Yes, we know Brooklyn is the new sweet spot for New Yorkers who consider themselves in touch with the zeitgeist of the city. But the fact remains that Manhattan is the primary reason millions risk life, limb and financial ruin to flock to New York City every day. Quintessential New York writer Jimmy Breslin once said, “People born in Queens, raised to say that each morning they get on the subway and ‘go to the city,’ have a resentment of Manhattan, of the swiftness of its life

★ BEST NEW NYC NATURAL DISASTER  First, weary travelers started complaining of contaminated hotel beds (and we’re not talking about splooge). Then, the city’s finest found they weren’t alone come bedtime. That’s right, bedbugs have invaded New York City! (Dun … dun ... dunn…) Now, after nearly a 50-year absence, the United States is getting reacquainted with these nasty blood-sucking pests. Experts blame their return on travel, saying the cr

★  BEST 24-HOUR DUMBBELL SERVICES POLISH CULTURAL CENTER OTOM Gym 169 Calyer St. (betw. Lorimer St. & Manhattan Ave.) 718-383-2800 Most 24-hour gyms in New York fall into one of two categories: the clean, well-lit, namby-pamby juice bar variety used primarily for preening by rich girls and anonymous steam room sex by rich guys, or the dark, dingy storefront iron factories used primarily for pre-prison bulking up and selling steroids out of the supply closet. Luckil

★ BEST ART HOUSE MOVIE THEATER WITH A PORN VIBE Two Boots Pioneer Theater 155 E. 3rd St. (betw. Aves. A & B) 212-591-0434 Times Square was succumbing to its makeover, but there were still a few porn pits that hadn’t yet closed. A few of them kept running all night while showing DVDs of bootleg kung-fu films and old public domain movies. It was a lot of fun to stop by at 3 a.m. and watch these things. We’d sit in the cheap rows of seats nailed to the floor, look at the t

★ BEST TRANSFORMATION OF A FIGHT-PRONE DIVE BAR INTO A MEATPACKING DISTRICT SUCKPIT  Village Idiot Becomes Gin Lane 355 W. 14th St. (betw. 8th & 9th Aves.) 212-691-0555 The stench hit you like a baseball bat. It was a retch-inducing cocktail of stale urine, puke, sweat, liquor, old smoke and testosterone. That was the perfume of the Meatpacking District’s infamous Village Idiot, where men drank $5 domestic pitchers, puked in the bathroom, then brawled for the honor of slutt

Best Summer Festival Central Park Summer Stage (U.E.S.) Best Public Bathroom Barnes & Nobles Best Place to See Fashionistas Meatpacking District Best Weekly Club Night Black Cat Tuesdays at Otto’s Shrunken Head (East Side) Best DJ DJ Meat Mistress Best Place For Radical Politics ABC No Rio – www.abcnorio.org Best Republican Hang-Out Rodeo Bar (East Side) Best Bronx Bar Rambling House (Woodlawn) Best Brooklyn Bar The Lucky Cat (Williamsburg) Best Queens Bar Bohe

BO INTRO WELCOME TO BEST OF MANHATTAN (AND BEYOND) 2005 What do Gustav Mahler, Jimi Hendrix, Jenna Jameson, Federico Garcia Lorca, Greta Garbo, Hillary Clinton and Mike Meyers have in common? Just one thing: Somewhere along the line, they all realized that they had to come to New York, that it was the place to be. We agree. So, for all our bitching and moaning, we choose one week each year (this week, as it happens) to put forward particular recognition of the city in all its stra

When it comes to receiving gifts, conventional wisdom states that how much someone spent on you speaks to how much they love you. This year, however, with everyone flipping out about a recession, perhaps it really will be the thought that counts. While we’re no strangers to Dec. 24 Duane Reade runs—what mom doesn’t love a picture frame?—with two weeks until the big day (and Hanukkah kicking off at sundown on Dec. 21), there’s still time to pick up a decent gift for any budget.

When it comes to receiving gifts, conventional wisdom states that how much someone spent on you speaks to how much they love you. This year, however, with everyone flipping out about a recession, perhaps it really will be the thought that counts. While we’re no strangers to Dec. 24 Duane Reade runs—what mom doesn’t love a picture frame?—with two weeks until the big day (and Hanukkah kicking off at sundown on Dec. 21), there’s still time to pick up a decent gift for any budget.

When it comes to receiving gifts, conventional wisdom states that how much someone spent on you speaks to how much they love you. This year, however, with everyone flipping out about a recession, perhaps it really will be the thought that counts. While we’re no strangers to Dec. 24 Duane Reade runs—what mom doesn’t love a picture frame?—with two weeks until the big day (and Hanukkah kicking off at sundown on Dec. 21), there’s still time to pick up a decent gift for any budget.

