FAO Schwarz, Fifth Avenue at 58th Street
Execs in toyland. FAO's famous for their oversized stuffed animals and hyperactive toy demonstrators. The imagination soars: Toy soldiers trumpet the arrival of guests who enter on a red carpet; the Mad Hatter dispenses tea, Goldilocks passes hors d'oeuvres. Power Rangers and others do their thing.

The Frick Collection, Fifth Avenue at 70th
Ultimate venu and available only a few times a year. Up to 70 in one room, 200 if the garden is used, this jewel box museum was the home of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, who spent the last 20 years of his life assembling masterpieces by Vermeer, Fragonard, Rembrandt, and other European masters.

Grand Central Terminal
A gateway and symbol of the city since 1913, this Beaux Arts gem offers extraordinary venues for large groups. The terrace overlooking the main waiting room seats hundreds. A just completed $200 million renovation of the main hall makes it pluperfect.

Intrepid Air and Space Museum, Hudson River at 46th Street
Illuminated at night, the grey World War II hull looms like an apparition on the Hudson. The museum is a world of original war memorabilia: A-6 Intruder Bomber, original Grumman Hellcat, a mini-submarine, the Gemini Space Capsule, a lunar module. Dinner in Tech Hall, featuring the technologies of the 20th Century, with an in-house caterer that knows the difference between an enlisted mess and a stellar meal.

Mariner 111, Chelsea Piers
Built in roaring 1962, the classic 122 foot fantail motor yacht features the classic opulence that the fortunes the Ragtime era allowed: Hand crafted , bevelled lead crystal windows, polished brass, room for 120 guests for a buffet or cocktails. Madonna, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford like it. You will, too.

New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street
Not just for scholars any more, the NYPL has numerous spaces for rent, including the glorious Bartos Forum, an 80 X 80 square foot wonder of dramatic steel pillars adorned with classical Corinthian ornamentation and a glass domed ceiling. This period set piece comes with complete audio-visual capability and a staff that has a librarian's resourcefulness with special requests. Up to 500 people for a seated dinner.

Delegates Dining Room at the United Nations
Whether it's a small group for the sumptuous weekday international buffet, or a gala in the main or smaller dining rooms, all guests enjoy a view of the East River and excellent food and service honed for the discerning tastes of heads of state. Bonus: Tax free status eliminates New York City sales tax on food and beverage!
Sample menu: Tuna Medallion with Ginger Beurre Sauce, Baby Field Greens with Champagne Vinaigrette, Tournedos of Beef with Shitake Mushrooms and Pinot Noir Sauce, Chocolate Cup with Mocha Mousse, Seasonal Berries and Fruit Coulis, Coffee/Tea, Half Bottle of House wine. Minimum: 100 guests for evening use of Delegates Dining room.

MANHATTAN PASSPORT is your key to the most exclusive private event spaces in New York City.

Exclusive Private Club, Midtown
From the moment guests approach this landmarked building and its ornate windows that resemble the stem of 17th century Dutch "jaght," to their first step into one of New York's grandest interior spaces, guests will know they have gained access to a very special world. Home of the Americas Cup, second home to the Vanderbilts, Astors and other of New York's leading families, the club has several ideal spaces, including the dramatic Model Room which displays 1500 models of yachts dating from the 1940's and the Grill Room, which resembles the gun deck of an 18th century frigate.

The Sky Club, MetLife (Pan Am) Building, 56th Floor, 45th Street and Fifth Avenue
An elegant private club with views toward the North, West and South, the Sky Club offers that rare combination of fine food and wonderful vistas of the city. Private rooms of varying sizes make an impressive site for a small business lunch; the vast dining room, with windows on three sides, is the ideal gala venue.
Note: Available Monday-Friday only.

National Arts Club, Gramercy Park South
One of just 66 houses with exclusive access to lovely Gramercy Park, the National Arts Club combines Victorian Gothic style and the superb talents of a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, the nation's top school for chefs.

"There is no question there is an unseen world; the question is,
how far is it from Midtown and how late is it open."
Woody Allen, Comedian, Director

Le Bar Bat, West Fifty-Seventh Street
Posh 57th Street is an unlikely place for an offbeat club in a former church, but there it is with its dramatic blue drapes and bats hanging from the ceiling, looking like a movie set for an upscale vampire movie.

Webster Hall, Lower Eastside
Byzantine four floors of simultaneous happenings and music for every taste. In New York that runs the gamut from its Wednesday night drag night, Thursday night grunge acts and cheap beer, a wig boutique. As we said, something for everyone.

Cafe Wha?, Greenwich Village
The setting is at first a bit off-putting. A narrow staircase leads to a cavernous, dark room. But once the rock-azz band begins, no one wants to go home and most don t until 4 a.m. when they are politely but firmly asked to depart or participate in the clean up.

Manny's Car Wash Blues, Upper East Side
The kind of bar that every traveller hopes to find: Red brick walls, bar lined with local regulars, great live blues music, reasonable cover charge and inexpensive drinks. Who could ask for anything more?