If you are broke or just weary of endlessly reaching for your wallet, take advantage of Manhattan's free cultural treasures. These seven day trips will amuse you, educate you or air you out without taking you far from the city's commercial heart.
In a city where money flows from your pockets like water, sometimes you need a break from being broke. Here are seven ways I have entertained my friends and myself when funds were low. Actually, I’d recommend them even if you aren't broke – they are all things every New Yorker should do at least once. Full disclosure requires me to point out that only six of them are truly free, as one will require at least a token donation, and then of course you should budget for the subway fare to get there. I’ve given some hints on optional refreshments as well. Still, a water tour, the shade of fronded palms, an ancient temple, the wheels of justice, gilded treasures, ancient tomes and the glitter of faraway stars are all yours for the taking without draining the treasury!
There and Back on the Staten Island Ferry
A free alternative to the Circle Line, the Staten Island Ferry provides a wonderful view of downtown Manhattan as you pull away from the dock, plus a closer look at the Statue of Liberty. If it’s a hot summer day, you can refresh yourself with beer in a plastic cup to ease the separation anxiety. The best times to do this are obviously NOT in the middle of morning or evening rush hour. Mid-day and sunset are good times, and of course it’s more enjoyable during clear weather. On a freezing cold day you can sit inside, and watch the ice floating in the harbor. If anyone tells you that the ferry is not romantic, remind him or her that people have gotten engaged during this ride, even if in Working Girl Melanie Griffith’s character had to go off-island to find a guy with some class.
The ferry has been run by the city of New York since 1898, and five ferries make 104 trips daily during the week. With so many crossings, planning ahead isn’t necessary. The ferries leave every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour with a somewhat lighter schedule on weekends. Lines will form well ahead of departure time during busier times. The trip itself takes 25 minutes.
To get there by subway, take the 1 or 9 to the South Ferry station, and follow the signs to the Ferry Terminal, or simply walk all the way down Broadway. The ferry leaves every half hour.
If you like to spend some time on Staten Island and aren’t completely broke, the $5 it costs ($3 for students and seniors) to visit the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art (plus the bus fare) is a worthwhile investment. This house contains the collection of Edna Coblentz, a.k.a. Jacques Marchais, who owned an Asian Art gallery in the 1930’s and in 1945 built two buildings in a Tibetan style to bring her collection to the public. The pilgrimage is made easy by the fact that the S74 bus meets every ferry (follow the crowd to the bus lanes behind the St. Georges Ferry Terminal on Staten Island). Take the bus to Lighthouse Avenue (about 30 min.) and you will have only a short walk up the hill to the Museum. It is only open limited hours and days: on Wednesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Imitation of Life at the World Financial Center
Architect Cesar Pelli created a Manhattan rarity in the World Financial Center – a pleasant indoor public space. Its late-eighties style of has aged relatively gracefully, even after the damage sustained during 9-11. The Palm Court, with its staggeringly large palms uprooted from the Mojave Desert, is a great place to meet a friend before taking a stroll. The wide arc of the rose granite steps descending to the Court are good for making a grand entrance, although when the benches under the palms are full, the steps take the overflow. There are regular free concerts and performances in the Winter Garden (check the World Financial Center web site for a calendar), as well as art installations in galleries and public spaces.
When the weather is good, you can buy a picnic from one of the takeout lunch spots (which include the usual suspects, like Au Bon Pain and Cosi Sandwich Bar, but also a more interesting transplant from Soho, Donald Sacks Takeout) and eat outside. There are often snazzy yachts or World Cup racers in the harbor. A walk up or down the promenade will give you a sampling of public sculpture. South takes you past Ned Smythe’s “Upper Room” a concoction in concrete and tile with Egyptian motifs, to the South Cove landscape with steel viewing walkways designed by Mary Miss. The sculptural form of the Holocaust museum lies beyond.
If you head north, before you set off, take not look at the railing along the harbor and notice the Walt Whitman quote enshrined there. It’s not the “Mass of Men lead Lives of Quiet Desperation” – that would be too much of a downer for the commuting business folk who are heading for the New-Jersey bound ferries that you’ll pass. Beyond the Mercantile lies spacious Rockefeller Park, with lawns for sunbathing as well as a playground. The park contains an installation of Tom Otterness sculptures – small-scale bronzes that mix playfulness with irony, called "Real World."
There are numerous other sculptures in the area that you will discover for yourself. One thing you won’t see is an overflow of homeless people, as a private security detail polices the area, and even the gum is scraped from the sidewalk regularly. It’s an urban planner’s dream version of New York City.
