While visiting the Bowling Green Park, I noticed the US Custom House was nearby! The U.S. Custom…read moreHouse is located in the Financial District in New York City. It was originally constructed between 1902 and 1907! The building originally served as the headquarters for the U.S. Customs Service. The building is massive! It includes granite facade, and a columned entrance! The building's exterior has designs based on continents and symbols of maritime commerce! After the U.S. Customs service relocated in the 1970s, the building is now the National Museum of the American Indian! You can visit and explore the rotunda, murals, and the monumental staircases.

I was very grateful to see accessible Global Entry appointments being offered in the city to avoid…read moregoing to the airport for an appointment. You are essentially approved on the day of your Global Entry interview and can use your assigned number right away. The process of making an appointment online was easy through your portal, but it can be essentially up to a month long wait for availability. I only needed my passport for the appointment, but in the appointment confirmation they ask you to bring additional ID, your conditional acceptance letter, and proof of residency. On the appointment day, look for the Bankruptcy Dept entrance and make a right turn, there will be another entrance around the corner with security inspection. The entrance was hard to find because there is scaffolding all around the building and no clear signage. There was one sign that said to enter through the museum entrance, which was closed at 8am. There were armed NYPD officers with automatic weapons standing in front of the building, which really set the tone for the experience, though they didn't know anything about Global Entry appointments when I asked them where the right entrance was. Upon entering, the security was incredibly rude for no reason. I greeted the security officer and he pointed to the open bins, then spoke to me in a demeaning way when I put my items into the bin because he wanted me to wait for him to tell me when to put my items in despite there being no one in front or behind me. He made me take my things out and berated me, and then had me put my things back into the same bin a moment later. I was really shocked by how rude the interaction was. After security, you wait in a seating area and an agent comes down with a clipboard asking for people with appointment slots. You go up with people to the fourth floor into another small, crowded waiting room until your name is called by a person behind a counter. They take the no cellphone, tablet, or headphone policy very seriously, so be sure to put things away before going upstairs. Once you're called, they take a quick photo of you and I was told that I'd receive my Global Entry card within 2-3 weeks. Overall, everything took about 10 mins in and out, but just know you will probably face some sort of aggressive behavior at some point, so wait to be instructed for everything. The whole experience felt so tense and hostile despite being straightforward.

FREE worthwhile museum, open until 6pm most nights!…read more I had exactly one hour (not enough time) at this museum before we needed to leave for a 3:30pm showtime at the State Theater NJ, which is an easy 15-min walk away. While a great stop to pair with theater, an hour is not enough time to see the full permanent collection let alone the temporary exhibits. I recommend at least 2h for this museum. The Soviet art was very exciting to me. I love Russian 20th C writers as well as those of the two centuries before. But this collection focuses on the times of Solzhenitsyn and just after Chekhov / Tolstoy. It was so wonderful to see the visual art counterpart to the literary works of the era. The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University offers FREE admission to everyone (as does nearby Princeton Art Museum). However, in both cases, you need to research parking because this is all overwrought university town systems, designed to nickel-and-dime, wasting your day navigating garages for available spots, adding apps to pay, or keeping track of tickets. I digress for this nuisance that really beats fun out of the experience. Nonetheless, the museum itself is a worthy stop if you are in the area. I highly recommend pairing with a visit to Rutgers Gardens (see my other reviews), just a 7min drive away, with free admission and a free parking lot!

Beautiful free to the public art museum on the campus of Rutgers University New Brunswick campus…read more There's a very nice selection of art and sculptures and also rotating exhibits when I went it was Andy Warhol. It's definitely worth a visit and there's plenty of parking and restaurants in the area around the museum. Plus the whole area is a nice place for a walk. It's definitely worth a visit it's one of my favorite museums

This house is a historic treasure right under your nose! It has been given landmark status back in…read more2016 if I recall correctly. And it's located right across another landmark! The Van Sicklen family/Gravesend cemetery, the oldest burial ground in New York! It was actually founded by Lady Moody herself and some suspect she was also buried here herself. The cemetery was established by Lady Moody back in 1643, and the 350 gravestones in it are from mid 18th cent to the mid 1900s. The Lady Moody House was never actually her house per say. It was named after her as it was subsequently built on the land that she purchased. And most likely, it was built in the 1700s by the infamous and influential, wealthy Van Sicklen family (that subsequently gave so much historical and geographic significance to Gravesend and Brooklyn). So who's this Lady Moody? She was one of the first, if not the first woman in the New World, who was allowed to purchase/own land. Wealthy English woman who took refuge in the New World in the 1600s. And so among the lands that she purchased was the area we all now know as Gravesend. Lady Moody founded Gravesend. And the house that stands upon her land is one of the oldest houses in Brooklyn and is one of the few surviving examples of 18th century Dutch-American farmhouse architectural styles in the United States.

Genuinely nice building, and a cut above your average mall. Plenty of upscale shopping, clean and…read morewell kept, and it makes for a pleasant escape from the chaos of the streets outside, even if the area itself is thoroughly touristy. I headed down to the basement for the Whole Foods, which is where my one real complaint lives: I cannot believe people do their regular grocery shopping here. The prices are sky high. This is "grab a fancy snack because you're already in the building" territory, not "do your weekly shop" territory. Your wallet will feel the difference. Worth knowing if you're looking for it today: this got renamed the Deutsche Bank Center back in 2021, though the shops and that pricey Whole Foods are all still there. Nice place to wander. Just maybe eat before you visit the grocery store.

I can't get used to the new name. Deutsche Bank took over the long-term lease from Time Warner, and…read morethe building was renamed the Deutsche Bank Center last year. Even Time Warner changed its name to Warner Media after it was acquired by AT&T, so I guess I have to get used to it like most things I hate. I just think Time Warner has a certain snap to its name and the mass media cachet that a multinational bank simply doesn't. The Shops at Columbus Circle are gratefully still here, especially to people who actually buy stuff, although some of the shops have left like Amazon Books. Thomas Keller's Per Se is still there though it's as unattainable as it's always been. Whole Foods has also survived in the basement because presumably the filthy rich owners of the luxurious residential units above still need a convenient place for their domestics to get their groceries. Jamie W. and I are just grateful the public restrooms are kept in immaculate condition. That and the still-spectacular view of Columbus Circle from every public level of this complex (photo: https://bit.ly/3S8Omlq). Now what's the name of this place again? RELATED - Exploring Manhattan? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2ZvQA2F

Beautiful park and I'm very glad that the monument is back/still there especially for Pride month…read more(June). Lovely shaded space, a lot of seats, near restaurants/bars, close to subways. The trees are behind fences so that they won't be interfered with, and the monument inside is behind a fence as well.

My 8,100th Yelp review milestone takes us back to the defining moment in the LGBTQ+ movement, the…read moreStonewall riots that started the night of June 28, 1969. I've walked in this West Village neighborhood many times over the years, but this was the first time Jamie W and I had been to the Visitor Center, the first dedicated LGBTQ+ visitor center in the entire National Park Service system. Located next to the legendary Stonewall Inn (Photo 3), it's an expansive indoor space that offers free admission to powerful biographical exhibits in The Stories of Stonewall, a dynamic Wall of Solidarity celebrating queer joy, and a mini-theater in the back. There are archival artifacts and even a functional 1967 Rowe AMI jukebox that plays period hits. Of course they sell T-shirts with vital messaging. We also learned that the national monument is more than the inn and the visitor center. It encompasses the surrounding streets over an area of 7.7 acres. That includes Christopher Park with the white-painted bronze figures of the Gay Liberation Monument (Photo 2) as well as Christopher Street, Grove Street, and Gay Street where the historic demonstrations occurred. CORRESPONDING REVIEWS: The Stonewall Inn: https://yelp.to/v3AH4JEOep Christopher Park: https://yelp.to/SHmmOmIBMW Julius': https://yelp.to/3Y9RIgaA6x The Duplex: https://yelp.to/lQt-c5jaQd RELATED: Any interest in my 80 previous milestone Yelp reviews? Here's a collection of personal landmark places I visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/hAiZRaYPyL

One of the few streets on the UES that is closed off to traffic and is a pedestrian plaza…read more Located in Yorkville between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. It's adjacent to Ruppert Park and offers benches on both sides of the street to take a chill break. Also, there is a Citi Bike rack here. The local community organization sponsors movie nights on the street and other activities mainly for the children in the area. It's been a terrific spot to take grab and go cocktails during the pandemic, and relax for a spell. It's paved with bricks and the top of the hill near 3rd Ave is falling apart and sinking. Been this way for two years now and is a danger risk. Why has the city not fixed this yet? Instead they just put metal barricades around it and neglect it. Typical.

When the Community lobbied to have the Street Closed Department of Transportation (DOT) listened…read more These buildings and tenants have the financial resources to get what they want. It's a beautiful place to sit and relax. It's well maintained. Cagney was born on Manhattan's lower East Side but was raised in Yorkville, an area heavily populated by German emigrants and noted for its breweries, including Ruppert's on the 91st Street site. I'm busy enjoying the beautiful breeze, lovely trees and hopefully a pigeon won't poop on me! The Plaza is adjacent to Ruppert Park. Come and sit for a spell! There's lots of eats, coffee shops and businesses to browse through nearby. Thank You! You're welcome!

Being a thespian, the theater district forever has a piece of my heart that stayed behind! With my…read morehigh school, I had the pleasure of visiting as an alumni chaperone and doing a behind the scenes tour as well to seeing multiple shows. What a blast! There's honestly so much to do outside of just shows - dance lessons, stage combat workshops, stage tours, etc. If you enjoy theater, it's a must if you ever find yourself in New York City.

Music, Dancing, Drama, Comedy, History, Celebrity, Family and More! All words that describe the…read moreTheater District to me. I love to go to shows. The Theater District is alive with excitement at show times. It's a feeling I get being there because you feel so much history. So many lives dedicated to performing before a live audience. Historic buildings. The lights of the Marquees. Hidden entrances and exits. I love the billboards. It's fun to help each other take photos out front on the day of a show. Everyone waiting in line becomes chatty. We all have a camaraderie by the time the doors open. Then there's the Restaurants nearby. Go to eat before a show or after. It doesn't matter. It's part of the night out and the routine we have on show days. There's so much to do and see in the theater district. Remember, you have to be sure you get to the show on time! I could go on and on. Some days I go just to hang around. You don't have to go to a show to enjoy this neighborhood. I had a personal project to take photos of the theaters. I'm posting them here. When I look at them I get the exciting feeling just like on the day of the show. I hope you enjoy. If you visit NYC going to a show and dinner, or lunch, is a thing I recommend. It's the heart and soul of NYC!

Like many New York monuments, it's simple, but elegant enough to drive the point home. I highly…read morerecommend anyone who doesn't have to rush to their ferries to stop and take in this Memorial to brave men.

In Battery Park. Small, simplistic and powerful. Apart from the American and Korean flag, my native…read morecountry's flag is represented here as well, as they have monitored the demilitarized zone since the 50's.