Summer in the City: Make The Most of Manhattan

This summer, we will feature a guide for what to do in all five boroughs. Today Rossilynne Culgan, the 'Things To Do' editor at Time Out New York, talks about her favorite summer attractions from around Manhattan. Plus, listeners share their favorite summer spots and upcoming events.

David Furst: This is All Of It. I'm David Furst, in for Alison Stewart. On today's show, we speak with the star and the director of the new post apocalyptic film, 40 Acres. We'll learn how Live Aid spurred a conversation about celebrity and charity. Yes, it was 40 years ago. Wow. That's the plan. Let's get started with Summer in the City Manhattan edition.

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David Furst: It's hot outside. It's summer, but a summer day or a night out in Manhattan has a chance to be a good time, no matter the weather. This week on the show, we've been brainstorming ideas for things to do in each New York borough, and we are finishing today with Manhattan, the borough that is probably already receives the most attention, and yet there are still surprises and new discoveries to be made out there. To help us find some of Manhattan's hidden secrets, we have Rossilynne Culgan back in the studio. She is Time Out New York's Things to Do editor, and author of the book, Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Rossilynne, good to see you again.

Rossilynne Culgan: Good to see you. Glad to dive into these secrets.

David Furst: Absolutely. We were talking about beaches last time. Now we're all about Manhattan. Summer in New York, it sometimes gets a bad reputation, right? It's hot, a lot of people leave for vacation. What do you enjoy about a Manhattan summer?

Rossilynne Culgan: Oh, I love a Manhattan summer, especially today because the humidity is finally calming down a little bit.

David Furst: It's pretty amazing.

Rossilynne Culgan: Thank goodness. I love walking the city. I, thankfully, through my book research, I've had the opportunity to walk lots and lots of the streets in this city and explore it, finding these hidden gems. I love a free thing to do. Many of the things we're going to talk about today are free, so that's even better.

David Furst: We're going to get to a lot of things, but is there anything in particular that you can experience during summer in Manhattan that you can't during any other season?

Rossilynne Culgan: Ooh, that's a good question. I personally love walking along our river trails. For me-- sure, you can do that in the fall. I am an avid walker, so I'm even walking in the winter when it's safe, when it's not too icy. I think walking along any of the trails along our rivers during the summer is just unrivaled.

David Furst: Well, I'm already out there walking the trail. I like this to get us started. Listeners, what is your best recommendation for something fun to do in Manhattan this summer? It could be anything. It could be an event, a landmark that you like to visit, a park, a restaurant, a bar, or maybe an underrated activity that you think anyone would enjoy. Call now or text us at 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. We want to hear your ideas for having fun in Manhattan in the summer. Let's talk first about your book Once again, it's called New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. You wrote all about the secrets to be found New York.

Rossilynne Culgan: That's right.

David Furst: We're going to get to some of those. How did this become your thing?

Rossilynne Culgan: [chuckles] I love writing about things to do in the city and helping people get out and explore these hidden gems. In particular, the things that are kind of hiding in plain sight. When the opportunity to do this book came about, I was so excited to dive in. I tried to make it a mix of things that are true secrets that most people don't know about. I am a proud transplant. For me, it was seeing the city through new eyes. I love being able to stump native New Yorkers. It's one of my favorite choice.

David Furst: Oh, it's a sport for you.

Rossilynne Culgan: It's a sport, absolutely. That's really exciting to me. I also wanted the book to be accessible for people who maybe are visiting. Maybe they want to go to the Empire State Building, maybe they're going to Grand Central, but they could find something different in these pages.

David Furst: Is it also something if you're working for Time Out, you cover things a lot over the years?

Rossilynne Culgan: Yes, it's a part of my life, absolutely.

David Furst: You're always looking for the new thing that you haven't hit on yet.

Rossilynne Culgan: 100%. Yes. Helping people make the most of their time is definitely what I do at Time Out, and then definitely what I've been doing with this side project on my book as well.

David Furst: Very cool. Let's get to one of your ideas. We have some calls already coming in, and we'll get to those in just a moment. 212-433-9692. First up is in your secret ideas here, the Bowling Green fence at 24 Broadway in Lower Manhattan. Please tell us about it.

Rossilynne Culgan: I try not to pick favorites with my secrets, but this one, I have to admit, is definitely high on my personal list. This is the city's oldest fence, which goes around Bowling Green Park. Why do we care about an old fence, right?

David Furst: First of all, that's incredible.

Rossilynne Culgan: It is, yes.

David Furst: The Oldest fence.

Rossilynne Culgan: That's right. The reason we care about that, not just because of its age, it also has a revolutionary history. We'll start at the beginning. It is back in 1770. There's this gilded lead statue of Britain's King George III, which is hard to even imagine, but we're going way back in time. That's up in the center of the park. It didn't have a long life there, though. Just a few years later, revolution was on the way. We're in summer of 1776. We have the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in New York. People are really riled up about this. People are very excited.

What the New Yorkers do, they take that statue, they knock it over, and then they drag it up Broadway. Now, how does this relate to the fence? In addition to the statue of the king, also on the fence post, there were these little crowns representing the monarchy, and our predecessors also chopped those off as well. Now, what I think is so fascinating about the story, they took the statue and then they had it melted down to become ammunition for the war. Yes, really sticking it to him.

David Furst: Wow.

