Never mind that it’ll be 90 degrees in New York next week: the start of September brings with it a back-to-school feeling (or back to New York Fashion Week, rather) that beckons a fresh start. If you’re visiting New York this fall for the shows or are a local, here is where you should eat, what museum shows to see, books to read and theater tickets to scoop up this early fall in the Big Apple.

Where to Eat and Drink

Recently opened Cafe Chelsea, at Hotel Chelsea, has quickly become one of the city’s must-visit hot spots. New Yorkers love a French American bistro where one can sip martinis and gossip, which Cafe Chelsea offers in droves, but it also is earning buzz for its Raviole du Dauphiné dish, which New York Magazine claims is the first of its kind in the city.  Missy Robbins, who has taken over Williamsburg’s Italian scene with Lilia and Misi, just opened Misipasta, a pasta shop where you can take home the famed noodles for your own use or sit in the back garden and enjoy sandwiches, pasta and more, for lunch and dinner. 

On the Italian front, Roman import Roscioli was easily one of the city’s buzziest arrivals when it opened earlier this summer. Having rolled out in prix fixe tasting menu form in July, the downtown restaurant is finally opening à la carte style in the middle of September featuring pasta, wine, bread to stay and to go — and plenty of provisions sourced from Italy as well. Walk-ins only. 

Cecchi’s took over the famed Cafe Loup spot late in the summer and quickly became a hot table to snag for American bistro fare. And while Casino remains one of the coolest restaurants of the moment, its sister spot Casetta is our pick for a pop-in, where one can enjoy breakfast, a glass of wine and everything in between. 

As always, fall promises a string of new arrivals to the scene as well. Among the most anticipated openings is Andrew Carmellini’s Cafe Carmellini, opening at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in late September. The chef is overseeing all F&B at the new luxury hotel. 

Jamie Mulholland, perhaps best known for opening Montauk’s The Surf Lodge, is opening a new restaurant and lounge in time for New York Fashion Week. Ketchy Shuby will open on Sept. 7 in SoHo, and features a menu of “upscale New American” dishes led by chef Sean Olnowich.

Also downtown, Laissez Faire will soon open in the downstairs space at the Beekman Hotel. The new cocktail lounge channels an “Old New York” vibe, and is led by Tom Colicchio’s Crafted Hospitality.

Museum Shows to See

The Whitney is staging the first career survey for contemporary artist Henry Taylor. Opening Oct. 4, “Henry Taylor: B Side” will feature more than 150 works by the artist, including painting, illustration and sculpture.

Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija’s largest exhibition, “A Lot of People,” opens at MoMA PS1 on Oct. 12. The show, which features more than 100 of his works, will also feature site-specific and participatory installations. 

A career retrospective of pioneering feminist artist Judy Chicago is opening on Oct. 12 at the New Museum. Sponsored by Dior, “Judy Chicago: Herstory” encompasses the entirety of Chicago’s six-decade career, and also places her work in conversation with other female artists through the show-within-a-show “The City of Ladies.”

The Brooklyn Museum is staging an immersive installation of director Spike Lee’s personal ephemera. Opening Oct. 7, “Spike Lee: Creative Sources” will highlight Lee’s creative inspirations, with more than 350 works by artists like Kehinde Wiley and Michael Ray Charles alongside photographs, and memorabilia from sports, film and musicians.

MoMA will showcase Ed Ruscha’s work this fall in the most wide-ranging look at the artist’s career in a show called “Ed Ruscha/Now Then,” which runs from Sept. 10 through Jan. 13.

Theater’s Must-See Shows

While this fall is looking like a slower season on Broadway, one major show to look out for is the return of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” to Broadway, opening in previews mid-September at the Hudson Theatre. The production from director Maria Friedman debuted in 2012 in London and had a sold-out New York run off-Broadway in 2022 before it makes its transfer to Broadway. The show stars Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez. 

At The Public, the life of Alicia Keys is brought to the stage in the new musical “Hell’s Kitchen,” a show based on the singer’s life that is composed of music and lyrics by Keys. Previews begin Oct. 24.

Fall Reads
October promises to be a big month for readers. On Oct. 3, National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward releases her new novel “Let Us Descend.” The story is “a reimagining of American slavery,” with elements of magical realism. “Family Meal,” Bryan Washington’s followup to his debut novel “Memorial,” comes out a week later, on Oct. 10.  And in the nonfiction genre, Britney Spears will release her highly anticipated memoir “The Woman in Me” on Oct. 24. The book promises to offer the pop star’s story, told through her own voice, touching on themes of “freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.” In November, Stephanie Lane, whose bestselling memoir “Maid” was adapted into a Netflix series, writes about motherhood and navigating higher education while living under the poverty line in her followup memoir, “Class.”