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Brigid Bergin: Now, we're going to open the phones in crowdsource the perennial, where to take guests from out-of-town question. One of my co-workers asked for advice on the company Slack channel yesterday, and we realized this is a dilemma faced by folks all over the area as visitors travel to see you, yes, but also the cultural touchstones of the season. What are the must-sees for people coming to the area this time of year? Bonus points if it's free, but not required. You can call us at 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692. If you can't get through on the phone, you can text that number or tweet us @BrianLehrer.

I will admit that I for one am taking my daughter to see the Radio City Music Spectacular next week. We are getting into the season early. What tops your list of must-sees for out-of-towners? For entertainment, a colleague thinks anything of Jazz at Lincoln Center is a great venue for folks seeking a little glamor with their music or that knockout view of Columbus Circle and Central Park from the Appel Room.

Do you take folks to a favorite Nutcracker ballet, or do you have a preferred Christmas tree, the one at Rockefeller Center or the one at the Met or maybe the one at the Museum of Natural History? That's my favorite. Call or text us at 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692. Maybe we should stipulate that most newcomers to the city are going to want to see things like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Those are both wonderful things to visit. Maybe you can do a Gray Line tour. Where else would you take them?

Gothamist, actually, on our website, has a list of 19 free things to do around town now. The top of that list is actually ice skating at Bryant Park. By the way, it's free if you bring your own skates. There's also ice skating at the Oculus this year starting the day after Thanksgiving. That's not free, but what an amazing place to skate. Do you have favorite activities you'd like to do with your guest? Gothamist also recommends visiting Red Hook. It's a little off-the-beaten-path destination and reminds us that Governors Island is open year-round now, so you can go there any time of year.

Jackson Heights got some love on our company Slack as did the neighborhood of Chelsea with the High Line and galleries and Little Island. What neighborhood do you like to take your visitors to? What restaurants do you want them to try? Are there any quintessential New York or surrounding area experiences that you'll urge your guests to do or see? We want to hear from you. Call us at 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692. I'm Brigid Bergin, in for Brian today, and we're going to take your calls just after this.

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Brigid Bergin: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. I'm Brigid Bergin, senior reporter in the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom, filling in for Brian Lehrer today. I'm taking your calls on where to take our out-of-town visitors this holiday season. Let's start things off with Tina in Manhattan. Tina, thanks so much for calling.

Tina: Hi. Thanks. I have two suggestions. Number one, walking between Washington Square Park and Tompkins Square Park, just meandering, window shopping. Awesome, historical, so great. Then another pitch for the Lower East Side coming down to take a tour of the Tenement Museum. So great. The outdoor walking tours, indoor apartment tours are fantastic. You could stop by the historic Essex Market for food and dining. We have two great movie theaters, whether it's Metrograph for arthouse cinema stuff or you can go to the Regal Essex for lean-back, big-picture stuff.

Brigid Bergin: Tina, I love those suggestions. I as a former resident of the Lower East Side will also throw in a mandatory trip to Russ & Daughters, either the shop or the cafe. I don't know if you would agree with me, but both of them make for great brunch options.

Tina: Absolutely. All right. Thanks. Have fun, everybody.

Brigid Bergin: Thanks, Tina. Great suggestions to kick us off. Let's go to Judith on the Upper West Side. Judith, thanks for calling WNYC.

Judith: The most important place for tourists to visit, everyone should visit, is the African Burial Grounds on Duane Street, and then around the corner, the African Burial Ground Museum. It would be on Broadway, just a few yards down from the corner of Duane Street. It's very important to see that because slavery was alive and well in New York, and we fought very hard to preserve that space when bones and chains and African things were discovered when they dug for the base of the building-

Brigid Bergin: Judith, thank you so--

Judith: -and we stopped the construction.

Brigid Bergin: Thank you so much for that call and that great suggestion, an important part of the history, certainly of New York City and certainly of this entire country. We're getting a lot of texts from callers with recommendations. We're talking about where to take our guests this holiday season. Spots in the city, around the city, whether it's a seasonal activity or a historical location, the number is 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.

I want to get a couple of the texts in here. A listener writes, "First stop is Brooklyn Heights Promenade for a view of Manhattan. Second is jazz and games at Cellar Dog on Christopher Street." Has a small cover charge apparently. Another listener is recommending the Madison Square Park tree lighting which is on December 6th and features Tin Pan Alley holiday songs. It is the first public Christmas tree. That sounds like another great stop.

Another listener recommends the always reliable, mostly reliable, Staten Island Ferry. It's great and very inexpensive. In fact, I believe it's free. Then you can walk up the South Street Seaport. A lot of great recommendations coming in via text. Let's see. Let's try Emanuel in Babylon, Long Island. Emanuel, thanks for calling WNYC.

