Fun Things to Do in NYC

The Staten Island Ferry is a great way to enjoy the Manhattan skyline for free! Check out gorgeous Green Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn - it's a nice way to spend a pretty day.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

Take the Subway - it's safe and not as hard to navigate as it looks. If you take a taxi, be sure to have an idea of how to get where you are going, and don't be afraid to tell the driver to slow down - they drive like maniacs!

The Marquet is a little French patisserie that serves up wonderful pastries and coffee, and also has a very nice lunch menu. Their small lunch menu offers delicious sandwiches - my favorite is a delicious whole chicken breast served on crusty country bread! They also serve very good soups. The Marquet's pastries are incredible. The eclairs, the chocolate croissants, petit fours, tarts and meringues are all exquisite.

The Marquet has a very French, very leisurely atmosphere. Little bistro tables crowd around the glass cases displaying mouthwatering pastries. The dining area is bright and cheery, although the tables are a little cramped. This is a lovely place to stop for lunch, breakfast, coffee of a snack.

New York may not be the first place that comes to mind when you are shopping for a bathing suit. But, if you have a hard time finding a suit that fits you properly, then Malia Mills has the answer to your prayers. She makes simple suits in beautiful fabrics to fit just about anyone. All pieces are sold separately, so you never had to settle for a bottom that is too big to get the size top you need (or vice versa). While the suits are a bit on the expensive side - tops and bottoms go for about $74-88 per piece - I found that these suits actually saved me money, because they actually fit and I no longer need to go out and buy a dozen ill-fitting suits trying to get it right.

The staff are great - they will help fit you and are excellent at making suggestions for your body type. I ended up buying a suit that I never would have guessed was good for my shape, but the saleswoman really knew her stuff. If you need a good fit - this is your place.

Phone: 212.645.5222

Do you like to cook? If so, Broadway Panhandler is a must-see. They stock just about everything you could ever want (and even things you didn't know you wanted). Their baking department is out-of-this-world - they have everything you need! I also love their selection of Asian dinnerware and French pots and baking dishes Their prices are very good, and the store, which is home to two cats, is an experience in itself. B'way Panhandler is head and shoulders above pricey places like Williams Sonoma - if you love to cook you owe yourself the indulgence of a visit.

Green Wood Cemetery covers almost 50 acres in the middle of Brooklyn. Over 500,000 people are buried in this park-like cemetery, which was established in the 1830s. Now, it may sound a bit morbid to visit a cemetery, but once you see Green Wood, you will instantly recognize its appeal. That, coupled with the fact that Green Wood has been a tourist attraction since the 1850's should erase any misgivings about visiting the place.

The cemetery is the final resting place to dozens upon dozens of 19th century New York luminaries, including politicians, weathly businessmen, artists, musicians, and "members of society." The likes of Leonard Bernstein, Charles Ebbets, Samuel F.B. Morse, Horace Greeley, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Henry Ward Beecher, Lola Montez, Laura Keene, and Boss Tweed are interred here.

Many of the monuments are absolutely gorgeous examples of 19th century and Victorian sculpture. The cemetery's impressive filigreed red-stone gates provide a hint of the beauty that lies within. The grounds are park-like, dotted with ponds, gardens, and lots of trees - a stroll through the cemetery is as relaxing as it is interesting.

A company called Big Onion offers walking tours of the cemetery (http://www.bigonion.com/) or you can walk it yourself. Take the R train to 25th Street in Brooklyn - the main entrance to the cemetery is a block up the hill from the Subway stop. If you drive, there is free parking inside the gate.

Kate's Paperie is a fun store to browse through. They have a beautiful selection of fine papers and stationery products, including gorgeous hand-made leather journals, beautiful cards, different invitations (boxed and special order), and other fun things. Kate's is the kind of place that sells sealing wax and seals and other stationery items of days gone by. Their selection of exotic papers is very nice - perfect for wrapping gifts or crafts. Kate's is also a great place to buy a special gift (the journals and hand-made photo albums make nice gifts!). About once a year I treat myself to a travel journal and scrapbook from Kate's - it's a little extravagant but the books are so beautiful and special, I never regret it! Kate's can be pricey, and the service isn't always what it should be, but they have such beautiful things that a stroll through is worth it.

They also have a website - http://katespaperieny.citysearch.com/.

