Merry Leap Day! Here’s Your Downtown Itinerary

February 29, also known as Leap Day, is a day filled with traditions and superstitions. Though the quadrennial extra day is considered good luck in some cultures (Irish) and bad luck for others (Greek), some say Leap Day is simply a day for doing things you wouldn’t normally do (“30 Rock”). After all, “Real life is for March!”

Luck aside, we curated a list of several Lower Manhattan activities for Leap Day this Thursday that you might not do just any old day — so put on your best blue-and-yellow outfit, grab a bucket of sweets and if you see an old man in a blue suit, be sure to stop and say hello. 

Helicopter Tour

We wouldn’t be surprised if a few Lower Manhattan residents regularly travel via chopper, but for those of us who tend to stick to one of the district’s 13 subway lines, a 15, 20 or 30 minute ride above the iconic New York City skyline could be the perfect Leap Day adventure. (6 East River Piers #214)

BrainXcape Escape Room

What better way to celebrate Leap Day than feigning a prison break? If you said “pretend to check out of a haunted hotel before ghosts get me” you are also in luck, because BrainXcape offers both adrenaline-inducing scenarios! Choose to experience either of these for 60 minutes of heart-pounding terror and/orfun in Lower Manhattan with a group of friends, family or fellow Leap Day enthusiasts. (160 Broadway, 3rd Floor)

The Common Ditch Social

You deserve to look and feel your best every day of the year, even the extra one. The Common Ditch Social is a special men’s grooming club that is part barber shop, part art gallery, part co-working space and bar in addition to all the traditional services (fresh cuts, manicure, hot towel massage, shoe shine). You might also consider tacking on a straight-razor shave, beard trim or even a sports pedicure. (74 Broad St., Floor 2)

The Old City Hall Subway Station

Technically this is out of our district, but close enough that it warrants Leap Day inclusion. The now-erstwhile old City Hall subway station was the very first station in New York City, open from 1904 to 1945. Now, it’s abandoned, but still in perfect condition, and downtown-bound 6 train riders can catch a glimpse of the station if they stay on the train after its final stop at Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall. (Don’t worry, it’ll loop back around to head uptown.) If you’d rather get a real tour, the New York Transit Museum offers them to members, though you’ll have to wait until spring to sign up for next season’s slate. 

Bonus: Chores!

For those of you who swear that there just aren’t enough days in the week to get everything done, this week, there are! Use Leap Day to do the tasks you’ve been putting off for months, like repairing your watch at Precision Swiss Watchmaking (45 Nassau St.), resoling your favorite shoes at JSR Shoe Repair (120 Broadway, Lower Level) or deep cleaning a well loved family heirloom at Oriental Rug Clean (190 Front St.) Merry Leap Day, everybody!

photo: iStock