Staff suggest

One of the many wonderful things about The Manhattan Club is our staff's enthusiasm for New York City. We love the City and truly enjoy recommending exciting places to visit, interesting things to see and fun things to do. We asked some of our staff to share their current favorite "must see" or do. Here's what they came up with.

HISTORIC SITES | SIGHTS & SOUNDS OF NEW YORK CITY | ART | NIGHT LIFE | DINING

HISTORIC SITES
To experience a small part of New York City's past, visit the Merchant's House Museum. Built in 1832, it is a unique survivor of old New York and is New York City's only family home preserved intact - inside and out - from the 19th century. Home to a prosperous merchant family for almost 100 years, it contains original furniture, decorative arts, clothing, and personal memorabilia.

Architecturally, the Merchant's House is considered one of the finest surviving examples of the period. The exterior façade is late Federal, with dormer windows and a fanlight above the front door. Inside, a Greek Revival interior can be found. While visiting this historic home treat yourself to a classic afternoon tea served in the garden every Sunday throughout September, October and early November. The tea includes a selection of finger sandwiches, scones with jam and Devonshire cream, plus a choice of desserts.

Admission to Sunday tea, including a guided tour of the house, is $35.00 per couple and $15.00 for each additional guest in your party. The tea begins at 1:00pm. A reservation is necessary to take part in this wonderful experience. For reservations or to find out about their holiday events, For call (212) 777-1089. The museum is located at 29 East Fourth Street, New York, NY, between Lafayette Street and Bowery.

The Museum is open Thursday through Monday, 1:00pm - 5:00pm. On Saturday and Sunday, guided tours are given on the half-hour; tours on weekdays are self-guided. Group tours are by appointment. Admission to the house alone is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors. For more information, please contact the museum at (212) 777-1089 or go to their web site, http://www.merchanthouse.com.

SIGHTS & SOUNDS OF NEW YORK CITY
When you want to experience the sights of New York harbor but don't want to spend a day at Liberty Island or Ellis Island, then a FREE trip on the Staten Island Ferry is the perfect choice. The Staten Island Ferry, a 25-minute ride each way, provides spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Governor's Island & Lower Manhattan. The Fare is FREE and you can take the trip as many times as you wish. You can also bring a picnic lunch or enjoy a snack from the concession stand aboard the ferry. The ferry departs from the Whitehall Ferry Terminal near Battery Park in Lower Manhattan. It is sure to be a fun trip for the whole family.

September 12 - 22 - The "75th Annual Feast of San Gennaro" will be held in Little Italy. There will be great food offered by 35 of Little Italy's most famous indoor and outdoor restaurants, along with traditional Italian music and more than 300 street vendors selling international foods and gifts. This eleven-day celebration of Italian culture and one of New York City's most popular downtown neighborhoods is a great way to enjoy the City and revel in the diversity that makes this City so great.

ART
If it is an intimate and unique gallery that you enjoy, the FREE gallery at the American Bible Society will delight you. The Gallery is a special venue in the City as it is the only exhibition space dedicated solely to Judeo-Christian art and the inspiration that the art brings to people of all faiths. The society is non-denominational and its mission is to bring exceptional works of art that often have never been seen in New York or the United States. The current exhibition is "Icons or Portraits? Images of Jesus and Mary." The image of Jesus is one of the most pervasive representations in the history of art. From the symbolic images of Early Christian catacombs to modern interpretations, iconic as well as narrative images have served dually as objects of devotion and aesthetic appreciation. The exhibition includes over 100 images of Jesus and Mary in different media, dating from the twelfth through the nineteenth centuries.

The Gallery is located at 1865 Broadway at 61st Street. The exhibition is free and open to the public. The hours are Monday - Wednesday, and Friday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Thursday 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM and Saturday 10:00 am -5:00 PM. For more information please call the gallery at (212) 408-1500 or go to their web site, www.americanbible.org/gallery/gallery.cfm

The AXA Gallery presents works from all fields of the visual arts, including exhibitions originating outside New York that would not otherwise have a presence in the city. On display now thorough October 19, 2002 the Gallery presents "Perfect Acts of Architecture" drawings from the 1970s and 1980s by some of the great architectural thinkers of our time. The exhibition is composed of 140 drawings by internationally renowned architects Peter Eisenman, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Thom Mayne, and Bernard Tschumi, representing works they created between 1972 and 1987. During this sluggish economic period when new building was curtailed, these architects fueled a vital intellectual and experimental scene filled with passionate debate emerging from philosophy, film theory, linguistics, literary criticism, and social thought. Thus the stage was set for an eruption of "paper architecture" of incomparable beauty, range, brilliance, and depth.

The gallery is located at 787 Seventh Avenue at 51st Street and is open Monday - Friday: 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturdays: Noon - 5:00 p.m. and is closed on Sundays. Admission is FREE and the entrance is wheelchair-accessible. For information, please call (212) 554-4818 or go to their web site, www.axa-financial.com/aboutus/gallery.html.

NIGHT LIFE
The Carnegie Club, located at 156 West 56th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues) is celebrating its third year of offering wonderful entertainment in an elegant and inviting atmosphere. This is one of New York City's finest and most enjoyable cocktail lounges and is open seven days a week from 4:30pm - 4:00am. Every Friday from 9:00pm - 12:00am enjoy "The Ernie Savage Revue" performing swing, Jump Blues and R&B music. $20.00 cover charge applies. Every Saturday from 8:00pm and 10:00pm revel in "The Sounds of Sinatra" with Cary Hoffman and The Stan Rubin Orchestra. $30.00 cover and $15.00 drink minimum. Sunday from 8:00pm - 12:00pm relax to an open Jazz Jam with Mark Rapp. There is no cover or drink minimum on Sundays. This truly marvelous lounge will take you away from the ordinary and make your evening an extraordinary event.
For more information, please call (212) 597-9676 or go to their web site, www.carnegieclub.com.

DINING
Master Chef Zarela Martinez has celebrated her native Mexican cuisine for 15 years at her lively midtown namesake restaurant, Zarela. Don't expect tacos and chimichangas. Her loyal following come for the inspired regional cooking of Oaxaca and Veracruz. The intense tastes and combinations of moles and salpicon will change forever the way you look at food from south of the border. She also makes killer guacamole and margaritas. Open daily for dinner. Lunch served Monday through Friday. 953 Second Avenue (Between 51st & 52nd Streets) Phone: (212) 644-6740