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Sights Central Park New York's not the urban jungle you may think... View website Just north of the Club, lies a sensational 843-acre patch of the great outdoors. It's as prefab as Manhattan's street grid: The arrangement of everything except the rocks was planned by man. Strawberry Fields (near the 72nd Street entrance), is where John Lennon is memorialized, fitting too as he lived in the nearby Dakota. Farther in is the Sheep Meadow. Hard to believe sheep actually grazed here until the '30s. Nowadays, you'll see kites, Frisbees or soccer balls whiz past, but most people are working on their tans and watching throngs of thong-wearing exhibitionists. Moving North, you'll come to The Mall - the site of a hot-hot-hot roller-disco rink (with not-to-be-missed costumes and acrobatics), in-line skating paths and volleyball courts. Just follow the soul satisfying R&B! Farther uptown is the the Great Lawn, a big patch of grass where concerts and other mega-events are held, and then The Reservoir, above 86th Street, which was renamed several years ago in honor of the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who used to jog around it. One of Central Park's hidden treasures is the Conservatory Gardens. The entrance (at 105th and Fifth Avenue) opens up to a grand Italian garden reminiscent of a Medici estate, and is flanked by a stunning floral display and a wild English-style garden (also known as "the Secret Garden" for the statues of Mary and Dicken-characters from the popular children's tale). Museums/Galleries Within two blocks of the club, there are two museums well worth strolling into: American Folk Art Museum 45 W 53rd St, between 5th and 6th Avenue (212) 265-1040 View website $9; free Fridays 6pm-8pm Tue-Thu 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm Besides the permanent collection, the museum is showcasing Drawn Home: Fritz Vogt's Rural America, a chronological presentation of architectural portraits by a 19th-century homeless man from Germany. Also, don't miss the museum shop next door! The shop's buyer is known to scour the country to bring genuine contemporary folk art back to us urbanites. You may find some great gifts for under $30. Museum of Television and Radio 25 West 52nd Street, between 5th and 6th Avenue (212) 307-7171 View website $10 This is a unique museum! Two temporary exhibits worth seeing: The Trial of the Century - For those interested in history, the museum is showcasing newly discovered radio transcripts that shed light on the tragic Lindbergh kidnapping (and the 1930's U.S. judicial system). Tue-Wed 12pm-6pm, Thu 12pm-8pm, Fri Sun 12pm-6pm Blast from Your Past: What Gen X Watched, 1969-1985 - salutes the television-defined childhood of Generation Xers with clips from TV shows and commercials from the creatively vibrant years before The Bachelor became the programming standard. Tue-Sun 12:30pm, 3pm If you have more time, here are New York's other best bets for Museums and Galleries: Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 Fifth Ave at 82nd St 212-535-7710 View website It could take days, even weeks, to cover the Met's 1.5 million square feet of exhibition space, so try to be selective. Egyptology fans should head straight for the Temple of Dendur. There's an excellent Islamic art collection, along with more than 3,000 European paintings, including major works by Brueghel, Goya, Manet, Rembrandt, Tiepolo and Vermeer (five of them, including Young Woman with a Water Jug). The Greek and Roman halls have received an exquisite face-lift, and the museum has also been adding to its galleries of 20th-century painting. One of the exhibits I'm looking forward to catching is "Celebrating Saint Petersburg" (good thing it's on until January). We recommend the roof garden, stop and have a sandwich or drink, while taking in the panorama of Central Park and the Lichtenstein sculptures on display through November. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum 1071 Fifth Ave at 89th St 212-423-3500 View website Even if you don't want to pay to see the collection inside, visit this uptown museum to admire the white building coiled among the 19th-century mansions on Fifth Avenue. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Guggenheim is itself a stunning piece of art. In addition to the "traditional" Impressionists, the museum owns Peggy Guggenheim's trove of Cubist, Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist works and a collection of American Minimalist and Conceptual art from the 1960s and '70s. A new adjoining ten-story tower has a sculpture gallery with views of Central Park, and a café. If you can steal out of work early enough, escape to Sarabeth's for afternoon tea - complete with finger sandwiches. This charming spot feels just like the parlor room of a B&B in Amagansett. Sarabeth's, 1295 Madison Ave., between 92nd and 93rd Sts, 212-410-7335. American Museum of Natural History Central Park West at 79th Street 212-769-5100 View website $12 Holden Caulfield reported in "The Catcher in the Rye" that he loved this huge, hushed museum because "everything always stayed right where it was." But over the last several years, the museum, the largest of its kind in the world, has actually moved a lot of things around. In 2000, the museum opened the new Rose Center for Earth and Space, which encloses the rebuilt Hayden Planetarium, now the most technologically advanced planetarium in the world. One of the current shows is "The Search for Life: Are We Alone?" narrated by Harrison Ford (for tickets: 212-769-5200). The Rose Center includes a recreation of the birth of the universe in the Big Bang Theater, and a dazzling variety of exhibits relating to Mother Earth and outer space. If you get tired of flash, the museum still has many reliable standbys to remind you of its origins. There's Akeley Hall, with its silent herds of stuffed elephants; the famous Star of India sapphire, the world's largest; and the 94-foot model of the Blue Whale, in whose shadow you might want to enjoy a smoked salmon sandwich in the Ocean Life Food Court. Chelsea Art walk The area of west Chelsea, from 21st to 24th streets, between 10th and 11th Avenue, is a growing landscape of modern galleries. Highlights include checking out the roof of the DIA Center (23rd at 11th Avenue) and the wild architecture of the Commes des Garcons clothing shop (23rd street). After working your feet across hundreds of square feet of art, relax and chill beside the tranquil pond in the exquisite Wild Lilly Tea Room on the North side of 23rd street, just east of 10th Avenue. Movies/Theatre There are two great movie theatres close to the Club. The Ziegfeld (141 W. 54th St. @ 6th Ave. 212-777-3456 #602) and Paris (4 W. 58th St @ 5th Ave. 212-688-3800). If you prefer a multi-screen, modern theatre or more main-stream movies, head to Times Square. There are numerous theatres along Broadway and 42nd Street. If you want theatre tickets to the season's hottest shows, like Hairspray, you need to book tickets months in advance, or through an expensive ticket broker. Alternatively, you can take your chances and drop by the TKTS office (corner of Broadway and 47th Street). They sell discount same-day tickets 3-8PM (Sat 10-2, Sun 11-7); cash/traveler's checks only. Public Library New York Public Library Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street (212) 869-8089 View website Free A beautiful library - you can take an organized tour or just stroll around. There's an interesting exhibit on as well - "New York Eats Out" - curated by New York Times restaurant critic, displaying historic menus along with photographs and magazine covers that follow the rise of restaurant culture in New York City.

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