Summer sightseeing in Manhattan

When I'm not at the theatre, I squeeze in as much sightseeing as is humanly possible during my trips to New York City. The heat and humidity didn't make it easy this time but I persevered.

First up was a return visit to the American Museum of Natural History for Race to the End of the Earth. What's better on a sweltering day than a little polar exploration?

The exhibit tells the story of the competition between British Navy Capt. Robert Scott and Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen in 1910 to be the first to reach the South Pole.

It was a contest of unimaginable hardship, told through artifacts from the two expeditions, photographs and a time line that relates what they were up against every step of the way.

At right is an example of the wooden huts the British built at their camp. Apparently they were especially unprepared for how quickly the temperature plunged from cold to unbearably cold.

Just to give you an idea, last night's temperature at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica was -56 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill that made it feel like -90. That's MINUS 90.

Neither expedition had the high-tech gear that polar researchers use today to make their work safer, no Gore-Tex to keep them warm. (They wore parkas made from reindeer fur and you can touch a sample - it's smooth and silky.)

The exhibit tells the story very well. It explains not just what happened but why. The decisions Scott and Amundsen made about what to bring, when to start out, their backgrounds and personalities, all figured in the outcome.

Here's a segment NPR did about Race to the End of the Earth with the museum's Ross MacPhee and polar explorer John Huston. The exhibit runs through Jan. 2.

I made my first trip to the Jewish Museum for the now-closed Curious George Saves the Day.

This was another interesting story that was unknown to me: how the husband and wife who wrote and illustrated the Curious George books, Margret and H.A. Rey, fled Europe during World War II.

It was so poignant to read the handwritten letter that Hans Rey sent to his British publisher, telling him they made an "adventurous flight from Paris" by bicycle in June 1940, two days before the Nazis marched in.

After traveling by bicycle and train, the Reys reached Lisbon. They sailed from there to South America and finally to the United States, reaching New York City in October 1940. The first Curious George book was published a year later.

The mischievous monkey came from sketches of animals that Hans Rey made when he lived in Brazil in the 1920s and '30s and traveled along the Amazon selling goods. (Apparently, he also complained about the tropical heat, hence the Man with the Yellow Hat.)

The theme of narrowly escaping peril that figures into Curious George's adventures parallels the Reys' escape from the Nazis. (It's amazing how deep children's books are once you learn about the background.)

Curious George Saves the Day moves to the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco from Nov. 14 - March 13, 2011. Here's more about the exhibit from the WBUR radio program On Point.

I don't eat much red meat but I'd been hearing so much about the Shake Shack, which opened in midtown Manhattan, that I really wanted to try it.

Well, the line stretched out the door and down the street. I don't think I've ever stood in a longer line to get a hamburger. All told, it took about 30 minutes.

The verdict: delicious! I was afraid it would be dry, tasteless fast-food fare. Just the opposite.

My Shack Burger with lettuce and tomato was juicy, flavorful, not overly greasy. And the mayonnaise-based Shack Sauce provided the perfect condiment. Accompanied by a refreshing Arnold Palmer, it was a nice light pre-theatre dinner.

Finally, I walked by the fire station at 8th Avenue and 48th Street that houses Engine Co. 54, Ladder 4.

The "Pride of Midtown," which protects Broadway, proudly proclaims that it's "never missed a performance." Judging from the mural, they really get into the role, too.

If you pass by, stop for a moment at the memorial to the 15 men from the station who lost their lives responding to the Sept. 11 attacks. Firefighters enter places where everyone else is trying to flee. Heroes all.

Summer vacation in New York!

I'm almost ready to head to New York City for my first visit of 2010.

I've done my sandwich research and decided to go for No. 77.

I've got my tickets for La Cage aux Folles, Lend Me A Tenor, Fela! and The Addams Family on Broadway and Trust off-Broadway. I'm also planning to take in a concert at Joe's Pub to benefit Broadway Impact and its fight for marriage equality.

Given the heat wave, I'm not sure how much energy I'll have for sightseeing but I've picked out a couple of exhibits: Race to the End of the Earth at the American Museum of Natural History and Curious George Saves the Day at The Jewish Museum.

One thing I won't be seeing is Al Pacino in Central Park in The Merchant of Venice. When you've got a too-short summer vacation, spending three hours with Shakespeare and anti-Semitism isn't very appealing.

