New York Is More Palatable When Not Swallowed Whole : Sightseeing: Try compact specialty tours that match the metropolis to your interests.

Lots of people think they know New York. The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down, as they say in “On the Town.” But where exactly does Jackie Onassis go to church?

An out-of-towner in Manhattan can waste precious time seeking out an obscure landmark, trying to get a handle on an unfamiliar neighborhood or chasing down a special interest that may lead from one corner of the island to another. And a beginner’s tour of the city, which tries to swallow the entire apple in a single gulp, may not be much help.

The efficient solution may well be a specialty tour. It may cost a little, but it’s likely to save you time and leave you savvier than when you began.

Most such tours, by foot and by bus, last two to three hours. Prices range from nothing to $50 a head, and subject matter ranges just as widely. For up-to-date information once you’re in town, one good source is New York magazine, which includes tours in its entertainment listings under the heading “other events.”

Here’s an unscientific selection of specialty tour possibilities:

Walking Tours: Walk of the Town (212-222-5343), an essentially one-man operation founded a decade ago by writer and longtime New Yorker Marvin Gelfand, tailors tours to individual groups. Gelfand’s itineraries include neighborhoods from Chelsea to Morningside Heights and themes such as “The Immigrant City” (starting at Ellis Island, continuing through Little Italy and Chinatown), “Cops, Crooks and the Courts,” and “Hizzoner,” a 2- to 3-hour walking history of mayoral politics. Ordinarily, a Walk of the Town tour costs a group $150-$300, lasts 2-4 hours and may include up to 50 customers.

Using the name Citywalks, 35-year New Yorker John Wilson leads walkers on weekend neighborhood and architecture tours of Greenwich Village, Chelsea, the Lower East Side and elsewhere. Tours begin at 1 p.m., last two hours and cost $12 per person, half for children under 12, free for children under 6. Call ahead to reserve a spot and learn the meeting place. Printed schedules available. More information: (212) 989-2456.

Architecture and Urban Design: New York’s Municipal Art Society has joined with Gray Line Tours to offer “Insider’s New York” tours of Times Square, Grand Central terminal, Rockefeller Center, South Street Seaport and elsewhere. “The Movie Lover’s Tours of Manhattan” includes screen scenery and actors’ residences. Some tours use a bus and cost $30; many others are weekday walking tours that usually begin at 11 a.m., last 90 minutes, require no reservations and cost $10. For more information, call (212) 439-1049 (weekday tours) or (212) 397-3809 (weekend tours).

Spirits and Celebrities: For walkers, 5-year-old Sidewalks of New York offers various weekend excursions, including “haunted” sites in Greenwich Village, famous murder sites (all on the Upper West Side), and celebrity residences (on the Upper East Side). Also on the Upper East Side, there’s “A Tour Named Jackie,” which focuses on alleged current haunts of the former First Lady. Walking tours run two hours and cost $10 per person. On weekends and occasional Fridays, the company often runs a three-hour “Gotham Ghostmobile” bus tour that includes cemeteries, horror movie locations, murder sites and so on. On weekends in December, a “Manhattan Christmas Coach” highlights holiday traditions. Bus tours run $20. More information: (212) 517-0201.

The Natural World: Manhattan Urban Park Rangers offer free weekend tours of wildlife and flora around Manhattan. Director Namshik Yoon says a typical weekend schedule might include tours of a lighthouse near the foot of the George Washington Bridge, a bicycle route in Central Park, and a talk on fowl heading south for the winter, also in Central Park. Groups of 15 or more can make reservations for weekday programs. More information: (212) 427-4040.

Performing Arts: Lincoln Center Guided Tours take visitors through the four major venues housing the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, New York City Ballet and New York Philharmonic Orchestra Company. The one-hour tours are offered daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and usually hit three of the four performance spaces. Prices: $7.75 for adults, $4.50 for children. Make reservations a day ahead at (212) 875-5350.

Design and Fashion: For more than 15 years, Inside New York has been leading visitors through trade-only designer showrooms and delving into fabric manufacturer’s archives. The company also tours antique dealers, auction houses and artists’ studios in Greenwich Village and SoHo. Tours are designed for groups of at least 10, and carry prices beginning t $50 per person for a half-day. Reservations needed. More information: (212) 861-0709.

Manhattan Tours, run by fashion designer Jon Haggins, offers customized package programs, usually lasting three days or more and beginning at $500 per person, lodgings included. Themes often cover fashion and design, but Haggins also builds programs around neighborhoods, most notably Harlem. Advance arrangements necessary. Information: (212) 563-2570.

Reynolds travels anonymously at the newspaper’s expense, accepting no special discounts or subsidized trips. To reach him, write Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.