When it comes to receiving gifts, conventional wisdom states that how much someone spent on you speaks to how much they love you. This year, however, with everyone flipping out about a recession, perhaps it really will be the thought that counts. While we’re no strangers to Dec. 24 Duane Reade runs—what mom doesn’t love a picture frame?—with two weeks until the big day (and Hanukkah kicking off at sundown on Dec. 21), there’s still time to pick up a decent gift for any budget.

You’ve got this friend who’s got this problem with music. She can’t be satisfied with just the songs; she needs to live the band: books, videos and auctioned undershirt. For the severely afflicted, we bring a list of music gifts that go beyond studio releases and B-sides to offer a multidimensional musical experience.

Don’t bother denying it: Every time you see a trailer for a new superhero movie, you cross your fingers and hope it will hit that secret spot that only spandex-clad heroes can satisfy. Not to mention it’s the holiday season, and you’ve got buyin’ on the mind. So with The Spirit and The Watchmen both on the way, it’s impossible to resist the urge to buy yourself, er, your friends, some fresh comic books. But it’s also getting harder and harder to find a comic shop of your own (i.e., not Forbidden Planet or St. Marks’ Comics). These three stores are perfect for anyone looking to surprise that special fanboy who brays that Morpheus is the Hamlet of our time, or that no one gets a bum rap quite like the Martian Manhunter.

When it comes to receiving gifts, conventional wisdom states that how much someone spent on you speaks to how much they love you. This year, however, with everyone flipping out about a recession, perhaps it really will be the thought that counts. While we’re no strangers to Dec. 24 Duane Reade runs—what mom doesn’t love a picture frame?—with two weeks until the big day (and Hanukkah kicking off at sundown on Dec. 21), there’s still time to pick up a decent gift for any budget.

Brooklyn International Film Festival May 30-June 8 Brooklyn Lyceum, Brooklyn Heights Cinema, Brooklyn Central Library, Lumenhouse, East Coast Aliens (Greenpoint), and Studio B. www.wbff.org/events/2008/festival.asp Brooklyn celebrates independent filmmakers, beginning with the U.S. premiere of director Paul Krik’s Able Danger, a feature about 9/11 conspiracy theorists (Krik will be fielding questions after the screening.) The festival also boasts the East Coast premiere of Austin

Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death July 25-Aug. 16, various locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx www.classicaltheatreofharlem.org/ The Classical Theater of Harlem presents Melvin Van Peebles’ musical about junkies, crooked cops, prisoners, lovers and dreamers. After it premiered on Broadway, it ended up influencing the choreo-poem, spoken word and rap music, and now it will be presented outdoors (in conjunction with the City Parks Foundation). All performances are

Metropolitan Museum of Art Rooftop Café 1000 5th Ave. (at E. 82nd St.), 212-535-7710 Jeff Koons will be your backdrop as you’re sipping cocktails. The metallic sculptures resemble whimsical balloon animals—just make sure you don’t mount one after you’ve had the third vodka gimlet. Oh, and need we mention the incredible views of the park? Even if you don’t have to play tour guide this summer, don’t miss what is always a relaxing and inspiring re

Citysol (July 12-15) E. 23rd St. & East River, (July 13 also at South Street Seaport) www.citysol.org Finally, a concert where you can explore sustainability solutions while listening to Les Savy Fav! Founded by the green education, arts and advocacy center Solar One, Citysol will likely be the only summer festival powered completely by clean energy. The three-day festival (July 12-15) has your typically (for New York anyway) tasteful mixture of indie rock and hip hop, with A-OK coll

Afro-Punk Festival July 5-13 AP Skate Park, Brooklyn www.afropunk.com Film, music, art, skateboarding and more. Afro-Punk , BAMcinematek and Toyota present the 4th annual festival, taking place in the heart of Brooklyn. The festival is the definitive destination for the global Afro-Punk community and audiences yearning to experience true AP culture. Last year 30,000 people attended the festvial, and this year is expected to be even bigger, featuring 40 bands, 15 films being screened, a vis

Last year's Summer Guide cover displayed A. an exclusive photo of Nicky Hilton in a Zurich hotel room performing something called the "Turkish Backpack" B. a picture of dachshund puppies cooling off in a puddle of water C. a drawing of a Godzilla-size George W. Bush rampaging through Midtown. If you guessed C. , congratulations—you win a free copy of New York Press' Summer Guide O-Five. Last year's Bush cover wasn't the sunniest of images for a traditionally sunny issue, but it