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Museum of Broadway 145 West 45th Street New York, NY 10036

Museum of Broadway 145 West 45th Street New York, NY 10036

Museum of Broadway

145 West 45th Street

New York, NY 10036

https://www.themuseumofbroadway.com/plan-your-visit

Open: Sunday-Tuesday 9:30am-6:30pm/Wednesday 9:30am-2:30pm/Thursday-Friday 9:30am-6:30pm/Saturday 9:30am-8:00pm

Admission: Adults $49.00/Seniors $32.00/Students $29.00

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g60763-d25074776-Museum_of_Broadway-New_York_City_New_York.html

The entrance to the Museum of Broadway at 145 West 45th Street

The front of the Museum of Broadway

I visited the newly opened Museum of Broadway recently and what a nice surprise the museum is with a great depth in the collection. There was the history of the theater in New York City and how it progressed from small theaters downtown to the theater’s progression uptown to it home now in the core of Times Square.

The Make-Up Room on the way up the stairs.

The Call Board display.

The museum is very interesting in that when you enter the back of the museum you feel that you are going backstage at a theater and preparing for a show. You head up the stairs past make up rooms, wardrobe rooms and the star’s rooms. The you head out the door like you are going out on stage. You feel that rush of the stage.

The Stage Door stairs.

The Broadway Playbill Room exhibit

The Playbill Room display

As you head up the stairs to the exhibition the museum makes you feel like an actor on opening night. The sounds of the stage and the noises of the crew in the background make you feel like you are part of the show. The Playbill Room displays some of the popular shows from the past and present.

The Props of the backstage.

Then you open the door, and you enter the main museum with displays on the history of the theater. As you progress through the museum, you will see displays on popular shows through the years from Flo Ziegfield and the Ziegfield Follies to the modern shows on Broadway.

The Ziegfield Room

The Ziegfield Room

Costumes that were found in a box in the attic of the theater.

Ethel Merman in “Anything Goes” when she first started her career. She was so young. I pulled the movie that featured a lot of the Broadway cast. Ethel Merman never lost her touch throughout her career.

“Anything Goes” from the movie.

From there, I explored the museum and many of the most famous shows on Broadway had their own displays with props, scripts, pictures and costumes from the shows. Not just the revivals but the original shows as well. It was interesting to see what the original stars wore in the shows as well as these costumes still existed after all this time. I kept the pictures in order as I toured through the displays of the Broadways most popular productions.

The Oklahoma! exhibit with costumes and scenery from the show.

The Oklahoma set props from the recent revival

The West Side Story set

The West Side Story set from the recent revival

When the original “Hello Dolly” came out in the 1960’s, it made a huge star of Carol Channing, who owned the role until the day she died. I had seen her revival production in the early 1990’s and I will tell you that even in her 80’s, she had more pep and vitality than any one person had. She went on tour with the company after the show closed in New York to China and all over Asia. When you hear her sing “Hello Dolly”, you knew it was her.

“Hello Dolly” with Carol Channing’s original outfit from the show.

The display on the original show “Hello Dolly” with Carol Channing.

The video from London’s West End

The original show “Cabaret”

The costumes from “Cabaret”

The costumes from the show “Hair”

There was a large display to the late and great Stephen Sondheim:

There was a large display of props, scripts, costumes and pictures from all of his show especially the groundbreaking show “Company”. Today it might not seem so unusual for a thirty year old not to be married but in 1970 when the show came out, it was rare. Since the passing of Mr. Sondheim, there has been more interest in his life and his productions that he created. I have seen so many of his show especially his last show “Bounce”, when I was seeing his retrospect at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

The groundbreaking show “Company”

“Company” is an excellent show.

The original cast of Company in the 1993 revival.

The revival of company with the production that my father and I saw in 2010.

