Art all over the place in New York City

Art in New York City this summer is not just what’s hanging on museum walls. It’s on the water, it’s on a rooftop, it’s an entire building.

The July issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine is offering a guide to seeing a half-dozen of these eclectic installations, highlighted by the manmade waterfalls on the East River, created by artist Olafur Eliasson. Details at http://nycvisit.com/waterfalls/.

“Playing the Building” is an unusual installation by former Talking Head David Byrne. Byrne has turned the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South St. into a musical instrument, connecting every key on an organ to beams and pipes in the building. Visitors can literally “play the building” by sitting down at the organ. The building is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m. Details at www.davidbyrne.com/art/art—projects/playing—the—building/.

Across the river in Long Island City, Queens, visit the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, where the Work Architecture Company has transformed a rock-strewn courtyard into a garden with vegetables sprouting from cardboard tubes. Details at www.ps1.org/ps1—site/content/view/337/337/vegetable.

Beginning July 20, you can also stop by the Museum of Modern Art to see an exhibit of prefab homes on an outdoor lot called “Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling.” And through July 19, you’ll find Chris Burden’s “What My Dad Gave Me,” a 65-foot-high structure built from an Erector Set, set back from Fifth Avenue at Rockefeller Center in tribute to the area’s Art Deco skyscrapers.

Finally, Conde Nast Traveler recommends “Jeff Koons on the Roof,” a dramatic outdoor display of three of Koons’ whimsical sculptures on the rooftop garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The works are “Balloon Dog (Yellow),” “Sacred Heart (Red/Gold),” and “Coloring Book.”

105 years of Harleys

Attention bikers, hogs and Harley fans: A Harley-Davidson Museum is opening July 12 in the iconic company’s hometown, Milwaukee.

The museum has a collection of 400 bikes, including bikes that belonged to celebrities like Evel Knievel and Elvis Presley, along with a motorcycle from 1903. That was the year that two young friends from Milwaukee, William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson, first made their product available to the public.

Also on display will be historic items like posters, ads, clothes, trophies and accessories that tell the story of the company and its history; footage of motorcycling, both vintage and contemporary; and a design lab that shows how bikes are developed and engineered. Visitors can sit on 10 vintage and contemporary motorcycles in the final gallery.

The company celebrates its 105th anniversary this year, Aug. 28 to 31, with a series of special events, including an Aug. 30 Bruce Springsteen concert. (Admission to the concert is only available to anniversary ticket-holders in a package that costs $107.50 per person. Tickets to the anniversary celebration without the concert are $65 and include a two-day festival, admission to the museum and various keepsakes.)

For tickets or more information, go to http://www.harley-davidson.com and click on “museum.”

Vacations on the cheap

Take a short cruise that departs from a port you can drive to, vacation in your own city, go camping in a state park or head to a nearby theme park.

These are just a few of the 18 ideas for summer vacations for well under $800 in the June 15 issue of the TravelSmart newsletter.

For vacationing in your own city or a nearby urban center, the newsletter points out that many hotels have lower weekend rates when business travelers are gone, often with amenities like free breakfast or passes to local attractions.

Another idea: Join a day trip run by a local cultural institution. Many libraries, museums, historic societies and houses of worship offer reasonably priced day-long bus trips to interesting historic sites or parks.

Some of TravelSmart’s ideas are tips, such as traveling in a group. You may be able to get a hotel discount for booking as few as five to 10 rooms for relatives and friends. Some hotels offer great deals for families, like Holiday Inn’s “Kids Eat Free” deal in which children 12 and under can order free from a kids’ menu with a paying adult, and the “Escape! Family Time Package” at certain Marriotts, which provide free meals for kids under 12, along with a free in-room pizza party.

The newsletter also says that it’s usually cheaper to stay in a B&B than a hotel, and that many inns are offering free gas or discounts through BedandBreakfast.com’s “Tanks A Lot” program.

Packages are also always cheaper than booking components of a trip individually. Look for deals from airlines and travel agents that include air, hotel, a rental car and possibly tickets to a theme park or other attraction.

Amtrak also has rail-and-hotel packages at www.amtrakvacations.com, according to TravelSmart.

Ski resorts often have great summer programs that include kids’ camps, sports, festivals and various adventures. TravelSmart recommends Vermont’s Killington Ski Resort’s “Summer Adventures Package,” which includes mountain biking, hiking, mini-golf, wall climbing and more, starting at $58 a person including lodging. Details at http://www.killington.com.

Other ideas from the newsletter include farm stays, retreats, summer camps for adults and living history museums.

For a free copy, visit www.TravelSmartNewsletter.com or call (800) 327-3633.