Last minute travel

If gold medals were given to the world's friendliest peoples, Ghanaians would definitely be semifinalists. Travelers to Ghana are met with jovial smiles and waves, even in the big cities. Everywhere you go, young people often sing out the word obruni! (foreigner) in a fun-loving manner; they are obviously happy you came. Although located in the sometimes politically troubled region of West Africa, Oregon-sized Ghana is a far-removed democratic model of stability and tranquility. Nearly 100 diverse tribes are found within its border, but peace-loving Ghanaians have never experienced any major tribal wars. Moreover, Ghana's Christians and its Muslim minority live side by side in harmony, often within the same tribe. Best of all, Ghana's prices are joyfully cheap: Simple hotel rooms can cost as little as $5 per person, soft drinks are only $.20, and museum fees are an astonishing $3 or less. At one point, two Ghanaian friends and I recently enjoyed dinner with drinks, and the bill totaled $7 for all of us! Accra, Ghana's capital city of two million, has less crime than many U.S. cities its size. Pickpockets, taxi drivers who overcharge, and traffic are the worst culprits most tourists will ever have to deal with. Even though it's an achingly poor country, the locals proudly declare, "Ghana is a nation of laws." English-speaking Ghana is one of the most popular destinations for American tourists to Africa who do the "triangle tour" of Accra, the coastal slave fortresses, and the Ashanti city of Kumasi. But other wonders lie beyond, like Lake Volta (the world's largest artificial lake) and the timeless, arid northern regions. No matter where you go, the magic, struggles, and enduring spirit of modern Africa are sure to hold you in their spell. Note: To call Ghana, dial 011-233 before the numbers listed below. The hotels listed without prices in cedis (Ghana's currency) request payment in U.S. dollars only. Colorful, frenetic Accra Travelers who have never experienced the lively mayhem of a developing country may be in for a shock when they come face to face with Accra's hustle and bustle. Women with towering loads atop their heads weave through traffic; hand-painted beer ads shout, "It Gives You Power"; sellers rush up to cars plying anything from pirated videos to toilet paper; and overloaded outdoor markets selling chickens and underwear spill out onto highways. It's a colorful, frantic jumble that somehow works. If you can handle crowds, then by all means slip into one of Accra's markets. The largest one, Makola Market (between Kojo Thompson Road, Kinbu Road, and Independence Avenue) has everything including beads and fabrics. For tourists, you'll find the best choice of arts and crafts at the Arts Centre market (right on the coast along 28th February Road near the intersection of Barnes Road). Aggressive sellers offer anything from smoking pipes to hand-carved stools--bargaining is essential. As for other sights, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park (on High Street near the intersection of Barnes Road; 30,000 cedis/$3.40 entrance fee) is a grand monument to this leader, complete with crypt, museum, and garish fountains. The small museum is a fascinating glimpse into the country's founding father, who wrote numerous books and laid the groundwork of Pan-Africanism. East of the park is the Soviet-style Independence Square, a huge space with cement arches that can hold up to 30,000 people. Also swing by the National Museum (Barnes Road near Museum Circle; 21/221-633) to take in Ghana's rich cultural heritage. For a scant 10,000 cedis ($1.15), you can peruse fascinating trinkets like intricate gold weights and gold dust boxes, clan staffs, fertility dolls, swords, currency, bracelets, and more. To escape the flurry of Accra, hop into a taxi (for roughly 25,000 cedis/$3.25 depending on the time of day) and head for Labadi Beach. This spacious strand is safe for swimming and is lined by pleasant cafes where you can sip on 2,000-cedi ($.25) soft drinks, sitting in a chair in the sand. The entrance fee to the beach is only 10,000 cedis ($1.15). Beverly Hills Hotels and Lemon Lodges Here are my lodging picks in ascending order of cost, starting with the cheapest: The residential Asylum Down area of Accra is a quiet refuge from the city's hopping streets, but still close to the action. Safe and tranquil, it's the recommended area to stay in Accra. For intrepid backpacker types, the pink-walled Lemon Lodge (2nd Mango Tree Avenue; 21/227-857) is not nearly as bad as its name may imply: seven basic double rooms with cement floors, double beds, private baths, and ceiling fans go for a laughable 54,000 cedis ($6) a night per person. Right next door to the Lemon Lodge, the Korkdam Hotel (21/226-797, 21/223-221) is for more mainstream travelers. Twenty-one large and clean rooms come with private baths, air-conditioning, and TVs for 310,000 cedis ($35) per person per night. Fully cooked breakfasts are available in the hotel's dining room for only 17,000 cedis ($2.20). Another good value in Asylum Down is the Beverly Hills Hotel (21/224-042) at the intersection of Samora Machel Road and Farrar Road. Although the street is busy, the hotel's 12 simple rooms are serene, cost $30 per person, and include air-conditioning, private bath, TV, and radio. Slightly larger rooms with all that and a fridge cost $40 per person. Breakfast is available upon request for 27,000 cedis ($3). The nearby Gye Nyame Hotel (Ring Road; 21/223-221) offers 180,000-cedi ($20.25) per-person rooms with all those amenities in a carpeted two-story building, complete with a bronze African statue in front and a cozy wood-paneled dining room, where cooked breakfasts are a mere 20,000 cedis ($2.25). Coastal castles and friendly fishermen During the slave trade of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-centuries, millions of human beings were shipped in chains from West Africa and funneled through Ghana's coastal slave fortresses. Often up to half perished in dungeons like animals. Visiting these huge structures (most are UNESCO World Heritage sites) has the emotional impact of stepping into a WWII concentration camp--many visitors simply break down into tears. One of the most impressive is the Cape Coast Castle, roughly 90 miles west of Accra. Begun as a lodge by the Dutch in 1627, this white castle towers over Cape Coast town, and houses a superb museum on Ghana history and culture (built with help of the Smithsonian). The entrance fee is a mere 30,000 cedis ($3.40). The best place to stay near Cape Coast is the unique Han's Cottage Botel (Kakum National Park Road; 42/336-23), about a 15-minute drive away. Thirty rooms (doubles ranging from 133,000 to 310,000 cedis/$15-$35) are situated next to a man-made pond filled with live crocodiles, and you dine on inexpensive meals (30,000 cedis each/$3.40) served on open-air, thatched-roof decks built over the water, with live music on the weekends. Another 20 minutes north of Han's is the breathtaking Kakum National Park, not to be missed. This lush outdoor attraction is a mixture of rain forest and semideciduous forest, with 250-foot trees from the silk cotton family jutting high up above the canopy to create a dreamlike landscape. The highlight of Kakum is the 1,000-foot-rope-and-cable walkway strung up hundreds of feet above the forest floor-not for the faint of heart. Knowledgeable guides teach visitors about the endangered wildlife and are included in the park entrance fee (90,000 cedis/$10.10). A 15-minute drive west of Cape Coast is the oldest and largest European structure in sub-Saharan Africa: St. George's Castle in friendly Elmina (entrance 30,000 cedis/$3.40). First built in 1482, Christopher Columbus visited it before he sailed to America. Around the monumental castle, you can watch fishermen chant while dragging their colorful boats ashore. In Elmina, stay in the Coconut Grove Bridge House (42/345-57) right across the street from the castle. Ten spiffy rooms reside in a two-story stone house, with single rooms starting at $40, going up to double rooms for $45 per person per night (rates include continental breakfast). Meals like fried chicken and rice cost 31,000 cedis ($3.50). Guests