Things to Do in Secaucus

At The Bloomfield School, instructors Kerrie Yeung and Melissa J. Tyson love the process of jewelry making as much as the intricate outcomes. With experience at home and abroad crafting and displaying their own work, they have amassed a grab bag of tips and techniques capable of invigorating a simple ring design or transforming a pocketful of beads and molten silver into an elegant pendant. Together, they use their skills to expand the jewelry-crafting community, hosting classes that instill an understanding of how to take a design from a wax idea to a metal reality. Yet they aren't interested in letting students walk away with only surface knowledge. Their intensive courses delve into the theory and collective know-how to create competent artisans capable of expanding on their projects in the future and re-creating their pieces without traveling back in time.

From the water, the fireworks seem close, as though you could open your mouth and catch the glittering cascades of light on your tongue. The humid night of July 4 envelops the Pink Lady as she bobs gracefully in the Hudson River, her passengers oohing and ahhing at the display unfolding in the starless sky above. Freedom Cruises’s seasoned captains and crews pilot yachts along fluvial highways during scenic cruises on holidays and sightseeing journeys throughout the week. The company’s roster of aquatic sojourns—including the comprehensive three-hour New York Harbor Sightseeing Cruise—enables guests to take in the city’s most iconic buildings from a unique perspective without holding a helicopter pilot’s collection of sunglasses the whole time. Yachts hosting the weekend Brunch on the Bay cruises leave the sounds of live DJs and popping champagne corks in their wake as they float past Coney Island, and groups of revelers can rent out the Pink Lady for private parties celebrating all manner of milestone.

Tourists and natives alike perch atop rental bikes from Blazing Saddles’ impressive fleet, pedaling down New York City's Greenway Bike Path and thoroughfares on adventures that combine exercise and sightseeing. Cyclists select from an array of comfort cruisers, 24-speed performance hybrids, and mountain bikes outfitted with the thick tread and front suspension necessary to support their riders and the mountain goats that often cling to them. Complimentary helmets and locks accompany each rental, along with detailed maps criss-crossed with routes for self-guided tours. Alternatively, three-hour guided tours of the Brooklyn Bridge area or Central Park give bikers a more structured touring experience.

The white walls, paper lanterns, and polished hardwood floors make up most of Studio Maya's austere space. During the week, lifelong dancer Maya Jocelyn hosts fitness classes for women and men, drawing on the conditioning techniques used by dancers and the modern science of sports medicine to draw up the blueprints of her own signature exercise routines. On weekends, when she's not sculpting bodies, she transforms the space into an artists' haven, inviting actors to rehearse, painters and photographers to exhibit their work, and mimes to overcome creative hurdles and learn to think outside the box.

When she isn’t busy knitting the kinds of garments that appear in collections by Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein, Berta Karapetyan shares her skills with fellow crafters at School Products Yarn. Located in an historic Manhattan yarn shop, the store stays true to its building’s past by stocking its shelves with a vast supply of yarns, needles, and woolly Civil War–era mutton chops.

The store’s ample fiber selection ranges from affordable wool blends to skeins of luxurious cashmere. Needles come in a variety of sizes, and a collection of handy tools and accessories keeps projects running along smoothly. Berta’s 15 years of industry experience serve her well when she’s advising purchases or overseeing students as they craft socks or snuggies for their pet anacondas during knitting classes.

Katra steeps revelers in a sleek ambiance inspired by its mantra of “Cocktails. Cuisine. Culture.” Moroccan influences drift from the menu of small dishes—including lamb tagines and merguez sausage—throughout the restaurant, from clutches of delicate tasseled lanterns to banquettes strewn with tiny pillows perfect for five-minute naps between entree and dessert. Cocktails made with Pama pomegranate liqueur and tropical fruits such as lychee and guava flow throughout both levels of the restaurant, from the cozy cabanas upstairs to the lower floor’s DJ booth and couches.