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New York State Celebrates America’s 250th

January 29, 2026 krubin723 Leave a comment

Painting on display at Fort Stanwix visitor center showing the October 17, 1777 surrender of General Burgoyn’s army to the Patriots after the Battles of Saratoga removed the threat of British invasion in northern New York © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Most Americans might not think of New York State first in context of the American Revolution and independence – Boston, Philadelphia are more top of mind. But it will surprise virtually everyone to know that more battles – and pivotal ones – of the Revolution were fought in New York than any other. In fact one-third of the battles and incursions were fought in New York, which the British considered vital to their conquest of the continent. Here are some of the places and events commemorating America’s 250th in New York State:

Fort Ticonderoga

At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold realized that the British Fort Ticonderoga made an easy target for the American rebels. They captured the fort in 1775 with a band of Green Mountain Boys only weeks after Lexington and Concord, making it America`s first victory in the Revolution. Visitors can tour the restored fort, research library, museum galleries, and acres of beautiful land overlooking Lake Champlain and see artillery demonstrations and frequent reenactments. Fort Ticonderoga Real Time Revolution™ Event Series (Adirondacks): The iconic historic site continues honoring its role in America’s origin story with the Real Time Revolution™ event series, designed to bring the Revolutionary War to life on the very grounds it took place through reenactments of key events. One of the highlights takes place during Independence Day Weekend, with a signature reenactment, “Return of an Army,” depicting the Northern Continental Army’s retreat to Ticonderoga during the same period that the Declaration of Independence was being signed in Philadelphia (102 Fort Ti Road, Ticonderoga, NY 12883, 518-585-2821).

Saratoga National Historical Park (Saratoga Battlefield)

Two hotly contested Revolutionary War battles here ended in an American victory which some proclaim as one of the most important in world history. Visit the Saratoga National Historical Park (Saratoga Battlefield) visitor center with film, light map, museum exhibits; tour the scenic 10-mile auto and bike road and hike historic paths. The park also has four other sites located nine miles north of the battlefield around the villages of Victory and Schuylerville: Victory Woods where British General Burgoyne’s forces made their last stand, the 155′ Saratoga Monument with panoramic views of the Hudson Valley, General Philip Schuyler’s 1777 home and estate, and the Saratoga Surrender Site (648 Rte 32, Stillwater, NY 12170, 518-664-9821, x 2980, www.nps.gov/sara to plan your visit).

Fort Stanwix National Monument

Fort Stanwix National Monument offers a full-scale reconstruction of the original fort built in 1758 by the British during the French and Indian War (re-created from the original British plans) and occupied by Americans during the Revolutionary War, where you can engage with costumed interpreters and really appreciate the complex dynamics surrounding the War for Independence.

In August 1777, Fort Stanwix, under the command of Col. Peter Gansevoort, successfully repelled a prolonged siege by British, German, Loyalist, Canadian and American Indian troops and warriors commanded by British Gen. Barry St. Leger – becoming the only American post never to surrender to the enemy throughout the entire War of Independence. Significantly, the failed siege, combined with the battles at Oriskany, Bennington, and Saratoga thwarted a coordinated effort by the British in 1777, under the leadership of Gen. John Burgoyne, to take the northern colonies. The Americans’ success (after so many defeats) led to American alliances with France and the Netherlands. Troops from Fort Stanwix also participated in the 1779 Clinton-Sullivan Campaign and protected America’s northwest frontier from British campaigns until finally being abandoned in 1781.

At the Marinus Willett Center, explore centuries of history through interpretive exhibits and cases of artifacts unearthed on the site that put into context the colonials and the indigenous people who lived here (that will surprise you), and why New York State was so crucial to the Revolution – not just logistically, but as a critical source of food supplies for the troops. The park also collaboratively manages both the Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site and the Steuben Memorial State Historic Site, all three locations inexorably connected from the time of the American Revolution. (100 N James St, Rome, NY 13440, (315) 338-7730, https://www.nps.gov/fost/learn/historyculture/index.htm)

New York City Hosts ‘Sail 4^th’ Spectacular

New York City which celebrated its 400th anniversary throughout 2025, is where America’s entire history is on display – the indigenous people who lived here before the Europeans, the Dutch founding in 1625 with the establishment of Fort Amsterdam and how diverse cultures built the city and continue to be the hallmark – at the Museum of the City of New York (a superb film unrolls 400 years in 30 minutes) (1220 5th Ave, www.mcny.org). One of the more unexpected places to explore America’s Native American history is at National Museum of the American Indian, a Smithsonian Institution, housed at Alexander Hamilton’s Custom House on Bowling Green (right around where King George III’s statue would have been ripped down by patriots) (https://americanindian.si.edu/visit/ny).

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will be featured in the International Aerial Review as part of NYC’s spectacular July4th celebration, before headlining the Jones Beach Air Show July 5-6 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York City will have its share of blockbuster events celebrating America’s 250^th. One of the most sensational is “Sail 4^th 250”, taking place July 3-9, 2026, with 30 Tall ships and 30 Grey Hull ships from 32 nations bringing 10,000 officers, cadets, crew and diplomats to parade down the East River on July 3rd up the Hudson River on July 4. Open to free public visits through July 9 (www.sail4th.org).

Macy’s 50^th anniversary fireworks on July 4^th will be especially spectacular with an International Aerial Review, headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

The Blue Angels will then headline the FourLeaf Air Show at Jones Bach State Park (date change from Memorial Day Weekend to July 5 – 6) to celebrate America’s 250th.

The New York Historical is opening its new Tang Wing for American Democracy on June 18, 2026, greatly expanding both the landmark building and The Historical’s wide-ranging schedule of exhibitions, educational initiatives, and public programs. Dedicated to the history and future of the nation’s founding principles, the 71,000-square-foot Tang Wing will open as the United States launches the celebration of its 250th anniversary. On view now: Declaring the Revolution: America’s Printed Path to Independence which features the documents that provided the ideological and philosophical underpinnings for the Revolution and the founding of a new kind of government (by the people) and that raised the rabble, forged a collective consciousness and identity, and inculcated the outrageous idea that a ragtag collection of colonial people of diverse race, ethnicity, religion and national origin could and should take on the most powerful empire on the globe (on view through April 12); also, Stirring the Melting Pot: Photographs from The New York Historical Collections. The New York Historical will present a slate of special exhibitions throughout the anniversary year. New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. (New York Historical, 170 Central Park West, New York NY 10024, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org)

Follow Washington’s Culper Spy Ring Trail on Long Island:

A Christmas gathering in colonial-era Schenck House at Old Bethpage Village. Though Long Island was occupied by the British during the American Revolution, there were patriots who helped George Washington, even serving as spies © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Culper Spy Ring was an intelligence network that George Washington himself credited as crucial to the American victory over the British Empire. Largely following Route 25A (Long Island Heritage Trail), President George Washington traveled this route in 1790 by horse-drawn carriage on a mission to thank his Long Island supporters and the ‘Culper Spy Ring’ for their help in winning the American Revolution (hence the many places that boast “George Washington slept here”).

Indeed, Long Island in 1778 was largely occupied by the British (as was New York City) but there were Patriots who risked their lives to get intelligence to General George Washington. You can visit the houses where secret messages were written in invisible ink and follow the Washington spy trail map. (The AMC series TURN: Washington’s Spies, now airing on PBS was based on actual events involving the Culper Spy Ring on Long Island, focusing on farmer Abe Woodhull and his childhood friends gathering vital intelligence for the Continental Army.)

Roslyn, Long Island, on the Culper Spy Trail, where a colonial-era Grist Mill is being restored, is one of the places boasting “George Washington slept here.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Among the Revolutionary War sites: Raynham Hall in Oyster Bay, where Robert Townsend became a part of the spy ring; the Arsenal in Huntington; the Conklin House’ Joseph Lloyd Manor, the Brewster House in Stony Brook where American patriot Caleb Brewster spied on British soldiers; and Sherwood-Jayne Farm, home of Loyalist William Jayne aka “Big Bill the Tory”. See where the Battle of Setauket was fought near the Setauket Presbyterian Church on Caroline Ave.; Strongs Neck Road, where Anna Smith Strong and Abraham Woodhull lived, a key location for the spies; Thompson House where spies’ names are in the doctor’s book. On the South Shore, Sagtikos Manor in Bay Shore is where President George Washington stayed here during his Long Island tour in 1790. See: https://www.discoverlongisland.com/plan-your-trip/famous-long-island/george-washingtons-spy-trail/; find more Long Island 250 events: https://www.discoverlongisland.com/longisland250/.

Westchester’s American Revolutionary Trail

Once the volatile “Neutral Ground” between British and Patriot forces, Westchester County was where generals strategized, spies swapped secrets and ordinary people found themselves at the crossroads of independence. Follow the American Revolutionary Trail to discover Westchester’s most compelling historic sites, among them:

Jacob Purdy House (White Plains): Washington’s wartime headquarters during key moments of the Revolution.

John Jay Homestead (Katonah): Home of a Founding Father, tracing early American politics, antislavery roots and family life.

*Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, one of Historic Hudson Valley properties, is decked out for Halloween © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Philipsburg Manor (Sleepy Hollow): A powerful look at slavery in the Colonial North, complete with hands-on demonstrations, one of the Historic Hudson Valley properties.

St. Paul’s Church (Mt. Vernon): A 1704 parish turned field hospital after the Battle of Pell’s Point.

Square House Museum (Rye): A historic tavern where John Adams, Samuel Adams and George Washington once stayed.

Thomas Paine Cottage (New Rochelle): Last home of the legendary pamphleteer, filled with rare artifacts.

*Van Cortlandt Manor, a patriot family’s post war home, is the setting for historic Hudson Valley’s annual “Blaze” Halloween event © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Van Cortlandt Manor (Croton-on-Hudson): A patriot family’s post-war home revealing the challenges of building a new nation.

Visit https://www.visitwestchesterny.com/things-to-do/history/american-revolutionary-trail/

Some of New York’s other America 250events:

Genesee Country Village & Museum (Finger Lakes) explores early American life through costumed interpretation, working trades and educational programs that illuminate the nation’s evolving identity. The museum, now in its 50^th year, spotlights its “Seeking Freedom” initiative, highlighting stories of enslavement, freedom-seekers and abolitionists while hosting special cross-century exhibits and events tied to the national 250-year commemoration.

Commander in Cheers Augmented Reality Experience (Hudson Valley):Running through 2026, restaurants, pubs and other locations in the region offer an augmented reality experience that brings a pint-sized George Washington to life, sharing stories of Dutchess County’s Revolutionary past, by scanning a specialty coaster. Participating locations include Mill House Brewing Company in Poughkeepsie, The Tavern at Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck, Tenmile Distillery in Wassaic and Treasury Cider at Fishkill Farms. More information will be announced soon on additional programs as part of Dutchess County’s Commander in Cheers celebration.

Orangetown and the Bicentennial 1776-1976: From Democracy to Disco (Hudson Valley): On view through 2026 at the Orangetown Historical Museum’s DePew House, this exhibition highlights Rockland County’s crucial contributions during the Revolutionary War and showcases the historical and cultural impact of the 1976 Bicentennial. This spring, the Spirits of ’76 Wine Tasting companion event will feature historically inspired wines curated by Grape d’Vine, honoring Orangeburg and Tappan’s Revolutionary War legacy.

RevCon 2026 (Hudson Valley): Dutchess County hosts RevCon on June 13 at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park. The Revolutionary War reenactment and history fair brings the era to life with weapons demonstrations, military drills, camp displays and Q&A sessions with reenactors.

(See a full calendar of New York State’s America 250 events: https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/path-through-history/america-250/)

Revolutions Beyond Independence

America’s Revolution did not end with the War for Independence. New York State has made it a mission for its America 250 commemoration to review America’s many revolutions in striving to realize the “more perfect union” the Founders could barely imagine.

“One of directives in New York State’s America 250^th is to make it broad and diverse and think of the American Revolution as incomplete because it didn’t include all residents,” said Devin Lander, NYS State Historian.

Many of these revolutions were sparked or furthered in New York State, and as you travel across the state, you can see them unfold: women’s suffrage, abolition, civil rights, voting rights, environmental protection.

To see how America came to be, join Parks & Trails NY’s annual eight-day Cycle the Erie trip that takes place each July, and travel 400 miles and 400 years of history from Buffalo to Albany- 356-miles of them along the Erie Canalway. (In addition to Parks & Trails NY, bike tour operators offer guided and self-guided trips.)

*Camping out on the grounds of Fort Stanwix during the Parks & Trails NY Cycle the Erie eight-day, 400-mile tour through 400 years of American history © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

You see how the Industrial Revolution unfolded, how the Canal was the ‘Mother of Cities” like Rochester and Syracuse, and birthed canal towns, united the American continent, and turned New York City into a financial capital of the world; at the Canal Museum in Syracuse, you see how immigrants used the canal to settle the West, turn the Midwest into America’s breadbasket, and unite the nation, and how the canal spurred the innovation and entrepreneurism that made the Industrial Revolution possible; how Native Americans and colonists lived side by side at Fort Stanwix and the Indian trading post at Schoharie established 400 years ago and how knowing the Oneida women influenced Melinda Gage’s zeal for women’s equal rights. You see the context for the Women’s Rights movement at Seneca Falls. (https://www.ptny.org/cycle-the-erie-canal-bike-tour/).

*Biking to the Canal Museum in Syracuse, one of New York State’s cities birthed by the Erie Canal, on the Parks and Trails NY Cycle the Erie tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The 356-mile Erie Canalway is part of New York State’s 750-mile Empire State Trail network, from Buffalo to Albany and the tip of Manhattan at Battery Park to the Canadian border. It will ultimately be expanded and connected to a Long Island Greenway Trail Expansion – 200 miles of new greenspace from Montauk to Manhattan. With construction expected to begin this winter, the Long Island Greenway will connect 27 communities and 26 existing park – a route that is also rich in America’s history, from indigenous times (so many of the towns still have their names), through the American Revolution (George Washington’s Spy Trail), to the Shinnecock Indian Nation, in Southhampton.

New York State will be paying homage to its many revolutions in which the state played such a pivotal part, including linking “Freedom” to the theme of “Independence.”

Cayuga County, in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes, is Harriet Tubman’s chosen home. Auburn is where Tubman lived for more than 50 years, continued her activism, and established the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged. Today, visitors can explore this powerful legacy through nationally significant historic sites, museums, and landscapes that speak to freedom, abolition, and the ongoing pursuit of equality. This makes Cayuga County a particularly meaningful place to reflect on America’s 250th anniversary.

Cayuga County will be hosting several commemorative events and experiences in recognition of America 250, with more details continuing to take shape. Among those that have been scheduled:

The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park is planning programming under the banner “Freedom 2026,” which will serve as a lead-in to “Freedom 2027,” marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in New York State.
Cayuga County is also looking to the anticipated opening of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad New York Scenic Byway and its first leg, which will connect Buffalo with Tubman’s chosen hometown of Auburn.
In 2026, the Finger Lakes Sweet Treat Trail will feature an America 250 theme, with several sweetly patriotic offerings highlighted along the itinerary.
Each year, the Town of Ledyard hosts a well-attended reenactment and ceremony that includes replica parchment printings of the Declaration of Independence, a full-costume public reading, and a horseback rider arrival with classic “Hear ye, hear ye” flair.
July 4th fireworks on Little Sodus Bay in Fair Haven and at Emerson Park in Auburn are always community highlights, and is expected that 2026 to be especially memorable in honor of the 250th anniversary.

In the next few weeks, a full America 250 schedule from several of Cayuga’s historic and cultural partners, including the Seward House Museum, Schweinfurth Art Center, Cayuga Museum of History and Art, Auburn Public Theater, Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, Willard Memorial Chapel, Frontenac Museum, and the Equal Rights Heritage Center, will be available. See more at www.tourcayuga.com.

