The New York Public Library on 42nd Street is a civic treasure. But the city is strewn with specialist collections and reading rooms that -- for modest fees -- offer quiet and respite from Net-surfing term-paper writers.

Months of poring over "A Nation Challenged" have paid off: You know the difference between Sunni and Shiite, Rumsfeld and Stufflebeem. But attentive reading will get you only so far . . .

From Hebrew homies to homo thugs, meet the new wave of novelty rappers.

Forget Sabrett hot dogs and those "meat"-over-rice combos. New York's best sidewalk cuisine is flavored by nearly every nation on earth.

For the first time in almost 50 years, New York has chosen a new official lamppost design to replace the ubiquitous “cobra head” luminaire.

Here are the best sneakers to wear, the smartest places to show support—and more ways to treat your feet right, even if you’re barely moving a muscle.

“If you’re not willing to get hurt, why do it?” For these bike gangs, summer fun means jousting, crashing, and braving “the Whiplash.”

Dave Eggers, Donna Tartt, and Zadie Smith must be licking their wounds after Times critic Michiko Kakutani's recent drubbing of their sophomore books. But if they want to get back in her good graces, they should stop licking and start limning.

This month's cold snap may make for a nasty trudge to the subway, but it's given the Northeast a beautiful coat of snow. Seize the moment, and hit the slopes.

Not everyone can be as rich as Bill Gates by 30.