What's New in New York City - The Guggenheim Turns 50 (with a free admission day!)

The beautiful (if oddly) shaped structure known as the Guggenheim will turn 50 on Wednesday, October 21st and is celebrating with FREE admission! There are tons of exciting opportunities, including tours, raffles and free cookies (at 3pm)! The hours are from 10am- 5:45 so Pumpkin and I will be headed over to this museum after her nap to take advantage of their story circle events (starting on the hour every hour from 11-3) and maybe get a free cookie.





Now I will finally say I've been in the Guggenheim for something other than to use the restroom. =)

Columbus Day Weekend on the Cheap

4 Years ago today Columbia and I got married. Every year since then we have gone away to celebrate. This year is no different (well, a little different, but that's okay), meaning we'll miss all of the fun and free activities in NYC. Such is the bane of having a (semi)romantic weekend away (with a now 19 month old).

• TONY Kids has posted Free Events for Columbus Day Weekend. This is a great list, divided by day to help with planning.
• Don't forget Open House New York is this weekend. There are still LOTS of amazing tours available. Check out their list here.
• Just incase you need a new dress shirt (ehem, Columbia), shoes or a cute Martha Stewart baking dish, Macy's is having a big sale. You can take an extra 15% off with this to help keep your wallet a little more plump (or that credit card bill a little lower).

Happy long weekend and Happy Anniversary Columbia!

The True Cost of a Membership

Just about a year ago, JC and I decided that it would probably be worth it to buy a membership to the Central Park Zoo. We looked at the price for the two of us (Children under 3 are free) to get in and it was $20. We decided to get the Individual Premium membership, which would pay for itself in 4 more visits on admission alone. For $90, we'd get free admission to all five WCS wildlife parks (including the NYC Aquarium at Coney Island) for one adult and a friend plus unlimited access to Bronx Zoo attractions. We also have had a membership to the Museum of Natural History, which is a stones throw from our place. With both memberships coming to a close, and our plans for an upcoming move by October, the idea of renewing these memberships has been brought to the budgetary table.

We decided that the zoo membership would be worth it for admission. The AMNH membership is a little more difficult to value, since a non-member can enter via a donation. In trying to crunch numbers and be wise with our money, I have to remind myself about the value from which we benefit with a membership:

1. Unlimited Access to The Collections
Want to see dinosaurs today, gems tomorrow, and maybe a deciduous forest on a whim? Do it. It's already paid for, so use it as much as you want. Zoos, museums and the like give us a view of something we don't have access to otherwise, and it's an exciting way to learn for Pumkpin and ourselves.

2. Significantly Shorter Lines
The next time we went to the Zoo after getting our membership (Labor Day Weekend maybe?) we almost turned around because of the lines to get in. It was bright out, and our pasty pumpkin would have looked like a cooked lobster before we even got through the gates. I thought, nay - I hoped! -- that maybe, just maybe, there was a members' line. Sure enough, there was. We went from a line of about 75 to a line of none and walked right in. I remember thinking at the time, "that just made the membership worth it." That line has been a very nice perk, and saves us time waiting on line that could be better be spent admiring the new Snow Leopards.

It should be mentioned that JC finds the non-members' lines to be very mild during the off-peak weekday hours, so this might not be a huge factor for stay-at-home-parents, or zoo-goers with non-traditional work hours.

3. Energy Savings
With a little more groundwork, I could put this into dollars, but I'll say this: Last year one hot month with two air conditioners running left us sweating a $300 electricity bill. Since the home is occupied during the day now, we use more electricity than if the house were empty; the hotter months exacerbate our electricty use. Turning off all the lights and AC for an hour a day while walking around the climate-controlled AMNH can only have a positive effect on our wallet.

4. Free Parking
While we've only benefitted from this once, but the membership to the Zoo came with 4 FREE parking passes for the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium. A free parking pass at the Aquarium saved us $12 while were we galavanting around on four wheels.

5. Developing Curiousity and A Love for Learning
Definitely an intangeble, but really priceless to me. I wonder how much Pumpkin picks up at the AMNH, but I do believe she knows that it's an important place with experiences she gets nowhere else. She's just starting to love the Central Park Children's Zoo, and is excited just to explore its grounds. At 15 months old, her curiousity and cleverness makes it clear that before long she'll be asking to go pet the animals, see the big whale, and asking the favorite question: "what's that?". I honestly can't wait!

