New York can be anything you want it to be. It’s why countless people have pinned their dreams on the place, thrown caution to the wind and shown up on its doorstep.

If you like a day filled with culture, start with a look at some Tseng Kwong Chi photographs celebrating East Village creativity in the eighties at the Paul Kasmin gallery, before ducking through Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the current Velazquez exhibition.
Round out your afternoon with some off beat/experimental theater at the Abrons Art Center on the Lower East Side.

If you rather your city a little grittier, spend some time in the hidden, restful Trinity Church cemetery, then cross to the Lower East Side where the Tenement Museum paints an evocative portrait of early migrant life on the island. Grab a hot dog from a street cart and stroll around the recently renovated Columbus Park, watching the mah jong and domino players compete against a backdrop of basketball.

Just don’t be too shocked if your day of high culture turns into a long afternoon of chicken soup and matzo balls at a downtown diner – or if your bohemian day runs off the rails when you stumble into a gold mine, and walk out with bags of goodies you didn't realize you needed. Whatever. New York is easy that way.

It’s why visitors keep streaming in from all corners of the globe, grasping at their silver-screen visions – and finding them – but discovering plenty more on the way. If you are willing to approach New York with a combination of organization and openness, you’ll be met with some staggering and unexpected rewards.