A FINAL VIDEO AT THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY . THIS SUCKER IS LONG!

ANOTHER VISIT TO THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Last summer I wrote another post on the American Museum of Natural History .

I returned to the museum , which takes up 3 blocks of Central Park West from 78th to 81st streets in New York City, to see some exhibits that I didn’t see the first time.

This being New York , where everything is big and spread out , there was a lot of things that I didn’t see.

Monkeys, history of peoples, dinosaurs and Theodore Roosevelt Hall were some of the things that I didn’t get to see the first time .

As I’m not a fan of the satellites and planets, the world famous Hayden Planetarium wasn’t on my list of things to see.

I didn’t see the planetarium the first time, so why would I want to see it now and get really bored?

No, thanks, I’ll pass on that solar system thingy.

The dinosaurs with the names that I can’t pronounce is more my speed.

There was one exhibit with a raptor or some other tyrannosaurus that was so big and long that its head stuck out the door.

I don’t think that I need to tell you that selfies were in full effect and I wasn’t the only one taking a selfie with what ever this animal was.

This section was full of little schoolchildren, who were confused as to whether they were in a playground or a museum.

I knew it was time to move onto another area of the museum so I went to the Theodore Roosevelt Hall, which is on the first floor and named after the former president who was one of the first American politicians who was interested in conservation .

This is one of the museum’s that all those travel guidebooks say that you must see while you’re in New York City .

They aren’t wrong.

A VISIT TO THE KING MANOR MUSEUM

Not many Americans know of Rufus King and his family, but they should .

Not many New Yorkers know of him, either and they definitely should .

Rufus King was one of the members of the Continental Congress , which met in Philadelphia right after the Revolutionary War .

You might say that he was one of “the Founding Fathers ” as he also signed the constitution as a member of the New York delegation.

He was a United States senator and an ambassador to Great Britain under three presidents, Washington , Adams and Jefferson .

He was an outspoken critic against slavery.

The house, which is now a museum, was the home of Rufus, his wife, Mary, and their five sons, one of which became the governor of New York .

The house, which began as a farmhouse , was brought in 1805 by Rufus.

It stayed in the family until 1896, when his granddaughter , Cornelia , died.

The city of New York took over the property and in 1900, the house became a museum .

There is a guided tour of the house, which I advise that you take, as the guides are friendly and very knowledgeable about the house and the family .

You’ll see artifacts that the family did actually use such as the piano in the parlor , which still works.

You’ll also see the delicate and very elegant tea set that belonged to Elizabeth King , another granddaughter of Rufus.

Her portrait is on the second floor of the house as is the drawing room belonging to her uncle John who was the governor of New York .

The house is decorated in period pieces, even the kitchen.

While I did enjoy looking at how the servants prepared food, my favorite room had to be the dining room, where the Kings probably entertained guests .

There’s even a portrait of Mary hanging in the dining room which should tell you who exactly was the boss of the house, and it wasn’t Rufus.

There is a suggested admission price of $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and students, but the main focus of this museum is for you to experience a time in history that you thought you knew about, but realky didn’t .

The museum also has lectures , which are free to the public.

The museum is easily accessible by taking the E train and getting off at the last stop, Jamaica Center and Archer Avenue .

From there , you walk down to 153th Street and Jamaica Avenue.

The museum is right there , in the middle of Rufus King Park.

What is now Rufus King Park used to be part of King Manor as well.

It was that big .

King Manor Museum

Rufus King Park

Jamaica Avenue and 153rd Street

Jamaica , Queens, New York

Monday – Friday 12pm -2pm

Saturday – Sunday 1pm – 5pm

The museum is opened from February until December and closed the entire month of January .

A VISIT TO THE FORT PITT MUSEUM

As I was walking through the city, I came across this museum, which is part of the Smithsonian, and the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh .

It’s the Fort Pitt Museum and it sits right where the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet.

