Jacob Frydman was recently a guest on the CNBC show “Tomorrow in 30” – his recommendation was to watch for the pending home sale index numbers.

Kids Love Science

If you have a child, or children four years old or older, consider a mind-expanding visit to the New York Hall of Science.

NY Hall of Science

Located in one of the original structures built for the 1964 New York World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, it is New York’s only science and technology center that gives visitors a truly hands-on experience.

Explore with All Your Senses

The museum incorporates over 450 permanent exhibits which are organized into a variety of intriguing subjects including Hidden Kingdoms, Realm of the Atom, Seeing the Light, Marvelous Molecules and much more. Expect to utilize all your senses when exploring these exhibits.

Understand Birds in Decline

The feature exhibit which will be on view until August 14th is called “The Sweet-Voiced Bird Has Flown: Portraits of Common Birds in Decline.” This is an art exhibit featuring paintings and monochrome sketches of a variety of bird species whose numbers are in decline.

NYSCI also has exhibitions on tour, including ‘Charlie Kiwi’s Evolutionary Adventure,’ ‘Molecules and Health,’ and ‘Wild Minds-What Animals Really Think.’

Check out NYSCI here and plan to spend a fun day with the family on an adventure into the great world of science.

We’ve all seen the movies, read the books, watched the plays. We know New York can be as romantic as any European hot spot. But how, where, when?
Here are a few suggestions to experience some of the more tender New York moments that can be had in the big, beloved apple.

South Street Seaport

South Street Seaport District- Conveniently located walking distance from Chinatown; you will enjoy people-watching, relaxing and souvenir shopping in this lovely little area. South Seaport Pier 17 is a bustling touristy place which is the old fish market converted into wonderful shops and restaurants. This is a great place to get a fantastic view of the ever-impressive Brooklyn Bridge.

Saks Fifth Avenue

Fifth Avenue- For many people Fifth Avenue is the heart of New York’s classy reputation. Well known as one of the premium bits of real estate anywhere in the world, taking a walk down Fifth Avenue makes you feel fabulously wealthy just by osmosis. Some of the sites to be had on Fifth Avenue are of the Empire State Building, the New York Public Library, Rockefeller Center, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum. The best of Fifth is all within about a one mile wonderful walk, from 34th Street to 59th Street, with lots of unbelievable, typically New York, shopping.

Chrysler Building

Chrysler Building– This building is a classy alternative to a visit to the Empire State Building. Its classic ArtDeco Style is an iconic symbol of New York and one of the city’s most renowned skyline features. Chrysler was the first building to reach beyond 1000 feet, but its role as the world’s tallest building was short-lived as only 11 months later the Empire State Building reached even higher towards the heavens. A visit to this gorgeous testament to 1930s architecture will not be in vain.

As one of the more venerable of US cities, New York has a lot to offer history buffs. Here are a few New York landmarks which you may have heard of, but my guess is more likely not.

•    The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel- This is officially distinguished as the ‘world’s oldest subway tunnel.”  Built in 1844 underneath one of Brooklyn’s busiest streets in what was then the City of Brooklyn, the tunnel is one half-mile long and carries two standard gauge railroad tracks.  The tunnel took only 7 months to build, using the ‘cut-and-cover’ method, using only hand tools and simple equipment. The tunnel was rediscovered by Bob Diamond in 1980.  In 1982 The Brooklyn Historic Railway Society was created in order to preserve, publicize and allow public access to the tunnel. The tunnel is found today within the Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Heights Historic Districts as well as within a U.S. Historic District. The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel is a landmarked and protected historic site.

•    The Beacon Theatre- This theater, located at 2124 Broadway, seats 2,894 people in three tiers, and was opened in 1929. Although it was originally opened to present motion pictures and vaudeville shows, the Beacon is most famous as a music hall, which is what has been its primary function since the 1970s. An annual spring concert series which is still going on today featuring the Allman Brothers also had such classic bands as the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, and others. The décor is ornate neo-Grecian with a trademark two-story, circular lobby. Both sides of the stage are adorned with statues of 30-foot-tall Greek goddesses.
•    St. Paul’s Chapel- built in 1766, St. Paul’s is an Episcopal church, and is New York’s oldest continuously used building. On inauguration day the first US President, George Washington, prayed here on April 30, 1789. Over the alter, in the chapel is the ornamental design of “Glory,” which is the work of Pierre L’Enfant, the designer of Washington, DC. The “Glory” illustrates Mt. Sinai in clouds with lightning; the word for God in Hebrew is in a triangle, and the tablets of the Law with the Ten Commandments.  More recently St Paul’s played an important role as a resting station for rescue workers during the days following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, due to its location right across the street from Ground Zero. Today visitors to St. Paul’s can view the exhibit, “Unwavering Spirit: Hope and Healing at Ground Zero” which chronicles the special history of St. Paul’s and its volunteer ministry during the weeks and months following September 11th.
•    The Little Red Lighthouse- no longer in use, it is still possible to see the Little Red Lighthouse next to the George Washington Bridge in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. Considered the most ‘beloved of American lighthouses,” the Little Red Lighthouse was made famous by the children’s book, “The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge” by Hildegarde Swift and Lynd Ward in 1942. In 1921 the lighthouse was brought to Jeffrey’s Hook by the US coastguard to aid navigation along the Hudson River. It served well for ten years until the brighter lights of the George Washington Bridge made the lighthouse obsolete. In 1948 the lighthouse was decommissioned by the Coast Guard, and the light was put out. The Coast Guard planned to auction off the lighthouse, but a public outcry and an outpouring of support, inspired in great part by the book, helped to save it. In 1951 the Coast Guard gave the property to the New York Parks Department, and in 1979 the Little Red Lighthouse became part of the National Register of Historic Places.

