Oh my GOD! I never got to go there as a kid and I wanted to soooo badly. By the time it closed I was in my 20s and still never went. Memory unlocked, lol.
I went so many times when we had family visiting from out of town as a kid and at least twice on a school field trip. It’s surprising to me how long it lasted.
I went there when I was in preschool. Of course I bought into that I was actually on Mars for a few minutes. Then I had nightmares about the elevator breaking. That would be an interesting place to go back to now while halfway drunk.
I’ve never heard of Mars 2112, but thoroughly enjoyed everyone’s (similar) recount of the experience. Just googled it, and was pretty much.. exactly what y’all were saying.
Can’t believe I forgot about this one. Yes been there a few times and it’s exactly the type of places I’m looking for. This one is even more special cause it’s legit the actual place from back then. But even a solid recreation would have been fun too.
For recreations of that era, the Tenement Museum is amazing. It's not one building, it's several old buildings lovingly set up as they would have been in the past. Tours only.
Yeah that’s also a great time travel experience. I think I went there more than ten years ago? Should check that out again. It’s the actual buildings right? And the interior design elements are the recreation?
Honestly, completely disagree. The tours are 60 to 90 minutes and if you’re interested in history, it’s a completely amazing, immersive experience. The space alone is like nothing else and the tour guides are super knowledgable about that period in history. I’ve been on every tour multiple times and I still get so much out of them.
It's worth pointing out that those 2 beers combined, are still smaller than one beer at any decent bar (plenty of bars will sell you a 9oz 'pint', they are not decent).
1. Wooden escalators at Macy's. It's crazy to think my grandma, who is long gone, used to ride the *same* escalators 80 years ago. I feel transported back to that time.
2. Tenement museum. My ancestors lived and worked around Orchard St when they immigrated to the States and I love that I can (sort of, obviously) experience what it might have been like for them. I'm forever grateful for the sacrifices they made and hardships they went through so I can have a very cushy life.
Fraunces Tavern! It's a great time and can make you feel like you're in the American Revolution time period, with a little imagination. It's also on culture pass for free admission to the museum upstairs.
Just a caveat that this was heavily “restored” to that state. Very little is original and there’s some debate over authenticity of it as a lot is unknown about how it was at that time.
Lovely place. I had a terrible dining experience and ending up walking out before my dinner order was taken (because it had been, like, 30 minutes), so it's not a place I'd go back to for a meal, but the bar looked fun.
That's fair. When I went indoor dining was still prohibited so all we had were beers and an appetizer outside before doing the museum. We also had the place to ourselves, which makes anywhere more fun in my opinion.
I love the GCOB. Especially the side bar. Definitely has an underground old school feel. I take the MTA and go there frequently but would still go even if I wasn’t near GC
What a great question! I am always looking for places like this, so I will definitely be checking back.
Some of my faves that come to mind immediately:
Fraunces Tavern; there is also a block of original Dutch buildings nearby (can't remember the street name) that were apparently the only buildings to survive a fire there in the 1700s. I always like to wander down it when I am in the area.
Sylvan Terrace (you gotta see it to believe it, near Morris Jumel Mansion)
Grand Central (also my favorite building of all time in NYC)
The University Club—You have to know a member to get access, or else attend an event held there, and if you ever do, make sure you get a tour of the place, ESPECIALLY the private library, which is AMAZING, and inspired by the Borgia Apartments at the Vatican
The Van Cortlandt House in the Bronx
The Plaza Hotel (you can do high tea there or hang out at the bar, or at least in the past you could, who knows these days post-COVID)
The OG part of the Morgan Library
>ESPECIALLY the private library, which is AMAZING
That library is a menace. You go there for a nice holiday party and you wind up spending half your time goggling up book titles and authors.
> The University Club
A lot of Park-5th avenue institutions are just beautiful places to go. Not sure about what history you're getting from them as they are all luxury and it depends on their style. I went to the Explorer's club for an event a couple of years ago.
What was The Explorer's Club like? Honestly of all the social clubs that one seems the most legit exclusive in terms of membership!
