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Morning

Wind your way through Chelsea, starting with the megastores now occupying former “Fashion Row,” on 6th Avenue (see 6th Avenue Shopping) between 18th and 23rd streets. Walk west on 16th Street to 9th Avenue and Chelsea Market, a one-time Nabisco factory where the first Oreo cookies were made, now a block-long line of stalls offering all manner of food. The Food Network tapes its TV shows in a street-level studio here.

Continue up 9th Avenue to 20th Street, for the Chelsea Historic District and General Theological Seminary. Then head for the ever-expanding “Gallery Row,” from 21st to 24th streets, 10th to 11th avenues. A good lunch bet in the neighborhood is The Red Cat , offering Mediterranean fare.

Afternoon

Walk east on 23rd Street to the Chelsea Hotel (see Chelsea Hotel), and when you get to 6th Avenue, turn uptown for the big antiques market and the colorful Flower District . A stroll for one block further west on 27th brings you to the Fashion Institute of Technology, where the gallery usually has interesting displays.

Head for one of the great hidden treasures in this area, St. John the Baptist Church, at 210 East 31st Street, whose dingy façade belies a glowing Gothic interior. Continue to 34th Street for Herald Square and Macy’s.

Morning

Begin at Battery Park for a view of the waterfront, and look into Castle Clinton (see Castle Clinton National Monument), an 1807 fort, to see dioramas of a changing New York. Then visit the Museum of the American Indian at the U.S. Custom House. Cross to Bowling Green, the city’s first park, then turn right on Whitehall, and left on Pearl Street for the Fraunces Tavern Museum, a restoration of the 1719 building where George Washington bade farewell to his troops.

Continue on Pearl Street and turn left to Broad Street to join Wall Street denizens at a favorite lunching spot, the impeccably French 14 Wall Street .

Head up Broad Street to Wall Street to the New York Stock Exchange, where there is chaos on the trading floor. Close by is Federal Hallp73), where the country’s first president took his oath of office. Join Wall Street denizens at a favorite lunching spot, the impeccably French 14 Wall Street (see 14 Wall Street), between Broad Street and Broadway.

Afternoon

Continue uptown on Nassau Street (a continuation of Broad Street) to see Chase Plaza and its famous sculptures. At the end of the Plaza on Liberty Street is the ornate Federal Reserve Bank and then Louise Nevelson Square, featuring the artist’s Shadows and Flags .

Go back on Liberty and turn downtown on Broadway to find Trinity Church and the Cunard Building. End the day with dinner at the Ritz-Carlton’s restaurant, 2 West @ Battery Park Place (see Battery Gardens).

Morning

Start at the Morgan Library , and see Morgan’s opulent study, then proceed to 42nd Street and turn east for a tour through Grand Central Terminal . Continue east on 42nd Street, stopping to look at the outstanding lobbies of the Chrysler Building , the Daily News Building, and the Ford Foundation, and climbing the stairs to see the Tudor City complex.

End the morning with a tour of the United Nations HQ. If you reserve ahead, you can have lunch in the very special U.N. delegate’s dining room (212 963 7625).

Afternoon

Take the 42nd Street crosstown bus back to Fifth Avenue and visit the New York Public Library. Walk uptown to 47th Street and turn west for the Diamond District, then pay a quick visit to the Museum of Television and Radio on 52nd Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. Pop in to the new home of the American Museum of Folk Art (see Upper West Side) and stop for a coffee in the museum’s café before taking in the exhibits of traditional art.

Return to 5th Avenue where the uptown shops include Tiffany and Company ’swindows of jewels, Bergdorf Goodman’s stylish displays, and F.A.O. Schwarz. Round the day off at the Plaza Hotel at 59th Street, perfect for a refreshing cocktail in a landmark setting.

Morning

Start at the Guggenheim (see Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum) and admire Frank Lloyd Wright’s great architectural achievement before seeing the fine modern art collection. “Must sees” include Chagall’s Paris Through the Window , Modigliani’s Nude , and Picasso’s Woman Ironing. Stop for coffee at the café on the main floor of the museum before leaving.

