New York Sporting Events and Tickets...

Many participatory activities in the city are free or affordable. You can swim either at the local pools or the borough beaches, usually for a small fee; jog , still one of the city's main obsessions; or have your fill of spaces to bike or rollerblade .

Baseball
From April to October, New York Yankees and the New York Mets play 162 games (81 home games each; playoffs run through Oct), giving you plenty of excuses to head out for a sunny day at the ballpark, not to mention the fact that baseball games, of all spectator sports, are by far the least expensive.

The Yankees (lovingly called the Bronx Bombers) are the most successful baseball franchise in history, with the most World Series titles (26 through the year 2000). If you get to the game early, you can visit Monument Park, where all their greats are memorialized. The Mets have been on a roller-coaster ride ever since the lovably inept team of 1962 matured into the 1969 World Series champions, and then took a nose dive from their second World Series win in 1986 to the "worst team money can buy" in the early 1990 - and are back on the upswing.

Shea Stadium 126th St (at Roosevelt Ave), Queens; box office Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat, Sun & holidays 9am-5pm; tickets $12-33; tel 718/507-8499, www.mets.com . Subway #7 to Willets Point.

Yankee Stadium 161st St and River Ave, the Bronx; box office Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm; tickets $8-65; tel 718/293-6000, www.yankees.com . Subway #C, #D or #4 to 161st St Station.

Basketball
The National Basketball Association's regular season begins in November and runs through the end of April. The two professional teams in the New York area are the New York Knicks , who play at Madison Square Garden, and the New Jersey Nets , whose venue is the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in New Jersey. The New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association also play their games at Madison Square Garden during the summer.

The Knicks have a loyal following that counts such celebrities as Spike Lee, Woody Allen, Sarah Jessica Parker and a contingent of Baldwin brothers. It is hard to get tickets to see them play, even during down years. Long playing in the long shadow of the Knicks, the Nets have emerged as one of the more exciting teams in the NBA, and if you are willing to make the pilgrimage to New Jersey, you should find it fairly easy to get tickets.

Madison Square Garden 7th Ave (between 31st and 33rd sts); tickets $10-60; tel 212/465-6741. Subway #1, #2, #3, #9, #A, #C and #E to 34th St Penn Station.

Continental Airlines Arena Meadowlands Sports Complex off routes 3, 17, and Turnpike exit 16W, East Rutherford, New Jersey; box office 9am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-5pm; tickets $30-75; tel 1-800/7NJ-NETS, www.nba.com/nets .

Bicycling
There are 100 miles of cycle paths in New York; those in Central Park, Riverside Park and the East River Promenade are among the nicest. Transportation Alternatives (115 W 30th St tel 212/629-8080, www.transalt.org ), while concentrating on the environmental aspects, lobbies for funding for bike-related projects, like ramps for bridge access, free bike racks, and additional car-free hours in Central Park. They also sponsor the Century Bike Tour in September (a 35-, 50-, 75-, or 100-mile ride through the boroughs), and have some good maps.

Bicycle Habitat 244 Lafayette St tel 212/431-3315.
Known for an excellent repair service, they also offer rentals for $25 a day (plus a deposit equal to the value of the bike) or $7.50 an hour, with a two-hour minimum. You can also have a tune-up (priced at $75 and up). The very knowledgeable staff here helps cyclists of all levels of expertise.

Five Borough Bike Club tel 212/932-2300 ext 115 for membership details.
This club organizes rides throughout the year, including the Montauk Century, a hundred-mile ride from New York to Montauk, Long Island.

Bowling
Bowlmor Lanes 110 University Place (between 12th and 13th sts) tel 212/255-8188.
Long-established and large bowling alley with a bar and shop. Open Mon & Fri 10am-4am, Tues & Wed 10am-1am, Thurs 10am-2am, Sat 11am-4am, Sun 11am-1am. $6 per game per person before 5pm, $7 after 5pm. $4 shoe-rent.

Leisure Time Bowling 2nd floor of Port Authority, 625 8th Ave, near 40th St tel 212/268-6909. The nicest place in the city to bowl. $5 per game per person ($6 after 5pm), plus $3.50 shoe-rent.

