One Step Beyond

I’ve routinely gone to OSB over the past 3 years. The space is amazing — the Hall of the Universe (contrary to other reviews, the Planetarium is not open during OSB; there’s a movie theater at the top of the Hall of the Universe called the Hayden Big Bang Theater that is open) — large enough to dance without getting crushed by tons of people; plenty of room to take a break and wander through the exhibits. $ 25/​ticket, which is good for free entry to the museum for 6 mo, seems totally reasonable to me. Ticket price doesn’t include drinks; the drink line is one of those deals where you have to buy a ticket and then stand on a different line for a drink; annoying. The crowd is typically eclectic and fun. Why only three stars? Lately (as in the past year), the DJs just haven’t been that danceable — too slow or atmospheric. Hopefully, they’ll turn it around and bring in some good acts again.

The novelty of dancing in the Natural History Museum wears off as quickly as the buzz you’d get from the $ 7.50 beers on top of the cover charge. It was definitely a unique experience, but one that I’d probably not want to have again.
The vibe is less rave-​y (no one is dancing!) and more club-​y, and honestly, the music was boring this time around. Maybe we went on a bad night but it was overall pretty meh.

So this dance club, situated in the Hayden Planetarium at the AMNH, is a great idea. Science is trendy, New Yorkers are hip to dance wherever to anything, and partying in a museum is awesome. However, while one cannot accurately judge a club with rotating DJs based on one visit, I feel compelled to do just that. Having heard from a couple of friends of mine who had gone to One Step Beyond on other, separate, occasions, it seems that my experience was not unique and basically comes down to: the music isn’t that great.
I researched the DJs ahead of time so I’d know what I was signing up for. Based on their samples online, they sounded awesome, especially the opener. Upon arrival, which I admit was a bit late, the opening DJ was spinning the same beat with very little modulation or creative twisting. It was a steady metronome of bass, intended to merely exist while the throng wiggled in time below.
The main act, the Martinez Brothers, elicited a few screams from the dancers when they popped onstage. I expected them to take this monotonous scene and really go to town with it. Instead, they posed for photos and continued spinning the exact same beat. Occasionally, something would change, that ramping-​up of beeps and whistles crescendoing like the onset of a sneeze … and then right back to the exact. same. beat.
What happened? Are there impostors on Soundcloud pretending to be the DJs on the bill? Or were they all sedated and incapable of doing what they could clearly do as evidenced by their public tracks? Be bold, DJs! There are some people in the audience who really do appreciate the extent of your creative prowess!

This is definitely a once in a lifetime type experience. I had a great time but I will say that it wasn’t exactly what I had expected. The atmosphere is unbelievable. Its a party in the Museum of Natural History after hours, the thought of that alone made it amazing. The music wasn’t really my taste. I would definitely recommend checking out the DJs before you decide on a date to attend. Having access to the big bang theater is pretty awesome, we watched the show at least three times. Drinks are pricey but that was expected. Overall it was a fun time.

It was an AMAZING experience. I heard about it through my friend, and I thought, what would be cooler than to party in AMNH after-​hours? They didn’t open the entire museum, but they definitely had enough for you to explore. The planetarium was open as well, but the film was very short. I wanted it to be a bit longer.
The alcohol was way to expensive. It’s typical NY prices, but considering that we paid $ 30 for a ticket, you would’ve thought that we get some discount on drinks. I’m not about the $ 8-​a-​beer life (not until I start work at least).
The music was really cool! It was mostly throwback to the 80s and 90s. DJ Q-​Tip was there, and he was amazing. I had no idea how popular he was! Had a really great time dancing. I went there for the entire time and it definitely got exponentially crowded as the night progressed. I was surprised how many people came out to be honest, it was raining cats and dogs that night.
One thing they can improve on: the photobooth. I read that it was free on the Unilocal reviews, and it is free to take photos, but they charge ridiculous prices for the prints! What’s worse is that they printed the photos to show you what they looked like, but you had to pay to get them. What a waste of ink! For $ 30, I think we can get at least one copy of the photo we took. You can record a video of yourself in space there, which is pretty cool. I would post mine, but I’m not ready to publicly humiliate myself.
Overall, had a great time! Definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