The “A Chorus Line” display

“The Wiz” display

The “Cats” display and costumes

The Broadway Timeline

Phantom of the Opera

Phantom of the Opera

The Costumes for Evita and Phantom of the Opera

Me in the Hallway of Mirrors

“The Producers” display

The “Avenue Q” display

The ‘Making of a Broadway Show’

The costumes of a Broadway show

The “Chicago” display was the last show display before I got to the gift shop.

The museum progresses room by room and display by display showing the costumes and props of some of the most popular shows on Broadway and shows from the past. The collection has an extensive selection of memorabilia from productions of the past through today and showcases them in such an interesting way.

The Museum of Broadway is such an engaging museum from start to finish and I can see more shows of the future will be displayed here as well. The staff is available to answer any questions you might have and they also have an extensive gift shop in the front of the museum.

Sherman Creek Park 3725 Tenth Avenue New York, NY 10034

Sherman Creek Park 3725 Tenth Avenue New York, NY 10034

Sherman Creek Park

3725 Tenth Avenue

New York, NY 10034

(212) 720-3480

Sherman Creek Park
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/sherman-creek-park

Click to access booklet.pdf

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.

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.

Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Park 44 Battlefield Road Stony Point, NY 10980

Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Park 44 Battlefield Road Stony Point, NY 10980

Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Park

44 Battlefield Road

Stony Point, NY 10980

(845) 786-2521

https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/stonypointbattlefield/maps.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stony_Point_Battlefield

Open: Sunday (Grounds) 12:00pm-5:00pm (Museum) 12:00pm-4:30pm /Monday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday (Grounds) 9:00am-5:00pm/(Museum) 10:00am-4:30pm

Admission: Free but donations are accepted. Groups, Scouts and Organizations are $5.00 individuals per person and $7.00 for special events per person. Please call to make arrangements on this.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48694-d263715-Reviews-The_Stony_Point_Battlefield_Lighthouse-Stony_Point_New_York.html

The Stony Point Battlefield Museum

The General’s tent on the battlefield.

We visited the Stony Point Battlefield one afternoon and it is a very interesting and historical fort in the Hudson River Valley. We were able to tour the battle site and explore the grounds of this historical site. Then we toured the museum which gave us a view of the battle and what happened that night through a series of displays of the artifacts.

The Gallery

The Gallery

The gallery was filled with all sorts of weaponry and items needed by the troops for battle.

The battlefield site.

The museum has displays of the weapons used, the structure of the fort, utensils used the time that the troops were defending this area and what life was like on a day-to-day basis. The museum also offers a glimpse of artifacts of both the fort and of the battle with docents assisting you in telling the story of what happened at that time and after the battle and the war were over.

The Stoney Point Battlefield tent set up.

Outside the fort, there was a set-up of tents to show what the troops life was like in battle as well as General Wallace’s tent that he lived in and used during the battle. At the end of the day, the park does a demonstration of lighting the cannon that would have been used in battle. That was interesting. It was a lot more work than people think.

The cannon set up.

There is lot to do and see along the pathways of the fort and its grounds with amazing views of the Hudson River.

The story of the battle.

The History of the park and battlegrounds:

(from the NYS Parks Division website)

Visit the site of the Battle of Stony Point, one of the last Revolutionary War battles in the northeastern colonies. This is where Brigadier General Anthony Wayne led his corps of Continental Light Infantry in a daring midnight attack on the British, seizing the site’s fortifications and taking the soldiers and camp followers at the British garrison as prisoners on July 16, 1779.

The map of the fort at Stony Point, NY.

By May 1779 the war had been raging for four years and both sides were eager for a conclusion. Sir Henry Clinton, Commander-In-Chief of the British forces in America, attempted to coerce General George Washington into one decisive battle to control the Hudson River. As part of his strategy, Clinton fortified Stony Point. Washington devised a plan for Wayne to lead an attack on the garrison. Armed with bayonets only, the infantry captured the fort in short order, ending British control of the river.

The weapons of battle on display at the museum.

The Stony Point Lighthouse, built in 1826, is the oldest lighthouse on the Hudson River. De-commissioned in 1925, it now stands as a historical reminder of the importance of lighthouses to commerce on the Hudson River. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 unleashed a surge of commercial navigation along the Hudson River, by linking New York city to America’s heartland.

