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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

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

From the Delancey Street subway walk south to Grand Street and Kossar’s Bialys Bakery, 367 Grand, famous for chewy, onion-flavored rolls, or the Doughnut Plant, 379 Grand, where the oversize cakes achieve gourmet status. Walk east for two historic houses of worship, the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Synagogue and the Bialystoker and the Bialystoker Synagogue .

Return along East Broadway, passing the Henry Street Settlement at No. 281, in three restored Federal buildings. The gallery at the Educational Alliance, No. 197, has good art and photography exhibits. Walk to Orchard for Guss’ Pickles, and pick up a bargain at the shops here. If you’re hot try one of the 50 flavors of ice cream at Le Laboratorio del Gelato, or continue to East Houston Street, and have lunch at Katz’s Delicatessen , a New York institution.

Afternoon

After lunch, walk uptown on 2nd Avenue. Turn left on East 6th to visit the St. Mark’s Place, browsing through the funky shops and bars on your way, and then walk east again on Stuyvesant Street, admiring the landmark townhouses of the Renwick Triangle. Lastly, stop at St. Mark’s-in-the-Bowery Church, one of the oldest in the city, where you can pay your respects to Peter Stuyvesant’s grave.