can utilize the pool and sports facilities at the nearby Coconut Grove Beach Resort for free. Another 70 miles west of Elmina is the coastal resort village of Busua. The main hotel here, the Busua Beach Resort (31/212-10), is a collection of individual chalets (more like nice cabins) that start at $50 a night per person. But its budget rooms with shared bathroom for $10 per person ($20 for air-conditioned) are a real deal, since they are nearly as cozy and modern. What's more, the hotel's beach is one of the best in Ghana. Kumasi: Heart of the Ashanti One hundred or so miles north of Cape Coast is the capital of the Ashanti Region: the hilly, colonial city of Kumasi, a gold and timber center. It took the avaricious British four wars to finally conquer the brave Ashanti in 1900. But the Ashanti culture is still strong and dominates other tribes in Ghana (their language, Twi, is the country's lingua franca, along with English). In 1687, legend has it that a golden stool and sword descended from heaven, establishing the Ashanti kingdom. Even now, the golden stool is kept secure and brought out only for special ceremonies--the sword is still visible, thrust into the ground at the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Kumasi is full of colonial buildings decorated with terraces and columns, and the thriving, massive Kejetia Market is said to be one of the largest on the continent, covering over 24 acres in the center of the city with thousands of vendors--don't venture in unless you have plenty of time and patience. Your search could be rewarded with finds like Ashanti sandals, Muslim smocks, even smoked monkey meat. The National Culture Centre off Bantana Road and the Manhyia Palace Museum off Antoa Road both house excellent exhibitions of Ashanti artifacts (15,000 cedi/$1.70 entrance fees), but for the real thing, visit the crafts villages that surround Kumasi in a loop. For 80,000 cedis ($10.45), a taxi will take you on the 45-minute drive to three rustic villages: Bonwire, where skilled men weave multicolored kente cloth on large wooden looms; Ahwiaa, famous for its mahogany wood carvers; and best of all, Ntonso, where the vivid adinkra cloth is stamped with special symbols sacred to the Ashanti people. Although slightly touristy, no place encapsulates Ghana's vigorous culture as well as these humble hamlets. In Kumasi, stay at the Justice Hotel (Accra Road, 51/225-25), a two-story cement building that is cozier inside than it looks from the outside. With 38 rooms and a patio restaurant, the Justice is a quiet reprieve from Kumasi, and rates are only 133,500 ($15) per person for a double with private bath and fan, or 160,000 cedis ($18) for an air-conditioned double. Simple breakfasts are 4,000 cedis ($.50). Jofel's on the Airport Roundabout (51/212-13) is probably Kumasi's best restaurant, large and roomy with African dishes ranging from 30,000-40,000 cedis ($3.40-$4.50), and fried golden lobster or shrimps for around 30,000 cedis ($3.40). The far, dry north Fewer tourists venture into the north of Ghana, which is less developed but just as fascinating. The terrain is arid, the roads caked with red dust, and round mud-hut villages dot the landscape as they did thousands of years ago. Tamale in the northeast is an interesting contrast to Accra, and makes a good base for exploring the north. It's a sleepy city where men play cards under trees, and women pound fufu in large carved-out bowls with wooden pestles. Picorna Hotel (71/226-72) is Tamale's best, run by friendly folks with first-class service. Rooms start at 126,000 cedis/$14.20 while fancier ones with air-conditioning and TVs are 236,000 cedis ($26.50). Its entertainment space holds live events. A two-and-a-half-hour drive directly east of Tamale is the Mole National Park, known for its wildlife. You can arrange for a taxi to drive you from Tamale to Mole and back for 350,000 cedis ($45.75) for up to four passengers. The entrance into Mole National Park is 45,000 cedis ($5) per person, and there's the rather solitary Mole Hotel (71/722-014) on the cliffs of the park with 30 chalets for 130,000 