Rossilynne Culgan: [chuckles] You can go to the park nowadays, and if you look closely at the fence posts, they look a little off. They're like a little off kilter. That is because in this kind of fervor for independence, all of those little crowns were knocked off.

David Furst: You can really still-

Rossilynne Culgan: You really can see it.

David Furst: -feel that moment.

Rossilynne Culgan: Yes, absolutely.

Rossilynne Culgan: That's the Bowling Green fence. 24 Broadway, Lower Manhattan. If someone travels to see a fence, is there something else they can do in the area there to make a day out of it?

Rossilynne Culgan: For sure. For sure. Most people who are traveling to New York are going to see the Wall Street bull when they're in that area. That's totally fine. Stand in line, get your photo. That's great, but continue on down towards Lower Manhattan and see this more unique secret as well.

David Furst: Very cool. Again, if you want to join this conversation, we're going to get to your calls in just a moment. 212-433-9692. We have a text right now. You have to respond to this one. This is one of the number one things on the list, right? Shakespeare in the Park.

Rossilynne Culgan: Yes. Oh, I'm so glad that this got brought up. I actually just the other day went to see a sneak peek of the new Delacorte Theater, and I can tell you, it is so beautiful. Shakespeare in the park is going to be reopening August 7th. They're doing Twelfth Night this year, so I think that'll be really fun. The theater looks fantastic. They actually used redwood reclaimed from New York City's water towers across the five boroughs, and that wood is now on the theater. It looks gorgeous. It actually smells good too, which is nice. [chuckles]

David Furst: Very cool. Okay, 212-433-WNYC. Let's hear from George in Manhattan. Do you have a suggestion for us?

George: Yes, I do. This summer, from August 3rd to the 10th, will be the inaugural NoMad Jazz Festival with free concerts in Madison Square park on the weekend, the 9th and 10th. From the 3rd to the 9th, there'll be free performances in businesses and restaurants all over. Flatiron NoMad, my organization, the Tin Pan Alley, American Pops, and Music Project, will be presenting free concerts on August 6th from 12:00 to 2:00 at Natuzzi, a gorgeous furniture store on Madison Avenue. Then from 5:00 to 7:00, at another gorgeous venue, the Brass Restaurant in the Evelyn Hotel, from 5:00 to 7:00 with renowned cabaret star, Eric Yves Garcia. It's all free. There's more information at flatironnomad.nyc, the website of our partners at the Flatiron NoMad Partnership.

David Furst: Wow. George, thank you for sharing. Rossilynne, is this an event you're familiar with or is this a new one to add to your hidden list?

Rossilynne Culgan: I just got an email about this actually, so I'm so glad that you or someone from your team reached out. I love a free event and I love jazz, so I'm excited about this one.

David Furst: Okay, we're taking another call right now. This is Jesenia in Long Island. Welcome to All Of It.

Jesenia: Hi, how are you?

David Furst: Great. Do you have a suggestion for something to do in Manhattan?

Jesenia: Yes. I have found myself in the city and I was like, "Why should we go on the train and pay--?" I forgot how much the train is these days. Anyways, and we took the ferry, my sister-in-law and I, we basically went wherever the wind blew and it blew us towards the ferry. We bounced around in the city on the ferries, and it was the best experience because it was a beautiful day. It was only like $4 or $4.5. I forgot how much it was. It was really, really nice taking the ferry instead of being stuck on a muggy train. Then we got to see so many things. Even the Statue of Liberty.

Rossilynne Culgan: I love that. If you do the Staten Island Ferry, that one is free and has a good view of the Statue of Liberty. Every summer I try to take the ferry over to Governor's Island. I absolutely love hanging out over there, checking out some of the restaurants. They have a lavender field which is so gorgeous and smells so good to walk through and a beautiful view of Manhattan as well.

David Furst: Well, that's great. Thank you for that suggestion. You can join the conversation. You're listening to All Of It here on WNYC. 212-433-9692. Let's hear from Bob in Oceanside, New York. Welcome. Good afternoon.

Bob: Good afternoon. Thanks for the call. I wanted to recommend Little Island on 12th Street in Manhattan, right at the river. We were there for the first day of Gospel at Colonus. That costs money, but you can listen to the music if you're walking around in the park. There were people who were way up on the trails and they were listening to it, and they got as much of it as they could. Just Little Island is fantastic. It's got food, it's got lots and lots of people. It's got a play area for children. As I said, can't beat it. It's free.

David Furst: Bob, as you were speaking, we just got another text saying concerts at Little Island. See the sunset. Always awesome performances.

Rossilynne Culgan: It's absolutely beautiful. As the caller mentioned, some of the shows have a fee, but some of them are free as well. You can check out the list online. There's concerts, there's theater. They have an excellent line-up this year. I believe Little Island is open until midnight, which is so cool to me. That's one of the the things that you can do in a later night hour.

David Furst: Great idea. Let's take another call. This is Damani in Brooklyn. Welcome to All Of It. You have a suggestion as well?

Damani: Yes. Hi. My favorite thing to do, especially on a hot day, is to get out on the water. I know someone had mentioned that they had a great time going up and down on the ferry. I know it does cost a little bit of money, but it is the best way to beat the heat, to get a great breeze, and then just to see Manhattan from a different perspective. A lot of people come into the city and they want to go to a Broadway show, a museum, and so forth and so on. When you're out on the water, day or night, you get the bridges, you get the harbor, you do get the Statue of Liberty, and it's a totally different perspective. Great way to beat the heat for little to no money.