Head east along 92nd Street to see two rare remaining wooden houses, No. 120, built in 1859, and No. 122, in 1871. Continue east for Gracie Mansion and Henderson Place and rest on a bench with a river view in Carl Schurz Park. One block west on York Avenue, a 31 bus will take you to the spectacular Bridgemarket . Have lunch at Guastavino’s , and admire the great ceilings.

Afternoon

Take the 57th Street crosstown bus back to Madison Avenue and head uptown, browsing the designer boutiques. Detour on any of the side streets in the upper 60s and 70s to see the townhouses of affluent New Yorkers. Pay a quick visit to the Frick Collection then stop for coffee at one of the cafés on Madison Avenue.

Spend the rest of the afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art , a New York “must,” and see Rembrandt’s Self-portrait , Cypresses by Van Gogh, and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel studies. End the day with a candlelit meal at Erminia .

Morning

Begin late Sunday morning and take the No. 2 or No. 3 subway uptown to 135th Street and Lenox Avenue. Walk to 138th Street and turn west to hear the fabulous choir at the Abyssinian Baptist Church.

Continue west along 138th Street to see the fine 1890s homes of the St. Nicholas Historic District and stop on 8th Avenue to enjoy a gospel brunch at Londel’s Supper Club .

Afternoon

Retrace your steps to Lenox Avenue and head downtown to 125th Street to peruse the shops. Turn west for the famous Apollo Theater and excellent displays of African- American art at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Afterwards, stop for coffee at the Starbucks on Lenox Avenue at 125th Street.

Take the M60 bus to West 120th Street and Broadway. Walk down to Riverside Church for fine views over the Hudson River from the bell tower. Across the street is the monument honoring the 18th U.S. president, Ulysses S. Grant. At 116th Street, head east two blocks to Broadway and the entrance to Columbia University . One block east on Amsterdam Avenue is the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine with its immense interior. End the day with some good southern cooking at Miss Mamie’s (see Miss Maude’s/Miss Mamie’s) and return to Broadway for the No. 1 or No. 9 subway back downtown.

Morning

Take the No. 2 or 3 subway train to Eastern Parkway - Brooklyn Museum, for the world-class Brooklyn Museum (see Brooklyn Museum of Art). The museum is part of a civic complex that includes the stately Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden , with its well-known Japanese garden, and neighboring Prospect Park.

Along the western edge of Prospect Park is the beautiful Park Slope Historic District. Stop for coffee at Ozzie’s, 57 7th Avenue, before taking in the area’s historic residences. Browse the hip line-up of small shops along 7th Avenue, and stop for lunch at one of the many cafés here.

Afternoon

Return by train to Borough Hall and head for the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. Walk along Pierrepont, Willow, and Cranberry streets to see some 19th century houses; Truman Capote wrote Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the basement of No. 70 Willow, and Arthur Miller once owned the property at No. 155.

A short walk east brings you to Atlantic Avenue (see Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn). Look in on the spice shops here, and stop for refreshments at the Waterfront Ale House, 155 Atlantic Avenue. Head back to the Brooklyn Bridge, stopping at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade for dramatic vistas of Lower Manhattan’s towers. End the day with dinner at the romantic River Café .

Morning

Take the No. 6 train to Spring Street, walk past Lafayette, and turn down Mulberry Street (see Mulberry Street) for a stroll through Little Italy. Don’t miss the old- fashioned food shops on Grand Street, such as cheese specialist Alleva Dairy (188 Mulberry Street at Grand) and Piemonte Co. (190 Grand Street), where two dozen shapes and varieties of pasta can be bought. At 206 Grand is DiPalo Dairy, where you can watch fresh mozzarella being made. Take a break at a classic Italian café, like Caffè Roma, 385 Broome Street, or Ferrara’s, 195- 201 Grand Street.

Continue on Mulberry to Bayard, and you’ll find an introduction to what’s ahead, the Museum of Chinese in the Americas . Walk east one block to Mott Street, the center of Chinatown. Enjoy a dim sum lunch at Jing Fong or the Golden Unicorn .

