Things to Do in Coney Island

Most painters don't have a body count on their website. Danny Setiawan is the exception—he’s artfully slathering 292 people with paint in 2012. He's been painting traditionally since he was a child in Indonesia, but after graduating from Parsons The New School For Design in New York, he shifted his brush from synthetic to living canvases, layering participants’ skin with lush koi fish, patterns, and re-creations of famous masterpieces. As he told The Today Show, Setiawan became a body painter to imbue his artwork with more relevancy. "You cannot ignore a piece of art if it's painted on a human body," he said, echoing the sentiments Da Vinci expressed when Da Vinci added a miniature Mona Lisa to the forehead of the Mona Lisa.

Since he began filling his portfolio with body paintings, Setiawan's work has been far from ignored. In addition to visiting with Kathie Lee and Hoda, DenArt Studio has been recognized by Last Call with Carson Daly, as well as American Airlines, American Express, and Stoli. Many of his clients are not only attracted to the studio's colorful portfolio but also by its unique services. Guests can commission an artist to paint them clothed or unclothed as individuals or couples, expectant moms can opt for a maternity body-art session, and Halloween celebrants can enlist the studio's help bringing their costumes to life with body paint. At the onsite photo studio a photographer captures the resulting images in dramatic detail. Attendants can also paint each other at a casual Art on Live Canvas workshop, and ambitious artists looking to become the next Danny Setiawan can enroll in a body-painting or makeup course.

Two people step off a nearly 30-foot scaffolding. If this were a television show, an authoritative voice would sound the warning, "Do not try this home." But this isn't a television show. This is Hollywood Stunts NYC, an operation helmed by stunt professionals who teach students how to safely and believably pull off gasp-inducing spectacles for film, television, stage, and theme park audiences.

Inside a 4,000-square-foot facility that rises to 40-foot ceilings, experienced stuntmen and staged-violence choreographers run training programs ranging from weekly classes to three-week intensives. Beneath instructor supervision, students learn the art of leaping, tumbling, falling, and fire stunts through using apparatus such as trampolines, air rams, and flying harnesses. The training facility also spans greenscreen and bluescreen studios. And since New York possesses one of the world's most vibrant production scenes, teachers place emphasis on industry etiquette so students know the right way to throw a chair at agents, casting directors, and stunt coordinators. Beyond training burgeoning stunt professionals, Hollywood Stunts NYC's team stages kids' birthday parties, as well as rents its facilities and equipment for production work.

Tom Paladino, owner of the 95-foot American Princess, steers passengers over the Atlantic Ocean's scenic waters on many noted tours that leave the city's commotion behind, including his seal-and-bird-watching tour that earned a New Yorker mention. Staffed by a team of experienced captains on its luxury boats, American Princess Cruises' excursions encompass a variety of sightseeing, fishing, and partying opportunities. The company's many voyages ferry passengers past scenic areas that include New York Harbor, Jamaica Bay, Long Island Sound, or the Statue Of Liberty as she readies her torch for that night's show at Madison Square Garden. Within these geographic areas, passengers cruise on tours during which it's common to spot whales and dolphins cresting the sea's surface, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, or take in the area's flame-colored leaves in autumn.

Green walls surround students as they breathe deeply while moving through yoga poses in a heated studio. Atop sleek hardwood floors, instructors lead 90-minute classes designed to improve their students’ posture, balance, and concentration. Hot-yoga classes preheat muscles to prevent injuries caused by stretching, help bodies detox by increasing sweat production, and restore athletes energy so they are more likely to be compared to battery-powered bunny drummers.

EscapeMaker.com facilitates transit-friendly and sustainable excursions within 500 miles of New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, or DC with their online guide to the northeast United States. The staff reviews towns and plunges deep into popular regions to unearth the most compelling and budget-balancing activities around as well as intriguing sights. An EscapeMaker feature aids trip planning by custom aggregating each step of the trip into one handy document, ensuring that sojourners always have helpful info on hand, such as phone numbers, directions, and translations of campfire songs in local languages. In addition to their stalwart guidance, EscapeMaker.com also hosts weekly specials from bed and breakfasts, hotels, and other travel enterprises.