Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Central Park W., btw. 77th and 81st sts. 212/769-5100 for information, or 769-5200 for tickets (tickets can also be ordered online, full-price
only). www.amnh.org . Suggested admission $19. Space Show and museum admission together are $25, plus additional charges for IMAX movies
and some of the special exhibitions. Daily 10am-5:45pm. Subway: B/C to 81st St.; 1 to 79th St.
The City Reliquary This micro-museum is dedicated to the detritus of NYC, with an eye toward quirky collec-
tions like vintage thermoses and found snapshots. Recent renovations have brought the installation of the re-
mains of a Brooklyn barber shop and a Chinatown newsstand. In addition to the storefront dime store and mu-
seum (entry is by a $5 suggested donation), there's a window display on nearby Grand Street, which was the
institution's original inspiration.
370 Metropolitan Ave., btw. Havemeyer St. and Rev. Dr. Gardner C. Taylor Blvd., Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 718/782-4842. www.cityreliquary.org .
Suggested admission $5. Thurs-Sun noon-6pm. Windowdisplay, 307 Grand St., at Havemeyer St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Subway to both loca-
tions: L to Lorimer St.; G to Metropolitan Ave.
Going to Governors Island
Native Americans called it Pagganck (“Nut Island”), the Dutch called it NotenEylant, and until 1995 3,500 Coast Guard
members and their families called it home. Today, the former military base that is Governors Island has been set aside
for public use. During the summer, visitors can spend weekends wandering past abandoned mansions, forts, and bucolic
parade grounds. It's all free, with a lovely ferry ride across New York Harbor thrown in as well. The breathtaking views
make this New York's most ideal picnic spot. The island has totally been “discovered” and summer weekends offer a full
slate of activities of all kinds for kids and adults, ranging from art exhibits to concerts to sports. You can bring your own
bike to get around the island, or rent one when you arrive. Ferries run on the weekends and holiday Mondays, with de-
partures from both the Brooklyn and Manhattan sides of the East River. A new tour of Castle Williams is also available,
with the former fort and military prison open to the public for the first time in its 2-century history. The tour requires a (free)
ticket, given out 1 hour before the tour; afternoon tours are often full, so plan to head over early. Manhattan ferry, Battery
Maritime Bldg., 10 South St., btw. Broad and Whitehall sts. 212/825-3045. www.nps.gov/gois . Subway: R to Whitehall
St.; 1 to South Ferry. Brooklyn ferry, Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park. East River at Atlantic Ave. Subway: R/2/3/4/5 to Court
St./Borough Hall. Space on the ferries is limited, first-come, first-served.
The Cloisters On a picturesque Hudson cliffside, this Met subsidiary is a Frankenstein-esque amalgamation of
medieval architecture: a Romanesque chapel, a 12th-century Spanish apse, and cloisters from five different mon-
asteries. Tranquil gardens surround the site and enhance the sense that you're not just out of the city, you've
dropped out of contemporary time altogether. If you've ever wondered why the Palisades in Jersey aren't more
developed, it's because John D. Rockefeller, Jr., bought up all that land just to preserve this view.
99 Margaret Corbin Dr. (north end of Fort Tryon Park). 212/923-3700. www.met museum.org . Suggested admission $25. Nov-Feb Tues-Sun
9:30am-4:45pm; Mar-Oct Tues-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm. Subway: A to 190th St., and then a 10-min. walk north along Margaret Corbin Dr., or pick up
the M4 bus at the station (1 stop to Cloisters). Or take the M4 Madison Ave. to Fort Tryon Park-The Cloisters.
The Italian American Museum This storefront museum doubles as a time machine: Exhibits are mounted amid
the original teller windows of the circa-1885 Banca Stabile (don't miss the ancient vault in back). A major expan-
sion is imminent; in the meantime exhibits on topics like Garibaldi and the unification of Italy rotate through.
155 Mulberry St., at Grand St. 212/965-9000. www.italianamericanmuseum.org . Suggested donation $5. Sat 11am-6pm; Sun noon-6pm. Sub-
way: J/N/Q/R/Z/6 to Canal St.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art On the Upper East Side, tucked away just of Central Park, you can find this
undiscovered little gem of a collection. Allow yourself a good 10 minutes to see everything they've got. Yeah,
well, the Met is the 800-pound gorilla of New York's museum scene, and it's not hiding from anybody. If it's not
the greatest art museum in the world, it must be damn close, and it's all right there for the price of a sugges-
 
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