Kelli Toh50537

THE BEST OF THE BEST

• The best bar, the best bathroom, the best bus line, the best block party, the best back-crack, the best Brooklyn hipster haircuts, the best gossip, the best magazine browsing, the best patriot outlaws...Does it get any better? THE VILLAGE VOICE Best of NYC www.villiagevoice.com
• Best Way To Find Whatever It Is That You're Looking For: www.CITYSEARCH.COM helps you find bars, restaurants, shops, and museums all the time.

CUPPA COFFEE

• JACK'S COFFEE Jack is no ordinary coffee shop. Stir brewed coffee, premium teas, live music on Tuesday, and Thursday night movies. Great Vibe. 138 W 10th St.
• The Village Voice has named MUD 'The Best Coffee Empire', giving NYC residents an alternative to the (Star-$$$'s) takeover. Look for the orange truck at Astor Place and Union Square.
• THE HUNGARIAN PASTRY SHOP - A heavenly view of The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Amsterdam & 109th Street.
• THE CUPCAKE CAFE is close to Broadway and the fabulous 42nd Street area where there are movies, arcade games, and a wonderful cluster of import shops. It is just behind the New York, New Jersey Port Authority in an area where you might not think to stroll. Located at 522 9th Avenue on the corner of 39th Street, the nearby highway leads to the Lincoln Tunnel.
• HOUSING WORKS USED BOOKS AND CAFE-'Soho's Best kept secret'- 126 Crosby Street, NYC 10012.

HAVE MORE FUN

• ST. ANN'S WAREHOUSE - Aritists, audiences, volunteers, creative freedom and some of the best perfomances in the outward bound of entertainment. 38 Water Street Dumbobrooklyn.
• GALAPAGOS 'may be the only public place in town where (while imbibing) you can hear a reading of Shakespeare's Tempest, shimmy to live Cuban music and see trapeze artists all in the same month.' 70 North 6th St. (Williamsburg/ Greenpoint) Between Wythe and Kent Aves. Take L train to Brooklyn 718-782-5188
• POETRY SLAM With poetry or prose, untried and unstoppable writers gain stage worthy experience. NUYORICAN POETS CAFE - 236 E 3rd between B & C (212) 505-8183
• THE BOWERY POETRY CLUB - 308 Foot of First Street between Houston & Bleecker
• FILM FORUM- 209 W. HOUSTON ST. N.Y., NY 10014 BOX OFFICE: (212) 727-8110 New York's leading movie house for independent premieres and repertory programming -- The Film Forum presents independent filmmakers, international collections, complete retrospectives of worthy filmmakers, silent films, and mini-festivals.
• LEISURE TIME BOWLING CENTER AND COCKTAIL LOUNGE AT THE PORT AUTHORITY - Between Eighth and Ninth Ave from 40th to 42nd Streets, 268-6909 Electronic scoring! Lotsa Lanes.
• THE MERMAID PARADE -is a completely original creation that is the nation's largest art parade and one of New York City's greatest summer events located on CONEY ISLAND where streets, buildings, public beach and boardwalk may be a bit down at the heels, but it remains a one-of-a-kind destination. Vicinity of Surf Avenue & West 15th Street, Brooklyn, NY www.coneyisland.com
• The STORY BOOTH is a soundproof environment where you can record your story or the stories of your loved ones located between Track 13 and 14 of Grand Central Terminal.
• THE LIVING ROOM --The indie best for accoustic folk, country, pop, rock and soul--154 Ludlow Street NYC (between Stanton and Rivington)

LISTEN UP

• WNYC National Public Radio 820-AM
• WFMU College Free Form 91.1- FM
• WFUV-FM Adult Alternative 90.7

PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER WHEN THEY ARE LEARNING

• WARD STUDIO- a coveted acting studio in the Miesner Approach. Offering summer sabbaticals for the corporate professional and intensive acting training for the serious minded actor. 145 West 28th St. Ny, Ny 212-239-1456 www.wardstudio.com
• DANCE THEATRE WORKSHOP @ 219 West 19th St. is about supporting and advancing the work of artists - constantly evolving to sustain artists at every stage of their development. They provide a wide range of administrative, promotional and technical services to the community of independent artists in New York, across the country and around the world.
• THE INSTITUTE OF CULINARY EDUCATION was named Avocational Cooking School of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. ICE has three divisions: Recreational, Career and Special Events: 50 West 23rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues www.iceculinary.com
• ANNE BOGART AND SITI TRAINING -- Disinct, challenging and innovative methods of actor training. Viewpoints & Suzuki, Master Classes- Guest Artist Series, Drop-in Classes. www.siti.org
• CRUSH WINE CO. -153 E. 57th St. offers a quick wine tasting primer for $50.

