CULTURE & creatures
Have a howling good time at the Queens Zoo. |
New York has so many museums, there’s a placed called “Museum Mile” in Manhattan. Not to be outdone, the other four boroughs, New Jersey and Long Island have a fantastic collection of museums, zoos, art exhibits and aquariums. Get out there this summer and enjoy.
Not So Concrete Jungle
Queens Zoo
111 th Street and 53 rd Avenue
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
www.queenszoo.com
While not as famous as its borough brethren, the Queens Zoo boasts one of the largest major collections of animals of the Americas, including birds and sea creatures. Additionally, the Queens Zoo is the only New York home to spectacled bears, an endangered species from the Andes Mountains. Unlike the Central Park and Prospect Park Zoos, the Queens Zoo has only existed since 1968, and has only been open to the public since 1992.
It is unique in that it has the feel of a national park, as its many inhabitants are presented in their various American habitats, from the Great Plains to the rocky California coast. The Queens Zoo is operated by the Wildlife Conservation Society in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
Passport Fridays
Queens Museum of Art
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
www.queensmuseum.org
In partnership with American Express, the Queens Museum of Art is offering to take you around the world for free with Passport Fridays, its international outdoor film, dance and music series.
Every Friday in July and August will feature unique film, dance, and music pieces from the likes of Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, India, Africa, China, Tunisia and more. Experience the cultural diversity that Queens is all about first-hand with Passport Fridays.
Museum of Horror
It’s Only a Movie: Horror Films from the 1970s and Today
Museum of The Moving Image
35th Avenue at 36th Street
June 16-July 22
www.movingimage.us
The Museum of The Moving Image will be exploring the horror film renaissance as well as the connection between the horror films of the 1970s and today in a 33-film series in a six-weekend retrospective.
Among the featured films is the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “The Hills Have Eyes,” “Hostel,” “Ichi The Killer,” “Bug,” “Saw,” and others. There will also be a panel discussion, “Considering Horror,” examining the aesthetic, cultural and political implications of contemporary and 1970s horror films.
Also, film scholar Amy Villarejo will lecture on gender and sexuality issues in “Last House on the Left” and “The Descent.” General Admission for the museum is $10.
Cultural Warm Up
P.S.1 Warm Up 2007
22-25 Jackson Ave., LIC
A renovated depression-era public school, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, an affiliate of MoMA, has been on the cutting edge of modern art and music since its inception in 1971.
Their Warm Up music series has featured such artists as The Scissor Sisters, Kid Koala, Ursula Rucker and DJ Craze. One of the most anticipated events of the summer, the Warm Up Music Series runs every Saturday from June 30 to Sept. 1.
This year, the series will host The Penelopes, Morpheus, The Martinez Brothers, and many other cutting-edge artists. Admission to both Warm Up and all of P.S.1’s exhibits is $10. For more information on the Music Series or the Art Center itself, visit the official Web site at www.ps1.org.
Magic Garden
Queens Botanical Garden
43-50 Main Street
(718) 886-3800
www.queensbotanical.com
Enjoy the tranquil beauty of the Queens Botanical Garden. Tribune Photo By Ira Cohen |
A great place to visit during the summer, the Queens Botanical Garden features a peaceful environment full of woodland, herb and perennial gardens, a home-composting exhibit, arboretum and seasonal arrays of tulips, roses and annuals. The Garden offers special programs throughout the year.
For the slightly older sect, there is the Wedding Garden, a serene place where couples are photographed.
The Queens Botanical Garden has a few restrictions so be sure tp check the Web site.
Pow Wow Wonder
Queens County Farm Museum
73-50 Little Neck Parkway
(718) 347-3276
www.queensfarm.org
July 27-29
Just behind the rows of apple trees the songs of more than 40 Indian Nations float past the fire’s flames towards the evening sky. Colorful costumes draped in feathers often steal the show and at this year’s Queens County Farm Museum’s 29th Annual Thunderbird American Indian Mid-Summer Pow Wow, it won’t be any different.
As New York City’s oldest and largest Pow Wow, some of the country’s oldest tribes will come together to participate in three days of intertribal Native American dance competitions. The celebration is more than tribal dances and songs though; it’s about turtle soup, topaz jewelry and a large selection of quality Native American art and crafts.
