Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
235 Bowery (at Prince St.)
&
212/219-1222.
www.newmuseum.org. Admission:
$12 adult, $8 Senior, $6 student, 18 and under free; free for all Thurs 7-10pm. Wed
noon-6pm; Thurs-Fri noon-10pm; Sat-Sun noon-6pm. Subway: 6 to Spring St; N, R
to Prince St.
New-York Historical Society
Launched in 1804, the New-
York Historical Society is a major repository of American history, cul-
ture, and art, with a special focus on New York and its broader
cultural significance. The grand neoclassical edifice near the Museum
of Natural History has finally emerged from the renovation tent.
Now open on the fourth floor is the
Henry Luce III Center for the
Study of American Culture,
a state-of-the-art study facility and
gallery of fine and decorative arts, which displays more than 40,000
objects amassed over 200 years—including paintings, sculpture,
Tiffany lamps, textiles, furniture, even carriages—that had previously
been in storage for decades. Of particular interest to scholars and
ephemera buffs are the extensive Library Collections, which include
topics, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, photographs, and more docu-
ments chronicling the American experience. (An appointment may
be necessary to view some or all of the Library Collections, so call
ahead.) The 2006 exhibit “Slavery in New York” was so popular it has
now become permanent and the companion exhibit, “New York
Divided: Slavery and the Civil War” was featured in 2007.
An extensive, top-quality calendar of programs runs the gamut
from story hours to Irving Berlin music nights to lectures by such
luminaries as Ric Burns to expert-led walks through Manhattan
neighborhoods; call or check the website for the schedule.
170 Central Park West (at 77th St.).
&
212/873-3400.
www.nyhistory.org. Admis-
sion $10 adults, $7 seniors and educators, $6 students, free for children 12 and
under; free Fri 6-8pm. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm (Fri until 8pm). Subway: B, C to 81st St.;
1 to 79th St.
The Paley Center for Media
Formerly known as the Museum
of Television and Radio, if you can resist the allure of this museum,
I'd wager you've spent the last 70 years in a bubble. You can watch
and hear all the great personalities of TV and radio—from Uncle
Miltie to Johnny Carson to Jerry Seinfeld—at a private console
(available for 2 hrs.). You can also conduct computer searches to pick
out the great moments of history, viewing almost anything that
made its way onto the airwaves, from the Beatles' first appearance on
The Ed Sullivan Show
to the crumbling of the Berlin Wall (the col-
lection consists of 75,000 programs and commercials). Selected pro-
grams are also presented in two theaters and two screening rooms,
