THE BEST OF THE BEST

• Best bar, best bathroom, best bus line, best party on the block, best back-crack, best Brooklyn hipster haircuts, best gossip, best magazine flipping, best patriotic outlaws … better? THE VILLAGE VOICE Best of NYC http://www.villiagevoice.com
• The best way to find what you are looking for: http://www.CITYSEARCH.COM helps you find bars, restaurants, shops and museums all the time.

CUPPA COFFEE

• JACK’S COFFEE ‘Jack is not just any coffee shop’. Stir up coffee, premium teas, live music on Tuesdays, and movies on Thursday nights. ‘Great Vibe’. 138 W 10th St.
• The Village Voice has named MUD “The Best Coffee Empire,” giving New York residents an alternative to acquiring (Star – $$$). Look for the orange truck at Astor Place and Union Square.
• THE HUNGARIAN PASTRY – A heavenly view of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Amsterdam and 109th Street.
• THE CUPCAKE CAFE is close to Broadway and fabulous 42nd Street, home to movies, arcade games, and a wonderful cluster of imported stores. It’s right behind the Port Authority of New York, NJ, in an area where you might not think of wandering. Located at 522 9th Avenue at the corner of 39th Street, the nearby road leads to the Lincoln Tunnel.
• HOUSING WORKS USED BOOKS AND COFFEE-‘Soho’s Best Kept Secret’- 126 Crosby Street, NYC 10012.

HAVE MORE FUN

• S T. ANN WAREHOUSE: Aritists, audiences, volunteers, creative freedom, and some of the best performances in outside entertainment. 38 Water Street Dumbobrooklyn.
• GALÁPAGOS “may be the only public place in the city where (while you drink) you can listen to a reading of Shakespeare’s Tempest, dance to live Cuban music and see trapeze artists all in the same month.” 70 North 6th St. (Williamsburg / Greenpoint) between Wythe and Kent Aves. Take the L train to Brooklyn 718-782-5188
• SLAM OF POETRY With poetry or prose, inexperienced and unstoppable writers acquire an experience worthy of a stage. NUYORICAN POETS CAFE – 236 E 3er entre B y C (212) 505-8183
• THE BOWERY POETRY CLUB – 308 feet of First Street between Houston and Bleecker
• FILM FORUM – 209 W. HOUSTON ST. NY, NY 10014 BOX OFFICE: (212) 727-8110 New York’s premier movie theater for independent premieres and repertoire programming – The Film Forum features independent filmmakers, international collections, comprehensive retrospectives of worthy filmmakers, silent films, and mini-festivals.
• LEISURE TIME BOWLING CENTER AND COCKTAIL ROOM IN THE PORT AUTHORITY: between Eighth and Ninth avenues from 40 to 42 streets, 268-6909 Electronic scoring! Lotsa Lanes.
• THE MERMAID PARADE: is a completely original creation that is the largest art parade in the country and one of the most important summer events in New York City located in CONEY ISLAND, where the streets, buildings, public beach and The boardwalk may be a little on its heels, but it remains. a unique destination. Surf Avenue and West 15th Street Neighborhood, Brooklyn, NY http://www.coneyisland.com
• The STORY BOOTH is a soundproof environment where you can record your story or the stories of your loved ones located between tracks 13 and 14 of Grand Central Terminal.
• THE LIVING ROOM – Best indie for acoustic folk, country, pop, rock and soul: 154 Ludlow Street NYC (between Stanton and Rivington)

LISTEN

• National Public Radio WNYC 820-AM
• WFMU College Free Form 91.1- FM
• WFUV-FM Adult Alternative 90.7

PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER WHEN THEY’RE LEARNING

• WARD STUDIO – A coveted acting studio in Miesner’s approach. Offering summer sabbaticals for the corporate professional and intensive acting training for the serious-minded actor. 145 West 28th St. Ny, Ny 212-239-1456 http://www.wardstudio.com
• DANCE THEATER WORKSHOP @ 219 West 19th St. is about supporting and promoting the work of artists, constantly evolving to sustain artists at every stage of their development. They provide a wide range of administrative, promotional, and technical services to the independent artist community in New York, across the country, and around the world.
• THE INSTITUTE OF CULINARY EDUCATION was named “Professional Cooking School of the Year” by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. ICE has three divisions: Recreational, Professional and Special Events: 50 West 23rd Street between 5th and 6th avenues [http://www.iceculinary.com]
• ANNE BOGART AND SITI TRAINING – Selfless, challenging and innovative methods of actor training. Viewpoints & Suzuki, Master Classes- Guest Artist Series, Walk-in Classes. http://www.siti.org
• CRUSH WINE CO. -153 E. 57th St. offers a quick introduction to wine tasting for $ 50.

