# NYC beyond the norm ideas?



## wauhob3 (May 29, 2010)

My teen and I have been to NYC several times and we are about to go for our 4th week there so we have done a lot of the major attractions. She loves history. This is the first time we are going in the summer. I would like to get out into the neighborhoods more. We have also never made it to NYC Public library or the Jewish history museum but will this time. I'd appreciate some suggestions on different things to do. 

Just to give an idea of major attractions we have seen.
The Met (we go each time)
The Frick
The Guggenheim
Natural History Museum
The Tenement Museum
Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island
Grand Central Station 
United Nations
Chinatown
Greenwich
We have done both Accomplices (I wish they had a third one)
Time Square-We usually go to the theater 3 or 4 times in a week. Maybe just twice this time. 
Spa Castle
Madame Trousseau's


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## Karen G (May 29, 2010)

wauhob3 said:


> This is the first time we are going in the summer. I would like to get out into the neighborhoods more.


Maybe Big Apple Greeterswould be an interesting way to see some of the neighborhoods with local residents.

We once did a walking/tasting tour that was a lot of fun.


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## optimist (May 29, 2010)

If you have never seen The Cloisters museum, I would recommend it, especially in the summer since they have a beautiful garden.


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## legalfee (May 29, 2010)

+1 Karen. Try the Greenwich Village walking and tasting tour. Also the same company has the Chelsea Market / meatpacking district tour. Both are fabulous.

http://www.foodsofny.com/greenwichvillage.php


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## billymach4 (May 29, 2010)

Have you gone to Lower Manhattan to see Federal Hall? That was the nations 1st Capitol where GW was sworn in. Trinity Church? In the graveyard you can visit Alexander Hamilton's Grave.

Take a look at this website for some real nyc forgotten facts and places http://www.forgotten-ny.com/

Take the 7 train out to Queens. There is the Queens Museum. You will see a full scale model of the City. Originally it was part of the 64 Worlds fair. Has been updated over the years to reflect the changing landscape. http://www.queensmuseum.org/exhibitions/visitpanorama

Take the 7 train to Main St to see one of NYC's other Chinatown in Flushing.


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## calgal (May 29, 2010)

Native New Yorker here,but I don't have a clue what the Accomplices are. Could you explain?
Oh, and I recommend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in Soho.


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## mrmarty91 (May 29, 2010)

I believe the Rock and Roll Annex is now closed.  

Alsoo, with all the museums you've visited, I'm surprised you don't have the Museum of Modern Art on there.  I would highly recommend that one.


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## Karen G (May 29, 2010)

calgal said:


> Native New Yorker here,but I don't have a clue what the Accomplices are. Could you explain?


I wondered the same thing. Found  this info.


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## Fredm (May 29, 2010)

Visit Brooklyn Heights. You will love it, especially if interested in history.

Right at the Brooklyn Bridge.  Walk over the Bridge for the best views in NY.

Google Brooklyn Heights for maps, architecture, history, etc.


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## wauhob3 (May 29, 2010)

The link provided to Accomplice is correct. It's a great time sort of like interactive mystery tour that takes you to places you never would of found otherwise both are different. The Village one covers less ground but I would hard picked to decide which is more fun. 

We should go to MOMA as a style flex activity. Modern Art isn't my favorite but who knows if my taste can be changed it would probably be there. The same for daughter but she's in the IB program and she could get creativity time there too. 

We will definitely add the Cloisters to the list we meant to do that last time and ran out of time and then it completely slipped my mind. Brooklyn Heights too. The food tour looks interesting I'll run that one by but my 17 year old picky eater and see if she's ready to be adventerous in regards to food.  We have been to flushing when we went to the Korean Spa Castle. That was perfect place to recharge and I wish there was one near Chicago. Are they letting people in Federal Hall now? We have been outside it but it was closed to the public at the time.  ForgottenNY looks awesome but unfortunately our plan will just be landing. 

I'll check out thinks to do in Queens. What about Harlem?  I'll re-read the posts and check out all the links. I'm sure I missed something but I'm beginning to see the trip take shape. Usually I have it longed planned what to do but other tickets to see Race it's not the case this time. If I can get half price tickets at the SeaPort TKTS we'll see American Idiot too.  


Thank you everyone Tuggers are awesome!


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## abbekit (May 29, 2010)

We just got back from a week in NYC.  Also had already been to most major sites so this time we spent more time walking neighborhoods in Manhattan plus a day in Queens.

We like the Big Onion walking tours.  They have tours for many interests and neighborhoods.  http://www.bigonion.com/

It was an easy subway ride to Queens Flushing Meadows Park site of the 1939 and 1964 Worlds Fairs (I went as a child to the '64 Fair so it was fun to go back).  Also we're jazz fans so we took the tour of Louis Armstrong's house in Corona Queens.  Loved that!

Also recommend walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and walking through the Meatpacking District and the new High Line Park there.


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## MULTIZ321 (May 29, 2010)

wauhob3 said:


> My teen and I have been to NYC several times and we are about to go for our 4th week there so we have done a lot of the major attractions. She loves history.  We have also never made it to NYC Public library or the Jewish history museum but will this time. I'd appreciate some suggestions on different things to do.



Hi Candace,

The New York Public Library is a great location to visit and it's free. The marble architecture is amazing and the library has rotating art exhibits that line the hallway walls on the different levels.  Don't miss the Map room and the Rose Main Reading Room.

The New York Public Library Lions Patience and Fortitude guard the Library Entrance.






 Patience






 - Fortitude

Originally they were named 'Leo Astor' and 'Leo Lenox' after John Jacob Astor and James Lennox, whose private libraries had been merged to form the library's original foundation of books. Sculptor Edward Clark Potter obtained the commission for the lions and the Piccirilli Brothers executed the carving using pink Tennessee marble. The lions were later renamed 'Patience' and 'Fortitude' by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia for attributes he thought every New Yorker should possess. 'Patience' guards the south side of the Library steps and 'Fortitude' sits to the north side of the steps. At the time the New York Public Library opened in May, 1911 it was the largest marble structure ever built in the United States.






 - Cross-view of classical details in the entrance portico.






 - Entrance to the Public Catalog Room






 - The Map Division






 - A Panoramic view of the Rose Main Reading Room, facing south






 - 'Patience' and 'Fortitude' with a mantle of snow in the record snowfall of December, 1948.






 - The New York Public Library Main Building during late stage construction in 1908, the lion statues not yet installed at the entrance

Enjoy you visit to the library.   I'll put in some other suggestions in another post.

Richard


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## Karen G (May 29, 2010)

Beautiful pictures, Richard. I'll have to check it out next time we get to go to NYC. I've been by it on the outside, but never got to go inside. Thanks for posting.


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## calgal (May 29, 2010)

Given her age, maybe check out Columbia and NYU.


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## wauhob3 (May 29, 2010)

calgal said:


> Given her age, maybe check out Columbia and NYU.



We walked through NYU last time accidentially but we do plan to check it out more thoroughly. It's probably out of our tuition price range but still you never know.

Nice pictures of the NYC library. I'll check out Onion tours.


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## Blondie (May 29, 2010)

The King Tut exhibit looks interesting- On W44th St- and if the R&R hall of fame annex is still open a MUST DO


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## abbekit (May 29, 2010)

We were there last week.  The library is completely covered in scaffolding and netting.  Don't know when the project will be finished.  But the Literary Lions are still proudly standing guard!














MULTIZ321 said:


> Hi Candace,
> 
> The New York Public Library is a great location to visit and it's free. The marble architecture is amazing and the library has rotating art exhibits that line the hallway walls on the different levels.  Don't miss the Map room and the Rose Main Reading Room.
> 
> ...


