Free plays with a high standard of acting talent seeking exposure and discovery, great atmosphere and the chance to see future and current stars pitting their skills against the bardic benchmark.

Delacorte Theatre in Central Park
www.publictheater.org/view.php?mode=eventdisplay&eventid=210

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

MoMA has the finest and largest holding of 20th and 21st century modern art in the world.

To save $20 admission go after 4pm (up to 8pm) on Fridays when it's free - although it gets busy, it's a great way of seeing some of the best displays of modern art you can ever see.

11W 53rd Street; nearest subway : Fifth-53rd Street

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Office Ops is an arts center-cum- hostel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that has cheap and clean places for people to stay when visiting the city.

Worth checking it out if you are coming to NYC on a budget.

www.officeops.org/ops/?D=13

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Visit this museum after Ellis Island and continue in the steps of the immigrants after finally making it onto American soil. The museum is an unrestored tenement building with authentic furnishings and the guided tour gives a fascinating glimpse of the life and hardships faced by the first immigrants. A real treasure of a place.

97 Orchard Street (Delancy Street) www.tenement.org/

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Concert in Central Park in the summer. Some free, some not - but usually a great selection (Sonic Youth/David Byrne/Patti Smith/Femi Kuti/Lyle Lovett....)

www.summerstage.org, Central Park

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Step off Fifth Avenue into the Frick and you enter a completely different world. A fascinating house stuffed with the most beautiful paintings collected by industrialist Henry Frick in the early 20th Century - Vermeer, Goya, Holbein, Piero della Francesca. If you are touring the art galleries of NYC this is a must - and much easier on the feet than the Met or Moma.

www.frick.org/index.htm

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A sculpture garden on the roof of the museum, missed by the vast majority of visitors. Go not for the art but the view: a gorgeous panorama of Central Park and the sumptuous buildings that surround it, from just above the tree line.

1000 Fifth Ave at 82nd Street. Take the elevator at the back of the Museum. (Best ask a guard.) Open Spring, summer, and early fall.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Despite the recent reopening of Moma in all its splendour, the Met still wins out. Like any huge museum of this kind - it is has seven major, permanent collections - you won't see it all. If you have the stamina put aside a day, go early, take a break and go back for more. If not then it makes sense to focus on what piece of candy in this particularly huge store you want and then try not to binge.

1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street; Tel: 212-535-7710; www.metmuseum.org/

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The younger, hipper sister gallery of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), PS1 showcases the best of cutting-edge contemporary art. Even if you don't "get it", you're bound to find something entertaining in this old school building. A recent exhibition included a video of a family kitted out in back-to-front Bernie Clifton-style ostrich outfits played backwards, & a mouse-eye view of a toy train ride through the bowels of houses & offices. Guaranteed to wind up Daily Mail readers & Jack Vettriano lovers, which is never a bad thing. Entry is free with a MoMA ticket.

It's on Long Island. Take the E or V train to 23 St/Ely Ave. Exit onto 44th to Jackson Ave. Walk two blocks south on Jackson to 46th Ave.

www.ps1.org

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

On in December, I loved this production of the Nutcracker. The scenery was good and our seats were in the front rows. This is a 'must see' if you like ballet. Go the whole hog and buy a programme too to take home! Magical. Tickets on sale from September time.

www.nycballet.com

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A weird and wonderful collection (the Henry Darger collection is extensive), beautifully displayed in a great new museum just down the street from MOMA. Great temporary exhibits and friendly staff.

45 West 53rd Street

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The Municipal Art Society (MAS) is a non-profit organization which aims to make NYC more livable. It focuses on many aspects of NY life including planning and zoning but also runs exhibitions, programmes and tours on architecture, public art and the cultural development of NYC. The MAS has its own galleries with rolling exhibits on NY-based themes, many of which are unique to the organization. These run for 6-8 weeks at a time and info can be found on their website: www.mas.org The tours are especially great for tourists though, particularly if you've been to NYC before and have seen all the usual sights already. They take you to little-known districts where expert guides show you around and offer fascinating information on places you might not think of going otherwise, like Harlem, the Bronx, and various areas of Brooklyn and Queens. The Grand Central Station tour is the most popular and runs every Wednesday at 12.30 from inside the terminal. The schedule changes all the time so you'll need to check their website to see what's going on when you visit, but you can just show up at the street corner and join the tour without booking. Prices are very reasonable; make sure to get there early. Tours leave promptly and are often hard to track down once they're under way.

The Municipal Art Society of New York 457 Madison Ave (btw/ 50th & 51st) NY 10022 T: 212-935-3960 W: www.mas.org Subway: B, V, F, D to Rockefeller Center 6 to 51st & Lexington

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends