New York City, New York

Written November 2001

"I have urged our fellow Americans to go about their lives, to fly on airplanes, to travel, to go to work...We cannot let the terrorists achieve the objective of frightening our nation to the point where we don't conduct business."
-President George W. Bush, October 11, 2001

"We will not yield to terrorism. We will not let our decisions be made out of fear. We choose to live our lives in freedom...Having our city's institutions up and running sends a message that New York City is open for business."
-Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, September 29, 2001

In the wake of the tragedies of September 11, many of New York City's most wonderful and most famous institutions are suffering. Restaurants and hotels are short on patrons, Broadway shows are going out of business, and attractions and exhibits have few visitors. You might wonder how you can help. It's easy. Visit, stay in a hotel, have a good meal, see a show, visit a museum. We've all seen 1001 TV shows and movies that show us all the wonderful things there are to do and see in New York City, so I'll just tell you about some of the things that are going on right now:

Broadway and off-Broadway Shows: Now playing: Noises Off, The Full Monty, The Lion King, A Midsummer's Night Dream, Porgy and Bess, The Producers, Rent, and, of course, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Shows I've seen and can personally recommend: Beauty and the Beast (absolutely amazing), Les Misérables, and The Phantom of the Opera. Easiest way to buy tickets: www.broadway.com[new window]

Opera, Ballet, & Classical: The Metropolitan Opera is featuring Madame Butterfly, La Bohème, and La Traviata in November. Check www.metopera.org [new window] for dates, times and tickets. The New York City Ballet is presenting The Nutcracker, beginning on November 23. Check royal.reliaserve.com/nycballet [new window] for information. The New York Philharmonic is presenting Rachmaninoff's Virtuosic Piano Rhapsody, Gil Shaham And The Majesty of Brahms, and Joshua Bell and Barber: Violinistic Virtuosity in November. Check www.nyphilharmon.org [new window] for schedules and tickets.

Art Exhibits: Cuando is sponsoring a cultural response to the September 11 attacks, From the Ashes, an art, music and performance exhibition reflecting on the tragedy as well as the heroism and sacrifice of firefighters, police, rescuers and ordinary citizens. Also, the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences is sponsoring The Spirit of Giving on November 28th. Commemorate those lost with collages of letters, photos and remembrance. Visit www.nyc-arts.org [new window] for more information on these and other exhibits. In addition, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosting Neo-Impressionism: The Circle of Paul Signac through December 30th (www.metmuseum.org [new window]). The Guggenheim is hosting Sugimoto: Portraits through November 10th (www.guggenheim.org/ [new window]).

Gardens: Even though we're well into fall, there's still plenty to see at the New York Botanical Gardens. The NYBG is exhibiting Momijigari: The Japanese Autumn Garden through November 25th. The Momijigari exhibition captures the evolving harmony and contrasts of a traditional Japanese garden during the autumn season (www.nybg.org/[new window]). And the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is featuring the Plant Family Garden, The Rock Garden and The Monocot Garden in November (www.bbg.org/ [new window])

How to Get There: Both US Airways and United Airlines are offering a special fare of $148, round trip from State College to New York City. Check out www.travelocity.com [new window] for details. If you can leave from Harrisburg, Amtrak can get you there for $48, one way. For details, check out www.amtrak.com [new window]. But probably the best way to get to New York is through Fullington Bus Tours. There is a weekend trip available November 3-4 for $240, including hotel accommodations. There's also a one-day trip available November 10 for $45 round-trip. And for $251 (hotel accommodations and two meals included), you can spend November 21 and 22 in New York, see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular and go to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. To make reservations for these trips or to order a brochure showing all available trips, call 1-800-252-3893.

For help with planning your own itinerary, go to www.nyny.com [new window].