Discovering hidden historical and cultural gems in Manhattan & Beyond
Category: Exploring New York City
The Solar Eclipse at its full extent from our location in Brooklyn.
Daffodil Hill at its peak of blooming.
The Children’s Garden in bloom during the Eclipse.
Sherman Creek Park
3725 Tenth Avenue
New York, NY 10034
(212) 720-3480
https://www.nyrp.org/en/gardens-and-parks/sherman-creek-park
Open: Sunday-Saturday 24 hours
My review on TripAdvisor:
When I was recently walking around Washington Heights for the “Great Saunter” perimeter walk around the coast line of Manhattan over the summer, I revisited this little park that is tucked away inside Highbridge Park that lines the eastern side of Upper Manhattan. This is the Sherman Creek Park and Swindler Cove. I just thought it was a small extension of the park but it is way more.
The is a once dumping ground for garbage and waste that has been reclaimed and given a rebirth as a ecologically created watershed that is not only helping clean the East River with its plantings but also a sanctuary for birds, butterfly’s and other small creatures when they are migrating.
The paths are well landscaped and offer a sense of quiet and relaxation from the noise of the neighborhood especially in the summer when families are barbecuing and having parties in the small strip of part that is Highbridge Park. Small streams, a waterfall and river plantings plus a boathouse for canoes and Kayaks gives a different more relaxing view of the park.
The entrance to Sherman Creek Park.
(from the park website)
Sherman Creek Park, a former illegal dumping site, began as a shore cleanup and now encompasses 15 beautifully reclaimed acres along the Harlem River including Swindler Cove, Riley-Levin Children’s Garden, and a living shoreline installation. The neighboring Harlem River Greenway includes a sprawling esplanade, bike path, and a cherry tree planting framing the Harlem River Drive.
The pathways in Sherman Creek Park.
The park serves to demonstrate sustainable management of public lands in an underserved neighborhood, from hosting a major community green space in Northern Manhattan, to implementing organic gardening techniques and best horticultural practices on a daily basis.
The waterfall in Sherman Creek Park
NYRP’s work in Sherman Creek and the surrounding landscape recognizes the remarkable value of natural resources found in Northern Manhattan and works to improve and support public access to Manhattan’s largest remaining wetland complex.
The pathways through Swindler Cove Park.
SWINDLER COVE
(from the park website)
NYRP is responsible for conceiving, developing, executing and maintaining the vibrant and versatile Swindler Cove at Sherman Creek Park, a former illegal dumping site transformed by NYRP into a gorgeous green space. The 5-acre space is home to the Riley-Levin Children’s Garden.
Swindler Cove represents the crown jewel of New York Restoration Project’s public park projects. Opened to the public in August 2003, Swindler Cove represents the full spectrum of NYRP’s mission to restore open space as a catalyst for community revitalization and environmental conservation.
The restoration of the Manhattan coastline.
In 1999, in partnership with the State of New York Department of Transportation and acclaimed landscape designer Billie Cohen, NYRP transformed the land into an oasis of native natural habitats with a lush array of restored woodlands, wetlands, native plantings and a freshwater pond, accented by a gracious pathway.
LIVING SHORELINE
(from the park website)
Sherman Creek Park is threatened by climate change-induced erosion and sea level rise and in 2020 we introduced an ecosystem-based solution called a living shoreline.
Replanting and renovating the coastline.
Integrating native plantings and an artificial oyster reef, our living shoreline design aims to not only attenuate waves that wash away sediment but also enhance the native wetland habitat—one of the last of its kind in all of Manhattan. By stacking specialized concrete blocks called Oyster Castles, its design helps build new habitat for marine species that, over time, could transform the dynamics of a park that we might otherwise lose.
We continue to monitor the shoreline’s evolution to better understand and quantify the ecosystem services that urban wetland restoration projects like ours might offer. “We know that, acre per acre, wetlands are better than forests at fighting climate change,” says Director of Northern Manhattan Parks Jason Smith. “It just requires shifting our relationship with the landscape and realizing it’s not about building a big project and walking away; it’s about staying engaged, stewarding it, and learning from it.”
Video on the New York Restoration Project: Rebuilding parks and gardens.
