91st and 92nd floors is mirrored, reflecting twinkling city views into the space. One room is filled with silver floating orbs; in another, you can step out over the city on transparent ledges. Timing is important: The daytime experience is completely different to the one at night, when hundreds of thousands of LEDs sparkle from behind the mirrors. Go at dusk for the sunsets.

The building is set back from the street to allow views of Grand Central Terminal. This Beaux-Arts masterpiece has been a NYC icon ever since it opened, in 1913. Today, it's dwarfed by the One Vanderbilt super-skyscraper, and the streets around it rise and fall in a state of constant flux. But I never visit Manhattan without stepping inside the station - sometimes to retreat from the cold, but always to be transported to another time.

7 dates for your winter diary

1. NYC Broadway Week

Broadway Week runs through January and February, and for a week in September. The "buy-one-get-one-free" tickets for Broadway shows make it a great time for theater lovers. NYC Must-See Week also offers "two-for-one" tickets to attractions, museums, and tours throughout January and February, while NYC Hotel Week (also January to February) offers deals such as 24 percent off the price of accommodation.

2. National Bagel Day

Bagels are closely associated with NYC. There's even a National Bagel Day, on January 5. You can eat them in countless places in Manhattan. My favorites include Tompkins Square Bagels, with its dizzying array of sweet and savory fillings, including tofu and plant-based meat substitutes; and Murray's Bagels in Greenwich Village, with its wide selection of hand-rolled bagels. Absolute Bagels on 2788 Broadway is a quintessential New York experience: long lines and tasty, no-frills bagels, served with a surly attitude. Classic.

3. Whitney Biennial

Introduced in 1932, the Whitney Biennial, at the Whitney Museum of American Art, is the longest-running exhibition of its kind. The Biennial is a survey of what's happening right now in the U.S. art scene. The 82nd edition of the most watched recurring exhibition in the United States will open in the spring of 2026.

4. National Pizza Day

Pizza by the slice is New York's great leveler. Everyone swings by a hole-in-the-wall pizzeria for a quick, cheap, tasty bite to eat, on the way home from work or to soak up beers during a night on the town. National Pizza Day is February 9. Everyone agrees that Joe's Pizza in Greenwich Village offers the authentic street slice. My own favorite, though, is Scarr's Pizza, on the Lower East Side, where they stone-mill their own flour.

5. Super Bowl LVIII

It's the sporting event that stops a nation. The 60th Super Bowl will be hosted in California on February 8 in 2026, but the electric excitement will be felt across the country. If you're in Manhattan in mid-February, watch the NFL's championship game in a sports bar, especially if the New York Jets or the Giants make it to the finals. There are a lot of great bars around the five boroughs, but if you're in Manhattan, my top pick would be the Hairy Lemon in Alphabet City, my favorite neighborhood for drinks. The "Lemon" offers a wide selection of beers, burgers, and bratwurst, plus enough TV screens to ensure you won't miss a single play.

6. Opera at the Met

At The Met, audiences are treated to a diverse repertoire ranging from the classic masterpieces of composers such as Verdi, Puccini and Wagner to contemporary works that push the boundaries of the art form. Each season offers a carefully curated selection of operas, ensuring that there is something for every opera lover.

7. St. Patrick's Day

The parade is on 17 March. Around 150,000 people usually take part, many of them dressed in kilts, draped in the Irish flag, or playing pipes and drums. The parade starts at 11 a.m. and runs up Fifth Avenue from East 44th Street to East 79th Street, attracting crowds of about two million. The area around St. Patrick's Cathedral offers a great vantage point, but arrive early. Bring snacks but avoid too many drinks because there are no public toilets that you can use! For a more comfortable experience, view it from your room at one of the luxurious hotels along the route, such as the Plaza New York (768 5th Avenue) or The Sherry-Netherland (781 5th Avenue). I like to watch it from the rooftop bar of the Hyatt Centric Midtown Fifth Avenue New York (16 E. 39th Street).