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Free
and Cheap Events and Attractions Tour New York with a resident who shares your interests through the city's highly successful Big Apple Greeters program (212-669-2896). Find out who's buried in Grant's Tomb National Monument, and see exhibitions focusing on the Civil War and the life of General Ulysses S. Grant (212-666-1640). Watch millions of dollars trade hands at the hustling, bustling New York Stock Exchange (212-656-5167) See the World's largest (when finished) Gothic Cathedral, St. John the Divine, near Columbia University (212-316-7540), and explore its Biblical garden and children's sculpture garden. Take advantage of free or "pay what you wish" nights at the city's finest museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art (Friday nights free, 212-570-3676); The Solomon R. Guggenheim (Fridays 5-8 pay what you wish, 212-423-3500); The Museum of American Folk Art, free (212-977-7170); The Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design, Tuesday evenings free (212-860-6868); and The Steuben Gallery, free (212-752-1441). Explore thought-provoking exhibitions at the breathtaking, beaux arts New York Public Library (212-869-8084), and enjoy free concerts, outdoor movies and other special events in adjacent Bryant Park (212-983-4142). Catapult into the future at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, where interactive exhibitions thrill children of all ages (212-833-8100). Take the Grand Tour of midtown on Fridays at 12:30 p.m. (212-986-9317), or learn about the Late, Great Pennsylvania Station on a monthly tour of the 34th Street facility (212-868-0521). Discover an Art Deco masterpiece on a self-guided tour of majestic Rockefeller Center (free, pick up maps in the main lobby of 30 Rockefeller Center, 212-698-2950), where you can also enjoy the summer gardens or ice skating in winter in the shadow of Manhattan's most magnificent skyscrapers (skate rentals available, 212-757-5730). Stroll the three-mile boardwalk at Coney Island in Brooklyn (free--the adjacent New York aquarium with its multi-million dollar "Sea Cliffs" exhibition and hot dogs at world-famous Nathan's are extra). Let African-American culture inspire you at Harlem's Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture (212-491-2200). Go back to a simpler time at the Queens Country Farm Museum, a historic homestead (718-347-3276). Taste the Big Apple at its sweetest at the Union Square Green Market, where you can sample fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods, cider and much more (212-477-3220). Discover Lower Manhattan's greatest monuments and milestones on four self-guided historic walking Heritage Trails, starting at the Heritage Trails Visitor and Information Center at the Federal Hall National Memorial (212-767-0637). Explore the greenhouses and gardens of Wave Hill, a 28-acre former estate overlooking the Hudson River in the Bronx (free during the week and Saturdays before noon, otherwise $4 adults, $2 seniors/students, 718-549-3200). Learn about New York's historic neighborhoods on a free tour sponsored by the Municipal Arts Society (212-439-1049). Browse for bargains at the famous Sixth Avenue Antiques Market, between 24th and 27th Streets (free, weekends only). Other markets include the famous fleas at Columbus Avenue and West 76th Street (Sundays only) and the weekend market on Houston Street between Sullivan and Thompson. .Catch the breeze even in August on the Battery Park Esplanade, complete with spectacular views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. In nearby Hudson River Park, the Battery Park City Authority presents a "Sounds at Sunset" summer series of poetry readings, cabaret and classical music (212-416-5328). Stop and smell the roses at The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and learn about botany and garden lore at special exhibitions in the conservatory (718-622-4433). Enjoy the best classical music, drama, opera, dance and jazz New York has to offer--including the New York Philharmonic, City Opera, Shakespeare in the Park, and much more--at free warm-weather concerts in the city parks (information 212-360-3444). Call the New
York Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-NYC-VISIT (212-397-8222 outside
the United States and Canada) to request a Visitors Guide with free coupons
and special packages to save you money on hotels, restaurants,