Vivienne Tam has the most beautiful clothes - this is my favorite place to buy dresses for special events, as well as funky pants and tops. Ms. Tam specializes in gauzy, stretchy materials and simple, clean lines. Many of her clothes have an Asian "feel" to them - with either Asian-inspired prints or embellishments or cheongsam-type closures. My sister and I chose a really different black top and skirt with black mesh overlays for her to wear in my wedding. Tam's clothes are so different, yet so elegant and tasteful. While the clothes are on the expensive side (@ $250 for a pair of casual pants or top; dresses starting at about $350 and up) they are items that will become the core of your wardrobe and you'll wonder how you got dressed without them. For years I visited this shop just to look - the clothes are that beautiful. Once I could finally afford to actually purchase something, I was really hooked!

ABC is a great place to browse around for things for your home, and even to get decorating ideas. The store has an eclectic range of merchandise: antique furniture; sumptious bedding; beautiful throws and pillows; china, every day dishes and stemware; a large section of the store is even devoted to Asian antiques and artifacts. They also have a terrific fabric store in the basement - a real treasure trove of gorgeous materials and trims.

The main floor of the store houses a flower shop, chocolate shop, stationery department (complete with different photo albums, journals, and picture frames), and lighting (they have many lovely stained glass and other antique fixures) as well as relatively new additions of women's jewelry (beautiful stuff!), scarves and purses. While the lamps re lovely to look at, I have found the same or similar lamps for half the price in the Bowery, but it's so much nicer browsing at ABC! The bedding department upstairs offers the best of the best linens, comforters, pillows and other accoutrements for the bed. The selection is lovely. They carry Anichini, Calvin Klein, Fino Lino, and other high-end lines. The bath department and tabletop department (which in addition to dishes and glasses also features table linens and other such items) both have very nice selections as well. Their carpet/rug deparment is top-notch. Several years ago they cut a special-size area rug for me out of wool berber. I had a very good experience with the knowledgeable sales people, and the rug is standing up beautifully to our two dogs (just like they said it would!).

ABC also has a cafe, serving lunch, coffee, tea and desserts. It's decorated with items from the store and is very cozy - a very nice place to grab a pick-me-up.

Check out their website: http://www.abchome.com/

If you feel like taking a trip to the Bronx, ABC has a warehouse store there:

ABC Carpet & Home Warehouse Outlet
1055 Bronx River Avenue, (corner Bruckner Expressway),
Bronx, NY
Tel. 718.842.8770

Located at the head of 5th Avenue in Greenwich Village, Washington Square Park is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. Under the watchful eye of Mayor Rudy, the park has successfully rebounded from the infestation of drug dealers and other scary types the palgued it throughout the 70s and 80s. The park is now a delightful respite, peopled by artsy NYU students, neighborhood folks, vendors, and the occasional street performers (especially in summer). Lined with benches and anchored by a large, central fountain, Washington Square has become a really nice place to take a breather.

The park was first built in the 1820's on the site of a former potter's field and then public gallows. It went through several incarnations before arriving at its current design. The lovely central fountain and famous triumphal arch are the focal points of the park. Once home to the weathiest New Yorkers, the park is lined with brownstones on two sides and New York University buildings on the other two sides. The old mansions are gone, but you can just imagine what the place must have been like at the turn of the century. Washington Square is where the Olivia deHaviland character in the film "The Heiress" lived. There's a lot of history here, and I believe there will continue to be as the Village changes and re-develops over time.

No doubt, it was a scary place at one time, particularly in the 1980s when it was a well-known spot for drug dealers. That has all changed now. While I wouldn't spend too much time in any New York City park after dark, Washington Square is very safe during daylight hours, and also much, much cleaner than it's ever been. You have to credit Mayor Rudy Giuliani for that - no matter how you feel about him, everyone admits that the city is much cleaner and safer since he took office.

We like to walk over to the park early on summer evenings - some of the street performers are pretty amazing. Last summer there was a troop of teen-aged dare-devil acrobats that drew a huge crowd and really knew how to work the crowd. People loved them and it was really cool to see people from all walks of life laughing together along with the performers. And the park is a true crossroads for Greenwich Village - you never know who you'll run into. I once ran into an acquaintance from high school who had moved to the West Coast and was in town on business - small world.

Washington Square is loaded with history and perfectly situated for a little break from shopping in the Village. It's worth a stop.

