One of my favorite things to do on weekends is to head to Grand Central Market for brunch, grab a few glasses of wine at the Oyster bar and then roam around downtown collecting pigeons.
Over the past few years the market has been modernized and has become a really trendy spot, but it still retains aspects of what it was like decades ago.
Some of my favorite stands are The Oyster Gourmet, Sarita's Pupuseria and the Belcampo Meat Co.
This place is really popular, and for good reason. Their cuts of meat are on point, and who doesn't love troughs of cheesy corn and steamed eggs? Definitely order a lunch box, and if you want to avoid the long wait, go either super early around or really late. They're open from 11:30a to 1:30a.
The Smell is a non-profit, all-ages music venue who's run the gamut of completely rad and completely shitty acts, but is doubtlessly an interesting and worthy place to use up a pair of earplugs. After all, it's not everyday you see a dude shred his fucking face apart playing an amplified shard of glass! The Smell is a little difficult to find, but when you hit the dark alley in which it resides -- and which every fiber of your being tells you will be host to your mugging -- just clutch your purse, keep your chin up and head straight down until you run into a grip of hipsters in a haze of smoke, donning asymmetrical haircuts, and one-too-many animal prints, and you're there! It's alcohol-free, so make sure you either drink before you arrive, or head out between acts to one of a couple local bars to sauce up!