New Yorkers count down the days each May until the free ferry starts shuttling eager weekenders to Governors Island for picnicking, pedaling and even parties!

Located in New York Harbor just a half-mile from the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan, Governors Island was once a strategic military outpost, even serving as a prison for captured Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. Today the 172-acre island in Upper New York Bay is open to the public throughout the summer months, providing an idyllic respite from the city, with plenty of space to spread out a picnic or bike the historic paths around this picturesque island.

And with Memorial Day weekend just a few days away, we’re already planning our artisanal picnic baskets for the 2013 grand opening of Governors Island. The first ferry of the season departs Saturday, May 25 at 10 a.m. After that, ferries depart the Battery Maritime Building in Manhattan every half hour. Visitors can also access Governors Island from Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6, beginning at 11 a.m. (Ferry service from Brooklyn runs every 20 minutes). A third option for eager weekenders hoping to avoid ferry lines is the East River Ferry, which offers service to Governors Island for just $4. Governors Island is open to the public on weekends and holiday Mondays through to Labor Day in September.

The May 25 opening day family festival features arts and crafts, musical and theatrical performances, and harbor-education activities for kids. Bike rental is available on Governors Island courtesy of Bike and Roll, NYC’s premiere bike rental company, which also operates in Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Battery Park. (If you’re worried about bike rental availability on Governors Island, we recommend renting one for the day from one of the company’s rental kiosks near the ferry terminals in Manhattan in Brooklyn).

Each summer Governors Island also hosts a number of free art events. This season you can see “WWII & NYC: Photography and Propaganda,” which is being presented by the New York Historical Society, as well as the acclaimed interactive Sculpture Garden and artist-designed Minigolf Course, where visitors can dance around, contemplate on, and experience a number of wonderfully imaginative installations.

On Sundays throughout June, July and August, visitors to Governors Island can also borrow roller-skating equipment (including helmets and other safety gear) from the Skate Truck NYC. And on a select number of days this summer, you can even see some vintage baseball — played like it was at the turn of the last century! (At the Parade Ground, May 25-26, Saturday, June 29, Saturday July 27, Saturday August 24 and Saturday, August 21).

Music events throughout the 2013 season include the “Bang on a Can All-Stars” (July 13) and an “Homage to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring” (August 10). Other events we are looking forward to this summer on Governors Island are the New York City Poetry Festival (July 27 & 28), and the NYC Unicycle Festival (Aug. 31 & Sept. 1)

But the biggest event of the season on Governors Island has to be the annual Jazz Age Lawn Party, a Roaring ‘20s-style weekend of Great Gatsby-era fun! Find your inner flapper June 15 & 16, or August 17 & 18, when Governor’s Island is transformed into a Prohibition-era party complete with ’20s motorcars and antique gramophones. Practice your Charleston to the sounds of Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra, or sit back and watch the pros tackle the era’s exuberant dance steps. This all-ages event requires tickets, which will be available at the door if it doesn’t sell out.

How would you spend a day on Governors Island?