Urban Civil Rights Museum (New York City):Located within the National Urban League’s new Harlem headquarters, the Urban League Empowerment Center, the museum will be the first institution solely dedicated to the American Civil Rights Movement, when it opens later in the year. (https://urbancivilrightsmuseum.org/)

Underground Railroad & Abolitionist Movement: Saratoga in 2027 will mark the 200^th anniversary of abolition of slavery in New York State; there will be exhibits at the State Museum in Albany, and state parks.

Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls: New York’s America 250 commemoration includes acknowledging the ongoing revolutions, such as for women’s right. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Women’s Suffrage: visit Seneca Falls, dubbed the “Birthplace of Women’s Rights” where you can visit the National Women’s Hall of Fame in addition to the Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Elizabeth Cady Stanton Home, plus :”It’s a Wonderful Life” Museum.

A former knitting mill in Seneca Falls now houses the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Women were not included among those winning “inalienable rights”in the American Revolution © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York’s role in the Environmental Movement is on display at Tanglewood Nature Center Canopy Treetop Walkway opening in the Finger Lakes in late spring/early summer. This ADA-accessible forest canopy path climbs 70 feet high, offering sweeping views. Designed in collaboration with world-renowned scientist “Canopy Meg” Lowman, this treetop walkway is only the second of its kind in New York State (the first is the Wild Walk at The Wild Center). Also, travel to the Adirondacks State Preserve (at 5 million acres, the largest tract of publicly protected land in the Lower 48) and enjoy the newly opened Adirondack Rail Trail (34 miles from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake).

“As we commemorate America’s 250th anniversary and welcome the world for the FIFA World Cup, there’s no better time to explore New York State – where every corner tells a story. From the historic grounds of Fort Ticonderoga and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, to the Statue of Liberty and the thundering power of Niagara Falls, visitors will discover experiences as iconic and unforgettable as the milestones we’re honoring throughout 2026,” I LOVE NY Executive Director of Tourism Ross D. Levisaid.

See a full calendar of New York State’s America 250 events: https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/path-through-history/america-250/)

See also: 11 Ways to Experience America 250 in New York State, https://www.iloveny.com/blog/post/ways-to-experience-america-250-in-new-york-state/

An excellent source of all things historic in New York State is the Passport to History site, which can steer you to 700 destinations across the state. You can choose from themes to create your own Path Through History: https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/path-through-history/

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Festivals and Events, New York City travel, New York State travel, Sports Travel

New York State: Where the World is Coming to Play in 2026

January 20, 2026 krubin723

At Mt Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid, you can watch world-class bobsledders training and in competition. Lake Placid is the next best thing to being at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, with special events and viewing opportunities throughout February. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York State is poised to welcome the world in 2026 for a year that celebrates America’s 250th birthday and the FIFA World Cup with new attractions, hotel openings and can’t-miss events throughout the year.

*The thrill of watching FIFA World Cup, held in Qatar in 2022, is coming to North America, with matches being held at MetLife Stadium, June 13-July 19 © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

New York (with New Jersey) will welcome the world to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford for eight FIFA World Cup matches beginning June 13, culminating with the World Cup Final on July 19 (https://tickets-center.com/fifa-world-cup-metlife-stadium):

June 13, Brazil vs Morocco

June 16 France vs. Senegal

June 22 Norway vs Senegal

June 25 Ecuador vs Germany

June 27 Panama vs England

June 30 Match 77

Jul 5 W76 vs W78 (Match 91)

Jul 19 W101 vs W102 (Match 104) – final

NYC Tourism is mounting a 20-market campaign, “Where the World Comes to Play,” featuring the Statue of Liberty to help visitors plan their visit with hotels, Broadway theater, arts and cultural events, and will make it easy for travelers to find out what to do outside the matches and make the most of their visit. These include websites that direct fans to FIFA Fan Festivals at Liberty State Park and other places (NYCtourism.com/FIFA), even listing the Best Bars to watch soccer matches.

“Fans can watch Columbia play while at a Columbian restaurant; Sri Lanka while at Sri Lankan restaurant, etc. – just about any team’s nationality has a restaurant,” said Allisa Schmid, NYC Tourism’s VP of Communications. “Many will make NYC their home base. And while many cities are hosting games, no place has as much as NYC to offer.”

*The Statue of Liberty in New York harbor will welcome the world to the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches and final being held at MetLife Stadium, June 13-July 19 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

For example: visit the Hip Hop Museum in The Bronx (www.thhm.org); see film history at the Museum of Moving Image in Astoria, Queens (Thomas A. Edison’s former studio, www.movingimage.org); visit the reimagined Ellis Island Museum (reopening in 2026), and of course, the Statue of Liberty (www.statueofliberty.org). Among the fun ways to tour is the $4 ride on the New York City ferry to all five boroughs; or take a Citibike and cycle up the Hudson River Greenway, stopping in at all the museums (like the Intrepid Air & Space Museum, www.intrepidmuseum.org), attractions (don’t miss Little Island), eateries, and even a sand beach, along the way.

An AI chatbot will answer questions and provide assistance in 60 languages.

New York State is very much a four-season destination for sport and outdoor activities and especially shines in winter:

Lake Placid Celebrates Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games with Month-Long Olympic Festivities

2026 is an Olympic year and while the world may be gathering in Milano Cortina, Italy, the next best thing is Lake Placid, the site of the Winter Olympics of 1980 and 1932 (one of the few sites to host even once and fewer still that have hosted more than once). Today, Lake Placid is a major Olympic training center and it is common to see athletes training, teams competing in world events (the World Cup in Luge was held in December), and athletes just hanging about in the pleasant village.

This February, Lake Placid is presenting a month-long festival of Olympic-inspired events, youth programs, and community celebrations. From a nightly lighting of the iconic Olympic Center to interactive digital experiences and hometown watch parties, Lake Placid’s festivities aim to celebrate its legendary Olympic past, inspire the next generation of athletes, and rally support for Team USA—including North Country competitors heading to Italy.

Key Highlights

Lighting of the Olympic Center (Feb. 5 – 22): Watch Lake Placid’s Olympic Center transform nightly in dazzling displays of red, white, and blue in honor of Team USA and the Olympic spirit.
Empire State Winter Games (Feb. 5 – 8): New York’s largest multi-sport winter event returns with the Parade of Athletes, the Turbo Twins extreme skating show, a ceremonial torch relay, and rarely seen Olympic artifacts.
Virtual Jersey Experience (Feb. 1 – 29): Step into a digital Team USA hockey jersey and snap an interactive photo at the Olympic Center — the perfect memento for fans and families.
Community Viewing Parties (Feb. 6 – 22): Cheer on Olympians at public viewing zones featuring live coverage, medal trackers, fan contests, and local athlete spotlights.
Lake Placid Olympic Museum Programs: Explore “Moments in Time” pop-up exhibits, hands-on art projects, memorabilia displays, and the Dream Wall, celebrating Olympic values and hometown heroes.
Public Skating & Themed Nights: Glide across the historic Olympic Oval, meet accomplished Olympians, and join themed skating sessions led by local coaches.

“Lake Placid isn’t just celebrating the Games — we’re celebrating our enduring Olympic legacy,” said Darcy Norfolk Rowe, Olympic Authority spokesperson. “The spirit of 1932 and 1980 lives on here every winter, and this February, we’ll share that excitement with visitors and fans from around the world.”

For complete schedules, event details, and ticketing information, visit:
https://lakeplacidlegacysites.com/olympiccelebration/

Feel what it’s like to race down the Olympic bobsled course at Mt Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid. Lake Placid has special events and viewing opportunities throughout February to celebrate the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Even when the Olympics are not being held, at Lake Placid, you can not only visit Olympic venues and an outstanding Olympic Museum but try your own hand at bobsled, luge and skeleton on the Olympic track; do cross-country skiing and even biathalon at the Nordic ski center at Mt Van Hoevenberg (where you can also ride an amazing coaster); ride an elevator to the top of the alpine ski jumps; skate on the 1932 Olympic Oval and on the 1980 hockey rink where USA achieved its “Miracle on Ice” (an annual Miracle on Ice Fantasy Camp is held that includes players from the gold medal winning 1980 USA Hockey Team), and ski and snowboard at Whiteface Mountain (whiteface.com).

Feel like an Olympian skiing at Whiteface Mountain, site of two winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980. Lake Placid is celebrating the 2026 Winter Olympics with a full month of activities © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Whiteface Mountain (which participates in the Mountain Collective Pass) is operated by the state’s Olympic Regional Development Authority (orda.org). ORDA also manages the ski areas at Gore Mountain (goremountain.com) in the Adirondacks (located in North Creek, it is fabulous for intermediates and is where a new Gore Mountain Zip Coaster is opening this summer, part of a larger redevelopment that includes a new lodge and upgraded chairlifts, boosting the North Creek Ski Bowl for year-round visits), and Belleayre (belleayre.com) in the Catskills (just 2 ½ hours from New York City, which is especially great for families to ski and is opening a 28,600 sq. ft. Discovery Lodge to support year-round programming and tourism).

Skiing Gore Mountain, one of the three New York State ski areas operated by the Olympic Regional Development Authority. NYS actually has more ski areas – 52 – than any other state © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York State actually has more ski areas (52) than any other state –you are never more than 2 hours away from a ski area (see ISkiNY.com).

Besides FIFA World Cup, other world-class sports events coming to the state include:

*Watching racehorses training at the historic Saratoga Race Course © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Saratoga Race Course’s Final Belmont Stakes (Capital-Saratoga): Historic Saratoga Race Course will hold the 158^th running of the storied Belmont Stakes for its third and final time, on June 6, while Belmont Park remains under construction. Other prestigious races like the Travers Stakes occur throughout the 40-day summer meet at America’s oldest sporting venue, which runs from mid-July through Labor Day. (Be sure to visit the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, www.racingmuseum.org)

Feel what it’s like to ride a race horse, at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga, where the historic Saratoga Race Course will hold the 158^th running of the storied Belmont Stakes for its third and final time, on June 6 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (Long Island): Hosted by the United States Golf Association and one of the PGA Tour’s four major championships, the always challenging golf tournament will take place at the Southampton golf course June 15 – 21. The club has hosted the championship competition six times in the past, most recently in 2018.

Lake Placid will host the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series October 3-5, this time featuring men’s and women’s UCI World Cup races in both endurance and gravity formats. The three-day event includes UCI Cross-Country World Cup Races at Mt Van Hoevenberg and UCI Downhill World Cup at Whiteface Mountain (www.ucimtbworldseries.com/news/whiteface-mountain-to-host-uci-downhill-world-cup-in-lake-placid)

NYS Welcomes World With Major Improvements

New York State will also be welcoming international and domestic visitors with major improvements:

*Two terminals of the $19 billion redevelopment program at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) are scheduled to open in 2026 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

JFK Terminals 1 and 6 Phase One Reopening (New York City): The first two terminals of the $19 billion John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) redevelopment program are scheduled for a Phase One reopening in 2026. Terminal 1, a brand new and all-international terminal, will see the reopening of its arrivals hall and 14 of its 23 state-of-the-art gates. Premier dining venues, an indoor greenspace and refreshed family-oriented amenities complete with New York-inspired public art are still to come. Terminal 6 will reopen its first five gates; upon completion, the entire Terminal will encompass the former Terminal 6 and 7 spaces. The JFK redevelopment project is scheduled to be completed in 2030.

New Hotel Openings and Renovations:

Kimpton Era Midtown NYC (New York City): Opening this spring, the 529-guestroom hotel in Rockefeller Center features an elegant, yet dynamic design that immerses guests in the energy and spirit of Manhattan. The Kimpton Era Midtown NYC will feature three on-site restaurants, a rooftop bar overlooking the skyline, and will be pet-friendly.
- Little Nell Hotel (New York City): Scheduled for a fall opening, the Aspen-based luxury hotel brand announced its first expansion property: a 130-key hotel – the first and only hotel within the 10 Rockefeller Plaza building.
- Mirbeau Inn & Spa – Beacon (Hudson Valley): Set to open this spring, Mirbeau Inn & Spa Beacon will blend the Gothic Revival architecture of its historic mansion setting with Mirbeau’s signature French-inspired hospitality. Designed to evoke the charm of a French country manor, the property will feature tranquil ponds and gardens modeled after Monet’s at Giverny, offering guests a restorative retreat just two miles from the Beacon Train Station.

*Ride Amtrak to Albany for a scenic view of the Hudson © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

New York State tourism is reminding fans how easy it is to get outside the five boroughs and experience more of what the state has to offer: Metro North can take you to Hudson Valley (Vanderbilt Museum, FDR’s home at Hyde Park and the FDR Presidential Library); the Catskills (Bethel Center for Arts). Take the Long Island Railroad to the beach (Jones Beach State Park, Montauk) and wineries. Take Amtrak to Albany to visit the State Museum and Saratoga.

*Take Metro North to visit FDR’s Hyde Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Hop a short flight on Jet Blue or Delta to the mighty Niagara Falls or Buffalo (birthplace of Buffalo wings at Anchor Bar, where the new $2.2 billion Buffalo Bills’ New Stadium is opening).

For more information about travel around New York State, visit iloveny.com.

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© 2026 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com, longislandpress.com/category/vacation-travel and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Attractions, Christmas holiday travel, Cultural travel, Festivals and Events, Holiday Travel, Holidays in New York, Museums and Exhibits, New York City travel

Holiday Celebrations, Cultural Attractions Turn NYC Into Winter Wonderland

November 25, 2025 krubin723

*Winding up Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santa officially ushers in the holiday season in New York City © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Compiled by Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York City’s holiday season festivities officially kick off with the 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, heralding in a cornucopia of festive performances, winter exhibits, holiday light displays and general good cheer. Join the anticipated 8 million local and global visitors engaging in the city’s Winter Wonderland.

“New York City comes alive during the holidays like nowhere else in the world, and this year the excitement is even greater as we celebrate the city’s 400th anniversary,” said New York City Tourism + Conventions’ President and CEO, Julie Coker.

Here are some of the festive performances, winter exhibits, holiday light displays to celebrate the holiday season in New York City:

Holiday Enchantments

*The 99^th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade officially ushers in the holiday season in New York City © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Nov. 27: The annual New York City celebration is returning for its 99th edition, featuring impressive helium balloons, creative floats, clowns, mesmerizing performance groups, popular Broadway musicals, celebrity appearances and much more. The parade begins at its traditional starting point on West 77th Street and Central Park West, ending in front of Macy’s Herald Square flagship store.

*The night before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade thousands line up for an opportunity to see the Great Balloon Inflation © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

But the enchantment begins the night before the big event with the Great Balloon Inflation: queue up with thousands of others on 79^th and Columbus Avenue to see your favorite characters.

*Puppeteers with illuminated animals bring special delight to the Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights, Select Nights, select evenings (Nov. 21-23, 28-30, Dec. 4-7, 11-14, 18-23, 26-31, Jan. 2-4). Holiday Lights is a walk-through event where you journey through six immersive wildlife lantern trails featuring geographic-themed regions and the magical Forest of Color. More than 400 lanterns representing 100 animal and plant species connect visitors to the real wildlife and wild places that the Wildlife Conservation Society works to protect. Enhanced this year with Freeze Zone, featuring massive snow tube slides, talking snowmen, and a snowball wall, and more interactive elements, puppetry in The Enchanted Sea. There are also music and light performances, nightly ice-carving demonstrations, Wildlife Theater puppet adventures, festive treats including s’mores roasting and holiday drinks, bug carousel and holiday train,. Tickets are required for entry and must be reserved in advance. Ticket sales for Holiday Lights start at 3pm. Lights go on and lantern trails open at 4:30pm. Tickets available online at BronxZoo.com/Holiday-Lights, information at bronxzoo.com/holiday-lights. (See: Wander the World With Wonder and Joy at Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights)

Lightscape at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Nov. 21–Jan. 4, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn:Lightscape at Brooklyn Botanic Garden returns this holiday season, transforming the Garden into a glittering winter trail and an enchanted forest in the heart of Brooklyn. Now in its fifth year, the event features dazzling light installations, reimagined art, music and special attractions, highlighting the Garden’s winter beauty.