The Staten Island Ferry is something that I used to do as a kid all the time. Now that the ferries go up on the Upper East Side past Roosevelt Island, even stopping on Roosevelt Island, that's also another great place. The ferries. If any of your listeners want to get out on the water, this is a great way to do it.

David Furst: That's great. Rossilynne, what about that, Damani's suggestion that one of the best things to do in Manhattan is to get out of Manhattan and look at Manhattan?

Rossilynne Culgan: [laughs] The view of Manhattan from the water is absolutely exquisite. Whether you're doing the ferry, which you can do pretty cheaply, you can do again, the Staten Island Ferry for free, or if you want to splurge a little bit, which I recommend treating yourself a little bit if you can this summer. Classic Harbor Lines is my favorite. They do these boat tours around Manhattan. They have brunch tours. They have a tapas tour, which you can do on Monday evenings.

It's one of my favorite things to do when I have visitors coming into the city. Then also just great even if you are local to the city and want to just get out and kind of have a fun experience on the water.

David Furst: We're speaking with Rossilynne Culgan. Your book is New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Your next pick is, if I'm reading this correctly, A Witch in Central Park. Can you explain?

Rossilynne Culgan: [laughs] Yes, there is. This is one of the secrets that's hiding in plain sight. This witch is located near Bethesda Terrace, right near the mall. This is the busiest part of Central Park. It's an absolutely packed area, but people tend to walk by it. She is one of the many intricate carvings that are located right along the mall. We can thank one of Central Park's co designers, Calvert Vaux, for these carvings. It was his idea that he wanted these carvings to represent the passing of time. Of course, the witch represents nighttime, so we can see her. She's hanging out there on her broom and in her pointy hat.

Then there's this little cityscape behind her, which is really cool to see, and a jack o'lantern as well. Of course, she has to have a jack o'lantern. For us, when we see this, it probably reminds us of fall or perhaps Halloween, of course, that we can celebrate year round. Back when this was built, it really paid tribute to the Irish workers who helped to build the park, because Halloween was really associated with Irish culture. Think about that when you go to see her. She's hiding there in plain sight along all the other beautiful floral motifs. There's a lot of birds, but there is a witch in fact, as well.

David Furst: Again, if you want help finding exactly where this is, do you have this in your book?

Rossilynne Culgan: I do. Yes. This is in the book as well. My tip for listeners is if you are taking the stairs down from the mall to Bethesda Terrace, so you're going from the mall down the stairs, look to your left hand side and you will find her.

David Furst: Hope you're taking notes. We'll continue this conversation in just a moment. If you would like to join the conversation, give us a call, 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. We're speaking with Rossilynne Culgan, author of New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. We're talking about things to do in Manhattan this summer. This is All Of It on WNYC.

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David Furst: This is All Of It on WNYC. I'm David Furst, in for Alison Stewart. We' speaking with Rossilynne Culgan, the author of Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. We're taking your calls as we're talking about things to do in Manhattan this summer. The number to call is 212-433-9692. Let's hear now from Nora in White Plains. Welcome.

Nora: Hi. Thank you. I love the show. You mentioned Shakespeare in the Park with the public, but Classical Theater of Harlem has a Shakespeare or a production every year in Marcus Garvey Park and it's Memnon this year, which I gather is a current play but about ancient times. It's in the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park. Many of the performances have pre-shows. I've seen classical singers, and a children's choir, and chambers music. I think this year they have some speakers. If you go to cthnyc.org, it shows you the schedule. It started the 5th of July, and it's Tuesday through Sunday every week till the 27th. It shows you also the schedule of the pre-shows.

There's an hour break. A lot of people picnic in the amphitheater between the pre-show and the production or before the production. I've enjoyed it for many years now. I think it's been around roughly 10 years. There's always a lot of dance. They had a Twelfth Night set during the Harlem Renaissance last year with great dance elements in it. It's free. Completely free. It's a very short walk from the 4:00 and 5:00 and 6:00 trains, and also to Metro-North if you're coming in for the day outside of the city and you want to end up at the Classical Theater of Harlem, and then you're just a few blocks from your train home.

David Furst: Nora, you have all the details. Let me ask you one more time. Did you say the website for more information was cthnyc.org?

Nora: nyc.org. Can I add one quick item?

David Furst: Sure.

Nora: I've called this show before. I'm a singer and I sing acapella, sort of the gold from the American Songbook at the South Gatehouse of the Central Park Reservoir. You had a show asking what people's favorite things to do in the park were a few weeks back, and you were also in for Alison. I'm there roughly from noon to late in the afternoon with a break, and I sing all sorts of stuff. It's for the hearing, but donations are always welcome.

David Furst: Well, that's wonderful. There we go. Another bonus things to do. Nora, thank you so much. Is that a series you're familiar with?

Rossilynne Culgan: Yes, I have heard of it, but I haven't made it up there yet, so I need to do it. I am absolutely just enamored with the idea of sitting there in the park with a picnic under the stars. That sounds fabulous. Got to come see you in Central Park as well.

David Furst: Things to do in Manhattan. It is a long list.

Rossilynne Culgan: [chuckles] It's a long list.

David Furst: Let's be honest. Let's hear from Joe in Staten Island. Welcome to All Of It.

