No, the city isn't going tropical. It's just rolling out a warm welcome, especially warm because otherwise tourists might be tempted to head for places where the temperature is, well, warmer.

As a matter of fact, it's going to be hard to say no to New York, particularly because of the city's "Paint the Town" promotion. From Jan. 2 to Feb. 28, New York will be sizzling with discounts, bargains and deals.

Come February, New York's magnificent Central Park will be the setting of an extraordinary outdoor artwork, "The Gates, Project For Central Park, 1979-2004." (Photo By Richard E. Thompson)
RESTAURANT WEEKS

"Paint the Town" highlights include, for the first time, two Winter Restaurant Weeks, instead of one.

The dates are Jan. 24 to 28 and Jan. 31 to Feb. 4, when more than 100 of the city's top restaurants will offer special prix-fixe, three-course lunches for only $20.12. Three-course prix-fixe dinners will be a mere $35.

Previous Restaurant Week participants include old favorites like Gramercy Tavern, San Domenico and Ś21' Club, as well as newer contenders. Note: Dining discounts don't include beverage, tax or tip. To check the 2005 line-up, check www.nycvisit.com.

SHOPPING

Another reason New York is hot this winter is "Sales-Tax-Free Week"‹Jan. 31 through Feb. 6. This come-on means that retailers throughout the city will lure shoppers to come on in as stores waive sales tax on clothing and footwear priced at less than $110. (Smart consumers will already have noticed a partial overlap between this event and the second Restaurant Week.)

Even without a discount, New York offers spectacular shopping. For starters: Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Ave.; Macy's Herald Square, 151 W. 34th St.; Lord & Taylor, 425 Fifth Ave.; Bloomingdale's, 1000 Third Ave.; and Tiffany & Co., 727 Fifth Ave., will put a sparkle in your eye and a dent in somebody's wallet.

For the kids, there's FAO Schwarz at 767 Fifth Ave.

SAFFRON IN THE PARK

But there's something else in the works‹something purely fun, totally free and well worth a New York trek‹"The Gates, Project for Central Park, 1979-2004," a remarkable artistic creation, to be on display Feb. 12 through 27.

The brainchild of the notable Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude, artists so widely known that they don't need last names, "The Gates" is a temporary outdoor artwork that will feature saffron-colored fabric panels placed throughout Central Park.

Creators of other hugely successful temporary outdoor artworks over the years, the couple has wrapped various monuments in Milan, the Pont Neuf in Paris, the Reichstag in Berlin and trees in Switzerland. The massive Central Park project incorporates 7,500 16-foot-tall "gates" with luminous free-hanging nylon panels that will be placed at 12-foot intervals along 23 miles of undulating walkways, from 59th Street to 110th Street and from Central Park West to Fifth Avenue. When viewed from above, the installation will suggest a golden river appearing and disappearing from view throughout the park.

Conceived in 1979, "The Gates" project is the couple's first public artwork in New York City, their home of more than 40 years. The project title, by the way, comes from the openings in the continuous stone wall surrounding the park, which were referred to as "gates" by the landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Clavert Vaux, who created the 843-acre park.

"The Gates" will require 5,290 tons of steel; 60 miles of vinyl tube and‹get ready for this‹116,389 miles of nylon thread woven into 1,067,330 square feet of fabric.

The Municipal Art Society will offer walking tours of "The Gates" for the general public ($15 per person) and special groups. Reservations are not needed. For more information, call (212) 935-3960 or send an e-mail to info@mas.org.

In honor of this occasion, a number of restaurants will offer seafood and other dishes served with saffron sauce, and several hotels are offering special packages.

OUT AND ABOUT

Six New York attractions offer discounted tickets when bought through CityPass. Included are the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art (now back in its original Midtown location), the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises and the Empire State Building Observatory. If these are attractions you want to visit, CityPass is definitely a good value. Cost of CityPass is $53 for adults; $41 for youth (ages 6-17). Without CityPass, the regular admission price for the six venues is $101.50 for adults, $53 for youth. Also, having the ticket booklets avoids time wasted by standing in line at individual venues.

Before purchasing passes, check the days and hours that attractions are open. (Some have winter schedules.) Also make sure you allow sufficient time in your schedule to get to and tour all these places, plus some leeway for the unexpected. Tickets are available at the entrance of participating institutions. Passes are good for nine days after the first use. For more information: www.citypass.com. Other educational opportunities are available as well, such as "Sex and the City" tours that literally follow in Carrie's footsteps. The itinerary includes the Jimmy Choo boutique where she bought shoes, plus many other important highlights.

