Ah, the wonders of NYC never cease.  In addition to being on the watch for rabid shoppers, you also need to be alert to rabid raccoons - and not just in the many city parks we have.  Raccoons have been sighted in neighborhoods that have lots of trees and green spaces, too.  Wild animals of several kinds can carry rabies, from raccoons and skunks to stray cats.  Though they may be cute and fascinating, it's best to keep your distance from any animals you don't know.  Other precautions include:

• Getting your cat or dog vaccinated for rabies. It's the law.

• Staying away from wild or stray animals. Keep children and pets away from them too.

• Observing and enjoy healthy wildlife from a distance

• Not feeding wildlife.

• Never approaching a wild, stray, sick, or injured animal, no matter how helpless it looks. Instead call 311 or notify a Parks employee.

If you are bitten by an animal, wash the wound immediately, consult a doctor or go to the emergency room, and call 311 to report the bite.

The TKTS booth in Times Square has been providing discount tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows for years.  It's a right of passage every New Yorker (and tourist) must do at least once.  But oh, the lines!  Never fear intrepid culture-seeker, here are some insider tips that can make the process a lot easier.

• Go later in the day - While there may be fewer tickets available, the lines are definitely shorter, especially between 5:30p and 6:30p.  And some producers don't send tickets over until they're sure they won't sell at the box office, so you very well might get better seats!

• Branch Out - There are three TKTS boothes in the city - Times Square, South Street Seaport and Downtown Brooklyn, though most people are familiar only with the one in Midtown and go there.  The booth in Brooklyn always has the shorter lines.

• Brave the Elements - People don't like standing on lines in the rain and snow.  But, for half-price tickets to some of the hottest shows in town, it may well be worth it.  Be brave and go on an inclement day.

You're armed and ready.  Now go see a show.

Times Square and Herald Square have been turned over to the masses.  Since Memorial Day weekend, these two tourist and commercial meccas have been closed to vehicular traffic and converted to pedestrian plazas.  While the expansion of walking room might be a wonderful thing, allowing pedestrians a safe and exciting way to navigate Midtown, the transition may be a bit bumpy: several bus lines have fallen victim to the evolution of the area. Bus lines that are affected by this conversion are below. To view a map with route changes, click here.

• M6

  The new southbound route will operate on 7th Ave to 14th Street, at which time the bus will turn east on to 14th Street to Broadway, where it will make a right turn and continue southbound along its regular route. Northbound M6 service remains unchanged.

• M7

  The new southbound route will take the M7 from Central Park South, south on 7th Avenue, east on West 14th Street, north on 6th Avenue, to a layover along 6th Avenue north of 14th Street.  The northbound route will begin at 6th Avenue and West 14th Street.

• M10

  The new southbound M10 route will travel south around Columbus Circle, east on Central Park South, and south via 7th Avenue to West 31st Street.  The northbound route remains the same.

• M20

  The new southbound route will travel east on Central Park South from Columbus Circle,  then south on 7th Avenue and continue on the regular route.  There are no changes on the northbound route.

• M27

  The westbound M27 will now turn south on 7th Avenue from 49th Street and continue on the regular route.  The eastbound route remains the same.

• M30

  The eastbound M30 will travel east on West 58th Street, south on 7th Avenue and continue on the normal route.  No change to westbound service.

• M104

  The southbound M104 will turn east on Central Park South from Columbus Circle, then south on 7th Avenue and continue regular route east on 42nd Street.  The northbound route remains the same.

The New York State Department of Health (DOH) is accepting applications for the free New York Prescription Saver Card. The program will provide lower-income New Yorkers with savings that provide between 30 to 40 percent off the price of generic, and at least 25 percent off the full retail price of brand name prescriptions. To be eligible for the free New York Prescription Saver Card, you must be between the ages 50 to 64, or determined disabled by the Social Security Administration. Annual income must be at or below $35,000 for single persons and at or below $50,000 for married individuals. You can find more information on this important program at www.nyprescriptionsaver.com or by phone on at 1-800-788-6917.

There are all manner of al fresco happenings in NYC at any given moment, from street fairs to parades and other events.  You can keep abrest of what's going on in Midtown with the NYC Events Calendar.  On this page of www.nyc.gov you can search everything that's happening in the city by event, date, and borough for the upcoming week or even month.

 Below are upcoming street closures.

• March 13-14 & 20-21, 8a - 6p:  West 32nd between 6th and 7th 
• March 13-14 & 20-21, 12a - 9a: West 43rd between 7th and 8th

There will be major service changes for the C line train, affecting Midtown.  Due to necessary repair work, from 5:00 a.m. Monday, February 8 through 5:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 16, 2010, C trains will skip the following stations in the NORTH-BOUND direction only:

• Spring Street
• 23 Street
• 50 Street

E Line trains will continue to serve these stations, in both directions, during this period. 

Brooklyn-bound service on the C Line will operate as normal.