Holiday Train Show, Nov. 15-Jan. 11, Bedford Park, The Bronx:Now in its 34th year, the New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show fills the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory with 200 twinkling landmark replicas made from natural materials, as model trains weave through iconic New York City scenes and over bridges. Visitors can also enjoy an illuminated outdoor mountainscape. Special Holiday Train Nights are a magical after-dark experience.

*Holidays at Rockefeller Center © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Holidays at Rockefeller Center, December: From seeing the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree; ice skating at The Rink at Rockefeller Center Presented by Chase Freedom; enjoying a sweet treat at Glace or Ralph’s Coffee; or finding a gift at retail destinations including Catbird, McNally Jackson and FAO Schwarz, Rockefeller Center is a holiday destination. Visit the Top of the Rock observation deck for 360-degree views and photo opportunities with Santa.

Holiday Performances

*Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular turns 100 this year © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, Nov. 6–Jan. 4:The beloved holiday tradition returns to the iconic stage of Radio City Music Hall for its 100-year anniversary. One million people come each holiday season to experience its stunning costumes, joyful music, precise choreography and innovative performances. Multiple shows daily.

ROB LAKE MAGIC with Special Guests The Muppets, Nov. 6–Jan. 18:Renowned illusionist Rob Lake brings his jaw-dropping magic to Broadway this holiday season, joined by Kermit the Frog and friends, who add their signature humor and charm to the spectacle. Together, they promise a one-of-a-kind holiday performance blending astonishing illusions with beloved Muppet magic.

A Christmas Carol at PAC NYC: Nov. 23–Dec. 28:PAC NYC presents an immersive, intimate staging of A Christmas Carol, crafted by Tony Award-winning artists playwright Jack Thorne and director Matthew Warchus. This magical retelling wraps the audience around the action as Ebenezer Scrooge journeys through past, present, and future, brought to life with dazzling staging, moving storytelling and beloved Christmas carols.

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet, Nov. 28–Jan. 4:Experience the classic George Balanchine The Nutcracker, from the glowing Christmas tree to swirling snow and enchanting characters set to Tschaikovsky’s iconic score. The season concludes on Jan. 4 with a special sensory-friendly performance featuring adjusted lighting and sound designed for audiences with sensory processing challenges such as autism.

Spotlight: The New York Nutcracker, Dec. 18 & 19: Lincoln Center’s holiday lineup features Spotlight: A Night at the Atrium, a playful twist on The Nutcracker blending burlesque, puppetry, comedy and dance for a dazzling offbeat celebration of the season.

Holidays with the New York Philharmonic, Dec. 10–Dec. 20:Conductor Jane Glover leads the chorus of Music of the Baroque and a stellar cast of soloists in Handel’s Messiah. Families enjoy the holiday favorite Home Alone on the big screen as John Williams’sscore is performed live. Plus, the Philharmonic’s beloved Sounds of the Season matinees return, offering a family-friendly sampler of festive music.

The Magic Flute, Dec. 11–Jan. 3:A holiday tradition, Mozart’s enchanting fairy tale returns in the Met’s abridged, English-language production by Tony Award-winning director Julie Taymor. With some of opera’s most beloved melodies, colorful sets and costumes and dazzling puppetry, this family-friendly staging offers a magical experience for audiences of all ages. On Dec. 14 ticketholders are also invited to a free Holiday Open House before the performance, featuring special activities for families.

Festive Concerts at Carnegie Hall, December:Highlights include the Orchestra of St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble performing Corelli and Vivaldi, the Princeton Nassoons’ seasonal program, the Oratorio Society of New York’s 151st consecutive Messiah, the Christmas Night Opera Gala with stars like Sondra Radvanovsky and Thomas Hampson and Concert of the Future: A Christmas Dream, a candlelit immersive blend of classical music and meditative sounds.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York City Center, Dec. 3–Jan. 4:Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater under the leadership of new Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack. Audiences is presenting classic works from the Ailey repertory including the touchstone of inspiration Revelations, an anthem to resilience and joy.

The Brooklyn Nutcracker Presented by the Brooklyn Ballet at The Theater at City Tech, Dec. 6–7 and 13–14:The Brooklyn Nutcracker reimagines the classic ballet through the lens of Brooklyn’s diverse cultural tapestry, blending iconic characters with hip hop, pop and lock and bohemian flair. This vibrant journey travels from Victorian Flatbush to modern-day Brooklyn, with stops at landmarks like the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and a Flatbush Avenue subway platform.

Holiday Festivities at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, Dec. 13–Dec. 31, Morningside Heights:St. John the Divine presents a rich lineup of concerts, including the Joy of Christmas concert featuring Bach’s Magnificat and beloved carols and its traditional New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace, this year featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Additional musical highlights include organ recitals, special evensong performances and seasonal programs that blend world-class artistry with the Cathedral’s cherished holiday traditions.

Winter Exhibitions, Cultural Happenings

Holiday Celebrations in Historic Richmond Town, throughout December, Staten Island: Historic Richmond Town’s holiday season kicks off with a free tree lighting celebration on Dec. 5, followed by “Christmas in Historic Richmond Town” Dec. 6–7, with festive shopping, live history demonstrations and seasonal treats; Candlelight Tours on Dec. 12–13, showcasing centuries of yuletide traditions; and a Holiday House tours on select dates throughout Dec..

*Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection on view at The New York Historical © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection, through Feb. 8: The New York Historical displays its traditional model trains, toy stations, and miniatures are illustrating the design evolution from the early 20th century to the era of World War II. Families can explore the objects with a special scavenger hunt, and train-themed storytimes take place on select dates.

The Origami Holiday Tree, Nov. 24 throughout the holiday season: An annual New York City tradition for decades, the American Museum of Natural History’s Origami Holiday Tree showcases 1,000 hand-crafted origami models created by local, national and international artists.

*The Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Creche on view at The metropolitan Museum of Art © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche, Nov. 25–Jan. 6: A New York City tradition, The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche display showcases a beautifully adorned tree with a nativity scene at its base. The display features 18th-century Neapolitan figures, generously donated in 1964 by American artist and collector Loretta Hines Howard.

A Christmas Carol: The Manuscript, Nov. 25–Jan. 11:Every holiday season The Morgan showcases Charles Dickens’s original manuscript of A Christmas Carol in J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library. Bound in red goatskin leather, the manuscript was originally given to Dickens’s solicitor, Thomas Mitton, before being acquired by Pierpont Morgan in the 1890s.

Holiday Lights, Markets, Ice Skating, Activities

Holiday Under the Stars and Broadway Under the Stars at The Shops at Columbus Circle, throughout the holiday season:The Shops at Columbus Circle sparkle with “Holiday Under the Stars,” a breathtaking display of 300,000 lights and 44 glowing stars. Guests can also enjoy “Broadway Under the Stars,” a series of free performances from some of Broadway’s most celebrated shows, complete with intimate cast Q&As.

Hudson Yards presents its 6th annual spectacular lighting display, “Shine Bright at Hudson Yards Presented by Wells Fargo” featuring 2 million twinkling lights, with 115 miles of string lights, 725 evergreen trees, and the iconic 32-foot hot air balloon centerpiece suspended in the Great Room of The Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards. NEW: ten 11-foot-tall Toy Soldier statues lining The Shops on Level 1 and six free, pop-up performances. Nov. 28 – Dec. 23: Take photos with Santa.Dec. 1- 11:Festive Holiday performances by the Youth Orchestra of St. Lukes.

Chelsea Market and Pier 57 are decked out in holiday décor, offering festive photo ops, holiday gift wrapping, and gifts from diverse vendors such as Chelsea Market Baskets, featuring gourmet gift sets; Posman Books, perfect for literary gifts and unique stationery; and Pearl River Mart, with an array of eclectic home goods, cultural items, and one-of-a-kind treasures. . Platform by the James Beard Foundation (Platform by JBF), a state-of-the-art show kitchen, event space, and educational hub for outstanding culinary arts programming, will host a series of festive dinners including Dinner: Feast of the Seven Fishes with James Beard Award Winner® David Standridge (12/10), Oh, Hanukkah! Eden Grinshpan’s Celebration of the Festival of Lights (12/11), Collab Dinner: A Winter Solstice Celebration Featuring Chef Nasim Alikhani with Nilou Motamed (12/17), and Collab Dinner: Navidad Boricua: The Puerto Rican Holiday Table (12/18).

*Festive shopping at new York City’s Holiday markets like the Winter Village at Bryant Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Festive shopping at New York City’s Holiday Markets, Throughout the holiday season, Manhattan & Brooklyn: Sip hot cocoa and shop for holiday gifts at the city’s signature outdoor markets: Union Square Holiday Market, the Holiday Shops at Winter Village at Bryant Park and the Columbus Circle Holiday Market. Opt for indoor browsing at the Grand Central Holiday Fair, Brooklyn Flea and Chelsea Flea. On the Upper West Side the Grand Holiday Bazaar offers indoor and outdoor shopping, while the Brooklyn Borough Hall Holiday Market in Downtown Brooklyn features 100 vendors showcasing locally made goods.

Wollman Rink, through March, Central Park: Wollman Rink celebrates a landmark 75 years with special programming, family-friendly activities and celebratory events.

*The rink at Bryant Park is New York City’s largest free-admission rink © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The Rink at Bryant Park, through early March:Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is New York City’s largest free-admission ice-skating rink, where you also enjoy a vibrant holiday market with 180 shops, cozy rinkside bar and food hall at The Lodge, holiday tree.

The Rink at Rockefeller Center, Rockefeller Center b/w 48th and 51st St. the iconic rink beneath the city’s most famous Christmas Tree.

Winterland Rink at The Rooftop at Pier 17, 89 South St. is New York City’s only outdoor rooftop ice rink. The day-to-night venue offers panoramic views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, and East River.

New Year’s Festivities

*Seeing the iconic Ball Drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve is something that everyone should do once © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

New Year’s Eve Times Square Ball Drop: The Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball Drop is an iconic New York City experience – watching its descent in person on New Year’s Eve is a spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime way to ring in the New Year.

New Years Eve concert at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, Morningside Heights presentsits traditional New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace, this year featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

New York Road Runners Clubs New Years Eve party at the bandshell in Central Park features a Midnight Run with fireworks *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

NYRR Midnight Run in Central Park: Kick off 2026 with the NYRR Midnight Run, welcoming the new year with energy and excitement. As 2025 draws to a close, the countdown starts at 11:59 pm, and a spectacular fireworks display at midnight signals the start of the four-mile race.

Coney Island Polar Plunge, Coney Island, Brooklyn:Every New Year’s Day, the Polar Bear Club and daring participants dive into the icy waters at Coney Island. Spectators are welcome to watch as hundreds of thrill-seekers plunge into the freezing Atlantic Ocean. The event is free to attend, though participants are encouraged to make donations to support local community organizations in place of an entry fee.

Seasonal Tours

The NYC Christmas Holiday Tour with Free Dessert, created by Empire Tours & Productions, is a two-hour guided walk that begins at 764 Doris C Freedman Pl, under the General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument, and ends at Bryant Park Winter Village (42nd St & 6th Ave), winding through Fifth Avenue’s luxury storefronts, Rockefeller Center’s iconic Christmas Tree, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Radio City Music Hall. Along the way, hear captivating stories from expert local guides and emkpu a complimentary festive dessert from Myzel Chocolates. The tour captures the warmth and wonder of New York at Christmas, blending sparkling lights, historic tales, and film-famous stops like the Home Alone 2 locations at the Plaza Hotel and Gapstow Bridge. Tours daily, Nov. 24-Jan. 4, at 10:30 am and 4:30 pm. Prices start at $35 for adults (13–64), $34 for seniors and military, $29 for youth (7–12), and children under 6 join free. (https://tourofnyc.com/christmas-holiday-walking-tour/)

Holiday Lights & Movie Sites Tour with On Location Tours, Nov. 28–Dec. 31: Discover iconic landmarks and hidden spots seen in beloved holiday films such as Elf, Home Alone 2 and Scrooged with On Location Tours. Departing from Columbus Circle, the tour features festive stops at Bloomingdale’s, Rockefeller Center and the famous ice-skating rink at Bryant Park.

Christmas in New York with Romancing Manhattan Tours, November–December: This custom tour features a private guide on Fifth Avenue, a two-hour Rockefeller Center visit, and a sunset trip to the Top of the Rock. Optional add-ons include ice-skating with an instructor, a backstage tour of Radio City Music Hall, premium Rockettes tickets and a luxury dinner, curated by a concierge.

For all there is to do and see in New York City, visit nyctourism.com.

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© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Historic Places, Museums and Exhibits, New York City travel

See the Original Documents That Inspired America’s Revolution at the New York Historical

November 18, 2025 krubin723

July 1776, “La Destruction de la Statue Royale a Nouvelle Yorck”, published in Paris. When General Washington’s troops heard about the Declaration of Independence, they pulled down the statue of George III at New York’s Bowling Green.

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Ken Burns’ phenomenal documentary series, “The American Revolution” opens with the underpinnings of the Revolution – the documents that turned grievance over land and taxes by 13 disparate colonies into a fight to the death over independence of a new nation, the United States of America, the first founded on the principle of “consent of the governed.” What is most remarkable is that many of those documents – Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” Paul Revere’s propagandist print of the Boston massacre, an early surviving print of the Declaration of Independence – are now on view, “in the flesh” so to speak, at the New York Historical.

The exhibit, “Declaring the Revolution: America’s Printed Path to Independence,” is New York Historical’s first in its series of exhibits focused on the 250^th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. This exhibit, featuring David M. Rubenstein’s Americana Collection, is on view through April 12, 2026.

You see the documents that provided the ideological and philosophical underpinnings for the Revolution and the founding of a new kind of government (by the people). And you see the documents that raised the rabble, forged a collective consciousness and identity, and inculcated the outrageous idea that a ragtag collection of colonial people of diverse race, ethnicity, religion and national origin could and should take on the most powerful empire on the globe.

Dr. Louise Mirrer, New York Historical’s President and CEO, noted the “unique urgency of now” to delve into how the American Revolution became “a war of ideals, in beliefs that Americans shared and believed important enough to fight and die for.”

’*Declaring the Revolution’* traces the emergence of our nation through a shared belief in the power of the people and the promise of democracy,” New York Historical’s President and CEO Dr. Louise Mirrer stated. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“Declaring the Revolution traces the emergence of our nation through a shared belief in the power of the people and the promise of democracy,” Mirrer stated. “Through historical printings, the origins of the ‘American experiment’ are on display, allowing us to reflect on how we live and fulfill the ideals of our nation today. As stewards of history, The Historical is proud to kick off our celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with this remarkable testament to record-keeping as we invite Americans nationwide to share and preserve their hopes for our democracy through our On Our 250th initiative.”

Declaring the Revolution portrays the arc of the struggle through 18th-century pamphlets, broadsides, engravings, proclamations, and books, each declaring an aspect of how the colonies achieved independence. In an era when print was the only form of mass communication, these printings furthered the democratic ambitions of Americans—the highest expression of this being the Declaration of Independence.

(It is also why the Stamp Act, which imposed a tax on every piece of paper, from wills and pamphlets to newsprint, was such a factor in inspiring newspaper editors and pamphleteers to embrace independence and inspire colonials to see themselves as Americans with the ability to win an armed conflict against Great Britain, the most powerful empire in the world at the time.)

Declaring the Revolution demonstrates that America’s quest for independence was not only a military conflict, but also a battle of ideas that inspired colonists to fight and sacrifice for the promise of a sovereign new nation that adequately represented its citizenry.

A highlight of New York Historical’s “Declaring the Revolution: America’s Printed Path to Independence” is a rare State Department engraving of the original engrossed copy of The Declaration of published in 1823.

