As a participant in Dry January, I realized just how much of my New York City lifestyle revolves around drinking... In order to fill my 31 days of no drinking with plenty of activities I have compiled a growing list of things I should do with my time. I decided to do the research on activities I can do in NYC without breaking the bank! Here are a list of activities I have put together for myself to do with friends that won't make me feel the pressure to drink alcohol.
Ice Skating in Bryant Park
A few years ago I purchased a pair of ice-skates on Amazon after finding out you can skate for FREE at Bryant Park's skating rink if you own your own skates. Bring a small drawstring bag for your sneakers and you can skate completely for free. All you need to do is reserve your time to skate on their website!
Axe Throwing
Ok so I haven't done this activity yet but I hear it is so fun to grab a few friends and go axe throwing in Brooklyn. Kick Axe is the only one I've heard of and they'll teach you exactly how to throw and can just go for it! Play against your friends, loser buys dinner! They also have games like giant Jenga or giant Connect4.
Shuffleboard/Game Night
The Royal Palms shuffleboard spot in Brooklyn is one of the best venues for a fun night out with friends. When you walk in, go put your name down for a shuffleboard. While you wait (usually about an hour) you can have your choice of a bunch of games like Code Names as well as that impossible game of throwing the string to attach to a nail on a wall!
Yoga By Donation
Baby Cobra Yoga offers yoga classes all throughout the day in both Williamsburg and Bushwick. The classes are by donation so pay what you wish! They also offer mats and blocks completely for free. If you're going for the early morning or night classes I recommend getting their at least 30 mins before.
Comedy Show
Who says you need to drink in order to enjoy comedy! The Stand in Gramercy requires a reservation, but is one of the only comedy shows in the city that doesn't require a two item minimum. However, I do recommend the pizza!
Those are the five things I'll be doing with friends in the upcoming weeks to distract from alcohol! Any other suggestions, leave a comment!