Making Summer in New York Feel Like a Breeze : Forgo museums in favor of river cruises, outdoor dining and nighttime music.

When a friend visiting from out of state recently asked to be shown a “fun weekend in the Big Apple,” I knew just where to take him.

Not to the museums, the monuments, or the hottest shows on Broadway. Summer in the city calls for breezier fare--particularly for those who already have done the standard tourist things. What I planned was a less structured, more “Barefoot in the Park” tour of Manhattan, one that takes advantage of the island’s waterfront and its inhabitants’ al fresco response to warm weather. My itinerary encompassed three ingredients that will make New York sizzle this summer--and not just from high temperatures or the bustle of the Democratic National Convention. I was after good music, great views, and the magic of Manhattan outdoors.

We feasted under the stars at the American Festival Cafe at Rockefeller Center, swaying in our seats to live music from the ‘50s and ‘60s. We picnicked under a shade tree in Central Park as an Ecuadorean combo played sweet flute tunes to one side of us and a lone saxophonist wailed the blues on the other. We set off in a riverboat from the South Street Seaport and boogied to a New Orleans rhythm band as we glided past the Statue of Liberty, with the breeze on deck cooling the hot night air. We danced the night away doing the calypso and the salsa alongside the Hudson River at the Amazon Village, which comes complete with palm trees, a sandy beach, and views of the Jersey coastline. Finally, we had a late, lovely brunch at the River Cafe on the Brooklyn waterfront, where we soaked up the pianist’s mellow tones and the view of yachts and tugboats gliding by the knock ‘em dead Manhattan skyline.

We could have done much more had time and energy permitted. This summer, there’s an abundance of options for activities that combine music, views and the open air:

DINING

The Summer Garden of the American Festival Cafe, Rockefeller Plaza, 20 W. 50th St.; (212) 246-6699. In summer, the famous Rockefeller Center ice rink becomes an outdoor restaurant, with a cascading fountain, live nighttime music from the ‘50s and ‘60s (Tuesday through Saturday) and, until September, one of the best dinner deals in town daily. The fixed-price menu ($24.95) is the “Down East Clambake Dinner”--a whole Maine lobster with drawn butter, steamer clams, mussels, red-skin potatoes, corn on the cob, cole slaw, corn sticks, biscuits and a blueberry crumble sundae. The mood is festive, there’s usually a breeze and the Rockefeller Plaza backdrop--with the gilded statue of Prometheus soaring overhead--is very tony. (The $24.95 clambake also is available at lunch daily, but is a better bargain at dinner, especially on live music nights.)

The River Cafe, 1 Water St., Brooklyn, under the Brooklyn Bridge; (718) 522-5200. The River Cafe is no secret (it’s undeniably romantic to dine on gourmet fare done up like works of art, with the Manhattan skyline glistening behind tugboats, yachts and tankers on the East River), but I was surprised by the friendliness of the staff and the discovery that there isn’t a bad seat on this remodeled barge. Be sure to make a reservation well in advance and dress up for the occasion.

Prices are stiff. At lunch, my tiny little appetizer of three smoked salmon morsels cost $11--a bundle even though they were in the shape of a boat deck with a potato-crisp sail. Entrees are about double that, and more at dinner. No matter; the food was great, the service--though not particularly efficient--was pleasant, and it was all beside the point once the piano kicked in and the view grabbed us.

A tip for budget diners: The light fare out on the deck is a much cheaper way to go--$6 to $15. Or, you could just have drinks.

By the way, the cafe’s publicist claims the cafe has the highest number of marriage proposals of any place in New York. Perhaps a return visit . . .

The Boathouse Cafe in Central Park, East Drive and 72nd Street; (212) 517-3623. Set lakeside, with striped umbrellas and park and skyline views, the cafe is an indulgent alternative to picnicking in the park. The food is northern Italian, the prices pure New York: $6 for antipasto, $13.50 to $22 for entrees. Tuesday through Thursday there’s live jazz nights. Open daily noon to 9:30 p.m., to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations are essential.

If all this isn’t romantic enough for you, the Boathouse also operates a Venetian gondola on the lake that you can charter (with a sometimes-singing gondolier) for $35 for half an hour, sans food. The gondola fits up to six people (if you’re so inclined), and you can buy a fruit plate and a bottle of house wine (about $30 for the bundle) to take along, but BYO is forbidden. Reserve well in advance.

