Looking for a music class for your little one that you can also enjoy? Most of the options out there are far too noisy and cutesy for parental tastes, but no one ever wants to deprive their child of the potential enrichment. Now you have your answer:

Songs for Seeds is a series of 45-minute classes ($561 and up for sixteen weeks) which are led by a three-piece band that every adult can enjoy. Each week, kids are introduced to the music of a different country or culture. They always get the chance to do Kid-Karaoke as well, to help develop their self-confidence and their own unique style.

For more info Contact Apple Seeds: 212-792-7590

For those wishing to be near the big city but not pay those Manhattan island prices, Brooklyn represents an attractive option. The catch is: there are only two major hotels in Brooklyn (so far – some major players, including the Sheraton, are reportedly getting into the Brooklyn business), so your choices are limited.

The first is The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, the only full-service hotel in the borough, which is located just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. Its location means that you can either walk the 30 minutes across to Manhattan or take one of the four subway lines on the hotel’s doorstep. Plus, if you choose well among the hotel’s 659 rooms and suits, you can have that skyline view that reminds you that Manhattan is right across the water. The hotel is very “corporate,” however, without much unique style. The opposite is true of your second option: Brooklyn’s first true boutique hotel, the Nu Hotel, which opened in 2008. Its Smith Street view of the high-rise city jail is not too pretty, but this artsy hotel provides enough style to compensate for an unsightly outdoor views. The hotel offers custom-made beds, and even hammocks in a few of the suites, as well as local photography and quotes from famous Brooklynites. There is a bar at night as well as lots to eat at Smith Street’s many dining spots.

Both tourists and natives alike are flocking to the musical hit, “Wicked.” The Broadway show, based on the classic story of The Wizard of Oz, is a kid-friendly musical spectacle that was the winner of three 2004 Tony Awards. The 2-hour and forty-five-minute show features a wonderfully imaginative story by Gregory Maguire and a harmonic score by Stephen Schwartz. With all that plus real flying monkeys, Wicked has something for every member of the family to enjoy.

You can also get tickets to Wicked’s “Behind the Emerald Curtain Tour,” which runs every Saturday morning at 10:00 am at the Gershwin Theater. Tickets to the show are not required for the tour.

American Airlines and American Eagle have once again joined forces with NYC & Company, New York City’s official marketing, tourism and partnership organization, to launch a seven-day airfare sale between New York City and 30 North American cities, including Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Fares start at $49 each way for flights from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, based on round-trip purchase.

“The sights and sounds of New York City bring in visitors from all over the world,” said Art Torno, American Airlines Vice President – New York. “NYC & Company and American share the goal of increasing the number of travelers to New York. With low fares from popular North American cities, travel to New York has never been more affordable.”

“We are proud to once again partner with American Airlines to provide visitors to New York City with incredible value offers this winter,” said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. “By working with American Airlines, we are making it easier and more affordable than ever to travel to New York City. This combined with a range of savings and promotions through our Get More NYC Winter campaign, there is no better time to visit. Winter Restaurant Week, the first-ever Broadway Week and our On The House two-for-one Off Broadway ticket promotion are just samplings of what visitors can experience and enjoy this winter.”

You may not think of Brooklyn as a cultural capital. But in fact, the borough south of Manhattan has many delightful cultural attractions, often with fewer crowds and lower prices than their counterparts across the bridge.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music, or BAM as it is usually known, is a flourishing urban arts center that offers a wide-ranging repertoire of theater, opera, dance, music, literature, film, and the visual arts to Brooklyn. BAM’s current programming can be seen on their website: www.bam.org

Celebrities are both buying and selling real estate in New York City right now, with reports that Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford is selling his penthouse in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood and TV star Sarah Jessica Parker has just bought a townhouse on Central Park West.

Harrison Ford, who also owns houses in LA and Wyoming, has put his home, which has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms, and 360 degree views of New York City, up for sale for $16 million. Parker and husband Matthew Broderick, along with their children, are moving from their current home in Manhattan’s West Village to their new $21 million-residence, an establishment with eight bedrooms and ten bathrooms that is the former home of philanthropist Laurie Tisch.

Winter Restaurant Week will be returning to New York City this winter, during the two weeks of January 24th to February 6th. This is the nineteenth year in which Restaurant Week will take place – and the prices will remain the same as they have since 2006: A three-course fixed-price lunch will cost $24.07 and dinner will cost just $35.

Over 200 restaurants, ranging from A Voce on Madison Avenue to Zengo on Third Avenue, participated in last year’s Restaurant Week. Stay tuned for this year’s participants, to be publicized soon.

Over 45.6 million tourists visited NYC last year, as they do nearly every year. These nearly-fifty-million people that arrive annually in the Big Apple range from the backpacking students looking for a cost-efficient youth hostel to high-end business people and luxury tourists seeking a place to stay that meets their need for pampering and amenities.

The Setai Fifth Avenue, which opened in Manhattan last month, is a fitting new member of the city’s family of luxury hotels. Located in Midtown Manhattan, at 400 Fifth Avenue, the Setai is conveniently situated just two blocks from the Empire State Building, three blocks from Bryant Park and the New York Public Library, and six blocks from the Broadway Theater District.

The hotel features a full-service Auriga spa, a state-of-the-art fitness center, the Ai Fiori Italian Mediterranean restaurant, 24-hour room service and the Bar on 5th. Each room provides a city view, an espresso maker, LCD TV, iPod doc, complimentary wireless Internet and designer bath amenities.

This new addition to the Manhattan luxury hotel scene can be viewed at the hotel’s website:
www.setaififthavenue.com

There’s lots to do in New York City – and much of it is free. Here are a few of my favorites:

Walk down the streets of Fifth Avenue or down 57th Street and check out the store windows. Sit outside in the new promenade near Macy’s at 34th Street and “people watch” for a while.
Go down to the Times Square subway station at rush hour and enjoy the musical events, or watch the break dancing at Grand Central.

Relive your childhood at FAO Schwartz, at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street, hugging huge stuffed animals and dancing on giant piano keys. Then cross over to Central Park and walk through the verdant greenery, inhaling the fresh air and admiring the caricature artists. Keep going till you reach the reservoir. Faced with the peaceful scene in front of you, you won’t believe that the bustle and excitement of Manhattan is right around you.

Just sit down, take a deep breath, relax and enjoy.

It’s the first of December here in New York City, and there’s no better month to enjoy all that the city has to offer. While the weather is cold – an average high of 44°F and love of 32°F – you can still bundle up in a warm winter jacket and walk the streets of the city. One of the most celebrated elements of Manhattan during December are the Holiday Window Displays. In an annual tradition, famous department stores, including Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, and Barneys, create breathtaking scenes in their shop windows for all to see and enjoy. Our recommendations are:

Macy’s: Located on 34th Street, Macy’s puts up scenes from Miracle on 34th Street, as well a second set of windows with a theme that varies each year.

Lord & Taylor: Moving up to 40th and 5th Avenue, the Lord & Taylor windows depict classic holiday themes, including fairytale and wondrous winter scenes.

Saks Fifth Avenue: These are a particularly good choice for children, as the windows usually use animated depictions of a season children’s book. Saks is also located right across from Rockefeller Center, another good December site.

Barneys New York: Head on over to Madison Avenue to check the hip and humorous windows set up at Barneys.

Bergdorf Goodman: As befits this sophisticated seller of high couture, the windows of Bergorf Goodman feature genuine antiques and elegant design.