5 Best Sights in New York City, New York

Rockefeller Center's multifloor observation deck, the Top of the Rock, provides views that rival those of other sky-high spots in the city. Arriving presunset affords a view of the city that morphs into a dazzling wash of colors, with a sky-high view of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, and sweeping vistas northward to Central Park and south to the Statue of Liberty. Timed-entry ticketing eliminates long lines. Indoor exhibits include films of Rockefeller Center's history and a model of the building.

Rapid elevators lift you to the 67th-floor interior viewing area, and then an escalator leads to the outdoor deck on the 69th floor for sightseeing through nonreflective glass safety panels. Take another elevator or stairs to the 70th floor for a 360-degree, outdoor, NYC panorama on a deck that is only 20 feet wide and nearly 200 feet long. A Plexiglas screen on the floor has footage showing digitized Rock Center construction workers dangling on beams high above the streets. Expect a $10 surcharge for tickets at sunset hours; for $85, get VIP expedited entry, a 45-minute private tour, and gift-shop discount. More Rockefeller Center–tour combo discounts are available, as are partner deals with CityPASS and other sightseeing packages.

Walking the stretch of Bleecker Street between 7th Avenue and Broadway provides a smattering of just about everything synonymous with Greenwich Village these days: NYU buildings, record stores, Italian cafés and food shops, pizza and takeout joints, bars and nightclubs, and funky boutiques. A lazy afternoon here may consist of sampling some of the city's best pizza, grabbing an espresso, and soaking up the downtown fashion scene. Foodies love the blocks between 6th and 7th Avenues for the specialty purveyors like Murray's Cheese (No. 254). At the intersection of Bleecker and Carmine Streets is Our Lady of Pompeii Church, where Mother Cabrini, a naturalized Italian immigrant who became the first American citizen to be canonized, often prayed. West of 7th Avenue, the shops get more upscale, with fashion and home-furnishings boutiques featuring antiques, eyeglasses, handbags, shoes, and designer clothing.

The cast of talented freaks and geeks who keep Coney Island's carnival tradition alive include sword swallowers, fire-eaters, knife throwers, contortionists, and Serpentina the snake dancer. Every show is an extravaganza, with 10 different acts to fascinate and impress. The Coney Island Museum houses a large permanent collection of artifacts, ephemera, photographs, and postcards celebrating the history of this legendary amusement area.

Artist and film director Julian Schnabel lives here. But that's not why it's worth making a point to stand across the street and marvel at this pink structure of wonder. Plopped atop a former horse stable, this 12-floor pink Venetian-style palace rises 170 feet above the low-level skyline of the West Village. The facade is highlighted by Renaissance-style porticos and the name engraved halfway up, Palazzo Chupi—a reference to a popular brand of Spanish lollipop and the pet name for Schnabel's wife. When it was completed in 2008, there were rumors that various celebrities—Bono, Madonna, the Olsen Twins—were going to buy one of the five apartments inside. (The only famous person who actually did buy a place was actor Richard Gere.) The building immediately became a divisive flashpoint for West Villagers: some passionately hated it while others loved it. Over time, the haters have thinned out and now most locals love Palazzo Chupi.

The Bronx certainly has a reputation of being relentlessly urban, but there are parks in abundance, including the largest city park across the five boroughs (in terms of land area): Pelham Bay Park, a sprawling landscape of marshland and woods laced with nature trails for both human and horse feet. (There's horseback riding at the Bronx Equestrian Center,  9 Shore Rd.). The Bronx's only public beach, the 1.1-mile-long Orchard Beach offers views of Long Island Sound, along with a pavilion and snack bars. The incongruous Bartow-Pell Mansion ( www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org), built in the Greek Revival style in the 1830s, has exhibits of period furniture and historic Bronx memorabilia, plus manicured gardens and a carriage house. The park also holds two golf courses, miniature golf, sports fields, playgrounds, and miles of paved biking paths.