sightseeing and shopping. Bargains Under $10 Get the big picture--a panoramic view of New York--from the Observation Deck at the Empire State Building ($4 adults, $2 children, 212-736-3100) or the World Trade Center ($6 adults, $3 children, 212-435-7397). Have a bowl of noodles in Chinatown, and explore the thriving district of exotic shops and restaurants along Canal and Mott Streets (about $4 for the noodles). Experience New York's maritime past at the South Street Seaport, a living history museumms that also boasts upscale shops and restaurants (browsing is free, museum admission $6 adults, $4 seniors/students, $3 children, 212-669-9400). Watch millions of years of the earth's existence unfold at the American Museum of Natural History, including the world's most exciting, extensive dinosaur halls ($9 adults, $4 students/seniors, $3 children, 212-769-5100). Bask in the serenity of the medieval Cloisters (a satellite of the Metropolitan Museum of Art) at Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan ($7 adults, $3.50 students/seniors, children free, 212-923-3700). Explore the mysteries of ancient Egypt at the Brooklyn Museum's world class collection of Egyptian art and artifacts ($4 adults, $2 students, $1.50 seniors, 718-638-5000). Enjoy workshops, lectures and exhibitions on natural and cultural history at the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences ($2.50 adults, $1.50 students/children/seniors, 718-727-1135), or go back in time at the Historic Richmond Town Restoration ($4 adults, $2.50 seniors and students, under 6 free, 718-351-1611). Get there on the world-famous Staten Island Ferry, which is free, and includes spectacular views of New York Harbor and the lower Manhattan skyline (718-390-5253). Catch the subway to the New York Transit Museum, set in a scenic 1930s station, where you can learn the history of the city's famous public transportation system ($3 adults, $1.50 children and seniors, 718-330-3060). Learn about America's "melting pot" heritage at the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Immigration Museum (Admission and ferry ride $7 adults, $6 seniors, $3 children under 17, 212-269-5755). Muse on the finest contemporary painting, sculpture and installations at the Museum of Modern Art ($8 adults, $5 students/seniors, children under 16 free; pay-what-you-wish Thursdays and Fridays from 5.30-8.30 p.m., 212-708-9480). See the city like the locals do on two scenic city bus rides: the M5 from Greenwich Village to Riverside Drive, passing Chelsea, Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center and Central Park South; and the M4 from Madison Avenue through Harlem to the Cloisters ($1.50, schedules and information 718-330-1234). See exquisite collections housed in a jewel of historic architecture at the Pierpont Morgan Library ($5 adults, $3 students/children/seniors, 212-685-0008). See history in the making on guided, multilingual tours of the United Nations ($6.50 adults, $4.50 college students and seniors, $3.50 children and students, 212-963-7713). Roam endless galleries showcasing the world's most extraordinary art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (suggested donation: $7 adults, $3.50 students/seniors, children under 12 free, 212-879-5500). Enjoy enduring images from the history of American media at the Museum of Television & Radio ($6 adults, $4 students, $3 children/members, 212-621-6600). Challenge your senses at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where you can see masterpieces of 20th century art housed in Frank Lloyd Wright's astounding spiral structure ($7 adults, $4 students/seniors, children free, pay-what-you-wish Fridays from 6-8 p.m., 212-423-3500). Don a special headset for the world's most advanced 3-D movies, shown on a screen more than eight stories high, at the Sony IMAX Theatre (admission $9 adults, $6 children 12 and under, $7.50 seniors, 212-336-5000). Catch a fish in the newly stocked Harlem Meer (pond) at the north end of Central Park (fishing poles provided, 212-794-6564). Or rent a rowboat for a scenic paddle in the shadow of Manhattan's magnificent skyscrapers ($10 an hour, 212-517-2233); or glide the ice at the Wollman Skating Rink in winter ($6.50 adults, $3 children, skate rentals $3.25, 212-517-4800). Experience animal attraction at Wildlife Conservation Parks in Central Park ($2.50 adults, $1.25 students and seniors, 50 cents children 2-12, 212-861-6030), the Bronx ($6.75 adults, $3 seniors and children 2-12, 718-367-1010), Prospect Park in Brooklyn ($2.50 adults, $1.25 students and seniors, 50 cents children, 718-399-7339), and the New York Aquarium at Coney Island ($6.75 adults, $3 seniors and children 2-12, 718-265-FISH).
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