Magic in New York City

I was born and raised only 20 miles from Manhattan, so it’s not shocking that I believe it’s a special place, which deserves to be visited as often as possible. On any given visit, one can take in a glut of sights and sounds in whatever sphere of interest they might have. On a recent visit, I spent a full day appreciating, viewing, and listening to artwork. It included the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Opera – all in one day! If you have the time, I highly recommend it. Here’s a sample itinerary that you could use:

10:00am
NY Philharmonic open rehearsal. (Alice Tully Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza). These often occur on a Thursday.

12:30pm
Walk up Columbus Avenue to the Upper West Side

1:00pm
Lunch at Cilantro on the upper West Side (485 Columbus Ave., between West 83rd and 84th Streets). This lively Southwestern cafe dishes generous portions, pairing them with large margaritas.

2:00pm
Walk to West 86th St./Columbus Ave. and take the M86-SBS Select Bus Crosstown. Get off at E 84 St/5 Ave. and walk 1 block to the MET museum.

2:30pm
Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 5th Ave.) Current exhibits include: “Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman & Designer”, “Rodin at the Met”, and David Hockney. In addition, I never miss the chance to peek into Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Living Room from the Francis W. Little House”, which is a full-size, furnished living room. #IWantToLiveThere

 5:00pm
Take the same bus back across the park by walking to E. 86th /5th Ave. and taking the M86-SBS Select Bus Westside, getting off at W 86 St/Broadway. Switch to the #1 subway and take it down to 66th St., Lincoln Center Subway Center. You can grab dinner anywhere along the way.

7:30pm
Metropolitan Opera (Metropolitan Opera House, 30 Lincoln Center Plaza)

This is only one plan. Some of the other arts events that I love to attend in New York City include:

• Carnegie Hall (881 7th Ave.
• Broadway shows (www.broadwaybox.com for ideas and tickets)
• Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design (2 East 91st Street, btwn 5th and Madison Avenues)
• The Frick Collection (1 East 70th Street @ 5th Ave.)
• The High Line (30th St. @ 10th Ave., down to the Meat Packing district)
• The Whitney Museum of Modern Art (99 Gansevoort St.)
• Paul Winter Consort’s Summer or Winter solstice concerts http://www.paulwinter.com/  (The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave. @ 112th Street, NY)

Get out there, and see what NYC has to offer. You won’t regret it!