Smoke spots and activities to enjoy your high in NYC with Brooklyn Arboretum
Brooklyn’s top-notch marijuana delivery service supplied quality cannabis to help me find the best smoke spots and activities to enjoy your high in the Big Apple.
When New York announced its legalization of recreational marijuana, it was as if the Big Apple, itself, was cored out into a communal city bong, and smoked in celebration. It was a victory for stoners across the state, including Brooklyn Arboretum, New York City’s marijuana delivery hub.
I found Brooklyn Arboretum through a friend who helped me settle in when I moved to Bushwick, and I quickly became a returning customer. Stocked with all the essential strains, oils, edibles and more, BKA not only delivered, they delivered within within the hour.
Now that I’m in London, I look back and cherish the New York moments of being in the fresh air, maybe on a park bench or stoop step, and sparking a j. Inhaling, Exhaling. Relaxing. Not giving a damn. That’s why before I moved, BKA kindly provided me with some of its top products to help me find great spots and activities to enjoy your high in NYC.
Find a park
Order a couple of BKA pre-rolls (sative, indica, or hybrid – the world is your oyster), and stroll under one of Central Park‘s 42 arches and bridges. Brooklyn’s Domino Park in Williamsburg offers Manhattan skyline views, dozens of lawn chairs and seating areas for soaking in the sun along the East River, and Tacocina, a taco stand in the middle of the park that serves some mean margaritas. Also in Brooklyn is Fort Greene Park with hilly, shaded spots to spark up and people (or puppy) watch. In the Bedford-Stuyvesant (BedStuy) neighborhood, Herbert Von King Park is vast and shaded, with the delicious Venezuelan eatery, Guacuco, at its northeast corner for when the high turns to hunger.
Over in Queens, Astoria Park has scenic river views right by the Astoria Bridge. Corona Park in Flushing Meadows is a bit further, but worth the trek to see the iconic Unisphere sculpture that was constructed for the 1964 World Fair. It’s also where my favorite hip-hop group, A Tribe Called Quest, filmed the “Award Tour” music video. A classic.
Back in Midtown Manhattan on East 51st Street, Greenacre Park is so conveniently tucked away that those with headphones may obliviously pass it by. But once you hear the splashes of Greenacre’s waterfall – a foreign sound for the middle of Manhattan – you know you’re there. Smoking isn’t allowed within, so take a few puffs around the block before you find your zen.
And if you just happen to be in the city on the all-blazing holiday that is 420, Washington Square Park is the smoke spot of all smoke spots as crowds of weed-friendly New Yorkers make their way down to Lower Manhattan to collectively spark up and celebrate.
Reminder: Weed and nature go hand-in-hand, but don’t be a dick about it. Find secluded spots and avoid areas with children or families that would probably not enjoy the possibility of having their kids get second-hand high.
*For more greenspaces, just Google your location.
Warning: Some public parks and spots may have new regulations with smoking since its legalization, so I’d do some extra research just in case. But since when has that ever really stopped us before? (Sorry) Just be smart about it.
Catch a comedy
Whether it’s hitting up Greenwich Village’s Comedy Cellar, where you can spot celebrity guests like Aziz Ansari doing surprise bits, or picking a classic funny film at one of the many outdoor cinemas like Movies Under the Stars or the Skyline Drive-In, NYC comedy won’t let you down. You can even find cheap Broadway tickets to musicals like “The Book of Morman,” which will have you grinning, eat-to-ear. After having a blast at the “Back to the Future: The Musical” in London, I can’t help but wish I could fly out for its New York shows to rewatch it absolutely blazed.
Embrace the music scene
You’re in New York, damn it. You can’t NOT go see a show. There’s nothing quite like watching an artist you love live with j’s all around, bodies swaying and smoke in the air.
There’s always Madison Square Garden or the Citi Field Stadium, in Queens, where artists like ODESZA have graced New Yorkers with their ethereal presence.
The Brooklyn Mirage is iconic for extravagant EDM sets and incredible visuals. For the same vibe, but a more low-key venue, Elsewhere rocks the house with DJs like Roosevelt or Flamingosis mixing the funkiest sets. Terminal 5 and Bowery Ballroom are great venues that host artists from across the board from hip-hop classics like Tech N9ne to melodic bass like the French DJ CloZee.
Head to Harlem for some velvety jazz at Bill’s Place – that is… if your high little brain can find it. Modeled after speakeasies in the 1920s and 30s, there are no signs up for this historical establishment (Billie Holiday was discovered here!), just a mysterious door you’ll have to find, and it’s well worth the hunt!
If you’re avoiding the crowds, Café Kitsuné is a chic cafe, retail shop, and mini venue in the West Village that occasionally hosts DJs on the rise. (I once saw warner case there in his early days.) Hit one of BKA’s vape pens before you take a seat for the show, snack on a small plate, and even sip on a glass of wine if you’re feeling frisky.
