Mercer Labs Museum of Art and Technology

Mercer Labs, at 21 Dey Street just behind the Oculus, is the immersive art museum that artist Roy Nachum built with technologist Michael Cayre. Fifteen rooms unfold one after another, each a different experiment in light, projection, sound and reflection: floors that ripple as you cross them, mirrored corridors, rooms that respond to movement, and a domed space where projection wraps overhead. There is no tour, no headset and no set order of explanation — the museum is designed so that you walk in and interpret it yourself, which is why people describe it as calming rather than instructive. It suits couples, solo visitors and anyone who wants a Downtown activity that is not a viewpoint or a shopping mall, and because it is fully indoors it holds up in bad weather. Allow around an hour, longer if you like to sit in a room and watch a cycle repeat. Tickets are timed and sold on the museum's own site; check there for current pricing and opening times before you go.