New York City still full of unusual things to see and do

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK — Ten uncommon things to do in New York, whether it's your first or 15th trip:

1. Visit the mammoth Toys R Us store at Times Square. Ride the 60-foot high Ferris wheel, complete with cars that depict toy icons from Monopoly to ET, from Barbie to Fisher-Price. Kids also will enjoy the animatronic T. rex (it growls).

2. Ride the 18-steed carousel, though October, at Bryant Park, (West 40th Street, near Fifth Avenue); the merry-go-round music features everyone from Satchmo to the Baja Men.

3. Barter and shop on Canal Street, in Chinatown; fetch a fake Rolex for $15, plus three $10 watches for $21 (if you have the skills needed to bargain).

4. Check out Easy Everything, a 24-hour Internet cafe, at 234 W. 42nd St.; $1 gets you 20 minutes of online time.

5. Snuggle up to your favorite celeb, from Whoopi Goldberg to The Beatles to Barbra Streisand, at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, 234 W. 42nd St.

6. Seek out the mystery of the cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, at 401 Bleeker St. in Greenwich Village. The cupcakes are the buzz (and yummy!) because of appearances on HBO's "Sex and the City." They're $1.25 a pop, with fanciful frosting, and so high is the demand that you're limited to a dozen.

7. Be a stage-door groupie; after a Broadway musical or play, visit the stage door to watch, talk to, get a photograph or an autograph of your favorite star.

8. Seek out Woody Allen, musician. With luck, you might find the actor-director playing clarinet with the Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, a role he adores, from 8:45 p.m. Mondays at Cafe Carlyle, 35 E. 76th St. at Madison Ave.

9. Eat out. Now, more than ever, New York restaurants need your support. American Express, (212) 397-8222, has a money-saving NYC Summer '02 card for a variety of discounts, good through Sept. 15.

10. Visit Ground Zero. OK, there's still sensitivity in the air. But you have to see some of the continuing tributes, in photos, notes and flowers, on walls in lower Manhattan. There's a viewing deck, available by ticket obtainable at South Street Seaport.