Our memberships run out around the end of june, at which point we will hopefully be narrowing down on our future home. It sad to think that we might lose accssibility to these excellent resources if we leave our nabe', but I'll have to remind myself that similar options exist throughout the city and beyond. So until July 1, we'll party like it's the Mesozoic Era.

* Pumkin explores a "Sea Turtle's Egg" on May 30, 2009. Picture by Columbia.

Free Museum Friday... and Saturday and Sunday and....

I was all set to post about the great free opportunities for visiting Museums on Friday evening, when lo and behold I discovered that there are museums offering free entrance everyday of the week!

NewYorkology posted a comprehensive list that you can access here, but I've posted the museums offering free Fridays below. We are taking Pumpkin to the Children's Museum of Manhattan tonight. While it's free for her until she's one, Columbia and I would have to pay $10 each if it weren't for there free hours the first Friday of every month.

Free Museum Entrance of Fridays

• Museum of Modern Art - Free from 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $20)
• Guggenheim - Pay-what-you-wish from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m.; last admission at 7:15 p.m. (normally $18)
• Whitney Museum of American Art - Pay-what-you-wish from 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $15)
• International Center of Photography - “voluntary contribution” admission from 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $12)
• Morgan Library & Museum - Free from 7 to 9 p.m. (normally $12)
• NY Hall of Science - Free 2 to 5 p.m., but only September through June (normally $11)
• New-York Historical Society - Free from 6 to 8 p.m. (normally $10)
• Rubin Museum of Art - Free from 7 to 10 p.m. (normally $10)
• South Street Seaport Museum - Free Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. on the third Friday of each month, sometimes with free harbor sails (museum admission normally $10)
• Children’s Museum of Manhattan - Free the first Friday of each month from 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $10)
• The Noguchi Museum - Pay-what-you-wish on the first Friday of each month, all day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (normally $10)
• Asia Society - Free 6 to 9 p.m., but free Fridays are suspended July 4 to Labor Day. (normally $10)
• Folk Art Museum - Free from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (normally $9)
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free all day every Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but only from Nov. 20 - Feb. 29 (normally $8)
• Bronx Museum - Free 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (normally $5 suggested)
• Museum of the Moving Image is closed for renovations, except for the “Behind the Screen” exhibition which is free with an “optional contribution of $5”

The AMNH Climate Change Exhibit: become more educated & renew your personal commitment

I took Pumpkin to the American Museum of Natural History today on a whim. It's rainy here in nyc but I wanted to get out of the apt. We haven't been to the museum in quite a while so I björned up Pumpkin and headed off.

I also went to the Climate Change exhibit on a whim. It's free for members (one of the 2 special exhibits that are and I was not impressed with the other previously...), since Columbia and I are members, I decided it was at least worth a walk-through.

I wasn't expecting what I saw. Not only is the exhibit extremely well crafted visually, but it's chalked full of information for all types of learners and personalities. It also doesn't dwell purely on the negative (of which many already know a lot about because of Al Gore), but offers a multitude of ways to improve the current problem both globally and personally. Seeing so many ways in which I can make a difference renewed my desire to live a greener life.

One 'greener' idea that I've been toying with for a while is getting some drying racks and having Columbia rig a clothes line in the bedrooms. It will save us a lot of money, add humidity to a very dry area of the apartment and save energy. How can we go wrong? In fact, I've decided that this is what I'm going to put on my Christmas list!

JC's Christmas Wishlist

1 - laundry rope

2 - two drying racks

3 - a large bag of wooden clothespins

4 - hooks to rig up the clothesline and a willing husband to execute said rigging

While the exhibit is free for members, it's a pretty penny otherwise. If you plan on visiting the AMNH frequently in the next year, I'd highly recommend a membership as it's mostly tax deductible and full of great perks - this exhibit being on of them.

Last Day for Free Admission to Cooper-Hewitt

Target is sponsoring design week at the Cooper Hewitt this week, and tomorrow (Saturday) is the last day for free admission. The Cooper-Hewitt is a really fun museum to go to, and you don't have to get out your snobby glasses to enjoy it. Yeah, you know the ones I mean.

The Cooper Hewitt is a design museum, and they present shows that feature great design. I always enjoy the shows that look deeper into the industrial design of our culture -- think of a room with things designed more intuitively, beautifully and ergonomically than the ipod. Well, let's not get out of hand, but you get the idea.

