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Living in New York has given me the pleasure of enjoying all sorts of activities from every corner of the city.Every borough has something amazing to offer, from the prospect of eating something amazing I saw on Instagram to hanging out at a lesser-known spot that caters to geeks like me. And whenever a widely celebrated holiday lands on a Friday or any day of the weekend, I can’t help but get caught up in some of the festivities tailored around it. With the 250th anniversary of America aligning perfectly with this year’s 4th of July celebration, I figured it’s time to get off the couch and bask in all the outdoors hoopla outside my comfort zone for once.ChatGPT has become one of my most dependable chatbots for all manner of things, such as building productivity routines, generating recommendations for my hobbies & interests based on my personality and suggesting activities to enjoy while on vacation.For my next ChatGPT session, I asked it to plan the perfect 4th of July weekend. And to my surprise, it laid out the best plans for me to enjoy that were far better than going to an average BBQ.The prompt that helped me find everything I want to do
(Image credit: Shutterstock)I already knew that heading into my latest dialogue session with ChatGPT with a simple request (“Help me plan my 4th of July weekend”) wouldn’t do me any good. So I asked ChatGPT to generate a prompt I could use that took my New York home base and desire to check out some unique activities for this year’s 4th of July jubilees.Here’s the loaded prompt it told me to use:I'm based in New York City and I want you to become my personal Fourth of July weekend concierge.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.Plan the ultimate three-day itinerary for July 4 and July 5 that balances iconic NYC experiences with unique events that most tourists (and even many locals) don't know about.For both days:Start with breakfast, then morning, afternoon, evening, and late-night suggestions.Include festivals, concerts, rooftop events, outdoor movies, food festivals, neighborhood celebrations, museums with special programming, sporting events, cruises, hidden gems, scenic walks, pop-up experiences, and anything happening only that weekend.Prioritize experiences that are memorable rather than expensive.Mix free activities with paid ones.Include backup indoor options if the weather is bad.Suggest the best times to arrive to avoid crowds.Recommend the fastest way to travel between activities using the subway, ferry, walking, or other public transportation.Tell me approximately how much each activity costs.Recommend great places to eat near each activity, including one budget option and one splurge option.Point out any reservations or tickets I should book in advance.At the end, create four themed versions of the weekend:1. Budget-Friendly Weekend (under $150)2. Food Lover's Weekend3. Hidden NYC Weekend (places locals love)4. Bucket List Fourth of July Weekend (the experiences everyone should do at least once)Finally, rank the Top 20 can't-miss events and experiences happening across the weekend, explaining why each one deserves a spot. If multiple events happen at the same time, recommend which one offers the better overall experience and explain why.Two days' worth of fun for the first weekend of July
