Metropolitan Opera House & Lincoln Center Plaza
"Take a stroll here on a performance night. Show up in the early evening and from anywhere in the complex you'll be greeted with a vision of the city's classical music lovers bustling in to whichever ballet, opera, or orchestral performances are taking place that evening. The crowd is usually a mix of old and young, refined and eccentric, from tuxedoed couples drinking champagne on the balconies to bohemian-looking students smoking wistfully by the fountains. Take a drink from one of the Plaza's cafes up to the lawn on the roof of the extraordinary Hypar Pavilion --the beautiful experiment in innovative public space introduced to Lincoln Center by the architects Diller Scofidio & Renfro in 2010__and look out for the musicians themselves arriving below, making their way into the theaters with their instruments in tow.
Also, Midsummer Night Swing is a three-week-long outdoor dance party that takes place in July. There's a different band every night, Tuesday through Saturday. Following this is Lincoln Center Out of Doors, a series of free concerts and performances. Both are located at Lincoln Center Plaza For more information, call 212-875-5000 or visit www.lincolncenter.org" - The BestThings to Do in New York