Emanuel: Hi. I'm here.

Brigid Bergin: What's your recommendation for where to bring a guest?

Emanuel: Oh, yes. I regularly when people are new to the city-- I have a large family in California. They often come in, and when they do come in, I meet them at Penn Station. Usually, we go to dinner before. This year we did it on a Saturday. We went to dinner at Villa Mosconi on MacDougal Street. Then Sunday, we met at Penn Station, beautiful, sunny day, took the subway to High Street, and walked into Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge, which I believe is a must for anybody coming to New York City. Then from there walked to Trinity Church, Wall Street, Ground Zero, Fraunces Tavern. That's a terrific, terrific trip.

Brigid Bergin: Emanuel, thank you so much for your call and suggestions. Let's try Diana in Parsippany, New Jersey. I think we're going to get a recommendation that's outside of the five boroughs, Diana.

Diana: Yes, you are. It's a way of how to enter New York from the New Jersey side. We have a lot of family that comes in from Europe, and I think the first impression always counts. We go in from Weehawken and we take the ferry. It's such a beautiful way to have the city open up in front of you.

Brigid Bergin: I'm a big ferry traveler myself, not from New Jersey, but I appreciate that recommendation. Another great way to see the city. Let's try Brad in Greenpoint. Brad, thanks for calling WNYC. Where are you going to take your guests?

Brad: Jazz was mentioned a couple of times, so I just wanted to throw out the Village Vanguard, which is still alive and well and is over 80 years old. I went a couple of times the past week. One time it was sold out, and the other time I couldn't even get in because it was still sold out. Just wanted to throw that one in there.

Brigid Bergin: Brad, thank you so much for that call. We got to a very funny text from a listener that says, "When I have relatives visiting, I normally put them on the Circle Line for as many hours as possible." I don't know if that means you don't want to spend time with your relatives. We're not reading anything into it, but it is a great way to see a lot of the city, so thank you to the listener for that text. Let's see. We've got another caller. How about Resi in Brooklyn? Resi, thanks for calling WNYC.

Resi: I like to tell them how beautiful 5th Avenue is, walking up and down and seeing the scenery, looking in the windows as you go up and stop at Rockefeller Center, see the people skating. Then just about there in Lincoln Center, then you turn around and come back down 5th Avenue to where you started. Then you can go over maybe to 10th Avenue over there and there's where you can get up and walk up in the sky like on a little hill, they put there. Since I've been back to New York, I noticed it's there.

I got to go there to see it myself because I am a regular New Yorker. It's around 10th Avenue. You can walk up and you can see all of 9th and 10th Avenue around that's called Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen.

Brigid Bergin: I think you're--

Resi: It's nice walking around there.

Brigid Bergin: Yes. I think you're talking about the High Line Park.

Resi: Yes, that must be it. I haven't seen it yet, but I have to go and see it because I'm back now. I've been gone for a while. I'd gone away to different places near my children, but now I'm here back in New York. I've lived in New York since I was six years old. I'm 87 years old now, and I really love New York. There's no place like New York. I have traveled all over and with my prayer mission, but I always get back right here. This is home to me where I was not born, but I love it, and I've been here for 81 years. I am 87 now.

Brigid Bergin: Wow.

Resi: I've been here for six years in New York, and I love New York.

Brigid Bergin: Resi, thank you so much for your wonderful call, and thank you for listening and a great suggestion about checking out the High Line, which is a wonderful site here in the city, a great place for tourists to go. One of the free sites if we're looking for those for our lists. Again, listeners, we are talking about where to bring guests this season who may be visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday or any of the upcoming holidays this season. You can call us at 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692.

Again, where do you want to take your visitors? Are there restaurants you want them to try? Are there experiences you think they need to have? Are there things that they should just see or do? Any great art exhibits, any great holiday experiences, any great dance companies? I'm going to turn the phone floor over to Beth in Murray Hill. Beth, where are you taking your guests, or what is your recommendation for guests visiting this holiday season?

Beth: Well, every year, I go see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company. It is a must-see, one of the greatest dance companies of all time, and it's at City Center, which has been magnificently restored, a great New York City landmark. If you go, then across the street is a candy store called Myzel Chocolates, which has great chocolates but the largest selection of licorice I have ever seen anywhere.

Brigid Bergin: [laughs] Beth, thank you so much for that recommendation. I am also a huge fan of Alvin Ailey. I often go with some friends this time of year, but I did not know about the candy shop, and so I have something to add to our itinerary and something to recommend to friends who are visiting. Thank you so much for your call. Another listener texts, "Dinner on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. Then the Train Show at the Botanical Garden in the Bronx." That's another great outing and another great itinerary for visitors. Let's try-- how about John in Maplewood, New Jersey? John, thanks for calling WNYC.