Within a year, the first of the Hudson’s fourteen lights shone at Stony Point and others soon followed, designed to safely guide maritime travel along the river. Many light keepers, including several remarkable women such as Nancy and Melinda Rose at Stony Point, made their homes in the lighthouse complexes, and ensured that these important navigational signals never failed to shine.

The lighthouse light on display at the museum.

The site features a museum, which offers exhibits on the battle and the Stony Point Lighthouse, as well as interpretive programs, such as reenactments highlighting 18th century military life, cannon and musket firings, cooking demonstrations, and children’s activities and blacksmith demonstrations.

The cannon demonstration that we saw at the end of our visit to the battlefields.

The Reher Center 99-101 Broadway Kingston, NY 12401

The Reher Center 99-101 Broadway Kingston, NY 12401

The Reher Center

99-101 Broadway

Kingston, NY 12401

(845) 481-3738

Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History | Kingston NY | Ulster County

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-6:00pm/Monday-Thursday Closed/Friday-Saturday 1:00pm-6:00pm

Admission:

$12.50 Seniors/Students/Children/$17.50 for Adults and Combination tickets

The History of the Reher Center:

(From the museum website)

I recently went to the Roundout section of Kingston to tour the Reher Center and what an interesting tour not just of the exhibit, I recently went to the Roundout section of Kingston to tour the Reher Center and what an interesting tour not just of the exhibit, “Taking Root: Immigrant stories of the Hudson River Valley” but also the historic baking tour. The tour guides really explained how the Reher Bakery, which closed its doors in 1980 was not just a bakery. It was a staple in the community where people got to together not just over bread but community affairs and interaction with other immigrant groups of people.

‘Taking Root: Immigrant stories from the Hudson River Valley’

Our first part of the tour started in the bakery on the first floor of the museum. when Hymie Reher closed the doors of the bakery for good in 1980, he shut the door and created a time capsule that would become the museum. It seemed that the family did not want another business in the space so it just stayed empty all those years. This led to the creation of the museum dedicated to a family whose roots were in Kingston for several generations (it seemed that family members still lived upstairs until the early 2000’s).

The start of the Bakery tour

The tour starts in the front of the bakery where the family would have standing orders ready for customers and this is where the community would come together. Over their orders. Some of the shelves are still stocked with supplies that would have been on the shelves in the 1950’s. The tour guide said that it was not just a bakery but a small grocer as well.

The Grocery display

The Grocery display

The bakery display section

The tour continued in the bakery section where the oven was located and where all the magic took place to produce all the breads, rolls and challah was made. The oven, which is still functional today but can not be used, takes up most of the room. It was a coal and wood burning oven that was used from the turn of the last century until the bakery closed in 1980. The oven was impressive not just for the amount of bread items that needed to be produced each week but the fact that people would come with their food for the sader to cook in the cooling oven.

The oven in the kitchen where the breads and rolls were made

On the other side of the kitchen is the flour bins and the dough mixer where the dough was produced and all the product was portion sized. The storage areas where supplies came in and were held each week to produce what needed to be made for the customers were off to the side. On the tour, you will hear talks from former employees and customers about what life was like in the bakery.

The shared oven where meals were cooked in the cooling oven

The tour would end with a few more conversations with former customers and a quick wrap up in the grocery area. Then each of us got a fresh roll in a bag that was baked by a restaurant in the neighborhood. That was really good. The roll was chewy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The dough mixing machine is to the right and the supply area to the left.

The dough machine

The kitchen storage area

Baking sheets from years and years of making rolls

The last part of the tour was in the new upstairs gallery where the “Taking Root: Immigrant stories of the Hudson River Valley” is on view. This is where immigrants from the United States from the World Wars until today tell their stories in video recording and you can hear how they came to this country. Their lives before they arrived and after they settled in the region. Some of the stories I heard were fascinating.

