1. CHASE THE DRAGON AT THE CHINESE NEW YEAR PARADE
A cacophony of firecrackers, drumming and cheering fills the streets every winter as the annual Chinese New Year parade winds its way through Chinatown on Feb. 17. Wear some red (for good luck!), queue up on Grand Street near Sara D. Roosevelt Park (where the parade ends and festival booths are set up) and take in the procession of martial artists, lion and dragon dancers, and more. Afterward, head to nearby Vanessa’s Dumpling House for a scallion pancake and a hearty helping of fried pork dumplings, a lucky New Year’s food.
2. PICNIC UNDER THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS AT BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN
Pack a picnic, pop open a bottle of Champagne and plop down on the Cherry Esplanade to enjoy the cherry blossoms in full regalia — a.k.a. Hanami — at Brooklyn Botanic Garden every April. The monthlong season culminates in Sakura Matsuri, a weekend-long festival filled with tea ceremonies, folk dancing, J-pop performances and more.
3. GAZE IN WONDER AT MANHATTANHENGE
Future civilizations may uncover the original New York City street plan and wonder at the cosmic significance of Manhattanhenge, the twice-a-year phenomenon when the sun lines up perfectly with the city grid. For now, we’ll chalk it up to a lucky coincidence that bathes the oft-gray cityscape in dazzling sunlight. In 2013, you can see it on May 31 and July 11, with the best views at 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th streets.
4. SKATE IN CENTRAL PARK AFTER A NEW SNOW
Sure, there are plenty of spots to fine-tune your figure eight — but few offer the sweeping views seen from Central Park’s Wollman Rink. A spin around the ice affords views of the surrounding trees and greenery which, when just lightly dusted with a coating of snow, create an ethereal winter wonderland — while the juxtaposition of towering buildings such as the Essex House provides the perfect urban backdrop. Warm up with a steaming cup of hot cocoa to cap off the wintry experience.
5. SLED THE STAIRS NEAR BETHESDA FOUNTAIN
There’s a ski resort right here in the center of Manhattan — it’s just not open very often, because it needs at least 2 feet of snow to be rideable. But next time there’s a blizzard, grab your gear and head to Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain to ski, sled or snowboard the stairways. Appreciative onlookers will either cheer your graceful acrobatics or boo when you wimp out on the jump. Finish up with an Eddie the Eagle-style face plant, and you’ll bring down the house.
6. SHARE SECRETS AT THE WHISPERING GALLERY IN GRAND CENTRAL
Pay a visit to the 2,000-square-foot, Guastavino-tiled whispering gallery, located in front of the Oyster Bar. Stand in diagonal corners and whisper to each other (the sound carries across the ceiling’s arc). Then grab a chowder at the Oyster Bar, a la Don Draper in “Mad Men.”
7. SING KARAOKE AT CHINATOWN DIVE BAR WINNIE’S
Grab some pals, and head down to Bayard Street for some drunken karaoke at this lovably scruffy Chinatown dive bar, where glee-club wannabes mingle alongside ancient Asian men. Hit the stage for a buck a song — or simply catch the singularly New York show from one of the battered banquettes.
8. JUMP INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ON NEW YEAR’S DAY
Forget partying on New Year’s Eve — the best way to ring it in is on New Year’s Day with a bracing swim. Each year, thousands of brave souls join the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, which calls itself the “oldest winter bathing organization” in the country and meets for weekly icy dips in the
Atlantic during the winter months. Water temps this year were around 45 degrees, so don’t forget to bring your wits — and warm clothes to change into afterward.
10. SING THE PRAISES OF SYLVIA’S GOSPEL BRUNCH
Even after 50 years in business, Sunday gospel brunch is still going strong at historic Harlem mainstay Sylvia’s — now an enduring NYC institution thanks to the late, ultra-charismatic Sylvia Woods, and an inspiration for copycats all over the city. Roberta Flack has been known to stop by on a Sunday — and was even cajoled into singing a few impromptu tunes. The live music from 12:30 to 4 p.m. will ease your hangover with a matchless mix of heart and soul, including two gospel singers, a pianist and a sax player.
11. DISCOVER THE LITTLE RED LIGHTHOUSE
It’s out of the way, but whether by foot or bike, this gem tucked away under the George Washington Bridge is a must for history buffs. Once the location of a strategic travel route along the Hudson, it’s one of the last remaining lighthouses in NYC, standing 40 feet tall and offering a fascinating peek into the city’s treacherous past. Originally built in 1880 and decommissioned in 1947, mass protests saved it from demolition. It’s now under the auspices of the NYC Parks Department, which offers free tours and an opportunity to explore the renovated structure on the second Saturday of every month from May to October.
12. BE A DAPPER FLAPPER AT THE JAZZ AGE FESTIVAL
New York might be known for always changing and moving forward, but sometimes it’s nice to embrace the past. You can do just that every June and August by getting all gussied up in your best flapper frock, hopping on the ferry and heading out to Governors Island for the annual Jazz Age Festival, one of the splashiest, most decked-out Prohibition-theme bashes around. You’ll spot vendors with cloche hats, old-fashioned cars (the perfect backdrop for a photograph), free-flowing gin and live music that can convince even the shyest wallflowers to dance the Charleston.
