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A boat ride in Manhattan harbor is always a thrill, and what better way to go to sea than aboard the 1885 Schooner Pioneer at South Street Seaport? Ninety-minute lunch sails are good for those with short attention spans; two-hour cruises depart afternoon and evening.

New York’s own non-profit Big Apple Circus, with a delightful one-ring show, pitches its tent from October to December in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center. Those who want the traditional three-ring extravaganza will find Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey in town in March and April.

The boyhood home where the colorful 26th President was born in 1858 has been reconstructed. Exhibits trace his political career as well as his explorations, displaying everything from toys to campaign buttons, and emblems of the trademark “Rough Rider” hat Roosevelt wore in the Spanish-American war. The house offers a rare glimpse of a privileged 19th-century New York lifestyle.

The city’s most famous intersection, and symbol of the lively surrounding theater district (see Times Square and Theater District).

This lighthouse was built to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic – the largest steamship ever made – in 1912.

A turn-of-the-century coffee warehouse has been converted into office space for the film and entertainment industry. The guiding spirit was Robert De Niro, whose TriBeCa Productions was founded in 1988. Miramax has set up offices here and the building is also home to the TriBeCa Grill, owned by De Niro and restaurateur Drew Nieporent. The restaurant has managed to maintain its star appeal for over a decade.

This much-admired Gothic building is the third church on this site for one of the U.S.’s oldest Anglican parishes, founded in 1697. The church has had notable additions since completion in 1846, including the sacristy, chapel, and Manhattan wing; the bronze doors were donated as a memorial to John Jacob Astor III. Trinity is known for its musical programs, with concerts each Monday and Thursday at 1pm and occasional Sunday concerts by the full choir. Trinity also oversees the programs at St. Paul’s Chapel.

A renovation in 1994 installed gleaming galleries that circle the grand rotunda of this classic building. It is now the George Gustav Haye Center of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, with changing exhibits of Native American life, including costumes and fine crafts. Baskets of ceremonial objects, toys, and musical instruments in the research room can be examined and researched further on the computer installed there.

The museum has moved into a plush new facility that showcases a beguiling collection of Ukrainian costumes, lavishly embroidered peasant blouses, colorful sashes, fancy sheepskin and fur vests, wedding wreaths of yarn and ribbons. There are also ceramics, jewelry, and the intricately designed Ukrainian Easter eggs known as pysanky .

Herbs and berries, miniature vegetables, fresh flowers and home-baked pastries, newly woven yarns, hams, honey – all of these and more can be found at the bountiful Greenmarket that fills Union Square each Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. More than 200 regional farmers take part in the market, each offering only goods that they have grown or made. A colorful New York scene not to be missed.