FOR New Yorkers, there’s no place like home. Except this time of year, when most would prefer to be anywhere else – on vacation.

But those hard-working souls left holding down the urban fort don’t have to miss out on the taste of summer.

With a little planning, you can score your share of grilled ribs, lobster, clam rolls and even a shower of chowders without ever packing a duffel.

Let other towns have their little community cookouts. Where else but the Capital of the World would throw the World’s Largest Picnic.

Bring your picnic blanket to Bryant Park (behind the Midtown library at 42nd Street) by noon on Sunday. That’s where City Harvest and cable TV’s “The Unbelievable Show” are hosting Gotham’s attempt at breaking the Guinness record.

You must bring at least two food items and a drink to qualify as a participant, and don’t forget some canned food for a City Harvest donation.

It’s good to be a chowderhead if it’s Tuesday night at Beacon (25 W. 56th St.; [212] 332-0500). The Summertime Chowder Dinner – held next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. – revives the tradition of social clubs gone by with not just New England-style, Manhattan-style, grilled corn and potato, and seafood chowder, but also raw and roasted oysters, steamed and fried clams, grilled lobster, hush puppies and more.

Unlimited Brooklyn Beer and Smirnoff citrus-spiked pink lemonade make it even merrier. Cost is $75 per person.

An outdoor grill on Park Avenue? Yup, thanks to the Lobster Cookout on the terrace at Café St. Bart’s (109 E. 50th Street; [212] 888-2664). Every Tuesday evening this month, the place is serving grilled crustaceans with dipping sauce and drawn butter, roasted potatoes, corn and pie for dessert, and a deejay spinning summer tunes. Cost is $35.

Speaking of grills, Central Park’s newest is at the Sheep Meadow Café (CPW and 69th Street; [212] 396-4100), the Park’s first new eatery since 1967. The massive grill sizzles up ribs, steak, rosemary chicken, fish and specials such as scallops every night but Monday (when the restaurant is closed, but the self-serve terrace is open).

At Village (62 W. Ninth St. between Fifth and Sixth avenues; [212] 505-3355), the theme is Ribs ‘n’ Rose, pairing different preparations of ribs with flights of three roses. Think barbecued smoked pork ribs with spicy noodles and a cucumber salad. The ribs are $18; the roses, $10.

Get a taste of the Mediterranean at Thalassa (179 Franklin St. between Hudson and Greenwich streets; [212] 941-7661) with a pikilia menu. The Greek tapas-like dishes will be available at the bar or for dinner throughout the summer. Any three items – such as baby barbounia (lightly fried fish), zucchini blossoms stuffed with crabmeat and stuffed calamari – cost $18.

And if it’s a clam roll you crave, head to the Minnow in Brooklyn (442 Ninth St. between Sixth and Seventh avenues; [718] 832-5500). Munching on the seafood favorite served with red onion relish in the sweet little garden, all that’s missing is some sand in your sandals.