Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE MORGAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
225 Madison Ave between E 36th and 37th sts. Subway #6 to 33rd St. 212 685 0008,
www.themorgan.org
.
Tues-Thurs 10.30am-5pm, Fri 10.30am-9pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-6pm. $18,
free. Fri 7-9pm.
MAP
The uplifiting
Morgan Library
in Murray Hill was originally built to hold the fruits of fin-
ancier J.P. Morgan's collecting sprees during frequent trips abroad; he claimed keen interest
in “all the beautiful things in the world”, in this case, illuminated manuscripts, paintings,
prints and furniture. A stunning Renzo Piano-designed gathering space brings together Mor-
gan's library, annex and Morgan Jr's nineteenth-century brownstone.
The collection of nearly 10,000 drawings and prints, including works by Da Vinci, Degas
and Dürer, is augmented by the rare literary manuscripts of Dickens, Jane Austen and Thor-
eau, as well as hand-written correspondence between Ernest Hemingway and George Plimp-
ton and musical scribblings by everyone from Haydn to Dylan. Morgan's personal library
and study, part of the just-restored McKim building at the core of the complex, are also on
view.
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL
E 42nd St between Lexington and Vanderbilt aves. Subway S, #4, #5, #6, #7 to 42nd St-Grand Central.
212
935 3960 or 212 883 2420 for tours,
www.grandcentralterminal.com
.
MAP
Grand Central Depot opened in 1871 under the direction of Cornelius Vanderbilt, but the
current masterly piece of urban planning that replaced it,
Grand Central Terminal
, was
built in 1913. With a basic iron frame and dramatic Beaux-Arts skin, the main train station's
concourse is a sight to behold - 470ft long and 150ft high, it boasts a barrel-vaulted ceiling
speckled like a Baroque church with a painted representation of the winter night sky. The
station's more esoteric reaches include a lower concourse brimming with takeaway options
as well as the landmark
Oyster Bar and Restaurant
.
Daily tours ($20; 75min) of the station
begin at 12.30pm from the main information booth; a 12.30pm tour on Fridays (free; 90min)
takes in some of the neighbouring area as well and starts across the street in the glass atrium
of 120 Park Avenue. You can also embark on an informative, self-guided audio tour (daily
9am-6pm; $8) by picking up a device at one of the windows marked 'GCT Tour', on the
main concourse.