Remembering the rich land as it was before it became a borough, the Queens County Farm Museum brings the past to life, a task that is second nature to the 47-acre farm that dates back to 1697.
On the city’s largest remaining tract of undisturbed farmland you can take a tour of the historic farmhouse, a tractor-drawn hayride and let the kids feed the animals on a lazy summer day, all without leaving the city.
The Farm Museum is open year-round, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (outdoor visiting only) and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Something’s Fishy
New York Aquarium
Surf and West 8th Street,
Brooklyn
(718) 265-FISH
www.nyaquarium.com
For a city surrounded by water, New York would be remiss not to have an aquarium – and it has a good one. With more than 350 unique species and 8,000 different specimens, the New York Aquarium takes visitors on a trip through the deep blue and beyond, not only showing but also teaching about the ocean’s wildlife.
Traveling through the aquarium will take you all over the world – from the coasts of Africa to those of the Hudson River – to view the exciting creature that live there. Forget lions and tiger and bears; here there are walruses, sharks and whales; oh my!
Open since 1896, the New York Aquarium is the oldest continually running aquarium in the country. It originally started out in lower Manhattan, but was moved to its current Coney Island home in the 1950s. This year, the Aquarium will be celebrating its 50 th birthday.
While always worth a visit, the aquarium has several programs this summer that make it a must-see attraction. On Father’s Day, June 17, for example, the aquarium focused on dads in the ocean by holding outdoor seminars on interesting characteristics of male fish and offered special activities for fathers and sons. This past weekend, June 24 and 25, the Aquarium showed off the beauty of the Caribbean Seas with exhibits featuring the abundance of colorful fish from the region.
Admission won’t cost an arm and a leg (adults $12, children $8), but be careful around the tanks, because the sharks just might try to charge extra.
Brooklyn Viewing
Fulton Art Fair
48 Hampton Place, Brooklyn
(718) 707-1457
www.fultonartfair.com
June 17-July 4
This annual arts fair shows off many different artistic talents of city folks, and this year’s extravaganza will include comics, poets, dancers and musicians. Past performers at the Brooklyn based arts fair have included blues musician Carolina Slim, DJ Wayne Love and the Jeff King Band.
Lovers of fine art can roam the halls and admire exquisite works from talented artists, most of whom prefer to delve into their own cultures. Folks who don’t have as much patience for paintbrushes can enjoy the more visually appealing forms of art. The Fulton Arts Fair serves as a terrific showcase of artists on all levels.
Established in 1958, the Fulton Art Fair annually exhibits artists from the U.S., Africa and the Caribbean. The Fulton Art Fair is a non-profit voluntary organization that promotes artists in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
Join The Zoo Crew
Central Park Zoo
64th Street and Fifth Avenue,
Manhattan
From a steamy rain forest to an icy Antarctic penguin habitat, the zoo leads visitors through tropical, temperate and polar regions to encounter fascinating animals — tiny leafcutter ants to tremendous polar bears.
The Tisch Children’s Zoo, added in 1997, lets little animal lovers meet gentle creatures up close.Year-round education classes and innovative public programs, including the zoo’s “Wildlife Theater,” encourage all ages to learn more about our natural world, and become involved in its protection.
The zoo, which opens at 10 a.m. year-round and stays open to 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and weekends, respectively, charges $8 for an adult ticket, $4 for seniors and $3 for children.
House That Ruth Built
Yankee Stadium
161st Street and River Avenue, Bronx
Monument Park in Yankee Stadium is a great daytime visit before a home game. |
Visiting the hallowed grounds at the House that Ruth Built is easier than one might think. Yankee Stadium offers four different versions of tours, including a birthday bash for parties.
The Classic Tour ($15) gets you in the press box, clubhouse, dugout and onto the field. The Champions Tour ($20) does all of the same with a short historical film in the Adidas suite. For $5 more, the Champions Plus Tour gets you into the Great Monuments Room, a luxury suite and the Yankee Club.
The Yankees also have an exciting birthday bonus to the Yankee Stadium Classic Tour. In addition to the sites on the tour, an exclusive party in a Hall of Fame Suite, where you will witness New York Yankees legends in action with a 15-minute film short. Soda and bottled water, pizza, birthday cake and a New York Yankees promotional souvenir will cap off your celebration. They also provide invitations for your use. The entire tour and birthday party (a minimum of 12 people is required) costs $35 per person.