Joe: Oh, thank you. I have to say, I'm wild about the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side because it gives us such a view of so many different kinds of New York, especially immigrant New York. It's in the Lower East Side, and you're right near Katz's, which is hard to get into these days. There's also economy candy and lots of gelato. If you're super ambitious and you want to see how the other half, meaning the upper crust lives, go to the Merchant's House on the same day and get a really good comparison.

David Furst: Wow, what a great package deal there, Joe. What about that?

Rossilynne Culgan: I have to agree with you, Joe. The Tenement Museum is one of my favorite places in Manhattan. It's fascinating. I've done, I think, four or five of the tours there. I'm trying to work my way through them and see these different experiences of immigrants and of people who lived in New York City before us. It's fascinating. Definitely recommend that one as well.

David Furst: We have a text here. There is a nice east side riverwalk. You talked about riverwalks before.

Rossilynne Culgan: Yes.

David Furst: It says, enter a promenade at 34th Street. Ferries are there and cool breezes. Also, the clearwater does sunset sails on the west side. What about some of these events?

Rossilynne Culgan: That sounds fabulous. I haven't been to that particular riverwalk, so I'm adding that to my list. I am typically on the west side, so I also need to check out the clearwater as well. That's a great tip.

David Furst: Now let's hear from Jeff calling from the Bronx. Welcome to All Of It. We're talking about things to do in Manhattan this summer.

Jeff: Good afternoon and Good Friday to you. I want to bring you to the other end of the island, up towards in Inwood Park, where Peter Minuit is famously bought the island for $24 worth of trinkets from the Lenape Indians. There is a big stone there with a plaque on it stating so. There used to be a big oak tree. While you're there, there is a beautiful view of the Columbia Sea Rock, which is on the-- Well, it's on the Bronx side, but it's still part of Manhattan, near Spuyten Duyvil. At one one point, the Marble Hill project, so the whole Marble area was part of Manhattan, and it's still considered part of Manhattan.

In fact, when they get called for jury duty, the people in the Bronx, in Manhattan-- part of the Bronx, they have to go downtown for jury duty. It's a lovely park up there. Then the Henry Hudson Bridge, great views.

David Furst: What about the parks up there? There's some really dramatic land.

Rossilynne Culgan: Yes, dramatic land, absolutely. One thing on my list we'll talk about in a little bit that gives you this cityscape view, not too far from the area, but that sounds absolutely extraordinary. I need to go see this historical rock that you mentioned. That sounds fascinating.

David Furst: If you'd like to join the conversation as we're talking about things to do in Manhattan this summer, 212-433-9692. Let's hear from Jerry in Manhattan.

Jerry: Hi. Walking over the Triborough Bridge is spectacular. On a clear day, you have a 360 panoramic view from One World Trade north to Westchester. It's recently been made ADA-compliant. You can walk all three legs. You could get off at Randall's Island. If you wind up your trip in Queens, you'll be in Astoria, where you could go to great restaurants.

David Furst: Jerry, what about if-- let's just imagine for a moment here that you're afraid of heights. How was the experience? Can you do it?

Jerry: Sure. There are railings. It's protected. There's a pedestrian lane, a bike lane. Interestingly enough, the north side doesn't have a suicide fence like you see on the GW Bridge. It's perfectly safe. It is very high up at some points. You get north. Also, you're right next to the traffic, so it's very, very loud.

David Furst: Have you ever done the bridge?

Rossilynne Culgan: I've never done that, but it sounds like you have a spirit for walking like I do. [chuckles] I need to get on my sneakers and go take this walk and look at the view.

David Furst: For a lot of the things we're talking about today, we better keep the sneakers handy.

Rossilynne Culgan: For sure.

David Furst: [laughs] Join the conversation. We're talking about things to do in Manhattan this summer here on All Of It. 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. Rita calling from Montclair, New Jersey. Welcome.

Rita: Thank you. I highly recommend the trip up to Fort Tryon Park up at 207th Street in the inward section of Manhattan, and walk up to the Cloisters. The cloisters themselves are beautiful. It overlooks the Hudson River. Sometimes on Sunday they play the carillon so you can listen to a concert while you're there. Then take the bus back downtown and you'll see all of Manhattan as you go back downtown.

David Furst: Very cool. Thank you for that suggestion.

Rossilynne Culgan: Fabulous. The Cloisters are a great--

David Furst: Getting a lot of texts about the cloisters.

Rossilynne Culgan: Amazing. All right. A great place to visit on a hot summer day. I think the day I visited a couple of summers ago was one of the hottest days of the summer. It does feel like a respite at the Cloisters. Beautiful art that you can explore. Some lovely gardens as well. Then the views, as you mentioned, are absolutely lovely.

David Furst: The number to call, 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. We had Jerry in Manhattan. Now we have Jeffrey in Manhattan. Welcome to All Of It.

Jeffrey: [inaudible 00:24:50] for having me.

David Furst: It's great. Do you have a suggestion?

Jeffrey: Yes. I was going to say that the New park on the East River that just opened in July is incredible. They've got all these free grills you can use. I like to go over there and do a little reading on the grass. It's just a very peaceful part of lower Manhattan.

David Furst: Well, that's getting a big response from the room here, Jeffrey, people that did not know that park was already open. That sounds very cool.

Rossilynne Culgan: Yes. You've got the scoop for us. Thank you for the news tip. That sounds beautiful. [chuckles]

David Furst: While we're talking about hidden things in New York City, your book, once again, it's called Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. We're speaking with Rossilynne Culgan. Let's get to another one of the tips from your book. We're going to Harlem now, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, where you can see the ashes of one of Harlem's most famous residents. Can you talk about this?