Harbor Lights Restaurant, Pier 17, Third Floor, South Street Seaport, Manhattan; (212) 227-2800. This is cheating, technically, since there’s no music, but eating on the outside patio above the East River overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge was music to my ears even without the band. The regular menu is pricey, but the grill menu of hamburgers, spicy Buffalo chicken wings and pizza was under $10 an entree and well prepared. And, surprise, the maitre d’ and waiters were very, very nice, going out of their way to accommodate our (OK, my) fickle sense of seating and an order change. This is a great place to take a break after a stroll around the seaport and its endless mall shops. We came here after a river cruise for a late dinner and sat gazing at glittering Brooklyn Bridge long after we’d paid our bill.

OUTDOOR MUSIC AND FUN

The Amazon Village, Westside Highway, Pier 25 at N. Moore Street on the western shore of Manhattan; (212) 227-2900. What fun! Outdoor bars and a cafe with shaggy thatched roofs; palm trees; a waterfall, and 10,000 square feet of sandy beach on the waterfront, with beach chairs, a volleyball court and live bands playing reggae, salsa, calypso and salsa. There’s even bungee-jumping from a crane.

No, mon, this isn’t Jamaica; it’s the 1-year-old Amazon Village restaurant and disco. The place is open noon to 1 a.m. daily, but the fun is being there at night, with the lights and music and funkiness of it all. (It should be added that, by day, the sight of neighboring piers and dilapidated shoreline destroys the tropical illusion.)

This place is so popular that it’s often full by 7 p.m. weekends, so try to get there early, or risk the famous New York disco-bouncer experience. Some reports complain of pretty-people admissions policies once the place fills up, so dress--as the kids say--way cool.

The club, which is entirely outdoors, (not a place for a rainy night) charges $10 admission, more for special events.

South Street Seaport, Pier 16, Fulton and South St., alongside the East River in Manhattan; (212) 669-9400. There always seems to be something fun going on at the seaport, whether it’s a band performing on the pier, jugglers and magicians working the crowd, or fireworks under the stars on a patriotic occasion.

My favorite seaport experiences are the music cruises aboard the Seaport Line’s two pseudo riverboats, the DeWitt Clinton and the Andrew Fletcher. Most Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights through September there are 2-hour excursions featuring live or recorded rock, jazz, country western music, blues or golden oldies. Often there are two cruises--and sometimes three--per boat per night.

No matter how hot it is, the breeze from the upper deck is cool, the view of the Statue of Liberty, Governor’s Island, the Empire State Building and Manhattan skyline always magnificent. There are drinks and snacks for sale on board, and often the music is great for dancing. Music cruises run about $18 to $25. For information, call the Seaport Line at (212) 233-4800.

Another great seaport sail is on the Pioneer, a 107-year-old 100-foot schooner that makes two-hour afternoon and evening jaunts for views of the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center, the Brooklyn Bridge and lowest Manhattan. Mellow and romantic, the Pioneer rarely has music, but you won’t miss it, and you can picnic on board. Price is $15 for adults, $7 for children under 12 and $12 for seniors. For a schedule and reservations, contact the seaport at (212) 669-9417 weekdays.

Lincoln Center Out of Doors, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza at W. 65th Street; (212) 875-5400. This bastion of culture goes all out in summer to get some fresh air into its repertoire.

The popular Midsummer Night’s Swing, running June 24 to July 25, features dancing on the plaza to live bands--from swing to mambo, samba, Cajun and zydeco--Wednesday through Saturday nights, 8:15 to 11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday nights there are pre-dance lessons from 6:30 to 7:30. Admission is $6.

The center’s Performing Arts Out of Doors program, now in its 22nd season, runs Aug. 4-30, and is the largest festival of free music and dance performances in New York. The entertainment takes place at several Lincoln Center venues: the plaza, the fountain, the Damrosch band shell. Performances run throughout the day daily, except Mondays, and include Latin, folk, rock and gospel singers; modern and classical music and dance, and big names in jazz. There are several programs for children.

When hunger strikes, you can eat at Lincoln Center’s outdoor cafe or sneak in a sandwich.

