World City Guide

Further Distractions

American Museum of the Moving Image
A target destination for serious film buffs, the American Museum of the Moving Image is dedicated to film, television, video and interactive media. Attractions and facilities include classic movies screened daily in the Tut’s Fever Movie Palace; feature films shown at weekends in the Riklis Theater and interactive exhibitions, including a working film set and film editing demonstrations. There is a free Insider Hour Tour every Saturday and Sunday at 1400.

35th Avenue, at 36th Street, Astoria, Queens
Tel: (718) 784 0077 or 4520.
Website: www.ammi.org
Transport: Subway N to Broadway, R or G to Steinway Street.
Opening hours: Wed-Thurs 1200-1700, Fri 1200-2000, Sat and Sun 1100-1830.
Admission: US$10, admission to galleries, movies extra. Free on Fri. (concessions available).

Bryant Park
Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library, is reminiscent of Paris, with gravel pathways, green folding chairs and a manicured lawn. It is extremely popular during summer, especially as it offers free outdoor concerts and comedy shows. During Fashion Week, tents concealing the hallowed runways are set up for the seasonal haute couture fashion shows.

Between 40th Street and 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue
Tel: (212) 768 4242.
E-mail: bprc@urbanmgt.com
Website: www.bryantpark.org
Transport: Subway B, D, F, V and 7 to 42nd Street.
Opening hours: Daily 0700-1900 (Nov-Apr); Mon-Fri 0700-2300, Sat and Sun 0700-2000 (May, Sep and Oct); Mon-Fri 0700-2300, Sat and Sun 0700-2100 (Jun-Aug).
Admission: Free.

New York Public Library
The opulent, 1911 beaux arts design is a national landmark. Two marble lions grace its Fifth Avenue entrance that lead from the bronze front doors to the magnificent, marble Astor Hall. The library houses six million books, 12 million manuscripts and 2.8 million pictures. Visitors may tour the impressive reading rooms and literary exhibitions.

Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street
Tel: (212) 930 0830 or 0800.
Website: www.nypl.org
Opening hours: Tues-Wed 1100-1930 Thurs-Sat 1000-1800.
Admission: Free.

Grand Central Terminal
Visitors to New York should take the opportunity to tour Grand Central Terminal, familiar to many as Grand Central Station. Situated in Midtown, just one block east of Bryant Park, the world’s largest railroad station has historical and architectural importance and the celestial ceiling is remarkable. Free tours take place every Wednesday and Friday at 1230. The Wednesday tour is run by the Municipal Arts Society and departs from the information booth of the Grand Concourse, while the Friday tour, run by the Grand Central Partnership, meets in front of the Phillip Morris/Whitney Museum on 42nd Street. The station also boasts a fine dining concourse and a number of retail opportunities, including the Grand Central Market.

42nd Street, at Park Avenue
Tel: (212) 935 3960 (Wednesday tour) or 697 1245 (Friday tour) or 340 2210 (event hotline).
Website: www.grandcentralterminal.com or www.newyorkled.com/grandcentral.htm
Transport: MTA Metro–North Railroad; subway 4, 5, 6, 7 and S; bus 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 42, 98, 101 and 102.
Opening hours: Daily 0530-0130.
Admission: Free.

Dia Center
The Dia Center is dedicated to large-scale, long-term, single-artist projects. The most famous is Dan Graham’s site-specific glass installation on the roof, which reflects and distorts the surrounding views of Manhattan. Photographs of the bookshop have appeared in many design magazines. Closed for renovations until 2006.

548 West 22nd Street, between Tenth Avenue and 11th Avenue
Tel: (212) 989 5566. Fax: (212) 989 4055.
Website: www.diacenter.org
Transport: Subway C or E to 23rd Street.
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 1200-1800.
Admission: US$6 (concessions available).

Museum of Sex
It is a bit out there, but this unique venue seeks to present history, evolutions and cultural significance of human sexuality as well as examining contemporary attitudes toward permissible and taboo pleasures. Ongoing exhibits include the 'Spotlight on the Permanent Collection', featuring many of the nearly 10,000 items in the museum's permanent collections, and 'Stags, Smokers and Blue Movies', a retrospective on American pornographic films, dating from the early 1900s to the present day.

233 Fifth Avenue at 27th Street
Tel: (212) 689 6337 or (866) MOSEXTIX or 667 3984 (for tickets). Fax: (212) 689 6337.
E-mail: info@museumofsex.com
Website: www.museumofsex.com
Transport: Subway N or R to 26th Street (Broadway); 6 to 28th Street (Park Avenue), Bus M2, M3, M5 (Fifth Avenue).
Opening hours: Sun-Fri 1100-1830, Sat 1100-2000.
Admission: $14.50 (concessions available).

The Jewish Museum
Housed in a graystone 1908 mansion is one of the world’s largest collections of Judaica. The two-floor permanent exhibition, ‘Culture and Community: The Jewish Journey,’ traces the history of Judaism with artwork, ceremonial objects, interactive screens and audio. Special art presentations, like the recent Modigliani art exhibit, focus on Jewish art and history. Located across from Central Park on the ‘Museum Mile.’

1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street
Tel: (212) 423 3200.
Website: www.thejewishmuseum.org
Transport: Bus M1, M2, M3, or M4 to 92nd Street or Subway 4, 5, 6 to Lexington Avenue, IRT to 86th Street.
Open hours: Sun-Wed 1100-1745, Thurs 1100-2000, Fri 1100-1500.
Admission: US$10.