It wasn’t on my list of places to see while I was in Pittsburgh , but the beauty of traveling ,whether you’re doing a 30 Plus Teams Tour or not ,is discovering places that weren’t on your list and weren’t even mentioned in a guide book.

The museum sits right under one of the many bridges that seem to line this city.

There are 446 of them by the way.

The bridge that’s near the museum is the Smithfield Bridge.

I paid my admission and went to explore this museum which tells the story of Pittsburgh during the French and Indian War , long before there was even a United States .

I discovered facts about the city that I wasn’t even aware of , even though I was a history major in college .

As you enter the first floor , right in front of you is a diagram of Fort Pitt, and what would become the city of Pittsburgh.

You also find out about the different Native American tribes in the area and which tribes sided with the French and who sided with the British as well as the Native Tribes who didn’t side with either the French or British.

Not surprisingly , many tribes didn’t trust either the British or French.

You can take pictures on the first floor only but not on the second floor of the museum , which is too bad, because there are a lot more interesting exhibits on the second floor , not to mention the really gorgeous view that you have of the Smithfield Bridge.

But because the artifacts are so delicate, it’s easy to see why they dont want you taking pictures on this floor.

On the first floor, you get to see how soldiers and ordinary citizens lived during this time.

There’s even a portrait of George Washington, who was a member of the Virginia Regiment of the British army.

It was Washington who was sent as an envoy by the British to ask the French to give up the Fort .

Since war came later, you can only guess what the French response was.

Besides the artifacts on the second floor, you get to learn who the major players were for the French, British, Americans and Native Americans .

I was surprised to learn that even back then, Benjamin Franklin was involved in helping the British.

How this would change many years later.

You also learn how after the French and Indian War, and even the Revolutionary War , nothing was resolved with the Native American tribes, and bitterness of some of the tribes seems to linger even until this day.

You might not want to spend that long a time at this museum , but believe me , if you want to learn about some unknown United States history and you happen to be in Pittsburgh visit the Fort Pitt Museum .

Fort Pitt Museum

601 Commonwealth

Plaza Building B

Point State Park

Pittsburgh , PA 15222

Open daily 10am-5pm

412-281-9284

A

dults $7

Seniors 62 years and older $6

Youth 6-17 and students with valid ID $3.50

Retired and active military $4

Children 5 and under Free

START SPREADING THE NEWS – NEW YORK CITY , NEW YORK – A VISIT TO THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM

This  is  one of  the  many museums  in ”  The  city that never  sleeps  “, that not a lot of  tourists  know  about ,  maybe even  a lot of  New Yorkers as well.

This museum  has been  around  since 1961.

Admission  to  the  museum  is free, but there is a suggested  donation  price of $10 when you enter.

The museum  is  closed on Mondays ,  but open on Tuesday  through Sunday . 

It’s  located  at 2 Lincoln  Square ,  which  is  on Columbus  Avenue  between  65th and 66th Streets . 

Even  though  the  museum  is  called  The American  Folk  Art  Museum ,  it focuses  on art, manly quilts ,  that weren’t  mass produced ,  but mostly  made by ordinary  people  like you  and  me.

I  other words ,  people  who  were what  the  museum  calls ,  “self-taught . ”

On  the  day  that  I  visited ,  the museum  had an exhibit  called ,  “War and  Pierced”, which were quilts  made from, of all things, military fabrics ,  especially  from uniforms . 

This exhibition  continues until January  7, 2018.

I was amazed  at how  beautiful  and colorful  some of  the  quilts were.

Some of  them  were done, not by women, but men, many of whom were injured during  war time.

If you happen  to  be  in the New York  City  area, visit this little  known  museum . 
American  Folk Art  Museum  

2 Lincoln  Square  

(Between  65th and 66th Street and Columbus  Avenue  )

New York  City ,  NY  10023

212-595-9533

Tuesday  – Thursday   11:30am- 7pm

Friday   12 pm  – 7:30pm

Saturday   11:30am- 7pm

Sunday   12pm- 6 pm  

HELLO CHARM CITY – BALTIMORE , MARYLAND . THE BABE RUTH BASEBALL MUSEUM IN PICTURES .

