Kids
The big winners for kids - and things the adults will like too - are these: American Museum of Natural History, Empire State Building, Toys 'R' Us on Times Square with the indoor Ferris wheel, FAO Schwarz, Central Park, Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, (be sure to get the free kids guide,) the subway and Times Square. See KidCityNY for an excellent list of recurring kids programs at museums.
Current Broadway offerings for kids include "Mary Poppins," "The Lion King," "Wicked" and "The Little Mermaid."
A number of grown-up type cultural venues occasionally run family programs, such as Carnegie Hall, New York Philharmonic, Lincoln Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Great local resources include MommyPoppins, Kid City NY and GoCityKids.
Fourth of July guide: fireworks, freebies, webcams
The 33rd Annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks this year moves to the Hudson River to mark the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s first voyage there.
 The 26-minute SOUSA Firework shows will start at 9:20 p.m. with more than more than 40,000 shells fired from six barges in the river between 24th and 50th streets.
Tune your radio to 10101 Wins, which will broadcast the live music in sync with the fireworks. NBC will broadcast the fireworks show, along with the live performance, which will feature the New York Pops, Rob Thomas, Jewel, Karen Olivo and the cast of Broadway’s “West Side Story.”
See Macy’s suggested fireworks public viewing areas as well as the city’s street closures. The NYPD advisory notes “no large backpacks, coolers or alcoholic beverages will be allowed in the viewing area.”
Fireworks cruises
South Street Seaport’s Schooner Pioneer
World Yacht Fourth of July Dinner Cruise
Spirit of NY Fireworks Dinner Cruise
Manhattan by Sail cruise
NY Waterway - waitlist
Fireworks viewing locations
Chelsea Piers
Empire State Building
Top of the Rock
Circle Line’s Rooftop Party
Roof deck of Pier 66
Fireworks on the Hudson at Hudson Terrace
Extreme eating
Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest - July 4 noon at Coney Island
Special museum events
Declaration of Independence, in Thomas Jefferson’s hand, at the NY Public Library at Fifth and 42nd from 1 to 5 p.m.
Free admission at the New-York Historical Society if you wear red, white and blue
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July 3, 2009 11:39 AM Comments (0)
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Statue of Liberty crown tickets sold out until Labor Day
While the Statue of Liberty is on track to reopen her crown to the public on the Fourth of July, tickets to climb up her steps are already all-but sold out through the Labor Day weekend.
Tickets first went on sale June 13 and demand was so high that the website and telephone lines were difficult to access. (The website has been slow again this morning.)
 Only 30 people per hour will be allowed to take the stairs to the crown under escort from a National Park Service ranger.
It’s important to note that currently the plan is to keep the crown open for two years only. After that, it will close again for a project to make the interior safer to visitors and hopefully allow more people to visit each day.
The crown has been closed since Sept. 11, 2001, mainly for fire safety reasons, the National Park Service has long said. The torch has been closed to the public since 1916, when Liberty’s arm was damaged by a massive rail yard explosion in nearby New Jersey. There are no plans to ever reopen the torch to the public.
You can also follow the the Statue of Liberty on Twitter (it’s an official NPS account;) or flickr; or take an eTour.
What you need to know to get tickets to the Statue of Liberty’s crown:
Crown tickets can be reserved up to a year in advance through Statue Cruises, the only company licensed to ferry the public to Liberty and Ellis islands. The $3 crown fee will be on top of the regular ferry ticket, currently priced at $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for children. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 877- LADY-TIX (877-523-9849) between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., Eastern time.
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July 2, 2009 9:49 AM Comments (0)
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'Little Mermaid' to close on Broadway on Aug. 30
 Disney said it will close “The Little Mermaid” on Broadway, with the final performance set for Aug. 30.
The musical about a mermaid Ariel is based on Disney’s 1989 animated film, which in turn was based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.
The musical, which probably cost $15 million just to create, likely did not recoup its initial investment in the two years it’s been on Broadway, according to Variety.
When it closes, it will have played 685 performances plus 50 previews, according to the New York Times.
“The Little Mermaid” plays the Lunt-Fontanne Theater, 205 W. 46th St., map. Regular tickets are priced from $51.50 to $121.50 with premium seats selling for $161.50.
Disney recommends its productions for ages 6 and up.
Two other Disney Theatrical Productions are currently on Broadway: “The Lion King” and “Mary Poppins.”
Image source: “The Little Mermaid” wallpaper on the show’s official website.
July 1, 2009 8:20 AM Comments (0)
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In demand: free bike program at max on weekends
The wheels are hitting the road through Downtown Alliance’s free summer bikes program, which has found success this season, especially on weekends.
 Since Bike Around Downtown started May 13, the program has been at capacity for every weekend. A total of 2,454 reservations had been made through June 30, according to numbers provided to NewYorkology by Downtown Alliance.
The 30 free bikes are available seven days a week during three time slots: 9:30 a.m. to noon; 12:30 to 3 p.m.; and 3:30 to 6 p.m. The bicycles are provided through Bike and Roll, which also rents bikes and offers bike tours of New York.
Once you reserve online, free bikes can be picked up at the Bike and Roll’s kiosk at the South Street Seaport and returned at the same location, or at the Bike and Roll kiosks at Pier A in Battery Park, or 12th Avenue and 43rd Street, or on Governors Island when it’s open on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.
The bike share program runs through Sept. 30.