cedis ($14.60) per person a night, or you can camp for 20,000 cedis ($2.60). Park rangers armed with rifles (to scare off the odd lion) lead visitors on bush hikes costing an astounding 5,000 cedis ($.65) per hour. Surprisingly good meals (for being out in the boondocks) are provided at the hotel for about 25,000 cedis ($3.25), and you can take a dip in the swimming pool for 10,000 cedis ($1.30). You might spot elephants, baboons, jackals, warthogs, hyenas, and crocodiles at the park. Just outside the park's entrance is the tiny town of Larabanga, famous for its thirteenth-century mud mosque (10,000 cedis/$1.12 is requested to see it). The stunning white structure is said to house the oldest known copy of the Koran in West Africa. Kids smile and tug at your clothes, while elderly women dry tobacco in the mud courtyards. Have a local show you the Sacred Stone nearby. This rock kept mysteriously reappearing in the middle of the road during its construction, so they finally built the highway in a curve around it. Peering at the hazy savanna descending below the stone, you can't help but be engulfed by the mystical atmosphere that forever permeates the land of Ghana. Mind your Ghanaian manners Dashes (tips) are a way of life in Ghana. Rather than calling it a bribe, a dash is a tip that may be requested by anyone from train conductors who seat you to youngsters who may run errands for you. Seen as gifts, dashes will ease your way through Ghana immensely, and are usually about 5,000 cedis ($.67). When taking photos, always ask the person beforehand, and you may be asked to give a dash as well. Always shake hands and pick up food with your right hand, since the left is used to perform other personal functions. When traveling with another person of the same sex, you are often required to rent separate hotel rooms. However, unmarried mixed-sex couples have no problem. When meeting a chief or village elder, always lower yourself or bow with your knees to show respect. Learning a few words of Twi (akwaaba means welcome) will make you a big hit among Ghanaians. Be sure to always smile and wave to strangers--everyone loves it and invariably waves back. The nitty gritty Pack lightly: Weather in both Ghana's tropical south and arid north is warm year-round. Getting there: Ghana Airways (212/371-2800) offers weekly flights from New York, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore to Accra--the only airline offering nonstops from the U.S. to Ghana. Round trips cost around $1,200, or alternatively, call Silicon Tours (205/821-3886, silicontours.com) for its dirt-cheap air-and-land packages to Ghana that include daily tours and accommodations for around $1,900 for nine nights, including airfare from the United States. 2Afrika (877/200-5610, 2afrika.com) also offers personalized, inexpensive tours to Ghana and West Africa. Transportation: Tro-tros (the main transportation within Ghana) are minivans that pack passengers in like sardines and go most everywhere for a buck or less. But due to their lack of schedules, frequent breakdowns, and agonizingly sluggish rides, hiring a taxi is recommended instead, especially for long distances. The cost is still minimal, you have a built-in guide, and you'll arrive in half the time than a tro-tro would require. Ask your hotel how much the fare to where you're going should be, and settle on a price with the driver before getting in. Rental cars are not recommended because of their cost ($45 per day) and Ghana's poor roads. Other transportation options include the sleeper train from Kumasi to the coastal town of Takoradi (50,000 cedis/$7). For the truly adventurous, the cargo ship Yapei Queen (251/206-86) sails up Lake Volta once a week, stopping at remote villages. The boat has three unpretentious cabins for 60,000 cedis ($8)--reserve as far in advance as possible. Required reading: Be sure to pick up a copy of the brilliant novel The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ghanaian writer Ayi Kwei Armah for a glimpse into the country's modern psyche. For general information and news on Ghana: Surf to ghanaweb.com and ghana.com.