Football
The National Football League (NFL) season stretches from September until the Super Bowl, typically played on the fourth Sunday in January. Although tickets are sold out for both local teams, the Giants and Jets , well in advance, if you're willing to pay the price you can buy tickets outside the stadium before the game (from scalpers). Both play at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

With a twenty-year waiting list for season tickets, the Giants, who have won four NFL and two Super Bowls in 1987 and 1991, have a devoted following. Since 1984, the Jets have been subtenants of the Giants at Giant Stadium. While they have not had the historical success of the Giants, they are generally as competitive.

Giants Stadium The Meadowlands Sports Complex off routes 3, 17, and Turnpike exit 16W, East Rutherford, New Jersey; box office Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-5pm; tickets $45 and $50; tel 201/935-3900. Regular buses are available from Port Authority Bus Terminal on 42nd St and 8th Ave.

Gyms, pools and baths
You can join one of several newly renovated city recreation centers for $25 per year (ages 18-54) or $10 (kids 13-17 and seniors). All have gym facilities and most have an indoor and/or outdoor pool. Call tel 212/447-2020 or look in the Manhattan Blue Pages (within the White Pages ) under NY City Parks; centers are listed under "Recreation" and "Swimming Pools."

John Jay Pool 77th and Cherokee Place tel 212/794-6566.
Above the FDR Drive, this six-lane, fifty-yard pool is surrounded by playgrounds and park benches. Although it opened in 1940, it is in remarkably great condition. Free to anyone; bring a padlock.

Sutton Gymnastics and Fitness Center 20 Cooper Square tel 212/533-9390.
One of the few gyms in New York where you need not be a member to use the facilities. Classes for around $25, generally only in summer. Call for hours and class schedule.

Tenth Street Turkish Baths 268 E 10th St; Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri 11am-10pm, Wed 9am-10pm, Sat-Sun 7.30am-10pm; men only Sun opening until 2pm; women only Wed opening until 2pm; coed otherwise; tel 212/473-8806 or 674-9250.
An ancient place, something of a neighborhood landmark and still going, with steam baths, sauna and an ice-cold pool, as well as massage and a restaurant. Free lockers, locks, shorts, towel, robe and slippers. Admission $22, extra for massage, etc.

Horse racing
Aqueduct , in Howard Beach, Queens, has thoroughbred racing from October to May. To get there by subway, take the #A train to the Aqueduct station. Belmont , in Elmont, Long Island, is home to the Belmont Stakes (June), one of the three races in which three-year-olds compete for the Triple Crown. Belmont thoroughbred racing is open May-July and September-October. Take the #E or #F subway train to 169th St and then the #16 bus to the track, or take the Long Island Railroad to the Belmont Race Track stop. For both Belmont and Aqueduct, call 718/641-4700. Admission at both tracks ranges from $1 to $4 depending on where you park and sit. Valet parking costs $5 at Aqueduct and $6 at Belmont.

Ice hockey
The two New York National Hockey League teams are the Rangers , who play at Madison Square Garden, and the Islanders , whose venue is the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. The New Jersey Devils play at the Continental Airlines Arena. The regular season lasts throughout the winter and into early spring, when the playoffs take place. Prices for games range $14-85.

The Rangers ended a 54-year drought in 1994, when they won the Stanley Cup. Since then they have not had as much success, but are always competitive. The Islanders, New York's "other" hockey team, are undergoing a resurgence after years of mediocrity. The Devils won the Stanley Cup in 2000, and the 2001 campaign saw them battle (and ultimately lose to) the Colorado Avalanche in the finals.

Nassau Coliseum 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale, New York; box office daily 10.45am-5.45pm; tickets $14-85; tel 516/794-9300. Take the Long Island Railroad to Hempstead, then bus #N70, #N71 or #N72 from Hempstead bus terminal, one block away.

Ice-skating
In winter, the freezing weather makes for good ice skating . In milder weather, roller skating is popular, on the paths in Central Park and specifically near the northwest corner of the Sheep Meadow, in Riverside Park and in many smaller open spaces.

Rockefeller Center Ice Rink Between 49th and 50th sts, off 5th Ave tel 212/332-7654.
Without doubt the slickest place to skate, though you may have to wait in line and it's pricier than anywhere else. Call for hours and prices.

Sky Rink Chelsea Piers tel 212/336-6100.

Wollman Rink 62nd St, Central Park tel 212/396-1010.
Lovely rink, where you can skate to the marvelous, inspiring backdrop of the lower Central Park skyline - incredibly impressive at night. Call for hours and prices.