Governors Island also offers free one-hour rentals every Friday through Oct. 9
Picture credits: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.
Earlier: Free bike rental opens downtown, May 13 to Sept. 30
July 1, 2009 7:16 AM Comments (0)
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Rockaway Beach summer ferry service starts Saturday
 Weekend ferry service to Rockaway Beach starts this Saturday from Manhattan’s Pier 11 with one-way tickets priced at $6.
The trip takes 1 hour 15 minutes, with three departure daily from Pier 11 (near Wall Street on the East River.) The NY Water Taxi departs at 9:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m. and 3:45 p.m.
Return departures are scheduled for 2:30 and 5 p.m. Most trips also include a stop at Brooklyn Army Terminal.
The Water Taxi docks at the former U.S. Coast Guard Station just north of Marine Park Bridge at 169 Street, and offers nearby access to Fort Tilden and Jacob Riis Park, (which was the scene-of-the-crime beach in this week’s Law & Order Criminal Intent with Raul Esparza.)
The subsidized summer service is offered in partnership with Gateway National Recreation Area and the NYC Economic Development Corporation.
Picture credit: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology
June 30, 2009 1:09 PM Comments (0)
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Car-free Summer Streets to return Aug. 8, 15 and 22
Almost 7 miles of Manhattan roads will be closed to traffic again this summer as Summer Streets will return August 8, 15 and 22 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The 6.9-mile route will give way to bikers, skaters, walkers and others from the Brooklyn Bridge, up Lafayette/Centre Streets, along 4th Avenue and Park Avenue up to 72nd streets, map.
However, main cross-town streets will remain open to vehicles crossing the car-free zone.
“This is only its second year, but Summer Streets is already a New York tradition,” Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said at the news conference announcing the dates.
In addition the city has creating 13 extra car-free street events in other neighborhoods in all five boroughs, ranging from one to seven blocks long. Here are the dates of the remaining dates for those events:
Image source: NYC Summer Streets website
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June 30, 2009 12:17 PM Comments (0)
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Museum of Chinese in America to (soft) reopen Friday
 The Museum of Chinese in America will reopen Friday in its new location, debuting the design by Maya Lin.
A free Open House Family Day is scheduled for Sunday (from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) with a lion dance, kung fu demonstration and dance performance. Admission will also be free this Friday (from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Saturday (from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
The actual Celebration Ceremony will take place September 22, which is also when the museum will unveil the full MOCA core exhibit, “With a Single Step: Stories in the Making of America” along with MOCA’s first group show, “Here & Now: Chinese Artists in New York.”
Until then, the museum will only be open select days this summer and for events such as the The First Asian American ComiCon and The 32nd Asian Ameican International Film Festival.
And starting next week, admission to the museum will be free every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., thanks to sponsorship from Target.
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June 25, 2009 4:50 PM Comments (0)
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Titanic, Lucy exhibitions open in Times Square today
The all-new Discovery Times Square Exposition opens today with two big exhibitions: “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” and “Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia.”
Unfortunately the tickets are sold separately, making it one of the most expensive museum-type experiences in New York. The price of an adult ticket to the two exhibitions: $47.63. (That includes the service fee if you book in advance by phone.)
Located on 44th Street in the former press room of the New York Times, the reconfigured 60,000 square-foot space will feature temporary exhibitions, along with space for dining and gift shops. (On Tuesday, workers were busy hanging “I (heart) Lucy” T-shirts.)
The Lucy exhibition features the bones of the 3.2-million year old hominid found in Ethopia in 1974, as well as the 47 million year old fossil known as Ida (Plate B) or Darwinius masilae. The exhibition also covers the history and culture of Ethiopia.
See the Post for pictures of the Titanic exhibition, which features pieces from the shipwreck including uncorked Champagne bottles.
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June 24, 2009 7:23 AM Comments (0)
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Hoboken goes 'zero tolerance' for Hudson fireworks
 While Brooklyn and Roosevelt Island are still fuming over the Fourth of July fireworks move to the Hudson this year, Hoboken is doing its best to make the least of the situation by announcing “Zero Tolerance” holiday policies.
“This includes absolutely no rooftop parties or gatherings for viewing of the fireworks celebration, unless the said property has met the code standards for such usage. And it is especially important that no overcrowding occur on these properties. Furthermore, the use of balconies, fire escapes, porches or any other structures for viewing are strictly prohibited within the confines of the codes for such structures,” states the letter from Mayor David Roberts on the city of Hoboken website.
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June 18, 2009 2:33 PM Comments (0)
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Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum extends sleepovers
 The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum has announced almost a dozen new dates for its Operation Slumber sleepover program which allows campers to spend the night in sleeping bags at the aircraft carrier docked in the Hudson River.
Campers get to tour the Flight Deck by flashlight, explore the museum through a scavenger hunt and sleep on the hangar deck.
But at least for now, the sleepovers are only open to organized youth groups, such as scout troops, or school and camp groups of 15 or more. Hopefully later this year the sleepovers will open up for families, a museum spokesman told NewYorkology.
Upcoming sleepover dates: June 27, July 18, Aug. 15; Sept. 26; Oct. 9; Oct. 31; Nov.14; and in 2010: March 13; March 27; April 10; and April 24.
The museum declined to disclose the sleepover cost for this story, and said individual groups need to call for pricing: (646) 381-5010.
Earlier: New York’s real-life ‘Night at the Museum’ sleepovers
June 17, 2009 3:24 PM Comments (0)
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