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We love Open House New York - it's a wonderful opportunity to venture into usually off-limits buildings and places and learn more about them. We tried to take advantage and managed to go to six different sites this year across three boroughs. We would have done more, but the weekend subway work threw a monkey wrench into things.
Given what we wanted to see, we skipped everything that needed reservations, since we knew that the subways could be a problem on the weekend. And given that, plus other issues we ran into, we have some suggestions to improve things for later years to make it easier for everyone who goes.
- If tours are given regularly, make a note of it in the guide. If something is open normally, it would be good to know beforehand, so people could decide to skip it or not.
- Arrange the guide not just by borough, but by neighborhood. This would give people a chance to quickly see other nearby things.
- List the last entry time for everything.
- Use a different color in the guide for reservation only sites.
- Have cancellation and addition sheets at all the sites for distribution.
- Have estimated walking times to/from the subway/bus in the guide.
- Try to find a weekend that isn’t filled with subway work. It may be impossible, but perhaps the MTA could help out a bit.
Our next planned stop was Fort Totten. We never made it thanks to construction on the Astoria Line slowing things down. When the 7 train we were on pulled into Woodside, we saw the LIRR train that would take us to Bayside and the bus out to the fort pulling out of the station. So we decided to pay the $3 we would have spent to head out to Bayside to head back into the city, where we were sure to find something inside and air conditioned.
We decided on the Masonic Grand Lodge in Chelsea, since surely that was air condoned and not usually open to the public. However, on our way to see the Masons we stumbled upon the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, which is the city’s French parish. The beautiful interior of the church is like a trip to Paris. Sadly the Roman Catholic Archdiocese wants to close the church and sell the land and the parishioners are trying to get the building landmarked. We were glad we found the place that we have been by countless times and never really noticed next door to Tekserve.
We finally made it to the Masonic Grand Lodge where we waited on line in air conditioning. We were a bit unhappy to find out they do give regular free tours six days a week, but we were there and had waited on line so we plugged on.
On, Sunday, the subways were just as bad and on our way to The Little Red Lighthouse, we had to deal with the A train running local and two of the words that every straphanger hates – shuttle bus. Thankfully the shuttle bus from 168th Street ran quite well. What we didn’t expect was being held up by a breast cancer walk, which had some sort of staging area right by The Little Red Lighthouse. Still, that didn’t take any of the charm of the storybook lighthouse away.
Our next stop was the Highbridge Water Tower, which of course is yet another hike to get to thanks to the subway work. Our only complaint was there wasn’t anyone monitoring the spiral staircase up to the top of the tower, which led to conflicts of people going up and down.
After hopping on the M101 bus to get to the C train - we mean A train - running local, and a pit stop to get a blower to deal with a camera dust problem, we made our way to the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, also known as One Hanson Place. The formal dental mecca is one of our favorite buildings in the city and we got to poke around the former banking floor. We were hoping for the observation deck to be open, but it was closed due to safety issues.
Our last stop was the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch at Grand Army Plaza. We got there a little after 3:30, which was what we (and about ten other people) thought was in plenty of time since it was scheduled to close at 4:00, but it wasn’t. We could have done more, but since there was only limited service at the Grand Army Plaza subway stop, we decided to call it a day.
Other than the transit roadblocks and a lot of walking, we did enjoy this years OHNY. Plus, if it wasn't for our bad luck, we wouldn't have discovered the Church of St. Vincent de Paul.
Did you go to Open House New York? Let us know what you thought in the comments. Also, NewYorkology on the Woolworth Building, Curbed on the HighLine, Riverhouse and 93 Nevins, and CityRoom on the HighLine.
Photographs (from top to bottom) of the Astoria Pool, Masonic Lodge, shuttle bus sign, and the The Williamsburgh Savings Bank by Triborough at flickr
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On Saturday, I went to 163 Charles Street and there were only a few people there but you couldn't go into the building because it's still under construction. The architects were there and they had pictures of what the completed building will look like in the lobby along with material swatches (i.e. wood, brick and metal). Shockingly, the six-story building is only going to have two residences, one of which is a time share. So, in effect, there will only be one full-time residence (and that person will probably only be there two days a year!).
I then went to 79 Barrow Street and there was a line so I decided to come back later. I came back two more times and there was still a line, so I gave up.
On Sunday I went to 132 Duane Street and there was a line there, so I gave up on that, too.
Thanks, Gothamist, for making this event so damn popular!
I have to say that I agree with #1. If an urban explorer can't make do with varying subway distractions and maps, then they almost don't deserve to go to the special sites. I think that grouping it by neighborhood is really spoonfeeding it, don't you think? All you had to do was look at the map in the OHNY booklet and see what was close to each other. If OHNY was going to group by neighborhood, then would they also group neighborhoods that are close to each other? Where does the madness stop? I also think that signifying which sites are open all year round is tricky, and could discourage people from visiting some sites. Do a little research!
A lot of the sites are open during the year but offer different things during OHNY weekend. For example, The Brooklyn Lyceum is open all year, but the owner gave a fantastic tour that isn't usually available. Greenwood Cemetery is open all year, but usually there's not a performance piece there. Murray Cheese is open all year, but a visitor can't just browse the cheese storage area. Jefferson Market Library is open all year, but you can't usually get the all access tour they do during OHNY...so how would these be differentiated?!
Thank you, OHNY. I loved the weekend, didn't get to do nearly as much as I wanted, but still loved everything. I found the booklet very helpful.
I went to the Grand Army Plaza Arch and made it up to the top after more than an hour in line--and was in the first group that had a shortened visit because they wanted to get everyone in line up to the top!
The climb up was a bit precarious because of bad lighting and everyone had to stoop to get out of a midget sized doorway at the top, but the view was beautiful and there was an ok five minute talk by a parks department employee.
