Take your iPad (or rent one) and wander with ArtLens, an app with nine hours of tours and trivia. Stop into the interactive Gallery One for a taste of the masters (Picasso, Rodin, and Chuck Close).
Attention all CSI fanatics! Browse four floors packed with info about the history of the medical field, and exhibits that delve into everything from DNA to antiquated equipment. It’s free on Tuesday.
It would take days to make a dent in the collection of 300,000-plus works of art, which includes classic paintings (American Gothic by Grant Wood), Asian prints, modern photography, & architecture.
The big draw here may be Sue (the world’s largest, most complete T. rex skeleton), but there are plenty of exhibits to geek out over, from the wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair to Egyptian mummies.
If you think watching The Walking Dead has desensitized you from wincing at macabre, think again: Watch a how-to video on embalming, or hang out at a mass suicide site replica and Cannibalism Niche.
With three times as much space and more than 600 indoor and outdoor exhibits, there are plenty of ways to play.Enjoy interactive exhibits, fog installations, and observatory rooms w/ waterfront views.
Get up close with Amazonian fish, coral reefs, and an albino alligator at this museum of natural science. Don’t miss the Living Roof observation level and the popular, after-hours NightLife series.
A tour de force of artist Dale Chihuly’s most significant works. Wander the 8 galleries before reaching the center of it all: the Glasshouse storing a sculpture of red, orange, & yellow glass flowers.
It’s worth waiting in weekend lines for made-from-scratch donuts from the tiny, family-owned spot. Go for caramel bacon, Nutella cream puff, blueberry, & Atlanta’s answer to the cronut: the cro-dough.
Frost takes its donuts to an artisanal level with gourmet flavors. Smoky bacon maple bar is a favorite, but bourbon caramel pecan, Aztec chocolate, & rum raisin cranberry are also worth the calories.
You have to fight for your right to a red velvet donut. Or an apple fritter. Or a vanilla angel. Such heavenly treats won’t do anything for your bikini body, but in your sugar coma, you won’t care.
Prepare to be mesmerized by rows of wacky combinations like the Evil Elvis, a plain donut topped with peanut butter, honey, bacon, and banana slices. Snap out of it to order a doughy chicken biscuit.
Chef/owner Kamal Grant changed the city’s donut game; the shop reigns supreme with ridiculous delicacies like fresh strawberries and cream, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, and the beloved A-town cream.
24/7 is the name of the game at The Donut Man (sometimes you need a 3 a.m. sugar fix). Order a pastry spilling with gooey fruit (strawberry, peach) or a cream-filled French cruller. Feel alive.
Local, seasonal ingredients and imaginative recipes make this Mission-based shop stand out from the pack. Not to miss: Spearin’s famed vanilla bean donut and delightfully fluffy bread pudding.
The dense donuts from this lower Manhattan bakery are vegan and gluten free, but they certainly don’t taste it. One bite and you’ll be hooked; flavors change daily.
Tanoshi bends traditional sushi to please contemporary tastes, but keeps its integrity with top-quality catch. Feeling lucky? Nab one of ten seats and indulge in an unforgettable omakase tasting menu.
At 15 East, the sushi is as clean-cut as the sleek, white interior. Try the omakase (“I’ll leave it to you”), for ten pieces of chef-selected sashimi. Tuna fiends can delight in a flight.
Can't tell the difference between Japanese and Santa Barbara uni? Let chef Masanori Nagano explain. Still unsure? You need to try both one more time. Just make sure to save room for seared barracuda.
Though slightly roomier than neighboring Little Tokyo spots, Sushi Gen still gets packed to the gills thanks to an impressive lineup of specialty fish (sayori halfbeak, kanpachi, monkfish liver).
Authentic, thoughtfully prepared sushi served the way it’s meant to: spiced or sauced according to the fish and cut (oyster with ponzu, black snapper with truffle salt, halibut with salt and lemon).
Though patrons tend to be sushi purists (no designer rolls here), don’t expect an uptight crowd. Chefs are friendly and the buttery salmon, snapper with sea salt, and yellowtail collar are winners.
This Beverly Hills spot sates sushi snobs and novices alike. Peruse the columns of daily specials (plastered everywhere you look), but don’t miss the blue crab hand roll and albacore with jalapeno.
Chef Shunji spends as much time on tomatoes (his agedashi tomato tofu), as he does on octopus and Dungeness crab. Be just as mindful when working your way through all seven varieties of snapper.
Totto Ramen’s original ramen shop in Hell’s Kitchen is notorious for its hours-long wait and no-reservations policy. Avoid the hassle at the newly opened location (just a block away).
Columbia University-adjacent ramen-ya specializes in creamy, Hakata-style pork bone broth. Best showcased in the tonkotsu ramen, with a house-made roasted garlic paste and tender braised pork slices.
Sample variations of regional ramen — and then some — from around Japan at this Queens noodle nook. The can’t-miss Sapporo-style miso ramen involves a broth made from more than 30 ingredients.
"Udupi, located on the southwest coast of India, is home to a unique variant of South Indian vegetarian cuisine. Staples include a crepe stuffed with spiced potato, served with coconut chutney."
"Gather around with twelve others for seasonal fare such as Cobb salad with “bacon” crumbles, cashew ricotta dumplings, and heirloom tomato. Hungry for more? She also offers lunch delivery."
"Situated in the center of Austin’s South Congress, Bouldin Creek Cafe is a hippie hangout with breakfast tacos aplenty. The patio is strewn with water bowls — perfect for poochie."
