Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Back in the High Line Again
Tenth Avenue once carried the nickname “Death Avenue” because of the ground-level rail lines that cut a swath of de-
struction through the residential streets. During the Depression, $150 million was spent to get the trains aboveground,
only to have the entire system rendered obsolete by the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System. The tracks were aban-
doned in 1980 and all but a couple dozen blocks through Chelsea and the Meatpacking District were dismantled. In
2009, a spruced-up version of those tracks was unveiled as a city park. Nine access points lead to the exquisitely land-
scaped blocks of the
HighLine,
an elevated oasis wedged among creaky warehouses and the major glitz of the Stand-
ard Hotel. To get an expert's gloss on it, check out the free
Tuesdaynighttours,
which run at 6:30pm every season
but winter. Public art and stargazing are among the park's bonus attractions. I recommend a sunset visit—the Hudson
is bathed in color, and up on the tracks you have the feeling of being on a floating island, somehow removed from the
city even as you're right in the stylish heart of it. From Gansevoort to 30th sts., near Tenth Ave.
212/ 500-6035.
www.thehighline.org
. Subway to south entrance: A/C/E to 14th St.; L to Eighth Ave.
Federal Reserve Bank
In addition to the gallery of the
American Numismatic Society
(p. 312) on the
ground floor, advance sign-up will give you the chance to glimpse a little of the building. It's basically a tour of a
bank: a bank with the largest gold cache in the world, but still a bank. Along the way you'll see two short videos,
one weirdly defensive about the employees of the currency-processing division, and one weirdly defensive about
the employees who work with the gold. Five stories beneath the street you'll get to see the vault itself, which re-
sembles a gym locker room, except with some $200 billion in gold shimmering behind the bars. As a reward for
your attention, they'll give you $1,000 in cash. Shredded cash.
Call 1 to 2 weeks in advance to reserve a
space.
33 Liberty St., btw. William and Nassau sts.
212/720-6130.
www.newyorkfed.org
. Tours weekdays 11:15am, noon, 1:15, 2:30, 3:15, and 4pm
(they last about an hour). Subway: A/C/J/Z/2/3/4/5 to Fulton St./Broadway Nassau.
Fisher Landau Center for Art
Few New Yorkers know about the 25,000-square-foot exhibition and study
center inside this converted Queens industrial space. The pristine galleries display painting, sculpture, and pho-
tography from 1960 to the present, including works by the likes of Agnes Martin, Robert Rauschenberg, and Cy
Twombly. You'll find three floors of viewing pleasure. You'll also delight in the cultlike glazed eyes of security
guards who relay your every move via walkie-talkies.
38-27 30th St., btw. 38th and 39th aves.
718/937-0727.
www.lcart.org
.
Thurs-Mon noon-5pm. Subway: N/Q to 39th Ave.
5Pointz Aerosol Art Center
The subways of the '70s were moving galleries for graffiti, which became a
New York trademark. The trains may be sanitized now, but aerosol art lives on. A huge expanse of factory walls
near PS1 serves as a canvas for an ever-evolving collection of spray-painted glory. Hip-hop luminaries are among
the pilgrims making the trip to this open-air “institute of higher burnin'.”
45-46 Davis St., at Jackson Ave.
www.5ptz.com
. Sat-Sun noon-7pm; other times by appointment. Subway: E/G/M/7 to Court Sq.
Forbes Magazine Galleries
Magazine magnate Malcolm Forbes's galleries once approximated what a
10-year-old boy with unlimited financial means would think to collect. Unfortunately, the model boats, toy sol-
diers, and Monopoly boards are now gone. In their place you'll find art galleries (Sabina Forbes II was recently
represented), a jewelry gallery, and a potpourri category presented in the Carrère Gallery.
62 Fifth Ave., at 12th St.
212/206-5548.
www.forbesgalleries.com
. Tues-Wed and Fri-Sat 10am-4pm. Subway: L/N/Q/R/4/5/6 to 14th St./Union
Sq.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park
FDR's 1941 State of the Union speech provides the inspir-
ation for this long-in-the-making memorial. Architect Louis I. Kahn's elegant design tapers 120 little-leaf linden
trees down to an East River landing where the freedoms themselves (of speech and worship, from fear and want)
