Devotees of the New Jersey Devils might take a time out from the playoffs with arch-rival New York Rangers this week and see a bit more of Manhattan than the inside of Madison Square Garden.
The issue in New York City is always where to start. Some suggestions:
Stroll along Lower Manhattan’s waterfront and take in the newly reopened South Street Seaport Museum. New York remains a major world port, has been for a very long while. See why. The port was the conduit for trade and immigration. That set the stage for the city you see today. After the tour, explore the surrounding area. It’s suffused with fascinating shops and first-rate restaurants – right on the water.
Stay outside and smell the flowers. Head to the New York Botanical Garden, properly billed as America’s premier urban garden. The greenery – some million plants strong – is arrayed across 250 lush, lovely acres. The garden’s neighbor is the Bronx Zoo. Serious searchers come to the garden for research and study. Greenery-starved New Yorkers come to the Home Garden Center to take home tips on how to transform their small plots of earth into blooming miracles. Most folks just come to explore, to shield themselves from the city that surrounds.
How can you visit Manhattan for any reason and not take time for the Met? Bordering Central Park on Museum Mile, The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses more than 2 million works of art, spanning 5,000 years of time. Egypt interest you? It’s splendors reign here. American art? Visit the extraordinary New American Wing. Through August 19 listen in on orchestrated conversations between two iconic fashion designers at Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.
New York, New York. There’s nothing remotely like it. See the playoffs. Take in a bit of the town, and come back for more
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Bari D)
