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Fraunces Tavern Museum (54 Pearl St., lower Manhattan) This museum claims to be Manhattan’s oldest surviving building and also served as a Revolutionary War headquarters for George Washington, as well as a venue for peace negotiations with the British. ” data-id=”110412483″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/10044_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.10412483″/> Photo Credit: Linda Rosier
Originally built as a mansion residence in 1719, Fraunces Tavern Museum was converted into a tavern by Samuel Fraunces in 1762. Now a National Historic Landmark, it still has a restaurant. Just a hop away is South Street Seaport, with some of the oldest architecture in Lower Manhattan. Info: $7, 212-425-1778, frauncestavernmuseum.org Pictured: Rita Thompson, with children, Bianca and Jake, looks at documents in the Warren Jennings McEntee Gallery at the Fraunces Tavern Museum.” data-id=”110412484″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/10045_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.10412484″/> Photo Credit: Linda Rosier
Grand Central Terminal Tours (89 E. 42nd St., tour window on the Main Concourse) It’s just a railroad station, but what a majestic one. Covering 48 acres and with 44 platforms, Grand Central Terminal — which was restored in the late 1990s — is a maze with monumental spaces, myriad shops and restaurants, and hidden alcoves. Pictured: Kirsten Hunter, and her mother, Raine, look at a picture of a construction photograph of Grand Central Terminal.” data-id=”110412485″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/image-173.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.10412485″/> Photo Credit: Linda Rosier
grandcentralterminal.com.” data-id=”110412491″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/image-174.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.10412491″/> Photo Credit: Linda Rosier
The Cloisters (99 Margaret Corbin Dr., upper Manhattan) When people think medieval history, they usually think Europe, but The Cloisters museum in Manhattan can transport you to the Middle Ages. This branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art was assembled in the 1930s from parts of several European abbeys and is devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Pictured: The Gothic Chapel at the Cloisters, Thursday, May 7, 2015.” data-id=”110412481″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/10046_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.10412481″/> Photo Credit: Linda Rosier
The Cloisters museum, with its meditative gardens, is situated on a scenic rise in the lovely 67-acre Fort Tryon Park, worth visiting in its own right. Info: Admission $25, $17 65 and older, $12 students 12 and older; 212-923-3700; metmuseum.org . Pictured: The Cuxa Cloister and Garden at the Cloisters, Thursday, May 7, 2015.” data-id=”110412479″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/image-176.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.10412479″/> Photo Credit: Linda Rosier
A simple walk down any New York City street brings you in contact with history in countless ways. Monuments and landmarks abound, and even the city’s rivers and classic public spaces, such as Central Park and Prospect Park, tell a story. In fact, the city has so much history to offer, it’s hard to know where to start. Here are five particularly good historic and interpretive sites.