Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
•
Best Tour:
The mayor and City Council have their offices in graceful
City Hall
(Broadway, at Murray St.;
212/788-2656
). An underpublicized free tour allows you to catch glimpses of NYC politicos, as well as the por-
traiture, architecture, and George Washington's desk.
•
Best New Museum Giveaway:
The Brooklyn Navy Yard welcomes the public with the recently constructed
BLDG 92
(63 Flushing Ave.;
718/907-5992
). An 1858 Marine Commandant's residence is integrated into a
high-tech modern building, providing plenty of room to review the site's long shipbuilding history.
•
Best Art Museum: MoMA PS1
(22-25 Jackson Ave.;
718/784-2084
) puts on great art shows a stop away from
Manhattan in Long Island City. The museum is housed in a conversion of a Renaissance Revival public school,
and interior spaces have been redone to complement the cutting-edge art displayed here. Entrance is by sug-
gested donation.
•
Best Dirt Cheap Date Night: First Saturdays
at the
Brooklyn Museum of Art
(200 Eastern Pkwy.;
718/
638-5000
) are among the best parties of the year. You can generate conversation fodder at exhibits, films, and
lectures. You'll also find live music, should all that talk lead to a little dancing.
•
Best Natural Oasis:
Visions of rhododendron valleys, waterfalls, and wetlands conjure up only one place in
New York: the Bronx. If you've never seen the
New York Botanical Garden
(200th St. and Southern Blvd.;
718/817-8700
), you'll be amazed at the biological diversity. It might be the country's greatest public garden.
•
Best Place for Reflection:
The footprints of the World Trade Center towers are now filled with the largest man-
made waterfalls in North America. A leafy plaza at the
9/11 Memorial
(Albany and Greenwich sts.;
212/
266-5211
) provides the space and quiet to take in the scope of Ground Zero.
6 Best Sleeping Bets
•
Best Under-$35 Night in Manhattan:
The sleek lobby of the
Broadway Hotel & Hostel
(230 W. 101st St.;
212/865-7710
) belies the backpacker-friendly pricing. Unlike other local hostels, this one limits its dorm rooms
to just two guests. Share a bunk room with a buddy and you'll be splitting an overnight bill of just $68.
•
Best Stay with Free Parking and Swimming Pool:
Enjoy interstate amenities right in the heart of the city at
the
Travel Inn
(515 W. 42nd St.;
888/HOTEL58
[468-3558]). The sun deck, outdoor pool, and parking spaces
all come for free. Doubles start at $125, which isn't all that much more than it would cost just to park.
•
Best Taste of West Village Brownstone Life:
The
Larchmont Hotel
(27 W. 11th St.;
212/989-9333
) has as
prime a location as you could wish for at any price. The accommodations come with shared bathrooms, which
knocks the rates down to affordable territory (a single can be as low as $90).
•
Best Taste of East Village Townhouse Life:
Avenue C may be party central these days, but the quirky themed
rooms at
East Village Bed & Coffee
(110 Ave. C;
212/533-4175
) reflect the neighborhood's old-time arty
charm. Soundproof windows in front ensure you get no more of nightlife than you want. Singles start at $120
and doubles aren't much more.
•
Best Taste of Single Room Occupancy Life:
Although a SRO cabin lacking in a ceiling is not for everybody, the
Bowery House
(220 Bowery;
212/837-2373
) offers a loving glimpse of a lost era. If you can handle earplugs
and a shared bathroom, you'll score a great deal in the dead center of downtown.
•
Best Taste of Cotton Club-Era Harlem Life:
Don't be scared by the name; the
Harlem Flophouse
(242 W.
123rd St.;
212/662-0678
) isn't about mattresses on the floor, it's an homage to the musicians and artists who
stayed here during the last Harlem Renaissance. Tasteful antiques add to the atmosphere of a restored 1890s
row house, which hosts doubles for around $125 a night.
Free & Dirt Cheap Calendar of Events
