Things to Do in Union City

The Sanskrit word “yogamaya” means potent inner power, or, in another translation, all-doing capability. The West 20th Street studio aims to guide its students toward this ideal not just through postures but also through spiritual teachings and melodic kirtan chants.

As for the physical practice, the instructors lead Vinyasa flow classes, which link breath to movement. The dynamic sequences increase strength and flexibility while developing a moving meditation, one in which students focus on nothing but monitoring the alignment of every movement. Though every level of class incorporates a range of asanas, such as standing poses and inversions, advanced sessions introduce deeper holds, centering breathing exercises, and yogic philosophy.

Regardless of the difficulty of the class, the instructors maintain a warm environment by dispensing advice, offering specific adjustments, and furrowing their brows when someone tells a sad story. New York magazine commented on the empowering benefits of this personalized guidance, claiming, "even beginners are pleasantly coaxed into positions more difficult than they might think they could accomplish."

Since 1999, Exotic Dance Central has been teaching dancers how to captivate an audience while suspended from a stainless steel pole. The studio offers exotic dance classes for all skill levels: professional dancers can hone their craft and incorporate exotic nuances and costumes, while beginners learn how to twirl down a pole for increased fitness and confidence during fire alarms. Exotic Dance Central also conducts stage performances with a dedicated troupe of dancers from across the globe.

Filling a need for a local space where artists share vision as well as physical area, Brooklyn Art Space houses much of the foundational equipment artists need to create their work without being forced to rent private studios. The loft offers many work-area options to its members such as a 4,000-square-foot shared studio space, semiprivate spaces, a gallery, and a writers’ room. Each member is granted open access to equipment such as tables, easels, drying racks, and slop sinks, and can come and go as they wish 24 hours a day.

Alongside the working studio, artists teach workshops including a diverse lineup of classes that range from traditional 2-D painting and drawing courses to sewing and mixed-media projects. Reflecting the space’s commitment to fostering a community of artists, the staff also holds frequent figure-drawing sessions, gallery shows, feedback forums, and an art-talk series.

Stepping into New World Stages is like stepping into a cultural retreat. Outside, Times Square bustles with international energy, but inside, away from the travelers and giant screens, an oasis of blue and yellow waits. From a lobby that speaks strongly of industrial architecture, five stages branch off to host Tony- and Pulitzer-winning performances as well as spectacles outside any expectation. Before or after each show, the Time Out New York lounge quenches thirst and conversational cravings with a full bar.

Presiding over the south side of the Lincoln Center's main plaza, the David H. Koch Theater is undergoing a 10-year renovation to keep it as stunning as the day it opened during the 1964 World's Fair. Even without restoration, the theater's 7,875-square-foot promenade creates a magnificent backdrop to the plaza's fountain—particularly at twilight, when the floors of inlaid travertine marble glow in golden harmony with 40-foot ceilings filigreed with gold leaf. Classical statuary bookends the lobby, and four balcony levels give visitors plenty of vantage points during intermission.

For decades, patrons of the New York City Ballet (and, until 2008, the New York City Opera) have ascended the spiral staircases and bathed in the light of the auditorium's spherical chandelier, the luminous center of the ceiling's ornate flower pattern. The David H. Koch Theater also plays host each year to a variety of local and international dance troupes, such as the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Shen Yun Performing Arts, and the Nederlands Dans Theater.

In 1931, aviation legends such as Howard Hughes and Amelia Earhart traversed the hallowed halls of Floyd Bennett Field, New York City's first municipal airport. Today, the same site harbors Aviator Sports & Events Center, which accommodates recreation in all of its forms, equipped with 20,000 square foot indoor field house, which includes newly resurfaced hardwood courts and new turf field, two outdoor synthetic-turf fields, and an outdoor space for events that can seat up to 4,000 people—the same number of people it takes to crack open a life-size Big Bird piñata. Twin NHL-regulation rinks host open-skate sessions, a majority of which are held on Rink B, every day of the week, with skates as late as 11 p.m. on weekends. Inside the center, Hammer Strength training equipment and Life Fitness cardio machines span the 5,000-square-foot fitness center, which offers exercise classes for all ages. Only youngsters enjoy summer or after-school camps, but adults and kids alike can take advantage of a roster of sports and leagues, including flag football and rock climbing, ideal for those looking to shorten morning commutes by cutting through the quarry.