Went here Friday night when Foster the People was DJ’ing. I was really really really looking forward to it because I had gone to a night event at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and it was totally mind-​blowing. Unfortunately, One Step Beyond did not live up to my expectations…
Not that I didn’t have fun, but I really had to question the price I paid for this. Is it really that worth it to dance next to a meteorite? IT“S A GIANT ROCK, PEOPLE.
I know it’s unfair for me to compare this to my California experience, but these were the things CAS had the AMNH didn’t: 1) movie viewings in the planatarium; AMNH was supposed to have it but something happened so they couldn’t; 2) BioDome, underground aquarium, baby ostriches! At CAS, the entire museum was open for those who didn’t want to stay within the dance area, and there was plenty to do. You’re basically confined to that one part of the museum at AMNH.
Onto the music…
The first DJ set wasn’t –bad– necessarily, but it was definitely NOT dance music. Very new agey music that I’m sure people on drugs would have enjoyed very much. Since that was not the case for myself, I thought the music was just OK.
Foster the People (the main set) didn’t come on until around 11, well after the event had started. The music did get better and more danceable, BUT it really seemed as if they were playing the same beats over and over again. And if you were expecting them to play «Pumped Up Kicks» or basically ANY of their actual songs, you would have left sorely disappointed. Unless they were saving that for the final half hour of the event, because I ended up leaving around 12:30.
Maybe it’s just my fault for having such high expectations? But I did really expect more since the last night event I attended at AMNH was incredible: SonicVisions, back in 2009. PLEASE BRING THAT BACK!!!
Also, $ 3 for coat check and the line was looooooong. But bonus points for having a photo booth for free! You could basically take as many pictures as you want (please be mindful of the line though) and they’ll email them to you as well as give you printed copies on the spot. Pretty sweet!

They have this event once a month where they bring in a DJ into the planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History. It’s a pretty neat party to check out. It’s $ 25 for admission (definitely pricey), but you get to wander around the planetarium for a couple hours. They also have drinks, priced around $ 8. When I went, I came with a big group and the placed filled up by the end of the night. I definitely recommend checking this place out at least once.

It’s utterly shocking to me that anyone could have something negative to say about One Step Beyond. I mean… c’mon, how often do you find yourself dancing right next to a meteor?
The planetarium is a fantastic venue for a dance party. The bar is set up off in the back, where you can buy drink tickets for beer and wine. Yes, beer and wine costs $ 8 a piece. If you can’t afford an $ 8 drink, well, then you should probably just buy a 6-​pack at the corner bodega, go home and dance alone, because you can’t really afford to do anything in Manhattan.
There are plenty of tables around the perimeter with lots of space to chat with your friends or grab a drink. You can also wander around and check out the exhibits if you’re just not the dancing type. I bought tickets for this event mainly to see RJD2, but honestly I was having such a good time that I didn’t even notice if/​when he even played!
Will definitely be on the lookout for One Step Beyond parties in the future

So after sending a bitchy email to someone at the Museum i was offered comp tickets to see Chromeo perform a DJ set. I had no idea who he was, but i was down to see a free show. This time around my experience was better, mostly because I knew what to expect going in. The problem with my last experience is that they give you no details on the show, so you have no idea what to expect. The show was good and the atmosphere is cool, but not sure it’s worth the price, especially when they only serve crappy beer and wine. Unless someone I really wanna see is performing here I won’t be going back. I rather pay cover at an actual dance club.

Definitely a fun time! Went last night — the Scissor Sisters were performing a dj set. They are one of my absolute favorite bands of all time. I didn’t care if the party itself was a bust, so long as I got to see Jake and Ana… but the party was amazing. You definitely get what you pay for. Its so cool to dance next to a 15.5 ton meteorite! And the music was fantastic. It was true dance music, not your garden variety pop music or obnoxious techno. I loved it.
And the drinks must have gotten better. (I read some of the previous reviews, and $ 8 for a bud would be ridiculous.) It was $ 7 for a can of Amstel Light or Heineken, and $ 8 for a glass of wine. They had two types of wine — a red and white from Salmon Creek. Thats actually a nice winery, but I opted for the beer instead. Amstel Light is very tasty.

I loved the Museum of Natural History’s One Step Beyond monthly night party. I loved it and really enjoyed it. The music was great with a good sound system. The crowd was from 21 to 60 years old! But more of a younger crowd was there and I loved the space show. You were allowed to buy your drink from a kiosk machine and pick it up at the table; so it’s definitely safe to use your credit. But if you only brought cash, they also have a line to wait in to get your drink ticket. Also if you can’t or won’t dance it’s okay because there was a majority of people not dancing and the ones who were looked seriously funny busting their moves! What a great laugh but this is a great place to go with friends or to impress someone. My friends enjoyed it also and they loved dancing under the big sphere. You are also allowed to use your ticket to walk around the museum on another day! I will definitely come back in fall for this monthly event. Oh by the way they only had beer (Heineken), wine, juice and water. The price ranged from $ 4 to $ 8.00. My friend had the wine and said it didn’t taste good and gotten a headache from it an hour later.

definitely worth it to go to this at least once. saw dj/​rupture here. almost threw up scotch the whole night. baller.

