Walking Off the Big Apple

Updated May 2018 . Last year, Dream Vacation magazine published an article titled “ 27 Best Day Trips From NYC .” The list includes all good ideas, including The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art branch that highlights their medieval collection. But, wait. The Cloisters is in NYC. I live in NYC, and I live near there. I can even see the building’s tower from my bedroom. For me, a visit to the museum is not a day trip, just an after lunch stroll . The gardens of The Cloisters in northern Manhattan Many people think of NYC as somewhere to the south, like Midtown with its tall skyscrapers and crowded avenues. Frequent lists of “best things” in New York and much of media attention center on events and places below 110th Street, the northern boundary of Central Park. “Upstate Manhattan,” a phrase generally referring to the area of Washington Heights and Inwood in northern Manhattan, may seem to some city residents as far away as the Adirondacks. Whene

A day trip from New York City to Bear Mountain State Park and a walk on the Appalachian Trail If longing for a nostalgic return to the summer camp days of youth, Bear Mountain State Park will get you there. Located approximately 45 miles north of New York City on the west side of the Hudson River in the Hudson Highlands, the bucolic park features an assortment of natural and man-made wonders in addition to its star feature, Bear Mountain. From the city, it’s relatively easy to get to Bear Mountain via bus from Port Authority. Bear Mountain. The fields adjoining Bear Mountain Inn were used by New York professional sports teams in the 1930s and 1940s. Of its many attractions, the 2,189 mile-, 14-state legendary Appalachian Trail winds through Bear Mountain State Park. As a continuation of a long stretch in Harriman State Park, the trail veers up through a high section of the park before a descent into the Trailside Museums and Zoo near the river. In terms of elevation, the zoo

Summer season has arrived in New York, bringing long days of frequent heat and stupor. At the Roof Garden of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a green canopy over Central Park provides an illusion of cool in New York's summer heat. The days are so long that rest time is required to break up the day, like nap time in kindergarten. The modern atrium of the renovated NYPL branch library on W. 53rd St., across the street from MoMA, features quiet places to sit and read while viewing tranquil images of New York. Summer readers can find their own nooks in public spaces or in air-conditioned rooms of the public library. Bryant Park, just west of the main branch of the New York Public Library, is a popular spot for a variety of activities - ping-pong, reading, drinking, eating, and napping. While the heat conspires to take the intellect down a notch, just being near a library seems like a smart strategy. At Bryant Park, readers can glance up from their book to take

See updated Fall 2017 post here for current listings. Adrián Villar Rojas: The Theater of Disappearance Through October 29, 2017 Roof Garden, The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City Museum Exhibitions: A Selection for Summer 2017 Upcoming exhibitions are noted in bold type . This list will be updated to reflect changes in the exhibition calendar. American Folk Art Museum, 2 Lincoln Square, Columbus Ave. at 66th Street : • War and Pieced: The Annette Gero Collection of Quilts from Military Fabrics Through January 7, 2018 American Museum of Natural History (Central Park West and 79th St.) : • The Titanosaur Through January 1, 2020 • Mummies Through January 7, 2018 Asia Society Museum (725 Park Avenue at 70th Street) : • Masterpieces from the Asia Society Museum Through July 2018 The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street : • The Bronx Museum Community Mural at Bronx Terminal Market Ongoing Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkw