Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Moments
Sacred Ground
In 1991, during the construction of a federal building on the
corner of Duane Street and Broadway, workers unearthed
human remains. Those remains, it turned out, were of
enslaved and free African slaves, and the site where they
were discovered was part of the largest Colonial Era ceme-
tery for blacks in the United States. Building on the site was
halted and in 1993 it was declared a National Historic Land-
mark. In 2006, it became a national monument and put
under the jurisdiction of the National Parks Services. In 2007,
after almost 16 years, the African Burial Ground Memorial
(between Duane and Elk sts.; & 212/637-2019; www.nps.
gov/afbg) was constructed to honor the final resting place
of an estimated 15,000 Africans.
The granite memorial sandwiched between glass-and-
steel federal buildings has seven design elements, includ-
ing a triangular structure that symbolizes the ship passage
to the new world from Africa, and religious symbols from
20 countries of the African Diaspora on a spiral wall that
leads to a map of the world centered in West Africa. It's a
moving memorial and well worth visiting while exploring
downtown.
There is a small visitor's center in the IRS building at 290
Broadway, adjacent to the memorial, but you have to go
through a security check to enter. The Memorial is open to
the public, free of charge, from 9am until 5pm daily except
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
which can range from “Barbra Streisand: The Television Perfor-
mances” to little-seen Monty Python episodes.
25 W. 52nd St. (btwn Fifth and Sixth aves.). & 212/621-6600. www.mtr.org. Admis-
sion $10 adults, $8 seniors and students, $5 children under 14. Tues-Sun noon-
6pm (Thurs until 8pm) Subway: B, D, F, V to 47th-50th sts./Rockefeller Center; E, V to
53rd St.
Skyscraper Museum Wowed by the sheer verticality in this town?
Awed by the architectural marvel that is the high-rise? You're not
alone. If you'd like to learn more about the technology, culture,
and muscle behind it all, seek out this formerly itinerant museum,
which moved into its first permanent home in 2004 in the 38-story
Search WWH ::




Custom Search