Yeah I know, opinions differ, it has to be understood in the context of its time, it's a plea for tolerance, yada, yada, yada. Maybe another time.

Which kind of traveler are you?

There was a good series of stories in the travel section of The Washington Post this weekend about visiting New York City - very appropriate, since that's where I'll be in a few days. Five writers each took a slightly different approach to spending 24 hours in the city that never sleeps.

They all boarded the 7:30 a.m. Bolt Bus from Washington, and 4 hours later, they were in Manhattan, each looking for their own particular kind of thrill: the Nosher, the Culture Hound, the Adventurer, Family Guy and Tourist Trapper.

The Adventurer had quite a workout. I'm not sure I want to sweat that much on vacation. She went on a bicycle ride through Central Park; visited The Cloisters, took a hip-hop class at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; took in an improv show at the Upright Citizens Brigade; and tried the driving range at Chelsea Piers.

The Nosher tried a kosher Central Asian restaurant in the Diamond District, walked around the Essex Street Market before taking in a culinary tour of the Lower East Side, including pickles and Italian and Chinese baked goods, attended a performance of the Philip Glass opera Satyagraha at the Metropolitan Opera (Not sure how that fits in with noshing), then ended the evening with pizza and beer.

The Tourist Trapper watched the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center, walked to Macy's for some bargain-hunting, took the Duck Tour after several false starts due to fog, ducked into St. Patrick's Cathedral, watched the SonicVision show at the Hayden Planetarium and walked through Central Park. TT probably did the fewest number of things that I'd be interested in. I'm not really big on planetariums or Duck Tours. I did take a Circle Line cruise once around Manhattan, and that was enough.

The Culture Hound started off at the Rubin Museum of Art, (I've got to admit, that's a new one on me), did some antiques shopping in Chelsea, ate Italian comfort food at Cascina, on Ninth Avenue, went to see In the Heights at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, then topped off the evening with a performance at the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room by a singer named Maude Maggart.

(Ok, this is more than a little weird. Culture Hound must have been tailing me. In March, I ate dinner at Cascina before going to see In the Heights, and afterward went to the Oak Room, for a concert by the talented and suave Scotsman Euan Morton).

The Family Guy started out at the Guggenheim Museum, followed by a trip to Kidfresh (described by the writer as perhaps the world's only grocery store for kids) for a free-range chicken sandwich in the shape of a teddy bear, stopped at the Children's Museum of Arts, and took a trip to Dylan's Candy Bar. The next day included visits to the Museum of American Finance (which sounds pretty interesting to me) and of course, the obligatory stop at Central Park.

I guess, like most people, I'm probably a combination of all these travelers - they all picked things I'd like to try. Actually, I think these divisions are kind of fluid. I mean, we've all gotta eat. Everyone likes Central Park. And who doesn't want to eat candy or go see a Broadway show?

Smithsonian stories

Last week I mentioned in passing that the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is my favorite museum in the whole world. That prompted a nice e-mail from Pamela Caragol Wells, the producer of a new series called "Stories from the Vaults" that takes viewers behind the scenes at the Smithsonian museums. It's hosted by Tom Cavanagh, an actor known for his roles on "Ed" and "Scrubs."

I've been a huge fan of the Smithsonian ever since my first visit to Washington, D.C., some 30 years ago, when I was in high school. I've been to almost all of the museums more than once, and I've loved them all. While the American History Museum is closed for renovations until next summer, they're all worth repeated visits. I can't think of a better way to spend a day in our nation's capital.

Until that first visit, I'd viewed museums as somewhat somber, stuffy places, filled with ancient paintings and sculptures. But the Smithsonian, especially the American History Museum, changed all that.

I'm a big American history buff, and I love the way the museum tells the story of this country from so many different vantage points, from the lives of presidents and celebrities to the struggles and dreams of average, everyday people, as it did in an exhibit called From Field to Factory that documented the migration of African-Americans from the South to the North before World War II. And best of all, like all the Smithsonian museums, admission is free.

My first visit to Washington came during the Bicentennial, and there was a terrific exhibit at the American History Museum called "A Nation of Nations" that took visitors through all of the various cultures that together make up the United States. I've always loved the collection of pop culture artifacts, like Dorothy's ruby red slippers from "The Wizard of Oz," Kermit from "Sesame Street" and Jerry Seinfeld's Puffy Shirt. Plus, the museum hasn't shied away from highlighting the serious parts of American history, including the fight against polio and the fight for civil rights.

One visit I made a decade ago will always stay with me. I'd just come from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and literally the first thing I saw when I walked into the American History Museum was a section of the Woolworth's lunch counter, from Greensboro, N.C., where four African-American college students sat down on Feb. 1, 1960, and asked for service. That simple, courageous act helped ignite the movement challenging segregation throughout the South. Here it was 15 years after the Holocaust and we still hadn't understood the evil of racism. It was a sad and powerful reminder that the struggle against bigotry is an ongoing one. I'm glad that this important artifact from American history, pictured above, is preserved at the Smithsonian.

The Smithsonian has many fascinating, quirky, important tales to tell, and I think "Stories from the Vaults" is a great way to make them come alive. The show airs on the Smithsonian Channel HD, which is available on DirectTV HD. While I don't have that system, I watched clips of the show on YouTube. The topics include Phyllis Diller's joke file, (50,000 of them in an immense steel filing cabinet), flesh-eating beetles, the first videogame, the marine biology collection donated by author John Steinbeck, nature photographer Ansel Adams, taxidermy and ants.

The show is a really interesting look at the back rooms where visitors don't normally venture. Caragol Wells says the idea is to be funny and informative, and "Stories from the Vaults" definitely is both. Cavanagh is a witty, affable host as he chats with the scientists and curators to get the story behind the story of artifacts in the collections. The clips brought back many great memories of hours spent walking through the Smithsonian. I can't wait to go back.

A New York state of mind

In the rivalry between Boston and New York, it was never a contest. I lived in Boston for five years, and it was the first big city I got to know and love. As Carrie Bradshaw says, I'm a bona fide city girl. But New York City was always a mystery. It seemed dangerous and intimidating. I remember seeing "The Out of Towners," with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis as the Ohio couple whose trip to the Big Apple goes horribly wrong, and it left an impression.

I knew that crime was way down and Times Square had been cleaned up and New York is now one of the safest cities in the country, but I was still a little apprehensive before my April trip to see Kevin Spacey on Broadway in "A Moon for the Misbegotten."

Well, with the Red Sox safely in possession of another World Series trophy and three trips to New York City in the past six months under my belt, I can admit this without sounding like a turncoat: there's simply no comparison. I'm not going to switch sports allegiances, and I'm not talking about quality of life or cost of living or job opportunities. But speaking simply as a tourist, given a choice, I'd pick New York City over Boston.

New York completely won me over. It's now my favorite city in the world. I hate to shatter any cherished sterotypes, but New Yorkers are incredibly friendly. When I asked for directions, almost everyone was helpful and gracious. I felt safe everywhere I went. I didn't have any problem navigating the subway. In fact, people went out of their way to be helpful when I was having trouble figuring out how to add money to my subway farecard. I loved every minute of my three trips to the city this year. (With the possible exception of the 45-minute cab ride from Penn Station while the driver tried to find my hotel in Times Square). I can't believe I was ever intimidated or unsure about going by myself.

So, in honor of my appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman," here are my Top 10 things to do in New York City:

1) See a show on Broadway. Sure, there are cities with great things to do during the day. But no other city has as much to do at night, so much entertainment packed into the space of 10 blocks. Broadway has stories and spectacles that will appeal to you no matter what your interest. I've seen more than a dozen plays and musicals, and there's a dozen more I want to see. And there's even more just off Broadway. I was a little nervous about the prospect of walking through Times Square by myself after a show, but I needn't have worried. I felt completely safe and comfortable. It's great to know that I can walk around all day sightseeing, treat myself to a nice dinner, then experience some terrific theater at night before walking back to my hotel. It's my number one thing to do in New York and it's what makes New York my favorite city in the world.

2) Take a long walk. This was my first long walk in Manhattan, and it's my favorite. Start at Macy's, on 34th Street, the world's largest department store. Then make your way up Broadway, past Columbus Circle. Take a short detour to Lincoln Center for a glimpse of the fountain made famous in movies such as "Moonstruck." (If you're hungry, stop at the Whole Foods at Time Warner Center). Then continue along Central Park West to the Museum of Natural History. Along the way, you'll pass the Dakota, John Lennon's last home. Nearby is Strawberry Fields, a memorial to Lennon in Central Park. Cross the park and walk down Fifth Avenue for some window-shopping. Then stop at Rockefeller Center for a bird's-eye view of the city from the Top of the Rock, and head back to Times Square. It's a terrific 5-mile walk through midtown Manhattan.