It's not like riding a bike. To scuba dive safely, you need professional training. Today, we answer your questions on how to engage in this exciting, yet dangerous sport, responsibly. Question: Do I need to get certified? Complete a certification course from either NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors, naui.org) or PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors, padi.com), and dive shops around the world will let you do your thing up to 50 feet deep with minimal supervision. Courses take about 30 to 40 hours, with the main focus on safety and understanding the equipment. Lukewarm about all the time and money required? Skip to question #3. Question: Where should I get certified? At home or on vacation? Outfitters at popular diving spots teach the entire course in four days, but it's more pragmatic and affordable to do most of the coursework at a neighborhood pool. You then get your certification card after a few training dives out in the open seas. "I always recommend that the academic and technical work be done before going on vacation," says Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of the Ocean Futures Society and son of diving legend Jacques Cousteau. "Most ocean diving is so idyllic, and there are so many distractions, that it's best to be qualified and competent beforehand." Contact NAUI, PADI, or a local dive shop to find out where courses are offered. Question: Can I go diving without getting certified? Yes, to an extent. Many hotels and dive shops offer "resort courses." These typically consist of a morning session in a pool followed by a shallow dive in the ocean with an instructor. "The resort course is good for someone not quite sure about scuba diving," says Malen Thompson, a PADI representative. "It gives you a taste of the experience." Question: How long will I be in the water? For certified divers, the morning typically consists of two dives, each using up a tank of compressed air (a two-tank trip, as it's called). You venture out for a 40-minute descent, take a break, then motor over to a shallower site for a second dip. By lunchtime, most people find they're had their limit of saltwater for the day. "any of our divers want the afternoons free to hike, mountain bike, or kayak," says Karen Moise, owner of Nature Island Dive, on the Caribbean island of Dominica (natureislanddive.com). If you're not a morning person, afternoon and even night dives--with flashlights--are often available. Question: What will I see? It depends on where you go. Australia's Great Barrier Reef is a cold-water favorite, with chances to see sharks and three-foot-wide clams. Boat wrecks are the big draws in the Bermuda Triangle and Micronesia.The South Pacific is famous for warm waters, spectacular visibility, and colorful corals. Much of the Caribbean has a good mix of wrecks and reefs. There are often dozens of options within each region, so ask around. Question: Should I rent or buy? There's always that one guy huffing and puffing in the airport as he carts heavy tanks and the latest nifty regulators. Just rent the stuff! That said, many divers always travel with their masks. It's hard to find the perfect fit around the bridge of your nose. Question: What's the diver-to-instructor ratio? Many boats have space for 20 or more divers, but big groups can be overwhelming. With fewer divers, guides are more relaxed--and more likely to show you that moray eel hidden in the crevice or where puffer fish can be found puffing. Aim for a diver-to-instructor ratio of about four to one. If you're stuck with a large group, ask if it's OK to leave them behind. "More-experienced divers like independence," says Buck Butler, editor of Scuba Diving. "They don't mind a big group if they can go off on their own." Question: How far is the boat ride? Getting to the reef off the Caribbean's Grand Turk takes five minutes by boat. But at Raiatea, French Polynesia, boat rides can be a rocky 45 minutes, which might make you too woozy to dive. Take non-drowsy seasickness medication if you're going to be on a boat more than 30 minutes. Or skip the long ride entirely. Question: How deep will we go? There are instructors who lead divers to depths of 100 feet, only to be immersed in darkness. The finest dives are usually 40 to 60 feet below the water's surface, where fish are bountiful and the reef is awash in sunlight. "The only reason to go deeper is to find a wreck," says Butler. Question: How much will it cost?Prices vary. In Cozumel, a two-tank dive with a company called Aqua Safari costs $55 (aquasafari.com); a similar dive in in Kauai, with North Shore Divers, is $135 (garden-isle.com/nsdivers). But the biggest expenses on dive trips are lodging and transportation, not the actual dives. You often get the best overall price with a package that includes any combination of diving, accommodations, food, and airfare. Two more ways to save: Visit during a destination's low season, and go where the U.S. dollar is strong.