Yankee Stadium Tour tickets are available for advance purchase via the Internet, via TicketFast and at the Advance Ticket Windows, located at Yankee Stadium, up until 11 a.m. on the day of the Tour. Tickets in excess of ten days in advance can also be purchased through Ticketmaster at (212) 307-1212.
Boogie Down Bronx
The Bronx Zoo
2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx
(718) 367-1010
www.bronxzoo.com
The Bronx Zoo is more than a place to see the animals. Tribune photo by Brian M. Rafferty |
After a few transfers by bus or subway you will come upon a world of exotic animals that spans the globe. Stepping through the gates of the Bronx Zoo you’re turning a summer afternoon into an excursion deep within the seven continents.
As the flagship of the largest network of metropolitan zoos in the country and the heart of the Wildlife Conservation Society; the Bronx Zoo brings you straight into Africa nose-to-nose with Western lowland gorillas, zebras, nayals and Thompson’s gazelles. If you keep your eyes peeled there could even be a chance encounter with an Asian peacock that could quite possibly like exploring as much as your family does.
Back near the Himalayan Highlands Habitat, the treasures of Asia can be spotted from snow leopards to red pandas – as well as the Bengal tigers.
Even though at times its hard to remember you’re still in North America, the grizzly bears, called the most dangerous animal in North America (next to humans), will remind you you’re at home, while the polar bears make you wonder just how far away you really are.
The Bronx Zoo may be open 365 days a year, but the summer events are what really draws in the families. Play-date with Dad, June 17 and 18, offered not only quality time with Dad on Father’s Day weekend but also games, storytelling and music. And as a special treat, the keepers demonstrate some of the animals’ favorite toys, which help them stay physically fit and mentally stimulated.
And to think for just $14 for adults, $10 for kids and $12 for seniors, you can be within arm’s reach of animals from across the world and learn something, too, as the Zoo’s Education Department gives you the keys to the animal kingdom through programs focusing on the natural world and its much-needed protection.
Burning Beacons
Long Island Lighthouses
Fire Island and Montauk Point
Created back in the 18th and 19th centuries as navigation tools for sea travelers to know that they were approaching land, Long Island’s lighthouses have long served as a historic scenic escape for many who travel to the State’s eastern most points.
Of the many lighthouses that still exist, Fire Island and Montauk Point mark two of the better-known structures. Fire Island’s version was originally built in 1857. It was rebuilt and dedicated as an attraction and museum in 1987. The tower rises some 160 feet into the sky. It continues to serve its intended purpose, as does the lighthouse in Montauk, which was built in 1787 by the U.S. government. About 20 others exist throughout Long Island, spanning both the north and south shores.
Both Montauk and Fire Island’s versions once acted as the first sight for trans-Atlantic immigrants and now it serves nighttime swimmers during the summer months and is also a place for scientists and bird watchers to study wildlife. The Montauk lighthouse has become well known for picturesque paintings and photos often used in movies, greeting cards and artworks.
Both provide an exciting and captivating visit to “The End,” as it is often called.
The Closest Lighthouse
Sand’s Point
Port Washington
(516) 571-7900
www.sandspointpreserve.org
The days of Gatsby and the Gold Coast aren’t as long ago as you’d think. And they aren’t that far from Queens either.
Inside the foyer of the Hempstead House, on the Sand Point Preserve along the north shore of Long Island, the imposing vaulted ceiling reveals the grand lifestyle that once existed at this Gold Coast estate. The rooms might be bare, but the architecture provides a hint of an elegant time.
Traveling along the Long Island Expressway past that park F. Scott Fitzgerald, once described as an ash heap towards Sands Point, you’re in store for one of the most relaxing and charming days you could spend along the shore of Long Island.
The organ may no longer send its inviting tunes into the air, but the visible pipes on the walls above still fool visitors, not knowing the music had always reverberated through openings in the floors. The Medieval tapestries may not hang on the walls, and the oriental carpets may not cover the floor, but the walnut-paneled Library, copied from the palace of King James I, and portraits of literary figures that still decorate the plaster ceiling sweep you back into that 1920s elegance.
Just beyond the home sits 216 acres of natural and landscaped areas, from forests, meadows, lawns and gardens to a freshwater pond, a beach and cliffs waiting to be explored. It’s open all year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $2. On weekends, you can stroll on one of the six marked trails through the diverse surroundings and check out the storied, ancient lighthouse.
