This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Kelly Xiong. Find her on Instagram at @k.3lly. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
New York City is called “the city that never sleeps” for a reason. There is always something going on. If you’re not a native or a resident of the City, getting around can be very overwhelming. When traveling to NYC, there are many things for tourists to do, but if you want something non-touristy, it can be hard to find on your own. The Instagram accounts and TikTok videos may give you some ideas of more niche or “non-touristy” things to do, but I’ve found an even better way of discovering things to do in NYC if you’re not from the area. The best thing about this is, it’s an app, so you can easily access it anywhere and anytime.
S’more app
There is an app called S’more, an online community where New Yorkers share their experiences in and around the city. The posts are all made by real people, not influencers, about things going on and if it’s worth checking out or not.
S’more will also offer chances to try out fun experiences for free in exchange for a review. There are certain events they will offer this to and all you have to do is sign up. Right now, there are three experiences they’re offering for you to try out for free in exchange for a review — picnic’n paint in Central Park, relaxing rug tufting and disco, drag and drinks. Some of their past free experiences include a dried flower and collage workshop, learning parkour and a hand-building ceramic dinnerware workshop. The app also has a weekly lottery system. You can share a post on the app and be automatically entered for a chance to win a ticket to a chosen experience.
As you can probably tell by now, the app is very much experience and review-based. It counts on New Yorkers trying things out and spreading the word about it.
S’more app review
My experience using the app for the past six to eight months has been pretty positive. I travel to the City fairly often during breaks so it’s always refreshing to find something new to do to occupy myself. Even though New York is like my second home, it’s always changing. New places and experiences are always popping up, and it’s hard to keep up, especially since I’m not a full-time resident here.
Coming home to visit during winter or spring break is always more fun when I know there are things I can do so I’m not bored at home the entire time.
I have a couple of places bookmarked — yes this is a feature you can do on the app and it’s extremely helpful — for when I go back home. Many of them are spas. There are apparently a lot of super cool spa experiences in NYC. Not much of a shocker considering how lively the City is made out to be but these are things that you typically would never hear about from a dedicated what to do in NYC account. Many of these places are small businesses owned by locals.
With these types of experiences, I see a lot of people post such in-depth reviews so you really know what to expect going into it.
Another great thing about the app I really like is that you’ll find out about cool little pop-up events and shops — and oftentimes they’re free! There was a Rare Beauty pop-up event with Sephora in the Theater District a few weeks ago that I found out about through the app. I unfortunately was at school during this so I couldn’t make it but you get the idea. It opens you up to a lot of cool little experiences within the city that you otherwise may not have ever heard about.
In my opinion, if you really want to experience NYC through a “non-touristy” lens, this app is probably the best way to go.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve ever used the app and what your thoughts on it are. Do you agree with my S’more app review?
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