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Lehmann Maupin
Still one of the most influential galleries around, Lehmann Maupin shows Korean sculptor Do-Ho Suh, as well as British bad girl Tracey Emin, David Salle and many others.
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Lincoln Center
Sprawling Lincoln Center is a miniature city in its own right: Avery Fisher Hall, home to the New York Philharmonic, currently undergoing a redesign, sits next to Alice Tully Hall, locus of the Chamber Music Society. The New York State Theater plays host to the New York City Ballet (www.nycballet.com), and the New York City Opera (www.nycopera.com). Walter Reade Theater hosts the New York Film Festival and shows quality films daily - there are the Newhouse and Beaumont theaters, Juilliard School and, last but not least, the Metropolitan Opera House, with its sweeping, grand red-carpeted staircase.
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Little Korea
Herald Sq is a bit on the tasteless side when it comes to finding foodie treats; luckily, you can head for quality refueling at nearby Little Korea, a small enclave of Korean-owned restaurants, shops, salons and spas. Over the past few years this neighborhood has seen an explosion of eateries serving Korean fare, with authentic Korean BBQ available around the clock at many of the all-night spots on 32nd St, some with the added treat of karaoke.
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Louis Meisel Gallery
Specializing in photorealism, the works at this gallery are strikingly full of color, and the eye-catching cityscapes of Staten Island and local fire trucks are among the best of the bunch.
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Madison Sq Park
This park defined the northern reaches of Manhattan until the city's population exploded just after the Civil War. It has enjoyed a rejuvenation due to a renovation project and rededication in 2001, and now neighbourhood residents head here to unleash their dogs in the popular dog-run area, as workers enjoy lunches.
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Matthew Marks Gallery
The trendsetter that started the push into Chelsea, Matthew Marks' two galleries were once factories. Now they are high-falutin' art houses with shows by the likes of Nan Goldin and Andreas Gursky.
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Merchant's House Museum
Get a glimpse of how wealthy businessmen lived in the 1800s. Drug importer Seabury Tredwell lived in this house (built in 1831), and his family preserved original furnishings, clothing and even his kitchen sink. It's a remarkable glimpse into the past.
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Metropolitan Museum of Art
What can you say about this gorgeous behemoth? Its size, and the depth and breadth of its collection, simply overwhelms. More than five million come a year for special exhibits, or just to see the cavernous Great Hall entrance, the Temple of Dendur, the Tiffany windows in the American Wing, the collection of African, Oceania and other works.
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Mitchell-Innes & Nash
The married couple behind these galleries started their careers at Sotheby's, and their appreciation of the past infuses their spaces - while they feature the best of cutting-edge artists, they also mount lovingly researched retrospectives.
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Modulightor
Modernist architect Paul Rudolph's need for independent, situational lighting created the Modulightor company, dealing in, of course, lights. It's also spawned this fantastic house on the East Side, built in Le Corbusier's modular style and best seen at night when lit from inside.
Located in the same building, the Paul Rudolph Foundation offers tours of the Rudolph-designed apartment above Modulightor's showroom. These take place on the first Friday of every second month, between 6 and 8pm.
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Moma
Its grand reopening in 2004, following the most extensive renovation project in its 75-year history, created a veritable art universe of more than 100,000 pieces. You could easily hole up for a couple of days and still not properly see it all. Most of the big hitters - Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne, Rothko, Pollock - are housed in the central five-story atrium. The sculpture garden - returned to its original, larger vision - is a joy to sit in.
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Mulberry St
Even though the original Italian essence is long gone, Mulberry St still bursts with true ethnic pride. Mobster Joey Gallo was shot to death in Umberto's Clam House in the '70s, the old-time bar Mare Chiaro was one of the favorite haunts of the late Frank Sinatra, and the Ravenite Social Club (247 Mulberry St), now a gift shop, used to be the Alto Knights Social Club, where mobsters like Lucky Luciano spent some time.
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Museum at FIT
The Fashion Institute of Technology is a fashion, design and fine arts school located on the edge of Manhattan's Fashion District . The best way for a visitor to access its unique riches is to visit its museum, which showcases rotating exhibits on fashion and style, including works by students.
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Museum of Modern Art
MOMA, a veritable art universe of more than 100,000 pieces, is hailed for its physical design and the soul of its exhibits. Big hitters like Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne, Rothko and Pollock are housed in the central five-story atrium. The museum's sculpture garden - returned to its original, larger vision of the early 50s by Philip Johnson - is a joy to sit in.
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Museum of Sex
Not as racy as you might think, this house of culture, which opened in 2002, intellectually traces the history of NYC and sex, from tittie bars and porn to street hustling and burlesque shows. Don't expect any sex parties or naked go-go dancers here; the collection consists of films, magazines and odd artifacts from vintage blow-up dolls to sex-house coins.
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Museum Of Television And Radio
This couch potato's smorgasbord contains a collection of more than 50,000 American TV and radio programmes, all available from the museum's catalogue at the click of a mouse. It's a great place to hang out when you're simply fed up with the real world. Everybody checks out their favourite TV programmes and watches them on the museum's consoles.
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Museum of the City of New York
For a look behind the intriguing facade of NYC, head here, where exhibitions focus on the city's past, present and future, and cast a clever eye over the city, with previous subjects ranging from Harlem lost and found and the Roaring '20s to moving toward sustainable architecture in the 21st century.
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National Arts Club
This exclusive club boasts a beautiful, vaulted, stained-glass ceiling above its wooden bar. Calvert Vaux, who was one of the creators of Central Park, designed the building. The space does hold art exhibitions, ranging from sculpture to photography, that sometimes open to the public from to .
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National Museum of the American Indian
This museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is housed in the spectacular former US Customs House - an ironically grand space for a leading museum on Native American art. Established by oil heir George Gustav Heye in 1916, it does little to explain the history of Native Americans, yet boasts a huge collection of crafts and everyday objects.
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Neue Galerie
This showcase for German and Austrian art is a relative newcomer to the museum strip (it opened in 2000), but it stood out as a star right away. The intimate but well-hung collection, housed in a former Rockefeller mansion, features impressive works by Gustav Klimt, Paul Klee and Egon Schiele. It boasts a lovely street-level eatery, Café Sabarsky, serving Viennese meals, pastries and drinks. A No-children policy means no noisy stroller blockades.
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New Museum of Contemporary Art
This brand-new addition to the neighborhood is a sight to behold: a seven-story stack of off-kilter, white, ethereal boxes, designed by Tokyo-based architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA and the New York-based firm Gensler. It's a long-awaited breath of fresh air along this gritty Bowery strip, and the thrills don't stop when you step inside.
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New York Aquarium
For good clean fun for the kids, visit the New York Aquarium, which has a touch pool where kids can handle starfish, plus underwater views of baleen whales and popular feedings of sea lions and walruses. The only aquarium in the city, it promotes a strong conservation message, and is home to over 8,000 marine animals.
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New York Fire Museum
The Fire Museum has hand pumps and a mock apartment blaze that kids can try to put out. Informative but exciting tours offered.
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New York Marble Cemetery
Manhattan's first nonsectarian burial spot, dating from the 1800s, has a wonderful air of history and decay. It's where many prominent New Yorkers are getting their permanent rest.
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New York Public Library
Wave hello to Patience and Fortitude, the two great lions who greet you as you walk up the steps of the white marble beaux-art New York Public Library. Filled with books, it also has architectural delights such as curved bay windows, molded ceilings, ancient staircases and more. The NYPL has frequent exhibits of rare or out-of-print books that attract bibliophiles from around the world.
