Strolling the Brooklyn Bridge and other New York City, NY Things to Do Tips

The best views of the downtown Manhattan skyline are from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. And the best way to get there is a stroll across the famous and fabulous Brooklyn Bridge. Worthwhile all year long, it's about a 40-minute walk from the walkway entrance, across from City Hall, across the bridge and -- bearing toward the right -- to the Heights and the promenade, where you'll find a walkway and benches. It's a quiet residential neighborhood with some lovely architectural details, nice shops and restaurants. And, it's a short hop back to Manhattan by subway. If you're a fan of Cher's movie, "Moonstruck," you'll love exploring this neighborhood.

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Directions: Take the subway A, C High St. - Brooklyn Bridge or 4,5,6 Brooklyn Bridge.

You haven't seen New York until you've explored The Park. Did you know there's a hidden waterfall among rustic woods, where you'd never guess you were surrounded by NYC? There are countless entertainment possibilities in the park, or you can spread out a blanket and enjoy a bit of peace and quiet. My favorite things in the park are the annual Metropolitan Opera and NY Philharmonic concerts, usually the 1st-2nd week in July, where thousands enjoy "priceless music, absolutely free" under the stars. There's free international music at SummerStage, and free Shakespeare in the Park. You can rent bicycles, roller blades, rowboats here. Swim, play tennis, ice or roller skate, ski, sled, play chess or checkers, volleyball, baseball, horseback riding (horses are rented at a nearby stable), and even fishing. There's a beautiful carousel, a formal planted garden, an intimate zoo, a puppet theater. You can get a massage or find tango lessons.

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Website: http://www.centralparknyc.org/

Times Square, 15 minutes to curtain, and thousands filing into theaters, hearts pounding as they wait for those first notes of the overture. The best of the best tread New York's famed boards. As the song says, If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere...

Whether your choice is comedy, drama, or musical, you'll find it at New York's famed theaters.

Tickets can be expensive, but there are alternatives and many discounts. The Theater Development Fund (www.tdf.org) has two discount booths ("TKTS"), one in Times Square (at 47th St.) and another at the South St. Seaport, that sell same-day, cash-only discounted tickets. Or, save your time and order discount tickets in advance via www.broadwaybox.com. Some theaters offer student and other "rush" tickets, or sell some seats (typically the first row) through lottery. To see which shows offer these, visit www.playbill.com -- a great site to keep up with the latest "in" news, too.

(This terrific photo of curtaiin time is by Geoff Fox - www.geofffox.com - and is reproduced with his permission.)

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Website: www.playbill.com

The noted architectural historian Barry Lewis hosted a series of New York Walks that aired on PBS stations over the last several years. The standout among those was "A Walk Up Broadway," in which Mr. Lewis took David Hartman on a stroll from the Battery all the way up Broadway to the Upper West Side.

The journey is wonderful. As you walk up Broadway you pass through so many interesting neighborhoods, each with its own "vibe," and of course, great things to look at along the way -- the Battery, the Financial District, City Hall, Chinatown, SoHo, the Village, Union Square / Flatiron, the Garment District, Times Square, Columbus Circle, Lincoln Center, the Upper West Side.

You'll also discover a wide assortment of restaurants and places to rest your weary feet. Even without an appreciation for the history, a stroll up Broadway is a great way to spend a day exploring the city.

PBS aired a series of walks hosted by Barry Lewis, including 42nd Street, Central Park, Harlem, Brooklyn. My favorites are Broadway and 42nd Street. His enthusiasm is absolutely contagious. I don't know if the programs are still available, but I'm including his web page in case anyone is interested.

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Website: http://www.barrylewis.org/broadway.html

You can't visit New York without taking a bird's-eye view from the Empire State Building. Remember "Sleepless in Seattle," where Meg Ryan walks into the building and takes an empty elevator to the Observatory? Ha! What fiction! Real life people have to wait on incredibly long lines for tickets and then wait on another line for the elevators. You can actually cut the wait time in half if you buy tickets in advance from the ESB's web site. I'd recommend you avoid the "Sky Ride" they try to sell you, I think it's a rip-off.

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Phone: (212) 947-1360
Address: 350 5th Avenue
Directions: 1, 2, 3 or 9 (Seventh Avenue Lines), A, C or E (Eighth Avenue Subway) to 34th Street/Penn Station.
Website: http://www.esbnyc.com/

It can be lots of fun to browse the street fair stalls, which sell everything from designer socks and underwear, to fresh-roasted sweet corn.

The link below takes you to the street fair schedule.

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Address: All over town
Website: http://www.nyctourist.com/st_fairs_calendar.htm

One of the best times to visit is when the city's all decked out for the holidays. The store windows are typically unveiled just after Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November) and are displayed through the first week in January. The best are along Fifth Avenue -- Lord & Taylor (39th St.), Saks Fifth Ave. (49th St.), Bergdorf Goodman (57th St.), and off Fifth Avenue -- Macy's (34th & Broadway) and Barney's (Madison at 61st).

So many things to do, too:
Ice skating at Rockefeller Center: http://www.therinkatrockcenter.com/

and in Central Park:
http://www.centralparknyc.org/thingstodo/sports/iceskating

The New York City Ballet's production of The Nutcracker:
http://www.nycballet.com/nycballet/html/tickets_nutabt.html

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular:
http://www.radiocity.com/eventcalendar/home

Plus free holiday concerts at many churches and public spaces.

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Address: All over town
Directions: Midtown