Iconic suspension bridge has an upper level promenade for pedestrians and cyclists. The views are second-to-none, and are best observed early morning or after midnight, when you can have a little peace and quiet. The bridge empties out in Dumbo. Stroll down to Empire Fulton-Ferry State Park, a wide and grassy knoll level with the East River. 

The gallery district generally stretches from West 20th to West 28th Street, between Tenth and Twelfth Avenues, making it very easy to hop from one reclaimed industrial building to another. Galleries coordinate exhibition openings Thursday evenings; Barbara Gladstone, Andrea Rosen, David Zwirner, Marian Goodman, Paula Cooper, Pace, and Danziger Projects are the biggies not-to-miss.

Jump on the D, M, N, or R trains to the 36th Street stop in Brooklyn. Look out for Greenwood Cemetary and head towards Eighth Avenue, land of deliciously cheap eats: noodle shops, dim sum parlors, bahn mi stands, and Asian grocers line up all the way to 65th Street.

It's an impressive repurposing of space: The long defunct elevated railway on lower Manhattan's west side is now a beautiful bustling promenade and garden soaring high above the streets of NY.

Wildly influential house of modern and contemporary art. Go on Friday evening, when admission is free (4-8 p.m.). Follow up with cocktails and dinner at the design-minded (award-winning) restaurant, The Modern.

A gorgeous museum dedicated to 20th century German and Austrian art and design. Post-viewing, engage in intellectual discourse and chestnut soup at Cafe Sabarsky, their picturesque Viennese-inspired eatery. Or, get tickets for dinner and live cabaret in the Old-World space.

Between the lions exists a Beaux-Arts oasis of quiet calm where you can catch up on e-mails, marvel at the original Guttenberg Bible, and peruse literary exhibitions. Take a breather or a quick cat nap in the Rose Reading Room. A free one-hour tour happens Thursdays at 2 p.m. (meet at reception).

Queens offshoot of MoMA utilizes an old public school as its museum for experiential art, and works exploring new genres and trends. In the summer, a huge crowd comes out for the weekly music/dance party series (called Warm Up) within a temporary architectural installation in the museum courtyard.

A quiet, bucolic stretch of green (canopy of trees, tidy gardens, mint-condition asphalt) sandwiched between the Hudson River and Riverside Drive. Waterfront views, and urban New England feel.

A bounty of food, flower, and provision stalls from local purveyors. Chef sightings are highly probable. Happens Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

A longtime gathering spot for all things counter-cultural, today's park benches and giant fountain are filled with NYU students, chess players, street performers, folk singers, skateboarders, and downtown locals looking to hang out, make friends, and people watch.