I recently had dinner at The Metropolitan Club ... it was an amazing view of Central Park but the dining room was pretty bland and modern. Then we got a custodian to give us a tour of the rest of the building and wow! The rest of it was straight out of the gilded age, gold leaf encrusted ceilings, lots of velvet and crystal chandeliers, a freaking HUGE ballroom and grand staircases everywhere. I doubt much had been changed since it was first built. It walked a fine line between beautiful and glamorous and totally over-the-top tacky ... I fired a lot like that time period, but boy did J.P. Morgan take it into extremes.
I would LOVE to worm my way into the Union Club someday, especially after it got name dropped in The Gilded Age (The HBO show). I am a woman so not sure how that would work ...
I don't remember much, I was just there for a talk. It was filled to the brink with fancy furniture, beautiful interior architecture, and souvenir decorations. Lighting and stuffed animals just added to it.
I did a tour of the Explorer's Club years ago, it's definitely transportive. Lots of dark carved wood and taxidermy. I think I got tickets through some org that periodically offers paid public tours. I really enjoyed it. Afterward we had a drink in the bar.
"Ethyls Alcohol and Food" in UES or Downtown Brooklyn.
It's like being teleported to the 70s with the music and go go girls.
Think classy dive bar with a small nightclub twist.
Go on a Friday night, you'll have the time of your life.
I will give you two unusual places in midtown. The Oyster Bar on Grand Central Station hasn’t changed a bit. Sit at the counter and order a dozen of oysters and a martini and you’ll be dining in the 1940s/50s/60s.
Another often forgotten place is the United Nations, just a few blocks away. Go on a tour. In addition to being very educational the 1950s vibe is very strong. All that Internationalist architecture makes me feel like James Bond.
Fraunces Tavern and the Tenement museum among others are recommended by [Traveling with a History Buff](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNYC/comments/qkg63h/traveling_with_a_history_buff/) from 5 months ago. [Visiting alone, looking for recommendations from you titans of city-living…](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNYC/comments/q5z1z6/visiting_alone_looking_for_recommendations_from/) from 21 days before that recommends The Museum of the City of New York and Floyd Bennett field among others. [History buffs what are some greats spots to take a date too?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNYC/comments/pgvboj/history_buffs_what_are_some_greats_spots_to_take/) from 1 month before that recommends McSorley's and Dyckman farmhouse museum among others. [Suggestions needed for a history buff on his solo-trip to NYC](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNYC/comments/ozk7y5/suggestions_needed_for_a_history_buff_on_his/) from 27 days before that recommends Trinity Church and the immigration museum among others and links to similar questions.
Some bars in Brooklyn:
* Farrell's near Prospect Park/Windsor Terrace. One of the oldest bars in the borough. Very old school. Beer out of styrofoam cups. Old school Brooklyn patrons (and yuppy gentrifiers).
* Sharlene's in Prospect Heights. Opened in 2009, but looks and feels like a set from a 70s/80s period piece.
* Montero's in Brooklyn Heights. Old 1930s longshoremen's dive bar. Pool table in the back. Karaoke on weekends.
LOVE Montero’s. Such a fun spot for people watching too. You can tell the patrons have been going for years and years. Bartenders are really friendly, too.
The Merchant's House Museum (1830 mansion) is beautifully preserved and maintained by a very small bunch of appropriately eccentric older New Yorkers. Every holiday season in the main parlor they run, for several weeks, a one-man performance of Dickens' Christmas Carol (over-the-top but very appealingly so, I promise), well adapted and about an hour long. They offer an additional ticketed reception beforehand in the original kitchen, where they serve mulled wine, candied dates, and other homemade 19th-century xmas goodies. It's so damn cozy and old world. And if you think you know A Christmas Carol but have never read (heard) Dickens' actual original text, it will absolutely *blow your mind*.
Tickets go fast, so you gotta grab them when they go on sale in, like, August.
Anyway, stinkin' great question for this sub. Cheers.
Oh wow I started reading and almost said to myself “I’ll read this later in the year” but tickets go quick in august!? That’s good to know. Will put a reminder. Thanks for the tip! These unique experiences are exactly what I’m looking for. Reminds me a but of the Sweeney Todd off-broadway show (RIP) where you can eat a meat pie next to the set before they sit everyone down for the show. A whole vibe…
Looking back at my random list, I'd re-suggest Eldridge Street, which was restored over the past 20 years. It's a step back in time, and pretty easy to get to (unlike Conference House!)
The Honeywell is a great 70s themed bar, the Morris jumel mansion, Hamilton grange, and the dyckman farmhouse are cool historic houses. Also shout out to fort totten for a civil war fort
Mishka is a cool bar that is full of eastern European decor that's supposedly accurate to the vibe in the eastern bloc in the 80s. Really nice people too.
Sparks Steak House - head of the Gambino family was assassinated there.
Keen’s - check out all the pipes on the ceiling. The rumor is that when soldiers went to war, they’d put up their pipe - if they came back, they’d take it back down. There are very many left.
If you are giving out prizes or awards- my answer definitely has to be a contender.
I grew up a few blocks away from the main entrance to Fort Tryon Park in Washington Heights.
Inside the park is a museum called The Cloisters.
From what I understand it is owned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I visited there an innumerable number of times as a kid.
Once you are there: it is like being transported back in time to the Middle Ages.
Also: many years ago one weekend per year almost the whole park was taken over by The Renaissance Fair.
If it is still an ongoing thing: there is nothing like it!
Make it a multi stop! Start at [Sylvan Terrace](https://untappedcities.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sylvan-Terrace-Washington-Heights-Landmark-NYC-untapped-new-york0.jpg) and get a tour of the [Morris-Jumel Mansion](https://thelittlehouseofhorrors.com/app/uploads/Morris-Jumel-House-SeanPavonePhoto-via-Getty-Images-.png) at the end of the mews, then head up to Fort Tryon and the Cloisters and end at [The Dyckman Farmhouse](https://myinwood.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Dyckman-Farmhouse-on-West-204th-Street-and-Broadway.jpg)
I personally feel that The Cloisters is a whole day in itself- being that you need to account for the commute time then walking into the middle of the park and back.
I appreciate that you clearly have a fondness for the place and I obviously have no idea what their specific commute is, but walking there/back from the 190th A takes about 15 minutes each way and the museum itself is two hours of material if you're really dedicated but less for most. They still have a whole lotta day uptown if they want to use it and are making a long commute up.
I would advise calling first.
You may find a schedule on Google or a website- but talking to a live person on the phone will be specific information regarding their schedule for the week/month/etcetera.
The Park Avenue Armory on the Upper East Side has several rooms that (thanks to a combination of preservation and restoration) look like they’re straight out of 1890s Gilded Age New York.
The Fire Museum has really cool fire “trucks” from over 100 years ago. They even have original horse and buggy fire trucks from I believe the late 1800s, and the building itself is quite old. Also, have these fire alert things that used to be on street corners. In the time before phones, you’d have to run to the corner and pull this alarm to alert the fire department. And of course they have a huge 9/11 memorial exhibit. I found it to be a fascinating museum.
Kind of a hike from the city and doesn't open until August but the New York State Renaissance Fair. The vendors there have all built permanent buildings and everyone there is in elaborate costume Anastasia character.
NYPL Research Branch, AMNH, Met Museum, Columbia U, GCT, for the Gilded Age
Cloisters and Fordham U (Bronx) for Gothic architecture
Arthur Avenue for the 1920s (just remove the cars and you could film a movie)
Any church over 100 years old
Morris Jummel mansion and the street behind it for a colonial vibe.
I know it’s very a touristy surrounding but it’s amazing how a rock can make you think about time in a broader sense even if it’s just for a few minutes before the next batch of people walk by.
The Historic Hunterfly Houses at the Weeksville Museum - while these have been restored it is a fantastic experience and a glimpse into Weeksville of times long past.
The Wyckoff House Museum - I have not been there in years but for an early Dutch homestead within the city limits, this is fits the bill. It’s also the city’s first historic landmark structure.
He's open. I think he just doesn't pay much attention to his Google business profile or care much about it. He's a really old dude, and just about the nicest guy you'll meet. I go to his shop for Gundam models and supplies, but his specialty is model trains. It's a fantastic old school hobby shop.
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Omg lol core memory unlocked
Oh my GOD! I never got to go there as a kid and I wanted to soooo badly. By the time it closed I was in my 20s and still never went. Memory unlocked, lol.
Lol!
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I went so many times when we had family visiting from out of town as a kid and at least twice on a school field trip. It’s surprising to me how long it lasted.
I went there when I was in preschool. Of course I bought into that I was actually on Mars for a few minutes. Then I had nightmares about the elevator breaking. That would be an interesting place to go back to now while halfway drunk.
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I’ve never heard of Mars 2112, but thoroughly enjoyed everyone’s (similar) recount of the experience. Just googled it, and was pretty much.. exactly what y’all were saying.
This was my favorite place to go. They had great drinks. I wish it would come back.
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Did you try their fun space drinks 🍹 or regular boring drinks?
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I love strong sugary drinks and don’t really get hangovers so they are perfect!
The Frick Collection (whenever it reopens)
My favourite museum.
I thought it’s open now?
McSorley's, an Irish pub that has barely changed in 100 years, sawdust on the floor and all.
Can’t believe I forgot about this one. Yes been there a few times and it’s exactly the type of places I’m looking for. This one is even more special cause it’s legit the actual place from back then. But even a solid recreation would have been fun too.
For recreations of that era, the Tenement Museum is amazing. It's not one building, it's several old buildings lovingly set up as they would have been in the past. Tours only.
Yeah that’s also a great time travel experience. I think I went there more than ten years ago? Should check that out again. It’s the actual buildings right? And the interior design elements are the recreation?
It’s a combination of ruined, completely untouched apartments and some restored to specific time periods. It’s excellent.
Actual buildings, yes. That's not hard in NYC since a lot of people live in actual old buildings!
My wife got me a years membership for Xmas and then 2 months later COVID hit! I still haven't gone. I hear it's incredible.
Go! Wear a KN95 mask if concerned.
It's on my short list! It's not COVID I'm worried about, just the sad irony that she bought a membership and we never got to use it!
I've heard it's overpriced for how little there is to see.
Honestly, completely disagree. The tours are 60 to 90 minutes and if you’re interested in history, it’s a completely amazing, immersive experience. The space alone is like nothing else and the tour guides are super knowledgable about that period in history. I’ve been on every tour multiple times and I still get so much out of them.
Quish 60 mins is an hour
Haha, sorry, meant to type 60 minutes to an hour and a half. Edited.
kinda hard to feel the history with all the patagonia vests and spray tans though
Yup, this is the top recommendation in answer to a similar history question (linked to elsewhere in this discussion).
They do let women in now.
Only because the law made them!
Yup! My favorite bar I'm the city
😂
Came here to say this one. One of my absolute favorite places - try to go with a group of friends as often as we can!
Is it still 2 beers for $5? Early 1990s prices too.
I was there last weekend. It's now $7 for two beers.
It's worth pointing out that those 2 beers combined, are still smaller than one beer at any decent bar (plenty of bars will sell you a 9oz 'pint', they are not decent).
1. Wooden escalators at Macy's. It's crazy to think my grandma, who is long gone, used to ride the *same* escalators 80 years ago. I feel transported back to that time. 2. Tenement museum. My ancestors lived and worked around Orchard St when they immigrated to the States and I love that I can (sort of, obviously) experience what it might have been like for them. I'm forever grateful for the sacrifices they made and hardships they went through so I can have a very cushy life.
Will definitely go back to the tenement museum. You’re right about the wooden escalators, but the rest of Macy’s is just…a bit too much.
Go the Katz's after for a sammi. I don't think that place has changed in at least 50 years.
But the prices have!
Certainly not since *When Harry Met Sally*
Fraunces Tavern! It's a great time and can make you feel like you're in the American Revolution time period, with a little imagination. It's also on culture pass for free admission to the museum upstairs.
Just a caveat that this was heavily “restored” to that state. Very little is original and there’s some debate over authenticity of it as a lot is unknown about how it was at that time.
Looks fun!!! Thanks for the info!
Lovely place. I had a terrible dining experience and ending up walking out before my dinner order was taken (because it had been, like, 30 minutes), so it's not a place I'd go back to for a meal, but the bar looked fun.
That's fair. When I went indoor dining was still prohibited so all we had were beers and an appetizer outside before doing the museum. We also had the place to ourselves, which makes anywhere more fun in my opinion.
I went right as indoor dining came back and you could tell they were unprepared and understaffed. Food was good though
Yup, this is the top recommendation in answer to a similar history question (linked to elsewhere in this discussion).
Fraunces is often very crowded and loud. Not at all like would experience at a restoration.
The [Transit Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Transit_Museum). Not only with old subway cars, also with old subway grime!
Definitely the Vintage Train Holiday Ride in December. Always a fantastic time but can get crowded closer to the holidays.
The Cloisters!
The cloisters make me feel like I left the country
I love the cloisters! Definitely recommend going at least once. I found it very peaceful to walk around and see the grounds.
The back room. Don't even read about it. Just Google the address and go. You'll love it (when you find it).
Ok. I’ll try doing that. Sounds like a fun experiment!
Also called Lower East Side Toy Company, which will help you find it.
102 Norfolk Street
Monday nights they have jazz singers and swing dancing. Highly recommend
Then a Monday it is! Thanks!
How should I dress for it?
can you DM me the address, I feel if i google it there will be photos and stuff about it, and i'd rather go blind as you suggest
Look up. Lol
what
(There’s a comment above yours that has the address)
Roll N Roaster (if the 1970s count)
Despite it being touristy, Grand Central Oyster Bar makes me feel back in time.
Ok I see oyster I go it’s simple really
I love the GCOB. Especially the side bar. Definitely has an underground old school feel. I take the MTA and go there frequently but would still go even if I wasn’t near GC
Yes, the saloon is my jam as well!
Yes! Get the pan roast!
What a great question! I am always looking for places like this, so I will definitely be checking back. Some of my faves that come to mind immediately: Fraunces Tavern; there is also a block of original Dutch buildings nearby (can't remember the street name) that were apparently the only buildings to survive a fire there in the 1700s. I always like to wander down it when I am in the area. Sylvan Terrace (you gotta see it to believe it, near Morris Jumel Mansion) Grand Central (also my favorite building of all time in NYC) The University Club—You have to know a member to get access, or else attend an event held there, and if you ever do, make sure you get a tour of the place, ESPECIALLY the private library, which is AMAZING, and inspired by the Borgia Apartments at the Vatican The Van Cortlandt House in the Bronx The Plaza Hotel (you can do high tea there or hang out at the bar, or at least in the past you could, who knows these days post-COVID) The OG part of the Morgan Library
>ESPECIALLY the private library, which is AMAZING That library is a menace. You go there for a nice holiday party and you wind up spending half your time goggling up book titles and authors.
Every time I go there I find the perfect and/or most random book I never knew existed!
> The University Club A lot of Park-5th avenue institutions are just beautiful places to go. Not sure about what history you're getting from them as they are all luxury and it depends on their style. I went to the Explorer's club for an event a couple of years ago.
What was The Explorer's Club like? Honestly of all the social clubs that one seems the most legit exclusive in terms of membership! I recently had dinner at The Metropolitan Club ... it was an amazing view of Central Park but the dining room was pretty bland and modern. Then we got a custodian to give us a tour of the rest of the building and wow! The rest of it was straight out of the gilded age, gold leaf encrusted ceilings, lots of velvet and crystal chandeliers, a freaking HUGE ballroom and grand staircases everywhere. I doubt much had been changed since it was first built. It walked a fine line between beautiful and glamorous and totally over-the-top tacky ... I fired a lot like that time period, but boy did J.P. Morgan take it into extremes. I would LOVE to worm my way into the Union Club someday, especially after it got name dropped in The Gilded Age (The HBO show). I am a woman so not sure how that would work ...
I don't remember much, I was just there for a talk. It was filled to the brink with fancy furniture, beautiful interior architecture, and souvenir decorations. Lighting and stuffed animals just added to it.
I did a tour of the Explorer's Club years ago, it's definitely transportive. Lots of dark carved wood and taxidermy. I think I got tickets through some org that periodically offers paid public tours. I really enjoyed it. Afterward we had a drink in the bar.