Most affecting is getting to see (in person) two extraordinary printings of the Declaration: its exceedingly rare first newspaper appearance in the Pennsylvania Evening Post and the renowned State Department engraving of the original engrossed copy. Other highlights include Thomas Paine’s electrifying 1776 pamphlet, Common Sense, which called for independence from Great Britain, and John Hancock’s 1774 oration honoring the Boston Massacre, the deadly confrontation between British soldiers and American colonists on March 5, 1770.

A printed edition of John Hancock’s “Oration,” part of David M. Rubenstein’s Americana Collection on view at New York Historical © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

You get to see the Virginia Declaration of Rights, drafted by George Mason in 1776, and shown in its uncommon earliest printing, which outlines the requirement of natural rights that influenced subsequent documents like the Declaration of Independence.

*“Common Sense,” one of the publications that provided an ideological underpinning to the American Revolution, on view at New York Historical © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

There is an exceptionally rare 1773 handbill printed by enslaved persons in Boston asks that the language of freedom apply to them and points out the incongruity of a land with bondage desiring to be liberated.

*“A Treatise on the Social Compact” by J.J. Rousseau, part of David M. Rubenstein’s Americana Collection on view at New York Historical © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Also on display are key texts which provided the intellectual foundation for the Revolution; you actually see printings of the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights, as well as books by John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, among other philosophers.

There are also printings describing major events of the military conflict between Britain and the colonies including the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Brooklyn, Washington’s victory at Trenton, and the Sieges of Charleston and Yorktown.

“The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street, Boston on March 5^th 1770 by a Party of the 29^th Regiment,” the print by Paul Revere helped to incite colonists against Great Britain, on view at New York Historical’s “Declaring the Revolution: America’s Printed Path to Independence.”

The documents are from the collection of David M. Rubenstein, who introduced them at the preview of the exhibit which opened November 14 saying, “Why do we need to see the documents, versus a computer image, to see in person?” He answered his own question saying that there is more of a visceral, emotional, engaged reaction to seeing something “in the flesh.”

David M. Rubenstein, whose Americana Collection are at the heart of “Declaring the Revolution: America’s Printed Path to Independence,” says of the Declaration of Independence, “It is the creed we’ve tried to live up to for 250 years, a creed so many other nations have adopted. That sentence has become the symbol of the United States. I am proud to have some of these documents that live up to the creed.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“You might read about it, but are more likely to learn more by seeing the real thing. That’s why it is so important to preserve [these original documents].”

Rubenstein went on to reflect, “When this country was set up, no one thought it would last 250 years. Jefferson said to Madison that every 20 years, we should re-do the Constitution or the nation won’t last.

Nobody expected the United States – 13 colonies of 3 million (including 500,000 slaves) – to endure and even less likely, that it would become the military, cultural, financial [superpower] of the world. 250 years later, to look at the legacy, they would have been astounded.”

Then he reflected, “We are celebrating the 250^th anniversary of country, but why was July 4^th 1776 designated as its birthday? Why not 1775, or 1492 with Columbus’ arrival, or 1565 when St. Augustine was settled by Spain, or 1619 when the British came to Jamestown or 1620 when the Pilgrims established a home at Plymouth?

“Or even, August 2 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was formally signed [not on July 4^th as we commonly think], and it wasn’t until 1777 when the last Founder signed. Or should we celebrate January 17, 1777 when those who signed it finally made it public that they did? (They didn’t earlier because they could be hung for treason.)

“The decision to break from England was July 2, 1776, so John Adams felt July 2nd would be celebrated. It was agreed to on July 4th, but they came back in August and signed it on August 2nd.”

Or should the founding of the nation be celebrated when the Constitution was finished in 1787, or 1788 when it was agreed to and ratified, establishing the format for government and the rights guaranteed in the first 10 amendments, the Bill of Rights.

John Adams wanted the first anniversary of independence to be celebrated on July 2, 1777. Thomas Jefferson (who was not happy with the editing of the Declaration and didn’t even admit to having authored it until much later) wanted July 4th when the Declaration’s wording was adopted. This difference led to a schism between Adams and Jefferson.

“Well, they forgot to celebrate on July 2, so organized July 4 as a day of celebration and fireworks,” Rubenstein related.

“But July 4th won out as the birthday of the new nation because of a sentence that became most famous, and some have called the greatest ever written: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’

“It is the creed we’ve tried to live up to for 250 years, a creed so many other nations have adopted. That sentence has become the symbol of the United States. I am proud to have some of these documents that live up to the creed.”

Rubenstein added: “My reason for collecting these original printings is to show them to the public to give Americans an opportunity to encounter our country’s impressive history and the accomplishments of those who came before us. The American Revolution was a civil war with Britain and a transformation in the hearts and minds of colonial inhabitants, who began to identify nationally with a new alliance of thirteen colonies built around the democratic principles that the United States holds most dear. To not remember these origins of our democracy is to risk losing our democracy.”

What you come away with, though – like the New York Historical’s just concluded “Blacklisted” exhibit – is how eerily and scarily we are to those times and complaints that led to rebellion – the first to break away from dynastic tyranny and replace it with self-rule – against an authoritarian regime.

*A print commemorates the repeal of the despised Stamp Act which was one of the primary triggers to the American Revolution, depicting a funeral for the act © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Let’s also be reminded about the grievances against King George III listed in the Declaration of Independence that instigated not just protest, but revolution. Does this sound familiar (the summary compiled from A.I. query)?

Taxation and trade: Imposing taxes without consent and cutting off colonial trade with other parts of the world.
Legislative and judicial powers: Suspending legislatures, dissolving them for opposing his policies, and making judges dependent on his will.
Military and justice: Quartering large numbers of armed troops in colonial homes, transporting colonists to be tried for “pretended offenses,” and protecting British soldiers from punishment for crimes committed in the colonies.
Economic and political interference: Abolishing new forms of government, obstructing naturalization laws, and imposing new offices to “harass our people and eat out their substance”.
Incitement of violence: Exciting domestic insurrections, inciting “merciless Indian savages” to attack colonists, and waging war against the people.
Abuse of power: Vetoing laws necessary for the public good, and generally abusing power to establish a tyranny over the colonies

That’s the importance of preserving and studying history – and the original documents – and not enable whitewashing or literal brainwashing.

And it is good to be reminded of what it means to be American, what we value as Americans, what is precious and not to be taken for granted.

*Holding on to the Declaration of Independence on the battlefield.*

“I am grateful to The New York Historical for featuring these foundational documents ahead of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,” said Rubenstein. “The items on view bring new context to one of the most important documents ever written, giving insight into the minds of our Founding Fathers as they changed the course of history.”

The exhibition is curated by Mazy Boroujerdi, special advisor to the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection, which mounts non-partisan exhibitions of historically important printings to foster civic engagement and historical understanding, and is coordinated at The New York Historical by Valerie Paley, senior vice president and Sue Ann Weinberg director of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library. Declaring the Revolution marks the fourth exhibition produced by the Rubenstein Collection in conjunction with The New York Historical, where the Semiquincentennial will be celebrated with a yearlong schedule of exhibitions and programs.

With the 250th anniversary of the United States approaching, The New York Historical is sharing messages of national hope and encouragement from the digital campaign On Our 250th, which invites individuals from across the country to post their personal wishes for America’s future. Launched online by The New York Historical in April 2025 in partnership with history museums and historic sites throughout the United States, On Our 250th has already received messages from people in 37 states, as well as Washington, DC and US territories. The exhibitions related to the 250th anniversary will take place over a 15-month period, from October 2025 to December 2026, in both The Historical’s main building and, starting summer 2026, its new Tang Wing for American Democracy.

Throughout the fall and winter, David M. Rubenstein will be in conversation with noted historians and scholars at The New York Historical. Visit the public programs calendar to learn more. Private group tours can also be arranged.

New York Historical, 170 Central Park West, New York NY 10024, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.

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Arts & Entertainment, Cultural travel, Entertainment, Festivals and Events, New York City travel, Uncategorized

Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park Production of TWELFTH NIGHT Opens Revitalized Delacorte Theater in Central Park

August 22, 2025 krubin723

The exuberant gender-bending curtain call of the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT at the reopened, revitalized Delacorte Theater in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

After 23 months and $85 million, the beloved Delacorte Theater has reopened, renewed and revitalized for its 63^rd season, but preserving what was always best about the iconic experience of the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park: a sense of excitement, shared joy and community, the delight to be dazzled at the creativity of making something spectacular out of a simple open-air stage, and the enchanting backdrop of the Belvedere Castle on a rocky cliff, framed by trees.

The star-studded Public Theater free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT which will run through Sunday, September 14, is the ideal choice among the Bard’s canon to reopen this New York City cultural icon.

But the performance begins with Shakespeare’s quote “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”- famous lines that are not even from TWELFTH NIGHT but from “As You Like It.” But the quote serves to pay homage to Joseph Papp, the founder of the Public Theater and the Delacorte, who began offering free Shakespeare in the Park from a truck and planted his cultural flag on this pastoral patch to claim the site and the culture for the people.

“This theater belongs to you, the people of New York,” writes Oskar Eustis, the Public Theater’s Artistic Director, in the Playbill.”We hold it in trust for you, to serve you. The culture belongs to all of us….We are, together, celebrating what makes us human.”

The music and song throughout TWELFTH NIGHT – so unexpected, but provides such an atmospheric, ethereal backdrop for the mythic Illyria– is composed by Michael Thurber and performed by “gender-defiant” singer-songwriter Moses Sumney – who has the audience transfixed (photo: Joan Marcus)

TWELFTH NIGHT is the perfect selection with which to return Free Shakespeare in the Park to Central Park, with its theme of immigrants – refugees who escape death after a shipwreck – who have to remake themselves to survive as strangers in a strange land, and its gender-bending plot. The production, brilliantly conceived by the Public’s Associate Artistic Director/Resident Director Saheem Ali, also stays true to Joseph Papp’s racial blindness – race is erased, irrelevant, while the cultural tapestry of New York is for all to enjoy and appreciate. Joseph Papp, the Public Theater and the Delacorte were “woke” before that was a term, and certainly before the crusade to demean, de-legitimize, and eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion from our culture and society, when it took 60 years to make DEI part of our cultural fabric.

“It’s been one year and 11 months since we closed The Delacorte for much needed renovations that have made the most beautiful theater in the world even more beautiful, safer and infinitely more accessible, and more sustainable, more comfortable and more ready than ever to serve the people of New York,” Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director for the Public Theater, writes in the Playbill. “This is a palace for the people, an infinitely precious New York landmark that money can’t buy, that isn’t gated or reserved for the wealthy, that is the common property of the whole city…

“In the time that The Delacorte has been closed, American democracy has undergone perhaps the greatest challenge it has faced in the last 150 years. … the reopening will certainly help the fight to maintain the vision of America I know we all share, an America that belongs to everyone, where our diversity is our strength, where the common good makes all of us better off, where what we share is infinitely more important than what separates us. The Delacorte Theater is not just a stage. It’s a platform for democracy. A gathering place. A commons. A celebration of what public space can be when it’s shaped by values we all share: access, community, inclusion, and joy.”

Patrick Willingham, the Public’s Executive Director, welcomes the audience to the reopening of the revitalized Delacorte Theater, where the Free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT is running through September 14 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Delacorte has stood as one of New York City’s most iconic and democratic cultural institutions for over 60 years. It was founded on an audacious premise: the richest of cultural jewels presented for free, in a form that New Yorkers’ could identify with and find relevant to their own experience. Since the Delacorte opened in 1962, during JFK’s “Camelot” era, some 6 million people have enjoyed over 160 productions.

A hallmark the Public Theater productions of Shakespeare are the creative ways of preserving the original but making the 400-year old-English plays accessible, relatable and relevant to contemporary society.

*“What You Will”, provides the backdrop to TWELFTH NIGHT, with the dramatic Belvedere Castle in the background © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Among the fascinating devices:

“What You Will” – the backdrop of open letters that let you see out and performers walk through – is the subtitle for “TWELFTH NIGHT,” which director Ali has honed in on as the “heart of the show… Shakespeare lands these twins on a strange land” where they have to survive. “That’s an immigrant story. Someone coming from somewhere else and seeking a better life, a different life,” he writes in the Playbill.

The interjection of Swahili spoken by Viola and Sebastian makes very clear and real that Viola and Sebastian are immigrants – refugees – in a strange land with a strange culture, having escaped death during a shipwreck, and having to reinvent themselves in order to survive.

Also, the line “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them,” becomes a kind of mantra. I always thought the quote was meant to be heroic, but in this context, it serves to mock Malvolio for his self-importance.

The music and song throughout the play – so unexpected, but provides such an atmospheric, ethereal backdrop for the mythic Illyria– is composed by Michael Thurber and performed by “gender-defiant” singer-songwriter Moses Sumney as Feste– who has the audience transfixed.

Junior Nyong’o as Sebastian, Sandra Oh as Olivia, Lupita Nyong’o as Viola and Khris Davis as Orsino descend on the clever lifts from which sets and actors magically appear at the revitalized, modernized Delacorte Theater in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Besides an outstanding cast, brilliantly directed, the creative staging is a marvel – indeed, the most significant improvements to the Delacorte are technical, allowing sets and actors to rise out of the floor, with a kind of sleight of hand that adds to the magic and enchantment – if you look away for a moment or are looking in one place rather than another, all of a sudden the scene is changed.

The flamboyant curtain call is itself a coup d’gras, a final slap to the Trump/MAGA WhiteChristoFascist anti-woke crusade, in which the performers dance out in androgynous costumes worthy of the Met Gala.

Sandra Oh as Olivia in the Free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT, directed by Saheem Ali, which has reopened the revitalized Delacorte Theater and runs through September 14 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

People always delight in the stars that grace the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park stage and TWELFTH NIGHT is no exception: The star-studded cast, who clearly are enjoying their roles as much as the audience, includes real-life siblings Lupita and Junior Nyong’o playing the twins, Viola and Sebastian, Sandra Oh (Olivia), Peter Dinklage (Malvolio), John Ellison Conlee (Sir Toby Belch), Khris Davis (Orsino), Peter Dinklage (Malvolio), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Andrew Aguecheek), Daphne RubinVega (Maria), Moses Sumney (Feste), b (Antonio), Joe Tapper (Sea Captain/Priest), and Ariyan Kassam (Curio/Ensemble), and a marvelous ensemble of Dario Alvarez, Jaina Rose Jallow, Valentino Musumeci (Chinna Palmer (Ensemble), Sandra Oh (Olivia), Precious Omigie, Nathan M. Ramsey, Jasmine Sharma, Kapil Talwakar, Julian Tushabe, Adrian Villegas, Ada Westfall, and Mia Wurgaft.

Sandra Oh as Olivia, Lupita Nyong’o as Viola in the Free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT, directed by Saheem Ali, which has reopened the revitalized Delacorte Theater and runs through September 14 (photo: Joan Marcus.)

TWELFTH NIGHT is cleverly staged, featuring scenic design by Maruti Evans, phenomenal costume design by Oana Botez, lighting design by Bradley King, sound design by Kai Harada and Palmer Hefferan, music composition by Michael Thurber, hair, wig, and makeup design by Krystal Balleza, prop management by Claire M. Kavanah, fight direction by Tom Schall, choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie. Karishma Bhagani serves as the Swahili dialect coach. Delacorte Veteran Buzz Cohen serves as the Production Stage Manager and Jessie Moore and Luisa Sánchez Colón serve as the stage managers.

Peter Dinklage (center) as Malvolioand and Daphne Rubin-Vega as Maria in the Free Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT, directed by Saheem Ali, which has reopened the revitalized Delacorte Theater and runs through September 14 (photo: Joan Marcus)

The renovation of the 1,864-seat amphitheater dramatically improved the accessibility, sustainability and production facilities, and was funded through a mix of public and private support, including $42 million from the City of New York through the Office of the Mayor, New York City Council, and Manhattan Borough President’s Office; and another $1 million allocation from the New York State Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell.