• The recently released Great Gatsby movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio has New Yorkers yearning for Roaring Twenties-style good times. And the best place to find your inner flapper is at the annual Jazz Age Lawn Party at Governors Island June 15.  This island in New York Harbor will be transformed for a day into a Prohibition-era party complete with ’20s motorcars and antique gramophones. Practice your Charleston to the sounds of Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra, or sit back and watch the pros tackle the era’s most exuberant dance steps.
• New York Pride (June 28-30) is one of the month’s most colorful events — literally (It doesn’t get any brighter than a rainbow, after all!) And the three-day celebration of the LGBT community always draws tens of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors alike to rallies, parties, and (of course!) the parade June 30. This year’s event will be lead by gay rights activist Edith Windsor, longtime civil rights advocate Harry Belafonte and Earl Fowlkes, president/CEO of the Center for Black Equity.
• New York City parks will be filled with the sound of music next month, as the annual calendar of music festivals kicks off in the coming weeks. Central Park Summer Stage performances in June include a fundraising event featuring Joan Baez and the Indigo Girls (June 17) and a Comedy Central-sponsored night of laughs with Amy Schumer, Nick Kroll and Adam Devine (June 26). Meanwhile the River to River Festival in Battery Park starts its season of free outdoor concerts in Lower Manhattan June 15. Lincoln Center’s annual Midsummer Night’s Swing Festival begins June 25 with a concert by the Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring legendary trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
• Horse racing fans in NYC will head to the Belmont Stakes (June 9), the third and final leg of the triple crown of horse racing, located just outside NYC in Elmont.
• Anyone can participate in the annual Mermaid Parade at Coney Island, a quirky tradition befitting this famed amusement park’s wacky history. You’ll see plenty of women (and some men too!) strapping on a tail (and not much else!), while they let their freak flag fly at this beloved annual event June 22, rain or shine.
• Don’t know where to start when it comes to picking out a restaurant in NYC? At the annual Taste of Times Square, you can sample savory bites and sweet treats from more than 50 NYC restaurants (June 3, between 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., on 46th Street between Broadway and Ninth Avenue).
•  New York may not normally be known for its barbecue, but during the annual ever-popular Big Apple Barbecue Block Party (June 8-9) at Madison Square Park, you can sample classic southern barbecue made by the masters, for just $9 a plate. Relax in the shade with your second helping while bluesy songstress Marcia Ball (June 8) and rootsy rockers the Dirty Guv’nahs (June 9) get the party started.
• The annual Museum Mile Festival and Block Party (June 11, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.) gives art lovers the rare opportunity to see all of this Upper East Side neighborhood’s museums for free — in addition to a packed roster of art-making events hosted on the car-free stretch of Fifth Avenue. While we think it’s ambitious to see all of these worthy art institutions in one day (we could spend a week exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art alone, for example!), it’s a great chance to set foot in some of the lesser-known museums you may have passed by on your way to the others, such as the Museum of the City of New York, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, and the Neue Galerie New York.
• The New York Historical Society’s new exhibit “AIDS in New York: The First Five Years” (opening June 7) will explore the impact of the AIDS epidemic on personal lives, public health and medical practices, as well as culture and politics in New York City and around the country. “AIDS in New York” features posters, photographs, and artifacts to tell the story of the early years of AIDS in New York, drawing on archives at the New York Public Library, New York University, and the National Archive of LGBT History.
• Shakespeare in the Park kicks off May 28 with The Comedy of Errors, starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson (of TV’s Modern Family) and Broadway actor Hamish Linklater. The Comedy of Errors run throughout the entire month of June, with nightly performances at 8:30 p.m. (No shows on Monday nights). Tickets are free, but the long lines to get them will cost you! (Or you can donate online to skip the wait).

Which of these June events in New York City has you checking your schedule for openings?

Last week, ironworkers at 1 World Trade Center (also known here as the “Freedom Tower”) raised the steel spire that caps the building, raising it to a symbolic height of 1,776 feet.

Onlookers cheered as the final two sections of the 408-foot, 758-ton spire were installed last Friday. When the $3.8 billion Freedom Tower opens next year, it will be focal point of the site where the Twin Towers fell in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Any American who can summon a few of the facts they learned in history class could tell you the building’s height is symbolic; at 1,776 feet tall, the Freedom Tower recalls the year in which the U.S. was founded. And for New Yorkers who lived through the 9/11 attacks, this next step toward rebuilding the site in Lower Manhattan also symbolizes the city’s strength and tenacity in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

There has been some dispute among building experts over whether the Freedom Tower’s spire actually contributes to a record-breaking height; an antenna that can be removed does not contribute to the total height of a building, say experts. The Freedom Tower’s LED-lit spire will actually serve as a TV and radio antenna, and and will be visible throughout parts of NYC.

The World Trade Center site where the Freedom Tower now stands tall will eventually be home to five skyscrapers, a memorial and a museum. Visitors to NYC can already get a good look at the new Freedom Tower from the 9/11 Memorial, which is located in the shadow of this stunning new building. Plus, you can visit 9/11 Memorial Preview Site with the Downtown Culture Pass.