Love him or hate him, Bill Clinton blended the old and new South better than anyone else we're likely to see. He's an Arkansas-bred boy who was real enough to pass as a Bubba and slick enough to rule in Washington, D.C. Now he's bringing the world to his former stomping ground of Little Rock in the form of the $165 million glass-and-steel William J. Clinton Presidential Center. At 20,000 square feet, the Clinton Center will hold the largest collection of presidential materials. (It contains 2 million photos alone.) The boxy, modernist main building is cantilevered over the Arkansas River from the southern riverbank, and the adjacent Rock Island Railroad Bridge, abandoned in 1980, has been pressed into service as a walkway. Within the center's 30-acre park is the new Clinton School of Public Service, a graduate school that's part of the University of Arkansas and housed in the recently rehabbed 1899 Choctaw Railroad station. Just down the road--President Clinton Avenue, to be precise--is where Heifer, which for 60 years has given farm animals to needy families worldwide, is building its eco-friendly Heifer International Global Village partly out of steel beams and concrete from existing railroad structures. The $13.9 million headquarters opens in fall 2005; the charity plans to turn it into a tourist attraction educating visitors about world hunger. Little Rock still prides itself on that tried-and-true Southern tradition, eating. Just over a decade ago the toughest choice on a Friday night was between Chili's or Bennigan's; the city now serves everything from New American to, as Loca Luna owner and chef Mark Abernathy describes the food at his place, Nouveau Schizophrenic. Loca Luna's grilled salmon with cranberry-orange-chipotle sauce is a standout dish. The city's deep-fried roots remain, though, especially when it comes to slow-smoked pit barbecue. Everyone in town has a favorite joint, but one of the undeniable top spots is Sim's Bar-B-Que, where fans run the gamut from suit-and-tie politicos to jeans-wearing construction workers. Since the mid-'90s, the River Market District, a stretch of restaurants and clubs, has grown to become the epicenter of Little Rock nightlife. Crowds lift a few pints at The Underground Pub (a spacious English-style ale house) and carouse at Sticky Fingerz Rock 'n' Roll Chicken Shack. The Heights, a venerable neighborhood four miles west, has one of the city's most convivial old-style local bars, called Afterthought. Mondays are devoted to jazz, and the rest of the week there's dancing to standards and blues. In a sure sign of newfound confidence, Little Rock now has a hip lodging in the River Market Lofts, a factory converted to upmarket apartments, eight of which are available by the night. The decor is Ikea-esque, and each loft has a full kitchen; they're within walking distance of the Clinton Center. The historic Quapaw Quarter--south of the River Market--contains the city's oldest homes, some dating to before the Civil War. A converted late-1800s mansion, the genteel Rosemont Bed & Breakfast has five guest rooms with plush armchairs, gauzy curtains, and, in most, fireplaces and four-poster beds. Out front there's a shaded porch, perfect for relaxing in a rocking chair while the fall leaves stir in the breeze. It's an experience that the new Little Rock has yet to top.

A question to all you traveling theater buffs: Near what New York "square" were six out of the last eight Pulitzer Prize-winning plays first presented? If you answered Times Square, you were dead wrong. In fact, none of those memorable hits began their lives in the Broadway theaters that surround Times Square, and only half of them even played the Great White Way eventually. All were nurtured in so-called off-Broadway theaters, five in the area surrounding 14th Street's Union Square, the new and perhaps truer heart of New York's legendary theater scene. It's in this trendy, restaurant-crammed slice of the Big Apple, in more intimate and certainly less expensive playhouses, that the Eugene O'Neills, Tennessee Williamses, and Arthur Millers of our generation are currently presenting their shows. That's no secret to New Yorkers. But the legions of tourists who fill the seats of Broadway theaters night after night rarely realize there's an alternative to the flashy, $85-a-pop extravaganzas that crowd midtown. And the same visitors mistakenly think that because they've chosen a "name brand" show they're going to be seeing the best the city has to offer. While there are outstanding productions to see on Broadway, few are as intellectually challenging