LARGE PUBLIC SPACES

• PALEY PARK @ 53rd Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues. Located within the Midtown cultural district and surrounded by skyscrapers, this celebrated “vest-pocket” park is a respite from the sights and sounds of urban life.
• NY PUBLIC LIBRARY at 42nd and Madison has a beautiful reading room that would make anyone feel like royalty; in fact, it rivals the ballrooms of European palaces. But up front, along the street, is where this illustrious institution truly connects with the city that surrounds it. A series of well-connected spaces – steps, squares, little corners, and pathways – provide countless places to sit, meet, eat, and chat.
• BRYANT PARK, a green and sensual urban oasis featuring “Seventh on Sixth” fashion shows; the JVC Jazz Festival; the “New York Times Young Performers Series”; lunchtime concerts by Juilliard students; Monday night movies in the summer; the Circus of the Kaleidoscope; balls and chess sets.
• HUA MEI BIRD GARDEN Community garden that hosts daily gatherings of Chinese men in the early morning who bring beautiful songbirds in elegant bamboo cages. Sara Delano Roosevelt Park. Lower East Side, New York, NY
• GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL – One of the best-known and most impressive indoor public spaces in the country, Grand Central Terminal offers an unparalleled experience to more than half a million people every day. Park Avenue and 42nd Street, New York, NY
• METROPOLITIAN MUSEUM STEPS – The grand granite steps leading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art are a destination unto themselves – a place to meet, eat, talk, and observe both the people and traffic on Fifth Avenue. Fifth Avenue from 80th to 84th Streets, New York, NY

IN PREPARATION OF THE LOCAL LIBRARY

– Owning a bookstore is a labor of love and the financial rewards are rare. Independently owned businesses, such as bookstores, pharmacies, or hardware stores, help define a community.

• “Oh joy! Oh Rapture!” COLISEUM BOOKS– WELCOME BACK !! 11 W. 42nd Street New York, NY Phone: (212) 803-5890. Across the street from BRYANT PARK
• MAZE BOOKS – 536 West 112th Street, for college publishers.
• S T. MARKS BOOKS – 31 Third Avenue, for a wide selection of all books.
• THREE LIVES AND CO 154 West 10th Street, for fiction.
• THE DRAMA BOOK STORE – Drama Books is one of the largest bookstores specializing in theater-related material. 250 W. 40th St Phone: (212) 944-0595

SMALL BUSINESSES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

• A beautifully made hat is a head turn. BARBAR FEINMAN MILLINERY- 66 East 7th Street NY, NY 212-358-7092.
• Wahoo! Elisa Miller knows how to throw a Swank class act! SOMEDAY PRODUCTIONS handles all aspects of party and event planning – 347-432-8949 [http://www.somedayproductions.com]
• GO YOGA Located in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A cozy little yoga center that offers a variety of classes throughout the day, every day. Go Yoga is located inside the Girdle factory at: 218 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn NY. 718.486.5602 [http://www.goyoga.com]

WE GO TO THE MARKET

• GREENMARKET FARMERS MARKET is a program of the Council on the Environment of NYC that promotes regional agriculture and ensures a continuous supply of fresh and local produce for New Yorkers. Comprehensive regulations govern what can be sold in a green market. With few exceptions, all items must be grown, raised, collected, caught, or produced by the seller. http://www.cenyc.org
• CHELSEA MARKET includes The Juice Factory, Amy’s Bread, Chelsea Wholesale Flower Market, Fat Witch, Chelsea Wine Vault, Hale and Hearty Soups and much more … Eat, explore and leisurely stroll. 75 9th Avenue New York, NY 10011
• UNION SQUARE PARK AND GREEN MARKET – A three-block urban park that hosts a year-round outdoor farmers market four times a week. 14th Street and Broadway, New York, NY