Weekend subway riding is a nightmare. Does it have to be like that EVERY weekend, when folks finally have some time to live?
I don't know if a website that can't even get their writers to proofread posts before posting is really in the position to be criticizing another organizations' operations.
Waited on line early Sunday morning to climb to the top of the Grand Army Plaza arch. After an hour and fifteen minutes, during which time a park's employee warned us about the precarious climb and estimated the wait at forty minutes, I left, because the line had not budged.
There needs to be more than one OHNY weekend per season. There are not enough slots for some of these reserved tours.
If you missed The Encampment, I'm sorry for you. It was totally amazing. But on our way back, we waited for the F for about 20 minutes before they told us that there were no more Manhattan bound Fs that night. So we had to go all the way to Roosevelt Ave on the Queens bound F to get an E to get back to where we were going. It would've been nice to know so we could've taken the tram instead (scary as that is).
I saw 9 sites, which were quite fulfilling.
However:
--Perhaps move OHNY to a parade-free weekend. 5th Avenue was crush volume, and we couldn't get across the street to see anything on the east side Sunday afternoon.
--The subways will never again operate on weekends as they do during the week. OHNY should, perhaps, suggest schedules that are a workaround. And, the MTA should publish separate weekend maps, depending on how long the trackwork lasts.
--OHNY should warn people that the more popular sites, like Top of the Rock, are going to be unavailable toward the end of the second day. The line was from Rock Plaza to 5th and 49th on Sunday at 3.
--the guide is horrible. Everything in each borough goes by alphabet and all five boroughs are numbered 1 to 200-whatever. So, the map and guide are all jumbled. Sites should be grouped by neighborhood in the guide.
www.forgotten-ny.com
Thanks for the Woolworth link, tho probably more useful at this point is this post I did in September that rounds up some of the tours for this fall that are *like* Open House tours, but not on OHNY weekend. Still upcoming: High Bridge, Fresh Kills, Floyd Bennett Field, the stacks at NYPL, Masons, etc.
http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2007/09/ohny_tricks_fal.php
And while covering OHNY weekend, I found more good upcoming ones (including the Moravian Cemetery, and a free St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery walking tour)
http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2007/10/open_house_ny_r_2.php
Funny, your tour mirrored mine half the time. I, too, took in the High Bridge Water Tower, Little Red Lighthouse and Williamsburg Bank Building. I did the arch a few years back before it became so popular. The subways do suck, but the line needn't be so bad if you plan. The OHNY guide lists which attractions will probably attract lines. The way to go is to leave early and hit those spots FIRST. Then go on to less popular places.
Yeah, we had a great time at the Encampment.. definitely flawed but, as a whole, very cool. But to echo ianqui, to be told at 9:00 at night that, sorry, no more Fs to Manhattan, please go all the way to Roosevelt Ave and get the E (or the 7) was, in a word, a total buzzkill.
Encampment pics and more thoughts:
http://scoboco.blogspot.com/2007/10/encampment-by-thom-sokoloski-on.html
I can feel your pain about the confusion with OHNY stuff, I just assume there will be some of it every year, but I feel this post does more wrong than good and unjustifiably bashes OHNY.
The trains are not up to OHNY and is just part of getting around the city on an average weekend. I did not know about single track operation at Queens Plaza, and was almost late to my first tour at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, but knowing what the trains are, I budgeted almost 45 min extra to get there, and problem (annoyingly) solved.
Finding out which spaces are opened regularly and which are likely to have long waits is as easy as a quick search on Google. A little personal investment on your part can go a long way.
I'm not saying there isn't room for improvement, but for an event of this magnitude, offered for free, and run mainly by volunteers, I think they do an excellent job putting it together and running it and that aspect is totally lost in your recanting of bad experiences.
Get a bicycle, people!
Encampment photos here http://flickr.com/photos/md76/tags/theencampment/ too.
Scoboco -- My very talented friend Alex Gray did a couple of the tents you photographed. I hope you liked them.
A suggestion if you plan on attending next year: consider volunteering. The past two years, I too had to deal with long lines and the MTA. This year however, I signed up for the OHNY emailing list and became aware of the benefits of volunteering. You are required to work one 4-hour shift sometime during the weekend. This entitles you to a free t-shirt, cap, and button. The key is getting that button, which indicates you're a volunteer, and lets you and a friend skip to the front of any line at any site. (Sites that require a reservation are excluded.) Just to test out the power of my button, I visited the Grand Army Plaza arch and the Rooftop Garden at Rockefeller Center in the early afternoon, peak hours. The button saved me 90 minutes of waiting at the arch, and another 90 minutes at the Rooftop Garden.
As far as my volunteering went, I was stationed at the Encampment Saturday night, which freed up my weekend daytime hours. So for four hours, I basically directed visitors to enter the Encampment on the left and exit the right. Simple as that.
All in all, a great weekend. Visited the Little Red Lighthouse, Floating Houseboat, Chrysler Building, Octagon, Encampment, Ellis Island's South Side, Grand Army Plaza Arch, and the Rooftop Garden.
Well I've seen pretty much all the good stuff over the years without the trouble you've had - and the inner workings of Astoria Pool are quite interesting.
The parks dept does regular tours of Highbridge Tower, the Little Red Lighthouse, and Ft. Totten. Check thier website, get on thier mailing list. If you are going to something as far as Ft. Totten you really can't expect to do to many other things that day.
But you need to plan ahead if you want to do a lot - and since the TA posts the service changes on thier website (and e-mails them too!) you can account for that. Some of us remember when that info was never told to the public. If you're not taking advantage of it, shame on you.
Now I've been using OHNY to see churches - there are some real spetacular ones out there.