A Free Ride through Night Court
If you want to experience the seamier side of New York from a safe vantage point, try the visitor benches at the New York County’s Night Court. The public defenders help an assortment of characters, from hardened drug dealers to frightened citizens caught up in the wheels of justice for the first time, navigate their arraignments and pleas. Not for the faint of heart or the paranoid, or those carrying firearms – you will have to clear the security check at the Courthouse on 100 Centre Street, and then ask the guard for directions. Night Court is held from 5:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. You may not be the only tourists. A Swiss friend introduced me to Night Court. He explained that of course they have crime in Switzerland too, just not on public display. Display there is, even if it doesn’t happen at the convenient pace of a “Law and Order” episode. You might only need to have this experience once, but it is an interesting window on the worm in the Big Apple.
There are some a cluster of Vietnamese restaurants nearby on Baxter Street just below Canal Street, where you can prepare for your immersion. New Pasteur, at 85 Baxter Street, offers good food for very reasonable prices. Try the Caphe Sua Da - iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk, to sustain you for a long night on the benches.
The closest public transportation is the N and the R subway line, Canal Street Stop, although the 6 train, the J and the M, which also stop at Canal, are also near. The busy area near Chinatown is fairly safe at night, but of course, pay attention to your surroundings and use the main entrances for the subways.
Fifth Avenue Shopping Shuffle
The flagship stores for merchandisers on Fifth Avenue are used to window shoppers – in fact, it’s a venerable tradition, one that Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s made famous, so there’s no need to feel intimidated by the doormen and “greeters” or to actually spend money. These are flagship stores designed to stimulate desire, so leave your credit cards at home if you are an impulse shopper. A $100 wallet can seem like a bargain when you are lusting after a $5,000 Kelly Bag.
Start with Saks Fifth Avenue (611 Fifth Avenue, at 50th Street). Take note of the trees with seasonal foliage that decorate the columns. I was actually part of the crew that applied the paper mache bark to them. As you continue browsing your way up Fifth Avenue, look for two other upscale department stores with fabulous couture, jewelry and cosmetics are Henri Bendel (512 Fifth Avenue), Bergdorf Goodman’s (754 Fifth Ave). Don’t miss the baubles: the priciest can be found Harry Winston (718 Fifth Avenue), Tiffany & Co. (727 Fifth Avenue) and Bulgari (730 Fifth Ave) has classic watches as well. These are just a few of the highlights – the retail value of this stretch of Fifth Avnue is among the highest in the world.
At the apex, you will find what at least one man views as its crowning jewel – Trump Tower, the flagship of New York’s self-declared real estate king, Donald Trump. There is no architectural restraint in the five-story retail mall at Trump Tower - massive quantities of pink marble and reflective gold bathe the shoppers in a flatteringly warm glow. There are no discount stores either – most merchants sell the kind of rarified goods that you find in hotel lobbys, though there is a Tower Records on the lower level. If you travel up several escalators to the 5th floor, you can create a warm glow inside as well with a cup of coffee at Starbucks, though finding a place to rest your weary legs can be challenging at this crowded location.
The starting point, Saks Fifth Avenue, can be reached by subway on the F and Q lines, which stop at Rockefeller Center. From Trump Tower, the easiest subway to reach is the Broadway line, the N and the R at 57th and 5th Avenue. Stores are open during normal retail hours.
Remembrance of Books Past at the New York Public Library
The New York Public Library was built on the munificence of the Gilded Age – including that of John Jacob Astor, who also commissioned Washington Irving to write Astoria, one of the many rare books you can read inside. Many New Yorkers have not braved the signature lions to experience the high marble lobby or the vast public reading room with its rich wood and cloud-painted ceilings. Perhaps that’s why budget cuts have gradually eroded the library’s hours. Books from the miles of stacks can be requested here, and perused at your leisure at one of the many oak tables. There are both computerized catalogs and of course card files, or you can prepare by going the Library web site for an online version. The staff are perhaps a little jaded, and like most public servants, expect you to know the system, but it is not that hard to navigate. If you don’t have a research project, you can just stroll around and admire the intricately carved wood structures. The library also has a genealogical room where you can check the rolls of immigrants who came through Ellis Island and numerous other resources.
