Bagels and a Teardrop (Park)
9am
Stop by Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish (146 Chambers Street) for a bagel & coffee and walk a few blocks over to Teardrop Park at the corner of Warren Street and River Terrace. This tiny park is nestled in between four residential towers in Battery Park City, and it includes a wonderful rock wall (no climbing, sorry) with sedimentary stones stacked to resemble a natural stratum. Walk one block south to wander through the Irish Hunger Memorial. Dedicated in 2002,and designed by Brian Tolle, the piece includes native vegetation and soil brought from western Ireland and also includes a cottage from County Mayo.
How the Other Half Lived
11am
Head over to the Lower East Side to take a tour of the Tenement Museum (103 Orchard Street) and take the 1 hour “Hard Times” or the 2 hour “Sweatshop Workers” tour which includes a discussion with the interpretive guide and your tourmates. The 1863 building was home to close to 7000 immigrants, and you’ll learn a bit about the area’s past and the daily lives of its inhabitants.
Candy Freakout
1pm
Walk down the street and around the corner to Economy Candy (108 Rivington Street). The place is wall-to-wall Zagnut bars, Charleston Chews, 1982 Donruss baseball cards, dried cranberries, and everything else. Don’t like candy? Buy an Economy Candy t-shirt instead.
Music Amplifier or Bar?
3pm
After getting your candy fix walk a few blocks over to Marshall Stack (66 Rivington Street) for a happy hour or two. It’s cash only, so hit up an ATM beforehand and stock up for their shandy made with Coney Island lager or their English-muffin pizza.
Dine and Drink Like a Tycoon
6pm
Head over on the subway to Grand Central Terminal to drink and dine at the former luxury office and salon of John W. Campbell. Promising drinks from “another era”, lush velvet chairs and wood-panels deliver the requisite atmosphere, as does the Prohibition Punch.
8pm-10am
Well, it’s Manhattan, so I’m sure you’ll find something good to do in the wee small hours…
How Did Manhattan Get Its Grid?
10am
Anyone who comes to Manhattan will probably walk its streets (unless they have their own livery driver) and wonder: “How did Manhattan get such an intricate and well-ordered layout?” The short answer is through the Commissioner’s Plan of 1811. From now until April 15th, 2012, visitors to the Museum of the City of New York (1220 5th Avenue) can learn more about the history of Manhattan’s streets and the Plan, courtesy of their exhibit, “The Greatest Plan”
Make a Pilgrimage to Mount Vernon (Not that one)
1pm
The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden (421 East 61st Street) is one of the oldest buildings in Manhattan, yet it remains one of the less well-known historic structures on the island. Built in 1799 as a carriage house for a sprawling estate, the building was once far away from the cacophony of the city. Today, the Colonial Dames own the property and if you take a tour you will learn why ladies were once prone to fainting spells and why the playing cards of the 19th century didn’t have numbers.
Going out to the Ballgame (for less than a car payment)
7pm
It goes without saying that New York is a big sports town, and that baseball rules the roost. Going to a Yankees or Mets can be a costly outing, so why not head out to Coney Island to see the Brooklyn Cyclones or take the Staten Island ferry to see the Staten Island Yankees? For big fun, try to schedule a visit when you can see the two teams play each other for some inter-borough rivalry of epic proportions.
Guess what? It’s 10 pm, and you’ve just completed 37 fabulous hours in Manhattan. Now rest up and get ready for your next trip.
