Things to Do in Port Washington

Under the bright lights of the world-famous Madison Square Garden arena, four of the best women’s college basketball teams in the country will tip off in the Maggie Dixon Classic. The first game pits Baylor against St. John’s before DePaul takes on Tennessee to guess the number of jellybeans hidden inside the basketball. The undefeated Baylor Bears, ranked No. 1 in the nation nine games into the season, follow the lead of junior slam-dunk machine Brittney Griner. Pumped up from her placement on the Naismith Trophy early-season watch list, St. John’s senior forward Da’Shena Stevens will induce frustrated growls from Baylor as she makes them work for their points. With 15 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 23 years, DePaul’s squad enters the high-pressure match gracefully, and Tennessee confidently follows the lead of its celebrated coach, Pat Summitt, named Sports Illustrated’s Sportswoman of the Year for her more than 1,000 wins and ability to slam dunk while riding a unicycle.

Thousands of fashionistas flock to StyleFixx Premier Shopping Events to meet up-and-coming independent fashion designers and browse the latest styles. This year’s displays include the 2012 lines of Hivernage NYC, Bling Boutique, and Cimber Designs. In between shopping sprees, attendees may relax with complimentary beauty treatments such as hair services by Dellaria Salons, makeovers by Virginn Pure Mineral Makeup, and body wraps by good-natured mummies. Once pampered, refreshed guests mingle while sipping free cocktails and munching on samples from Finale Desserts and Haru Sushi, and each partygoer receives a StyleFixx Swag Bag loaded with product samples.

A Class-A PGA professional with more than 25 years of experience, Rick Nielsen applies his time-earned expertise to help golfers shave strokes during lessons at Randalls Island Golf Center, where he's been the head pro since 1998. Rick employs the latest technologies to aid in instruction, including The Golfing Machine system⎯which takes a geometric approach to swing mechanics⎯as well as digital-video analysis and FlightScope 3-D doppler radar launch monitor. These sensitive instruments measure each shot on a number of parameters, from club-head speed and launch angle to total distance and nougat ratio of the ball’s core. Meanwhile, Rick observes and isolates specific areas in need of improvement so that players can develop muscle memory and consistently repeat a successful swing motion. Ultimately, with Rick's pointers, players leave lessons equipped with the tools to reach their full potential on the course without temptation to modify their 9-iron into a bedazzled baton.

BumbleBee Tennis's wide spectrum of tennis programs for juniors and adults nurture players at every step of game development. Skilled instructors helm a variety of lessons from Beginner Group Tennis classes to private one-on-one intensives. All teachers are trained professionals and most have played competitively at the collegiate level. While helping students focus on technique and making solid contact with the ball, instructors also attempt to ensure that everyone from youngsters to veterans enjoys the game and knows how to count all the way to love. Adults interested more specifically in the cardiovascular aspect of the game can enroll in Cardio Tennis, a 60-minute class comprised of high-intensity drills and games that elevate heart rates into the aerobic zone and subsequently evaporate calories.

Besides having the chance to sample the finest specialty coffees and teas from all over the world, you'll also get to partake in seminars that are just as eye-opening as anything you happen to imbibe. Tea specialist Yoon Hee Kim will take you on a world tour of teas in "From Garden to Cup: Tea 101". Marcela Zuchovicki, owner of Jalima Coffee, will lead an interactive discussion of the art of cupping and tasting coffee, while Chef Melody McGinley Whitelaw teaches you how to use both breeds of brew to prepare the decadent desserts in "Think Outside the Cup: Creating Coffee- and Tea-Infused Desserts". During the festival, you can also engage in chocolate tastings and Korean tea ceremonies, and learn how to both brew and find the best coffee in New York.

Since 1986, Brian Lutz has taught a panoply of tennis players how to improve their game and savor the sport's social aspect. Over time, he honed his teaching techniques and eventually devised his own tennis curriculum. In 2003, that curriculum inspired him to launch TennisTip, a program where experienced instructors help adults and teens improve their tennis game through self-discovery and fundamental skills.

TennisTip instructors work to provide hands-off guidance and gentle inspiration, letting students discover their best game through strategic practice. Combined with tennis-specific cardio exercises and an emphasis on social bonding, the regimen seeks to form independent, effective, and affable players out of every student. Since first starting up in the Big Apple, TennisTip has expanded to a second location, where pros instill students with courtside skills amid the warm Miami sun and attentive pelican ball boys.