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Small but fascinating, this first floor museum, devoted to the Chinese experience in the West, features an exhibit called “Where is Home?,” with personal stories, photographs, and poetry culled from the community. Among the topics explored are women’s roles, religion, and the “bachelor society.” Changing exhibits range from art to the experience of gay Chinese. Books, area guides, and free flyers on cultural events are available.

A memorable experience for all faiths is this chronicle of the 20th-century Jewish experience before, during, and after the Holocaust, told with over 2,000 photographs, hundreds of artifacts, and original documentary films.

Originally the home of Samuel Tilden, a governor of New York and opponent of the notorious Boss Tweed (see William “Boss” Tweed). The Gothic Revival brownstone was designed by Calvert Vaux, of Central Park fame. The National Arts Club, whose members have included leading American artists since the 1800s, bought the building in 1906. Each member is asked to donate a work to the club. Its galleries are open to the public.

Since its founding in 1977, this provocative museum has mounted shows featuring experimental work that other museums often overlook, particularly new multimedia forms, which sometimes extend into intriguing window displays. The museum is temporarily located in the Chelsea Art Museum, before moving to a new facility at 235 Bowary in late 2007.

The “New Vic,” a 1900 landmark, has been transformed into New York’s first major theater devoted to family entertainment. Troupes from around the world offer plays, circus acts, and other diversions to delight young audiences. Pre-performance family workshops with staff and cast are scheduled, offering interesting insights into how a theater functions.

Walk through a swamp and stay dry beneath a waterfall (see Coney Island/ New York Aquarium).

One of the oldest and largest botanical gardens in the world, this National Historic Landmark covers 250 acres and includes 48 gardens and plant collections and 50 acres of forest, the only remains of woods that once covered New York. The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a restored Victorian glass house, is home to tropical rain forest and arid desert plants. A tram makes it easy to see the highlights, and guided tours are offered. The new Leon Levy Visitor Center has a visitor orientation area, a shop and a cafe.

A nostalgic treasure housed in a 1904 firehouse, this splendid collection includes the city’s fire-fighting engines, equipment, garb and memorabilia from the 18th century to the present. A moving photo display depicts the World Trade Centre attack and honors the hundreds of firefighters lost there.

Ascend the wide staircase of the 1926 New York County Courthouse (adjacent to the 31-story, pyramid-topped U.S. Courthouse dating from 1933) and enter to admire the marble columned rotunda with Tiffany lighting fixtures. Note, too, the ceiling murals depicting Law and Justice. The hexagonal building has a courtroom in each of its six wings.

Carrère and Hastings won a competition for the design of this great Beaux Arts building. Their genius reached its height in the Main Reading Room, a paneled space as majestic as a cathedral, extending almost two city blocks, with enormous arched windows, 18 grand chandeliers, and an elaborately decorated, vaulted ceiling.