Summer in New York is a study in perspectives. Depending on one’s point of view, the city can seem like a sweaty, malodorous urban dystopia or a grown-up’s playground of sylvan parks, twinkly rooftop parties, and impossibly attractive and sophisticated people wearing very little clothing. The secret to making the most of the season is to have a proper plan of attack. Its many potential pleasures notwithstanding, the concrete jungle does not reward ill-conceived strategies under any circumstances, least of all when the temperature is 104 on the Grand Central 6-train platform and half of Germany is in town visiting. We can help. In the following pages, you’ll find 247 ideas for having a pleasurable summer in the city, and out of town. There are itineraries designed for last-minute planners, families, bathing beauties, and jocks, as well as anyone who likes to catch a decent movie, concert, or show (“62 Days of Fun”) or, you know, eat (“Dinner With a Side of Sky"). There’s also a look at the improbable-enough romantic-comedy team of Woody Allen and Scarlett Johansson, an oral history of graffiti in New York, a dispatch from the unlikely emerging global-warming battleground known as Long Beach Island a portrait of the wacky battle of Republican senatorial candidates vying to “challenge” Hillary Clinton, and a profile of cult comedienne turned fame-spooked summer-movie actress Amy Sedaris. Back to the question of perspectives. Above, you’ll find a slideshow of recent aerial pictures shot in and around New York from a helicopter over several days by photographer Vincent Laforet. The images—almost-surreal bird’s-eye views of Central Park, Coney Island beach, Teterboro airport, the U.S. Open at Winged Foot (Phil Mickelson’s operatic finish), and the Soho House rooftop pool—are bound to help you see summer in New York in a flattering light.

Related:

• Archive: “Features”
• Table of Contents: July 10, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!