Time for a summer visit to NYC

By ROGER PETTERSON

updated 4:00 p.m. ET July 11, 2006

This is a good time to take that trip to New York City you've been thinking about if you want to see one famous museum before it sails away for an overhaul. While you're in town, there are plenty other summer attractions around the Big Apple.

A museum setting sail? The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum the former Navy aircraft carrier moored in the Hudson River on Manhattan's West Side, is closing in October to be towed to a nearby shipyard for renovations. Until then, you can explore this warship that was commissioned during World War II and see its aircraft displays, including a Concorde supersonic airliner.

From the Intrepid, it's a four-block walk south along the Hudson to the dock of the Circle Line where you can catch leisurely scenic cruises on New York Harbor or around the entire island of Manhattan. They also offer cruises in the evening when the city lights up against the night sky. If you prefer dry land, Gray Line has a variety of tours, including some on open-top double-decker buses.

That walk you follow from the Intrepid to Circle Line is part of Hudson River Park stretching along the West Side.

Turn away from the river and walk a few blocks east to Times Square, where TKTS, run by the Theatre Development Fund has discounted tickets for many Broadway and off-Broadway shows. There is always a line, you must pay by cash or traveler's checks (no credit cards), and tickets are limited. And if you're a repeat TKTS customer, remeber that the booth has moved while its original home in Duffy Square is renovated. The new temporary TKTS outlet is just outside the New York Marriott Marquis hotel on West 46th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue.

Get an advance look at the area from the photography collections at Times Square Alliance and read some historical background at "Times Square: Then & Now." And there's a whole set of webcams to show you what the crowds look like.

Get help picking out other places you want to see by visiting the city's official guide, NYC & Company and clicking on "Visitors" for maps, events, neighborhood guides and special offers. They'll link you to hotel and restaurant directories, show you what's playing on Broadway, and give you tips on the ultimate New York experience: shopping. Click on "Things to Do" to search for museums, television show tapings and things you can do for free. And first-time visitors definitely need to spend time reading through the "Getting Around" section.

Along with sightseeing, take in this year's Central Park SummerStage a series of free and ticketed performing arts shows running through August. If you miss the shows, just enjoy Central Park the huge oasis for strolling, jogging and relaxing in the middle of Manhattan. It's also the home of Shakespeare in the Park, run by The Public Theater with plays scheduled into September.

Nearby Lincoln Center has Mostly Mozart running through Aug. 26. And in Lower Manhattan you can find something to enjoy in the River to River Festival with a wide variety of events taking place into September. Click on "Downtown Info" at River to River for a map that includes the World Trade Center site.

Take a D train subway out to the south shore of Brooklyn and take in Seaside Summer Concerts on Surf Avenue, opposite the New York Aquarium, which overlooks the beach. That subway station also is the connection to Coney Island the oceanfront amusement park that's been a New York attraction since the 19th century.

MORE FROM SUMMER TRAVEL

Summer Travel Section Front

Museum Day showcases culture at no cost Travel’s inconvenient convenience Get your motor running Top 10 national park lodges FirstPerson: Readers share their summer fun Getting through the dog days of summer Summer fun on the slopes Rock out at the world’s coolest music festivals Discover the granddaddy of scenic road trips World's sexiest beaches Summer Travel Section Front   Add Summer Travel headlines to your news reader: