Between 1892 and 1924 more than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island, the first federal immigration facility in the United States. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum (in New York Harbor) is housed in an historic landmark building that reflects the human drama which unfolded here. Innovative displays that feature historic artifacts and photos, interactive devices, computers and taped reminiscences of the immigrants themselves may help you and your spouse get in touch with your roots.
Lay-Out: The museum covers about 100,000 square feet and is divided into four exhibition halls: Peopling of America, Ellis Island Processing, Peak Immigration Years 1892-1924, and Ellis Island Galleries, in addition to two theaters, an oral history studio, and immigration library.
Must See: Processing Exhibit Area includes photographs, diaries, letters, and artifacts that highlight, first-hand, the immigration process.
Two-for-One: To get to the museum (where admission is free), you must take the ferry from Battery Park (212-269-5755) -- and you can stop off and visit the Statue of Liberty on the same trip.
Depending on how much time you have and what your special interests are, the following are also well worth visiting:
The Beaux-Arts Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 718-638-5000) is both a city landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. Since its recent renovation, one floor of the new wing is entirely dedicated to ancient Egyptian Art.
Frank Lloyd Wright's spiral path guides visitors through the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (1071 Fifth Avenue, at 88th Street, 212-423-3500), the youngest building ever to be designated a New York City landmark. Brancusi, Calder, Chagall, Giacometti, Kandinsky, Miró, and Picasso are all represented in the permanent collection.
The futuristic Liberty Science Center (Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ, 201-200-1000) has more than 200 interactive displays. The "Brain Trek: A 3-D Laser Journey" multimedia show introduces viewers to the workings of the human brain.
The art, history, technique, and technology of motion pictures, TV, video, and digital media are in focus at the American Museum of the Moving Image (35th Avenue at 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, 718-784-0077), located in a landmark building once home to Paramount Astoria Studios.
The Paley Center for Media (25 West 52nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-621-6800) invites visitors to tune into its collection of more than 60,000 radio and television programs-documentaries, memorable music and dance events, children's programming, and advertising spots. The oldest and most historically vaunted item is a 1920 broadcast of a speech given by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, now included in the show "FDR on the Radio: The Voice of an Era."
The Asia Society (725 Park Avenue at 70th Street, 212-517-ASIA) brings visitors into intimate contact with Asian art.
Inside in a French Gothic-style landmark building erected 1908 and recently renovated, the Jewish Museum (1109 Fifth Avenue, at 92nd Street, 212-423-3200) preserves and displays artifacts representing more than 4,000 years of Jewish history and tradition.
The world's largest naval museum and a National Historic Landmark, the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum (Pier 86, West 46th Street and 12th Avenue, 212-245-0072) floats on a 900-foot-long converted World War II aircraft carrier. Objects on permanent display include a Lockheed A-12 Blackbird spy plane-considered the fastest aircraft in the world -- and the original statue of the Iwo Jima flag raising.
The Pierpont Morgan Library (29 East 36th Street, at Madison Avenue, 212-685-0610) is housed in an intimate, palazzo-like structure that's a National Historic Landmark. Illuminated manuscripts, printed books, bindings, drawings, and prints are shelved inside, and elegant period rooms evoke the splendor of the Gilded Age.
Three million objects -- paintings, sculptures, prints, historical costumes, and photographs -- comprise the diverse collections of the Museum of the City of New York (1220 Fifth Avenue, between 103rd and 104th streets, 212-534-1672). Its Painting and Sculpture Collection features works that range in subject matter from cityscapes to portraits of prominent New Yorkers. The Prints and Photos Collection document the city's history on film. The Silver Collection offers shining examples of America's best handiwork. The Toy Collection is a history of the nation in miniature. And the Costume and Theater collections showcase New York's century-long dominance in the performing arts.
The elegant Neue Galerie houses an impressive colection of German and Austrian 20th-century art, and its Cafe Sabarsky is a stylish place to stop for a cup of coffee and a sacher torte before you head off to your next museum.