Rossilynne Culgan: Yes, that's right. Langston Hughes ashes are actually located at the Schomburg Center. You can see the ashes-- well, you can't quite see them, but I can tell you they're in a book shaped urn that's located beneath this art installation on the floor. The installation is called Rivers and it actually is inspired by Hughes's poetry. That's really beautiful. Now, if you aren't familiar, Langston Hughes was known as Harlem's poet laureate and he was this icon of the Harlem Renaissance movement, which one of our callers mentioned too, about the play that was actually at the Classical Theater of Harlem last year.

The Harlem Renaissance was really this cultural movement, Black art, music, literature, from 1918 to the mid-1930s. The fact that we're able to go to the Schomburg Center and remember Langston Hughes's legacy is very special.

David Furst: What else do you suggest we do at the Schomburg or perhaps in the surrounding neighborhood?

Rossilynne Culgan: It's part of the New York Public Library. While you're there, they do have some great programming. You can check out their website online to see what kind of programs they have coming up. A really lovely community center as well.

David Furst: Join the conversation. Let us know your favorite thing to do in Manhattan in the summer. It can be anything. Let's hear from Katie in Westchester. Welcome to All Of It.

Katie: Hi, how are you?

David Furst: Great, thanks. Good to have you with us.

Katie: Thanks for the segment. The West Village Chorale hosts a series of weekly summer sings at Judson Memorial Church in the West Village, right at the bottom of Washington Square Park. If you're a singer, you can come in, pay $20, or $15 if you're a student. We've got a conductor and a pianist each week and we sing through big choral works like Mozart's Requiem, Brahms Requiem. Most weeks we've got 100 or more singers, and it's air-conditioned.

David Furst: Oh, there's the little--

Rossilynne Culgan: That's so fun.

David Furst: You're saving the air conditioner bonus for the end there.

Rossilynne Culgan: Do we have to be experienced singers or can we be novices?

Katie: Novice is fine. There's always a lot of folks around who are experienced, and it's a very friendly, welcoming environment. If you don't know what you're doing, no one's going to look at you funny.

Rossilynne Culgan: That sounds so nice.

David Furst: That is great. Thank you so much for sharing. If you would like to join the conversation as well, the number, 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. Let's hear from Gretchen in Pelham.

Gretchen: Hey, good afternoon. Great show, by the way. Your book is fantastic.

Rossilynne Culgan: Thank you.

Gretchen: My pick-- it's lovely. You're presenting it so beautifully.

Rossilynne Culgan: Thank you so much.

Gretchen: My little pick is there's a-- it's called Church of Sweden. There's actually a Swedish church in Manhattan. You can have open face sandwiches and cinnamon buns and great coffee because I'm Swedish, my family is from Sweden. It's just a lovely little sanctuary for those from the old country, shall we say? You can bring books. It's a lovely place. It's beautiful. It's very beautiful.

David Furst: Gretchen. Thank you for sharing. Are you anxious about revealing this summer sanctuary of yours here?

Gretchen: Oh, I'm sorry. It's on East 48th.

David Furst: That sounds--

Gretchen: I'm sorry, the location?

David Furst: No, I just want to make sure is it okay? I don't want to spoil your secret sanctuary there.

Gretchen: Oh, that's true. You're right.

[laughter]

David Furst: "What have I done?"

Rossilynne Culgan: Well, I have been-- it is absolutely, it's gorgeous. Beautiful, beautiful architecture. The cinnamon buns, as she mentioned, are excellent. They have some really nice candies and drinks as well. Great spot to just cool down and relax. If you're walking around, especially near 5th Avenue and maybe you're showing around tourists, maybe you're looking at St. Patrick's Cathedral, maybe you're going to Rockefeller Center and you need a little spot to relax, this is the one. I am curious to go to one of the church services and I asked about it when I visited, but they told me everything is in Swedish. I won't understand anything, but I think it would be really interesting to go and see.

David Furst: That sounds Wonderful. Join the Conversation 212-433-9692. Things to do in Manhattan in the summertime. Nancy from Bergen County, New Jersey, welcome.

Nancy: Hi. Thanks for having me. I wanted to tell people about a chorus that sings all summer long to prepare for a concert on a 9/11 memorial concert. We do it every year. This is the Schiller Institute NYC Chorus. It's community-based. It's total beginners to pros. Very welcoming. Again, very friendly environment. This year we're going to be performing, I think on September 15th, the requiem by Cherubini, which is not often done, but is an amazing work. We will have an orchestra as well, and we'd like to have as many singers as possible for this concert.

We're also doing a couple of African-American spirituals, which is one of our specialties as a chorus. I know a lot of the choruses in the city don't rehearse during the summer, so it's an opportunity for people to keep on singing every week. The rehearsals are Thursday from 6:30 to 8:00 on West 66th Street, and we also have sectional voice training before each rehearsal and on every other Monday.

David Furst: Nancy, you sound busy this summer. If people would like some more information about that, is there a quick link you can send us? Or maybe we can just just look up the name of the chorus again. What is it?

Rossilynne Culgan: It's The Schiller Institute NYC Chorus. The website is sinycchorus.com.

David Furst: Okay. You have more things to do.

Rossilynne Culgan: That sounds so lovely. I love that you welcome beginners as well. A lot of good singing opportunities this summer for us to check out. We can drink some tea and get our voices ready.

