The last one to charge a fee, the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site, dropped its $3 admission charge as of Oct. 1.
The only caveat, a parks spokesperson told NewYorkology, is that a few of the sites charge transportation-related fees, such as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which may only be reached by a ferry operated by Statue Cruises. But once visitors reach the island, admission is free.
Other National Parks sites in New York include the African Burial Ground, Federal Hall, General Grant National Memorial, St. Paul’s Church, Floyd Bennett Field, Fort Wadsworth, Fort Tilden and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.
Yankees to parade up Canyon of Heroes 11 a.m. Friday
A parade honoring the World Champion Yankees will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday and head north up the Canyon of Heroes, according to a taped message on 311, the city’s official information service.
The parade will be followed by a ceremony at City Hall Plaza.
Update: An early-morning press release from the mayor’s office offered a few more details abut Friday’s ticker-tape parade.
The parade will begin on Broadway at Battery Place at 11 a.m. and continue northbound up Broadway toward Chambers Street. The parade will be followed by a ceremony at City Hall Plaza, at which Mayor Bloomberg will present the Yankees with Keys to the City.
The USS New York arrived in New York City this morning, passing the Statue of Liberty before heading toward the World Trade Center site to offer a 21-gun salute in honor to those who died September 11, 2001.
The USS New York warship is a San Antonio-class LPD (Landing Platform Dock.) Its bow stem includes seven and a half tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center towers.
The video:
Later today, the USS New York will dock at Pier 88 on the Hudson River to be formally inducted into the United States Navy at a shipboard ceremony Nov. 7.
The USS New York will be open to the public, free of charge from Nov. 4 though 11. The opening times:
NY's ghost tours, cemetery treks, and a free 'Phantom'
There are a few upcoming haunted tours, cemetery treks and other Halloween-themed events on the calendar:
The Merchant’s House Museum which claims bragging rights to the title “Manhattan’s Most Haunted House” leads Candlelight Ghost tours through the end of the month. This Sunday, it will lead the annual procession to New York City Marble Cemetery, re-creating a funeral from 1865.
Trinity Wall Street will toast resident Alexander Hamilton (“Non-alcoholic beverages will also available.”) in the graveyard on Oct. 30, followed by a screening of Phantom of the Opera” in the Gothic cathedral with live organ accompaniment by Robert Ridgell. Both events are free.
Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx will lead three flashflights-required tours of sites associated with its most tragic guests.
El Museo to reopen with more space, free Saturdays
After a $28 million renovation, El Museo del Barrio will reopen Saturday with a free open house to debut its 10,000 square feet of new space filled with Latino art with a very strong connection to the New York City experience.
“It’s a long tme coming, but we finally look like a museum,” Tony Bechara, the chairman of the board of trustees of El Museo, said Wednesday during a media preview.
The museum, now 40 years old, started in a classroom, migrated to a storefront and in 1977 moved into its current multi-use Fifth Avenue building, which was originally an orphanage. Twelve years ago it drew fewer than 20,000 visitors anually; before it closed for renovations last year, more than 125,000 people came through the museum’s doors, El Museo director Julian Zugazagoitia said.
The renovation not only provides extra gallery space, but has opened up the Central Park side of the building with more glass and a redesigned courtyard with an entrance to El Cafe, (which has a Pan-Latino menu culled from 17 cultures.) The goal is for the courtyard to serve as a gathering spot for East Harlem and the Upper East Side at the top of the Museum Mile, said architect Jordan Gruzen. (Although Zugazagoitia noted they’ll cede the “top” title to the Museum for African Art when it opens at 110th Street.)
The art itself is as much about New York City as it is Puerto Rico, Latin American or the Caribbean. The inaugural exhibition, “Nexus: New York: Latin/American Artists in the Modern Metropolis,” focuses on the avant-garde art produced from 1900 to 1942 in NYC as well as Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Peru and elsewhere.
Displayed in airy galleries featuring bold colors and text in Spanish and English, the walls are filled with works by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and the caricatures of Miguel Covarrubias, (who Al Hirschfeld credited as an influence.)