The Memorial features the largest man-made waterfalls in North America emptying into twin reflecting pools that stand in the footprint of the World Trade Center towers that fell Sept. 11, 2001. It’s a highly effective tribute, with the massive size of the pools serving as a chilling reminder of the scope of the 9/11 tragedy.

Visitors must reserve timed entry tickets to access the Memorial, which also features bronze panels bearing the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993.

Meanwhile, the 9/11 Memorial Museum is expected to open next year on the site. Already built, the museum will include memorials to the people who died at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and on Flight 93. With the permission of the victims’ families, one exhibit will even feature emergency calls and voice messages from those inside the World Trade Center during the attack.

What does this new achievement at Ground Zero mean to you?

Opening tomorrow at the Met, “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” features as many as 100 designs, including original punk garments from the mid-1970s alongside recent fashions that illustrate how haute couture and ready-to-wear have borrowed from the music genre’s distinct anti-establishment aesthetic (think shredded denim, lots of safety pins, and anything DIY!).

And where better to celebrate the intersection of punk music and fashion than in New York City — which was the epicenter of the American punk movement and, of course, is also the U.S. capital of couture!

The thoughtful and dynamic exhibit at the Met features music, video, and even a full-size replica of the legendarily grimy and graffitied bathroom at CBGB, the Lower East Side nightclub where NYC punk bands like the Ramones, Misfits, Blondie and Patti Smith got their start. (For authenticity’s sake there are even cigarette butts on the floor — not something you would ever see in Bloomberg’s New York!).

And following on the (very fashionable, but no doubt hard to walk in!) heels of the wildly popular Alexander McQueen “Savage Beauty” exhibit from 2011, PUNK is predicted to be a popular exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this summer. “Savage Beauty” succeeded in drawing 661,509 fashion fans to the Met, putting it at No. 8 on the Museum’s Top 10 list of most popular shows in its 141-year history!

PUNK may have even greater appeal than the Alexander McQueen show; not only does this new exhibit feature haute couture by some of the biggest names in fashion (Burberry, Dior, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, John Galliano, Nicolas Ghesquière (Balenciaga), Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel), and even Alexander McQueen), it also displays vintage punk fashion like looks by Vivienne Westwood — the original punk designer out of London, as well as the infamous “safety pin dress” worn by actress Elizabeth Hurley in 1994 (which proved fashion could be as shocking as punk music!).

“PUNK: Chaos to Couture” runs from May 9 through August 14, 2013 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Access to this special Costume Institute exhibit is included with admission to the Met.

What aspect of punk fashion do you hope makes a comeback in the wake of this new exhibit at the Met?

And you can bet New York sports bars will be thick with hockey fans (and for the Knicks when they take on the Pacers in the NBA playoffs), elbows up and fighting for the best spot in front of the big-screen TV to see which team will advance in the best-of-seven series.

The New York Rangers are down by two games, so if they do win tonight it will be a rallying point for NYC’s beloved hockey team — which means you don’t want to  watch this game in your hotel room! We’ve got some recommendations for NYC sports pubs where we know they’ll definitely be painting the town blue, white and red tonight (and if they win, go celebrate in Times Square. It’s tradition!).

If you’re traveling with friends, family or loved ones who would rather sight-see than sit down in front of a TV tuned into sports, we recommend finding the best of both worlds on one of Uncle Sam’s Pub Crawls. On Uncle Sam’s West Village Pub Crawl, your friends can learn all about NYC’s most historic watering holes (including  Prohibition-Era speakeasies and a bar where Abe Lincoln once drank!). Meanwhile you can enjoy the game, with the first of three free drinks in hand! It’s a win-win, for sure.

Uncle Sam’s East Village Pub Crawl, meanwhile, conveniently kicks off exactly when the pucks drops at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m.). And for the next three hours, you can enjoy all the action from a number of the East Village’s most historic haunts. (Don’t worry; the bars may be old, but their technology is not! You can expect TVs at most of them).

