101 things to do in the summer in New York City 2012

See New York’s space shuttle

• Price band: 2/4

The Enterprise’s flyover made for one dramatic entrance. Get more than a brief glimpse on June 6, the tentative date when the shuttle will ride a barge up the Hudson to its final destination, the deck of aircraft carrier turned museum the USS Intrepid. You’ll have to wait until a climate-controlled pavilion is built around the shuttle, but by July 19, patrons will be able to view the shuttle’s exterior and explore the history of space with interactive exhibits.

Hit up Williamsburg’s latest outdoor venue

• Price band: 2/4

The brand-spankin’-new, 7,000-person-capacity venue Williamsburg Park opens this summer, filling the void for concerts on the Williamsburg waterfront. Check out the space at a Northside Festival shindig (see No. 51) featuring indie-rock heavyweights Jens Lekman, Of Montreal and the Thermals (June 15 at 4pm; $33.50);  a bill with hardcore faves Refused and Off! (July 18 at 5:30pm; $35); or during the jam-happy rock outfit My Morning Jacket’s (pictured) sure-to-be-epic set (Aug 19 at 5pm; $49.50). More gigs will be announced throughout the summer, so keep an eye on our Williamsburg Park page for more upcoming shows.

Get involved during Pride Week

It’s been a year of huge advances for the LGBT community, and this June NYC offers no shortage of places to celebrate Pride Week, from the classic NYC Pride March (where you can join a million spectators lining city streets) to the kinky leatherfest Folsom Street East. The Dance on the Pier and Rapture on the River end the week on a high-energy note. If you’re feeling philanthropic, you can join TONY in supporting the Trevor Project—a nonprofit organization that offers suicide-prevention services to LGBTQ youth—by donating to the cause or buying a ticket to Trevor Live New York, the organization’s annual music-and-comedy gala on June 25.

See classic films in Bryant Park

• Critics choice
• Free

Essential Monday-night staple HBO-Bryant Park Summer Film Festival celebrates its 20th year this June. And as with year’s past, the lineup is stellar, running the gamut from black-and-white classics—Psycho (June 18), On the Waterfront (July 9), The Maltese Falcon (July 23)—to big-budget Hollywood spectacles including The Wizard of Oz (July 2) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (Aug 20). Make sure to pack rotten tomatoes in your picnic in case Glenn Beck makes another appearance on the lawn.

New York Philharmonic: Concerts in the Parks

• Critics choice
• Free

The Phil skipped its popular summer series last season, but the hometown orchestra returns to play five concerts in parks across the city this year: Alan Gilbert and guest maestro Andrey Boreyko lead the players in invigorating fare by Respighi, Tchaikovsky and Brahms, while we revel in the merlot warmth within us and the starry skies above us. Visit nyphil.org for details.

Ride to the Rockaways

• Free

Join the Five Borough Bike Club on its Sunday morning Bicycle Beach Bums ride (10am–5pm; free; through Aug 26) from Grand Army Plaza to either Neponsit Beach or Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways. The route consists mainly of bike lanes and less heavily trafficked streets. and it’s a 30-mile round-trip (assuming you don’t ride the A train home). It may sound like a long way, but once you’re crossing the Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge and look down on the beckoning shore, it’s worth it. Once you’ve made it to the Rockaways, claim your reward. Make a beeline for Rockaway Beach Club, the row of foodie concessions that include returning vendors like Motorboat & the Big Banana (try the chocolate-dipped bananas) and Santa Salsa (which slings Venezuelan street-style hot dogs). Keep an eye out for new-to-the-beach outposts of NYC eateries such as Steve’s Ice Cream, the Commodore and the Lobster Joint. If you can drag yourself away from the shore, head to Rockaway Taco’s modest shack, located a couple blocks from the beach. It serves amazing tacos (tofu, fish, carne, chorizo; $3–$4), watermelon juice ($2) and a plantain quesadilla ($4) that somehow encapsulates the joy of summer in each sweet bite. You should be able to find it by way of the loud music and faint smell of heaven.