Manhattan Bridge centennial party not over just yet
NewYorkology contributor Sam Meyer commits journalism by night, edits Cocktailians and explores NYC by day. He’s especially interested in the infrastructure, transit, architectural wonders, drinking establishments, and hidden corners of the greatest city in the world.
A lucky group of New Yorkers this past weekend recreated the commemorative parade across the regular roadway lanes of the Manhattan Bridge to celebrate its centennial.
The parade — which featured the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Marching Band, the NY Chinese School Marching Band and vintage cars — was one of many events the NYC Bridge Centennial Commission set to commemorate the anniversary. Lectures, bike and walking tours, a viewing of Bill Brand’s art installation “Masstransiscope”, and even a free screening of “Ghostbusters” are scheduled through this weekend.
NewYorkology was on hand for the parade, as were Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, “Gridlock Sam” Schwartz and NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
The bright morning added to the festive atmosphere as we marched to the span’s midpoint, where the dignitaries lauded the bridge. Markowitz pointed out that the bridge is the “number one bridge” in terms of total number of people who use its traffic lanes, railroad tracks and pedestrian/bicycle paths, surpassing even the George Washington Bridge.
Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione also noted that the bridge was far ahead of its time by mixing railroad and automotive uses, making it efficient and environment-friendly.
The recession has caused many museums to raise admission, reduce staff and delay exhibitions, but the good news is that most are maintaining their free hours.
In addition to the list below, many New York City museums are always free or operate under a not-well-advertised “suggested donation” policy.
Tuesdays Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free all day (normally $8) China Institute Gallery - Free 6 to 8 p.m. (normally $7) Through October:Museum of American Finance - Free 10 to 11 a.m. (normally $8) Through October:Wave Hill gardens - Free 9 a.m. to noon (normally $6) From November-April:Wave Hill gardens - Free all day (normally $6) Morgan Library & Museum - Free access to the McKim rooms (Mr. Morgan’s library and study) from 3 to 5 p.m. (full museum access $12)
Empire State's new '20s-era murals, wind anemometer
The Empire State Building’s lobby this week debuted a set of new ceiling murals, a major step forward in the building’s $550 million restoration that seeks to return much of the skyscraper’s original art deco grandeur.
The murals, made entirely of gold- and aluminum-leaf — as well as a 100 gallons of glazes — are entirely new, but modeled on what remained of the original murals conceived in the 1920s, architects said during Wednesday morning’s preview for the media.
The original murals went up in 1931, but a mere 32 years later were painted over and punctured with holes for rods to anchor a new drop-ceiling. This new muraled ceiling covers the original, punctured ones, but leaves them otherwise untouched. “It’s still there for future generations to study, or if new technology becomes available,” said Jeff Greene of EverGreene Architectural Arts. Inc.
The intent of the current renovation is to re-create the vision of the original architects —Shreve, Lamb and Harmon — but with modern enhancements. “What would they do today if they had the opportunity to redesign” said Frank Prial of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners.
The lobby’s renovation also brought in new marble as well as a pair of chandeliers that were called for in the buildings original plans but never installed. The new chandeliers were made by Rambusch Studios, the same firm that created the original ceiling mural.
The renovation also brings a special addition above the information desk. A new anemometer offers real-time wind readings as measured from the northwest corner of the 87th floor.
The building’s original anemometer was later replaced by a clock. Plans call for the readings from the new gadget — which was only turned on this Wednesday — to also display on the official website for the Empire State Building.
See the anemometer in action as it resets with the wind direction:
The entire renovation project is about half-way finished, with the lobby marking the first major completed task, said project manager Ray Quartararo of Jones Lang LaSalle.
Grant's Tomb opens for free candlelight tour tonight
The venerable Grant’s Tomb will open its doors tonight for a free candlelight tour “deep into the mausoleum`s underground crypt,” the National Park Service promises.
The 8 p.m. tour will offer views of the granite sarcophagi of Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia, as well as the busts of the five generals whose eyes drill upon the Grant coffins.
The General Grant National Memorial is on Riverside Park near the intersection of Riverside Drive and West 122nd Street.
Five free days at new Museum of Chinese in America
The Museum of Chinese in America will celebrate its grand re-opening starting Tuesday by offering five days of free admission in its new Maya Lin-designed space at 215 Centre St.