One of New York City’s most upscale sports bars is the brainchild of hip hop star Jay Z: the 40/40 Club. Sure, it was named for an elite group of baseball players, but this sprawling Chelsea sports bar features over 30 55-inch flat-screen TVs, and we can bet nearly all of them will be tuned into the hockey game tonight.

It’s true the Rangers’ uniforms are red, white and blue, so it should come as no surprise that New York City’s famed Sea, Air and Space Museum the Intrepid has been drumming up support for the hometown heroes by hosting street hockey tournaments for NYC youth.

The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum is actually housed on a WWII aircraft carrier, which is docked at Pier 86. Partnering with the New York Rangers, the Intrepid’s youth hockey program allowed more than 1,500 local kids to learn new hockey skills. New York Rangers greats Nick Fotiu, Brian Mullen, Ron Greschner and Stephane Matteau helped out by hosting the free outdoor event (which was on the Pier, not the aircraft carrier — I really wouldn’t want to lose a puck over the side of that thing!).

So where is your favorite place to watch the Rangers play?

But how many choose to see all five of New York City’s boroughs atop two wheels? Well, on May 5 there will be 32,000 of them, all on the TD Five Boro Bike Tour — the largest cycling event in the U.S.!

The annual event gives cyclists the rare opportunity to bike through all five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens and the Bronx) on a completely car-free route. It’s an incredible chance for both locals and visitors alike to see NYC from an all-new angle, and on a 40-mile route so easy even kids can join in the fun!

Thanks to the cooperation of New York City agencies and officials, the annual bike tour is completely safe, and the route is described as “doable for cyclists of almost all levels.” Bike repair will be offered along the route, and visitors who cannot bring their own wheels can even rent a bike from Bike and Roll, New York City’s biggest bike rental company, which is the preferred bike rental partner of the TD Five Boro Bike Tour.

Regular registration is sold out, but bikers can still sign up to “Ride for a Reason” with one of the tour’s many charity partners, from Team ASPCA to Water for People. The bike tour will be followed by a “Finish Festival” on Staten Island, where there will be music, sponsor exhibits and photo booths, and food available for purchase.

If you want to see some of the city from the seat of a bike but 40 miles seems daunting, we recommend starting out with a couple hours cycling in Central Park or along the Brooklyn waterfront. Bike and Roll offers both hourly rental and easy guided tours for those visitors who prefer to leave the navigating to someone else!

Have you biked NYC? What was the highlight?

Meanwhile Matilda, the critically acclaimed new musical based on the Roald Dahl book by the same name, was nipping on its heels with a dozen nominations, announced this morning in New York City.

Both musicals are British imports; Matilda got its start at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s home in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2010, before moving to London’s West End, while Kinky Boots is based on a 2005 British movie about a man who overhauls his family business to corner the market on high heels for drag queens. The musical score for Kinky Boots (which was written by pop icon Cyndi Lauper!) was also nominated for a Tony.

Also nominated in the category of “Best Musical” are Bring It On and A Christmas Story (both of those shows closed some months ago to make room for new productions).

The circus-inspired revival of Pippin received 10 nominations, including best musical revival, best choreographer (Chet Walker), and best director for Diane Paulus. Other Broadway musicals that were honored alongside Pippin in the category of “best revival” were Annie, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

As for the leading ladies, Stephanie J. Block (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), Carolee Carmello (Scandalous), Valisia LeKae (Motown – The Musical), Patina Miller (Pippin) and Laura Osnes (Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella) were nominated in the category of “best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical.” Meanwhile for the men, “best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical” nominations went to Charl Brown (Motown – The Musical), Keith Carradine (Hands on a Hardbody), Will Chase (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), Gabriel Ebert (Matilda – The Musical) and Terrence Mann (Pippin).

