Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
representation of Earth that we humans have cooked up yet.
Free tours of the museum are offered on
Sundays at 2, 3, and 4pm.
Next to the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens. 718/592-9700. www.queensmuseum.org . Suggested admission $5.
Wed-Sun noon-6pm; Fri in July-Aug noon-8pm. Subway: 7 to Mets/Willets Point; follow signs through the park.
SculptureCenter Though this institution has been supporting and showcasing modern sculpture since 1928, its
current home in a former Queens trolley repair shop can feel like a visit to a startup. Maya Lin's industrial-chic
design is of the moment, but many of the touches are timeless. Ceilings soar 40 feet in the main room, and the
basement project spaces are like minimalist catacombs. The rough edges haven't been disguised, but the overall
effect is still refined, a perfect backdrop for the contemporary sculptures and installation art exhibited here. I love
this placeā€”it's a miniature version of what the Tate Modern in London should have been.
44-19 Purves St., off Jackson Ave., Long Island City, Queens. 718/361-1750. www.sculpture-center.org . Thurs-Mon 11am-6pm. Suggested
admission $5. Subway: E/M to Court Sq./23rd St.; G or 7 to 45th Rd./Court House Sq.
Moving Views
Straphangers get treated to a few spectacular scenes in exchange for their swipes. I love the 7 line as it approaches Man-
hattan from Queens. The track twists and turns like a slo-mo roller coaster with the Midtown skyline in the background.
The J/M/Z ride across the Williamsburg Bridge has great views from windows north and south. The Manhattan Bridge
gives B/D/N/Q riders dramatic East River vistas.
The most thrilling public transportation ride is the Roosevelt Island Tram ( 212/832-4555; www.rioc.com ) . As you
dangle in the air over the East River you get the East Side skyline, plus the U.N., plus great sightlines of the engineering
marvels of the East River bridges. You also get the knowledge that one day in 2006 the tram stalled for hours, stranding
passengers without much of an evacuation plan. (Accordingly, in 2010, the tram was shut down for a complete overhaul.)
A frisson of actual danger comes free with the $2.25 one-way price (unlimited-plan Metrocards are accepted as well; you
can also return via the F train's Roosevelt Island stop, just a few blocks away). The trip between 60th Street at Second
Avenue and Roosevelt Island takes about 4 minutes. See p. 93 for information on exploring the new Four Freedoms Park
on the island's southern tip. The tram operates daily 5:45am to 2:30am; until 3:30am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Free Exhibits at the Libraries
Free books are just the beginning with New York's libraries. In addition to free classes (p. 138) and free films
(p. 248), Gothamites also get free exhibitions. The libraries really care about their material, which comes through
in the impressively well-crafted displays. Note: The New York Public Library (Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten
Island), Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library are separate systems and require separate library
cards.
Brooklyn Central Library The galleries here present everything from painting to installation art to rare
books. The works and the artists often have a local connection.
Grand Army Plaza. 718/230-2100. www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org . Mon-Thurs 9am-9pm; Fri-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 1-5pm. Subway: 2/3 to
Grand Army Plaza.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts This library branch is a performance clearinghouse,
conveniently located near the arts central that is Lincoln Center. Performing arts exhibitions can be found in the
Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery.
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, btw. 64th and 65th sts. 212/870-1630. www.nypl.org . Tues-Wed and Fri-Sat noon-6pm; Mon and Thurs noon-8pm.
Subway: 1 to 66th St.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture The massive collection of books and art gathered
by bibliophile Arturo Alfonso Schomburg is housed at this research branch of the New York Public Library.
 
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