3. Cinema Village // 22 E. 12th Street
This is a tiny movie theater mostly populated by NYU students and old couples on a date night. It’s nice for a spontaneous afternoon movie. It’s also the type of movie theater you’d take someone you were having an illicit affair with and didn’t want to be seen with them. But if you’re having a public affair, I’d recommend Film Forum or the IFC Center.
2. New York City Ballet // 70 N. Broadway
Getting the student discount off the website is easy but you have to act fast for popular ballets like Swan Lake. I’ve seen everything from weird modern ballets set to Phillip Glass compositions that look like a heavily stylized Banana Republic commercial to traditional classical numbers straight out of the Zoe Saldana storyline from Center Stage.
1. Brooklyn Botanic Garden // 1000 Washington Avenue
This is the best place my student ID gets me into for absolutely no charge. I go every year during the cherry blossom festival, which is basically a month-long cosplay convention for gentler anime fans and their miserable significant others. But in the Spring it’s the ideal spot to play Scrabble, and afterward, you can walk to Unnameable Books.