In-line skating
You'll see commuters to freestylists on in-line skates - also known as rollerblades - in New York. For the best place, go to the skate circle near Naumberg Bandshell in Central Park at 72nd Street. World-class bladers maneuver between cones with all kinds of fancy footwork just inside Central Park's Tavern on the Green entrance, near W 68th Street. Other than Central Park, the best place to skate is Battery Park.

Blades 128 Chambers St (between West Broadway and Church St) tel 212/964-1944; 120. W 72nd St (between Columbus and Broadway) tel 212/787-3911; 160 E 86th St (between Lexington and 3rd aves) tel 212/996-1644. Rents skates out for $20 for 24 hours.

Jogging
Jogging is still very much the number one fitness pursuit in the city. A favorite circuit in the park is 1.57 miles around the reservoir; just make sure you jog in a counterclockwise direction. For company, contact the New York Road Runners Club, 9 E 89th St (tel 212/860-2280, www.nyrrc.org ) to get their schedule for Central Park and elsewhere. The East River Promenade, Riverside Park and almost any other stretch of open space long enough to get up speed are also well jogged.

Pool
Along with bars and nightclubs, a good option for an evening in Manhattan is to play pool , not in dingy halls but in gleaming bars where yuppies mix with the regulars.

The Billiard Club 220 W 19th St (between 7th and 8th aves) tel 212/206-7665.
A pool club with a nice, vaguely European atmosphere and a small bar serving beer, liquor and soft drinks.

Chelsea Billiards 54 W 21st St (between 5th and 6th aves) tel 212/989-0096.
A casual place with both snooker and pool tables. Bar serves beer and soft drinks.

Soccer
The New York/New Jersey Metrostars , who play at Giants Stadium, are the metropolitan area's Major League Soccer representatives; tickets are typically available and range $15-30. The season takes place from May until September.

Tennis
The US Open Championships , held each September at the National Tennis Center, in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, in Queens, is the top US tennis event of the year. Tickets go on sale the first week or two of June at the Tennis Center's box office (tel 718/760-6200), open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 10am-4pm. To book by phone, call Ticketmaster (tel 866/673-6849). Promenade level at the stadium costs $22-69 (better seats can cost several hundred dollars), and seats are more expensive at night and closer to the finals. Tickets for the big matches are incredibly hard to get.

If you'd like to play , there are courts public and private all round the city, but getting on can be difficult; the former are all controlled through the City Parks department, and require a $50 permit (tel 212/360-8133). The nicest such courts are probably at Central Park, but they are also the most crowded; try Riverside Park instead. Otherwise, rates at places like Sutton East Tennis Club, York Ave and 59th Street (tel 212/751-3452) and Midtown Tennis Club, 341 8th Ave (tel 212/989-8572), can run anywhere from $30 to $90 per hour, depending on the season and time of day.

Chelsea Piers
The Chelsea Piers complex, entered at W 23rd St and the Hudson River covers six blocks (tel 212/336-6666), and is comprised of four completely renovated piers, on which all manner of activity takes place.

The Sports Center at Pier 60 features a quarter-mile running track, the largest rock-climbing wall in the northeast, three basketball/volleyball courts, a boxing ring, a 24-yard swimming pool and whirlpool, indoor sand-volleyball courts, exercise studios offering more than 100 classes weekly, a cardiovascular weight-training room, a sundeck right on the Hudson River and spa services. Day-passes are available for $50. Mon-Fri 6am-11pm, Sat & Sun 8am-9pm. tel 212/336-6000.

The Roller Rinks are on Pier 62. They are outdoors and open year-round, weather permitting. Daily session starts at noon, exact times vary. $6.50; children under 12 $5.50. Rentals available. tel 212/336-6200.

The Sky Rink is on Pier 61. Ice-skate year-round on this indoor rink. Daily sessions start at noon, exact times vary. $11.50; children under 12 $8; seniors $7.50. Rentals $5. tel 212/336-6100

Central Park
Central Park is an obvious focus for recreation. from croquet and chess to soccer and swimming. Joggers, in-line skaters, walkers and cyclists have the roads to themselves on weekdays 10am-3pm & 7-10pm and all day on weekends. In addition, boaters can head to the Loeb Boathouse (tel 212/517-2233; $10/hr), which hires out rowboats in warm weather months. To find out what is going on where and when, try the Arsenal, at 830 5th Ave at 64th Street, and pick up the Green Pages , which tell you about every activity, from archery to wild-food walks.