New York City Upper West Side

Lincoln Center, Columbus Ave., between 62nd and 66th St. (www.lincolncenter.org), Across 65th St. is the Juilliard School, notable for both its prestige and its prevalence in pop culture. No other performing arts school can boast such distinguished real and imaginary alumni, from Robin Williams to Laura Linney, Julia Stiles in Save the Last Dance to the kids of High School Musical 3. The newly designed, space-agey-yet-intimate Alice Tully Hall features Juilliard performances and serves as home to the ever innovative Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Behind Juilliard is the Samuel B. and David Rose Building, where the Walter E. Reade Theater screens foreign movies and artsy film festivals. Info booth in Rubenstein Atrium. $15, students and seniors $12, under 12 $8. Times for tours of theaters and galleries posted every M. Tours are approximately 1¼ hr. and leave from the Rubenstein Atrium. Juilliard Tours are free and leave from the admissions office (on the second floor) M-Th at 11:45am. Call Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
American Museum of Natural History, Central Park W., between 77th and 81st St. (www.amnh.org), Both science fanatics and the rest of us will find something to astonish and excite the nerdy child within among the enormous dinosaur skeletons, priceless jewels, and artifacts from cultures around the world that fill this treasure trove of curiosities. It wouldn't be a visit to the Museum of Natural History without a trip to the T dinosaur halls to see the T. Rex, triceratops, and brontosaurus (the world's largest free-standing dinosaur!) skeletons. Everything you see in this hall is a real fossil, not a plaster imitation. The Halls of Vertebrate Origins display the largest, most diverse display of vertebrate fossils in the world, including a huge “family tree” of vertebrates dating from up to 500 million years ago. The lower levels contain the halls of African mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and primates, as well as halls dedicated to various world cultures. Among the Polynesian statues and costumes in the Margaret Mead Hall of Pacific People Suggested donation $16, students and seniors $12, children $9; admission with IMAX film, space show, or special exhibition $24, students and seniors $18, children $14; all-inclusive admission $32, students and seniors $24.50, children $20. Open daily 10am-5:45pm, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Free tours with admission at 10:15, 11:15am, 12:15, 1:15, 2:15, and 3:15pm; meet at entrance to Akeley Hall of African Mammals. Free audio tours at the Rose Center on the lower level. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
New York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West at 77th St. (www.nyhistory.org), At the New York Historical Society, history isn't just Civil War mementos and Tiffany lampshades. In addition to the permanent collection housed on the fourth floor, the society hosts a number of non-traditional, slightly off-beat exhibitions (the 2010 season included an entire show dedicated to the Grateful Dead). The society also offers a series of “Distinguished Speaker” lectures, featuring the likes of Stephen Breyer and E. L. Doctorow. $9; seniors, educators, military $9; children under 12 free. Distinguished speaker series, $20 per event. Tu-F noon-8pm, Sa 10am-6pm, Su 11am-5:45pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Trump International Hotel and Time Warner Center, 59th St., Columbus Circle If you're reading this guide, you probably can't afford a room at the Trump International Hotel and Tower. They range from a mere $950 per night to a heftier $3,200. You can still admire the imposing 52-story building from below before heading across the street to the Time Warner Center, the home of a power-pack of business offices, condos, restaurants, and shops, as well as a hotel, Jazz at Lincoln Center venue, and the Time Warner World Headquarters. A Whole Foods Market inhabits the basement, should the mood to do some grocery shopping strike you. Trump Hotel: Time Warner Center shops open M-Sa 10am-9pm, Su 11am-7pm. Wheelchair access.