13. HAVE HIGH TEA AT THE PLAZA
You don’t have to be a rambunctious 6-year-old to enjoy the still-magical Palm Court at the Plaza. Bring a kid — or just bring yourself — and marvel at the majesty of the iconic room, with its marble columns, Versailles-like mirrors, and especially the 1,800-square-foot stained-glass laylight. High tea doesn’t come cheap — $50 per person for “The New Yorker” special including sandwiches, scones and pastries — but the elegance and timeless charm will help the padded prices go down smoothly.
14. PLAY THE FLOOR PIANO AT FAO SCHWARZ
Penny Marshall, director of “Big,” says:
“I had seen a piano like what we used in ‘Big,’ but it didn’t play the right notes. You couldn’t play a real tune. So I went to the inventor and asked him if he could make another one that could play simple tunes like ‘Chopsticks.’ I also needed the keyboard made long enough for two people to dance on it.” An updated version of the piano is still available for duets in the store.
15. JEER THE AMATEURS AT THE APOLLO
The iconic Harlem venue remains the premier uptown spot to catch world-class performances, but Amateur Night (every Wednesday between March and November) is a chance to see tomorrow’s stars today. Before Ne-Yo and Lauryn Hill became platinum-selling music stars, they got their starts here by winning over the historically hostile audience. But more than likely, you’ll boo and jeer the performers as they’re escorted off the stage by the Sandman, which is part of the fun of sitting in the seats that range from $20 to $32.
16. POSE LIKE THE ‘FREEWHEELIN’ BOB DYLAN
Call it the American equivalent of posing on Abbey Road: Make like the great songwriter, and head down to Jones Street in the Village. Grab a pal, get close and pose in the middle of the road — just like the singer and then-girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, did one slushy day in early 1963 for the iconic cover of his second album, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.” (If you can find a VW van to park on the side, even better.)
17. PICNIC IN CENTRAL PARK’S SHAKESPEARE GARDEN
You can wait on line all day for a ticket to Shakespeare in the Park — or you can bag the show entirely and still get that “God, I’ve arrived in NY” moment while picnicking in Shakespeare’s Garden. It’s one of Central Park’s lesser-traveled places — just past the Delacorte Theater, in the shadow of Belvedere Castle where, if you scamper up the stairs, you’ll see the turtle pond, Delacorte and the occasional raccoon.
18. TAKE THE NBC STUDIO TOUR
With interest in the inner workings of television at an all-time high, the NBC Studio Tour gives fans the chance to look behind the scenes at shows like “SNL,” plus the opportunity to read a news report off a prompter like the pros (you’ll even leave with a tape of your performance). And while it’s not a guarantee, sightings of SNLers have been known to happen.
19. SPEND AN EVENING AT THE TEMPLE OF DENDUR
You can feel far from the madding crowds Friday and Saturday nights at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Most people don’t realize it’s open until 9 p.m., with free entertainment and a fully stocked bar on the balcony. But there’s no more magical place than the Temple of Dendur: a moody edifice surrounded by a reedy reflecting pool. Some say it’s cursed (although it’s never stopped fashionistas from holding parties). But it’s eerily beautiful, with windows on Central Park, and you’re caught between the ancient world and modern-day New York City.
20. DON’T MISS THE DOUBLE-DECKER BUSES — AT RADIO CITY
Those dorky double-decker buses are never cool — except in the Christmas Spectacular. During one of the show’s most popular numbers, “New York at Christmas,” a platoon of Rockettes cruises through Midtown on a life-size touristmobile. There’s something ridiculously exciting about the mix of old-school pizzazz and eye-popping high-tech projections. Plus anything that makes you think of Midtown as a beautiful, near-magical land counts as a bona fide season miracle.
21. CHEER ON THE BRONX BOMBERS WITH THE BLEACHER CREATURES
Forget the seats behind home plate or along the first and third baselines. For the purest experience possible at Yankee Stadium, go deep into right field. There, for anywhere between $12 to $20, you can become a part of the raucous pinstripe-loving horde known as the “bleacher creatures.” But come prepared so you can participate in the timeless roll call chant, where you and the rest of the creatures call out the name of every Yankee in the starting lineup.
22. TOUR THE ABANDONED OLD CITY HALL STATION
Rome has the ruins of the ancient Forum, Dublin has crumbling cathedrals and in New York City, we have this old 6 train station. Decommissioned in 1945, it’s one of the jewels of the city underground rarely seen by human eyes, with ornate archways, decorative ceramics, stained glass and even chandeliers. The mid-February tour costs $40 (for Transit Museum members only).
23. GAZE AT FALL FOLIAGE ON CIRCLE LINE’S BEAR MOUNTAIN OKTOBERFEST CRUISE
You can raise a glass at any number of beer gardens in the city — but none offers a boat trip up the Hudson first: You’ll glide past the Cloisters and the Palisades, and take in the deep hues of red, gold and orange foliage before disembarking at Bear Mountain. There, you and fellow lederhosen- and dirndle-clad guys and gals will hike past mini-
waterfalls and through the woods up to your destination, where you’ll find peppy German tunes, massive beer steins and bratwursts galore. After all that eating and drinking, admire the foliage around nearby Hessian Lake before hopping aboard for your return trip.