While on my annual 30 Plus Teams Tour of Baltimore, I visited   a museum that wasn’t  on my bucket list .  

It’s  the  Babe Ruth  Baseball  Museum.

Most baseball  fans  know that Ruth played for the  Boston  Red Sox and especially ,  the New York  Yankees . 

But what a lot of  baseball  fans didn’t  know  is that he was born in Baltimore, not far from where Orioles  Park  at  Camden  Yards  stands now.

If you happen  to  be  a  baseball  fan this is  one  museum  you should visit  while in the Charm  City.

There’s  an easy way to  get to  the museum  if you happen  to  be  staying  at  the  Hampton  Inn  Downtown  Convention  Center  or you went  to  a  game  at Camden  Yards . 

Follow  the  60 baseballs that are on the sidewalk . 

60 is the the number of  home runs  that Babe Ruth  hit in case you didn’t  know . 

START SPREADING THE NEWS – NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK – THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

The first  thing  one  notices  when  you  walk  into  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  isn’t  the  huge  statue  of  President  Theodore  Roosevelt  right  in  front  of  the  building  that takes  up  four blocks  or so on Central  Park West .

It’s  the  two  giant  prehistoric  animals  getting  ready  to  do  battle  right  in the  middle  of  the  Theodore  Roosevelt  Memorial  Hall .

This  museum ,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  Natural  History  museums  in  the  country ,  is also  the  home  of  the  world  famous  Hayden  Planetarium .

If you  happen  to  be  visiting  New York  City  not only  for  your  own  30  Plus  Teams  Tour ,  but  just  because  this  is  New York  City  after all ,  this  is  one  of  the  museums  that  you  should  visit ,  especially  if  you  have  children .

The  museum  is  easy  to  get  to  by  public  transportation  and  two  New York  City  subway  trains ,  the B and  C  trains ,  stop  right  at  the  museum .

There’s  even  an entrance  when  you  get  off  the  subway  at the Lower  Level .

The  museum  is  open  daily  from  10am  until  5:45  pm .

The suggested  admission price   for  adults   $19  and  for children  ages 2-12, $10.

Before  you  pay, though ,  you’ll  be  asked  if  you  wish to  visit  just  the  museum  or do you  wish  to  see the Imax  Movie ,  special  exhibits ,  plus  any  shows  at  the  Hayden  Planetarium .

If you  want  to  do  all of  this ,  more money  is added  to  your  admission  price .

$14  more for  the  adults ,  $10  more  for  the  children .

If this  sounds  like  a  steep  price  to  you ,  keep  in  mind  that  in effect ,  you’re  visiting  two  museums .

The  Hayden  Planetarium  tells  you  everything  you  wanted  to  know  about  the  planets  and  solar  systems .

Given  the  fact  that  we recently  had  a  solar  eclipse ,  the  Hayden  Planetarium  was one  of  the  busiest  places  in the  museum .

The museum  itself  has  four  floors  and is quite  spread  out ,  so please  be sure  to  pick  up  a floor  plan  before  you  go into  any  of  the  exhibits .

Otherwise ,  you will  be  hopelessly  lost like I was ,  and I  did have  a  floor  plan .

The  planetarium  isn’t  the  only  exhibit  on the  first  floor ,  but the  child  in you  will love  the  Hall  of  North  American  Mammals .

On the  day  that  I  visited  the  museum ,  besides   reading  the  quotes  from President  Roosevelt  that were on  the  wall  as you walk  in  and  being  mesmerized  by the  two  prehistoric  animals  battling  it out, I really  enjoyed  the  exhibits  on in  the  second  floor ,  which just  didn’t  have  the  Hall  of  African  Mammals ,  but  also  the Hall  of  Peoples .

There  were  exhibits  on peoples  from  Mexico ,  South  and  Central  America ,  Asia  and  Africa .

I was really  fascinated  by  the  customs and  traditions ,  and I  would  say that  this  was  my favorite  section  of  the  museum .