For more information: www.affiliate.viator.com.

THE ART OF NEW YORK

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, not on the CityPass, is one of the cultural icons of New York. It's overwhelming, and no one should even try to see everything.

Current exhibitions include "China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200-750 AD," through Jan. 23, 2005, and "Gilbert Stuart" through Jan. 16. "George Washington: Man, Myth, Monument‹Images from the Metropolitan," features more than 40 works in various media, through Feb. 27. "Christo and Jeanne-Claude from the Roof: ŚThe Gates' Project in Central Park" offers a unique opportunity from Feb. 12 to 27. The Metropolitan's roof garden will be open, weather permitting, for excellent viewing of the saffron-colored "gates" as well as the Manhattan skyline. Note: Open every day from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting, except Feb. 14.

Admission to the Metro-politan also includes admission to The Cloisters on the same day. The Cloisters, where the Met's medieval art and architecture collections are displayed, is some distance north of Midtown Manhattan. (To get there and make the most of your visit, take a cab‹rather than a bus‹to The Cloisters.)

Incorporating elements of five separate French cloisters, The Cloisters offers spectacular views over the Hudson River. Be sure to see the Unicorn tapestries.

To experience art in a more intimate setting, visit the Frick Collection, at 1 E. 70th St., between Fifth and Madison avenues. Formerly the home of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, built in 1914, the museum offers paintings, sculpture and furniture, as well as concerts and lectures.

MUSIC AND SONG

New York is famed for its music as well as its art. A concert at the venerable Carnegie Hall, which presents all kinds of music, is a wonderful experience. For information, call (212) 247-7800 or log onto www.carnegiehall.org.

Seeing a performance at the Metropolitan Opera House is a thrill. The Met is the grandest of the buildings at Lincoln Center, in keeping with the grand opera offered there.

Perhaps you'll choose an opera in which Northwestern University grad and former Wilmette resident Matthew Polenzani, tenor, will sing. During his student days, Polenzani sometimes sang at the now-gone Verdi and Puccini coffeehouse in Evanston.

Met tickets are expensive, but if you have strong legs, consider standing in line to buy one of a limited number of standing-room-only tickets. For more information, call (212) 362-6000, or log onto www.metopera.org.

The polar opposite of the Met is Amato Opera, located at 319 Bowery St. (at 2nd St.) in the East Village. This much-loved institution, now in its 56th season, presents opera on an intimate scale.

The company's full productions take place in close quarters. The orchestra pit accommodates only eight musicians, and the theater, including a balcony, accommodates an audience of 102.

Ticket prices are extremely modest‹commensurate with the size of the house, you might say. PBS did a special on Amato some years back. For more information: (212) 228-8200, www.amato.org Restaurants near Amato Opera include Dolphins, 35 Cooper Sq. (between 5th and 6th streets), which offers a prix-fixe, three-course dinner.

THE GREAT WHITE WAY

Let's hear it for a Broadway show. Theater is an essential part of the New York experience. There's a fabulous variety to choose from. Lucky visitors may actually find discount tickets for the shows they want to see.

The best way to do this is to go to Times Square (actually Duffy Square), 47th Street and Broadway. The TKTS booth opens around mid-afternoon, earlier for matinee tickets. Lines can be long, but move ahead surprisingly well. Tickets sold here are around half of their usual price, sometimes more, sometimes less. There's also a $3 service charge per ticket; payment in cash or travelers checks only.

If you didn't see Joanna McClelland Glass' "Trying" at Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago‹or even if you did‹you'll definitely want to see it in New York. It's at the Promenade, Broadway at 76th St. For tickets, call (212) 239-6200, or check TKTS.

ROCKEFELLER RAMBLING

Rockefeller Center, a magnificent Art Deco masterpiece, is a complex of buildings‹interspersed with plazas, gardens and works of art‹stretching from 47th Street to 50th and from Fifth Avenue to Seventh Avenue.

Visitors can pick up a map in the main lobby at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and take a free, self-guided tour. However, there's so much to see that a guided tour might be more satisfying. Tours are $10 for adults and $8 for children 6-16. Children under 6 are not allowed on the tour. The guided tour includes the "Today" show studio, Eastern Airlines Building, Associated Press Building, gardens, celebrated sculpture, the skating rink and other features. NBC's "Today," "Saturday Night Live" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" are all broadcast from Rockefeller Center. Audience tickets must be arranged in advance for the taping of these shows.

