The Best Things to Do in New York City

1.      Balthazar: flagship restaurant, high-ceilinged, brasserie-inspired scene, Martinis, steak frites smothered in peppercorn sauce – more information reservation  

2.      Arthur Avenue: absolute best Italian food, bustling with life, good eats, market, true one-stop shopping

3.      Film Forum: independent, nonprofit cinema, humble, unpretentious theater, a ticket booth with microphone and glass partition, red carpet underfoot, retro without feeling dated, dazzling assortment of global classics – more information

4.      Central Park: stroll through Central Park, 693 acres, gardens, meadows, forests, and  hillsides, Bethesda Fountain, Bow Bridge, Belvedere Castle, Strawberry Fields, John Lennon Memorial – more information

5.       Chinatown: vibrant and unforgettable, bright heaps of produce, shopping for produce, dining out, Museum of Chinese in America

6.      Brooklyn Bridge: across the East River, lower Manhattan to Brooklyn, historic staple of the New York City skyline, standing before city skyscrapers

7.      The Noguchi Museum: intimate, meditative museum in Long Island City, was conceived and built by Isamu Noguchi, mostly abstract sculptures, often-copied paper lamps, ivy-covered walled garden - more information tickets

8.      Yankee Stadium: NYC ballpark is a classic activity, home field of New York’s 27-time World Champions, easily accessible from Manhattan, one of the world’s most expensive stadiums, it seats 50,287 fans, can also attend concerts, college football, and soccer matches – more information tickets  

9.      Jewish Brooklyn: Tours of Hasidic Brooklyn: two guided tours, Frieda Vizel's of conservative Williamsburg, Friedman family's of the slightly-more-flexible Crown Heights, people who know and love their subject deeply, kosher sweets, deli, toy store, wigmaker – more information

10.  The Cathedral of St. John the Divine: the largest cathedral in the world, the sixth-largest church by area, remarkable Gothic architecture, story-telling stained glass windows, and 17th century tapestries, Keith Haring's white gold and bronze altarpiece, 9/11 memorial sculpture by Meredith Bergmann – more information tickets