Tourist Guide

The New York Hall of Science is a small museum on the outskirts of Corona and Flushing, and is well known for its interactive exhibits that keeps the visitor’s hands and mind on alert.  It is New York’s one and only hands-on science and technology museum, and has been so for quite some time..  Established in 1964, the New York Hall of Science is one of the few remaining buildings of the 1964 New York’s World Fair.

I had gone to the New York Hall of Science several times already, and the one exhibit that I often keep coming back to, in part because of my love of baseball, is a ball-throwing exhibit.  The visitor is given a softball, a baseball, and a tennis ball, and is asked to throw each ball as hard as he or she can, and see which ball goes the farthest.  I know the answer through experience, but I think it’s best if you find out yourself.  It may be simple, but it’s fun to do.  On the same floor, there is an exhibit about basketball players and their ability to jump, models of molecules, and a rock-climbing wall.  The exhibits in the New York Hall of Science range through all three of the major sciences: biology, chemistry, and physics, and despite the relatively small size of the museum, a lot of material is covered.  On the first floor of the museum, there are displays on meteorites and solid CO2, and an interactive exercise with a space rover.  On the highest floor there several microscopes that allow you to spot several different types of simple organisms like bacteria and protozoa.  All of the microscopic exhibits freaked me out–I really don’t enjoy looking at bacteria.

There’s enough content in the quaint New York Hall of Science to keep you busy for a good couple hours, and with all the many types of interactive games and displays, this museum is definitely one to remember.  The only issue with the museum is that it’s geared more towards people thirteen years or younger, so a young adult might find the exhibits a little bit underwhelming.  I found the miniature golf course outside of the museum to be a bit silly, but it’s sure to entertain any children you bring.  Be sure to visit this jewel of a museum in Queens when you have the time!

Museum Hours (they’re pretty complicated):

September to March:

• Closed on Mondays
• Tuesday to Thursday- 9:30 am to 2:00 pm
• Friday- 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
• Saturday & Sunday- 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

April to June:

• Monday to Thursday- 9:30 am to 2:00 pm
• Friday- 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
• Saturday & Sunday- 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

July to August:

• Monday to Friday- 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
• Saturday & Sunday- 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art has always been one of my favorite museums.  I know, I know.  You’re probably wondering why I love every single museum.  But the truth is that New York offers some of the best museums in the world, and that’s not an exaggeration.  The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (or MoMA, for short) has one of the world’s most extensive galleries of art, ranging from more classic paintings like Vincent Van Gogh’s Colors of the Night to more contemporary pieces like Raqib Shaw’s Garden of Earthly Delight III.  There are so many different aspects of art that are well-covered by the MoMA’s endless variety of works.  The first time I visited the MoMA was when I was five, and the only thing I remembered from that visit was Van Gogh’s Starry Night. I didn’t have much of a clue at all as to what was going on, considering I was five.  But now, visiting the MoMA for a second time, my perception of things are so much clearer (at least I hope so).  There were pieces of art that made me wonder how it even got classified as art, like Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s Untitled piece that displayed paper rolled into sharp cones and placed base-down onto the paper, but in general, the visit to the MoMA was highly enjoyable.

I’ve been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art around two or three times by now, and the one thing that always amazed me were the Greek and Roman statues.  The amount of detail on a statue like “Ugolino and His Sons,” where the anxiety and desperation can be seen clearly on Ugolino’s face, is just extraordinary.  I can’t imagine how much time and effort was put into the statue to make the muscle structure, the tonality, and the expressions so lifelike.  On top of the amazing sculptures on the first floor, there were also a great number of paintings and pictures as well.  Though there was one stretch of paintings where the quality of the pieces were questionable (the term “art” is such a subjective term), many of the pictures were well done.  One of the paintings that really caught my eye was Salvador Dali’s “Crucifixion.”  It was well-drawn, but to tell the truth, the manner in which it is drawn is slightly haunting.  The “floating” effect of the picture left me a little uneasy for some reason.  Despite the long treks along the first floor, I enjoyed seeing different cultures mesh together in a grandiose gallery of art.  Just like I said with the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a must-see for any tourist.

This headdress was worn by the “police” of African tribes, as well as those who attend funerals and other significant events or rituals.  The reason for covering the face is to invoke respect towards the one wearing the headdress.

The term “akonkromfi” means “praying mantis.”  This chair has very elaborate detail and a well-crafted design.  It was most likely used by someone of high stature, given the amount of work put into it.