GREAT PUBLIC SPACES

• PALEY PARK @ 53rd Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues. Located within Midtown's cultural district and surrounded by high-rises, this celebrated "vest-pocket" park is a welcome respite from the sights and sounds of urban living.

• NY PUBLIC LIBRARY @ 42nd street and Madison boasts a gorgeous reading room that would make anyone feel like royalty - indeed, it rivals the ballrooms of European palaces. But out in front, along the street, is where this illustrious institution truly connects with the city around it. A series of well-linked spaces - steps, plazas, little nooks and pathways - provide innumerable places for sitting, meeting, eating and chatting.
• BRYANT PARK a green and sensual urban oasis including "Seventh on Sixth" fashion shows; the JVC Jazz Festival; the "New York Times Young Performers Series"; lunchtime concerts by Juilliard students; Monday night movies in the summer; the Kaleidoscope Circus; boules and chess games.
• HUA MEI BIRD GARDEN Community garden that hosts daily, early-morning gatherings of Chinese men who bring beautiful songbirds in fancy bamboo cages. Sara Delano Roosevelt Park. Lower East Side, New York, NY
• GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL-- One of the most well known and impressive indoor public spaces in the country, Grand Central Terminal provides an unparalleled experience to over half a million people every day. Park Avenue and 42nd Street, New York City, NY
• METROPOLITIAN MUSEUM STEPS - The grand, granite steps leading to The Metropolitan Museum of Art are a destination themselves: a place to meet, eat, talk, and watch both people and Fifth Avenue traffic. Fifth Avenue from 80th - 84th Streets, New York, NY

IN PRAISE OF THE LOCAL BOOKSTORE

-- Owning a bookstore is a labor of love, and the financial rewards are slender. Independently owned businesses, like bookstores or drugstores or hardware stores, help define a community.

• " Oh joy! Oh Rapture!" COLISEUM BOOKS-- WELCOME BACK!! 11 W. 42nd Street New York, NY Phone: (212) 803-5890. Across the street from BRYANT PARK
• LABYRINTH BOOKS - 536 West 112th Street, for university presses.
• ST. MARKS BOOKS - 31 Third Avenue, for a wide selection of all books.
• THREE LIVES AND CO 154 West 10th Street, for fiction.
• THE DRAMA BOOK SHOP--Drama Books is one of the largest book stores specializing in theatre related material. 250 W. 40th St Phone: (212) 944-0595

SMALL BUSINESSES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

• A beautifully made hat is a headturner. BARBAR FEINMAN MILLINERY- 66 East 7th Street NY, NY 212-358-7092.
• Wahoo! Elisa Miller knows how to throw a class act Swank! SOMEDAY PRODUCTIONS handles all aspects of party and event planning-- 347-432-8949 www.somedayproductions.com
• GO YOGA Located in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A small, friendly Yoga Center offering a variety of classes all day - every day. Go Yoga is located within the Girdle factory at: 218 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn NY. 718.486.5602 www.goyoga.com

TO MARKET WE GO

• GREENMARKET FARMERS MARKET a program of the Council on the Environment of NYC, promoting regional agriculture and ensures a continuing supply of fresh, local produce for New Yorkers. Comprehensive regulations govern what may be sold at a Greenmarket. With few exceptions, all items must be grown, raised, foraged, caught, or otherwise produced by the seller. www.cenyc.org
• CHELSEA MARKET includes The Juice Factory, Amy's Bread, Chelsea Wholesale Flower Market, Fat Witch, Chelsea Wine Vault, Hale and Hearty Soups and lots more.... Eat, browse and leisurely stroll. 75 9th Avenue New York, NY 10011
• UNION SQUARE PARK AND GREEN MARKET- Three-square-block urban park that hosts a year-round, open-air farmers market four times a week. 14th Street and Broadway, New York, NY

Janice Hoffmann is CEO and founder of Success Is Sweetest http://successissweetest.com/ - A New York City based Career and Lifestyle Coaching Boutique.