Revisiting the park in 2026 for The Great Saunter (unofficially):
When I was walking The Great Saunter on my own in 2026, I took my lunch and walked over to Sherman Creek Park and relaxed under one of the trees on a bench where it was nice and cool in the shade. There was no one there that afternoon and I had this section of the park all to myself. Classes had just let out for the Summer so there were no school groups in the park at this time.
Sherman Creek Park at 3725 Tenth Avenue
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/sherman-creek-park
https://www.nyrp.org/en/gardens-and-parks/sherman-creek-park
My review on TripAdvisor:
Walking through the lawn By the start o go the East River
Sherman Creek was a former garbage dump that has been turned into parkland that has become a place of relaxation where birds, butterflies and aquatic life that is changing this area into a natural habitat for wildlife.
The pond in Sherman Creek Park
The Riley-Levin Children’s Garden
The Vegetable Garden
The front of the Riley-Levin Children’s Garden
The marsh area by the East River is all reclaimed land that was once a dumping ground for garbage. The views are beautiful and the breezes are amazing.
The pathways through the marsh area which serves as an aquifer for the East River
Looking south down on the marsh land
The water must be getting cleaner because a white Heron was looking for food in the marshland water.
The white Heron
The park was so beautiful and relaxing that afternoon.
Merchant’s House Museum
29 East 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 777-1089
Open: Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm/Monday-Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Saturday 12:00pm-5:00pm
Admission: Adults $15.00/Seniors (over 65) and Students $10.00/Members are free/ Special Guided tours are $20.00
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Merchant House at 29 East 4th Street in NoHo
The Historic Plaque
The house is part of the NYCParks system
(from the museum’s pamphlet):
The Merchant House Museum, the former home to four generations of the Treadwell family, was built in 1832 and is designed in the late Federal style of brick and marble. When the house was built, elegant Greek Revival style rowhouses of red brick and white marble flanked the tree lined streets of this fashionable residential enclave, known then as the Bond Street Area.
The house was the home of wealthy merchant, Seabury Tredwell, his family and their four servants. Over the next 98 years, the family lived there and saw the neighborhood and the city grow, change and prosper. In 1936, after the death of the last living relative, the house opened as a museum, complete with Tredwell family’s original furnishings and personal possessions.
At the Midcentury, cast iron made its first appearance and commercial buildings and factories came to dominate the area. By the century’s end, it would be a commercial district with the Tredwell’s being the last holdouts of the area. The house was saved by the last relative’s grand nephew who bought the home to preserve it as a museum.
The home is now part of the NoHo Historic District that includes about 160 buildings, 11 of which are distinguished as individual NYC landmarks
The Entrance Hallway where you would be greeted when you enter the house
The Merchant House Kitchen ready for dinner to be prepared
the Dining Room was set for the Dutch New Year gathering
The Christmas holidays were not a big tradition in the early 1830’s when the house was built. The Dutch tradition of visiting on New Year’s Day and making calls to your friends was what many fashionable families would do to socialize with their neighbors. Tea, Coffee and punch would be served along with cakes, sweets and savories. These calls would only last about ten to fifteen minutes before you would move onto the next house. This tradition continued until Victorian times when homes were spread further apart and the family Christmas celebrations with gift giving and a Christmas tree came into fashion due to Queen Victoria and the spread of English and German traditions.
The punchbowl ready for guests on New Year’s Day
Refreshments ready for the New Year’s Day gathering
The broken pieces of the china collection of the Treadwell family. There is not a full collection of china that the family had to entertain with for formal affairs. They also did not have any china or silver of the family’s. I think that this might have been passed down to the heirs.
The Parlor of the Merchant House Museum
The piano in the Parlor of the home
The fireplace in the Parlor
The Parlor is where the family would gather after meals for entertainment and to converse with guests. This would be the main part of the house for socializing as the formal dining room and living rooms would be used for more formal affairs.
The Living Room in the Merchant House
The stairs are rather narrow and steep when you are heading upstairs to the bedrooms so you have to hold on to the rails. The bedrooms are normal size by today’s standards but back then they were pretty big plus people had their own rooms. They were nicely furnished with family heirlooms and antiques.
Mr. Treadwell’s bedroom
The portrait of Mr. Treadwell in his bedroom
Mrs. Treadwell’s bedroom
In Victorian times, the wealthy would have separate bedrooms for the husband and wife. Bedrooms would not just be a place to sleep but they were also a place of business where the family members would do their paperwork, write correspondence and arrange social events. Also, in the case of birthing, the child would be in the bedroom with their mother.
The “Valentine’s Day Card” exhibition “19th Century Valentines: Confections of Affection” on the second floor is part of the house’s extensive collection. ‘Delicate and lacy, these expressions of love celebrate the whimsy and romance of the Golden Age of Valentines’ (from the pamphlet).
The Children’s bedrooms on the third floor were closed off and used as offices for the staff so I made my way up to the Servant’s Quarters on the top floor. These people really got their exercise climbing those stairs up and down every day. The stairs seemed to get more narrow as you headed higher and God forbid there ever be a fire. You would be trapped up there with no way out.
The Servants Room on the fourth floor
The Servants Room on the fourth floor was pretty spare
Looking for the paranormal
Looking for a ghost on the fourth floor
During October, the museum hosts “Gaslight Ghost Tours”, where you tour the home by candlelight. There have been strange noises in the house ever since Gertrude Tredwell passed in 1934. She had been born in the house in 1840 and lived here until she was 93. She had never married and now it is said that her spirit is still part of the home (museum pamphlet).
After viewing the Servants Quarters and not finding any ghosts, I headed back downstairs to the main hallway leading into the house. There I saw the timeline of the family and all the family members that had lived in the house. It seemed that the last living relative, Gertrude, died in the house in 1934 and her grand-nephew bought the house and all its debts at the height of the Depression to preserve the home as a museum. Talk about insight! The nephew knew how important this home would be one day.
The Treadwell family tree in the hallway downstairs
The last part of the tour was the gardens in the back of the home. It was not a formal yard but a well landscaped walled in garden with a small fountain in the back of the gardens. The flowers were just starting to come up and there were crocuses and daffodils One of the curators was the Master Gardener for the property and did a nice job landscaping the property.
The back of the Merchant House Museum in the late Winter in the Gardens
The Gardens of the Treadwell house in the late Winter
The fountain at the gardens was off but now means to come back in the late Spring
There is a more formal tour a couple of times a day of the home but that is by reservation only and there is a separate fee. The holidays offer more themed tours on Halloween and Christmas. The Candlelight tour of the hour for Halloween is really intriguing.
The Merchant House Museum at night before Halloween
I recently went on the Haunted House tour at the Merchants House for Halloween in 2023 and that was interesting. We walked the first two floors of the house in the dark by candlelight hearing stories about the family.
Costumed characters greeted us in every room but none of us saw a ghost. Still the house had a creepy feeling to it as we walked room by room discussing the lives and deaths of the Treadwell family. We started off in the Parlor on the first floor with displays of seances and ghost pictures dotting the displays.
The display of seances and ghost pictures.
It can be a bit spooky walking through a house by flashlight, but the docents made the conversation interesting and fun. We got to hear about all the haunted tales of the house. A highly suggestive tour around Halloween.
The Parlor at night on the Candlelight tour of the house on Halloween.
The home is very engaging at Christmas time as well as you are welcomed into the Treadwell Home for the Christmas holidays with their annual Christmas Eve Reception and preparations for Christmas lunch. The house was decked out in garland and bows with several Christmas trees in the room. The house was very festive for the holidays and you were welcomed into the world of 19th century New York City at the holidays.
The Merchant House at the Christmas Holidays.
The outside of the house decked out for the holidays.
You are welcomed to the home at Christmas time.
We started our tour in the gardens which had gone dormant for the season but still you could see the greens in the bushes and the pine trees. It had been a warm morning in the low 50’s with a treat of rain but later that afternoon. For now, it had just been gloomy. We had a nice conversation about the house and its history even though we could barely hear the tour guide as he talked so softly.
We next toured the kitchen where the cooks were busy cooking and baking for the Christmas holidays. The 19th Century was all about manners, traditions mostly Dutch and entertaining. The Treadwell’s were people who both entertained the neighbors and their family as well. So there would be teas, receptions, open houses and then the formal Christmas Eve festivities and then Christmas lunch after church service the next day.
The holiday meal being cooked in the downstairs kitchen.
Christmas dinner with the Treadwell’s must have been special.
We moved next to the upstairs parlor that was set for receiving guests from the neighborhood. The Treadwell’s like most families at that time received guests for New Year’s Day punch and refreshments as the men of the neighborhood made their social calls during the holiday season. This tradition stopped around the time of the Civil War when families during the Industrial Revolution acquired money and people did not want to ‘entertain just anyone’.
The Parlor by the front door ready to received guests for the holiday season.
The Parlor on the first floor receiving guests for New Year’s Day.
The mantle was beautifully decorated for the holidays.
We next toured the formal Dining Room and Living Room on the second level where the family entertained relatives and friends for the holidays. It must have been some celebration as the Dutch traditions disappeared and the Victorian rules and elaborate traditions started some still practiced today. Now we call it the “Norman Rockwell” and “Martha Stewart” standards.
The formal Living Room with the Table Tree decorated for the holidays. The Table Tree was the precursor for the modern Christmas tree.
The tree is the focal part of the room.
The fireplace was decked out for the holidays as well.
The Dining Room was set for the Christmas Eve Open House and in preparation for receiving guests in the formal room. The finest silver, china and crystal would have been used to show off the family position in the neighborhood and was meant to impress.
The Dining Room was set for receiving guests for the Open House.
The Dining Room set for a feast.
The family would receive guests all day, replenishing foods so that there was plenty for everyone who visited. Women would be busy all day entertaining neighborhood men who would be calling all day long.
The bannisters were beautifully decorated with garland.
During the Victorian Age gift giving during the holidays became very important.
Christmas presents of the Victorian Age.
Gifts of the Victorian Age.
We then toured the upstairs bedrooms and saw how they decorated. The rooms were nicely decorated for Christmas. I have never seen rooms decorated like this for the holidays.
Mrs. Treadwell’s bedroom
Mrs. Treadwell’s Bedroom
Mr. Treadwell’s bedroom
Mr. Treadwell’s portrait in the bedroom standing guard.
It was an interesting look at both Edwardian and Victorian times in New York City.
The New Year video on celebrations on the “New Year’s Day Visiting” day
During the Summer months, the Merchant House Museum is hosting a series of “Music in the Garden” concerts. The first one I attended was in June 2024 with Flutist Cheryl Pyle. What a nice relaxing evening in the gardens that were all in bloom.
The gardens were in full bloom that June evening
Flutist Cheryl Pyle performing in the gardens that evening
https://cherylpyle.bandcamp.com/
The gardens are this hidden gem in the neighborhood. The volunteers have done such a beautiful job taking care of this marvelous historic site.
The gardens looking at the back of the house with the wine and snacks and information table
The gardens closer to the back entrance of the house
The left side of the back garden
The right side of the gardens
The entrance to the gardens from the park next door
The fountain staring back at us in the gardens
This little bird even joined us in the garden for the concert and stayed and listened contently
The museum is currently having a fight to keep construction away from the home. The ten-year battle to keep a hotel from being built has been a problem for the museum. The foundation and structure of the home are in danger due to the fragile state of the building. The Landmark Preservation Commission of New York is researching and looking over the proposal.
The museum now has to defend itself from building next door
The museum is a perfect way to see how residents of a Upper Middle Class family lived in Pre-Victorian times and show the last vestiges of the neighborhood when it was a fashionable section of the City.
Art & Design Gallery at FIT
227 West 27th Street
New York City, NY 10001
(212) 217-4683/4570
https://www.fitnyc.edu/life-at-fit/campus/gallery/index.php
https://www.fitnyc.edu/academics/academic-divisions/art-and-design/index.php
Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm
Admission: Free Donations Accepted
My review on TripAdvisor:
The entrance to the Art & Design Gallery at FIT at 227 West 27th Street
The exhibition space showcases the work of students, faculty, and distinguished alumni, as well as invited guest artists. This new gallery space is located at the entrance of the Pomerantz main building and the back room exhibition space. This features smallers theme shows and showcases the talents of the FIT professors, professionals and Alumni. The shows are constantly rotating offering a fresh approach to contemporary art.
The Current Exhibition:
Creative Industry:
The Alumni Journey
Lobby and Gallery
Diverse in medium, this exhibition spotlights the career trajectories of several illustrious FIT alumni, highlighting their innovations and interesting journeys through the creative industries. Co-curated by Troy Richards, dean for the School of Art and Design, and Alumni Relations’ Kseniya Baranova, the work on display features photography, fashion, video, weaving, wallpaper, graphic design, and painting.
“Unconventional Minds at Work: 15 Years of HUE, The FIT Alumni Magazine
The showcased art designs
Artwork “Matter 2008” by artist Susanne Tick
The sign of artist Susanne Tick’s work
Artwork from “Unconventional Minds at Work”
Artwork from “Unconventional Minds at Work”
Artwork from “Unconventional Minds at Work”
Resurgence:
The Ingenuity of Artisan Work and
Hand-crafted Objects
Lobby and Gallery
‘Resurgence’ showcases the ingenuity of artisan work and hand-crafted objects from textiles, jewelry, and decorative accessories. Contributors to this show include FIT alumni, faculty, and students, as well as finalists from the 2022 Global Eco Artisan Awards, a recognition given by the AGAATI Foundation.
Artwork of “Resurgence”
The Gallery at FIT during one of the current exhibitions
The latest exhibition is on the A. Beller & Company clothing line. The designs on display are from 1900-1930 and many of the designs are from the ‘flapper’ era.
The A. Beller & Company exhibition
The A. Beller & Company designs.
The Bio on the manufacturer
The A. Beller & Company designs from 1910-1930.
The A. Beller & Company designs from 1910-1930.
The A. Beller & Company designs from 1910-1930.
The A. Beller & Company designs from 1910-1930.
The museum also did a piece on how Generation Z is reworking vintage clothing designs and reworking them into modern clothing.
The Generation Z gallery of designs.
The write up on reworking of vintage clothing.
Some of the clothing designs.
The new exhibition in September 2023 was “The Unwearable Art” exhibition:
With the tag line “A fashion line no one would dare wear.”
The fashions were very unusual to say the least but unique in every way.
The entrance to the gallery.
“Today-I’m Wearing Uncertainty”
the “Today-I’m Wearing Uncertainty” design sign.
“Today-I’m Wearing Flare Intensity”
The “Today-I’m Wearing Flare Intensity” sign.
“Today-I’m Wearing Something Life Threatening.”
The sign “Today-I’m Wearing Something Life Threatening”
“Today-I’m Wearing Physical Pain”
The sign for “Today-I’m Wearing Physical Pain”
The “Wearing Uncertainty” exhibition offers a different look at fashion, and it’s influences on costumes.
The new “Squishables” exhibition at the Gallery at FIT focuses on therapeutic stuffed animals with themes that the students created as teams. Each one has several colorful soft animals and figures with it. It is a colorful and whimsical display. The exhibition shows how plush toys become an essential tool in coping with anxiety, stress, grief and isolation a person might feel at a time of their lives. This exhibition opened in May of 2024.
The sign on the new exhibition “Squishable”.
The “Unicorn Cafe” display.
The “Under the Sea” display.
The “Graveyard” Halloween display.
The “Alchemy Lab” display.
The “Farm” display.
The “Squishables” Gallery exhibition.
The new exhibition “Squishables” is based on a therapeutic stuffed animal that is created by the students.
The “Denim Devine” exhibition is the Senior Project of the graduates.
The “Denim Devine” exhibition in 2024. This exhibition was created by graduating students to design a wardrobe that was made of entirely of denim. These are their original designs and creations.
The “Denim Devine” entrance.
The winners of the “Denim Devine” exhibition.
The “Denim Devine” display.
The back gallery of “Denim Devine”.
I loved this Disney inspired dress in the exhibition.
One of my favorite dresses from the exhibition.
Another very original design in the exhibition.
Another original design that I liked in the exhibition.
The picture boards for the exhibition and other exhibitions.
The Gallery is free and open to the public.
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 