New York City New York City Upper West Side Museums and Galleries

American Museum Of Natural History. Generations of New York schoolchildren and curious New Yorkers of all ages have come to the Natural History Museum to marvel at its huge dinosaur skeletons, ogle its priceless jewels, stargaze at its planetarium, and buy mineral slabs and rubber snakes from the gift shop. Sprawling over several blocks, this is one of the largest science museums in the world. The undisputed champions of its many exhibits are the dinosaur halls, which display actual fossils (rather than mere plaster casts). The mounted skeletons of T. rex, triceratops, and the rest of the gang are stunning. The brontosaurus mount is the world’s tallest free-standing dinosaur. The recently renovated Halls of Vertebrate Origins display the largest and most diverse array of vertebrate fossils in the world. Visitors follow a giant “family tree” of vertebrates that covers over 500 million years of evolution.

Highlights In A Hurry: Museum Of Natural History. The towering Saurischian and Ornithiscian Dinosaurs are the highlight of any visit; head straight for the fourth floor to see how you size up. Then check out some slightly smaller beasts in the Akeley Hall of African Mammals on the third and second floors. Dip down to the first floor for a peek at the bling in the Morgan Memorial Hall of Gems, but be sure to head back up to the second for a glimpse of the suspended blue whale in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.

On the first floor, check out the T 90 ft. blue whale suspended from the ceiling and see if you can find its bellybutton (stand directly beneath it, and scan your eyes backward along its central axis until you see a little “x”). The first floor also houses the popular IMAX, one of New York’s largest movie screens—four stories high and 66 feet wide. The nearby Rose Center for Earth and Space houses the 87-foot sphere of the Hayden Planetarium, which opened its doors in 2000. From the outside at night, the planetarium resembles a floating globe in a glass and steel box. The new Cosmic Collisions Space Show details our solar system’s explosive past through real images from space. Don’t miss the Morgan Memorial Hall of Gems, home to the Star of India, a 563-karat sapphire, and a ruby second in size only to the Crown Jewels. Make sure to grab a map by the entrance—this place could keep you wandering for weeks. Call ahead or visit the website for a listing of current exhibits. (Central Park W, between 77th and 81st St. S B, C to 81st St. Entrances at Columbus Ave., Central Park W, and 81st St. ☎212-769-5100; www.amnh.org. Open daily 10am-5:45pm. ROSE CENTER stays open until 8:45pm the 1st F of month for live jazz and tapas (sets 6-7pm and 7:30-8:30pm, seating begins at 5:15pm). DISCOVERY ROOM for children ages 5-12 open M-F 1:30-5:15pm, Sa-Su 10:30am-1:30pm and 2:15-5:15pm. Wheelchair accessible. HIGHLIGHTS TOUR 6 per day from 10:15am-3:15pm, usually leaving 15min. past the hr.; ask at the 2nd-fl. info desk. Free. Museum $15, students with ID and seniors $11, children ages 2-12 $8.50. Museum and IMAX or special exhibition combo ticket $22, students and seniors $16.50, children ages 2-12 $13. Museum and Rose Center Space Show combo ticket $22, students and seniors $16.50, children ages 2-12 $13. Super saver combo pass for all 3 $30, students and seniors $23, children ages 2-12 $19.)

New York Historical Society. Founded in 1804, this block-long Neoclassical building houses a library and New York’s oldest continuously operating museum. The society’s extensive,6 million-object collection, displayed in the Henry Luce Center for the Study of American Culture on the fourth floor, includes 132 Tiffany lamps, an array of children’s toys, George Washington’s bed, Napoleon’s chair, 435 Audubon watercolors, and a small display commemorating the September 11th terrorist attacks. The Hudson River School landscapes on the second floor present varied depictions of US terrain. Since explanations throughout the museum are scarce, it’s important to pick up the floor plan and the free audio tour, both available at the downstairs ticket desk. The lower floors host rotating exhibits drawn from the society’s holdings, and frequent lectures and book readings. Recent exhibits have included If Elected: The Game of American Politics and Plague in Gotham! Cholera in Nineteenth Century New York. Check the website for details. (170 Central Park West at 77th St. S 1, B, C to 81st St. ☎212-873-3400; www.nyhistory.org. Museum open Tu-Th and Sa 10am-6pm, F 10am-8pm, Su 10am-5:45pm. Wheelchair-accessible. Library open from Memorial Day to Labor Day Tu-F 10am-5pm; from Labor Day to Memorial Day Tu-Sa 10am-5pm. 45min. gallery tours at 1 and 3pm. $10, educators and seniors $7, students $6, children under 12 free. F 6pm-8pm free.)

The Children’S Museum Of Manhattan. Founded in 1973 by Harlem and Upper West Side artists and educators in response to the elimination of music and cultural programs in public schools, this colorful, hands-on museum is full of interactive exhibits for kids, particularly those ages eight and younger. Rotating exhibits run from children’s artwork to Dr. Seuss, and the permanent programming includes both a media center and the popular “Creativity Lab.” Summer programs for kids available; check the website for details. (212 W 83rd St., off Amsterdam Ave. S 1, 9 to 79th St., 86th St./Broadway. ☎212-721-1234; www.cmom.org. Open July-Sept. Tu-Su 10am-5pm. Wheelchair-accessible. $10, seniors $7, children under 1 free. All strollers must be folded and checked.)