The setting is indeed amazing. You still get to dance next to a real meteorite, and the crowd is eclectic, much better than the typical meat market at a club.
But I was disappointed that you don’t get to see the planetarium show during the event anymore. I was looking forward to watching a science show with some drunkards. And the main act last night, The Very Best with Theophilus London, was terrible: a lot of indiscriminate shouting and irregular beats that you couldn’t dance to and the sound was at times painfully loud especially because of feedback. The sound system did not seemed like it was done by professionals.
I would still go back again because the venue and the scene are so great. But I would try to research as much as possible who’s performing. If the main act is decent, then $ 20 for the party and future admission to the museum with planetarium show is worth it.

Together with the BKLN Museum this is the best museum dance party in town. The sound system is truly impressive, and I like how the put the stage right at the center of the space, with tables all around, so that you can have a conversation if you don’t feel like dancing. Also plenty of space to walk around in what is one of the most amazing buildings you will ever visit.
And let’s face it: strutting your stuff alongside a real meteorite it’s pretty cool.
The crowd is pretty diverse and eclectic, with a nice mix of clubbers and geeks. It’s 9 pm to 1 am, but things don’t get really stared before 10.
I don’t give it 5 stars because:
1. at $ 25 per ticket, it is still rather steep, even considering that your ticket is good for 6 months to visit the awesome AMNH.
2. The drink selection is truly awful: for beers you only have Budwiser and Budwiser American Ale. I mean, WTF?! This is not even real beer! And at $ 8 per bottle? You cannot be serious… For wine you have a dreadful red and an awful white, at $ 10 a glass. Oh, and then there’s Red Bull. And that’s it; no joke! I understand Budwiser is sponsoring the event, but then at least lower the cost of the tickets to make up for one of the worst drink selections ever.

Pump, pump, pump went the techno at this monthly soirée inside the darkened museum. The space is crazy gorg., the music was not my thing and drinks were for sale. Now I have been to alot of other first Friday or First Saturday events at other museums and this one I wasn’t diggin’ for one particular reason. Except for the rock exhibit (great and open), the museum is closed and you are stuck in that one space. Other musuems you can meander around and look at the art which is pretty cool to do in a darkened museum and is a nice counterpoint to the event. Now we did not pay for this party, but if I paid $ 25 bangers and had to pay for a Sprite, I would be right pissed.

A monthly dance party in a surreal, spectacular space– AMNH’s glass-​enclosed Rose Center for Earth and Space, replete with images from outer space on various screens. If you don’t want to dance to the music of various DJs, you can wander around the Rose Center and look at the museum exhibits or enjoy unlimited screenings of the Space Show inside the Hayden Planetarium. At $ 20, this is a steal, given the fact that general admission to the museum plus one viewing of the Space Show costs $ 24. You can even bring your drinks inside the planetarium. When I went last weekend there were four different DJs spinning electronica. Apparently there are live bands too from time to time.
Just a few downsides:
The wine is $ 8 a cup and atrocious. I stopped at one glass because it was that bad.
It ends at 1 AM. Too early if you ask me, which is why I’m giving One Step Beyond four stars instead of five. The dancing didn’t really pick up until midnight and it was no fun to have to wind down so soon thereafter.
Bottom line: the combination of science, dance music and a non-​douche bag crowd makes this party a refreshing departure from the typical club.

5 stars mostly due to the fact that I love irony in life & what’s more ironic than a dance party @ the Museum of Nat. History? I finally made it over to check out this sparkling little monthly event last Friday and was duly impressed. The music was fun & the atmosphere was killer! One of my pet peeves about going out to dance clubs is that they are often too packed to actually dance (I, unlike some other people who go to dance clubs to stand around and look «hip», actually prefer to dance). There is SO much space for dancing/​doing jumping jacks/​playing leapfrog etc. I was sublimely happy. Also, my suggestion to combat the over-​priced beer & wine-​bring a flask, you’ll thank yourself for doing so.

For $ 20, you get admission to a dance club in a really awesome setting: a science museum. You also get unlimited viewings of the Hayden Planetarium’s show Cosmic Collisions. AND you receive tickets for admission to the museum at a later date.
Pros: 1) Awesome setting if you’re a science geek like me. 2) If you get bored with the music and dancing, you can read the museum displays or watch the show in Hayden Planetarium. I watched Cosmic Collisions TWICE in a crowd of drunks, and it was hilarious /​entertaining /​educational every time.
Cons: 1) I detested the techno music — so investigate the DJ before buying tickets. 2) The only alcohol available is $ 7 Budweiser and $ 8 glasses of wine — I was hoping for some mixed drinks, but no-​go. 3) The «club» was pretty much empty and no one was dancing until midnight, then we all had to leave an hour later. 4) Coat-​check is $ 3 a person.

Monthly dance party at the Rose Center (the Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History). Great setting, interesting people just wanting to dance. They screen movies like «Cosmic Collisions» in the 360-​degree ceiling movie theater. Starts at 9, you can show up at 10 and it’s just gotten underway. Closes at 1! The DJ lineup changes. They’ve had techno DJs and actual bands and hiphop artists.