New York City Soho And Tribeca

New York City Fire Museum, 278 Spring St. (www.nycfiremuseum.org), Housed in a renovated 1904 stone firehouse, the museum displays impressive fire-fighting memorabilia, like a hand-pulled truck from George Washington's days as a volunteer New York City firefighter. The permanent September 11th exhibit, If They Could Speak, displays photos and artifacts from Ground Zero and has a searchable database of the city firefighters and police killed during the attacks. $7, students, children, and seniors $5. Open Tu-Sa 10am-5pm, Su 10am-4pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
The Drawing Center, 35 Wooster St. (www.drawingcenter.org), What do Michelangelo, Victor Hugo, and Sergei Eisenstein all have in common? You can see the answer on the walls of The Drawing Center, which celebrates the importance of drawing to a wide variety of disciplines, including literature, science, dance, film, politics, and architecture. Exhibitions cover both contemporary and historical territory and feature both famous draughtsmen (and draughtswomen) and those who are not particularly notorious for taking pencil to paper. Free. Open W noon-6pm, Th noon-6pm, F-Su noon-6pm.
Broadway Galleries, 560-568 Broadway As you walk down Broadway in SoHo, you will be bombarded with retail shops; Banana Republic, H and M, Victoria's Secret, The Gap, the works. But the hidden treasures of Broadway are the galleries located on the upper levels of these antique buildings. Worthwhile galleries include Peter Freeman (560 Broadway, #602), which specializes in Minimalist and Pop Art, Sous les Etoiles (560 Broadway, #205), which shows mainly fine art photography, Susan Teller Gallery (568 Broadway, #502 A), which fills a 1930s-40s American Urban Modernist niche, and T Westwood Gallery which focuses on contemporary photography, but really shows a little of everything. Free. Hours vary; Tu-Sa 11am-6pm are typical gallery hours. Wheelchair access.
Animazing Gallery, 54 Greene St., at Broome St. (www.animazing.com), Let your imagination run away with you at this fanciful gallery, which displays works by illustrators such as Charles Addams (The Addams Family), Matt Groening ( T The Simpsons), Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), and Dr. Seuss (you've probably got that one). This is your chance to own, or daydream about owning, a storyboard piece from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Free. Open M-Sa 10am-7pm, Su 11am-6pm. No wheelchair access.
Harrison Row, Harrison St. These red-brick, Federal-style houses, though built between 1796 and 1827, have only stood at their current location since 1975, when they nearly became casualties of gentrification. The land they now occupy was part of Annetje Jan's farm during the 17th century, then became the site of Harrison's Brewery, which served as the namesake for the street. John McComb Jr., who also showed off his Federal skills by designing City Hall, was the architect of numbers 25, 37, 39, and 41. New York merchant Jacob Ruckle lived in number 31 in the early 18th century, and the house is characteristic of the merchant-class abodes from that period.
Haughwout Building, 488-492 Broadway When John P. Gaynor designed the building that would house E.V. Haughwout's fancy chinaware business in 1857, he had the arcades and columns of the Sanvosino Library in Venice on his mind. Haughwout's customers included Mary Todd Lincoln and Czar Alexander II of Russia. One hundred and fifty years later, the building houses a Bebe patronized by teenage girls with little to no interest in chinaware or Renaissance revival architecture. The building also holds the world's oldest successful passenger elevator (a designated landmark since 1857).
Ronald Feldman Arts, 31 Mercer St. (www.feldmangallery.com), When you walk into this gallery, the sound of a woman reciting medical terminology might be the only human interaction you receive until you arrive at an administration desk two rooms later. Until then, you will be immersed in all manner of art: audio art, video art, installation art, mixed media—the most experimental and innovative of its kind. Shows generally change every 5-6 weeks. Free. Open M-Th 10am-6pm, F 10am-3pm. Wheelchair access.
Artists Space, 38 Greene St., 3rd fl. (www.artistsspace.com), Since its foundation in 1972, this gallery has been shaking up the art world. They've provided a forum for feisty young artists such as Jeff Koons, Louise Lawler, and Barbara Kruger, as well as exhibited the works of older artists largely ignored by New York's art establishment. Free. Open W-Su noon-6pm. Wheelchair access.
“Little Singer” Building, 561 Broadway This 12-story building was designed by architect Ernest Flagg in 1902 for the Singer Corporation and was nicknamed the “Little Singer” in order to distinguish it from the 41-story Singer Headquarters, also designed by Flagg, that was briefly the tallest building in the world. You can see Flagg's Beaux-Arts training in the intricate, forest-green, wrought-iron designs on the facade. Occupied by many residents and offices, the building's most prominent inhabitant is MANGO on the ground floor. In an amusing juxtaposition of old and new, the original “Singer Manufacturing Company” sign still hangs above the MANGO models on the Prince St. side of the building.
Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick St. (www.tribecacinemas.com), Home of the annual Tribeca Film Festival, founded in 2001 by Robert DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in an attempt to resuscitate the Tribeca neighborhood after the attacks of 9/11. The festival includes premieres of movies from around the globe, talks with directors and actors, a street fair, and a slew of free events. Throughout the year, the theater hosts a Tribeca Cinemas Presents: Doc Series, which comprises a diverse assortment of new documentaries, as well as several other film festivals, such as the New York Surf Film Festival, the Russian Documentary Film Festival, and the New York Horror Film Festival. Prices vary. Hours vary; check website for schedule information. Wheelchair access.