David Furst: We're going to get to more of your calls in just a moment. 212-433-9692. We are speaking with Rossilynne Culgan. She is the author of Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. We're talking about things to do in Manhattan this summer. I have to ask you about one of your tips here, one of your hidden items. This is a piece of the Berlin Wall lives in Manhattan.

Rossilynne Culgan: That's right. This is in Kowsky Plaza, which is lower Manhattan. Believe it or not, you can experience a piece of the Berlin Wall without having to get on a flight. This piece shows the brave artists who would paint on the Berlin Wall. On the west side, you'll see this piece by Thierry Noir. He's known for these head-shaped drawings, really colorful. On the back side, you'll see this white and gold piece by another artist, Kitty Sidney. It's this face that looks almost angelic. You can go visit this for free. I will say there's a little bit of construction around it right now, but you can still see both sides of it.

This really shows how imposing the Berlin Wall was meant to be. It's 12 ft tall, it's 8 ft wide, it weighs nearly 3 tons. It helps to show the history while you also get to experience the art. This has been in New York since 2004. It stands as this symbol of democracy, but it's another one of these secrets that hides in plain sight. I talk about this one on my walking tour. There's so often native New Yorkers say to me, "I just never knew this was here." Once you see it, you can't miss it. It's huge. It's worth going and learning about the history and seeing the art.

David Furst: Well, we're getting a lot of phone calls right now. I feel like I have to read a few texts quickly here. Maybe a speed round on the texts. 212-433-9692. Someone says McSorley's.

Rossilynne Culgan: Definitely.

David Furst: One of New York's oldest taverns.

Rossilynne Culgan: Yes, you got to grab a beer at McSorley's. Some really interesting history there as well, ask the bartenders about all the ephemera they have hanging at the bar.

David Furst: Grant's Tomb, Riverside Park.

Rossilynne Culgan: Absolutely. Another fascinating one.

David Furst: St. John the Divine says here, "One of the most spectacular places in all of New York City."

Rossilynne Culgan: Completely agree. The cathedral is stunning and absolutely massive. When you go inside, it keeps going and going and going. [chuckles]

David Furst: A question here from Phyllis, saying, "Has anyone been to the Irish Potato Famine Museum in the Financial District on the Hudson River?"

Rossilynne Culgan: I have. I actually mentioned my walking tours. I start the walking tours there.

David Furst: Oh, yes.

Rossilynne Culgan: It's fascinating. It's a really powerful memorial. It's been in New York since 2002. One of the things that I think is so fascinating about it is it's not just, of course, commemorating the many people who died during the Irish Potato famine, but it is this call to action for us to think about ways that we can try to alleviate hunger in the world.

David Furst: Some great quick ideas there. We will have a transcript up for this show, by the way, in case you're scrambling to take notes of all of these great ideas. We're talking about things to do in Manhattan this summer. Let's take another phone call, if you would like to jump in as well. 212-433-9692. Let's hear from Michael in Brooklyn. Michael, are you there?

Michael: Hello?

David Furst: Hello. Welcome to All Of It.

Michael: Hi. My mom was born in Manhattan and my dad was a professor in upstate, and they married and they love to climb this old tower across the Washington pedestrian bridge. I challenge you to find it on Google. I just spent the last five minutes looking. The climb off of the thruway through a park, you have to get off the thruway on the Bronx or Bronx side, and you climb up this amazing forest encased secret passageway, like something out of the middle earth to get to the landing of the bridge. You can only get to the first entrance where it's closed. This is where my dad instructed me to spread his ashes when he passed away at the age of 82.

David Furst: Wow.

Rossilynne Culgan: Wow.

Michael: They're one of those secret journey sanctuary places. If you want to find that stairway and go up to that bridge, it's-- last I knew it was closed. I couldn't find it on Google. Here's a challenge.

David Furst: Well.

Rossilynne Culgan: That is a challenge, and what a beautiful way to remember your father. If we are able to get out there, we'll be thinking of him.

David Furst: Michael, thank you for sharing. Let's take another call. Jerry in Manhattan, welcome to All Of It.

Jerry: Hi.

David Furst: Oh, Jerry, I think you might have your radio on in the background. Just make sure that the volume is turned down.

Jerry: Turn the radio off.

David Furst: [laughs] Jerry, did you have a suggestion?

Jerry: We're driving into Manhattan. What I wanted to mention, after doing all that walking in Manhattan, at some point you might get hungry. If you find yourself by Rao's Restaurant in East Harlem, 114th Street and Pleasant Avenue, they were the original people that made the Rao sauce. If you're lucky, if one of the people don't show up for dinner, they may seat you. It only seats 45. Woody Allen has a table there and a bunch of-- The mayor used to have a table and a bunch of other celebrities.

David Furst: Well, Jerry, thank you so much for sharing, and please be careful driving. Hopefully, you're not the one driving right now. Let's take another call. Susan in Manhattan, what's your suggestion. Susan, are you there?

Susan: Oh. My favorite activity as a child, second only to a good deal comic book, was riding in the first car at the front of the subway train right next to the engineer's cabinet to see the light change from red to green, see the acceleration of the train going into the station and-- oh, no, sorry, decelerating, going uphill into the station, and then accelerating, going downhill.

David Furst: What about that, Rossilynne? Really, that's not one of the things we would immediately think about. Like, "Oh, let me go ride the subway." This is a great idea.