If you have an interest in American painting, there is an Asher Durand painting across from the Catalog Room on the third floor. "Kindred Spirits," shows the writer William Cullen Bryant, together with Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School, talking amidst a romantic landscape. There are murals, outside the Catalog room, by Edward Lanning. The library itself was built by the firm of Carrère & Hastings, winners of a prestigious design competition in 1897 and did not open until 1911. The exterior was made of Vermont marble and was designed to impress, as were the famous lions, sculpted by Edward Clark Potter. In spite of the fact that it is dwarfed by the encircling towers and neglected by the city budget, the Library is still a majestic building.
There are frequently special exhibits at the Library that are worthy of a visit on their own. Behind the library is Bryant Park, where in fine weather there are plenty of chairs to sit and enjoy refreshments from the varied kiosks. Library hours are from 11- 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and 10 to 6 Thursdat through Saturda. The Library is closed both Sunday and Monday.
Constellation Station
Another Beaux Arts monument is quite close to the library – Grand Central Station on 42nd Street and Park Avenue. Recently restored, the cavernous main hall is now a destination in itself. Years of grime have been cleared in renovating the painted ceiling, which is lit with stars forming the most famous constellations of the night sky. No wonder alien visitors, like Kevin Spacey’s character in the movie K-Pax, choose to materialize here. That film is one of many that feature this iconic backdrop, from the chase scenes in North by Northwest and Carlito’s Way, to mellower moments, like the scene where Barbara Streisand’s own son Jason, in the role of her character Lowenstein’s son, plays the violin in The Prince of Tides.
The four-sided clock in the center of the hall is the customary rendezvous spot. If you like, you can download a file from the official Grand central Station web site which will take you on a self-guided tour of the station, including such features as the “kissing room” and the “whispering room”. The Transit Museum (free admission) is also housed in the building, and often features special multimedia presentations.
You can roam around for free, but temptations to spend abound. After-work crowds jam not only the platforms, but the two bars at either end of the main hall. Rich aromas from Zaro’s Bakery fill the hall, and a lower level features a glamorous version of the food court. Unless you want to indulge, stay away from Michael Jordan’s steak house and the classic Oyster Bar. There are a multitude of shops to browse through, including a toy store, bookstore and lots of places to buy last minute gifts.
To reach Grand Central Station, take the 4, 5 or 6 train, or take any line that stops at 42nd Street and change for the 7 or the S shuttle that travel across town under 42nd Street.
The Temple of Dendur on One Thin Dime
The museums of New York are required by the City to have one night when they are open for free. The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street is always “suggested donation.” A former curator at the Museum of Modern Art used to regularly only give them a dime when she visited, declaring that she had already made her contribution to the arts by living on the measly salary MOMA paid her. If you have the social aplomb or chutzpah, by all means follow her lead! A dollar is a more standard offering from the art-poor. Of course, this “suggested admission” does not include ticketed special exhibits. In the summer, the money you save on admission can be splurged on a cocktail at the rooftop bar, which can be quite crowded on a Friday or Saturday night, when the museum is open until 9 p.m. You can only reach the bar by a special elevator in the Iris B. and Gerald Cantor Wing, (left from the entrance hall through the Greek and Roman collection, turn right through the Michael D. Rockefeller wing). One Friday evening, I was there with friends and we noticed a new addition to the art collection, a crouching bronzed figure of nude man in a very realistic style. Few moments later we saw him being escorted out by security guards – a shame!
The Met’s collection is so extensive that it is best to focus on a particular country, art form or era that you are interested in. Here are a few suggestions: A cradle of Western Civilization tour would include the Greco-Roman, Egyptian and Assyrian artifacts and, naturally, the Temple of Dendur. You can explore the rich vein of Oriental art that ranges from early Chinese ceramics to a Zen room, onwards to the oriental influences (an emphasis on flat shapes, pattern and line rather than classic chiaroscuro, which uses shading to achieve a sense of light and space) that can be found in the late nineteenth-century paintings of Edouard Manet, Mary Cassatt, Paul Gauguin and others. The American Wing houses some amazing landscapes from the Hudson River School as well as Early American paintings and furniture, and the Louis Comfort Tiffany window. The costume collection in the lower level is also a great way to do some time travel. My personal favorite is the African and Oceanic collection of Michael D. Rockefeller – he bought not just masks and sculpture, but boats and architectural objects, all of which have a remarkable presence and power even out of their natural environments.
The museum is a short walk from the 86th Street subway stop on the 4, 5 and 6 trains of Lexington Avenue line. Hours are from 9:30 a.m. to - 5:30 p.m., open late Fri & Sat till 9:00 p.m., and closed on Mondays and major holidays. The best times to visit are during the week, though the museum is never short on visitors.