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## MULTIZ321 (May 30, 2010)

Ok, here's some other suggestions:

Consider a visit to the Merchant's House Museum.

Built in 1832, the Merchant's House Museum is a unique survivor of old New York. It is New York City's only family home preserved intact - inside and out - from the 19th century. Home to a prosperous merchant family for almost 100 years, it is complete with its original furniture, decorative arts, clothing, and personal memorabilia. To visit the Merchant's House is to experience what life was like for a wealthy New York City merchant family in the middle of the 19th century.

Here's what The New York Times says:

"The distinction of the Merchant's House and it is a powerful one is that it is the real thing.  One simply walks through the beautiful doorway into another time and place in New York." 

 "Of the estimated 300 Federal houses in Manhattan, the best preserved is the 178-year-old Merchant's House Museum." 

 And ... "Manhattan's most haunted house." 

The Merchant House Museum
29 East 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
Ph: 212-777-1089
http://merchantshouse.org/

Another possibility is the Fraunces Tavern Museum.

Fraunces Tavern Museum is a survivor of the early days of New York City. It was built in 1719 as an elegant residence for the merchant Stephan Delancey and his family. In 1762, the home was purchased by tavern-keeper Samuel Fraunces, who turned it into one of the most popular taverns of the day. Though it is best known as the site where Washington gave his farewell address to the officers of the Continental Army, in 1783, the tavern also played a significant role in pre-Revolutionary activities. After the war, when New York was the nation’s first capital, the tavern was rented to the new government to house the offices of the Departments of War, Treasury and Foreign Affairs. 

Fraunces Tavern Museum
54 Pearl Street
New York, NY 10004
http://www.frauncestavernmuseum.org/

The Fraunces Tavern Restaurant and Bar are temporarily closed for renovation but the museum is still open.

Another consideration is the Poetry Landmark: The White Horse Tavern 

The White Horse Tavern, built in 1880, has been a stomping ground for New York’s literary community since the 1950s when the bar’s most famous patron, the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, was introduced to this longshoreman’s haunt. The White Horse holds the dubious distinction of being the place where Thomas drank his last whiskey. 

The bar soon drew more literary figures as patrons including James Baldwin, Norman Mailer, Anais Nin, and James Laughlin, the founder of the publishing house New Directions. In addition, the bar was a gathering place for both the Beat writers, like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, as well as the New York School poets, such as John Ashbery and Frank O’Hara.

The White Horse is the tavern - "Once upon a time there was a tavern" - in the opening line of Gene Raskin's song Those Were the Days, adapted from a Russian folk song of the 1920s.

The White Horse Tavern is located at 567 Hudson Street, between West 11th Street and Perry Street in New York’s Greenwich Village.

Also check out The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy, 235 East Broadway (near Jefferson Street), New York, NY 10002. Phone:212-374-4100.  Explore the past and present of New York’s Lower East Side:The Cradle of American Jewish Immigration. Public or Customized Tours of Jewish sites, including synagogues, restaurants and shops. http://www.nycjewishtours.org/

Here's another vote for a visit to the Cloisters. Great views from both the Cloisters and Fort Tyron Park, where it's located.  The M4 bus which you can catch on Madison Avenue will take you right to the Cloisters front door. http://www.metmuseum.org/cloisters/

Another Museum visit to consider is the Smithonian's National Museum of the American Indian.  The New York City portion of the Museum is housed in
The George Gustav Heye Center at the Alexander Hamilton Custom House in Lower Manhattan - located at One Bowling Green, New York, NY 10004. Admission is free. The Alexander Hamilton Custom House is one of the most spendid Beaux Arts Buildings in New York rich in arcitechtural and historic significance and is a National Historic Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more info see http://www.americanindian.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=visitor&second=ny

Trinity Church at Broadway and Wall Street is where George Washington went after he was inaugurated in Federal Hall as our first president. If you visit Trinity Church, Alexander Hamilton is buried in the cemetary on the south side of the church. Robert Fulton is buried there too.  If you're interested in learning more about Alexander Hamilton, a great book is
Ron Chernow's *"Alexander Hamilton"*