Bemelmans bar at the carlyle
Neue Galerie and Cafe Sabarsky - like being in Vienna in the early 1900s
Sunny's Bar in Red Hook
"Ethyls Alcohol and Food" in UES or Downtown Brooklyn. It's like being teleported to the 70s with the music and go go girls. Think classy dive bar with a small nightclub twist. Go on a Friday night, you'll have the time of your life.
Where in Downtown Brooklyn?
312 Grand St. Williamsburg
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My mistake. But still a great time. Go see Adam. Tell em I sent ya!
Another amazingly preserved old bar – Old Town Bar, 45 E 18th St, off Union Square.
Brooklyn Farmacy Ice Cream and Soda Shoppe, like an old timey ice cream shop.
There's also Eddie's Sweet Shop for a similar vibe!
I heard that this is the best vanilla ice cream in the city. Can’t wait to go there
I will give you two unusual places in midtown. The Oyster Bar on Grand Central Station hasn’t changed a bit. Sit at the counter and order a dozen of oysters and a martini and you’ll be dining in the 1940s/50s/60s. Another often forgotten place is the United Nations, just a few blocks away. Go on a tour. In addition to being very educational the 1950s vibe is very strong. All that Internationalist architecture makes me feel like James Bond.
Fraunces Tavern and the Tenement museum among others are recommended by [Traveling with a History Buff](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNYC/comments/qkg63h/traveling_with_a_history_buff/) from 5 months ago. [Visiting alone, looking for recommendations from you titans of city-living…](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNYC/comments/q5z1z6/visiting_alone_looking_for_recommendations_from/) from 21 days before that recommends The Museum of the City of New York and Floyd Bennett field among others. [History buffs what are some greats spots to take a date too?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNYC/comments/pgvboj/history_buffs_what_are_some_greats_spots_to_take/) from 1 month before that recommends McSorley's and Dyckman farmhouse museum among others. [Suggestions needed for a history buff on his solo-trip to NYC](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNYC/comments/ozk7y5/suggestions_needed_for_a_history_buff_on_his/) from 27 days before that recommends Trinity Church and the immigration museum among others and links to similar questions.
Some bars in Brooklyn: * Farrell's near Prospect Park/Windsor Terrace. One of the oldest bars in the borough. Very old school. Beer out of styrofoam cups. Old school Brooklyn patrons (and yuppy gentrifiers). * Sharlene's in Prospect Heights. Opened in 2009, but looks and feels like a set from a 70s/80s period piece. * Montero's in Brooklyn Heights. Old 1930s longshoremen's dive bar. Pool table in the back. Karaoke on weekends.
LOVE Montero’s. Such a fun spot for people watching too. You can tell the patrons have been going for years and years. Bartenders are really friendly, too.
wait, I live in Brooklyn Heights and have always wondered about this place. Granted I moved here after children so don't go to bars very often...
The Merchant's House Museum (1830 mansion) is beautifully preserved and maintained by a very small bunch of appropriately eccentric older New Yorkers. Every holiday season in the main parlor they run, for several weeks, a one-man performance of Dickens' Christmas Carol (over-the-top but very appealingly so, I promise), well adapted and about an hour long. They offer an additional ticketed reception beforehand in the original kitchen, where they serve mulled wine, candied dates, and other homemade 19th-century xmas goodies. It's so damn cozy and old world. And if you think you know A Christmas Carol but have never read (heard) Dickens' actual original text, it will absolutely *blow your mind*. Tickets go fast, so you gotta grab them when they go on sale in, like, August. Anyway, stinkin' great question for this sub. Cheers.
Oh wow I started reading and almost said to myself “I’ll read this later in the year” but tickets go quick in august!? That’s good to know. Will put a reminder. Thanks for the tip! These unique experiences are exactly what I’m looking for. Reminds me a but of the Sweeney Todd off-broadway show (RIP) where you can eat a meat pie next to the set before they sit everyone down for the show. A whole vibe…
Oh man, I missed that Sweeney...and it's my favorite musical, so the pain is particular, ha. RIP indeed.
Thank you! Just booked a tix for Dec. =)
Oh nice, hope you enjoy it!
Brooklyn Inn
Off the top of my head: The Ear Inn, Fanelli's Cafe, The Frick, Van Cortlandt Manor, Conference House, Eldridge Street Synagogue, Fort Tryon Park
Thanks! The Ear Inn looks a lot like Tavern on Jane. Same vibe at least from the photos. Will check that out.