For more affordable shows, Central Park offers Summer Stage, hosting fantastic free concerts and music from all genres during the summer. Guitarists, drummers and violinists and more can be found serenading all over Central Park, subway stations or the random stoop or two. Maybe you’ll get lucky one night while wandering Williamsburg and stumble on Doug Witte and Catharsis NYC hosting a whole-ass rave right in the middle of a random road.
Pre-game art exhibits
Art and cannabis – there’s no better duo. It should go without saying that The Met is 100% required for newcomers, but if you’re a Met veteran, there are infinte choices across th e boroughs. Smoking in museums and galleries may not be permitted, but that’s what BKA’s edibles are for.
Brooklyn Arboretum’s Orange Crème gummies come in bags of 50 pieces, each containing 2 mg of THC per piece, making it easy to control your dosage.
Being the stoner that I am, I ate quite a few while waiting in line for Artechouse, an immersive exhibit that combines art, science and technology, and is projected in a vast, empty room beneath Chelsea Market. Themes change seasonally to keep it spicy, but each one mesmerizes visitors with incredible digital designs and trippy patterns.
While watching the infinite and intricate illustrations illuminate the walls in the “Life of a Neuron” exhibit, I melted into the floor.
Relish the rooftops
My favorite place in the world is a New York City rooftop. It’s where calm and chaos combine. It’s where you can people-watch in peace while tourists flood the streets and parks overcrowd. It’s a restful refuge from above, where you can bathe in the sun and soak up the moon while admiring the magic of the city that lies just beneath. It’s where you can spark up and share with friends, or be left the fuck alone.
Backyards and gardens are few and far between, but when you’re up on a New York rooftop, who cares? Everything you need is up on the last flight of stairs – just don’t get so high that you lock yourself up there.
Be a stoop kid
If you don’t have rooftop access, you may have a stoop, and that’s the next best thing. There may not be glamourous views or proper seating, but there IS front-row access to people-watching and eavesdropping (yeah, I listen) and in New York City, these are rarely boring pastimes.
Stoops are not only chill as hell, they’re economical hang-out spots to share with friends and neighbors alike. It’s as New York as it gets. Play some music, light up, and hell, be social if you want. There’s always someone bound to comment on how “good it smells out here.”
Toke & Take-out
Despite the liberty of legal, public toking, sometimes there’s no place like home. New York is the mecca for foodies – even lazy ones. I can’t help but enjoy a good joint and take-out meal in the comfort of my home, and Brooklyn Arboretum’s delivery service is pristine, so on lazy days, I’d order myself some flower and a good ass meal.
I realize that most readers might be staying in a hotel or Airbnb, and if that’s the case, just take a quick trip outside the entrance, toke it up, then slip right back into comfort. Some hotel rooftops even allow smoking in specified areas, as well as Airbnbs, if they have balcony or rooftop access, but that’s on you to read the rules and fine print. If you’re like me and sometimes feel subconscious about reeking of weed in public, BKA vapes do the job without the obvious scent.
Since I was blessed with having 420-friendly flatmates, I figured a BKA pre-roll would pair perfectly with Sweet Chick, a Brooklyn-based chicken-and-waffle joint partially owned by the New York rapper himself, Nas. I picked up my meal, some papers from the smoke shop that’s conveniently across the street and trekked home before the green arrived. It was a perfect lazy Sunday.
To learn more about Brooklyn Arboretum, visit www.bkarboretum.com.
A couple of extra weed-friendly businesses
Stoned Gourmet Cannabis Pizza
Stoned Gourmet Cannabis Pizza kills two New York musts under one establishment – pot and pizza.
Better still, pot-infused Sicilian-style pizza. Created by Brooklynite, Chris Barrett – aka the Pizza Pusha, who was inspired by cannabis dinners in California and wanted to introduce a little (or large) dose of Cali to the East Coast.
Drizzled with potent THC oil, Barrett brought the missing topping that New York never knew it needed. Nibble on a ganja knot or two, or grab a slice of sativa sausage or pepperoni haze. Finish off with a 60 mg THC-infused cannoli, the most Italian, New York, stoner dessert you’ll ever find. Then, once you get the munchies, start all over again.
Stoned reservations price at $120 per person, and offers all-you-can-eat-AND-drink experiences. No liquor is allowed, but that doesn’t mean the restaurant isn’t BYOB (just replace “beer” with “blunt”). You’re welcome to bring in whatever greenery you like, or can even purchase from some of their many “high”-quality products.
Stoned Gourmet Cannabis Pizza is located in the East Village, Brooklyn and The Bronx.
The Astor Club
In Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the crème de la crème of the cannabis industry toke up at the Astor Club, a prominent smoking lounge for weedheads from across the city – and the world. Purchase and smoke the herb on-site while you relax, meet fellow cannabis connoisseurs and enjoy the lounge’s ode to New York City – with visuals and decor of hip-hop, streetwear, NY icons all around.
Just like the Big Apple, the Astor Club is its own melting pot. It’s where you stumble upon a 60-year-old retired school teacher who stumbles upon a famous hip-hop production squad, who stumbles upon the leading forces of recreational cannabis. Demographics don’t matter, what matters is if you’ve taken too long to pass the blunt.