And to see NYC from a different perspective, consider taking a Circle Line 3-Hour Full Island cruise which circumnavigates Manhattan Island.
http://www.circleline42.com/new-york-cruises.aspx

If you're visiting neighborhoods and are in the mood for a Corned Beef or Pastrami Sandwich, Ben's Best Gourmet Delicatessen was highly recommended to me. We didn't have a chance to go on our latest trip but it's on our list for future visits. Ben's Best, 96-40 Queens Blvd, Rego Park, NY 11374.  http://www.bensbest.com/

In case you're not familiar with www.hopstop.com - it's a great site for figuring out how to get from Point A to Point B.  Their home page has many different city choices - choose NYC. You can choose your mode of transport: subway, subway + bus, bus only, and walking.

Also another location to visit in the Lower Manhattan area is South Street Seaport. http://www.southstreetseaport.com/

 If you plan on going to the theatre while in NYC, the TKTS South Street Seaport Discount booth location at 199 Water Street (at the corner of Front and John Streets) is a much easier location to get tickets without the long waits as you would have at the Duffy Square Broadway & 47th Street location.  For more info see http://www.tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=56& do=v


Sounds like you're going to have another fun trip


Richard


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## abbekit (May 30, 2010)

Another place we enjoyed in the midst of the craziness of Times Square is the Time Square Visitors Center located on Broadway in the beautifully restored Embassy Movie Theatre.  They have a great historic film and old photos of Times Square and they also display the 2008 New Year's Eve ball that is lighted and simulates the display during the New Year's Eve ball drop about once an hour.  Pretty neat!  They also have a nicer quality gift shop with books, sweatshirts, etc. that you can't find in the cheesy souvenir shops in the area.

http://www.timessquarenyc.org/about_us/info_center.html


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## Piper (May 30, 2010)

The Circle LIne Tours can be fun. There's a short one -- from the piers on the west side of Manhattan around the southern tip, up the east side and then back again. The longer one goes clear around Manhattan. I've done both and found the second half of the long one less interesting so I would recommend the shorter one. It would be nice on a hot summer day.

Another outing that would be good on a hot day is a visit to Governors Island. (See: http://www.govisland.com/visit_the_island/default.asp) It would be a great place for a picnic. (You have to bring your food with you because there are no vendors on the island.)


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## MULTIZ321 (May 31, 2010)

I forgot to add the Morgan Library and Museum to my list.
Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street
New York, NY 10016
http://www.themorgan.org/home.asp
Friday's from 7pm to 9pm is free admission
Unfortunately, the McKim Bldg, which houses Mr. Morgan's Study and Mr. Morgan's Library, is closed for renovation from June 1, 2010 to October 30, 2010.






 - Library (East Room) Photagraphy by Graham Haber






 - Study (West Room) Photagraphy by Graham Haber






 - North Room
Photagraphy by Graham Haber






 - Rotunda Photagraphy by Graham Haber


An excellent biography by Ron Chernow that was a winner of the National Book Award is: "The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance" 

Also, I didn't have time to add in my previous post, some additional information about the Cloisters, a replica of a medieval monastery that rises from the towering cliffs of Fort Tyron Park in the Washington Heights section of northern Manhattan. 

A designated New York City landmark, it incorporates parts of actual Romanesque and Gothic cloisters from five medieval European monasteries, a Romanesque chapel, and a 12th-century Spanish apse. In addition it houses an immense collection of medieval art.

“Cloisters” refers to a place of religious seclusion, such as a monastery or a convent, as well as the covered walkways and courtyards that were included in the design of these holy places. 