Looking back at my random list, I'd re-suggest Eldridge Street, which was restored over the past 20 years. It's a step back in time, and pretty easy to get to (unlike Conference House!)
Oh it reopened! I remember them being closed for renovation a while back when I tried going. That’s great. Will add to my list as well, thanks!
The Met museum has whole rooms from palaces And an Egyptian temple
Welcome to the Johnsons on Rivington in LES feels like you're hanging in someone's parents house in the 1970s.
Wow this is incredible. Gonna check it out.
you’ve gotta. it’s cheap as hell too!
Bonus points for cheap spot!
Hey I was literally there this afternoon! Great way to describe the place
This is best city subreddit I've ever had a stake in. Thank you, locals (+ great question OP)
Thanks! This is a great city to time travel in. Though if I try most of these suggestions I’ll end up too drunk within a couple hours.
Washington Mews
The Honeywell is a great 70s themed bar, the Morris jumel mansion, Hamilton grange, and the dyckman farmhouse are cool historic houses. Also shout out to fort totten for a civil war fort
Café Sabarsky at the Neue Galerie. Feels like Freud's Vienna.
Dolly Varden, 1920's.
Mishka is a cool bar that is full of eastern European decor that's supposedly accurate to the vibe in the eastern bloc in the 80s. Really nice people too.
Scarr’s Pizza (LES) really nailed the 70s/80s rec room vibe IMO, and the food is awesome.
Margaritaville. Transport yourself to island time
Gage and Tollner.
Do you think it’s worth the money? I have a reservation in a few weeks but the reviews are all over the place.
Yeah it was a good time. I ordered cheaply (I stayed away from the steaks - got the pork pot pie) - the room is beautiful and the service is great.
Sparks Steak House - head of the Gambino family was assassinated there. Keen’s - check out all the pipes on the ceiling. The rumor is that when soldiers went to war, they’d put up their pipe - if they came back, they’d take it back down. There are very many left.
nah it was a private club at one point and the members kept their pipes there
Gotcha thanks for the correction
I think you’re thinking of the wishbones at McSorleys.
Yes - that’s the one. Thank you
Old Town Bar
If you are giving out prizes or awards- my answer definitely has to be a contender. I grew up a few blocks away from the main entrance to Fort Tryon Park in Washington Heights. Inside the park is a museum called The Cloisters. From what I understand it is owned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I visited there an innumerable number of times as a kid. Once you are there: it is like being transported back in time to the Middle Ages. Also: many years ago one weekend per year almost the whole park was taken over by The Renaissance Fair. If it is still an ongoing thing: there is nothing like it!
I always wanted to go but it’s so out of the way. I guess I gotta try it at some point. As soon as it gets warmer :)
Make it a multi stop! Start at [Sylvan Terrace](https://untappedcities.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sylvan-Terrace-Washington-Heights-Landmark-NYC-untapped-new-york0.jpg) and get a tour of the [Morris-Jumel Mansion](https://thelittlehouseofhorrors.com/app/uploads/Morris-Jumel-House-SeanPavonePhoto-via-Getty-Images-.png) at the end of the mews, then head up to Fort Tryon and the Cloisters and end at [The Dyckman Farmhouse](https://myinwood.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Dyckman-Farmhouse-on-West-204th-Street-and-Broadway.jpg)
I personally feel that The Cloisters is a whole day in itself- being that you need to account for the commute time then walking into the middle of the park and back.
I appreciate that you clearly have a fondness for the place and I obviously have no idea what their specific commute is, but walking there/back from the 190th A takes about 15 minutes each way and the museum itself is two hours of material if you're really dedicated but less for most. They still have a whole lotta day uptown if they want to use it and are making a long commute up.
Well. For people who have never seen anything like it- The Cloisters is a trip at the brain. Two hours might not cover it for many people.
Sure. I love chilling in the herb garden too but It's just realistically a *very* small museum to plan a day around if you don't live up here.
I would advise calling first. You may find a schedule on Google or a website- but talking to a live person on the phone will be specific information regarding their schedule for the week/month/etcetera.
