New York is a Summer Festival!

I love New York in Springtime, of course! And who can deny the magic of New York City during the Holiday Season or when the Autumn leaves have turned color and the air is crisp and fresh.

But for me, a New Yorker to the bone, I love New York most of all in the Summer, especially on the weekends. The crowds have gone off to the Hamptons and the Jersey shore, the finest restaurants in all the world have a table waiting just for you, and the city seems to swing from one fabulous festival to another, showering those lucky individuals who were smart enough to stay in the city with parties and dances and culture and entertainment galore.

So for those world travelers who dont know the joys of Summer in the city, here are some of my favorite highlights I highly recommend for your next vacation. These events attract all sorts of New Yorkers and visitors, from every age, creed, color, socio-economic background, sexual orientation and they all play, laugh and dance happily together. It makes me so proud to be a part of it and to be a New Yorker in these days when so many in the world feel divided. Come play with us!

* Central Park Summer Stage with 32 events including Shakespeare in the Park.
This summer there are free tickets to Macbeth with Liev Schrieber June 13- July 9th and Mother Courage with Merryl Streep is on August 8th-September 5th. Plus there are Classical music and popular music concerts every year. I can't wait to hear who will come this year!

*Every night when the weather is fine, you can dance in the garden of Tavern on the Green. There is no dress code, so come as you are, there is a mere $10 cover and there is no minimum.
With all those gorgeous lanterns the garden looks like a scene from a movie, and it indeed has been in many films. It is a magical evening.

*Midsummer Night’s Swing at Lincoln Center is on from June 20 – July 22nd. This is spectacular! Did you love "Dancing with the Stars" or what? Not every night, but several nights a week during the festival, there is a Dance class in anything from Salsa to Swing.

*Hotel Roof Gardens such as the ones you'll find at the Hotel Giraffe and the Library Hotel, open up to the public for "uber-glam" evening cocktails scenes. Like most hotels in the New York City, the Library Hotel and Hotel Giraffe offer the best deals of the year in the Summer especially on the weekend. Other great boutique hotels offering great summer values are the Casablanca Hotel off of Times Square and the elegant Hotel Elysee on East 54th Street. Is
there a finer street in New York? I think not. The Hotel Elysee is betwwen Park and Madison Avenues

*The JVC Jazz Festival is on June 12th – 24th.

* There are free outdoor movies every Monday at Bryant Park.

*Last year the River2River Festival was awesome! So many parties and concerts and dances.
My absolute favorite was the Argentine Tango Party every Sunday night on Pier 17 at South Street Seaport. Everyone was dancing with everyone and the good dancers people were very patient in teaching the newcomers how it's done. I have not seen the 2006 schedule yet, but I am sure it will be even better.

Here is a great list of summer concert website links from about.com

*Central Park Zoo! We have a new baby monkey that you have just got to see! Another thing not to miss is the the Penguins when they are taking a shower. It is the funniest thing you can imagine since they seem so giddy with pleasure. It must be like a trip to the spa for them. ALso I always like to visit Gus. He's our polar bear. He is waiting for a visit from you too, so what are you waiting for?