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Concerts run every Thursday through Sunday throughout the year. Regular admission is $27, or $15 for students.

Note: you may be tempted to try Pete's Downtown, the Italian restaurant just across street. Don't do it--the food is mediocre. Rather splurge on the famous River Cafe or head to nearby Brooklyn Heights for a full range of restaurant choices.

2nd Note: If the weather is good and you have the time, you can reach Bargemusic by walking over the Brooklyn Bridge, stopping on occasion to take in the dramatic Manhattan skyline.

Take the 6 train to 96th Street and then walk over to 5th Avenue. You can also get off at 103rd St, but you'll be in Spanish Harlem, a colorful, but poor neighborhood. I've never had any problem walking through here during the day.

The Conservatory Garden is open daily from 8:00 am until dusk.

The Russian & Turkish Baths on 10th Street have been offering their steamy caverns to weary downtowners for well over 100 years (the East Village still carries the stamp of the Eastern European immigrants who once dominated the area). Can something with that much staying power be wrong? This place packs more character per square foot than any place I've seen downtown outside of Chinatown.

A day at the baths is an Experience. Here Ukranian immigrants share redwood benches with Chinatowners, African Americans and downtown hipsters of all racial backgrounds. The atmosphere is vibrant and eclectic, and true to the New York spirit of mixing it up. I went on a Wednesday--from 9am to 2pm every Wednesday the baths are for women only, so you don't need to bring a bathing suit unless you're shy. Some women wear bikini bottoms but most just walk around naked.

After I got the gist of how to get my locker and my robe, I headed downstairs not knowing what to expect. Hot-hotter-hottest and COLD!!! pretty much sums up what I found. The Redwood Sauna is the mildest venue, a small room where a highly entertaining Ukrainian woman named Larisa shared years of Bathhouse stories with me. The Turkish Sauna was hotter, adding steam to the mix and feeling far warmer than any steamroom I've ever tried. Two minutes was about all I could take. Then there was the cavernous Russian Radiation Room--nothing to do with Chernobyl, but fantastically, impossibly hot--so hot that there were buckets of icy water on every bench so that you can douse yourself before you pass out.

Once you've lived through these experiences, try the Ice Cold Pool. Larisa demonstrated to me how to get in after seeing my expression when I dipped my toe into the frigid water. She crossed herself and plunged right in! Unwilling to chicken out at this point, I did the same, and scampered out after 30 seconds with my heart racing and my skin feeling strangely but very pleasantly stimulated.

For my next adventure, I decided to sign up for the Platza Oak Leaf treatment, because that sounded so delightfully weird. I found myself laid out in the Radiation Room on a bench with a strong Russian woman beating me with Oak branches and rubbing my skin down with a salt scrub. Every once in a while she dumped ice water over me to revive me from the heat, which I was grateful for. Never thought ice water pouring over my temples could feel so good. The oak beating wasn't painful, it just felt like someone was gingerly snapping me with a wet towel. The leafy birch branches she used on my face and neck were softer and had a pleasant aroma. I don't think I would opt for this treatment again (the massages, Larisa told me, are better) but I'm glad I did it. Wild.

A day in the baths is $22 without special treatments. Treatments range from $30 for the Platza to $60 for a one hour massage.

The best thing about the Experience for me was the obvious camraderie that existed between regular patrons and the big sister welcome I got as a newcomer. The history behind a place like this is awe-inspiring and the chance to talk to immigrants who have their own special experience of New York City something I will always treasure.

Did you know that New York City is the original home of salsa? That's right. Immigrants from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean cooked up this spicy dance in the barrios of Manhattan in the 30's and it has been gaining popularity in rhythm-challenged mainstream America for about a decade now.

Let me make a special appeal to American men. Please learn to dance. Really. Men from other cultures do it, and so can you. You can take salsa classes all over the city from incredible dancers (Mario Diaz, Nydia Ocasio, Jimmy Anton, Felix De Jesus to name a few). There are also dance schools such as Razz-M-Tazz that offer regular lessons for beginners. A whole host of clubs around the city offer free salsa lessons--Copacabana, SOB's, Nell's, and Bistro Latino are just a few of the places you can learn to move.

It's sensual. It's fun. And the basic steps ain't that hard once you've had a class or two. The women in your life will be awed at your courage and think you're cool.

Check venues online at SalsaNewYork.com.