January in New York City

The gifts have been given and received, the New Year has started but the winter wonderland of New York City in January still offers many festive sights and experiences for a traveler passing through. If you’re planning a budget trip to New York City, January is the best month and if you find yourself on a long layover, you can leave your luggage in New York City with LuggageHero and go enjoy the city sights. 

While weather statistics indicate January is the coldest month of the year in New York City, with the landscape often wearing a coat of snow, the city presents some great places for a day trip. 

Central Park is a year round destination located in Manhattan, New York City, and is, based on area, the fifth-largest park in New York City, covering 843 acres. During January, Central Park offers visitors opportunities for ice skating, skiing, sledging or just being outdoor enjoying the snow. Special January events include the winter antique show, winter jazz fest and Central Park Winter Jam. 

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is located at ground zero of the Twin Towers destruction to commemorate the lives lost in the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack and also honors the rescuers. There are a pair of one acre pools, each with a man-made waterfall, and surrounded by 152 bronze parapets inscribed with the names of the victims of that day. New (over 400 swamp white oaks) and old (the “Survivor Tree”, a Callery pear) trees have been placed throughout the area including a path through the Memorial Glade, honoring first responders who later got sick or died after inhaling toxins during recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site. The National September 11 Museum contains an interactive exhibition which takes the visitor through the day of 9/11, showing images of both before and after the actual event.

New York City contains many museums and galleries. Escape the cold of January by visiting the warm indoor world of The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City aka the Met. This world famous art museum, the largest in the United States, has on display over two million works of art spanning over 5,000 years in history. 

Another New York City icon is The American Museum Of Natural History. This museum includes over 40 exhibition halls which collectively exhibit 32 million specimens and artifacts depicting the diversity of species along with life in the ancient past here on planet earth. An annual treat is the butterfly exhibition, with over 500 free-flying butterflies amid an indoor landscape of lush tropical plants. Visit the Butterfly Conservatory in Whitney Hall of Oceanic Birds. 

Plan a visit to the heart of the Rose Center for Earth and Space, an eighty-seven foot diameter sphere which “appears to float inside a glass cube”. The upper half of this sphere contains the Hayden Planetarium with its 429-seat Space Theater. Here visitors can attend ‘Space Shows’ and view the cosmos of planets, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies accurately mapped from millions of astronomical observations of the observable universe.

January in New York City includes the Winter Antiques Show, held at historic Park Avenue Armory. This ten day show is the city’s longest-running art, antiques and design fair (over 65 years), with a multitude of exhibitors displaying an “eclectric mix of fine and decorative arts from around the world, dating from ancient times to the present day”.

The cold of January may keep the tourists away from New York City, but it is a great time to take advantage of the smaller crowds and all the reduced prices. The month of January sees offers of bargain airfares to the city along with the shops, restaurants and hotels offering post holiday discounts. Even the tickets for a Broadway show are available for a reduced charge.

So bundle up and step outside in the winter wonderland of New York City during January.