Rossilynne Culgan: I love that, because so much of what I try to do with my work and with my book is helping us to slow down and appreciate these moments that make Manhattan such a special place. The subway, of course, is fundamental to our life as New Yorkers and in Manhattan. I love riding the subway. It's been really too hot the past couple of weeks, so I've had my hand fan trying to fan myself and make the subway a bit more bearable. Thankfully, I think this weekend it'll be a little bit better.

The subway is music. I sometimes will even find myself just closing my eyes and listening to the click clack of the rails. It is a moment to try to be meditative about it and experience the lights and the sounds in a new way.

David Furst: I like how you're finding a way to bring subway meditation into your life.

Rossilynne Culgan: [chuckles] I have to. Yes.

David Furst: [chuckles] We're speaking with Rossilynne Culgan, the author of Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. We are taking your calls. We're going to take a quick break. We'll get to more of your calls. The number, 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC, as we're hearing your suggestions about things to do in Manhattan this summer. This is All Of It on WNYC.

[music]

David Furst: This is All Of It on WNYC. I'm David Furst, in for Alison Stewart. We're here with Rossilynne Culgan, the author of Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. We're taking a lot of your calls about things to do in Manhattan this summer. Rossilynne, I wanted to get to a couple of texts right now. Steve from Lynbrook writing in to say, "It's not something people often think about when talking about Manhattan, but Central Park lakes and ponds are often stocked and great for fishing." We have an additional note here saying, that, "Catch and release fishing is allowed at three locations in Central Park, the Harlem Meer, Central Park Lake, Central Park Pond, not Turtle Pond or the Reservoir."

Some information there about fishing in Central Park. We were just talking about the subway. A text here says, "Speaking of the subway, old City Hall subway tours.

Rossilynne Culgan: Oh, yes, I have done it. This is the hottest ticket in New York City, [chuckles] but it's worth it.

David Furst: Tell us about it.

Rossilynne Culgan: What you're going to want to do is you need to become a member of the New York Transit Museum. That's the first step. Then the second step is you'll get on their email list and they'll email you when they're going to release tickets for the old City Hall subway tours. These are like trying to get Taylor Swift tickets or Beyonce tickets. It's very difficult.

David Furst: Wow.

Rossilynne Culgan: I tried twice on my second try, got the tickets. Then they will teach you about the history of the subway. Then when you go on the tour, they'll teach you more about this particular station and they'll take you into the station. It is absolutely exquisite. It truly is worth it. So beautiful. So, so beautiful. Doesn't look anything like the subway stations that we know today.

David Furst: The New York City Transit Museum conducts the tours.

Rossilynne Culgan: Exactly.

David Furst: You must be a member-

Rossilynne Culgan: Correct.

David Furst: -to go on the tour. All right. Let's get to another few of the items from your book-

Rossilynne Culgan: Sure.

David Furst: -Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Here's one. You're taking us to Roosevelt Island now. An island technically within the borough of Manhattan, and you suggest that we check out some ruins.

Rossilynne Culgan: Yes. There is the ruins of a smallpox hospital on Roosevelt Island. This is the southern part of the island. It's easy for us to access Roosevelt Island nowadays, but back in the 1800s, it was very remote, very hard to get there. That is why became the location for this smallpox hospital. It's a place that people could go and try to get some help from doctors. It wasn't called Roosevelt Island back then. It was called Blackwell's Island. That was the nation's first smallpox hospital. Treated patients there. It's this massive Gothic Revival building.

As the smallpox vaccine became available, the hospital eventually turned into a nursing school. Then the building was abandoned. After that time, time and vandals took their toll on the building, which leaves us with the ruins that we have today. They are stunning to see. They're behind a fence, of course, so you're going to want to look at them from the sidewalk level. There's been proposals of people having ideas of maybe how they might want to restore them or put a park there. I don't know if those will go anywhere. We'll see. It's amazing to see the ruins and look at this kind of Gothic cathedral almost just crumbling before our eyes.

David Furst: Do you have any other advice for enjoying a day on Roosevelt's Island?

Rossilynne Culgan: Oh, absolutely. I love taking the tram over. It can be busy during the summer, but it's absolutely worth it. The views are extraordinary. Then there's a hotel on Roosevelt Island, the Graduate, and they have a rooftop bar called the Panorama Room. You'll get a stunning view of the Queensboro Bridge and Manhattan. They have some great cocktails and food as well. Make a day of it.

David Furst: Talking about food, here's another tip from your list. To the Upper East Side, an old school establishment, the Lexington Candy Shop.

Rossilynne Culgan: That's right. Lexington Candy Shop is-- you're going to find it on Lexington at 83rd on the Upper East Side. It's really a time capsule. When you step in, it feels like New York from another era. The restaurant itself dates back to 1925. It's got a birthday this year celebrating a century.

David Furst: Ooh.

Rossilynne Culgan: Very cool. Great diner food. You can get your BLTs, your egg creams, your omelets, what have you. What you really want to order is Coca Cola. If you can get a seat at the counter, I would recommend it because you'll get to see the staff make the Coca Cola. They're not just cracking open a bottle or a can, they are making it. They will put some Coke syrup in your glass and then they have this old school lever that they pull to put the seltzer in. They have a long spoon and they're stirring it the whole time. It tastes a little different than what you probably are familiar with today, but equally as delicious. It's smoother, slightly less carbonated, in my opinion.

