New York — Survey after survey puts New York City in the No. 1 spot for America's greatest city. Only tourism bureaus care to argue whether that's accurate; the rest of us just like to have fun there.

Here are some sights to see for those with an active lifestyle, those culturally minded and those with kids in tow, compiled by Washington Post writers Andrea Sachs, K.C. Summers and Scott Vogel, who recently spent time in the city.

Joan Marcus / Special (ENLARGE)

'In the Heights,' a hip-hop- and salsa-flavored musical about a gentrifying Latino community, is one of the many cultural delights awaiting visitors to New York.

CONTEST! Share travel horror stories, win grand prize U.S. Travel stories One city, three price points: A weekend in the Pocono Mountains  Road trip on a budget: 3,000 miles over 10 days  Virtual college tours: Low-cost campus snapshot  Events, exhibits 40 years after man on moon  One city, three price points: A weekend in Minneapolis  Photos: Travel / U.S. Galleries Latest deals! Back to: Travel | U.S. and international destinations

Active New York

What to do

Bite of the Apple Tours (212-541-8759, www.centralparkbiketour.com) runs daily, year-round bike tours in Central Park. I took the movie-themed tour, though it incorporated other sights and information about the park. The guided excursion costs $40 and includes bike rental; general tours cost $49.

The 66-acre Fort Tryon, in northern Manhattan on the West Side, is the hilliest park in the city. It's a lovely place to hike, with blooming gardens, forested areas and a hearty trek up to the Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring medieval art and architecture. Information: Southern entrance at Margaret Corbin Circle, 212-360-8111, www.nycgovparks.org/parks/forttryonpark.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (405 W. 55th St. at Ninth Avenue, 212-405-9000, www.alvinailey.org; $16) offers single-session classes, including Afro Cuban, Mid-dle Eastern and Horton, a type of modern dance incorporated into many Ailey ballets. I worked my J-Lo moves during the hip-hop class.

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (307 W. 26th St. between Eighth and Ninth avenues, 212-366-9176, www.ucbtheatre.com) is a top spot for improv and sketch comedy. The venue holds multiple shows per day, with tickets ranging from free to $8.

The Museum at FIT, part of the Fashion Institute of Technology, holds stylish exhibits free to the public. The "Arbiters of Style: Women at the Forefront of Fashion" show opened in late May. Information: Seventh Avenue at 27th Street, 212-217-4558, www.fitnyc.edu.

The Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex (23rd Street and the Hudson River, 212-336-6666, www.chelseapiers.com) is a veritable playground of activities, including bowling, ice skating and batting practice. For golf, players can practice on a 200-yard driving range (from $25), a covered putting green ($4 for club rental) or a simulator ($45 for an hour).

— Andrea Sachs

Cultural New York

What to do

The Rubin Museum of Art (150 W. 17th St. 212-620-5000, www.rmanyc.org) has paintings, sculptures and textiles from the Himalayas and surrounding regions. "From the Land of the Gods: Art of the Kathmandu Valley," a collection of Nepalese paintings and objects, runs through Nov. 10. Admission $10 (free Fridays 7-10 p.m.).

St. Bartholomew's Church (109 E. 50th St., 212-378-0207, www.stbarts.org), a glorious Romanesque-Byzantine building with a gorgeous tiled dome, is open

9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. There's a cafe on the outdoor terrace in warm weather.

Greenacre Park (East 51st St. between Second and Third avenues), a little slice of nature in Midtown East, is open from March through December. Attendants are on duty at all times, and there's a snack bar with coffee, yogurt, etc.

Shows

"In the Heights" (Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 W. 46th St., 212-307-4100, www.intheheightsthemusical.com), a musical about three days in the life of a Latino community in Washington Heights, is irresistible. Tickets are $110.

Shopping

The Shop at the Rubin Museum of Art has hand-embroidered pillows, hand-woven wall hangings, shawls and scarves, lacquer-ware trays and bowls, mini-Mongolian masks, jewelry and toys.

Pippin Home (112 1/2 W. 17th St.), in a 19th-century house in an alley between office buildings in Chelsea, has vintage furniture and home goods, priced to move.

Angel Street Thrift Shop (118 W. 17th St.) sells clothing, furniture and artwork in support of New Yorkers with HIV/AIDS. Great selection of old LPs for $1 each.

— K.C. Summers

Kids in New York

What to do

Children's Museum of the Arts (182 Lafayette St., 212-274-0986, www.cmany.org) offers two floors of art stations where children can paint, sculpt and collage. Admission: $9 for ages 1-65; pay as you wish on Thursdays 4-6 p.m. Morning sessions for parents with children ages 10 months to 3 1/2.

Children's Museum of Manhattan (212 W. 83rd St., 212-721-1223, www.cmom.org) offers five floors of interactive exhibits and play areas geared toward children younger than 10. Admission: $9 for children and adults, $6 for seniors.

Dylan's Candy Bar (1011 Third Ave. at 59th Street, 646-735-0078, www.dylanscandybar.com). Two floors of thousands of confectionary offerings.

Guggenheim Museum (1071 Fifth Ave. at 89th Street, 212-423-3500, www.guggenheim.org). Admission: $18 for adults; free for children under 12; $15 for students and seniors.

Heckscher Playground (Central Park, 212-639-9675, www.nycgovparks.org). A

3-acre play area in the middle of the park, between 61st and 63rd streets. It's best for children 6-12 and open every day 7:30 a.m.-dusk.

Museum of American Finance (48 Wall St., 212-908-4110, www.financialhistory.org). "A guardian of America's collective financial memory," says the museum's Web site; includes exhibits on the New York Stock Exchange, bank robbers and counterfeiting, for children older than 6. Admission: $8 for adults; free for 6 and younger; $5 for students, seniors.

— Scott Vogel