New York City has always felt like a bit of an extension to Canada, and to be honest, having lived there for seven years, it was one of the hardest parts of U.S. travel for me to give up in my anti-Trump stance. Not only do I have close friends and colleagues there, but I am habituated to getting my jolt of culture and inspiration through my yearly drop-ins. I am not alone in my protest. According to New York City Tourism, Canadian visitor numbers have dropped from 987,000 in 2019 to 796,000 in 2025.
Apparently, I’m not the only one missing New York, the city is missing us. In fact, Canadians are so missed, that Manhattan and its boroughs are trying to entice us back with the NYC Northern Neighbour Deal (they even spelled neighbour with a ‘u’ just to be extra nice). Between August 18 and September 7 a slew of hotels, Broadway shows, restaurants and sights are giving Canadians a 30 percent discount – what’s more, to join in the fun, Porter Airlines is offering up to 20 percent off flights.
I perused the offerings on their incredibly easy-to-use website, where you can search by ‘neighborhood’ and ‘category’ and there’s plenty to choose from. Some of the most raved about Broadway shows from the Tony-award winning Maybe Happy Ending, an alternative love story that follows two outdated robots as they navigate love and loss, to the Buena Vista Social Club which Time Out describes as, “Less a Broadway musical than a two-hour Havana house party you never want to leave.” Having seen the vaunted musicians play in Austin, Texas in 2000, on what is one of my more memorable nights of music (and margaritas and dancing in the warm air to their Cuban rhythms), I can only imagine the joy of hearing their music live again.
It’s also a chance to do touristy things you might not normally – such as go to the Hudson Yards on the west-side – with the striking honeycomb-like Vessel building to take in ‘The Edge’, a kind of immersive observation experience with sweeping 360-degree city views and trippy contemporary art installations. Or go old-school and whizz up to the Empire State Building’s observation deck for your When Harry Met Sally moment.
Sports are on the menu too, with Yankee Stadium offering discounts on select games. For tennis fans, the offer also coincides with the US Open (August 23 to September 13, 2026). While tickets to the tournament aren’t discounted, you can take advantage of lower hotel rates and airfares to score great courtside seats and perhaps even cheer Canadian star Félix Auger-Aliassime to victory.
There is a cornucopia of fabulous and free events throughout the city in the summer, including the Public Theater‘s Shakespeare in the Park, which is back in full production this year, having been closed for renovations of the Delacorte amphitheatre and stage. There is something delightful about watching Shakespeare outdoors, maybe it makes it less formal, and closer to the way audiences experienced the plays during the Bard’s lifetime. The theatre attracts bold-faced names with Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Denzel Washington, Lupita Nyong’o, Sandra Oh and Peter Dinklage all having performed here. Another outdoor cultural delight is The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Midsummer Nights series, which transforms Lincoln Place into an open-air jazz club.
The restaurant offerings are less compelling, however if you’re after classic American comfort food of burgers and fries, you won’t go amiss with Stout (it has four locations), or for a more adventurous palate book a spot onboard City Cruises Signature Dining. If you really want to experience some of New York’s finest however, go off-menu. I would suggest perusing The New York Times recently released The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City – Kabawa helmed by Barbadian chef Paul Carmichael took the top spot – in a new exciting twist for Caribbean cuisine. The hotels on offer are excellent, with options like the Ace Hotel and High Line Hotel downtown, and the sophisticated Sofitel and Royal Sonesta uptown.
Go and take Manhattan, they want us, and they don’t want Trump, who they famously gave the old Bronx cheer to during a Madison Square Gardens Knicks game.
