The Secret to Museum Mile

This lovely city has plenty of free events, especially in the summer months. Free, of course, is awesome, but crowds (especially on a hot June day) are not. But, don't let the fear of long lines deter you from Museum Mile, that summer evening when nine museums along Fifth Ave open their doors free of charge. Here's the secret to a slightly less crowded experience: check out the museums uptown. The Museum of the City of New York and El Museo Del Barrio are often the less visited museums during the event.

There's lots going on this Tuesday, June 8th from 6-9pm for Museum Mile. At the Museum of the City of New York all of the current exhibits will be open for you to view including their collection of New York City photos and the New Yorker cartoonist Charles Addams' illustration exhibit.

At El Museo Del Barrio most exhibits will be open, including a permanent collection show. The Museo and street artist James De La Vega (who makes regular appearances on this blog) will host chalk coloring activities along Fifth Ave. Finish your Museum Mile experience with a trip to the the Museo's cafe. I was invited to dine at the cafe this Saturday, and I was impressed with their fare. Try the ceviche or the Chile Relleno con Vegetales ($7 and $5). Relax with a glass of tamarind juice, a beer or soda -- the museum has beverages from all over Latin America -- while listening to one of the performances scheduled for Tuesday evening.


Museum Mile
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
6:00-9:00PM
5th Avenue between 82nd & 105th

Who Even Knew There Was a Catholic Museum in East Harlem?

Yesterday's New York Times has an article on the rise and fall of the National Museum of Catholic Art and History, which believe it or not was in East Harlem. You didn't know their was a Catholic Museum in East Harlem? Well, that could have lent to the museum's struggles. In case you weren't one of the museum's few visitors, when it was open from 2003 to 2007, the museum was located on 115th St and the building is now for sale. The museum was plagued by money issues as well as other problems, but the museum's director had friends in high places who helped keep it afloat.

Photo: Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times

East Harlem: Where the Wild Things Are

When you walk into Legacy: The Preservation of Wilderness in New york City Parks, on view at the Museum of the City of New York, you are surrounded by huge images of the Bronx River Park. You weave through the "river" and move on to more large-scale park images organized by borough: Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

Here's the full piece and slideshow I wrote for The Daily Green on the exhibit. Check out the show this weekend. Say "I'm a neighbor" and get in the museum for free.

Virtual Tour of the New Museo del Barrio

Rendering of the new El Museo del Barrio New York. Reopening October 17, 2009.
Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, and Gruzen Samton Architects.