Solena REIKI

When you're checking out the sights of Brooklyn, be sure to spend some time at Prospect Park. The beautiful park occupies 585 acres and boasts a sprawling 90-acre meadow, aptly named Long Meadow, man-made waterways and lakes, the Prospect Park Zoo, a boathouse for Brooklyn's only lake, facilities for a variety of sports and the Prospect Park Bandshell concert venue. Musicians like Modest Mouse, Emmylou Harris and Bob Dylan have played at the venue, so keep an eye on the park's calendar because you never know when your favorite singer may take the stage.

Take a tour of contemporary art from around the world at the New Museum. The museum features works by artists from Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Germany, Poland, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, among others. The New Museum is widely respected for its curatorial program and has become a primary resort for new art and ideas.

Fans of music, jazz in particular, will enjoy an excursion with Big Apple Jazz Tours. New York City's historic roots have a hold in the jazz industry as well, with famous musicians like Billie Holiday linked to the city. This tour will take you to NYC's modern-day jazz hangouts where you'll see the genre's best talents performing.

The Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center shares the Kaufman complex with the Lucy Moses School and the Special Music School. This performance hall has won awards for adventurous programming and architectural design. Performances at the hall begin at the sidewalk, offering a glamorous experience from the aesthetically pleasing appearance to coat checking and refreshment buying.