(USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park) More than 720,000 on-site fans, 75 million television viewers in the U.S. and 30 million online visitors enjoy the thrill and excitement of the US Open each year. The one-of-a-kind experience, the magnificent grounds and the breakthrough innovations that have become synonymous with America’s Grand Slam keep fans coming back year after year, making the US Open the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world. Event Website

(New York Transit Museum, corner of Boerum Pl & Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201) (Tu - Fri 10AM to 4 PM; Sat. & Sun 12 noon to 5 PM) Incorporated in 1834, the Long Island Rail Road is the oldest rail road in the United States still operating under its original name. Initially built to be a shortcut to Boston, it has adapted to the ever-changing needs of its customers and survived competition, takeovers, hard times and bankruptcy. Today it is the busiest commuter railroad in the country and is embarking on a massive expansion project known as East Side Access which will bring LIRR trains into Grand Central Terminal. Historic and contemporary photographs, maps and illustrations ($5 adults; $3 children & Seniors (62+) Seniors free on Wednesdays) (718 694-1600) roxanne.robertson@nyct.com Event Website

(Riverside Park, Pier 1 @ 70th Street, New York, NY 10024) (Varies see website) Summer on the Hudson is the Parks Department’s annual outdoor arts & culture festival that takes place in Riverside Park South on the Upper West Side. With a mix of music concerts, dance performances, movies under the stars, DJ dance parties, kids shows, special events, and wellness activities, there is something for everyone! (FREE) Event Website

(Queens World's Fair Marina) Artist Mary Mattingly's The Waterpod has been touring her floating eco-habitat to various docks around NYC all summer, with tours, classes and lectures on board. The last stop is Queens World's Fair Marina. Event Website

(P.S.1, 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, Queens, NY 11101) The first solo exhibition of the New York-based artist at a New York museum. Working in video, sculpture, sound installation, and photography, Horowitz critically examines the cultures of politics, celebrity, cinema, war, and consumerism. Horowitz repositions news publications like Life and Time, evocative of wholesome American ideals, to draw subversive connections. Other work addresses the inverted politics of celebrity activism, whereby celebrities align themselves with particular issues in order to construct and reclaim their identities. Event Website

(Various Locations) Celebrate México Now is New York City’s first—and only—annual festival of contemporary Mexican art and culture. Encompassing cuisine, dance, film, literature, and music, Celebrate México Now provides New Yorkers with a glimpse of the most intriguing artists and ideas pouring out of Mexico today. Event Website

(Rooftop of the Old American Can Factory, 232 3rd St at 3rd Ave, Gowanus/Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215) (8pm doors) Rooftop Films 2009 Summer Series, the 13th year of "Underground Movies Outdoors," will run every weekend from May 15 - September 20. Programming for the 2009 Summer Series includes feature-length films and programs of shorts, all new, all independent. Most of the feature films are either New York, US or World Premieres. Most screenings will include a filmmaker Q & A. Films represent a diverse range of documentaries, fiction, drama, comedy animation and more. Nightly: Live music presented by Sound Fix Records at 8:30pm, Film at 9pm. ($9) Event Website

(Various Locations) In 18 days even the most intrepid theatergoer can only sample a small fraction of the over 200 offerings at the New York International Fringe Festival. The Fringenyc Encores Series is a showcase some of the best and most crowd-pleasing shows from the New York International Fringe Festival, most of them right from their sold out runs. Event Website

(Nederlander Theatre, 208 West 41st St, New York, NY 10036) This revival of the classic musical about gamblers, showgirls, and the Salvation Army, stars Oliver Platt and Lauren Graham. Event Website

(Governor's Island, Accessible by Battery Maritime Building, Slip 7, New York, NY 10004) (11am - 6pm) Presenting selections of work by more than 150 artists to the public for free. The site of a former military compound, Governors Island is a five-minute ferry ride (also free) from lower Manhattan, and comprises 22 acres of 18th-century fortifications, pre-Civil War arsenal buildings, Victorian and Romanesque Revival housing, early 20th-century neo-classical architecture, and a killer viewpoint of Lady Liberty. Event Website

(Various Locations along the Hudson River, from Manhattan to Upstate Hudson Valley) The Hudson River Valley Ramble celebrates the history, culture and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, as well as the amazing landscape, communities, and trails throughout the region. This year, the Ramble takes places over four weekends in September and features nearly 300 individual events being offered in communities from Saratoga to NYC. Many Ramble events highlight themes such as the Revolutionary War, Great Estates, Hudson River School artists, Greenway Trails and the Hudson River Estuary. Whether you are interested in a challenging hike, bike or paddle, an inspiring walk through the grounds and homes of some of the Valley’s most notable artists, authors, and Great Americans, a trip back in time to experience the significant role the region played in the Revolutionary War, or a family-fun festival or river exploration event, the Hudson River Valley Ramble truly offers something for everyone! Event Website

(Various Locations) Crossing the Line is a platform for transformation. A festival of new work that enables all of us to re-imagine the way we exist in the world, the way we look at the world, and the way we sense and experience the world. Crossing the Line works with artists who, perhaps, have their origins in more traditional or specific disciplinary practices like dance, music, film, visual arts, and cuisine; but who, by re-inventing their relationships to those practices, are completely transforming the practices themselves. Event Website