For winter visitors, skating on the famous Rockefeller ice rink is a treat‹somewhat high-priced, depending on the day and time‹an experience to be bragged about forever. Bring your own skates, if possible. Skate rental is available for a charge.

Call (212) 664-7174 to reserve tour tickets. For more information, call (212) 632-3975 or log onto www.rockefellercenter.com.

ECLECTIC NEW YORK

The revitalized Grand Central Terminal is as busy as ever, laced with shops and stuffed full of restaurants. Tours are offered on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. by the Municipal Art Society. A $10 donation is requested. www.mas.org.

The Museum of the City of New York celebrates the history and culture of the five boroughs. "El Barrio: Puerto Rican New Year" is an exhibition opening Jan. 21. Suggested admission to all five floors is $7, $4 for seniors, students and families; $12 for families.

Take a free cruise on the Staten Island Ferry for camera-worthy views of New York Harbor, the Manhattan skyline and especially the Statue of Liberty. The ferry runs 24 hours a day. Get off at Staten Island and get right back on another ferry to return to Manhattan. Save the Circle Line cruise that goes directly to the statue for another visit. At press time, visitors were still not allowed to go inside the statue. (There is a charge for the Circle Line cruise.)

SOUL OF THE CITY

For a change of pace and a bit of quiet, stepping into a house of worship might be the answer. Many churches welcome visitors and not just on Sunday. Visitors can admire stained glass and other art, learn about the history of the area or even enjoy a concert or reading. Welcoming places include St. Patrick's Cathedral, Fifth Avenue and 50th Street; St. Bartholomew's Church, 109 E. 50th St.; the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave.; and St. Peter's Lutheran Church in the Citicorp Center (an unusual pairing) at Lexington Avenue and 54th Street. All of the above are personally recommended.

PRACTICAL MATTERS

Hotels Hotels in New York are expensive, but sometimes the price can be whittled down. Here are some suggestions that might help, based on my own experiences.

Mention AARP, AAA (or other motor club memberships) or any other unique group that offers hotel discounts.

If you go to New York for a conference and have to pay for your own room, the sponsoring organization generally negotiates a reasonable (for New York) room rate for attendees. Mention this, and any special codes, when you make your reservation, and again at check-in. Check guide books and the Internet for hotel descriptions and prices. Then call hotels directly. It has been my experience that, often, there is a lower rate.

Consider the hotel's location. What's the area like in terms of personal safety? If you have to choose, I recommend going with location and safety over price. You'll have a more relaxed, satisfying visit, and also you may save on cab fare because you can probably walk to theaters and other destinations.

Getting Around

Walking is a wonderful way to get acquainted with the city, and allows the opportunity to discover hidden treasures that you wouldn't find otherwise. Good walking streets include Fifth Avenue, Park Avenue and Madison Avenue, for starters.

Taking the subway is another option. It's cheap‹not as cheap as the CTA rapid transit trains in Chicago‹but it's chapter than a taxi. Plus, the locals are helpful to out-of-towners. Buses? They're s-l-o-w. Use them when you have time for a leisurely look at the city.

Dining

If you're on a budget, consider booking rooms in a hotel that includes breakfast in the room rate.

Consider making lunch your main meal ‹ with a splurge in a nice restaurant, perhaps. Avoid running up a tab for beverages, and drink tap water ‹ it's free ‹ instead. The prices of coffee and iced tea could make you lose your appetite.

What's for dinner? The theater district and other areas have a number of delis, and some have buffets and salad bars. They're quick, inexpensive and convenient. Save time, and money, by running into a deli or a pizzeria before a play.

Guidebooks

Before planning a trip to the Big Apple, visit the library to look over various guidebooks. Decide on one, and go to a bookstore and buy it. My current favorite is "TimeOut New York," updated annually.

After you arrive in New York, you might want to buy the "TimeOut New York" weekly magazine-style guide.

The New Yorker magazine, available on newsstands in Chicago, as well as New York, is a good source, especially for cultural events. See Goings on About Town at the front of the magazine.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information log onto www.nycvisit.com or call (800) NYC-VISIT (800 692-8474) or (212) 484-1200. On the Web go to: www.nycvisit.com/calendar for a variety of events and entertainment, listed by date.

Once in New York, pick up brochures at the city's official visitors center, 820 Seventh Ave. (at 53rd Street) in Midtown Manhattan. There's also an information kiosk at the southern tip of City Hall Park (Broadway and Park Row).

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