The timeline of the stories told

The pictures of the immigrant stories told

Pictures and stories from the exhibition

Brief History of the Reher Center:

2002-2007: The idea for the Reher Center was hatched in 2002 when Geoffrey Miller peered into the window of 101 Broadway and observed a time capsule: the space was left untouched since Hymie Reher closed his family’s bakery in the early 1980’s. Geoff describes it as “Falling down a rabbit hole,” as he envisioned preserving and opening the site as a museum. Through a conversation with his friend, Barbara Blas in 2004. Geoff learned that the Rehers and the Blases were long time members of Kingston’s Orthodox synagogue. Agudas Achim and old family friends. Hymie was pleased with Geoff’s vision (Barbara remembers him singing “Happy Days are Here”) and arranged to deed the Reher’s property at 99-101 Broadway to the Jewish Federation of Ulster County.

The front of the bakery

A core committee quickly formed to develop plans to preserve the buildings and expand on Geoff’s initial vision for the site as a museum and cultural center that would honor the Reher family’s legacy and the broader immigrant history of Rondout neighborhood. Its tagline became “Building community by celebrating multiculturalism and our immigrant past.”

2008-2016: Geoff led the all-volunteer Reher Center Committee to restore the storefront and raise $750,000 in funding to stabilize the property under the guidance of preservation architect Marilyn Kaplan. Working with a variety of local organizations and partners, the Reher Center also spearheaded a series of popular programs including an annual Kingston Multicultural Festival, Deli Dinner and Immigrant Gifts to America series.

2016-2018: The Reher Center Committee expanded its Steering Committee and hired its first professional staff to leverage a range of new expertise and develop an interpretive plan for the site. In 2017, Sarah Litvin, Interpretive Planner, and Samantha Gomez-Ferrer, archivist, were hired to inventory, catalog, preserve, research, and digitize the Reher Center’s collection and expand it through conducting oral histories.

The outside displays of the Reher Center

In 2018, thanks to a generous matching donation from the Norman I. Krug family and our committed funders, the Reher Center was able to hire our first Director, Sarah Litvin, to open the site for public programming during summer, 2018. From May to August, the Reher Center was abuzz of activity as we created a new window display featuring historic photos from our collection; created a gallery and mounted our first exhibit, “The Story Continues” and shared the site and our vision for its future on Preview Tours of our historic bakery. Our July 7th “Open House” marked the first time the Reher Center was open for regular on-site programs.

The “Big Night” event in 2025:

In February 2025, I was invited to a very successful special event sponsored by both the Kingston Film Foundation and the Reher Center, a screening of the film, ‘Big Night’ and a sampling of Italian food. Needless to say the event far exceeded what the planners thought and they were completely full and sold out by 6:00pm. The organizer said they were turning people away. They had never seen anything like this. When you mix free Italian food, free wine and an excellent movie, you have a recipe for an excellent event. It was so much fun.

The organizer from the Kingston Film Foundation was explaining the success of the evening to the crowd

The event was funded by the Ulster County Italian American Foundation

I am convinced that it was the food that brought the people in coupled with a very popular film. The caterer who was there that night from Mass Midtown made two versions of the Tripoli, the noodle and meat dish in the film. Trust me when I say, the lines never stopped for that.

The two versions of the Timpano, the Vegetarian and the Meat versions, which were delicious was donated by Masa Midtown in Kingston, NY and the wines were donated by Kingston Wine Company.

Masa Midtown

https://www.masamidtown.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/13365543?m=19905

Trust me they were very generous with the slices of Timpano

God, it was delicious

The screening room was beyond packed that evening. Put free Italian food and a popular film in front of people and you will get a crowd

This very popular event people in the area will be talking about for a long time. This is what gets you a lot of attention. It really was an excellent event and I had a lot of fun that night. I love the movie ‘Big Night’.

The Timpano in the “Big Night”

The Trailer for the “Big Night”:

The evening was night of good food, wonderful conversation and an excellent movie.