Manhattan Museums
American Museum of Natural History
81 st St. and Central Park West
By far, the most family-oriented museum in Manhattan has to be the American Museum of Natural History. On a day when Mother Nature hit with her best shot – sun, occasional clouds, 75-degree warmth and a breeze that would make Rockaway jealous – spending a day at the Upper West Side was the perfect prescription for the weekend.
The AMNH was littered with children of all ages who were transported through time to different eras and places on our globe. The dinosaur exhibit has always been a crowd favorite, especially the 100-foot T-Rex. The AMNH has four floors of exhibits that breed knowledge, add wrinkles to the brain and inspire unadulterated joy for all ages.
The Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art also comprise the list of more than 80 museums in New York City. The full list can be found at http://www.ny.com/museums/all.museums.html.
Stonehouse Wonder
Huguenot Street Tours
Huguenot Street, New Paltz
(845) 255-1660
www.hhs-newpaltz.org
Montauk’s lighthouse is an American icon. |
To a group of 12 French Huguenot refugees and their families, daylight meant more 300 years ago than we could imagine today. After decades of sojourn and relocation, the families linked by religion and friendship found their way to the Hudson Valley along the Wallkill River where they established a permanent home and pursued their Protestant faith.
A the Huguenot settlers built up their seven stone homes, which are now historical landmarks, the light that shined over the Shawangunk Mountains was priceless to the settlers.
Placing battery-operated candles provided by the Huguenot Historical Society in the hands of curious visitors to Huguenot Street, the settlers’ experiences are brought to life as the summer sun sets. The evening guided tour brings participants through the remarkable houses, which are furnished with period and heirloom artifacts, many of which descended through the families, as they focus on the ways light, time of day and season impacted life in the historic houses.
Planting Fields Arboretum
1395 Planting Fields Road,
Oyster Bay
www.plantingfields.org
The historic Hay Barn at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park has received an $8 million renovation as part of a cooperative effort by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Planting Fields Foundation and the Hoffman Foundation.
This newly renovated facility is now home to the Hoffman Visitor Center and Long Island Regional Archive Facility. The Hay Barn features new educational exhibits, topographical map of the site, gift shop, library and state of the art climate controlled facilities for the diverse archival collection of Long Island State Parks.
The Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park is one of the premier public gardens and Gold Coast Estates on all of long island.
Olde Tyme Fun
Richmond Town
441 Clarke Avenue, Staten Island
(718) 351-1611
www.historicrichmondtown.org
In the heart of Staten Island, there’s a place where you can walk through history. It’s called Richmond Town, a living museum that shows visitors little slices of life from New York City’s past.
The village – which boasts 17 restored historic buildings situated on 25 acres – paints a portrait of daily life in Staten Island over the last 300 years. Historians demonstrate how people used to dress, eat, talk and socialize at different times in history, ranging from the first settlers in 1650 to the early industrialists of 1880.
Richmond Town used to be the county seat of Staten Island, but the area lost importance to other coastal towns during the 19th Century. But thanks to this historic preservation, a project started in 1959, New Yorkers can always get a glimpse of its glory days. $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3.50 for kids.
Amazing Animals
Sands Point Preserve
121 Middle Neck Rd.,
Port Washington
(516) 571-7900
Amazing Animals, a 10,000 square-foot extravaganza, has just opened at Sands Point Preserve in Port Washington. Families will be able see larger-than-life robotic creatures, live animals, participate in hands-on activities and enjoy animal-related films at this all new exhibit.
Presented by Petland Discounts and Hagen for Pets, the exhibit will feature live animals from around the world, including such fascinating creatures as the flying squirrel, red-eye tree frog and American alligator.
Amazing Animals also offers tons of hands-on activities including an Endangered Species Area, Be-A-Vet, a Toddler Play Area and the Xeko Zone, where kids can learn about wild animals by playing a fun, new eco-adventure game.
The Amazing Animals exhibit will take place inside Castle Gould at Sands Point Preserve, a scenic former Gold Coast estate situated on the Long Island Sound. The exhibit runs through Jan. 13.
Open Wednesday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Tuesday. $8 adults, $6 children/seniors. Special field trip rates are available. To learn more, visit www.cstl.org.
