wide array of different beaches suited for each individual taste. From kid friendly to nude friendly, here are the top beaches near Manhattan.

1.  Long Beach
Long Beach is a city in Nassau County, New York. One of Long Island’s two cities, it is located on a namesake island, which forms part of the Outer Barrier off Long Island’s South Shore.  Long Beach is known for its white sandy beaches and its fabulous boardwalk.
Getting There: Take the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station to Long Beach
Fees: Round Trip Transportation + Daily Beach Pass is $19.00

2.  Rockaway Beach
A gem of Queens and one of New York City’s most popular summer destinations, the entire beach encompasses more than 170 acres of sun and sand, and every bit of it is put to good use. When the city warms up, New Yorkers of all sizes and types flock here. Seven playgrounds provide entertainment for the younger set, while volleyball and skating keeps adults active. The beach contains the city’s only surfing areas.  Rockaway has something for everyone.
Getting There: A Train to Broad Channel, then transfer to the S Train to Rockaway Beach
Fees: Round Trip Transportation is $4.50 on the NYC Subway and Beach Admission is free

3.  Jones Beach
Jones Beach State Park is a world-class swimming destination. The park offers surf bathing along its 6.5 miles of ocean beach, one-half mile of bay beach for stillwater bathing, and two swimming pools.  Jones Beach has a two mile boardwalk and you can often find people enjoying deck games, the Jones Beach State Park Pitch and Putt Court, miniature golf and beach volleyball. If you stay in the evening, you can find Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, which is an outdoor arena in the park that serves as a famous musical concert venue. You can hear the concerts from many areas at the beach without purchasing a ticket.
Getting There: Take the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station to Freeport and then transfer to the bus (JB62) to Jones Beach
Fees: Round Trip Transportation is $16.50 and Beach Admission is $8.00

4.  Robert Moses Beach
Robert Moses features five miles of pristine coastline, an 18-hole pitch-and-putt golf course, various amenities (food, grilling and picnic areas, bathhouses), surfing, and fewer crowds than Jones Beach. If you’re looking for something a  bit different, you can also find a nude beach east of Field 5 at Lighthouse Beach.
Getting There: Take the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station to Babylon and then transfer to the bus (S47) to Jones Beach
Fees: Round Trip Transportation is $16.50 and Beach Admission is free

5.  Sandy Hook
The seven-mile stretch of spectacular ocean and bay beaches are excellent for surf casting, swimming, and relaxing on the sand. The Sandy Hook / Highlands area remain a favorite Jersey Shore getaway for Manhattanites due to the convenience of a forty-minute ferry ride from the Wall Street area.
Getting There: Take the SeaStreak Ferry from Pier 11 Wall Street or East 34^th Street in Manhattan to Sandy Hook Beach.
Fees: Round Trip Transportation is $40.00 and Beach Admission is free

6.  Orchard Beach
The Bronx’s only beach is an engineering marvel. Covering a mile and 115 acres, it was originally conceived as the “Riviera of New York,” and its promise is carried out in its promenade lined with shops, playgrounds, picnic areas, and more than two dozen sports courts.
Getting There: Take 6 Train to Pelham Bay Park then transfer to the Bx12 bus to Orchard Beach
Fees: Round Trip Transportation is $4.50 on the NYC Subway and Beach Admission is free

7.  Water Taxi Beach on Governor’s Island
This beach is perfect for Manhattan residents who have a slight fear of venturing far from the city.  At the Water Taxi Beach on Governor’s Island, you’re on a beach but can still see your beloved city.  In addition to soaking up the sun, you can enjoy beach volleyball, dining and live music.
Getting There: Take the free Governors Island Ferry from Slip 7 at the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan, at the corner of South and Whitehall Streets
Fees: Free Transportation on the Governors Island Ferry Beach Admission is free

8.  Fire Island
The ultimate vacation getaway, Fire Island offers pristine beaches without a hint of pretention. Nestled in between the Great South Bay and Atlantic Ocean the Island has been a haven for generations of beach-goers, outdoor enthusiasts, and water sport lovers. Free of cars and chaos this unique Island seems like a world away from its neighboring New York metropolitan way of life.
Getting There: Take the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station to Sayville and then take a taxi to the Fire Island Ferries
Fees:  Round Trip Transportation is $30.00 with a special LIRR package and Beach Admission is free