There's currently an exhibit on the connection between Children's Wallpapers and Books, and another on Curators Select: Recent Acquisitions (2003–2008). The recent acquisitions features pieces "from all four of the museum's collecting departments: Product Design and Decorative Arts; Drawings, Prints and Graphic Design; Textiles; and Wallcoverings."

Admission is normally $15, so take a friend or that cutie you're trying to impress and enjoy good design for the price of two subway tokens. :)

Posted picture used under creative commons license from Flickr user Bwillen.

Leaving a tourism short list for visiting friends and family

My sister and her family are coming to spend the weekend at our apt for Columbus Day. We won't be here (more about that tomorrow) so we wanted to leave them a few neighborhood spots to visit. Here's what's making the list:

• Bagel Talk bagel shop
  It's not H&H, but it's not H&H's prices either. While a bit divey, the bagels are great (the ones that Zabar's buys even) and they have a huge selection of cream cheeses, including tofu.
  
  
• American Museum of Natural History
  Yes, it's a huge tourist destination, but there's a reason for that. It's AWESOME! It's also close by. As a "suggested donation" entry, it's the perfect spot to stroll around and pass some time on the cheap. I've also found that if you're not careful, you might just learn something. Consider yourself warned.
  
  
• Buttercup Bake Shop
  The cupcakes are delicious and reasonably sized at this West 72nd street cupcakery. We used to frequent Crumbs on Amsterdam, but you could choke a horse with their oversized $4 cupcakes. The cupcakes at Buttercup are about half the size, with a price that matches. Buttercup was a refreshing change, and they offer a 20% discount for teachers (which will come as a nice surprise to my bro-in-law).
  
  
• Riverside Park, during sunset
  It's such a beautiful stroll when the weather is nice. It's probably getting too cold now. As a reformed Long Island boy, my heart will always have a soft spot for beaches and waterways and after summer the park's groupies make their exodus.
  
  
• The playground at 77th and Amsterdam
  We've been itching to take Pumpkin here since before we were even expecting her! My 9 year old niece and 3 year old nephew are going to have such a good time!
  
  
• Arties
  Arties pseudo-authentic Jewish deli, that has some eclectic foods, great soups and enormous onion rings. It's is a fun place to go and has a little something for everyone. Plus, it's fun to sit in their solarium and watch the passers-by.
  
  
• Central Park
  Pack a picnic and find a patch of grass. Head over to the CP zoo, or just find yourself lost in this 843 acre oasis.
  
  
• IMAX Movies
  Who doesn't want to see a movie on a 7-story tall screen? If the weather punks out, it might be just the thing to do. Head down to 67th and Broadway on a Friday morning or weekend morning and see that first-run IMAX movie at a discount.
  
  
• Jeckyl and Hyde Club / Mars 2112 / Other theme restaurants
  While these aren't everyone's favorites (I think it's something New Yorkers or adults are too cool for) I would have killed to eat here as a kid! The closest I had to a theme restaurant as a child was Chuck E Cheese, a restaurant who's theme is "Mice"... Ummm, yeah, well we have some of rodent themed eateries too, I guess...
  

As I make this list, I realize there are so many more places to share and love in this great neighborhood and city! I'd love to hear what's on your short list for when company visits.

Vintage photos from the American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History is a great place to see history come to life (well, not "Night at the Museum" alive, the more abstract sense of the expression). We've been taking pumpkin there since she was just about 3 months old. She now loves watching the kids as much as anything else. JC and I love going there and just spending a few hours strolling around.

I'm also a sucker for anything that includes historical New York as a supporting character. From Catcher in the Rye to Coming to America, I'm in love with reading/seeing the changes this great city goes through. Every few years major changes happen -- construction, gentrification of neighborhoods, etc -- that will disorient you if you've been away for a while.

When I saw this link of Historical AMNH, I went all weak in the knees. The shots are beautiful and it's great to see another side of an old favorite. It's like looking at your parents' wedding pictures. That right there was one handsome musuem.

The picture above of the bathysphere is from the "exhibitions" set of photos. A bi-plane and whale skeletons pave the way for the whale that currently dominates the space in the Hall of Ocean Life. This picture is from June of 1935, long before even my pop roamed these halls as a kid.

Picturing the Museum [via Curious Expedition]