But Broadway, of course, is not all musicals, and in the category of plays the revival of Golden Boy received the most recognition with eight nominations, including best revival of a play, best actor (for both Danny Burstein and Tony Shalhoub) best direction, lighting, sound, set and costume design. The new Nora Ephron play Lucky Guy was close behind with six nominations, including a best actor nod for its star Tom Hanks.

Veteran Broadway actor Nathan Lane received a much deserved nomination for his role in The Nance, a new play by Douglas Carter Beane about a 1930s burlesque performer who both plays a “nance” on stage and is one too. Tom Sturridge was nominated for his leading role in Orphans, a drama about two orphaned brothers who kidnap an older man (played by Alex Baldwin!).

Richard Kind received his first Tony nomination for his role as movie studio head Marcus Hoff in the Broadway revival of the Clifford Odets play The Big Knife. (As a veteran both of the stage and small screen, you may know Richard Kind best from TV’s Spin City or Mad About You).

The Tony Awards Ceremony will be broadcast live from New York June 9 on CBS.

Which play or musical are you hoping will win a Tony?

But even though this will be the first year in over two decades that NYC won’t be swarmed with thousands of sailors for Memorial Day weekend, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum still has plans to salute America’s military men and women with a roster of free events that includes performances, film screenings, and more.

(Also, it should be noted, every week is Fleet Week at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Midtown Manhattan, where you can see such storied military vessels as the USS Growler, the only American diesel-powered strategic missile submarine open to the public, and the supersonic passenger jet the Concorde!).

Though we will sorely miss the annual “Parade of Ships” (as well as the sight of sharply dressed sailors tying one on in Times Square!), many of the Memorial Day weekend traditions we’ve become accustomed to will proceed at the Intrepid even without the participation of the U.S. military.

Known as the “Summer Salute to Heroes,” the Intrepid’s Memorial Day weekend celebration kicks off Friday, May 24 with a free public film screening of the classic film Top Gun — right on the flight deck next to a Cold War-era spy plane! (Seriously, how cool is that?!). Seating is first-come, first-served, and you can even bring your own food and drinks (but leave the booze at home; alcohol is not permitted!).

On Saturday and Sunday (May 25 & 26), the Intrepid will host a number of free performances, including the all-female jazz trip the Manhattan Dolls, Angie Johnson — a Nashville recording artist featured on NBC’s “The Voice”, NYC country band Trailer Radio and the USO Show Troupe. There will also be demonstrations and activities from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. by Intrepid Education, Dina Parise Racing, the U.S. Coast Guard, Operation Goody Bag, NY Water Taxi, American Red Cross and CrossFit NYC.

And, of course, the Memorial Day ceremony at the Intrepid will continue to be the focus of the weekend’s activities; plan to arrive early if you want to attend the 11 a.m. ceremony that honors American service men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

In past years, the Navy has spent between $7 million and $10 million on Fleet Week, which is also estimated to generate $20 million in business for New York City.

The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum is actually housed in a decommissioned World War II U.S. Navy aircraft carrier docked on Manhattan’s West Side.  The remarkable military museum (Manhattan’s only such exhibit!) offers visitors a close-up look at a stunning collection of aircraft, from the World War II Avenger torpedo bomber, to the A-12 Blackbird, a Cold War spy plane. And in addition to its amazing collection of aircraft, the Intrepid also recently acquired the historic Space Shuttle Enterprise. The Space Shuttle Pavilion was unfortunately damaged last year in Hurricane Sandy, but it’s expected to re-open in the early summer 2013. In the meantime, a temporary exhibit provides an introduction to the Enterprise, with never-before-seen artifacts, archival images, video clips and even crowd-sourced photographs curated from Space Shuttle fans around the world.

What has been your favorite way to celebrate Fleet Week in NYC?

Truly, it seems whenever you find yourself coveting a friend’s new ensemble, the answer to the question “Where did you get that?!” is a sample sale, which means that your chance of securing the same designer item at the same low price is next-to-none!

Sample sales, after all, only last as long as the deeply discounted stock can stay on the shelves. And for the most in-demand brands, that’s not longer than a few days!