John: Hey, I used to live on the Upper West Side in the Morningside Heights area, and it's really gorgeous up there. It's quiet. It's not like the rest of the city, I feel. You've got St.

John the Divine, the cathedral there, Riverside Church, Grant's Tomb, Riverside Park. It's just a special area. It's great this time of year.

Brigid Bergin: John, thanks so much for your call. Let's see. We've got some more texts from listeners. A listener writes, "The Brooklyn Botanic Garden Lightscape Show opens this Friday," and a lot of recommendations for the Holiday Train Show at the Botanical Gardens. For those of you who have not checked it out, there's a lot of recommendations for that. There is something called Frost Fest Luna Park, Coney Island with rides in Santa, a listener writes.

Then another listener texts, "Anyone going to the High Line in Chelsea should stop at the ALF or A-L-F Bakery in the basement of the Chelsea Market. Dare I say, the chocolate babka is the best." Oh my goodness. That could start a whole other segment about the best babka in the city, but we're not doing that right now. We're telling people where to go this holiday season. Let's go to Neela in Brooklyn. Neela, thanks for calling WNYC.

Neela: Hey, how are you? One of my favorite things after Thanksgiving is I like to see everyone walking their parents around after Thanksgiving because I feel like that's what adult children do with their parents. I think a great place to walk around with your parents is actually Green-Wood Cemetery. There's so many places to see inside the cemetery. I live near there, I work there, and it's a great place to go with visitors from outside the city.

Brigid Bergin: Neela, that's a great recommendation. Tune in tomorrow when we talk about whether or not any of us are actually adults, given you're witnessing people walking around their adult parents. Let's go to Peter in Ridgewood, Queens. Peter, thanks for calling WNYC.

Peter: Hi. Thanks for taking my call. I was calling because I feel like this holiday season is really special because we have a chance to protest. New York City is a city of immigrants and refugees, and we have a chance to protest genocide right now. There are free protests, you can go to them all the time, you can find them on Instagram on the Jewish Voice for Peace page or Within Our Lifetime Palestine. It's really great to get out there and show that we have values here.

Brigid Bergin: Peter, thanks so much for your call. I know that is something that is really important to a lot of our listeners, and it is very much part of the fabric of the city. We appreciate hearing from you. Let's go to Kitty in Queens. Kitty, thanks for calling WNYC.

Kitty: Hello. How are you

Brigid Bergin: Hi, Kitty. What are your recommendations for places to go and things to see?

Kitty: My recommendation as a Queens girl is to start at Main Street in Flushing. If you're a foodie, that's the place to be. All types of Asian cuisine, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese. Take the Number 7 train going westward into Manhattan and get off at the stops, and then you'll sample all kinds of foods: Salvadorian, Colombian, even Mongolian food, Indian food. Each stop has a character of its own in terms of the food. If you're a real foodie, that's the place to be.

Brigid Bergin: Kitty, thank you so much for that recommendation. It made me hungry. We are approaching lunchtime, of course. We still have a bunch of callers on the line. Let's try Carrie in Princeton, New Jersey. Carrie, thanks for calling WNYC.

Carrie: What's up y'all? Catch the train down, come to Princeton. We have a ton of student groups doing amazing dance performances. Come out to McCarter Theater or Frist Theater and check us out. As always, free Palestine. Much love.

Brigid Bergin: Carrie, thanks for your call. Let's try one more. Laura in Croton. Laura, thanks for calling WNYC.

Laura: Hi. I'm really excited to say that when out-of-towners come to New York, I take them to the Cloisters. I always tell them that I'm taking them to a castle in Manhattan, and no one believes me until we walk in. I take them to the [unintelligible 00:17:59] the illuminated manuscripts and the Unicorn Tapestries and they love it. The medicinal gardens are beautiful in the summer and the spring, but this time of year is really, really special too.

Brigid Bergin: Laura, thank you so much for that call and recommendation. Well, we have traveled, I think, the five boroughs and we've hit lots of different spots. If you were looking for ideas and suggestions of where to take your family or visitors during these holidays, we've got some great suggestions. Just a couple more texts I'll slip in there. The Tin Building, lots of great restaurants and shops, beautiful view of the river, Brooklyn Waterfront, and the Brooklyn Bridge, a listener texts us.

We also have MoMA, which has got at least two great exhibitions to see, and Jazz Vespers at Saint Peter's Church, Sundays at 5:00. So many great suggestions. Thank you so much for your calls and texts. We really appreciate it. You've been listening to The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. I'm Brigid Bergin, filling in for Brian Lehrer today. Much more to come. Thank you for listening. Tune in again tomorrow.

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