The $85 million renovation of the Delacorte Theater has made it more accessible, more sustainable, more comfortable, and allowed for even more creative production while remaining true to the essence of Free Shakespeare in the Park and founder Joseph Papp’s vision © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The $85 million spent on the Delacorte renovation was only a part of the $175 million “Forever Public” fund-raising campaign intended to preserve all that the Public Theater does to promote the arts and access to theater and establish a Fund for Free Theater endowment. These free Shakespeare in the Park performances are what the Public Theater is most heralded for, but the Public Theater does much more to promote the arts and access to the arts.

At its six-venue Astor Place home at 425 Lafayette Street, the Public produces world premiere plays and musicals “giving voice to a diverse range of new and established artists, leading and framing the dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day.”

In addition to Free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte in Central Park, the Public produces theater throughout the boroughs with its Mobile Unit, bringing free performances to correctional facilities, senior and recreation centers, parks with little or no access to the arts; working with partner organizations around the city, community members participate in workshops and classes, attend performances and join in the creation of participatory theater; some 700 shows are presented each year at Joe’s Pub at the Public, giving support to thousands of artists; and the emerging Writers Group, BIPOC Critics Lab and multi-year residences provide support for artists at all stages of their career, offering opportunities for development from idea to full production.

The Public has received 64 Tony Awards, 194 Obie Awards, 62 Drama Desk Awards, 64 Lortel Awards, 36 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards, 70 AUDELCO Awards, 6 Antonyo Awards, and 6 Pulitzer Prizes. The Public is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Hell’s Kitchen by Alicia Keys and Kristoffer Diaz. Their programs and productions can also be seen regionally across the country and around the world.

The Public Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT at the newly reopened Delacorte Theater in Central Park through September 14 is a rollicking fun farce, crisply directed by Saheem Ali, and brilliantly performed by a star-studded cast who seem to be enjoying the experience as much as the audience © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

TWELFTH NIGHT is on through September 14. There will be two American Sign Language Interpreted performances on Sunday, August 23 and Tuesday, August 26, at 8:00 p.m; an Open Captioned performance in English on Friday, September 5; an Open Captioned performance in Spanish on Saturday, September 6 and, for the first time this summer, Free Shakespeare in the Park will offer a Sensory Adapted performance on Sunday, September 7. The Audio Described performance will be on Friday, September 12.

The Belvedere Castle provides a perfect setting for picnicking and waiting on line for free tickets to the newly reopened Delacorte Theater where the Public Theater puts on Free Shakespeare in the Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

For all the improvement, it’s what’s the same about Shakespeare in the Park that is most important – the sense of community, the delight (and story) in how the tickets were obtained (who met while waiting on line, picnicking, how won lottery) – albeit in more comfortable seats (and much, much better bathrooms).

There are five ways to access free tickets for TWELFTH NIGHT:

Distribution in Central Park

In-person lottery at The Public Theater

Distribution across all five boroughs

Digital lottery with TodayTix

Standby line in Central Park

Also, you can become a member of the Public Theater with a donation of $600 or more to be able to reserve two seats. (To keep the majority of seats free and available for New Yorkers, only a limited number of seats are available for members to reserve.)

The “Forever Public” campaign to raise $175 million (there’s a sticker with QR code on the back of the seats) is aimed to keep tickets free for the vast majority of audience-goers. “Shakespeare for the city. Free. For all. Forever.”

You can become a Supporter with a gift of $100 or more which provides benefits including early access and discounted, no-fee tickets to the Astor Place season, dedicated customer service, discounted food and drink at Joe’s Pub and The Library. For a limited time, gifts are being matched by the Howard Gilman Foundation

To learn more, or to make a contribution, call 212-967-7555, or visit publictheater.org.

The full performance calendar and complete distribution details can be found at publictheater.org. (The Delacorte Theater in Central Park is accessible by entering at 81st Street and Central Park West or at 79th Street and Fifth Avenue.)

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Cultural travel, Historic Places, Museums and Exhibits, New York City travel

New York Historical’s ‘Blacklisted: An American Story’ Offers Sobering Lessons for Today

June 25, 2025 krubin723

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Get out of the heat this summer and feel your blood boil – come to The New York Historical’s new exhibit, “Blacklisted: An American Story” and be horrified when you recognize that the assault on free speech, free association, free press, democracy, due process and Rule of Law happening today has happened before in the United States, and not all that long ago.

The intersection of politics, art, and culture that shaped America’s Red Scare is showcased in Blacklisted: An American Story, a traveling exhibit created by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, on view at the New York Historical through October 19. Expanded by The Historical, the exhibition builds on the story of the Red Scare and the blacklisting of screenwriters and directors known as the Hollywood Ten, along with countless others who were impacted. Blacklisted shows how global politics and concerns over the Cold War were used to justify antisemitic, racist and anti-worker crackdowns domestically, and how the government crushed artistic expression in the 1940s and 1950s to reverse social justice movements simply by branding everything and anyone “Communist.”

Joe Gilford, son of Jack Gilford and Madeleine Lee (both blacklisted); Molly Trumbo Gingras, granddaughter of Oscar-winning blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, with greatgrandaughter Judith); Julie Garfield, actor John Garfield’s daughter; Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical; *Kate Lardner, daughter of blacklisted Ring Lardner); Katie Unger (whose grandfather Abraham Unger was forced to testify before McCarthy and held in contempt)*. at the opening reception of “Blacklisted: An American Story” on view at The New York Historical through October 19 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“Our aim with Blacklisted is to prompt visitors to think deeply about democracy and their role in it,” stated Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical. “The exhibition tackles fundamental issues like freedom of speech, religion, and association, inviting reflection on how our past informs today’s cultural and political climate.”

When the exhibit was first developed in 2016 by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee and opened in 2018, “no one could have anticipated” how uncomfortably close to what is taking place in the United States today, with book bans, loyalty oaths, people seized from the street by masked men without badges or warrant, shutting down of research and education, and the attacks – a la Cultural Revolution – on academics, scientists, intellectuals, lawyers and journalists, while political violence and terror is allowed to surge.

“We also couldn’t have anticipated the rise of antisemitism now, as then,” Mirrer said at the opening reception. “This is an uncannily timely and meaningful show that hopes to teach about courage and American traditions, and how precious our democracy is.” She said she hoped the exhibition would spark “discourse as we think about who we are as Americans. History has power to change lives.”

*Civil Rights Congress, **America’s “Thought Police”: Record of the Un-American Activities Committee,** 1947. Courtesy of the Unger Family*

The exhibit, which makes starkly clear the connection between the “anti-Communist” crusade and the link with antisemitism, racism and anti-unionism, generated some revelations for the Jewish Museum Milwaukee exhibit curator Ellie Gettinger, who we met at an opening reception at New York Historical in front of the section noting the Blacklist never actually ended, it just gradually faded into disuse.

“People think the Red Scare was McCarthy, but we showed it was not one individual, it was so many – in government, in industry, so many throughout American society,” Gettinger said. Why weren’t the people who were persecuted protected by the First Amendment? “Because it wasn’t the government doing the blacklisting. It was the industry. Even the Hollywood studios controlled by Jews.”

She reflected, “In 2018, so many were shocked [by the exhibit and parallels to today]. People are really disturbed now, feeling politically impotent and overwhelmed. We have to keep fighting.”

Just as today, a culture that engendered empathy, compassion and understanding of others became the enemy of those who wanted to keep power and profit. It is no accident that Trump and the MAGAs have effectively rendered illegal so-called DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) and CRT (critical race theory) in school curricula, admissions and hiring, going after academia, corporations, research institutions, legal firms, and media.

The Blacklist was largely antisemitic because Eastern European immigrant Jews were social justice activists at their core, were identified with Bolshevik Russia, and were considered the rabble rousers for workers rights, union rights, civil rights and voting rights. Jewish immigrants led the formation of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU), in 1900, organizing major strikes in 1909 and 1910 and reaction to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 which lead to better wages, working hours, and safety standards for garment workers and advocated for social needs, educational opportunities and health services – issues that then as now were branded “communist.”

“The Blacklist flourished when political and corporate interests superseded First Amendment rights. Freedoms of speech, association and assembly – all protected under the First Amendment – became casualties. Each of the three branches of government – executive, legislative and judicial-prioritized national security over civil liberties. Their actions exposed the dangers of unchecked political power in the US. Numerous industries purged employees suspected of being sympathetic to communism. Hundreds of people lost their jobs, and thousands stood by silently, afraid of jeopardizing future employment.

“Supporters and critics of the Blacklist both claimed they were fulfilling their patriotic duty. The Hollywood Blacklist shaped the nation’s political and cultural landscape for decades to come.”

The parallels to today are terrifying – including the capitulation of media moguls like Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Jeff Bezos (Washington Post); Shari Redstone (who controls CBS) and Robert Iger (CEO of The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC).

*Impact of the Blacklist: “I’m a man of a thousand faces, and all of them are Blacklisted,” stated actor Zero Mostel.*

The Blacklist impacted, even destroyed lives but also society in its quest to assert White Christo Fascist cultural foundation (they could call it whatever they like, but that’s what it was).

We meet Julie Garfield in front of the portrait of her father, John Garfield, she lent to the exhibit, an acclaimed, dashing Hollywood leading man who starred in such patriotic films as “Pride of the Marines” (the uniform he wore in that movie is on display). She wrote her father’s blacklisting “killed him, it really killed him. He was under unbelievable stress. Phones were being tapped. He was being followed by the FBI. He hadn’t worked in 18 months. He was finally supposed to do ‘Golden Boy’ on CBS with Kim Stanley. They did one scene. And then CBS cancelled it. He died a day or two later.”

Julie Garfield, standing in front of a portrait of her father, the actor John Garfield who starred in such films as “Pride of the Marines,” said being blacklisted ultimately pushed jim to suicide © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

There is a list of those who “whether by heart attack or suicide, all were killed by the relentless pressures of inquisition,” wrote Alvah Bessie, screenwriter and one of the Hollywood Ten.

Blacklisted features more than 150 artifacts, including historical newspaper articles, film clips, testimony footage, telegrams, playbills, court documents, film costumes, movie posters, scripts, and artwork.

Among the personal objects on view are Blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo’s Academy Award Oscars for Roman Holiday— originally awarded only to co-writer Ian McLellan Hunter since Trumbo was prohibited from working in film under his own name—and The Brave One, awarded to the fictitious Robert Rich (one of his pseudonyms). Trumbo finally received his Oscar for “The Brave One” in 1975, 20 years after it had been awarded and his wife, Cleo Trumbo, accepted his Oscar for “Roman Holiday” posthumously in 1993, 40 years after the film’s release.

Also on view is Lauren Bacall’s costume from How to Marry a Millionaire, a 1953 film released during the height of the Blacklist. Bacall was one of the founding members of the Committee for the First Amendment, which initially supported the Hollywood Ten. Unlike other committee members, Bacall was able to work steadily until her death.

The exhibit draws clear connections between antisemitism and racism at the heart of the “Red Scare” “The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) included avowed segregationists and antisemites, with the larger objective of “the preservation of the established social order disrupted by New Deal initiatives and World War II,” On display is a pamphlet, “Today…Hollywood. Tomorrow…the Whole Country.”

“HUAC members Rep. John Rankin (D-Mississippi) and Rep. John S.Wood (D-Georgia) advanced a reactionary white supremist agenda.” Rankin defended the Ku Klux Klan’s racial violence and terror, asserting “the KKK is an old American institution.” Wood added “threats and intimidations of the Klan are an old American custom, like illegal whiskey-making.”

But the Red Scare did not begin in the post World-War II era with fear of the Soviet Union getting the nuclear bomb. The first Red Scare came after World War I (simultaneous with the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia), with a crackdown on immigrants and political dissidents. The Espionage Act of 1917 became the basis for censoring publications; a year later, the Sedition Act made it illegal to speak or write about the US government with “contempt, scorn or disrepute” – legislation the Trump administration is drawing upon to deport migrants and quash dissent.

In 1919 and 1920, the crackdown on dissent and free speech intensified (note: the war had already ended in 1918) and was used the power to go after union organizers and those upholding workers rights, many of whom were Eastern European Jewish immigrants. Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer authorized federal raids of labor and “radical” organizations, arresting more than 5,000 and deporting hundreds of immigrant activists, including Emma Goldman.

We associate the era with Senator Joseph McCarthy, but as the exhibit points out, McCarthy “was only one of many who used the politics of Red-baiting to gain political leverage and power.” (McCarthy’s claim to fame was his crusade to root out alleged communists in the State Department, but he actually had little to do with the Hollywood blacklist.)

The creatives who became known as the Hollywood Ten were largely successful film industry people. During World War II, each contributed to the war effort in meaningful ways, developing films that combined patriotic plots with a social conscience such as “Tender Comrades” written by Dalton Trumbo; “Pride of the Marines,” written by Albert Maltz and starting John Garfield; and ‘Crossfire,” produced by Adrian Scott and directed by Edward Dmytryk. But all 10 had at some point been members of the Communist Party of the USA (CPUSA) because of its advocacy of workers’ rights and social justice. The list included Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole, Ring Lardner Jr., John Howard Lawson, Samuel Ornitz, and Adrian Scott in addition to Dmytryk, Maltz and Trumbo.

The Hollywood Ten were found in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions, and sentenced to prison for up to one year. The claim of First Amendment protection was rejected by the lower court and by the time their case reached the Supreme Court, two liberal members died and the Court declined to hear their case.

“Guilty until proven innocent,” one section proclaims unnervingly in light of today’s events, as we see people being rounded up by masked goons and thrown into jails or deported to third countries without the ability to prove their innocence or exercise the Constitution’s right to due process. “The role of hearsay and the assumption of guilt in the hearings became central to the ongoing operation of the Hollywood Blacklist throughout the 1950s…HUAC’s targets had no recourse, they could not sue for libel or challenge the damage to their reputations and livelihoods.” They were even blacklisted if they asserted their Fifth Amendment right.

It is shocking to see films that were tagged for blacklisting:

*The film “The Best Years of Our Lives” was deemed subversive for portraying the upper class in a bad light and the banker as a mean, avaricious individual © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

“The Best Years of Our Lives” that won seven Academy Awards was blacklisted, prompting Gene Kelly to write, “Were you subverted by it? Did it make you Un-American?” The FBI analysis drew upon producer Cecil B. Demille’s assessment that “this picture portrayed the ‘upper class in a bad light.’” The FBI noted, “The banker was portrayed as a mean, avaricious individual,” and that the film contained communist propaganda and “subversive half-truths.”

*The iconic Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” was branded subversive for discrediting bankers © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Imagine, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” was deemed “subversive!” “This picture represents a rather obvious attempt to discredit bankers,” the FBI analysis stated.

*“Gentleman’s Agreement,” which revealed pervasive anti-Semitism wasblacklisted for its “deliberate effort to discredit law enforcement.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Best picture winner “Gentleman’s Agreement,“ starring Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and John Garfield, in which Peck plays a journalist who poses as a Jew to expose antisemitism, was blacklisted. It’s blacklist connections included Director Elia Kazan (who named names), and blacklisted actors John Garfield (who was actually Jewish) and Anne Revere. It ran afoul, the FBI analysis claimed, because “A Police Lieutenant is party to antisemitism and as such is subjected to much criticism…This was a deliberate effort to discredit law enforcement.”

*Being blacklisted ultimately pushed actor John Garfield, who starred in such films as “Pride of the Marines,” to suicide © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

“Pride of the Marines” was blacklisted for screenwriter Albert Maltz and actor John Garfield. The FBi Analysis noted “’Maltz’ had the actors say everything possible to ‘provoke doubts’ concerning representative government and free enterprise; they accused employers of everything from racial prejudice to a conspiracy to scuttle the GI Bill of Rights.”

Even “High Noon,” starring Gary Cooper who won Best Actor, was blacklisted because its screenwriter, Carl Foreman, “invoked his privilege under the Fifth Amendment… in connection with this Communist affiliations.”

This being New York City, the New York Historical put its own stamp on the exhibit with a reference to the 1920s anti-immigrant (antisemitic) Palmer raids and Emma Goldman’s deportation, and a whole section on New York Theater and the Blacklist, in which it is shown that the city’s theater community pushed back.