My friends and I went to the Brooklyn Museum after school on a Tuesday afternoon.  The weather wasn’t particularly pretty that day, but it wasn’t too much of a hindrance.  We came into the museum and we were lucky enough to have a tour guide help us with our quandaries.  Our tour guide was a short, elderly woman who seemed genuinely interested in what she did, and that was to guide us through the various arts and crafts in the African section of the museum.  She started off by talking to us about an elephant made out of earthly materials, and talked about its influence as a power figure.  We continued along as she pointed out other things that she found most interesting, and that included chairs, masks, statues and staves.  She seemed very well practiced in her expertise with African history, and by the end of the tour, I was pleased with the amount of knowledge I gained about Africa.  Despite the vast distance between our generation and that of ancient African culture, there were a bunch of similar themes in things like power figures and spirituality.  Any tourist should definitely check out the Brooklyn Museum when he or she has the chance!

The exhibition looked rather shady from the start.  I went with a group of friends to White Columns, and it took us a good ten minutes before we figured out where the front door was.  We entered the place and saw white space.  There were small chairs next to television screens, but no noise could be heard.  Instead, there were headphones available from every “station” if you will, where a person can listen to what’s being said on the TV.  I listened to a few, but the major problem with this is that there is no restart button.  Each television showed an interview between some activist (I only figured out they were activists after I left the exhibit) and some reporter.  Whatever I listened to, it was out of context, so I had no clue as to what they were talking about, what the backgrounds of the people in the video were, why they did what they did, and why I was wasting my time trying to understand all of it.  It was nice seeing a hands-on exhibit, but everything felt so out of context that any message I would grab out of the place would be either diluted or misconstrued.

In addition to the headphones, there were rooms away from the central area that were empty except for pictures on the walls that resembled war propaganda.  The images were extremely graphic; the first thing I saw in the room was a giant poster of a penis, and that caught me totally off-guard.  The posters all displayed a sense of anger and rebellion against the government, and its choice to ignore those who were suffering from AIDS.  The posters sent the message pretty well, but again, like the videos, there was virtually no backstory to them.  It all felt out of context and out-of-touch, despite the poignance of the graphic images.  I just wish that there was someone there to help us understand a little more about what the exhibit was trying to portray, so it’d be easier to relate to the exhibits.  I don’t have anything against the posters themselves; it’s the presentation that makes an average visitor like me lost and confused.

I’ve lived in Elmhurst pretty much my entire life, and I can easily say that it’s one of the most lively, cultured, and comfortable places to live in New York.  A large percentage of the people who reside in Elmhurst are minorities, and that leads to a very rich, diverse neighborhood.  Despite its dense population, Elmhurst remains as a very safe place to live.  Elmhurst is home to one of the most profitable malls in America: The Queens Center Mall.  The mall bustles with activity year-round, and the variety of stores there is amazing.  The food selection around in the area is perhaps one of the most diverse in New York, as you may expect.  From Italian and French cuisine to gourmet Thai and Chinese food, the options are endless, and are one of, if not, the reason why many people choose to move to Elmhurst.  The area is easily accessible by public transportation or by car, and there are also two additional malls (Queens Plaza Mall and the Century 21 Mall on the outskirts of Elmhurst) in case there is anything that the Queens Center doesn’t supply.  Apart from the bustling activity of the three malls here in Elmhurst, there are a number of parks that provide great scenery.  There’s a wonderful, cohesive mix of a busy city feel and a suburban town feel here, and with all the food and entertainment available, you’ll rarely find yourself bored.  Just be careful when crossing Queens Boulevard, though–it’s a very busy street that runs through all of Queens.  Take a bit of time to visit one of New York’s best-kept secrets.  You won’t regret it!

Reasons to Visit:

• The food is amazing, and the choices are through the roof.
• Elmhurst is considered as the most ethnically diverse zip code in New York. Over 57 languages are spoken here!
• The scenery, the atmosphere, the malls.  You’ll find it hard to get bored in Elmhurst.
• Easy access to public transportation.

Reasons Not to Visit:

• Congestion and traffic.  Especially around holidays, the traffic and crowds can get pretty bad.
• Schools need quite a bit of revamping.
• Relatively old infrastructure = sewage/drainage problems.

Directions:

Take the uptown M, R, or G (only on weekends) to Elmhurst Ave, Grand Ave, or Woodhaven Blvd (all three stops reside in Elmhurst).