So if you’re only in NYC for a few days, and want to shop sample sales like an in-the-know fashionista, we recommend signing up for the Garment Center Insider Tour, which takes you straight to six different designer showrooms for an exclusive afternoon of apparel and accessories shopping discounted up to 70% below retail price. All of the showrooms included in the Garment Center Insider Tour can only be seen by appointment, so you won’t have to fight the crowds of label-chasing New Yorkers to nab some great deals on designer clothes. You will also find out all about the NYC fashion industry, and the history of this world-renowned district. When the tour ends, you’ll even receive a list of all the sample sales scheduled for that day — so you can continue shopping at your own pace.

And for those of us whose interest in designers goes beyond knowing their last names, this walking tour holds a particular thrill: you will even get the chance to meet two designers during the tour! (We’d keep our fingers crossed for Michael Kors; he’s a national treasure for his witty retorts on Project Runway, not to mention his luxe separates!).

If you’ve never been to a sample sale before, there are a few things you should know before you go: there usually aren’t changing rooms, so if you’re modest, wear a fitted tanktop and tights so you can try items on without revealing all (but don’t worry: this tour is for women only!). Most sample sales are “cash only”, so plan to visit the bank machine before joining the Garment Center Tour. It’s also unlikely that you will be able to return an item should you find a defect later, so check everything closely before you make a purchase. And though you may be in search of the perfect stilettos, you should wear comfortable shoes on the Garment Center Tour: after all, you will be pounding the pavement for three hours!

Which designer would you most like to meet on the Garment Center Insider Tour?

But now, on Mother’s Day, you can make up for it all by taking Mom out to a brunch, lunch or dinner she will never forget, on a breathtaking cruise in New York Harbor.

There are a number of options available, from brunch buffets with bottomless cocktails to a dinner cruise complete with dancing. But the Mother’s Day cruises offered by World Yacht, Hornblower Cruises, and Spirit of New York sell out quickly, so unless you want to be left land-locked this Mother’s Day (May 12; write it in your calendar now!), we suggest booking ASAP!

One way to leave the city brunch crowds behind is by enjoying your meal with mom out on scenic New York Harbor on Hornblower Cruises’ Mother’s Day Brunch Cruise. As you board the boat at noon, the Hornblower’s attentive staff will hand you a glass of sparkling wine or a mimosa to sip as you enjoy the Manhattan skyline views and close-up look at the Statue of Liberty. This two-hour cruise includes a full brunch buffet, coffee, tea, and bottomless breakfast cocktails. There will also be a live jazz band on board, as well as DJ entertainment. You can even see to it that your mom gets some extra pampering with onboard massage compliments of Finger Lakes Massage School!

If your mom is not a morning person, Hornblower also offers a Mother’s Day Dinner Cruise with a three-course sit-down dinner at your own private table. Toast your mom with the complimentary glass of sparkling wine, and be sure to send a request to the DJ with her favorite song.

World Yacht’s luxury cruise ships feature stunning outdoor decks where you and Mom can enjoy the NYC skyline view and pose for pics together with the glittering lights of Manhattan as your backdrop. Book a World Yacht Mother’s Day Dinner Cruise and you’ll enjoy a four-course, sit-down dinner prepared from seasonal, locally sourced food. World Yacht’s Spring menu features such local favorites as Jumbo Asparagus Wrapped with Hudson Valley Duck Prosciutto, and Free Range Chicken Marinated with Agave Nectar and Dried Chiles, Tomatillo Sauce, Fiddlehead Ferns, Spanish Rice, and Seasonal Local-Farm Vegetables. FYI: World Yacht does enforce a dress code, so dress nice for Mom!

Spirit of New York offers three different options for your Mother’s Day meal this year: brunch, an afternoon lunch, and dinner. And unlike the others, Spirit Cruises includes a few kid-friendly items on their Mother’s Day brunch and lunch menus, so these special cruises are a good choice for families with younger children looking for a great way to celebrate Mom.

So what are your Mother’s Day plans this year?