With the coming of Memorial Day weekend, come the summer offerings across all five boroughs.

It goes without saying - but I shall say it anyway - that the boroughs are awash in street fairs from now until Labor Day. Personally, after the first two or three of the season, I’ve had my street fair fill. I can only buy so many pairs of socks, look through only so many CDs of musicians I’ve never heard of and eat only so much fried dough before my eyes, my ears and my taste buds demand a rest. But they can hardly be beat for people watching - the ultimate summer fun.

Other great people watching spots:

The corner of 59th and 5th. Yes, that plaza outside the Apple store. Grab an iced coffee, find a chair or piece of wall and settle in as wave after wave of young, old, rich, poor, native new yorkers, new yorkers for now and out of towners walk, run, ride and stroll by. It looks like a population study and sounds like the Tower of Babel. Great fun.

Front steps of the Met Museum. Not quite the plethora of types as the 59th and 5th crowd but just as interesting. You may even find there are street performers around so you get two shows for the price of one.

Any number of cafes and bistros. In days not long ago I would have said coffee house but I don’t want you to think I am implying that plopping oneself down at Starbucks will provide an afternoon’s entertainment. It might but I find the crowd in your average Starbucks to be rather a let down as a rule. If you want a coffee with your parade of public oddities, you can certainly find plenty of coffee places - especially in the Village - to accomodate you. But really first class people watching rarely happens at a chain store of any kind. Go independent.

For more ideas on where to see the worth seeing, check out People-Watching: Here’s Looking at You , from the New York Times. Admittedly written a couple of years ago but still very much on target with its recommendations. One of my favorites: the ultimate people-watching joy ride: taking a subway line from one end to the other. Can’t get enough? There’s the Best People Watching for 2007 from citysearch - a great way to check out the masses while also checking out the people watching venues that will be defending their titles in the 2008 update.

Next in the NYC Summer Fun series: Summer Grub, Picnics