I came into the opera not really knowing what to expect.  Sure, I heard samples of the opera from the class prior to going to the opera, but in most cases, the experience of being at a performance is much different from hearing it on the computer.  Immediately upon entering the building, I felt rather out of place.  The theatre was almost completely occupied by sharply-dressed upperclassmen, and I simply felt like a fish out of the water.  The other people in the theatre appeared as though they just came back from a trip to London.  I, on the other hand, looked like I just woke up from the wrong side of the bed.

But that’s all beside the point.  What I was just about to see unfold in front of me was one of the most well-known operas in the world.  In the first scene of the opera, we’re given a look into a medieval-era party.  People are dancing, singing, and drinking all kinds of things that probably aren’t very good for you.  And then, amongst all the merriment, we get a couple of robust men, the epitomes of masculinity, singing at the top of their lungs about something in Italian (there were translations on a monitor on the back of the chair in front of me but I didn’t notice it until halfway through the opera).  The singing itself was absolutely extraordinary.  Only those who are well-versed in opera would be critical of the way the singers expressed their emotions through their vocals.  After the first intermission, which was rather long, one of the male actors came out and told the audience that despite himself having a cold, he would continue singing in the opera.  I felt a bit ambivalent towards that announcement;  although I felt it was admirable for him to go on, admitting that you have a cold is like asking for sympathy from the audience.

What I found most amazing about the opera was the way the singers multitasked with singing and acting.  The singing was spectacular, the acting was adequate.  And on top of the well-done vocals, the background and sets themselves were stunning.  Everything felt so real, from Rigoletto’s house to the front of the palace, the details were impeccably polished.  The only true gripe about the opera would be the scope of it all.  The opera itself could’ve been much more concise (if I were to write a summary of what happened on paper, it would probably only amount to five or six lines of text).  The intermissions themselves were a bit lengthy to the extent that I, personally, began to feel indifferent to the opera towards the end of the show and just wanted to leave before midnight.  But in general, these minor issues don’t undermine the beautiful performances by the lead singers, and (don’t we forget!) the orchestra.  Especially considering that this is the debut for many of the characters, “Rigoletto” is well worth the time and money.

To this day I still have no idea why they called the play “The Break of Noon.”  Of all the ways to summarize what happened to John, I find that the chosen title just made no sense.  But…never mind.

My friends and I came into the theatre after grabbing a snack at a nearby pizza parlor, expecting a long night.  We had heard of David Duchovny prior to this performance from “Californication,” but despite that, just the idea of staying out so late on a weekday wasn’t a very pleasant thought.  The theatre was quaint and lively, and our class got to sit in the upper deck.  I couldn’t see the stage from my seat, and so I was afraid that we wouldn’t be able to see anything when the performance started, but to my surprise the stage was much closer.

The start of the play felt like an emergency evacuation–sirens were blaring and red lights were flashing in our eyes.  It was so surreal and dramatic, and it set the tone for the rest of the story.  Unfortunately though, despite the eye-catching opening, the first scene where John talks to the audience about what just happened was quite long-winded.  Apparently, some madman came into his office and began shooting everyone, and through some miracle, John himself was the only one left alive.

The transitions between each scene was quite obnoxious in my opinion.  Couldn’t the director of the play create a more smooth transition between each scene other than flashing blinding lights right into our eyes?  The intensity of the lights felt as if someone had punched me.

The acting jobs done by David Duchovny, Amanda Peet, John Earl Jelks, and Tracee Chimo were all spectacular, but the theme of the play felt outdated.  The gist of the movie was about John and his sudden belief in God, and how society refused to believe that God saved him from such a horrible disaster.  He made references to things like Facebook during the play, but despite that, the omnipresent theme of God and “seeing the light” felt a bit strange to an atheist like myself.

There was a lot of cursing and harsh emotions exchanged throughout the story, some of which felt rather forced.  Add to that a rather out-of-place sex scene (if you can call it that), and a rather intrusive talk show host, and you get a play that has problems with cohesion.  It was hard to suspend my belief throughout the play, and that definitely took away from the experience.  The end of the play was unsatisfying, to tell the truth–I had expected something shocking to be revealed from the body language John expressed to a skeptical police officer.  I expected something sort of camaraderie between him and the murderer, but instead, the audience is given more questions to ponder.  How did he take the picture?  How did the gun simply not work?  The play ended with a scene of him supposedly levitating, and I left the theatre hungry and confused.

Despite having a brand name like David Duchovny in the play, I’d say pass on this one.