New York is full of surprises. Here are a few outings which are guaranteed to astound, excite or inspire, coming up this summer.

• Thrilling Fireworks- Macy’s sponsors one of the most incredible displays of fireworks anywhere in the country every 4th of July. Come to Hudson River Park on Monday night at 9pm at the conclusion of this year’s Independence Day holiday to witness in person with about 3 million spectators in addition to many millions nationwide who will watch the show on television. The largest of the nation’s fireworks shows, Macy’s will send over 40,000 blasts into the sky above the Hudson River for an unforgettable celebration of the 235th birthday of the USA.

Macy's Fireworks 2010

• Family Fun- This year’s Columbus Avenue Summer Festival will take place on Sunday, June 19th on Columbus Avenue (Duh!) between 86th and 96th Streets. Enjoy the wonderful arts, crafts, plants, antiques, games, entertainment. Get there early and have a fantastic day!

• Monkees Music- Whether or not you are old enough to remember the hit TV series “The Monkees” you will enjoy a trip down musical memory lane with this iconic pop-rock band. This rock group was artificially assembled not as musicians (although it so happens they were and are musicians) but mostly as actors to play the parts of musicians in a zany, cool and much loved late 1960s TV show. Go see them in two New York locations, part of a larger nation-wide tour, this Thursday evening, June 16 at the Beacon Theatre, and on Friday night June 17, at the Capital One Bank Theatre in Westbury, New York.

The Monkees Then

The Monkees Now

June is a great month to feast on some of New York’s special theatrical presentations. From Broadway to Central Park to some less known venues, treat yourself to some amazing performances this month.

•    Fish Eye: Playwright Lucas Kavner brings to life the love story of Max (Joe Tippett) and Anna (Betty Gilpin) which is a told in a loopy, time-warped fashion, but the narrative is never disjointed. Adrienne Campbell-Holt, director, makes sure everything runs smoothly while the cast delivers natural, convincing performances. Catch “Fish Eye” until June 18th at the HERE Arts Center, 145 Sixth Avenue, $18. Phone 2112-352-3101 for more information.

•    All’s Well That Ends Well: Until June 11th you can bask in the wonderful New York tradition of enjoying, for free, a Shakespeare play in Central Park. One of Shakespeare’s ‘tragicomedies.’ The story tells the unlikely romance of Helena, a simple doctor’s daughter, to Count Bertram, an unwilling partner in this forced marriage, believing that he is marrying below his station.  The play is full of twists and turns, one of Shakespeare’s “bed trick” plays, a case of mistaken identity during a sexual encounter. Delacorte Theater, June 11th through July 30th.

Shakespeare in the Park

•    Best of Broadway 2011: Fast-paced, great songs, fabulous dancing and exciting staging and choreography will make you glad you stepped out for some great musical nostalgia.  Check it out at the Tropicana Showroom in Atlantic City, 2831 Boardwalk, 800-843-8767

Skin cancer is a concept that everyone has heard of, and possibly, even learned about. Everyone has heard of the risks involved with tanning and sun exposure, but people don’t often take these warnings to heart.

Teenagers are especially a problem. As the media, fashion and clothing lines put golden tans on a pedestal, more and more teens begin to leave the sunscreen at home. It is not difficult to comprehend why warnings of such a seemingly far-fetched condition do not really have an impact on adolescents, or even young adults. What’s important to understand, however, is that your child, sibling or friend is truly putting his or her self at risk. Sun damage and skin conditions often begin at a young age, though they are not usually apparent until later in life. By following some basic safety rules, teenagers can ensure that their bodies remain healthy and beautiful even as they grow older.

Programs like Teen Screen work towards this goal. Supported by the National Melanoma Awareness Project and the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, Teen Screen has branches in California, Illinios, Florida and Pennsylvania. Teen Screen’s original program focused on high school athletic teams, providing lectures and informative meetings on the topic of skin cancer, as well as working to incorporate sunscreen as part of team equipment. Now, Teen Screen has broadened its scope to include other outdoor activities such as outdoor clubs, marching bands and field trips. Its presentations now include children, day camps, junior life guards, scouts and children’s sports.