24. RIDE THE CYCLONE IN CONEY ISLAND
Years after the 85-year-old roller coaster opened, Charles Lindbergh reportedly told Time magazine that riding the Cyclone was more thrilling than his first solo flight across the Atlantic. These days you can find far bigger and faster thrills at many an amusement park, but the old wooden coaster still packs a bone-rattling punch, and its creaky age adds an element of danger as you plummet down its 85-foot peak at 60 mph. Just make sure to get your Coney Island hot dog after — not before — you ride it.
25. FIND THE HIDDEN DOOR TO OLD NEW YORK
On the southeast corner of Broadway and 42nd Street stands the former Knickerbocker Hotel, a sumptuous Beaux-Arts palace built in 1906 by John Jacob Astor and home to such famous New Yorkers as George M. Cohan and Enrico Caruso. The exterior is now landmarked, and the interior has been torn up to create garment-industry showrooms. There is, however, a last remnant of the old hotel in the Times Square subway station, near the 42nd Street Shuttle platform — a door that connected the station to the lobby, with “Knickerbocker” written in brass lettering above. After you find it and snap the requisite photo, head to the Algonquin — just about the last of the old Times Square/Broadway hotels — and sip a dry martini in the newly refurbished lobby.
26. STROLL THE HIGH LINE AFTER A HEAVY RAIN
Yep, the High Line is awesome, as any of the tourists crowding it will tell you. But to get some alone time with the artfully landscaped elevated park, try going just after a heavy rain. Grab a cup of hot cocoa at Jacques Torres in nearby Chelsea Market, and stroll down the parkway like it’s your own private promenade and you’re an elegant stroller in a Seurat painting.
27. SIP COCKTAILS ON THE MET’S ROOFTOP
Why be stuck inside a museum when you can take in the view from the top? Every summer, the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts a rooftop installation — past exhibits have included Tomás Saraceno’s sculpture “Cloud City” — where you can sip themed cocktails inspired by the artwork. Head over there at sunset, when you can also treat your eyes to the skyline and panoramic views of Central Park.
28. DANCE WITH GYPSIES AT THE BULGARIAN BAR
Some call it Mehanata, some just the “Bulgarian Bar.” One of the most reliably raucous Saturday night dance parties in the city takes place in the basement of this Lower East Side watering hole, which serves large Bulgarian beers and all manner of global tunes. Pay 20 additional bucks to take a turn in their “ice cage,” which involves timed vodka-swilling and old Soviet uniform-wearing. Na Zdorovie!
29. BE KING OF TIMES SQUARE
Every real New Yorker knows tourist-clogged Times Square is unbearable — that is, unless you’re taking in the sights from the big red stairs behind the TKTS booth. Climb to the top, way beyond the Midtown madness of roving Naked Cowboys and photo-soliciting Elmos, and look around you. Broadway’s marquees are blinking to life, the ball drop is dead ahead — and the most exciting city in the world is at your feet. And yes, it’s free.
30. HANG WITH QUESTLOVE AT ‘LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON’
No late-night show taping can offer what “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” can: A mini-concert by Fallon’s in-house band, the Roots. Enjoy the tunes from the audience seats, or go to FallonBandBench.com and fill out the information to sit on Fallon’s Band Bench, a free, special area for audience members to get up close and personal with the Roots and the show’s musical guest from the studio floor.
31. SING LIKE A SWINGER IN GREENPOINT
Forget the standard karaoke backing tracks, and try scratching that rock-star itch with a real musician at the Manhattan Inn. On Tuesdays, resident pianist Joe McGinty (formerly of the Psychedelic Furs) tickles the ivories during the now-famous Piano Karaoke night. It’s not just for crooners or Elton John fans, either. McGinty’s songbook includes everything from Madonna to the Mamas and the Papas, and much more besides.
32. KAYAK THE HUDSON
Tyra Banks says:
“Everyone thinks I’m crazy, because the Hudson has some unsavory bits, but I love me some Hudson River. At one point, I was kayaking every morning to work out. The interesting thing is in the winter, when it’s snowing, you can still kayak, and the water is actually warmer than the air. So people look at me like I’m crazy, but when the water splashes on me, it almost feels bath-like.”
33. DRINK WITH THE LOCALS AT RUBY’S
The Coney Island boardwalk’s undergone a serious face-lift in the past year, but Ruby’s Bar & Grill hangs on like the tenacious old-timer it is (it’s been open since 1934). Belly up to the bar with the leathery locals or grab a table out front, where you can soak up both the sun and the always-colorful freak show of passersby. Go on Friday nights during the summer, and catch the fireworks show.
— Additional reporting by Jozen Cummings, Tim Donnelly, Larry Getlen, Hailey Eber, Billy Heller, Barbara Hoffman, Doree Lewak, Johannah Masters, Hardeep Phull, Jane Ridley, Michael Riedel, Carla Spartos, Sara Stewart and Elisabeth Vincentelli