It's apparently what the original Coca Cola tasted like. It's delicious. Worth going out-

David Furst: Go check it out and decide for yourselves.

Rossilynne Culgan: Cooling down with a nice Coca Cola.

David Furst: That's the Lexington Candy Shop on the Upper East Side. Let's get to a few more phone calls here. We still have a lot of calls coming through. If you want to join, 212-433-9692. We're talking about things to do in Manhattan this summer. Let's hear from Neil in Brooklyn. Welcome.

Neil: Hi. It is so great to hear about this and learn about these events. I myself publish a newsletter about arts and cultural things. I usually recommend events in Brooklyn, though, so I'm learning from you. Here are some Manhattan ideas. The Hudson Classical Theater Company is another live theater in the park. In this case, Riverside Park. They perform right by the Soldiers' and Sailors Monument on 89th street and Riverside Drive. Right now, they're performing Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen through this Sunday.

Rossilynne Culgan: Ooh, that sounds like a blast. I've got to go. I love that area of the park.

David Furst: Well, thank you so much for that suggestion. Let's get to a couple of more before we wrap up here. Caroline in Manhattan, welcome.

Caroline: Hi there. I love going to brunch spots, especially when my family's in town or new friends are in town. I'd have to say my favorite place-- they have a few locations of these, but it's called Two Hands. I don't know if you guys have ever been. It's a small Australia-Brazilian style menu. I'm a big fan of avocado toast everywhere. Every single brunch place I go is always avocado toast. They have the best avocado toast I've ever had in my life.

Rossilynne Culgan: I'm adding that to my list.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, it's so good. My mom and I recently went-- she was visiting in the city, and I took her. She's a picky eater, kind of. She even approved of it. We got these, like, chili-lime fries to share as well. Let me tell you, that's what we started on first. We didn't even go to our main courses. We just devoured those. So good, so flavorful. I'm not a big fan of spices, really, but this was the perfect amount of lime and chili. Then the fries were super crisp and easy-to-eat chips. It was just a 10 out of 10 restaurant. It's a 10 out of 10 for me.

David Furst: Well, you did a, "Oh my gosh" and a, "Let me Tell you." I know that it's serious.

Rossilynne Culgan: [laughs] It's lunchtime. We're both hungry now.

David Furst: It's called Two Hands--

Caroline: With food, yes.

Rossilynne Culgan: Two Hands?

Caroline: Yes. Two Hands is really good.

David Furst: Okay, thank you very much. Let's hear from Paul in Midtown. Do you have a suggestion for Manhattan in the summer?

Pauk: Yes, thanks for having me. It's Cabrini Shrine up by the Cloisters, and it's right on the A train 190th Stop. Instead of going right to the Cloisters, go left to Cabrini Shrine. She was the immigrant saint, and her bones are in the altar. You could see the wax effigy of her. There are about eight of her bones. The interior of the shrine is absolutely wonderful. It's 1960s Italian mosaic. They also have concerts on the lawn and wonderful free concerts inside the chapel there, and also a museum. Very fascinating. She was the first American female saint.

David Furst: Paul, thank you so much. I'm going to need the transcript from today's show because there's a lot of really cool things that we're hearing about, things to do in Manhattan this summer. Oh, I think we have time for another call or two. Let's hear from Julie in Norwalk. Welcome to All Of It.

Julie: Hi. [clears throat] This isn't an event so much as something to make sure that you notice. A few months ago, I took the shuttle from Grand Central over to Times Square, and the mosaics on the wall in the Times Square station are absolutely incredible. They look like they're three dimensional. My friend and I were there, and we actually started walking over to them because it was so hard to believe that these things were just flat mosaics. They are definitely worth see. It's worth going into the subway just to see the mosaics.

David Furst: That's great. Thank you so much. We have time for-- Oh, let's hear from Toby. Welcome to All Of It.

Toby: Hi. I'm suggesting that people go online and look for walk tours of New York City. There are a lot of good lists. Tripadvisor has a a bunch of walking tours. I went recently with a person, he does his own private tours. His name is James Burke. We went to Lower Manhattan and gave us the history of old Dutch New York. A while ago, I went to a walking tour of Red Hook and learned about the history and a lot of the buildings there. It's a really fun thing to do. A lot of them are free. You might end up in areas you didn't know existed and you'll hear a lot of interesting history about the city.

David Furst: Toby, thank you so much for that suggestion. Rossilynne, I know you're going to be quick to back up that idea of going for some walking tours.

Rossilynne Culgan: Yes. I love walking tours and I'm leading walking tours this summer, related to my book.

David Furst: Tell us about them. Secrets of Lower Manhattan is the tour that I'm hosting for the summer season. If you're interested in getting tickets, the website is secretnewyorkcitybook.com. You can also purchase a copy of the book there if you're interested. I'm doing tours on July 26th, August 2nd, September 6th on Saturday mornings. We'll see several secrets of Lower Manhattan, take a nice stroll. Each ticket for the tour comes with a signed copy of the book as well, so you can explore even after the tour.

David Furst: Very cool. Again, the book is called Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. We have been speaking with the author, Rossilynne Culgan, also writes for Time Out New York. Thank you so much for being with us today, and thanks, everybody, for all of the incredible suggestions about things to do in Manhattan this summer.

Rossilynne Culgan: It has been my pleasure. I'm so excited. It's Friday, so we can all get out there for the weekend and enjoy some of these ideas.

David Furst: Let's go.