Take the High Road
In a city as congested as New York, it makes sense that art
would start blossoming above street level. Since it opened in 2009, the
High Line, a railroad track turned elevated park, has
brought new vibrancy to Manhattan’s Lower West Side. The mile-long space
stretches from West 30th Street to Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking
District and features lush greenery, cafes and food carts, and pop-up art
installations on adjacent rooftops. The High Line gets crowded on
weekends, but there’s usually a space or two to sit and eat or
people-watch.
Warhol at the Met
With 1.6 million square feet of exhibits and collections, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art is the biggest
museum in the Western Hemisphere, making it overwhelming if you don’t have
a plan. The museum offers online itineraries—a fun way to hit the
highlights. “Regarding Warhol,” an exhibit exploring the influence of pop
artist Andy Warhol, runs September 18 through December 31. Don’t miss
“Cloud City,” a spectacular rooftop exhibit by Tomás Saraceno, through
November 4.
Contemporary Art in Queens
While Manhattan has more than its share of museums and
theaters, the outer boroughs contribute to New York’s thriving arts scene
as well. A ticket to the Museum of Modern Art also gets you admission to MoMA PS1 in Queens (22-25 Jackson
Ave.; 718-784-2084). The museum has no permanent collection, instead
focusing on cutting-edge contemporary art. Across the street, 5 Pointz is an outdoor exhibit space known as “graffiti
Mecca.”
Farther north in Queens’s Long Island City cultural district,
the Noguchi Museum and Sculpture Garden is a
little-known gem dedicated to the work of Isamu Noguchi. Tickets are $10
and offer admission to several galleries of the artist’s streamlined
designs as well as a serene outdoor space. The Socrates Sculpture Park
(32-01 Vernon Blvd.; 718-956-1819), across the street, features outdoor
installations by resident artists and stellar river views of Manhattan and
Roosevelt Island.
Stars on Broadway
On any weekend, there are at least five Broadway shows worth
seeing. Chaplin, a musical about the life of silent-movie star Charlie
Chaplin, opens September 10 at the Barrymore Theatre. Jake Gyllenhaal makes his American stage debut in the
Roundabout Theatre Company’s If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, a new
play by Nick Payne running September 20 through November 25. From November 1, you can catch Oscar-nominated actress
Jessica Chastain in The Heiress, a play based on Henry James’s
Washington Square, at the Walter Kerr Theatre.
Brooklyn Highlights
You’ll be glad you made the short trip to Brooklyn for a number
of reasons, and one is the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The multipurpose arts venue has hosted performers such as
Cate Blanchett and Paul Simon as well as director Sam Mendes and actor
Kevin Spacey’s acclaimed Bridge Project, which collaborated with London’s
Old Vic to produce works by Shakespeare and Chekhov. The new Richard B.
Fisher Building, an intimate 250-seat space, opened earlier this year; on
a grander scale, the Opera House seats more than 2,000.
While in Brooklyn, don’t miss the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Museum. The museum rivals the Met in scale and has magnificent
collections of Egyptian and Islamic art. Closer to the Brooklyn Bridge,
the Dumbo Arts Festival runs September 28 through
30 and features visual art, live music, poetry readings, and
more.
Bronx Blooms
If you have a car, the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx is worth a trip, with 250-plus acres of
native plants and forests. In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory through
October 21 is “Monet’s Garden,” a spectacular exhibit based on the gardens
Claude Monet painted at his home in Giverny, France. The nearby Bronx Zoo is another fun visit and a favorite
with kids.