(Morgan Lehman Gallery, 317 10th Ave, New York, NY 10001) Acutely aware of being different in a world of New York society, Smith struggled for years with her identity as a lesbian and an artist. As she came to terms with her sexual orientation, Smith found herself searching for positive role models within the gay community. While portraiture has been used for centuries to memorialize the family lineage, these visual depictions have focused almost entirely on the heterosexual family unit. Smith conceived of a project that would not only provide the role models she so craved, but would also contribute to the current cultural debate around homosexual unions by finding monogamous and stable exemplars. Event Website

(Riverside Park South, 72nd St & the Hudson River) (10am - 5pm) Join the Downtown Boathouse for 20-minute instructional paddles, and explore the Hudson River firsthand. Weather permitting. Kayaking will be available Saturdays & Sundays, May 16 – October 11. No registration required. (FREE) (212.408.0219) Event Website

(Tony Shafrazi Gallery, 544 West 26th St, New York, NY 10001) DENNIS HOPPER: SIGNS OF THE TIMES will include a vast selection of the artist's iconic 1960s photographs, twelve enormous and never-seen-before "billboard paintings," and select video excerpts from Hopper's extensive body of work as an actor and director in film and television. A legendary icon at the epicenter of many decades of exciting innovation and cultural upheaval, Hopper documented the likes of Ike and Tina Turner, Phil Spector, Neil Young, Crosby Stills and Nash, Paul Newman, Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol and Martin Luther King and the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery- Alabama. Event Website

(The Putting Lot, 12 Wyckoff Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237) (Wed-Fri, 12 - 8pm; Sat & Sun 10 - 8pm) You're invited to play nine holes of miniature golf in a previously vacant lot in Bushwick, Brooklyn, each designed by a different team of artists or architects. Enjoy local Brooklyn-based bites at the snack-shack, participate in a variety of activities and events, or just stop by and hang out in the shade. The Putting Lot explores the possibilities of vacant lots in the city with an emphasis on community spaces. ($5/$3 children) Event Website

(Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036) The revival of the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical premiered last summer at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. Event Website

(Whitney Museum of American Art, 945 Madison Ave at 75th St, New York, NY 10021) Holzer’s pioneering approach to language as a carrier of content, and her use of nontraditional media and public settings as vehicles for that content, make her one of the most interesting and significant artists working today. Event Website

(Henry Miller Theatre, 124 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036, 212-239-6200) (8PM) Get ready to PUT ON A HAPPY FACE! Birdie returns in an all new production of the classic Tony Award®-winning musical smash BYE BYE BIRDIE. The exuberant rock 'n' roll smash hit gets hips swinging again for the first time in almost 50 years. Previews Sept 10th opens Oct. 15th ($91.50 +) Event Website

(Tyler Rollins Fine Art, 529 West 20th St, New York, NY 10011) Considered to be one of Singapore’s preeminent contemporary artists, Ong has been noted for his large scale, figurative charcoal works on paper since his first solo exhibitions in the 1980s. During the past year, he became fascinated with the Ramayana, the ancient Indian epic that recounts the exploits of Rama and his dutiful wife, Sita. Ong has brought his own unique viewpoint to this classic story. Inspired by the Ramayana’s characters and its dramatic themes of love, combat, and heroic adventure, he has created new narratives that are informed by his sensitivity as a gay man to the way gender roles play out in contemporary relationships. Event Website

(Madame Tussauds, 234 West 42nd St btwn 7 & 8th Aves, Times Square, New York, NY 10036) Madame Tussauds is offering a history lesson alongside its wax figurines this month: Beginning on Martin Luther King Day, visitors can participate in a special scavenger hunt, with clues based on African-American icons (like Malcolm X and Rose Parks) whose likenesses are in the wax museum. The clues can be downloaded from the website. ($22.40 - $35) (212-512-9600) Event Website

(LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th St, New York, NY 10011) (2 - 5pm) Metro Wrestling is New York City's gay freestyle wrestling club. Gay, straight, male or female, all are welcome to attend. Event Website

(St. John's in the Village Church, 222 W 11th St, New York, NY 10014) (7:30pm) Event Website

(MCCNY, 446 West 36th St, New York, NY 10018) (9am, 11am & 7pm) Event Website

(St. Bartholomew's Church, 109 East 50th St, New York, NY 10022) (3-5pm) Support groups for parents, families and friends of LGBTs. Event Website

(Angels and Kings, 500 East 11th St, New York, NY 10009, Venue Website) (8PM - 3AM) Starlette Sunday is a glam affair catering to a mixed lesbian and bisexual crowd. This sexy long-running party is one of the hottest nights for women in New York City. Starlette Sunday features delicious cocktails, visuals, the best dj's playing dance tracks, and lots of eye candy. (Free) starlettesunday@gmail.com Event Website

(Shambhala Meditiation Center of New York, 118 West 22nd Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10011) (7pm) QueerDharma is a community of meditiation practice for LGBTQ sentient beings - that means you! Visit our website for more info and scheduel ($5 suggested donation) (212-675-6544) queerdharmainfo@gmail.com Event Website

(Queens Pride House, 76-11 37th Ave Suite 206, Jackson Heights, NY 11372) (0:00 - 05:00 PM) The New York Bear Den was established to fulfill a void in the New York City Bear Community: Bears are social creatures... Therefore we have created "The New York Bear Den" a hate-free, alcohol-free, attitude-free space to socialize once a month where you can sit back, relax, chat and make friends with woofy guys of all ages, races, types and interests -- only 2 subway stops from Manhattan on the (E) train! Check our website for details! ($5/Volunteers FREE! and a non-alcoholic beverage or snack to share) (+1 646 827-6222) ChazAntonelli@gmail.com Event Website