Afternoon

Remaining on Mott Street, spend some time browsing the many shops, exotic food stores, markets, and galleries that line the street. Step into Saint’s Alp Teahouse, 51 Mott Street, to sample a current fad imported from Taiwan: tall glasses of flavored teas served with “pearls” of tapioca in the bottom.

End the afternoon with a visit to the golden Buddhas of the Eastern States Buddhist Temple and have your fortune read.

Morning

The Bleecker Street subway stop is a good starting point to explore Soho’s shops and galleries. Galleries worth a visit are Deitch Projects, No. 59; Peter Blum, No. 99; and Spencer Brownstone at 39 Wooster St; and David Beitzel at 102 Prince St. Greene Street has a number of interesting boutiques, such as Plein Sud, Helmut Lang, and Vivienne Tam. Galleries worth a visit in this area are Beizel, No. 102, Kent, No. 67 Prince Street, and Haller, No. 560, and Ross, No. 568 Broadway.

The Drawing Centerp43) exhibits work from emerging artists and is great for poetry readings. This is also a prime area for photography galleries. The most interesting are Janet Borden, June Bateman, and Staley Wise, all located at 560 Broadway. Afterwards, stop for a pancake lunch at Palacinka, 28 Grand Street, between 6th Avenue and Thompson Street.

Afternoon

Drop in on designer boutiques Miu Miu, 100 Prince Street, and Anna Sui, 113 Greene Street, before proceeding to TriBeCa. Take a stroll along White and Harrison streets to view the historic architecture and stop for a drink at the Church Lounge .

Spend the rest of the afternoon taking in the exhibits at the Apex Art Gallery, 291 Church Street, and the Ace Gallery, 275 Hudson Street, a cavernous space showing large-scale art. Make your way to Dylan Prime for an early evening cocktail then head to TriBeCa to a leading restaurant, such as Danube, Nobu, Bouley, or Montrachet.

Morning

Begin at Washington Square and the elegant townhouse row where Edith Wharton and Henry James once lived. Find the charming houses of Washington Mews and MacDougal Alley , then follow 6th Avenue, past the Jefferson Market Courthouse, to West 10th Street.

Stroll down the passageway at the front of the Alexander Onassis Center for Hellenic Studies. This walkway once led up to the Tile Club, a gathering place for the artists of the Tenth Street Studio, where Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John La Farge, and Winslow Homer lived and worked. Continue along Waverly Place, Grove Steet, and Bedford Street, each with its share of prize townhouse architecture. Have lunch at a typical Village bistro like Café Loup .

Afternoon

After lunch, why not while away a few hours browsing in the local shops? Vintage clothing can be admired at specialty shops such as Cheap Jack’s, 841 Broadway between 13th and 14th streets, while just across the street at No. 840 you’ll find Forbidden Planet, a nirvana for comic book fanatics.

West 8th Street and West 4th Street are also crammed with shops, and several coffeehouses are great for people-watching. Try Caffe Reggio, 119 MacDougal Street, where the literary lights of the beat generation used to read their poetry.

Morning

Most subway routes lead to City Hall. When you come up to street level, walk down Broadway to see the lobbies of the Woolworth (see Woolworth Building) and the former AT & T Building and the Georgian interior of St. Paul’s Chapel.

Return via Park Row, once known as Newspaper Row because it was lined with their offices. Printing House Square has a statue of Benjamin Franklin with his Pennsylvania Gazette. West of the Row lies City Hall Park, where the Declaration of Independence was read to George Washington’s troops in July 1776. The park was recently restored and has a new granite time wheel telling the city’s history.

A walk along Center and Chambers streets takes you past the ornate Municipal Building.

Afternoon

At midday, head east for a seafood lunch at the Bridge Café , housed in a 1794 wood-framed building. From here the East River is a short stroll away, offering excellent views of lower Manhattan.

Spend the afternoon at South Street Seaport , visiting the museum and maritime crafts center, perhaps taking a cruise on one of the ships. Have dinner on Pier 17, enjoying Caribbean fare at the lively Cabana (see Cabana at the Seaport), or New American fare at Harbour Lights .