3) Visit a part of history. It's said that more than 40 percent of Americans can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island. With the current political debate, there's no better time to visit the place where the American dream began for generations of European immigrants. There's a self-guided audio tour through the Great Hall, where immigrants were processed. While it was obviously an anxious process for millions of people, I was surprised that only 2 percent were denied entrance to the United States. It's a fascinating place. The ferry to Ellis Island stops at the Statue of Liberty. Despite seeing it in countless pictures and movies over the years, I was struck by how beautiful it is up close.

4) Go to Brooklyn, and then come back. I've been to Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx, but I'd never been to Brooklyn, and I've always wanted to go. I've never been crazy about heights, but I really wanted to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, and I'm so glad I did. It was a terrific experience. The walkway is in the middle of the span, above traffic, so I was fine. I took the subway there, then walked back. The view of the Manhattan skyline is breathtaking and the bridge is crowded with walkers and cyclists. It's only a mile each way, but don't rush. Take a leisurely stroll. If you're there alone, people are happy to take your picture, and I took a few pictures of other walkers in return.

5) Stroll through a neighborhood. Times Square is fine, but no one really lives there. I loved venturing out to some other parts of the city. Even going a couple blocks away, to Hell's Kitchen, will give you a different view of the city. I've walked around the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side, explored my non-existent roots on the Lower East Side, and sat in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village and thought about what it would have been like to go to NYU.

6) Spend an afternoon at a museum. I love museums, especially on rainy days. Too often, I just race through them so I can cram as much sightseeing into daylight hours as possible. But when it's raining, there's really no incentive to make a mad dash. I spent a great rainy day slowly going through each floor at the Museum of Modern Art, checking out Andy Warhol's soup cans and Marilyn Monroe, along with the Picassos and Cezannes and Van Goghs. New York doesn't have my favorite museum in the world - that distinction belongs to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, which is closed for renovations until next summer. And unlike the Smithsonian, New York's museums aren't free. Still, there's a lot to see, and I've only scratched the surface. So far, I've also been to the Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My to-do list includes the Whitney, the Museum of the Moving Image, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace. I'm sure there are many more I'm leaving out.

7) Be on television. When I went to New York in April, I didn't intend to be on television, but it just worked out that way. I was walking by the Ed Sullivan Theater, home of "The Late Show with David Letterman," when I saw that tickets were available for that afternoon's tapings. The whole process took the better part of an afternoon, and I don't know whether I'd do it again - there are just too many other things to see - but I'm so glad I did it once. It was pretty exciting, and when the camera panned the audience, well, I didn't get a close-up, but if you look quickly, I'm there. Here's information about how to be part of a tv audience.

8) Treat your palate. I love a city where the default bread is rye and the delis have Eastern European Jewish staples that I've heard about but would never dream of eating, like kasha varnishkes. This is New York, be adventurous. Try to avoid the national chains. Eat something ethnic. Get a real, water-boiled bagel, a schmear of cream cheese and lox. Some of my favorites are Peanut Butter & Co., a quirky little restaurant in Greenwich Village; Xing, in Hell's Kitchen, a great place for a pre-theater meal, and for a splurge on some delicious seafood, the Blue Fin, at The W Times Square hotel. I've been there three times by myself and each time, the wait staff has been incredibly kind and attentive.

9) Go to a movie set. New York has been the setting for countless movies and television shows, and it's fun to visit some of those locations. I had lunch at Katz's Deli in the Lower East Side, where Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan filmed the orgasm scene in "When Harry Met Sally." Katz's, a Lower East Side tradition since 1888, is known for its slogan, "Send a salami to your boy in the Army." Someday, I still want to make it to Tom's Restaurant, whose facade is featured in "Seinfeld."

10) Pay your respects at ground zero. The place where the World Trade Center's twin towers once stood is a giant construction site, but it's still a sobering, important place to visit. "Post No Bills" has been stenciled in white around the walkway, and people from all over the world have written messages of support on them. For me, the most emotional part was walking over to the fire station across the street, where there's a memorial to the firefighters who were killed on Sept. 11. I came to ground zero from Ellis Island, and I couldn't help but think how many people descended from immigrants who came through Ellis Island had been killed on that horrific day.