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 Gay New York
~ Landmarks
Battery Park
From State Street to New York Harbor
As you traverse Manhattan's concrete canyons, it's sometimes easy to forget that you're actually on an island. But here, at Manhattan's southernmost tip, you get the very real sense that just out past Liberty, Ellis, and Staten islands is the vast Atlantic Ocean. The 21-acre park is named for the cannons built to defend residents after the American Revolution. Castle Clinton National Monument (the place to purchase tickets for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry; see listings earlier in this chapter) was built as a fort before the War of 1812, though it was never used as such. The 22-ton bronze sphere by Fritz Koenig that was recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center, where it stood on the plaza between the two Twin Towers as a symbol of global peace, now stands here -- severely damaged but still whole. This may be the finest place in the city to pay tribute to those who were lost.
Brooklyn Bridge
Its Gothic-inspired stone pylons and intricate steel-cable webs have moved poets like Walt Whitman and Hart Crane to sing the praises of this great span, the first to cross the East River and connect Manhattan to Brooklyn. Begun in 1867 and ultimately completed in 1883, the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge is now the city's best-known symbol of the age of growth that seized the city during the late 19th century. Walk across the bridge and imagine the awe that New Yorkers of that age felt at seeing two boroughs joined by this monumental span. It's still astounding.
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Ave
The world's largest Gothic cathedral, St. John the Divine has been a work in progress since 1892. Its sheer size is amazing enough -- a nave that stretches two football fields and a seating capacity of 5,000 -- but keep in mind that there is no steel structural support. The church is being built using traditional Gothic engineering -- blocks of granite and limestone are carved out by master masons and their apprentices -- which may explain why construction is still ongoing, more than 100 years after it began, with no end in sight.
Coney Island
Sure, Coney Island is just a shell of what it once was in its heyday in the early 20th century. But it's that shell and what remains that make it such an intriguing attraction. The almost mythical Parachute Jump, recently refurbished though long inoperable, stands as a monument to Coney Island. But this is not a dead amusement park; Astroland, home of the famed Cyclone roller coaster, has some great rides for children and adults. The best amusement of all, however, is the people-watching. Maybe because it is at the extreme edge of New York City, but Coney Island attracts more than its share of the odd, freaky, and funky.
Grand Central Terminal
42nd St. at Park Ave
Even if you're not catching one of the subway lines or Metro-North commuter trains that rumble through Grand Central Terminal, come for a visit; it's one of the most magnificent public places in the country. And even if you arrive and leave by subway, be sure to exit the station, walking a couple of blocks south, to about 40th Street, before you turn around to admire Jules-Alexis Coutan's neoclassical sculpture Transportation hovering over the south entrance, with a majestically buff Mercury, the Roman god of commerce and travel, as its central figure.
Wall Street & the New York Stock Exchange
20 Broad St
Wall Street -- it's an iconic name, and the world's prime hub for bulls and bears everywhere. This narrow 18th-century lane (you'll be surprised at how little it is) is appropriately monumental, lined with neoclassical towers that reach as far skyward as the dreams and greed of investors who built it into the world's most famous financial market.
Yankee Stadium
161st St. and River Ave., Bronx
The House That Ruth Built. The Yankees play from April until October.
Information
provided by Frommers.com
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