I didn’t  think  that  I  would  enjoy  my  visit  to  a  museum  about dinosaurs ,  rocks, and the  planets ,  but I  was  wrong .

This  museum  is so  much  more  than  that .

The  inner  child  in me  really  liked  looking  at  all the  prehistoric  animals ,  and trying  to  pronounce  their  names .

There  was  even  a  section  on  the  birds  of New York  State  and for  some  reason  the exhibit  that seemed  to  have the  most  children ,  and their  parents oohing  and  just  seemingly  enjoying  for  some  strange  reason ,  was the one  called ,  ”  Rodents  of  New  York . ”

Don’t  ask, I couldn’t  look at  it without  getting  sick.

You might  think  an hour  visiting  this  museum  would  be  fine .

Wrong ,  try three  hours  at the  most .

There’s  a  lot  to  see, but leave  the  selfie  sticks  at home  or back at the  hotel  or hostel .

Security  will tell you  when you  first  arrive ,  that  selfie sticks   aren’t  allowed  anywhere  in  the  museum .

There are  so  many  museums  in  the  city to visit .

Make the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  a must  see on your  next  trip  to  New York  City . 

START SPREADING THE NEWS – NEW YORK CITY , NEW YORK – THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART – BREUER

It’s  located  at  945  Madison  Avenue  on 75th  Street  on the  Upper  East  Side .

It’s  the branch  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  that  not  too  many  people  know  about ,  if really  at all.

While  the  other  two  branches  of  the  Metropolitan ,  the  main  branch  on Fifth  Avenue  and The  Cloisters ,  focus  on  medieval  and art throughout  the  ages ,  this  branch  focuses  mainly  on modern  and contemporary  art.

Like  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art ,  the Breuer  is open  every  day .

You might  want  to  go  on Friday  or Saturday  because  the  museum  is  open  until  9pm .

Like  the  other  two  branches  of  the  Metropolitan ,  which  I’ll  talk  about  in another  post ,  the  Breuer  has a  suggested  price  of   $25 .

Notice  that  I  said  suggested  price .

You don’t  have  to  pay that  amount  if you don’t  choose  to .

If you  buy  your  ticket  at the  Met  on Fifth  Avenue ,  you  can  get  free admission  if you to the  Breuer  or the  Cloisters  on the same  day .

Just  remember  to  keep  your  ticket  from  the  Metropolitan  so you can  show  them  at the  cashier’s  desk when you  walk  in .

The  museum  has five  floors ,  but on the  day that  I  visited ,  only  two  floors  were  being  used  because  the exhibits  that were on the  fourth  and  fifth  floor  had ended  all ready .

Now let me  say that  I’m  not  the  biggest  fan  of  contemporary  art  and design ,  and I  wasn’t  exactly  impressed  with some of  the  exhibits  that I  saw  here .

I did ,  however ,  love one of the videos  from the exhibition  called ,  ”  The  Body  Politic  “, which sadly, is going  to  close the day before Labor  Day .

If you’re  a fan of Modern and Contemporary  Art  and Design ,  by all means ,  make  the Metropolitan  Museum  –  Breuer  a stop  on your  own  30  Plus  Teams  Tour  of  New  York  City .

PLEASE ACT LIKE YOU’VE BEEN THERE BEFORE PART TWO

In an earlier  post ,  (sportsandtravelblog.wordpress.com  /2017/03/09 Please  -act  –  like  –  you’ve  –  been  –  there  –  before  ) ,  some  of  you  had to  be  read the  riot  act on how  to  conduct  yourselves  not only  when you visit  museums ,  monuments ,  and  memorials  all over the  world ,  but especially  when  you’re  attending  a  sporting  event .

Baseball  season  is coming  down  to  the  wire, and football  season  is coming  up  very soon ,  but a lot of  you didn’t  get or read the  memo on fan conduct .

A lot  of  fans  seem to  need  a  refresher  course  on how to  act when going  to  game .

