There are two schools of thought about taking baby to the Big Apple. One comes from folks who fear the crowds, the noise, the crush of humanity, who consider taking a tiny, precious being to the Big City utterly insane.

Then there's the view of veteran urban mom Mindy Levine, a Brooklyn-ite who cherishes the memory of taking her infant daughter to museums, art galleries and the kind of restaurants one wouldn't go near with a toddler.

"Taking a kid under one to the Big Apple? This seems like a no-brainer,'' says Levine, who strapped daughter Micaela in a snuggli and spent hours visiting museums and galleries when she was as young as six weeks old. "She got some visual stimulation and early socialization about being comfortable in a museum. And I got to pretend I still had a cultural life."

With the help of a backpack or a front carrier, babies under one can go just about anywhere, while parents have a tremendous chance to take in Manhattan; view glorious treasures and take in sites that won't be as accessible in the years to come, when baby is older, louder and more opinionated about her needs.

If you know where to go and what to avoid, the city that attracts more than 30 million visitors and never sleeps can be a Disneyland for both parents and babies. The Christmas season is New York at its most spectacular, although the crowds can be daunting. Any time, the trip will be more rewarding if you remember a few basics, like bringing along a light umbrella stroller to schlep up and down subway steps and on buses, and being willing to gratefully accept offers of help. Walking is probably the best way to get around, but if you opt for taxis, accept that there will be no infant car seats.

You'll have to be intrepid as well: It won't always be easy to track down bathrooms with changing stations (just finding a bathroom can be a challenge) and private spots to nurse, no small feat in a city of 7.2 million. Some of my own favorite spots include the promenade in Brooklyn Heights, with it's stunning vistas, and just about any bench in Central Park or Battery Park.

My own boys (now 3 and 5) loved the lights, noise and sheer expanse of city buildings as infants. I'll never forget how their little eyes darted back and forth, following the flash of candy-colored neon and the endless parade of humanity. The city provides baby with so much stimulation you can probably leave home without a sack of toys, although it helps to bring along a pacifier or a familiar comfort item in case baby is overwhelmed by it all.

Taking a smaller baby will be easier in some ways, because they are so portable and sleep so much, but older ones will be able to enjoy the experience more -- and perhaps even remember it. Massachusetts mom Christine Cotter was unsure how her year-old daughter, Madeline, would react on her first bright lights tour. She was, in fact, a bit intimidated. But Madeline loved every minute of it, and provided memories they still laugh about years later. Cotter recalls their walk across the wooden planks of the Brooklyn Bridge walkway -- the longest in America when it first opened in 1883. As they gazed at the stunning skyline on a clear fall day, Madeline looked out at the Statue of Liberty, removed her sneaker, and chucked it into New York Harbor.

"She was very impressed by the lady in the water,'' Cotter recalls. "And she just loved the Circle Line.''

On a beautiful day, the Circle Line takes three hours to snake around New York Harbor, from the company's Hudson River dock on 12th Avenue to the west end of 42nd Street. It leaves every hour starting at 11:45 a.m., with the last cruise departing the dock at 7:45 p.m. through mid-November. (Call 212-563-2000 for prices). The trip isn't for all babies; parents who fear three hours may be a bit much can try a 45-minute cruise from New York Waterways (800-533 3779).