or provocative as what you'll find in the smaller theaters. As Tim Sanford, artistic director of the well-respected Playwrights Horizons put it: "There's a homogeneity to the shows that get picked for Broadway. They have to have a marketing hook or an overwhelming critical consensus to move. If a play is seen as edgy or controversial, commercial producers may shy away from it, even if it's had good reviews." There's also a dirty little secret about long-running Broadway shows: chronic fatigue syndrome. It's very difficult to keep a show fresh year after year. The original stars leave; replacement casts are "put in" by stage managers, rarely getting to work with the director; and the repetitiveness of doing the same thing eight times a week can transform a vital piece of theater into a pallid imitation. A few years back, the original creators of Les Miserables visited the show unannounced and promptly fired all but one lead actor, appalled that so many of the players were simply walking through their performances. Shows off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway have a shorter shelf life. With the exception of The Fantasticks (which ran for an astounding 42 years), these productions rarely stick around for more than a few months and rarely change casts. They're also significantly less pricey, averaging $45 a ticket at the 40-or-so off-Broadway theaters, just $15 at the nearly 80 off-off-Broadway houses (as compared with the $65-$85 rates of most Broadway productions). And a few simple steps can knock down the off-Broadway costs considerably. Visit the TKTS booth in Times Square (47th Street and Broadway) or downtown (Bowling Green Park Plaza) on the day of the show for discounts of up to 50 percent to both Broadway and off-Broadway productions, reducing the off-Broadway expense to about $25 per person. Two prominent theater Web sites, playbill.com and theatermania.com, offer coupons that can be downloaded and used either over the phone or at the box office for savings of up to 50 percent (you simply become a "member" for free to get the goodies). Real daredevils can vie for "rush tickets" available only on the day of the show, sometimes only within the hour before curtain, which can drop the cost of off-Broadway plays and musicals to $10. Theatergoers can even see shows for free if they're willing to don a black-and-white outfit and seat people. To cut costs, many theaters employ volunteer ushers. (Simply call a couple of weeks in advance, choose a night, and you're hired.) So, what to see? Where can you be reliably assured of a profound and highly engrossing off-Broadway or off-off-Broadway evening, given the fact that you probably haven't heard of the play that's being presented - or of its unknown playwright or actors? With the help of a number of theater professionals, we've compiled a highly subjective list of quality off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway companies. These are the ones, we think, that do consistently entertaining and thoughtful work. The magazine Time Out New York is also an excellent and highly inclusive source for theater listings and reviews. Each of our listings is preceded by either two stars (for off-Broadway theaters with, on average, $45 seats) or one star (denoting an off-off-Broadway theater with seats for about $15). In each case, we carefully list the discounts to which members of the public are entitled. New York Theatre Workshop 79 East Fourth Street, nytw.org An off-Broadway powerhouse, New York Theatre Workshop is known for its heady, intellectually satisfying pieces. Artistic Director Jim Nicola told us, "We tend to do plays that have a real connection to history, in the sense that we always try to relate the individual experience to those of others in the river of time. History gives you the capacity to look around, see what's around, and also see that it doesn't have to be this way." Discounts: Student tickets $15, senior citizens (over 65) $28. Ten tickets at $10 go on sale two hours before curtain. Also uses playbill.com and theatermania.com. Ushering: Five volunteer ushers per night, call two weeks ahead. Greatest Hits: Rent (Pulitzer Prize), Dirty Blonde, Quills. The Public Theater 425 Lafayette Street, publictheater.org With a strong emphasis on American playwrights, the Public Theater strives to "reflect the city we live in," according to Director of Marketing and Audience Development Donna Walker-Kuhne. "The Broadway theater offers fantasy. The Public offers reality, a reality that is eclectic and multicultural. You'll get the same polish and finish here as you do