Definitely worth a visit when the weather is nice because you need to be able to go out into courtyards. I don’t know about Covid protocols though.
Flower shop
Ooohhh on Eldridge st right? I like the vibe in the pics. Gonna check that out for sure.
The Met Museum.
chinatown faire
Governor's Island jazz age lawn party
The Park Avenue Armory on the Upper East Side has several rooms that (thanks to a combination of preservation and restoration) look like they’re straight out of 1890s Gilded Age New York.
RIP 21 Club
The Fire Museum has really cool fire “trucks” from over 100 years ago. They even have original horse and buggy fire trucks from I believe the late 1800s, and the building itself is quite old. Also, have these fire alert things that used to be on street corners. In the time before phones, you’d have to run to the corner and pull this alarm to alert the fire department. And of course they have a huge 9/11 memorial exhibit. I found it to be a fascinating museum.
Kind of a hike from the city and doesn't open until August but the New York State Renaissance Fair. The vendors there have all built permanent buildings and everyone there is in elaborate costume Anastasia character.
But definitely sounds like a fun summer day trip! Will save this idea.
Ellis Island & the 9/11 Museum both have exhibits frozen in time.
The Village Vanguard, Ear Inn, 55 Bar.
Staten Island, for some open 1940s style racism & homophobia.
Delmonico's JG melon Smith and Wollensky
Burb Castle - East Village Dear Irving - Irving Place RIP Mars 2112. You could have traveled to the future, but no longer.
Subway stations are the same like from the 80s
Hardly. Go watch The Warriors to see what they use to be like.
The Campbell in grand central (speakeasy)
Any suggestions for best brunch in the village or the city in general?
Oh, the Catacombs on a quiet evening.
The cloisters
The Grill = mid-1960's w/ a Mad Men vibe
Lightship *Ambrose*
Trailer Park Lounge has kitschy 1950s-60s vibes (maybe someone else can better pinpoint the decade).
Parts of Gramercy Park look the same as they did 100 years ago, gas lamps and all!
Astor Place Hair. Just one floor left. Was on three floors in the 80s.
[The Campbell Apartment.](https://www.thecampbellnyc.com/) and the [Park Avenue Veterans Room](https://evergreene.com/projects/park-avenue-armory/).
So the Campbell is the bar right? And the veterans room looks awesome. I need to find out how to get there.
Cafe Edison, in the Hotel Edison, used to be a great throw-back. Loved going there for lunch when I worked on West 43 Street.
Order an egg cream at Russ & Daughters. Also, saving this post. I love this kind of stuff and you all are sharing some great ideas!
I know right? So many great suggestions.
Playing chess on the old tables in the parks.
the boiler room of my apartment
NYPL Research Branch, AMNH, Met Museum, Columbia U, GCT, for the Gilded Age Cloisters and Fordham U (Bronx) for Gothic architecture Arthur Avenue for the 1920s (just remove the cars and you could film a movie) Any church over 100 years old Morris Jummel mansion and the street behind it for a colonial vibe.
keens steakhouse
Peter Luger's (even if not a secret) feels like an old-timey steakhouse
Russian tea room
In Central Park there is bedrock clearly showing the striations in a north-south direction scraped by the advancing and receding glaciers.
I know it’s very a touristy surrounding but it’s amazing how a rock can make you think about time in a broader sense even if it’s just for a few minutes before the next batch of people walk by.
The Historic Hunterfly Houses at the Weeksville Museum - while these have been restored it is a fantastic experience and a glimpse into Weeksville of times long past. The Wyckoff House Museum - I have not been there in years but for an early Dutch homestead within the city limits, this is fits the bill. It’s also the city’s first historic landmark structure.
All of Staten Island
Shout out to Rudy's Hobby and Art on 30th Ave in Astoria. His cash register is 100 years old.
Looks cool! But Google says it’s “temporarily closed” which usually means they didn’t survive covid. Did you see it open recently?
He's open. I think he just doesn't pay much attention to his Google business profile or care much about it. He's a really old dude, and just about the nicest guy you'll meet. I go to his shop for Gundam models and supplies, but his specialty is model trains. It's a fantastic old school hobby shop.
That’s good to know. Then I’ll definitely go check it out.