Pulling in visitors in numbers greater than any other Costume Institute Show in history, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art had to suspend their guided tours because of overflow crowds.

Garnering an astounding 5,100 people to opening day last Wednesday, the new Alexander McQueen exhibit came close to the record set by the museum’s most busy opening day ever in its history: “Vincent van Gogh: The Drawings,” which brought in 5,400 people back in 2005.

Savage Beauty Showcases McQueen’s Contrasts

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen, the world famous clothing designer, who died last year, was not afraid to explore the world of contrasts: Dark and light; past and future; masculine and feminine. Thus the name of the exhibit, “Savage Beauty,” the first such show since his passing, is certainly apropos.

The Met’s Costume Institute explores the fabulous world of McQueen extremes, an intellectual and an artist, whose career as a designer was celebrated until his suicide at the age of 40 in February of 2010. His was a journey into the world of contrasts, where he challenged the usual ideas about beauty, while going for the shocking statement whenever he felt it was appropriate.

McQueen Challenged Normal Notions of Beauty

The exhibit curator, Andrew Bolton said that McQueen was always exploring ways to question normal conventions of fashion and beauty, citing a quote from Shakespeare which he had tattooed on his arm, which is also the starting point for the show: “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.”

These words were said by Helena from a Midsummer Night’s Dream, explained Bolton, who was someone who believed that love had the power to transform the ordinary into the beautiful.

Designer was Also a Believer

Bolton continued to explain that McQueen was not unlike Helena, for he, too was a believer:

“All of McQueen’s collections were fashioned around elaborate narratives, and the exhibition is intended to evoke a gothic fairy tale, a fairy tale that is pushed forward by McQueen’s imagination.”

The month of May is a great time to be in New York if you are an arts fan. Coming our way are at least four, brand new outdoor exhibits for some wonderful new work by some major artists. Enjoy their stunning creations while soaking up some of nature’s greatest creations, the warm, springtime sunshine.  Along with the al-fresco displays are accompanying indoor exhibits which are related in style, theme or materials.

•    Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads– This is Ai Weiwei’s latest public installation, which can be said to be following the lead of ‘The Gates’ by Christo and ‘Waterfalls’ by Olafur Eliasson.  Weiwei was arrested last month by the Chinese government, so he will not be able to attend the opening , which will take place at the Pulitzer Fountain in Grand Army Plaza, (59th and Fifth adjacent to the Plaza Hotel.) The opening is scheduled for May 2, where you can see the installation, which was inspired by the fountain-clock of the Yuanming Yuan, which was an 18th century imperial retreat on the outskirts of Beijing.

•    I Had a Vision- This is the latest from Martin Kippenberger. Opening on May 7th at Luhring Augustine, this display is culled from shows in San Francisco in 1991 and another show in Vienna of the same year, and takes its name from the catalog that accompanied that San Francisco show.  You may see a dumpster full of broken paintings, or an abandoned tunnel, among other things.

•    Echo- this is by far the largest sculpture on display this month. Its reflective surface on a 44-foot-high fiberglass reinforced plastic bust is the work of the Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, and portrays the head and neck of a nine year old girl. You can see this amazing artwork beginning on May 5 at Madison Square Park, where it will rival the surrounding trees by its size.

Peter Yarrow

Peter Seeger

Take a walk down memory lane with some of the greatest performers of the folk genre this coming Friday at the Tarrytown Music Hall. Join Pete Seeger, 91, Peter Yarrow, 73, and Peter Yarrow, 80, for a concert which will benefit Mr. Seeger’s environmental protection group, the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

The three singers commented on the recent wave of protests from the Middle East to Wisconsin, saying they feel inspired by the enthusiasm of their younger relatives who will also join the old-timers on stage.

“I do have the feeling that the kind of energy we felt in the ’60s is in the air now,” Mr. Yarrow said. “That energy seems to be reigniting itself.”

At the end of February Mr. Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary fame, attended a rally with an estimated 100,000 union supporters in attendance in Madison, Wisconsin. The crowd was excited to hear the classic songs which he sang at labor rallies of the distant past, and he was more than happy to sing them.

“There is a tacit agreement between a performer and an audience,” he said. “And since I’m not ashamed of singing ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ or ‘If I Had a Hammer’ or even ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’ or ‘We Shall Overcome’ or whatever, I’m not unhappy about the songs that have become very popular.”

David Amram

For more information: Clearwater Generations: Pete Seeger, Peter Yarrow and More, 8 p.m., Friday, at Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main Street. Tickets: $48 to $250. Information: (914) 631-3390 or tarrytownmusichall.org.