Even though  I’m  talking  mainly  about  fans of the  four  major  American  sports ,  this also  applies  to  those  of  you who are  fans of rugby, European  futbol, cricket, etc.

Everyone  needs  a  refresher  course  on  Fan conduct .

At a recent  Milwaukee  Brewers  and Chicago  Cubs  baseball  game  in Milwaukee ,  two  fans  really  got into  it  with a lot of  pushing ,  screaming   and  shoving .

It wouldn’t  have  been  that  bad  except  one of  the  fans  just  happened  to  be  Governor  Chris  Christie  of  New Jersey ,  whose  son works  for  the  Brewers  organization .

No doubt  both  the  governor  and  the  Cubs  fan that he was having  a  ”  beef” with ever received  the  handbook  of  Sports  Fandom .

I know  that  the  governor  is very busy  running  the  state  of  New Jersey ,  but  even  politicians  need to  take the course  of   act like you’ve  been  there  before  101 .

I’m  not  going  to  question  the  governor’s  passion  for sports because  I  know  that  he’s  a  GINORMOUS  Dallas  Cowboys  football  fan  and he doesn’t  care  if  people  in his  state don’t  like  that .

I also  know  for  a  fact  that  the  governor  has gone  on  many  a 30 Plus  Teams  Tour  to watch  his  beloved  Cowboys  play and I  ain’t  mad  at  him for representing  his team no matter  where he is .

It’s  okay  to  cheer  for  your  team  at home  and especially  on the  road  because  that’s  what  being  a  fan  is all .

I  just  have  to  ask one question  though .

Why do  other  ”  fans  ”  have  to  ruin  other  fans  sports  and  travel  experience  by acting  like  a  fool  at a game?

Please don’t  make  comments  like, “Why are you  wearing  THAT  jersey  in here?!” ,  if someone  is  rooting  for  the  other  team .

Those fans  weren’t  being  obnoxious  and  rude rooting  for  their  team, were they?

The same  can’t  be  said  for  you and your buddies  though .

There’s  no  reason  to  get up in someone’s  face or within  earshot  of that fan and scream out,

“GET  OUT OF  HERE!”

” GO BACK TO  WERE YOU  CAME FROM ! ”

That could either be New York ,  Boston ,  Chicago ,  you name the city, some  “fans” want us to go back there.

Are you SERIOUS ? !

‘Why are  you  here ? ‘

‘Go back  to  where you  came  from ? !’

Did you  forget  that  you  aren’t  the  only  one  cheering  for  your  team?

Other people  are cheering  for their  team ,  too and guess what, Mr. Rude fan.

They’re  cheering  for  THEIR  team  in YOUR building ,  so get used to  it  and stop  with  the  dirty  looks  and  snide  comments .

Be a fan, but the  fan experience  should  extend  to  those  fans  who  traveled  a long  way  in some  cases,   to see their  team  play .

In many  cases ,  those  fans  brought  their  children  along  with  them.

Do you  think  that they want to  hear you or your friends  yelling  at  them or someone  else,

“GET THE BLANK OUT OF HERE ROOTING FOR THAT PIECE OF  BLANK TEAM!”

“YOUR  TEAM IS A BUNCH OF  OVER  PAID SISSIES  AND SO ARE THEIR  FANS!”

Then there’s  my own personal  favorite ,  one that I’ve  heard  on MANY occasions  and it still  makes  me  laugh  every time  a “fan”  says  it.

”  YOUR  BLANKETY BLANK  TEAM  AIN’T BLANK !  THIS  IS  OUR HOUSE ! ”

Now as much as  you  want to  get  up  and  get  physical  at a game  and run the  risk  of  getting  thrown  out  and  arrested  for  disturbing  the  peace ,  please  don’t  do  it .

It’s  obvious  that  Mr. and Mrs .  Los Angeles  Dodgers  Super  Fans definitely  don’t  know  what  acting  like  you’ve  been  there  before  is all about .

News  flash  for  all of  you “super fans”.