Well, this Shakespeare & Co. is nothing like James Joyce's Paris haunt, that's for sure. Its sister store on the Upper West Side went out of business when Barnes & Noble moved into the neighborhood, and it's easy to see why. This shop is overpriced (there's no excuse for this anymore with all the discounters and internet outlets available now), and the staff is not knowledgeable enough or helpful enough for make up for the price difference. Actually, the staff isn't very helpful at all.

The only redeemer I can think of is occasionally Shakespeare & Company sets out racks of discount books on the sidewalk, and you can find some interesting books for a good price. They also have some discount racks right in the front of the store, but they are poorly organized and it's difficult to find anything, you have to have a lot of time to browse. Otherwise, their stock isn't so different or fantastic than any other shop where you can get better service and probably much better prices. The store also has narrow aisles and is difficult to browse in due to tight spaces. Not my favorite bookstore by any means.

Shakespeare & Co Booksellers
716 Broadway
New York NY, 10003
212-529-1330

The 92nd Street Y is a terrific cultural center that has hosted countless lectures, music and dance performances, readings and classes, and other activities, in addition to functioning as traditional "Y."

Of particular interest to out-of-town visitors is their program of visiting authors - they have featured readings and Q&A sessions with such famed writers as John Irving, Amy Tan, Chang Rae Lee, and countless others. Best of all, tickets to these events are relatively cheap, with non-member tickets in the $15-range. The audience is often treated to a book signing by the author following the reading. If you know when you will be in NYC, check out their website and call ahead for tickets - you never know who will be speaking. It's a terrific experience, and the Y attracts top-notch authors. Also be sure to check out music and dance performances as well.

The 92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10128
(212) 415-5500
http://www.92ndsty.org/index.html

Before we married, my husband (the poor thing) lived briefly on Staten Island. It was then that we discovered the beauty of the Staten Island Ferry. For one, it's free. But, it also affords incredible views of the Manhattan skyline, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty, and, unlike those "other" Manhattan tour boats, it is gloriously devoid of class-tripping school groups. To ensure a relaxing trip, just be sure not to go during rush hour!

You can catch the ferry at the Whitehall Terminal at Whitehall St. and South St., in Lower Manhattan. Get on and take a seat and stay on for the round-trip loop - eventually you will end up back at Whitehall Terminal again. Round-trip takes about an hour, and ferries run regularly daily. Bring a picnic. It's a great trip!

You can reach Whitehall Terminal via the following modes of public transportation: Subway Lines 1, 9, 4, 5, N, and R; Bus lines M1, M6 and M15.

They say the Strand has 8 miles of books! If you love books, it's a terrific place to spend an afternoon, just browsing. Unlike the sterile chain-stores that have sprung up everywhere, the Strand has a personal feel, and sterile isn't a word I would use to describe this eclectic store. They have a chaotic cataloging system, which makes searching the stacks a bit of an adventure (which is also half the fun). The Strand sells used books, reviewer's copies, and over-runs, so you can always get a great price. It's a great place to search for that out-of-print book you've been looking for. You'll inevitably come across something you didn't know you needed - that's the fun of this quirky book-heaven. Don't try to breeze through the Strand, though, you'll only get frustrated. It's not a place to just pop in to pick up something quickly. The Strand Book Store 828 Broadway, New York, NY

The Biography Book Shop is a wonderful little shop located on a lovely part of Bleecker Street. I live to read about other people, so this is a favorite spot for me -- they sell nothing but biographies. It's a small shop, but the staff is incredibly knowledgeable and they can order anything that isn't in stock (and they are also fun to chat with!). Their sale bins are a steal - I even got a reviewer's copy for free once, months before the book was released on the market. Biography Book Shop is a real find - if you love bios, you've got to check it out!

The Biography Book Shop
400 Bleecker St
New York NY, 10014
212-807-8655

I don't have kids, so I never would have gone into this shop if I hadn't been early to meet my sister, who lives nearby. What a treat! Every children's book you cherished as a child is here. Every new and innovative children's book is here. The staff know everything about kids and books, and they have the place decked out like a child's fantasy. The shop is very kid-friendly, and it was even friendly to non-kid-friendly me. I really enjoyed myself in this shop - I can just imagine how wonderful it is for parents and their children. Definitely stop in if you have a special child in your life.

Books Of Wonder
16 W 18th St
New York NY, 10011
212-989-3270