on Broadway, but the stories are much closer to home." Along with five performance spaces at its impressive Lafayette Street home (the former Astor Library), the Public presents free and star-studded Shakespeare in the Park each summer. Discounts: $15 rush tickets an hour before showtime for non-sold-out performances. Also check TKTS. Ushering: No. Greatest Hits: A Chorus Line (Pulitzer Prize); Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk; Elaine Stritch at Liberty; Topdog/Underdog (Pulitzer Prize). Brooklyn Academy of Music 30 Lafayette Avenue and 651 Fulton Street, both in Brooklyn. Go to bam.org for directions and schedules. "I'm like a Geiger counter," says Executive Producer Joseph Melillo, "sweeping around the globe to find world-class artists who are doing mature, adventurous work." Mr. Melillo certainly strikes gold more often than not. BAM has become the place, not only in New York, but throughout the nation, for seeing the top European and Asian theater and dance artists. Discounts: Student/senior rush tickets $10 (call 718/636-4100 at noon, day of performance, to check availability). Ushering: No. Greatest Hits: Works by Ingmar Bergman, Peter Brook, Robert Wilson, Mark Morris. The Ontological-Hysteric Theater 131 East 10th Street, ontological.com Richard Foreman's dreamscapes have consistently challenged and intrigued audiences for 30-plus years. Playing more to the subconscious mind than the conscious mind, this is theater at its most challenging and surreal. Discounts: $15 tix, 'nuf said. Ushering: No. Greatest Hits: Bad Boy Nietzsche, Pearls for Pigs. Playwrights Horizons playwrightshorizons.org As the name implies, this theater concentrates on the craft of playwriting, offering authors a forum to develop new works. In the past few years, the company has been especially successful with its innovative musicals. Playwrights is building a new theater (to open in 2003) and is currently bouncing from house to house in the Times Square area. Discounts: playbill.com, TKTS booths, $15 student rush tickets two hours before show. Ushering: Yes, call a month in advance. Greatest Hits: Driving Miss Daisy (Pulitzer Prize), Sunday in the Park with George (Pulitzer Prize), The Heidi Chronicles (Pulitzer Prize), Falsettos. The Vineyard Theatre 108 East 15th Street, vineyardtheatre.org The Vineyard veers from top-notch plays and musicals to pieces that land firmly in the realm of performance art. A mixed bag, but always interesting and well performed. Discounts: TKTS booths, theatermania.com. $15 student rush tickets on the day of the show, sometimes $20 general rush tickets too (check Vineyard's Web site). Ushers: Three per performance, call three weeks ahead. Greatest Hits: Three Tall Women (Pulitzer Prize), Fully Committed, How I Learned to Drive (Pulitzer Prize), Goblin Market. The New Victory Theater 209 West 42nd Street, newvictory.org Innovative, fun performances for children and families right on no-longer-bawdy 42nd Street. The curators look for work both in the United States and abroad that will appeal to all ages. To that end, they book quality puppet shows, acrobatic and circus troupes, "new vaudeville" acts as well as theater pieces, all of which can be previewed with video-streaming at the theater's Web site. Discounts: None, but tickets are affordable at $10, $20, or $30. Ushering: No. Greatest Hits: Ain't Nothin' but the Blues, The Flaming Idiots. P.S. 122 150 First Avenue, ps122.org Set in an abandoned school, P.S. 122 is as downtown and edgy as theater gets. "We don't have many toilets, the seats are rough, we don't have a real lobby, but it's all about the work and most of our work is pretty entertaining. We do really interesting failures," joked Mark Russell, artistic director. "Over in Europe there are a lot of cultural centers where this type of small, funky theater happens. Here, it's just us." A true New York experience, and a place to see the big names of tomorrow while they're still experimenting. Shows at 7:30, 8:30, and 10:30 most nights. Discounts: None, but tickets cost just $12 to $20. Check Web site for free student and senior tix. Ushers: Three per show. Greatest Hits: Blue Man Group, works by Eric Bogosian, Spalding Gray, John Leguizamo, Meredith Monk. Adobe Theatre Company Various venues in SoHo, adobe.org A young, hip scene, Adobe serves drinks and plays dance music before and after shows for a party atmosphere. Its plays tend to focus on myths, urban and otherwise, which are wittily skewed before evening's end. Discounts: None, but tix are just $12. Ushering: No. Greatest Hits: The Handless Maiden, Duet!