The stars of the New York Shakespeare Festival get the banner headlines. But thanks in large part to such celebrities, the Bard has become as essential to summer as flip-flops and beach-house shares.

Your folks are in town, and you've braced yourself for a clannish Thursday. Want to send a message on Friday night? Five plays that will -- ever so gently -- hint at what could be better in your family's life.

It is skating season, the thermometer notwithstanding. Avoid the hordes dodging the Zamboni at Wollman Rink, Rockefeller Center, and Chelsea Piers while you figure-eight your way around these lesser-known frozen assets.

Pilgrims and Indians. Lions and Cowboys. Celebrating the harvest and watching the Underdog balloon spiral out of control on Broadway. Yes, Thanksgiving is all that. But what it really comes down to is saving room for pie. Our choices for your table.

The soundtrack’s the thing at the “Reel Rhythms” Film Festival.

Don’t abandon the bookstores just because outdoor season is coming

New fests, from the French to the just plain weird, for March 2004.

What are the hottest restaurants serving for dessert these days? Doughnuts and fritters fresh out of the fryer.

Teens need distraction, too, especially when spring arrives.

The usual suspects (tom kha gai at Vong, matzo-ball at the 2nd Avenue Deli) are certainly wonderful. But soup season runs a long time—why not branch out? Fight off seasonal affective disorder at these five bright spots.