Things to Do in Westfield

Even though it’s been lauded by CBS New York, Time Out New York Kids, and Nickelodeon Parents Connect, ABC Do-Re-Me! most values praise from its students. At each energetic studio, newborns to 6-year-olds ecstatically bounce along to children’s songs from a live guitarist or to tunes by pop artists such as the Beatles, the Black Eyed Peas, and Madonna, as they build cognitive skills, develop socially, and create dance routines that will wow at baby prom.

Leading more than 30 bike tours across the nation, the cycling enthusiasts at Bike and Roll fuel a passion for healthy, eco-friendly transportation via guided tours and self-guided rides atop rental bikes. Their fleet of two-wheelers stakes a claim to Trek bicycles—the same brand that propelled Lance Armstrong to victory—and other recreation, transportation, road, and children's bikes. Riders can pedal behind a guide during the Ride 'Round Manhattan tour, which circles the Statue of Liberty and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial before cruising along the Harlem River bike path. More adventurous cyclists can board rental cycles on their own and confer with free maps to conduct a jaunt across the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges while drinking in the skyline and making Waldo spottings along the river. Bike and Roll also outfits patrons with other specialty transportation, such as in-line skates, segways, and magic carpets programmed to swing past the tops of only historic buildings.:m]]

In its second year, The New Amsterdam Bicycle Show continues to draw inspiration from one of the globe’s most bike-friendly cities, showcasing thousands of road bikes, dutch bikes, and other styles while promoting safe urban cycling. The bike display sprawls across three stories and more than 33,000 square feet, and bike giveaways throughout the weekend arm patrons for stylish riding or perfecting their slow-motion Lance Armstrong impressions. In Bikelandia, the show's seminar portion, authors and experts present on cyclist issues such as New York’s bike lanes, and a fashion show flaunts the trendiest bike outfits and accessories. As they tour the festivities, patrons can sip complimentary pints at the Grolsch Lager beer garden and nosh on mouth-watering eats. The show also benefits Transportation Alternatives, a group that advocates for stronger biking, walking, and public-transit infrastructure.

There are many ways to look at a city. One can get a view of it while walking down its avenues, flying through its airspace, or gazing from afar at its distinctive skyline, an unmistakable fingerprint. The curators of The Skyscraper Museum, however, view New York through its history, exploring the personalities that shaped the skyline along with the stories of the buildings themselves. Their exhibits delve deep into these stories, examining, for instance, the economic circumstances and technological advances which allowed the Woolworth Building—sometimes called the "Cathedral of Commerce"—to sprout from New York's fertile pavement.

Even the very bones of the museum support its subject, with displays set into stacked cases that rise from floor to ceiling. The stainless steel ceiling and floor extend the verticality, making guests feel as if they're striding through the skyline of a city as giants, caught between the perspective of man and skyscraper. The narrow passageways of the museum feature long strips of lighting, the stacked panels along the walls and streaks of light creating the sensation of driving down a bustling boulevard at night.

Ground Zero Museum Workshop founder and official photographer at Ground Zero for the Unifomed Firefighters Association, Gary Marlon Suson aims to lend education and comfort to locals and visitors with a photo exhibition documenting nearly nine months of the Ground Zero Recovery. As various artifacts culled from the site's rubble complement an image collection lauded by the New York Times, the space stands as a permanent museum detailing the buildings, victims, heroes, and aftermath of the tragedy. To further its cause, Ground Zero Museum Workshop donates all raised funds and proceeds to benefit three special charities relating to the 9/11 attacks.

Manhattan Helicopters' staff zips passengers past the Big Apple's most iconic attractions, furnishing airborne narratives in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, and Chinese. Flyers with thousands of logged training hours steer whirlybirds past landmarks such as the 9/11 Memorial, Times Square, and Madison Square Garden, thrumming by skyscrapers and affording views of the Statue of Liberty's bald spot. Voice-activated Bose headsets arrange crystal-clear communications between pilots and riders, and large windows deliver unobstructed views of Governors Island and the distant Palisades. Plush leather seats equipped with cup holders equally absorb chair-gripping excitement and reveries more peaceful than a nap in a stork's bindle.