Free Shakespeare in the Park, Delacorte Theater at 81st Street and Central Park West; (212) 598-7100. Presented by the late Joseph Papp’s Public Theater, this is a lot of fun, but only for those who don’t mind a lot of waiting in line. The show goes on at 8 p.m. and tickets are handed out at 6:15 p.m., but there’s so much demand that the line for tickets starts forming in early afternoon. Those in line early on can get a slip for up to two tickets per person, but both parties have to be in line when the actual tickets are handed out at 6:15. Many people make a day of it, bringing a picnic lunch and spelling each other in line. Only in New York . . . The plays this summer are “As You Like It,” July 2-26, and “A Comedy of Errors” Aug. 6-30. Performances are Tuesdays through Sundays.

Free New York Philharmonic in the Park, on the Great Lawn of Central Park (enter from 79th Street on the east side or 81st Street on the west side). Once a summer-long series, the wonderful Philharmonic has been forced by budget cuts to give just two performances on the Great Lawn this summer. Both are Mondays: Aug. 3, there’s a program of Dvorak, Ravel and Beethoven; Aug. 10, Brahms and Dvorak, but nobody cares that much about the line-up. The real appeal is the joy of picnicking on the grass and watching dusk fade to black while listening to the sweet strains of the strings. The music starts at 8 p.m., but many people get there much earlier (some by midday) to land a good spot on the grass and get the party rolling. As a bonus, there will be fireworks at both concerts this summer.

The Museum of Modern Art Summergarden, 14 W. 45th St.; (212) 708-9500. Friday and Saturday evenings through Aug. 30, there’s free classical music in the museum’s outdoor sculpture garden, starting at 7:30 p.m. The garden is open 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and you won’t have to pay the $7 museum admission if you enter after 6 at the 54th Street entrance instead of the main entrance on 53rd. But MOMA is one of New York’s most treasured institutions (with a great museum shop), so by all means go early and stay for the music.

Battery Park City, foot of Liberty Street in lowest Manhattan. If you haven’t discovered Battery Park City yet, you’re in for a wonderful surprise. This development of condos, restaurants and parks on the Hudson River across from the World Trade Center is a tranquil respite from the bustling metropolis. There are landscaped walkways along the river, plenty of benches for relaxing, and restaurants overlooking the water and Hoboken.

This summer, two free outdoor performance series make a visit extra worthwhile:

Sounds at Sunset, with literary readings and cabaret acts, runs every Monday at 6:30 p.m. through Aug. 31 at Hudson River Park. This new park is at the northern end of Battery Park City at Vesey Street. For information, call (212) 416-5300.

Wednesday nights through Sept. 2 from 7:30 to 9:30 there’s Dancing on the Plaza at the glitzy 1-year-old World Financial Center, just below the Hudson River Park. Bands play everything from rhythm and blues to soul and big band music. For a schedule, call (212) 945-0505.

Central Park Summer Stage, Rumsey Playfield, enter at East 72nd Street; (212) 360-2777. From June 17 to Aug. 16, the Central Park Conservancy sponsors a free music series featuring great names and new faces in blues, rock, hip-hop, folk, jazz, country western, gospel and international song and dance, plus assorted literary readings. Performances on Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday and Friday evenings at 8:30, and Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.

Brand new in Central Park this summer is a 1 1/2-hour narrated trolley tour of the park that meanders through the 843-acre respite, taking in most of the key sights. It explains much about the park’s history, landscape, sculptures and monuments. The tour departs Monday through Friday at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. from Grand Army Plaza at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South. Price is $12.50 for adults, $6 for children and $10 for seniors. For information and reservations, call the trolley at (212) 360-2727.

Even when there’s nothing officially scheduled, there’s always entertainment in Central Park, particularly the area between 70th and 79th streets near the Bethesda Fountain. You’ll see street musicians, singers and jugglers, plus roller-blade competitions along a stretch of roadway closed to traffic on weekends. Picnic food’s a must--get it from Zabar’s, 2245 Broadway at 80th Street. This huge gourmet deli, cheese, pasta and everything-else-yummy store is tops in takeout with West Siders and savvy outsiders.

On your way out of the park, make a pilgrimage to Strawberry Fields, the lovely little homage-garden to John Lennon set at the western edge of the park at 72nd Street. There’s usually a lone guitar player singing soulful Beatle songs.

Sit for awhile, finish your last bit of Zabar’s sourdough bread, hum along to “Yesterday,” and imagine.

For more about Manhattan’s sights and sounds, contact the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2 Columbus Circle, New York 10019; (212) 397-8222.