The Cloisters Museum and Fort Tyron Park were created thanks to an endowment grant by John D. Rockefeller Jr., who donated the majority of his collection - it was completed in 1938. Rockefeller purchased 65 acres of land near the northern tip of Manhattan island overlooking the Hudson River and donated it  to the city to be converted into a public park and site for the new museum. In exchange New York gave him land in the East 60s for the Rockefeller Institute. Besides purchasing this land and donating it to the city, Rockefeller also purchased and donated to the State of New Jersey several hundred acres of the New Jersey Palisades on the other side of the Hudson River in order to preserve the view for the museum. You'll appreciate his foresight as you stand in one of the Cloister gardens overlooking the Hudson and viewing the magnificent Palisades.

Another excellent book by Ron Chernow is "Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr."  - (I like Ron Chernow's books so much, I've read most of them - a new one is about to be released later this year on George Washington which will be on my books to read list).

Richard


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## wauhob3 (May 31, 2010)

Thank you all so much. I will probably save the ones with partial inside closures until next visit whenever that may be. I'm interested to see the differences in the city in between summer and spring. Monday they have a Taste of Times Square we will at least check out. Sunday there is a street Festival near 77th and broadway.

So far in no particular order we plan
Clositers 
The Met(worth a trip every visit),
MOMA
NY Public Library
Staten Island Ferry/Museum
Jewish History Museum (we tried last time not thinking on a Saturday and it was closed)
Brooklyn Heights/DUMBO
The Merchant Museum
Greenwich (perhaps tour)
Soundwalk-Little Italy
ChinaTown
NYU
Tickets to Race and may go to Sea Port and try to try to get tickets to American Idiot and go to the The Strand book store again
It might be nice to take the Circle Tour again
Trinty Church

Now I just need to figure out days etc.


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## wauhob3 (May 31, 2010)

I just thought of Coney Island is it worth going to? Also what about Harlem?


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## brigechols (May 31, 2010)

Summer in NY brings tons of free outdoor concerts and movies and film festivals. Check out www.timeoutny.com for a weekly list of activities. 

You can combine a trip to Harlem with a visit to Columbia University.
Almost forgot, Shakespeare in the park.


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## wauhob3 (May 31, 2010)

brigechols said:


> Summer in NY brings tons of free outdoor concerts and movies and film festivals. Check out www.timeoutny.com for a weekly list of activities.
> 
> You can combine a trip to Harlem with a visit to Columbia University.
> Almost forgot, Shakespeare in the park.



We are going to try to get tickets to Shakespere in the Park via the day of request on online service. We may go to Columbia Univerity too but since they only admit 7.84% of applicants that looks like a long shot. She's pretty strong academically in most subjects but just average in math so probably not a candidate for such a competive school. It surpisingly appears affordable since they go by the EFC.


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## justnosy (May 31, 2010)

*history....*

there's also a museum in chinatown - MOCA (museum of Chinese in America) it's on centre street north of canal (www.mocanyc.org)  - fairly small and compact but lots of history


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## wackymother (Jun 1, 2010)

The Museum of the City of New York is off the beaten path, and I always mean to go there! Also the botanical gardens, one up in the Bronx, near the Bronx Zoo, and one in Brooklyn. 

Central Park Zoo is great for people-watching as well as for the cold-weather penguins; the Bronx Zoo only has the Galapagos penguins that stay outside in the warm weather.


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## Fredm (Jun 1, 2010)

Often overlooked is the Brooklyn Museum. Second largest in NY. One of the premier art institutions in the world. Its Egyptian exhibit is world renowned.

Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, are all in the same area. 

This will take at least a full day, but very much worth it.


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## akp (Jun 1, 2010)

*I 2nd the vote for Merchant House*

Walking home to our hotel in NY last year we wandered by the Merchant House and decided to check it out.  

It was a highlight of the trip; fascinating and all the more enjoyable because of our serendipitous discovery.  If you're in the neighborhood, you'll find it well worth the stop.

Thanks for this thread - we're headed to NYC in 3 weeks and this gives me a great start for a list.  

Anita


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