Dodger  Stadium  isn’t  “YOUR  HOUSE  “.

Neither is Gillette  Stadium ,  Madison  Square  Garden ,  Yankee  Stadium  or any  other  stadium  or arena  where a sporting  event  is taking  place .

That’s  right ,  I’ll  say  it again  because  some  of  you  didn’t  grab  that  concept .

You and those other fans  who paid  all that  money  to watch your favorite  and not  so favorite  teams and players play,  are just  guests ,  waiting  to  be  entertained .

The other  guests  are those  fans  who  you told  in no uncertain  terms  to ‘   go back  to  where  you  came  from . ‘

So let’s  stop  it with  the  trash  talking  just  because  other  fans are doing  the  same  thing  that  you’re  doing ,  just for  the  other  team .

Fans of the opposing team, you aren’t  special .

I’ve  got  a  bone  to pick  with  you  too.

This  acting  like  you’ve  been  there  before  extends  to  you all as well .

You say that you’ve  sat patiently  at the game and you’ve  gotten really  tired of the home team’s  fans all around  you making  comments  all night  long  about  your  team.

As much as  you  want  to  yell out ”  BOOYA  BITCHES ,  HOW YOU  LIKE  THAT  BLANK ! ” ,to all the haters when your team has a rally  going, please  don’t  do  it .

That’s  not  just unwise, that’s  really  DUMB, especially  if  you  came to  the  game  by  yourself .

If you say something  dumb  and  stupid ,  you just know  one of  the  people  sitting  next to  you  or around you ,will say  or do   something  even more DUMBER and STUPIDER than what you  just did or said.

The next thing  you  know ,  security  might  even  have  to  be  called  in.

It could  get ugly  really  fast when it doesn’t  have  to .

Fans  of  both teams ,  please  stop  the  madness .

Remember  that  you’re  on a  30  Plus  Teams  Tour  and seeing  a sporting  event  isn’t  the  only  reason  you’re  in town .

There’s  a  lot  more  things  to  do  and  see  while  you’re  in  town .

Please  act  like  you’ve  been  there  before ,  especially  if  you  happen  to  be  watching  your  team  play  in a  different  city.

START SPREADING THE NEWS – NEW YORK CITY , NEW YORK – THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

In a  city  that  seems  to  have  a museum  for  just  about  everything ,  it’s  not  surprising  that  there’s  a  museum  that  tells  everything  that  you  ever wanted  to  know  about  New York  City . 

It’s  the  Museum  of  the  City  of  New  York  and it’s  located  at  104th  Street  and Fifth  Avenue .

It’s  on the  part of  Fifth  Avenue  known  as  ”  Museum  Mile  ” ,  because  of  all the  museums  that  are located  from 79th  Street  all the  way  up  to  104th  Street.

There are  three floors  in this  museum ,  and on all of  them ,  you basically  get the  history  of the  city ,  past and  present .

The museum  also  has special  exhibits  such as  ”  Activist  New York  ” ,  which  doesn’t  only  tell you  about  recent  protests  such as  the  ”  Black  Lives  Matter  ”   and “Occupy  Wall Street  “, but protests  against  slavery and Immigration .

There’s  also  a  movie  shown  called  “Timesscapes  ” ,  that gives  you  a  30  minute history  of  the  city  as well as an exhibit  on what the city might  look  like  in the  future .

If you  happen  to  take the stairs  in the  museum ,  which the  museum  happens  to  be  called ,  ”  New  York ‘ s  most exciting  staircase , ”  be sure  to  notice  some  of  the  quotes  about  the  city  from everyone  from  Thomas  Jefferson  to Woody  Allen .

Some  of  these  quotes are quite poignant ,  others might  make you laugh  out loud .

Expect  to  be  at the museum  longer  than  an an hour.

There’s  so much  to  see here.

Museum  of  the  City  of  New  York

Open  Daily  from  10am  until  6 pm

1220  Fifth  Avenue  at  104th  Street

New  York  City ,  NY  10029

MCNY.org