9.  Manhattan Beach
This beach on Brooklyn’s southern tip is a popular summertime destination for people from all over New York City. As the weather heats up, people pack picnic baskets and come out to barbeque, relax on the sand, and swim in the waves. Bookended by playgrounds, and with two large baseball diamonds on its eastern border, as well as tennis, volleyball, basketball, and handball, this park has plenty of room for all types of active outdoor fun.
Getting There: Take the B or Q Train to Brighton Beach and then transfer to the B1 Bus to Oriental Boulevard
Fees: Round Trip Transportation is $4.50 on the NYC Subway and Beach Admission is free

10. Seaside Heights
Seaside Heights Beaches are all public and are open throughout the season. Public Access can be found almost each block and badges can be purchased for the day. Come early to claim your spot for the day.  The Seaside Heights boardwalk offers a great escape from the sun.  Probably best known for MTV’s “Jersey Shore”, you never know if you’ll see The Situation, Paul D, Ronnie, Vinny, Snooki, J-Woww, or Sammi Sweetheart filming the rest of Season 2.
Getting There: Take NJ Transit from Penn Station to Bay Head station and then take a Taxi to Seaside Heights.
Fees: Round Trip Transportation is $31.00 on NJ Transit plus Taxi Fare and Beach Admission is $5.00

For iPhone or iPod Touch users you can find an application for almost anything – The possibilities are endless. Here is our list for the best iPhone applications for event planners in the New York City area.

1.  Guide Map NY – $0.99
This app provides you with mobile access to detailed interactive New York City maps, designed to help you enjoy the must-see attractions — the theatres, museums, galleries, shopping, architecture, historic sites, and more — that make up the New York experience.

2.  New York Subway – $0.99
A detailed map of New York subway. The trip planner tool allows you to find automatically the best route to get to your destination in New York Subway. Travel time is also estimated. The route planner included in this application does not require a network connection to operate; it works perfectly while in the subway. You can provide an address in New York; the application indicates the stations closest to that address.

3.  Beat the Traffic -Free
Provides live traffic maps, showing traffic speeds and incidents on major routes for more than 100 cities.

4.  Free New York City – Free
This app offers over 85 listings of free or almost free activities from museums and galleries, to walking tours of historical neighborhoods and national landmarks. The guide includes information on fun activities such as free concerts, free blues shows and how to get free studio audience tickets for popular shows.

5.  Venues – Free
A Venue finding service designed to enable conference organizers and planners access to one central database where they can find venues that match their exact conferencing and venue requirements. Once you have chosen venues that match your requirements, a network of contacts to secure you the best rates possible for your conference, meeting or event. We ask all of the questions that you need to know when organizing a conference or event and we report back to you with a list of options that match your exact requirements within 24hours.

6.  Party CkList – $0.99
This application provides you a complete list everything you will need to prepare for your upcoming event. The list is broken down by categories to make it easy for you to navigate through the application. You can create multiple lists with different names for different events and store comments for each event with important information. Check off each item when it is complete or mark it as N/A.

7.  Menu Pages – Free
Just type what you want (e.g. Japanese, Mexican, Italian) and where you want to eat (nearby, neighborhood, address, and intersection) and this app will show you the best restaurants to satisfy your hunger.

8.  New York Club Grid – Free
Recommends the coolest nightclubs, bars, and restaurants of New York. You will know where all the fun and coolest places are with a geo location of each venue and updated info on parties. You will also be able to register from your app on the go and be on the guest list of all the main clubs by just mentioning New York Club Guide.

9.  Doddle – Free
This extraordinary app is revolutionizing the production industry, letting professionals spend less time chained to a desk and more time in the field where the magic is created. There are online production directories, but doddle goes light years beyond those to give production professionals the mobile tools and refreshable data access to make their jobs swifter and saner, giving them more brain cells to devote to creating great art. Everything and Everyone who touches production world, from Producers, Directors, Photographers, Lighting, Sound, Crew, Talent, Hotels, Restaurants, Catering, Transportation…..will be at your fingertips, using all the greatest communication tools the iPhone can offer.

10. Guest List RSVP – $0.99
An application that lets you categorize and record guests and their responses for an event. Helps organize the information about who is going to be coming to your event. With this application your guests are categorized by important or optional guest for the event depending on its relevance and closeness. For each family or guest you have the option to enter the amount of people that will be attending, when they replied and their names. Furthermore, you can select from a simple scroll down menu if they will be joining you, have not replied or will not be able to attend. For your convenience we added the option to quickly send the information about guests to anyone interested such as the party planner or even yourself with the tap of the envelope icon. Also, in the target section you can enter the minimum and maximum amount of guests you intend to host, your budget and how much you want the cost per guest to be.

