Things to Do in Manhattan

On the Statue & Skyline cruise, you'll step aboard the Manhattan, Classic Harbor Line's 1920s-style commuter yacht, and set sail for a 90-minute cruise past Battery Park, the Financial District, Governor's Island, and the Statue of Liberty, as well as parts of Queens and Brooklyn, including the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges. You'll get a 360-degree view of New York's magnificent architecture from the ship's cozy, enclosed back-deck observatory.

Take a floral safari through 39 acres of eclectic gardens on Queens Botanical Garden's map. Stop to smell the sweet, sweet honey in the bee garden, or hold hands in the beauteous meadow. To further blossom your budding brain, swing by Saturday or Sunday at 12:30 p.m. for the free, first-come, first-served 90-minute garden or building tour. Likewise, you can also enjoy specially scheduled events such as the upcoming MillionTreesNYC tree-care workshops; the workshops held on various dates will detail a citywide program aimed at planting and caring for one million new trees in the next decade (free for members). Other events include dance performances and, on June 20, a tribute class to the tree's greatest gift since sliced paper: origami (free for members).

Artist Peter McGouran opened his screenprinting studio and school to fulfill his passion for creating 2-D images layered with emotion, nuance, and color unattainable by computers. Featured on BushwickBK, the artist has worked with Alternative Apparel, American Apparel, Fruit of the Loom, and Hanes to emblazon fashion with artful images and exuberant hues. The pro teaches workshops for learners from beginner to advanced, infusing them with an enthusiasm for the eclectic art form via increasingly complex lessons, hands-on art projects, and freeze-frame group high-fives at the end of every class.

In 1929, three highly regarded patrons of the arts joined forces to found an institution that would break away from the conservative archetype of an art museum. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Lillie P. Bliss, and Mary Quinn Sullivan could hardly have guessed that their mutual brainchild—The Museum of Modern Art, or MoMa—would someday transform into an archetype all its own. The museum’s original director, Alfred H. Barr Jr., moved to create the first-ever multidepartmental structure, with various departments devoted to architecture and design, film and video, and photography. These were in addition to the standard painting, sculpture, and visual-arts exhibits found in nearly every other museum to date. The public's response was overwhelmingly positive. After outgrowing two spaces, MoMA moved to its Midtown location, where it stands to this day. MoMA's initial gift of eight prints and one drawing has exploded to encompass a collection of more than 150,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photos, and design pieces. This collection continues to offer a wide-angle view into modern art and has spilled over into a massive library that houses more than 300,000 volumes. Every day, art lovers from around the world make their way through the museum’s structure, stopping at galleries that house iconic works by Picasso, Bourgeois, Warhol, Rauschenberg, and others. A constant influx of exhibitions keeps MoMA's many walls alive in the spirit of its progressive founders.

Over the past 140 years, boating around The Lake in Central Park has transformed from a popular pastime to an enduring tradition. In 1872, a small Victorian-style structure was built to meet the need for housing the boats. Replaced in 1924 by a rustic wooden structure that remains largely mysterious to historians, by the 1950s, the boathouse was in dire need of repair. It was then that investment banker and philanthropist Carl M. Loeb and his wife contributed a sizeable donation to help create The Loeb Boathouse. The structure, officially opened in March of 1954, still stands and today it houses the famous New York landmark, Lakeside Restaurant, immortalized in When Harry Met Sally. The Boathouse, of course, still rents out rowboats during the warmer months, and has also recently begun offering bicycles for cruising about Central Park.