Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
around 52nd Street and continues into the Village, where a water-
front dance party with fireworks cap the day. Call
&
212/807-
7433
or check
www.hopinc.org
. Mid- to late June.
Shakespeare in the Park.
The Delacorte Theater in
Central Park
is the setting for first-rate free performances under the stars—
including at least one Shakespeare play each season—most often
with stars on the stage. For details, see “Park It! Shakespeare,
Music & Other Free Fun,” in chapter 5. Call
&
212/539-8500,
or visit
www.publictheater.org
. June through August.
July
Independence Day Harbor Festival and 4th of July Fireworks
Spectacular.
Start the day amid the crowds at the Great July 4th
Festival in lower Manhattan, then catch Macy's fireworks extrava-
ganza over the East River (the best vantage point is from FDR
Drive, which closes to traffic). Call
&
212/484-1222
or Macy's
Visitor Center at 212/494-3827. July 4.
Lincoln Center Festival 2009.
This festival celebrates the best of
the performing arts from all over—theater, ballet, contemporary
dance, opera, even puppet and media-based art. Recent editions
have featured performances by Ornette Coleman, the Royal Opera,
and the New York Philharmonic. Schedules are available in mid-
March, and tickets go on sale in May or early June. Call
&
212/
546-2656,
or visit
www.lincolncenter.org
. Throughout July.
August
Lincoln Center Out of Doors.
This series of free music and
dance performances is held outdoors on the plazas of
Lincoln
Center.
Call
&
212/875-5766
or 212/546-2656, or visit
www.
lincolncenter.org
for the schedule (usually available in mid-July).
Throughout August.
Harlem Week.
The world's largest black and Hispanic cultural
festival spans almost the entire month, to include the Black Film
Festival, the Harlem Jazz and Music Festival, and the Taste of
Harlem Food Festival. Call
&
212/484-1222.
Through August.
U.S. Open Tennis Championships.
The final Grand Slam event
of the tennis season is held at the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the
USTA National Tennis Center at
Flushing Meadows Park
in
Queens. Tickets go on sale in May or early June. The event sells
out immediately because many tickets are held by corporate spon-
sors who hand them out to customers. You can buy scalped tick-
ets outside the complex (an illegal practice, of course). The last
few matches are the most expensive, but you'll see more tennis