For a complete list of applications visit:
http://iphoneapplicationlist.com/apps/

The cool breeze, the morning sun, the afternoon showers, the flowers in bloom…spring is in the air! What better to way to kick back, relax and enjoy the new season than with some delicious springtime cocktails. Here is a list of 10 great ones to enjoy.

1. Long Island Iced Tea
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz light rum
1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz tequila
1 oz sour mix
Cola
Lemon wedge for garnish

2. Raspberry Cosmopolitan
1 oz. Smirnoff Raspberry Flavored Vodka (25 oz. per bottle)
.5 oz. orange liqueur
1 splash (es) lime juice
1 splash(es) cranberry juice
Lemon twist

3. Cool Breeze
2 oz Stolichnaya® vodka
6 1/2 oz Perrier® lemon soda water
1 oz fresh lemon juice

4. Blue Hawaiian
1 oz light rum
1 cherry
2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
1 oz cream of coconut
1 slice pineapple

5. Spring Feeling Cocktail
1 oz gin
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse®
1 tbsp lemon juice

6. Paradise in April
2 – 3 oz coconut rum
3 oz pineapple juice
3 oz Hawaiian Punch®

7. Easter Bunny
1 1/2 oz dark crème de cacao
1/2 oz vodka
1 tsp chocolate syrup
1 tsp cherry brandy

8. Kiwi Mango Mint
1 part 42 Below Kiwi Vodka
5 parts mango nectar or juice
8 mint leaves

9. Peach Blossom
2 oz vodka
1/2 oz peach schnapps
5 1/2 oz ginger ale

10. Wildflower
2 oz Fruit Punch Gatorade® energy drink
2 oz V8® vegetable juice Splash Fruit Medley
3 oz Blended Frozen strawberries
2 oz Mountain Dew® citrus soda
2 oz vodka
1 oz lemon juice

As the frigid air leaves us and the beautiful sun returns, welcome the nice weather with a trip to one of the TOP TEN rooftop bars in NYC. There is nothing better than spring in NYC and enjoying a cocktail with a view.

The Delancey
168 Delancey Street
New York, NY 10002
212-254-9920
www.delancey.com

230 Fifth Rooftop Garden
230 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10001
212-725-4300
www.230-fifth.com

Ava Lounge
210 55th Street
New York, NY 10019
212-956-7020
www.avaloungenyc.com

The Penthouse @ The Hotel on Rivington
107 Rivington
New York, NY 10002
212-475-2600
www.hotelonrivington.com

Bar 13
35 E 13th Street
New York, NY 10003
212-979-6677
www.bar13.com

High Bar
251 W. 48th Street
New York, NY 10019
212-956-1300
www.highbarnyc.com

The Met Roof Garden Café
1000 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10028
212-535-7710
www.metmuseum.org/visit/dining/roof_menu

Plunge @ Hotel Gansevoort
18 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10014
212-260-6700
www.hotelgansevoort.com/restaurants.bars.lounge/index.cfm

Hudson Terrance
621 West 46th Street
New York, NY 10036
212-315-9400
www.hudsonterracenyc.com

El Rio Grande
160 East 68th Street
New York, NY 10016
212-867-0922
www.elriograndenyc.com

New York City is filled with diversified restaurants with every type of cuisine imaginable. New and upcoming places are opening everyday. Here are the TOP TEN new notable restaurants.

Scuderia
257 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10014
212-206-9111
www.scuderianyc.com

DBGB Kitchen and Bar
299 Bowery Street
New York, NY 10003
212-933-5300
www.danielnyc.com

Pulino’s Bar and Pizzeria
282 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
(212) 226-1966
www.pulinosnyc.com

Bhojan
102 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10016
(212) 213-9615
www.bhojan.com

Kenmare
98 Kenmare Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 274-9898

Lincoln Park Grill
867 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10019-3735
(212) 974-2826
www.lincolnparkgrill.com

Exchange Bar and Grill
256 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10010
646-596-9039
www.exchangebarandgrill.com

ABC Kitchen
ABC Carpet and Home
35 E.18th Street
New York, NY 10002
www.abckitchennyc.com

Robert @ The Museum of Art and Design
2 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019
212-299-7730
www.robertatmad.com

1834 Bar & Burger
62 Pearl Street
New York, NY 10005
212-248-4848
www.1834nyc.com