Top New York travel tips

Excellent Broadway travel tips in 2021? The New-York Historical Society has a new exhibit that coincides with the 80th anniversary of the United Service Organizations (USO) that shows off artifacts (a World War II-era aircraft fragment, mess kit, and other relics engraved to Hope), films, and rare photographs to illustrate how Bob Hope helped lift spirits with his USO and radio shows during a dark time in American history. There’s also a companion exhibition, “The Gift of Laughter,” that delves into Hope’s varied career after World War II as a USO entertainer, television star, and Academy Award host demonstrating the many hats worn by comedians. His legacy will be brought to life with many items, including costumes from the Emmy Award-winning series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, as well as objects related to other comedians—real and imagined—influenced by Hope.

If there is one crucial piece in the set of this show, it is the objects that didn’t even exist on the stage which gave the show the most dimension, setting, and emotion. These digital realities were pictured on a giant wraparound screen which posed as the backdrops for all scenes. This rapidly accelerated the set changes such that it seemed like a film in itself. The screen flicked between classrooms in a fraction of a second, and the lighting levels with it, establishing a realistic picture and making the stage so much larger. There was almost no turnaround time between scenes, keeping the audience constantly engulfed in the happenings. Its novelty and spectacle represented a new and improved future for Broadway in which screens can display the way to film-like reality onstage!

Sadly, many shows have closed down due to the pandemic and the financial crisis that followed. Mean Girls closed only recently, which is very bad, because it was an excellent show for teens. My teenagers love all the high school meddling. How old are your kids? I’m sure that they would enjoy Dear Evan Hansen. It is also a teen drama with some plot twists and a happy ending. If they are younger they can enjoy Aladdin. It also has a prince, a princess, and a lot of magic! I heard something about a huge Mean Girls tour after the COVID crisis, and that they are following Hamilton online. Frozen was scheduled to close February 2020, so it is not as much of a pandemics issue. Beetlejuice and Hangmen closed, too. See additional info at TripAdvisor Broadway 2021.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Met, as it is commonly known, was founded in 1870, and is one of the most famous museums in the United States. The permanent collection of The Met contains more than two million works of art, spanning a period of 5,000 years. Although the museum has three sites, the centerpiece is The Met Fifth Avenue. Highlights of the collection include American decorative arts, arms and armor, costumes, Egyptian art, musical instruments, photographs, and much more. Exhibitions bring some of the world’s most famous works to the public. If you are serious about your visit to the Met, consider a VIP: Empty Met Tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and see this incredible museum with just 25 people before it opens to the general public in the morning. The Met Cloisters, located in Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan, is another extremely popular New York museum. This branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, housed in an outstanding structure, built around medieval cloisters, chapels, and halls, focuses on the medieval art and architecture of Europe.

NYC, a city forever in flux, is impossible to “see” in one visit. You just have to resign yourself to that fact, unless you move here (and maybe not even then), you’ll only barely scratch the surface! By the time you leave, new places will have cropped up. This city is home to thousands of restaurants, hundreds of museums, attractions, plays, and quirky things to do. Last weekend, I was walking down the street and stumbled into a (delicious) Japanese food festival. It was just there! You never know what you will find in NYC. As a traveler, how do you visit NYC? What are the best things to see and do here? What is the best itinerary for NYC? How do you make the most of your time here? Find additional information on https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k13476134-New_York_in_Summer_2021_What_should_I_be_aware_of-New_York_City_New_York.html.