New York City - The Statue of Liberty
Modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes, the enormous Statue of Liberty has greeted 12 million immigrants passing through Ellis Island’s Immigration Center. The statue was a gift from the French in 1886 to celebrate the alliance between America and France during the American Revolution. Get some great views of New York’s harbor by climbing up 354 steps to the top of the sculpture’s crown. Access to the symbolic monument is limited, so look into reserving tickets ahead of time online at www.statuecruises.com. Tickets to access the statue’s crown are $3 extra and can fill up months in advance, so book early.
Address: Liberty Island, New York Harbor.
Telephone: (212) 363 3200 or (212) 269 5755 for ferry information.
Website:www.nps.gov/stli.
Transport: Board the Circle Line Statue of Liberty Ferry from South Ferry at Battery Park. Ferries depart every 30 minutes from 9am – 3:30pm.
Opening time: Daily, 9:30am – 5pm. Closed Christmas Day. The line for the ascent to the crown can close as early as 2pm.
Admission: Free. Ferry: Adults - $13, Children - $5.
World Trade Center Ground Zero
The 16-acre site where the World Trade Center towers once stood has become a symbolic place for New Yorkers since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In April 2003, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation launched the largest design competition in history for a memorial to be constructed in place of the former tallest buildings in New York. The winning design, which features a landscaped civic plaza and two footprints in place of the towers, is expected to open Sept. 11, 2011.
Address: Lower Manhattan. The viewing area is at Liberty Street and Broadway.
Telephone: (212) 732 7678 for ticket information.
Website:www.buildthememorial.org.
Transport: Take the subway to Fulton Street, Broadway-Nassau Street or Cortlandt Street. Walk to Church and Liberty Streets and follow the signs.
Central Park
In the middle of New York City’s concrete jungle you’ll find 840 acres of beautifully landscaped public space. Central Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and opened in 1873 with gardens, tennis courts, lakes and a zoo. When the weather is pleasant the park is swarmed with joggers, skaters, street performers and tourists, but there’s still plenty of room to find some peace and quiet. You can even ice skate during the winter.
Website:www.centralparknyc.org.
Museum of Modern Art
One of the best collections of modern art in the country is housed in New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The collection has 150,000 paintings, prints, sculptures and photographs including works by Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh and Ansel Adams. The museum also offers activities and programs to educate and enlighten the public about modern art.
Address: 11 West 53rd St., Manhattan.
Telephone: (212) 708 9400.
Website:www.moma.org.
Transport: Take the subway’s E or V train to 53rd Street and Fifth Avenue or B, D or F train to 47-50 Street Rockefeller Center. You can also take bus M1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 to 53rd Street.
Opening time: Summer: Open Sunday to Wednesday 10:30am – 5:30pm, Thursday to Saturday 10:30am – 8:30pm. Winter Hours: Closed Tuesdays. Open 10:30am – 5:30pm. Closes at 8pm on Fridays.
Admission: Adults - $20. Free for children under 16 and on Fridays from 4pm – 8:30pm.
The Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum is known as much for its architecture as it is for its art. The building was designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright and was completed in 1959, not long after Wright’s death. A quarter-mile-long ramp lined with art from the late 19th and 20th centuries spirals down from an enormous glass dome. Some of the artists represented include Camille Pissarro, Pablo Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec and Cézanne.
Address: 1071 Fifth Ave., at 89th Street.
Telephone: (212) 423 3500.
Website:www.guggenheim.org.
Transport: Take subway line 4, 5 or 6 to 86th Street, or bus M1, M2, M3 or M4 on Madison or Fifth Avenue.
Opening time: Closed Thursdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Open daily 10am – 5:45pm. Closes at 7:45pm on Saturdays.
Admission: Adults - $18, children under 12 are free. Rates for special exhibitions vary.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the must-see sights in New York City. The museum has one of the biggest and best art collections in the world with works by Van Gogh, Money, Renoir, Cézanne and many other world-class artists. The permanent collection includes a large number of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist from European masters. You’ll notice banners alongside the Fifth Avenue entrance advertising current exhibitions.
Address: 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd Street.
Telephone: (212) 535 7710.
Website:www.metmuseum.org.
Opening time: Closed Mondays, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Open Sunday and Tuesday to Thursday 9:30am – 5:30pm and Friday and Saturday 9:30am – 9pm.
Admission: Adults – Suggested $15 donation. Children under age 12 are free.
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History has more than 30 million artifacts spread across 42 exhibition halls. It’s one of the biggest museums of its kind. The biggest draw is the 50-foot-tall barosaurus located in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda. In addition to three more dinosaur halls, the museum also has a Hall of Biodiversity, the Hall of Ocean Life, the Hall of Human Biology and Evolution and the Hayden Planetarium.
Address: Central Park West at West 79th St.
Telephone: (212) 769 5100 or (212) 769 5200 for tickets and program information.
Website:www.amnh.org.
Opening time: Daily, 10am – 5:45pm. Closed Christmas Day and Thanksgiving.
Admission: Museum and Rose Center: Adults – $16 (suggested), Children (ages 2 to 12) - $9.