*The Red Scare was as much as about stopping the progress of civil rights as it was antisemitic and anti-union © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear*

“Broadway and the theater became a vital space for creative expression and social commentary. Though many Blacklisted artists still struggled financially, theater became an indispensable source of employment for those barred from movies and television. Some also performed for receptive audiences at labor unions, local synagogues, and community organizations across New York City.”

Playwright Arthur Miller, so famous for his Tony Award-winning play, ”The Crucible,” in which the Salem witch trials were a metaphor for McCarthyism, wrote, “We are at times ruled by the collective fear of each other and of those who may take away our rights and persecute us.”

Broadway and the broader theater community, we learn, never adopted a formal Blacklist. The labor union Actors Equity Association charted a different path from that the forcefully anti-communist Screen Actors Guild (SAG ). While there were anticommunist factions among the membership, Actors Equity passed a resolution in 1951 condemning the Blacklist, arguing that blacklisting “by its very nature is based on secrecy and prejudiced judgment and results in conviction by accusation.’ The following year, Actors Equity began including anti-Blacklist language in its contracts, a practice that continues to this day.”

So while there are those who look at what is happening as people are grabbed off the street by thugs without badges wearing masks, without court order or anything resembling due process, effectively guilty without the ability to prove innocence and say “this isn’t who we are as Americans,” the truth is, yes it is. There has always been this strain of bigoted, racist, sexist, anti=democratic evil, often masquerading as “religion” and “patriotism”. The task is for the forces of the “all are created equal” faction to beat it back and reestablish the civil liberties we claim make America “exceptional.”

The New York Historical, 170 Central Park West (77^th Street), New York, NY 10024, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.

Jewish Museum: Social Activist Ben Shahn and “The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt”

Ben Shahn, an immigrant Jew from Lithuania who devoted his life to depicting social justice, saw the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti as a modern-day crucifixion, on view at the Jewish Museum © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

A brilliant companion to “Blacklisted,” is the exhibit at the Jewish Museum, Ben Shahn, On Nonconformity, who used his art for social justice in ways that are unnervingly relevant today. The 175 artworks and objects from the 1930s to the 1960s show how this prolific and progressive artist chronicled and confronted crucial issues from the Great Depression to the Vietnam War, to Civil Rights and Workers Rights. (On view through Oct. 12).

*Rembrandt’s depiction of Queen Esther, is part of the “Book of Esther in the Time of Rembrandt” exhibit on view at the Jewish Museum© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Also, a phenomenal exhibit, “The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt,” (on view through Aug. 10) shows how the story of Queen Esther resonated with the Dutch in this time. “The Dutch interpreted the story of Esther’s bravery as a symbol of the Netherlands’ newly won independence from Spain. Rembrandt was part of a larger cultural trend that reimagined this story for the new century, new secular art market, and new national purpose,” write Abigail Rapoport, curator of Judaica Jewish Museum, and Michele Frederick, curator of European Art, North Carolina museum of Art, Raleigh.

Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave &, E 92nd St, thejewishmuseum.org, (212) 423-3200; free admission on Saturday.

Anne Frank The Exhibition

If at all possible, get tickets to see Anne Frank: The Exhibition.

Standing in Anne Frank’s tiny room in The Annex where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years, personalizes the Holocaust. This immersion into a full-scale re-creation of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam is part of a landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

Anne Frank The Exhibition, on view at the Center for Jewish History through October, is the first time that the Anne Frank House presents a pioneering experience outside of Amsterdam to immerse visitors in a full-scale recreation of the Annex rooms, fully furnished, where Anne Frank, her parents and sister, and four other Jews spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture. Four exhibition galleries immerse visitors in place and history through video, sound, photography, and animation; and more than 100 original collection items from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Anne Frank The Exhibition provides an opportunity to learn about Anne Frank not as a victim but through the multifaceted lens of her life—as a girl, a writer, and a symbol of resilience and strength. Tickets at AnneFrankExhibit.org. Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, cjh.org.

See: LANDMARK ANNE FRANK THE EXHIBITION IN NYC PERSONALIZES HOLOCAUST AS NEVER BEFORE

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Attractions, Heritage Travel, Jewish Heritage Travel, Museums and Exhibits, New York City travel

Landmark Anne Frank The Exhibition in NYC Personalizes Holocaust As Never Before

January 27, 2025 krubin723

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

It is surreal, extraordinarily intimate, overwhelmingly emotional to find yourself standing in Anne Frank’s tiny room exactly as she had lived in it, in secret hiding for two years, just before she was taken away by Nazis to the concentration camp where she died just a few months before she would have been saved.

There are the photos she clipped from newspapers to put on her wall, to preserve some connection to a normal life, her life before the Nazis took over Germany, then invaded the Netherlands, where her family had sought refuge. You see the plaid-cloth covered diary she began to write the day she received it, on her 13^th birthday, who she sometimes wrote to as “Dear Kitty” and treated as her closest friend and confidant, revealing things her father later admitted he never knew about his daughter despite being close and living in such constant proximity.

As you stand in this space, the tiny bedroom where she sat at this desk to write, you hear her words, “When I write, I can shake off my cares, my sorrow… my spirits soar…. But will I ever be able to write something great? Will I ever be able to be a journalist or writer? Oh, I hope so.” And then, “Writing allows me to record everything – thoughts, ideals, fantasies.”

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, lets you know her story in a new, more personal way © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

This is the remarkable Anne Frank The Exhibition, opening at the Center for Jewish History in New York City on January 27, coinciding with International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp where one million Jews were exterminated.

For the first time, visitors outside of Amsterdam will be able to experience the Anne Frank House, one of the most visited historical sites in Europe, but in a very different way: whereas in Amsterdam, the rooms are empty as they were after the Nazis left it, here, visitors are immersed in a full-scale re-creation of the complete Annex, furnished as it would have been when Anne and her family and four other Jews spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture.

You see the pictures clipped from newspapers she put on her wall – a semblance of normalcy of a teenager. You hear her words from her diary as you walk through those rooms.

But there is another important difference: before and after you roam through this meticulously re-created Annex, you are immersed in her life and the lives of millions of others as you see the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, how the Holocaust was set into motion and what it was like to live with such terror– giving a broader context and meaning to Anne Frank’s story, resonating with chilling effect today.

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, puts her story into context of the rise of Hitler, Nazism and the Holocaust© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Created in partnership between the Anne Frank House and the Center for Jewish History, this astonishing, Anne Frank: The Exhibition kicks off the Center‘s 25^th anniversary season.

“We are absolutely thrilled to partner with the Anne Frank House on this landmark exhibition,” said Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, President of the Center for Jewish History. “As we approach the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in January, Anne Frank’s story becomes more urgent than ever. In a time of rising antisemitism, her diary serves as both a warning and a call to action, reminding us of the devastating impact of hatred. This exhibition challenges us to confront these dangers head-on and honor the memory of those lost in the Holocaust.”

The exhibition, he said, “dovetails with CJH’s mission. We don’t just preserve Jewish history, we mobilize to address today’s challenges. Public programs foster understanding in a world that needs it more than ever.”

*Anne Frank in 1935 in her kindergarten class. Of the 32 students, 15 were Jewish Holocaust © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.*

“When students learn to identify hate, learn to confront with empathy, critical thinking, they will champion justice and equality,” Ronald Leopold, the director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, said at the press preview. “An exhibition like this serves as powerful reminder of the importance of confronting hate through education and understanding.

“The exhibition is a beacon of remembrance, of education, of awareness. It arrives at a very critical moment. We are living in a time when antisemitism and other forms of group hatred are on the rise, not only in this country, but my country, the Netherlands, and around the globe.” He referred to terrible incidents as recently as the day before, in Sydney, Australia.

“Anne Frank’s story is known to many but what you will experience at this exhibition goes beyond her tragic fate. The exhibition hopefully will also offer a deeper, multifaceted view of who Anne Frank was- not just a victim of the Holocaust, but just a girl, a teenager, a writer, and an enduring symbol of resilience and strength.”

The Anne Frank House, was established in 1957 in cooperation with Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father, as an independent nonprofit organization entrusted with the preservation of the Annex and bringing Anne’s life story to world audiences in order to serve as a place for teaching and learning about the Holocaust. Each year, the Anne Frank House, welcomes 1.2 million visitors, but many are turned away (you have to reserve tickets weeks, even months in advance), and requires visitors to come to Amsterdam.

“This exhibition is not just about the past,” Leopold said at a press preview. “It is important to learn about the past, but more important to learn from the past. That is the educational mission Anne’s father, the only one of the 8 Jews in hiding at the Annex who survived, gave us when Anne Frank House opened to the public in 1960.”

Ronald Leopold, the director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, holds up a photo of Anne Frank, whose story is known because of her diary, with a boy was born on the same day as Anne, who lived a block away, but except for his name, David Spanyeur, birthday and the day he was murdered, February 12, 1943 in Auschwitz, nothing is known. They are among the 1.2 million Jewish children killed in the Holocaust © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

Leopold held up two photos, side by side. One is easily recognizable: Anne Frank. Next to her on the page is a photo a boy no one has heard of. He was born June 12, 1929, the same day as Anne, lived one block from where she lived, a 3 minutes walk. Their paths might have crossed – we don’t know. We know everything about this little girl, Anne Frank, we think, but there is no one in the world today who knows anything about this young boy except for his name, David Spanyeur, his date of birth, address and when and where he was murdered, on February 12, 1943 in Auschwitz.”

“If we bring Anne Frank to New York, and we go to remember her on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we also bring, David Spanyeur to New York, and remember him, as we will remember 1.5 million Jewish children’s lives cut short by human beings for the single reason they were Jewish. This is the message we try to bring, that goes beyond Anne Frank.

“We will remember David Sponyeur, we will remember Anne Frank, may their memories be a blessing. As we stand in presence of Anne’s legacy, we are reminded of our shared responsibility to carry this message forward.”

Philanthropic support has made it possible for the Anne Frank House to subsidize visits for students from New York City public schools and all Title 1 public schools throughout the United States. A special curriculum has been created for distribution to 500,000 children, and there is a 28-minute film at the center that is geared to school children.

So far, tens of thousands of already purchased tickets in advance of the opening; 150 schools have already scheduled visits from as far as California.

A Normal Teenager

Anne Frank was one of 1.5 million children murdered in the Holocaust – who, like Anne, had dreams, talents, hopes that were snuffed out. Anne is the one who is most and best known because of the sheer miracle of her keeping the diary and her journals being saved, Miep Gies, one of the people who protected the Franks in the Annex, finding it after the Nazis had ransacked their rooms, and keeping Anne’s writings safe because she knew how much writing meant to her, then reconnecting with Otto Frank, who was determined to fulfill his daughter’s dream of becoming a published writer, then a publisher recognizing how important the diary was because too many did not see the commercial value, or perhaps, the political correctness.

There is so much that is astonishing about this exhibit – certainly being able to stand in this exact, full-scale re-creation of Anne Frank’s secret hiding place furnished as if they had just left, before the Nazis stripped everything out. Indeed, that is how you experience The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, totally empty. (The people from Anne Frank House in Amsterdam remarked how strange it was to see the rooms they know so well as empty, now furnished. “But we have the original diary, you have a facsimile!”) Also, it is what the exhibit is wrapped around with – the context surrounding Anne Frank’s experience and the experience of the 6 million Jews, including 1.5 million children exterminated in the Holocaust.

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, includes 100 artifacts rarely if ever shown in public that put Anne’s life into context © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

The exhibit features some 100 artifacts – some rarely if ever viewed in public – including an extraordinary exhibit of the family’s personal effects from their comfortable life in Frankfurt where Otto was a banker, before the Nazis and the Holocaust – even their china, a wooden desk from 1796, and Anne’s first photo album (1929-1942). You see family photos and photos of a normal life, a playful child with a fetching smile. There is even a video of a wedding couple leaving their apartment building that happened to capture Anne peering out from a second-story window.

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, includes 100 artifacts and family photos rarely if ever shown in public that put Anne’s life into context © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

This exhibit wraps Anne Frank’s personal story with context: the rise of Hitler, democratically elected Chancellor, and the Nazi domination of Germany, the invasion of the Netherlands, France and Belgium, and the implementation of the Final Solution – systemic genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust.

Walk through the bookcase into the Annex, the secret place where Anne Frank hid with her mother, father, sister, and four others for two years hoping to escape the Nazis © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

We walk through the bookcase, and are in the hiding place in the Annex. Throughout the exhibit, you have an audio guide that you can activate, but here, in the hiding place, is where what you hear is most affecting – not just the description of the place and what their lives were like for the two years they hid away, but Anne’s own words from her diary.

“When I write, I can shake off my cares, my sorrow… my spirits soar…. But will I ever be able to write something great? Will I ever be able to be a journalist or writer? Oh, I hope so.” And then, “Writing allows me to record everything – thoughts, ideals, fantasies.”

Striving for some normalcy, Anne Frank decorated her tiny room with pictures of Hollywood celebrities and royalty; on her desk is the plaid-covered diary which immortalized her experience hiding away in The Annex for two years © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

Anne decorated her tiny cramped room with pictures – Hollywood and Royalty, like any 13-year old. But by the time she was 15, her interests shifted and deepened -she favored art and history and more serious things.

We visit all their rooms – you feel you are intruding, actually – even the bathroom, where you hear that at the stroke of 8:30, there could be no running water, flushing toilet, walking around, no noise whatsoever.

The kitchen, where the Pels slept, served as the communal kitchen and living room, and is where they played games at night and celebrated holidays like Yom Kippur and Chanukah.

Anne describes how one moment they are laughing at the comical side of their hiding, the next, feeling frightened. “Fear, tension and despair can be read on our face.”

Then, on a fateful day, the audio guide relates, a man came up the stairs with a revolver and told them to “pack their bags, you have to leave.” They were taken to prison and on to the camps.

In the next rooms, you see how the Holocaust unfolded – photos of Jews pulled from their homes, crowded into the streets and loaded onto cattle cars, deported to labor, concentration and death camps. You see soldiers shooting masses of Jews in pits dug by the victims themselves.

*Photos depict the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust as you stand over a map of Europe demarking the places of Jewish genocide © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.*

This room has a glass floor over a map of Europe with red flags denoting where the death camps and places of genocide were and hear names recited. As you come to the end, most affecting of all, is a projection of the 1935 photo of Anne Frank in her kindergarten class of 32 students, of whom 15 were Jews, which you saw in the first gallery. As you hear their names ticked off, one by one these adorable, innocent faces are disappeared from the photo and you hear their age when their lives were snuffed out: 12, 13, 14, 15. Only 5 of the 15 survived – by going into hiding or escaping. Anne was 15.

*The photo of Anne Frank in her kindergarten class, as one by one, she and her Jewish classmates are eradicated © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.*

The next part follows Otto’s improbable journey from the camp when it was liberated in January 1945. Otto was the only one to survive of the eight who hid in the Annex, though he had yet to learn the fate of his family. All of his worldly possession fit into a tiny canvas bag the size of a book.

For Otto, it was just 10 months after being arrested that he returned – all of those who helped them in the Annex survived, though two men were arrested and sent to concentration camps but survived.

Miep Gies in a video explains how she found and protected Anne Frank’s diary and notebooks, and presented them to Otto Frank upon his return to Amsterdam, the only one of the eight Jews she protected in The Annex to survive © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

You actually see a video of Miep Gies, one of the Dutch citizens who hid and protected the Franks in the Annex (she lived to 100 years old), relating how she went into it after the Nazis ransacked it and found Anne’s diary and notebooks, keeping them safe because she knew how important her writing was to her. She re-creates how she reached into her desk and presented Otto with Anne’s volumes.

In an interview, Otto related that at first it was difficult for him to read the diary because of his grief, but when he started reading, he couldn’t stop. To honor her wishes of becoming a published writer, he set out to find a publisher – you see his letters and the replies from editors.

