Alanna Schubach

Sure, you’ll see fliers hawking guitar lessons in music stores and record stores in NYC, but there are more solid options for mastering the instrument well enough to play the best songs. Anyone from total novices to seasoned strummers can learn a few things about the guitar at these spots. Plus, this being New York, your teachers will be top-notch musicians who have performed in some of the city’s best live-music venues—and might be able to get you a gig at one, too (if you put in enough practice). RECOMMENDED: Full guide to classes in NYC

New York’s one of the most literary cities in the world, and that’s never more evident than when wandering in its brilliant independent bookstores and specialty bookshops. And because Amazon’s recommendations have got nothing on a face-to-face chat with a professional bookseller, find the best bookstore NYC has to offer for browsing new fiction or picking up the year’s best books. RECOMMENDED: Best places for shopping in NYC

Every New Yorker—man or woman, old or young—should visit dance studios in NYC at least once in their lives. After all, our city is home to an embarrassment of riches when it comes to studios and professionals who moonlight as teachers. Whether you’re prepping for your first dance at your wedding, looking to channel your inner Center Stage star, ready to attempt your first pole dancing classes or simply looking for a novel way to exercise, there’s a school in New York for every type of dancer, with offerings from adult dance classes to classes for beginners. Read on to see our favorite eight dance studios in NYC. RECOMMENDED: Find more great fitness classes in NYC

Seeking stylish staycation ideas or a comfortable place to relax? Don't feel like you have to stay home watching the best movies on Netflix and ordering delivery. From cool, restored brownstones to historical houses, find the best bed-and-breakfast NYC has to offer for a hit of quaintness close to home. 

Even if you haven’t read anything but a magazine all year, it’s not too late to start on this list of the 14 best books of 2015. We’ve added to our list of the most anticipated books of the year to include these picks, from debut novels to the final installment of a best selling series. These novels deploy both humor and incisiveness to grapple with race, parenthood, friendship, family and even a memory-erasing virus. (No, the To Kill a Mockingbird sequel didn’t make the cut.) Curl up at one of the city’s best bookstores and start reading. RECOMMENDED: See the best of 2015

It often seems as though every New Yorker has a shrink, due to the high-anxiety nature of the city. But in reality, for many people, mental health care is a luxury they can't afford, especially with the never-ending rise in rent prices. While respected psychologists can often command hundreds of dollars per session, New York fortunately offers an abundance of options for low-cost therapy. Independent and hospital-affiliated clinics, support groups and university psych centers all provide affordable services—often with reasonable, sliding scale fees—to people who are seeking guidance. Here are 10 places where you can get help from trained mental health practitioners, regardless of your income.