New York – Around Town : The Outer Boroughs (part 2) – Museums

by

A Day Out in Brooklyn

Morning

Take the No. 2 or 3 subway train to Eastern Parkway – Brooklyn Museum, for the world-class
Brooklyn Museum
. The museum is part of a civic complex that includes the stately Grand Army Plaza, the
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
, with its well-known Japanese garden, and neighboring Prospect Park.

Along the western edge of Prospect Park is the beautiful Park Slope Historic District.
Stop for coffee at Ozzie’s, 57 7th Avenue, before taking in the area’s
historic residences. Browse the hip line-up of small shops along 7th
Avenue, and stop for lunch at one of the many cafés here.

Afternoon

Return by train to Borough Hall and head for the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. Walk along Pierrepont, Willow, and Cranberry streets to see some 19th century houses; Truman Capote wrote Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the basement of No. 70 Willow, and Arthur Miller once owned the property at No. 155.

A short walk east brings you to
Atlantic Avenue
.
Look in on the spice shops here, and stop for refreshments at the
Waterfront Ale House, 155 Atlantic Avenue. Head back to the Brooklyn
Bridge, stopping at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade for dramatic vistas
of Lower Manhattan’s towers. End the day with dinner at the romantic
River Café
.

Museums

  1. Brooklyn Museum

    The permanent collection has objects from ancient Egyptian to contemporary art .

    • 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn

    • Subway (2, 3) Eastern Pkwy

    • Open 10am–5pm Wed–Fri, 11am–6pm Sat & Sun; 11am–11pm first Sat of month

    • Admission charge

  2. Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum

    Thirteen galleries and a serene Japanese sculpture garden.

    • 9–101 33rd Rd at Vernon Blvd, Queens

    • Bus 103 to Vernon Blvd

    • Open 10am–5pm Wed–Fri, 11am–6pm Sat & Sun

    • Admission charge

  3. Museum of the Moving Image

    Artifacts and screenings show the history and techniques of film and TV.

    • 35th Ave at 36th St, Queens

    • Subway Steinway St

    • Open 10am–3pm Tue–Fri during renovation; subject to change

    • Admission charge

    Museum of the Moving Image

  4. New York Hall of Science

    A science and technology museum with hands-on exhibits and outdoor play area.

    • 4701 111th St, Queens

    • Subway (7) 111th St

    • Open Sep–Mar: 9:30am–2pm Tue–Thu, 9:30am–5pm Fri, 10am–6pm Sat & Sun; Apr–Jun: also open 9:30am–2pm Mon

    • Admission charge

    Hall of Science

  5. Queens Museum of Art

    The New York Panorama scale model has 800,000 buildings.

    • New York City Building, Queens

    • Subway 111th St

    • Open Sep–Jun: 10am–5pm Wed–Fri, noon–5pm Sat & Sun; Jul–Aug: noon–6pm Wed–Sun

    • Admission charge

  6. P.S. 1 MoMA

    Since 1976 this center has displayed contemporary art and provided studio space for artists.

    • 22–25 Jackson Ave at 46th Av, Queens

    • Subway (E, V) 23rd St-Ely Ave

    • Open noon–6pm Thu–Mon

    • Admission charge

  7. Van Cortlandt House Museum

    This restored 1748 Georgian house is the Bronx’s oldest building.

    • Van Cortlandt Park, Broadway and West 246th St, Bronx

    • Subway (1) 242nd St

    • Open 10am–3pm Tue–Fri, 11am–4pm Sat & Sun; last tickets 30 mins before closing

    • Admission charge

    • www.vancortlandthouse.org

  8. Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art

    A collection of Tibetan art in a Himalayan-style building with a garden.

    • 338 Lighthouse Ave, Staten Island

    • Bus S74 from ferry

    • Open 1–5pm Wed–Sun

    • Admission charge

  9. Historic Richmondtown

    The museum housed in the County Clerk’s office, built in 1848, is just one of the 27 buildings in the museum village.

    • 441 Clarke St, Staten Island

    • Bus S74 from ferry

    • Opening times vary

    • Admission charge

  10. Snug Harbor Cultural Center

    Chinese garden, performance spaces, art center, children’s museum, and a maritime collection.

    • 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island

    • Bus S40 from ferry

    • Opening times vary

    • Admission charge