“Anne Frank’s diary, ‘Untergetaucht,’ [The Annex] impressed me deeply,” one editor writes back, “a monument to the sufferings of all people in Holland during the war…. If conditions were more nearly normal, I would recommend that we undertake an English translation…”

The first U.S. edition of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.” Otto Frank was determined to realize his daughter’s dream of becoming a published writer © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

But ultimately Anne’s diary was published in English, “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” – you see the first edition which includes a forward by Eleanor Roosevelt – and translated into 70 languages, selling 35 million copies – and made into a play and movie (winning Shelly Winter’s an Oscar for her performance as Auguste van Pels).

The exhibition closes quoting Anne Frank, “I’ll make my voice heard, I’ll go out into the world and work for mankind!”

*“Anne Frank: The Exhibition: at the Center for Jewish History features copies of her book translated into 70 different languages © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Otto Frank is quoted saying in 1973, “Anne’s Diary made you think about the cruel persecution of the Jews during the Nazi regime, but I want to stress that even now there is in our world a lot of prejudice leading to discrimination and everyone of us should fight against it in his own circle.”

Michael S. Glickman, CEO of jMUSE, a former director of the center, said, “This institution, one of the great Jewish archives and libraries in the world, will house singularly the most important Jewish exhibition presented in this country. It is such a privilege, honor to be involved in this exhibition that carries the memory, legacy, and future of the Jewish people in such a powerful and poignant way…. As we open, we do so in memory of 6 million Jews and the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered.”

The exhibition is designed for children (ages 10 and older) and adults. All general admission tickets include the exhibition audio guide. Plan to spend two hours.

Individual tickets: Timed entry tickets, Monday through Friday: $21 (17 and under, $16); Sunday and holidays: $27 (17 and under, $22); Flex tickets, Monday through Friday: $34; Sunday and holidays: $48

Family tickets (2 adults + 2 children under 17 years): Timed entry tickets, Monday through Friday: $68 (additional 17 and under ticket, $16); Sunday and holidays: $90 (additional 17 and under ticket, $22) Flex tickets, Monday through Friday: $95 (additional 17 and under ticket, $18); Sunday and holidays: $135 (additional 17 and under ticket, $25).

Hours: Sunday through Thursday: 9:30 am-7:30 pm, Friday: 9:30 am-3:30 pm; closed Saturday.

Educational visits to the exhibition, as well as Individual and Family ticket purchases, can be scheduled by visiting AnneFrankExhibit.org.

Anne Frank The Exhibition is a limited engagement, scheduled to close on April 30, 2025. For a list of upcoming programs, visit https://www.cjh.org/.

Genealogy, Holocaust Records at the Center

The Center for Jewish History also has Geneology Research Center, with genealogists on hand who can help you trace your family’s history, has formed a new-multiyear partnership with Ancestry® to open the Ancestry Research & Reflection Room, a new space and initiative to collect, preserve and share family histories of Jewish communities worldwide.

Ancestry®, which is committed to preserving the memories of Holocaust victims and survivors and ensuring that these records are freely accessible to future generations, together with the Arolsen Archives, one of the world’s leading institutions for Holocaust documentation, expanded its Holocaust-related resources by adding 7.5 million more documents to its resources, including Germany, Incarceration Records, 1933–1945.

Ancestry enables free searches of Holocaust documents. These records can be searched for free at a newly opened Ancestry Research & Reflection Room at the Center for Jewish History – a new space and initiative to collect, preserve and share the family histories of Jewish communities worldwide. (Photo provided by Ancestry)

These records can be searched for free at a newly opened Ancestry Research & Reflection Room at the center – a new space and initiative to collect, preserve and share the family histories of Jewish communities worldwide. It is opening to the public on January 27, coinciding with the opening of the Anne Frank exhibition, International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street, New York, 212.294.8301, cjh.org, info@cjh.org.

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Arts & Entertainment, Attractions, Cultural travel, Culture, Museums and Exhibits, New York City travel

Anne Frank House Coming to New York City Headlines Fall Culture Calendar

October 23, 2024 krubin723

De Boekenkast: bookcase in front of Secret Annex. New Yorkers will have the opportunity to actually tour a re-creation of Anne Frank’s hiding place, never before seen outside Amsterdam (© Anne Frank House, photographer Cris Toala Olivares)

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York is one of the premier cultural capitals of the world and fall is when the culture calendar gets into gear. But here’s a heads-up: the blockbuster exhibit of the year – the opportunity to tour a full-scale re-creation of Anne Frank’s Annex as it stands in Amsterdam – opens January 27, 2025, and tickets are on sale now. Here are highlights of what’s ahead on the culture calendar:

Groundbreaking Full-Scale Re-Creation of Anne Frank’s Annex

Amsterdam and New York – The Anne Frank House, one of the most visited historical sites in Europe, is presenting a pioneering experience: the opportunity to walk through an exact replica of Anne Frank’s hiding place where she wrote her famous diary. Anne Frank The Exhibition opens in New York City on January 27, 2025. Considering that tickets to visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam book up three months in advance, tickets for this exhibit are now available at AnneFrankExhibit.org.

This is the first time the Anne Frank House will present this opportunity for visitors outside of Amsterdam to be immersed in a full-scale recreation of the rooms where Anne Frank, her parents and sister, and four other Jews spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture.

As a nonprofit organization helping to shape global understanding of the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance, including lessons on modern day antisemitism, racism, and discrimination, the Anne Frank House is entrusted with the preservation of the Annex where Anne Frank and her family hid during World War II. This exhibition, presented in New York City in partnership with the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan, opens on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 2025, to mark the 80th commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Anne Frank The Exhibition is a first-of-its-kind, full-scale recreation of the complete Annex, furnished as it would have been when Anne and her family were forced into hiding. Moving through the exhibition, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the context that shaped Anne’s life—from her early years in Frankfurt, Germany through the rise of the Nazi regime and the family’s 1934 move to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where Anne lived for ten years until her 1944 arrest and deportation to Westerbork, a large transit camp in the Netherlands, then to Auschwitz-Birkenau, a concentration camp and killing center in Nazi-occupied Poland, and eventually to her death at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany when she was 15 years old.

Designed for audiences who may not have the opportunity to visit the Netherlands, the new exhibition in New York City is anticipated to draw massive attendance for what will be among the most important presentations of Jewish historical content on view in the United States. Through the recreated Annex; exhibition galleries immersing visitors in place and history through video, sound, photography, and animation; and more than 100 original collection items from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, Anne Frank The Exhibition will provide an opportunity to learn about Anne Frank not as a victim but through the multifaceted lens of her life—as a girl, a writer, and a symbol of resilience and strength. This is a story inspired by one of the most translated books in the world.

The New York City exhibition will occupy over 7,500 square feet of gallery space in the heart of Union Square. This marks the first time dozens of artifacts will be seen in the United States—many have never been seen in public.

Artifacts in the exhibition include:

Anne Frank’s first photo album (1929-1942);
Anne Frank’s typed and handwritten invitation to her friend for a film screening in her home (by 1942, anti-Jewish measures prohibited Jews from attending the cinema); and
Handwritten verses by Anne Frank in her friends’ poetry albums.

“Anne Frank’s words resonate and inspire today, a voice we carry to all corners of the world, nearly eight decades later,” Ronald Leopold, Executive Director of the Anne Frank House, said. “As a custodian of Anne’s legacy, we have an obligation to help world audiences understand the historical roots and evolution of antisemitism, including how it fueled Nazi ideology that led to the Holocaust. Anne’s legacy is remarkable, as represented in the diary she left us, and as one of the 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered at the hands of Nazi officials and their collaborators. Through this exhibition, the Anne Frank House offers insights into how this could have happened and what it means for us today.

“The exhibition provides perspectives, geared toward younger generations, that are certain to deepen our collective understanding of Anne Frank and hopefully provide a better understanding of ourselves. By bringing this exhibition to New York—a place with many ties to Anne’s story— the Anne Frank House is expanding the reach of our work to encourage more people to remember Anne Frank, reflect on her life story, and respond by standing against antisemitism and hatred in their own communities.”

Anne Frank The Exhibition is a limited engagement, scheduled to close on April 30, 2025. Public programming and educational initiatives tied to the exhibition will be announced when the exhibition opens to the public.

Timed entry individual and family tickets are available at AnneFrankExhibit.org. The exhibition is designed for children (ages 10 and older) and adults. All general admission tickets include the exhibition audio guide. Visitors should plan to spend approximately one hour at the exhibition. Last entry is one hour before closing.

Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, N.Y. between 5th and 6th Avenues

Edges of Ailey at Whitney Museum of American Art

*Edges of Ailey* (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). Courtesy of Whitney Museum of American Art; Photo by Natasha Moustache.

Edges of Ailey at the Whitney Museum of American Art through February 9, 2025, is the first large-scale museum exhibition to celebrate the life, dances, influences, and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey. This dynamic showcase brings together visual art, live performance, music, a range of archival materials, and a multi-screen video installation drawn from recordings of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) repertory to explore the full range of Ailey’s personal and creative life. Described as an “extravganza” by curator Adrienne Edwards, Edges of Ailey is the must-see event of the NYC fall/winter season. The landmark exhibition is on view only in NYC.

Presented at the Museum in multiple parts, Edges of Ailey consists of an immersive exhibition in the Museum’s 18,000 square-foot fifth-floor galleries that includes artworks by over 80 artists and never-before-seen archival materials. Artists featured in the exhibition include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Faith Ringgold, Alma Thomas, Jacob Lawrence, Kara Walker, and many others. A recent acquisition of Eldren Bailey and new works by Karon Davis, Jennifer Packer, Mickalene Thomas, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye will be presented for the first time in honor of this landmark exhibition.

Edges of Ailey is part of a ‘Season of Ailey’ in New York City, which includes the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company’s annual engagement at New York City Center, December 4-January 5.

Also at the Whitney:

Opening November 1, Shifting Landscapes explores how evolving political, ecological, and social issues motivate artists’ representations of the world around them. The 120 works by more than 80 artists—including Firelei Báez, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jane Dickson, Gordon Matta-Clark, Amalia Mesa-Bains, andPurvis Young—depict the effects of industrialization on the environment, grapple with the impact of geopolitical borders, and give shape to imagined spaces as a way of destabilizing the concept of a “natural” world.

On view through January 5, 2025, Survival Piece #5: Portable Orchard marks the first standalone museum presentation of the fully realized indoor citrus grove conceived and designed in 1972 by artists Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison. Stretching across the Museum’s eighth-floor gallery, this installation of 18 live citrus trees explores the need for a productive and sustainable food system in an imagined future where natural farming practices are obsolete and cannot be taken for granted.

More information at whitney.org/exhibitions.

Inaugural Perelman Performing Arts Center NYC Icons of Culture Festival

This fall, the Perelman Performing Arts Center [PAC NYC] is staging its inaugural PAC NYC ICONS OF CULTURE FESTIVAL presented by BNY from Tuesday, October 29 – Saturday, November 2, 2024.

PAC NYC ICONS OF CULTURE FESTIVAL will bring audiences into the room with trailblazers in art, music, comedy, film, sports, and more to talk about pushing boundaries, making a mark, and elevating the everyday to the iconic.

Icons to appear in conversation at the festival include Misty Copeland, The Dogist, Alex Edelman, Renée Fleming, Michael Imperioli, Baaba Maal, Philippe Petit, Questlove, Marcus Samuelsson, Kathleen Turner, Serena Williams, and Vanity Fair’s Little Gold Men Live!

A calendar of events is available at www.pacnyc.org

Rich Calendar of Cultural Events

*The Museum of the City of New York is the premier repository of the city’s 400-plus year story © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Art Deco City: New York Postcards from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection at Museum of the City of New York, East Harlem, through February 17, 2025: Featuring over 250 postcards alongside decorative arts, fashion, and architectural models, the exhibition highlights the role postcards played in popularizing Art Deco landmarks like the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and Rockefeller Center.

Make Way for Berthe Weill: Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant-Garde at Grey Art Museum, Noho, Manhattan, through March 1, 2025: Berthe Weill, the first woman modern art dealer, championed artists like Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani. This survey features around 110 works shown at her gallery in the early 20th century and highlights her work as a gallerist and advocate.

Pets and the City at The New-York Historical Society, Upper West Side, Manhattan, October 25, 2024—April 20, 2025: Featuring a diverse range of art, objects, memorabilia and media clips, this exhibition highlights pets’ lives in NYC, from early Indigenous cultures to today’s pampered companions. It also examines the growing pet population and addresses topics such as pet adoption and the importance of service animals. Also:

Most people think of Paul Revere solely as a silversmith, but his work as a printer and an artist was key to his role as a patriot seeking to break with Great Britain. His print of the Boston Massacre was significant to organize public opinion against the British. Paul Revere, ***The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated on King Street****, Boston. Hand colored engraving, 1770. American Antiquarian Society. Gift of Nathaniel Paine.*

From Paul Revere to Edward Hopper: Treasures from the Leonard L. Milberg Collection of American Prints, Drawings, and Watercolors, through October 27, 2024, showcases more than 140 prints, drawings, and watercolors from one of the most admired collections of historical American works on paper

Scenes of New York City: Selections from the Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Collection, through October 27, 2024: The inaugural display in the new Hirschfeld Gallery and Hall presents a selection of artworks from an extraordinary promised gift to New-York Historical by prominent philanthropists and art collectors Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld, who have amassed a stunning collection honoring their hometown. The collection features renowned artists—both national and international—and presents vivid snapshots of Gotham and its streetscapes.

Enchanting Imagination: The Objets d’Art of André Chervin and Carvin French Jewelers, through January 5, 2025: This dazzling exhibition of meticulously created objets d’art is on view to the public for the very first time. André Chervin (born 1927 in Paris), with his New York atelier, Carvin French, is one of the most acclaimed makers of handcrafted fine jewelry in the world.

A Billion Dollar Dream: The 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair on its 60th Anniversary at Queens Museum, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, November 3, 2024—March 9, 2025: A Billion Dollar Dream celebrates the 60th anniversary of the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair by examining its legacy through social, political and environmental lenses. Featuring materials from the Queens Museum’s collection, the exhibition highlights the Fair’s promotion of progress and nationhood while reflecting contemporary issues, including civil rights and the women’s liberation movement.

Solid Gold at The Brooklyn Museum, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, November 16, 2024—July 6, 2025: Solid Gold celebrates the allure of gold, presenting over 500 works that explore the color and material’s significance in art, fashion, film and design throughout history. Opening for the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary, the exhibition features stunning pieces from renowned designers like Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, alongside gold-ground paintings, sculptures and jewelry by notable artists such as Alexander Calder and Bulgari.

*The Metropolitan Museum of Art is featuring “Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876-Now” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876–Now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side, Manhattan, November 17, 2024—February 17, 2025: Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876–Now examines how Black artists and cultural figures have engaged with ancient Egypt through art, literature and performance over nearly 150 years. Featuring 200 works, the exhibition explores themes like the creation of a unifying identity and the contributions of Black scholars. It also includes a dedicated gallery for performance art, featuring live performances on select days.

Lillie P. Bliss and the Birth of the Modern at The Museum of Modern Art, Midtown Manhattan, November 17, 2024—March 29, 2025: The Museum of Modern Art will host this exhibition in celebration of one of its founders and her crucial role in promoting modern art in the US. The exhibit marks 90 years since Bliss’s contributions to MoMA and will feature about 40 works. The exhibition will also display archival materials, highlighting her lasting impact on the museum and the acceptance of modern art in America.

Ceremonies Out of the Air: Ralph Lemon at MoMA PS1, Long Island City, Queens, November 14, 2024—March 25, 2025: Showcasing over 60 works by Ralph Lemon, this exhibition presents dance, sculpture, video and more. Ceremonies Out of the Air will highlight his storytelling through movement and features the central installation Rant redux (2020–24). It will also include a series of live performances that enhance the immersive experience.

Magazine Fever: Gen X Asian American Periodicals at The Museum of Chinese in America, Nolita, Manhattan, through March 30, 2025: Magazine Fever: Gen X Asian American Periodicals examines the impact of Asian American magazines in shaping identity during the 1980s and ’90s. Featuring over 80 rare issues from notable publications like A. Magazine and Hyphen, the exhibition showcases how these magazines provided a platform for Asian Americans to assert their narratives and portray their identities.

FUTURA 2000: BREAKING OUT at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, South Bronx, Through March 30, 2025: FUTURA 2000: BREAKING OUT is a retrospective of the legendary NYC artist’s career. Running through winter 2025, it showcases five decades of his work, including sculptures, drawings, prints and new installations. The exhibition highlights his signature techniques, science-fiction motifs and the iconic 1980 graffiti piece, Break, which cemented his influence in the art world.

The cast of New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players with NYGASP Founder Albert Bergeret taking bows at last season’s ‘Mikado.” NYGASP celebrates its 50^th anniversary and honors 150 years of Gilbert of Sullivan in its 2024-25 season © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players Celebrates 50th Anniversary Season: New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP), America’s preeminent professional Gilbert & Sullivan repertory company, announces a Golden Jubilee, celebrating its 50th anniversary season and honoring 150 years of the wit and wonder of Gilbert & Sullivan. The celebrated full company and orchestra will perform “Ruddigore” on Nov. 23– 24, 2024; “The Pirates of Penzance” on Jan. 4– 12, 2025; and “Iolanthe” on April 5^–6, 2025 at the Gerald Lynch Theatre at John Jay College. Info and tickets at www.nygasp.org.

And on Long Island:

Billy Joel attends the opening of the first exhibit dedicated exclusively to LIMEHOF Inductee and Legendary Long Island Musician. Due to popular demand, the exhibit is being extended through Spring 2025 © Karen Rubin/going-placesfarandnear.com

‘Billy Joel – My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey’ Exhibit at LIMEHOF Extended: The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) has is extending the run of the first ever exhibit dedicated exclusively to LIMEHOF Inductee and Legendary Long Island Musician Billy Joel through spring 2025. Billy Joel- My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey spans Joel’s life and career from growing up in Hicksville to his legendary run at Madison Square Garden. It includes over 50 years of Billy Joel’s most cherished items including rare memorabilia, behind-the-scenes video, dozens of awards, rare audio and video recordings, vintage instruments and historic photos, many donated by Billy Joel himself. Timed entry and VIP tickets and special holiday packages and gift cards are available at www.TheBillyExhibit.com (LIMEHOF, 97 Main Street, Stony Brook, Long Island, www.limusichalloffame.org).

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© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Camping/Glamping/RVs, Ecotourism, Historic Places, National Parks, New York City travel, Places of History

Governors Island: a Destination, a Getaway, a Retreat from/in New York City

June 16, 2024 krubin723

*Enjoy biking or pedaling around Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Governors Island has become a destination all its own, where just 8 minute ferry ride away from Battery Park or Brooklyn, New Yorkers can feel as if they have traveled far, far away in both time and place.Just 800 yards off the southern tip of Manhattan, the 172-acre island is a world away.

*Governors Island, a short ferry ride from Manhattan or Brooklyn, affords the best views of Manhattan © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

You can rent bikes, pedal coaches, visit the 200-year old Castle Williams, a 22-acre National Monument managed by the National Park Service and learn its history (it helped save New York from British Invasion during the War of 1812 and was used as a prison during the Civil War and Fort Jay. The island had been a military base – my father was based there during World War II, and now is a Coast Guard headquarters). Biking around the island, you have the best view of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.

*Tour the 200-year old Castle Williams, a 22-acre National Monument managed by the National Park Service and learn its history on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Governors Island was originally an egg-shaped rock covered in nut trees, utilized as a fishing and ground for the Lenape tribe and early New York settlers. Governors Island’s long military history began when the colonial militia constructed an earthen-work fort, later to become Fort Jay, in 1775. Castle Williams, the second of three historic forts on the Island, was built in 1811, and with the other two forts that defended New York’s Harbor, successfully discouraged the British from invading during the War of 1812.

The island is in the midst of a transformation from an abandoned former military base to a year-round destination for recreation, culture and innovation.

*Volunteers maintain the gardens on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Today, Governors Island has been revitalized as an award-winning park and laboratory for sustainability and cultural enrichment, with year-round educational and cultural facilities and programming.

A key area is The Hills, rising 70 feet above sea-level, offering breathtaking – and never-before-seen – views of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor.

*Governors Island, just off the tip of Manhattan, affords the best views of the Statue of Liberty © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Slide Hill, rising 40 feet, has four slides, including New York City’s longest slide at 57 feet. Grassy Hill, rising 25 feet, offers gentle slopes and views overlooking 30 acres of the new park. Discovery Hill, rising 40 feet, features ornamental trees and shrubs, as well as Cabin, a permanent site-specific installation by acclaimed British artist Rachel Whiteread, commissioned through Governors Island Arts. Outlook Hill, rising 70 feet, offers both a winding, accessible path to a plaza at its summit, and a granite ‘scramble’ for those who seek a quicker ascent, and be rewarded with 360-degree views of the Statue of Liberty, New York harbor, Verrazano-Narrows bridge and city skyline.

Collective Retreats Glamping on Governors Island

And now you can even stay on the island and turn the adventure into a real getaway.

*Collective Retreats offers a variety of luxury glamping accommodations on Governors Island including tents and tiny houses © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Collective Retreats, based in Colorado, operates a luxury glamping retreat with tents and tiny-home-style accommodations, enhanced with morning yoga; spa offerings at QC NY (located adjacent to Retreat); live music every evening; cocktail hour on the sunset terrace; chef-driven farm-to-table dining; and Historic Governor’s island adventuring by bike.

Accommodations have everything you’d expect from a five-star hotel: from plush beds with high thread count linens to bathrooms with luxury bath amenities. Daily continental breakfast baskets, filled with yogurt, fresh fruit, pastries, juice, and protein bar is delivered to your tent, and farm-to-table, wood-fired dinners are available every evening at its Three Peaks restaurant.

The retreat features a variety of accommodations: Summit Tents, with king-size bed or two single beds made up with high-thread-count linens, private en-suite bathrooms, plush towels, boutique bathroom amenities, and private decks with Adirondack chairs; smaller Journey Tents with king or two twin configuration, fine linens, plush towels, various in-tent amenities and communal bathrooms; Outlook Shelters, which are like tiny homes fully sheltered from the elements with climate control, with bedroom, en suite bathroom with luxury spa soaking tub, a living/lounge space with coffee table, as well as mini bar / mini fridge and two private decks with Adirondack chairs.

Both overnight and non-overnight guests are invited to enjoy its Wood-Fire Grill menu and a la carte menus in addition to an extensive selection of specialty beer, classic cocktails, and wine offerings. Walk-ins are welcomed for dinner. Pair any dining option with a classic cocktail, wine, or beer from The Sunset Terrace Bar.

More info: https://www.collectiveretreats.com/governors-island/

You can see massive restoration going on all around the island, with a goal to expand year-round public access by enlivening it with transformative public art and culture, extraordinary recreational and open space, and research and education dedicated to addressing the global climate crisis.

*Once lodgings for military officers, Governors Island houses are being restored to house art , cultural and educational programs © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Governors Island is open to the public daily year-round (pay attention to the ferry schedule). From Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend, the Island is open from 7am-10pm Sunday through Thursday and 7am-11pm Friday and Saturday, with the South Island Park (including Picnic Point, the Hills, Hammock Grove, and the Play Lawns) closing at 6pm every day. All other times, the Island is open daily from 7am-6pm.

From Manhattan: Ferries operated by the Trust for Governors Island run daily from the Battery Maritime Building, located at 10 South Street in Lower Manhattan. Click here for schedules and tickets. Evening ferries are available for Governors Island tenants and guests, which includes visitors to QC NY, Island Oyster, Taco Vista, and Gitano. Tickets to evening ferries can only be purchased in person at the Battery Maritime Building.

From Brooklyn: Seasonal ferries operated by the Trust for Governors Island run Saturdays, Sundays, and Holiday Mondays from May 25-September 2, 2024 from two Brooklyn locations: Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Red Hook/Atlantic Basin. Click here for schedules and tickets.

The Trust for Governors Island operates theseferries, and you can purchase tickets on the Governors Island website https://www.govisland.com/plan-your-visit/ferry.

NYC Ferry, the City’s public ferry service, also serves Governors Island daily year-round,with stops on the Lower East Side, Wall Street, and along the Brooklyn waterfront..For to the NYC NYC Ferry site (click here) for NYC Ferry information, ticketing, and schedules.

For more information, www.govisland.com, info@govisland.org.

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Arts & Entertainment, Festivals and Events, New York City travel

Summer in the City: Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island is Escape Back to Roaring ‘20s

June 16, 2024 krubin723

Ann Votaw shows why she was the winner of the Charleston dance contest at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, hosted by Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Hop the ferry and within 10 minutes, you are transported in time and place. It’s the Gatsby era,with 1920s hot-jazz, flappers and sheiks. It’s the 19^th Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island. The first took place June 8-9, but if you missed it, you have another chance at this delightful escape back to the zeitgeist of the Roaring ‘20s on August 10-11.

*Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra host the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra sets the mood with music Arenella has transcribed from original recordings of the Jazz era. Arenella re-creates the role of a Big Band leader, taking on the inflection and look, and telling anecdotes about the music and the musicians as if it were happening today, when this music was all the rage and radio was a new (and dangerous) cultural phenomenon. Within moments, you are transported back to the romance and joie de vive of that time, leaving behind for these precious hours the hubbub of modern times. The only piercing of the illusion are the ubiquitous cell phones.

*Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, hosted by Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The entertainment throughout the day is topnotch: Roddy Caravella & The Canarsie Wobblers consistently wow with fanciful costumes and choreography; Queen Esther, an award-winning vocalist sets her own standard of Jazz Great while paying tribute to jazz royalty of yore with her jazz quintet The Hot Five (Queen-Esther.com); Peter Mintun, “world’s greatest piano man,” Charlie Roman Casteluzzo, specializing in hot jazz guitar from the 1930s, featuring his rare collection of popular music from the golden years of jazz, and Charlie Roman and the Glad Rags Orchestra (charlieromanjazz.com).

*Roddy Caravella’s Canarsie Wobblers entertain at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

There are special attractions, as well, starting with lessons in Charleston or the Peabody by Roddy Caravella and his wife, Gretchen (who is also the costumer for the Canarsie Wobblers); dance competition (in Charleston or Peabody (this year, an actual prize of two tickets to the “Gatsby” show on Broadway!); a “High Court of Pie” contest (pre-register at jazzagelawnparty@gmail.com) ; Bathing Beauties and Beaus Promenade (Sundays, to enter email: voon@icloud.com), and some Kidland carnival games.

*Roddy Caravella and his wife Gretchen demonstrate the Charleston during the dance lesson that kicks off the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Scores of vintage vendors add to the atmosphere – if you didn’t have your own vintage outfit, you can rent or buy, and if you didn’t have your own picnic blanket, you could purchase from the General Store. You can have your portrait taken with vintage cameras or sitting on a Paper Moon, or with a 1920s motor car.

*Governors Island is transformed back to the 1920s for the jazz Age Lawn Party © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Taste France Magazine offers VIP picnic baskets and a pop-up French market, featuring Centre-Loire wines, Citadelle gin, Lactalis cheeses, and many more gastronomic delights. A selection of refreshing, ice cold cocktails is on offer from Brooklyn’s very own Social Hour – a line of canned craft cocktails founded by bartending veterans Julie Reiner and Tom Macy.

Sip on the delightfully fizzy G&T made with New York Distilling Company’s Dorothy Parker Gin, or the Pacific Spritz made with a combination of house made Italian aperitivo and Rosé wine; for whiskey lovers the fiery Whiskey Mule made with New York Distilling Company’s Ragtime Rye will be sure to please.

There are also a selection of food trucks featuring picnicking fare, sweet treats, ice cream and old-time snacks.

Ferry is Magic Carpet to Bygone Era

The enchantment begins as you board the ferry from South Street, Manhattan (next door to the Staten Island ferry terminal) or from Brooklyn for the short ride to Governors Island. You think you have stepped back to the 1920s – crowds of giddy people cram the ferry, dressed in flapper dresses and linen suits, caps and suspender, and dancing shoes, hauling elaborate picnic baskets and paraphernalia..

*Corrine Hart-Rood and Carl Rood from Massapequa Park, Long Island, get into the spirit of the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We are back in the Jazz Age, and the setting is perfect, a vast lawn set off by an arbor of trees, surrounded by historic buildings and forts that date back to the War of 1812, the Civil War and World War II when Governors Island was used as a military base and prison.

People come and set out sprawling picnics – some with elaborate fixings like candelabras and crystal wine glasses.

*Dancing to Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The atmosphere is infectious. Fellows seem more civilized. Gals seem more sassy. And the good feeling just percolates to the beat from Michael Arenella’s Dreamland Orchestra, as this fantastical community defying time forms.

The unquestioned star of the day long festival is Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra, one of the world’s great Jazz Age dance bands, specializing in the Hot-Jazz of the 1920s. “Conductor, composer, musician and singer Michael Arenella presents a personally transcribed songbook for your listening and dancing pleasure.” (Michael Arenalla also can be heard at the Clover Club, Smith Street in Brooklyn and at the Red Room, 85 E 4^th St, NYC, see www.dreamlandorchestra.com)

***Queen Esther*** performs her own standard of Jazz Great while paying tribute to jazz royalty of yore with her jazz quintet The Hot Five at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Arenella sits in with his trombone with Queen Esther, and with the really excellent Charlie Roman and the Glad Rags Orchestra, playing at a second dance floor

*Michael Arenella sits in with Charlie Roman and the Glad Rags Orchestra at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

It isn’t hard to believe you have returned to the Jazz Age because of the authenticity and attention to detail. Arenella “transcribes by hand their entire repertoire from period recordings. Their delivery, as well as their instruments, attire, and equipment — are faithfully accurate. Arenella’s strong yet vulnerable baritone lacks pretense or sarcasm. He treasures each lyric, and has faith in the songs he sings. Even the most optimistic Tin Pan Alley tune has a disarming quality in his hands.”

*Dancing to Charlie Roman and the Glad Rags Orchestra at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Now in its 19^th year (there is a gofundme project to raise money for a 20^th anniversary book), the Jazz Age Lawn Party has built a history of its own. It started in 2005 as a small gathering of about 50 friends and fans of Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra and their version of prohibition-era music and fun. Not too many years after, it was drawing thousands of fans who revel in the music and zeitgeist of the 1920s and 1930s and has become what is arguably the world’s largest outdoor musical celebration of the Jazz Age, but is undoubtedly one of the highlights in a crammed calendar of summer happenings in New York City.

There are also plans for a week-long transatlantic cruise from Southampton to NYC on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, Sept 25, 2025 with Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra, with1920s and 30s village dress, dance, danceclasses,and a pre-voyage trip to the birthplace ofArt Deco, Paris, hosted bytheArt Deco Society of Paris; Ahoy Vintage Cruises, www.ahoyvintagecruises.com, 214-761-1968.)

If you missed the June 8 & 9 event, there’s still time to purchase tickets for August 10 and 11.

Ticket sales are live at https://jazzagelawnparty.com and available exclusively through Fever, a global live-entertainment discovery platform. (Book your ferry ticket, https://www.govisland.com/plan-your-visit/ferry)

For more information, visit: JazzAgeLawnParty.com.

Here are more photo highlights:

*The Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island has become a family affair © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Enthusiastic participation in the Charleston dance lesson at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Getting into the spirit of the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, hosted by Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Michael Arenella revives the music and spirit of the Roaring 20s at the 19^th Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Roddy Caravella judges the Charleston contest at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Posing for a portrait on a Paper Moon at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Votes for Women! at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Queen Esther poses with her band at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

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Going Places, Far & Near

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