New York City (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [67]
Roosevelt Island.
The 2-mi-long East River slice of land that parallels Manhattan from East 48th to East 85th streets is now a quasi-suburb of 10,000 people, and the vestiges of its infamous asylums, hospitals, and prisons make this an offbeat trip for the historically curious.
At the south tip are the eerie ruins of a Smallpox Hospital, built in 1854 in a Gothic Revival style by the prominent architect James Renwick Jr. (Among many other works, Renwick also designed St. Patrick’s and the Smithsonian’s Castle.) On a small park at the island’s north tip is a lighthouse built in 1872 by island convicts. Most of what’s in between (new as well as 1970s-era condominiums and a modern-day hospital) is fairly banal, but riverside esplanades provide nice panoramas of Manhattan.
You can get here by subway, but more fun is the five-minute ride on the Roosevelt Island Tramway, the only commuter cable car in North America, which lifts you 250 feet in the air, with impressive views of Queens and Manhattan. A visitor center, made from an old trolley kiosk, stands to your left as you exit the tram. Red buses service the island, 25¢ a ride. | Tramway entrance at 2nd Ave. and either 59th St. or 60th St., Upper East Side | 10022 | 212/832–4555 | www.rioc.com | $2.25 (subway Metrocard accepted) | Tram Sun.–Thurs. 6 am–2 am, Fri. and Sat. 6 am–3:30 am; leaves approximately every 15 min | Subway: F to Roosevelt Island.
Temple Emanu-El.
The world’s largest Reform Jewish synagogue seats 2,500 worshippers. Built in 1928–29 of limestone and designed in the Romanesque style with Byzantine influences, the building has Moorish and Art Deco ornamentation, and its sanctuary is covered with mosaics. A free museum displays artifacts detailing the congregation’s history and Jewish life. The synagogue stands on the site of what was once the house of the ultimate society maven, Mrs. William Astor. | 1 E. 65th St., at 5th Ave., Upper East Side | 10065 | 212/744–1400 | www.emanuelnyc.org | Sabbath services Fri. 5:15 pm, Sat. 10:30 am; regular services Sun.–Thurs. 5:30 pm. Temple daily 10–4:30, museum Sun.–Thurs. 10–4:30 (call to confirm); tours Sun.–Thurs., Fri., and Sat. after services | Subway: 6 to 68th St./Hunter College.
GALLERIES
Chelsea, Midtown’s West 57th Street, the Lower East Side, and other parts of town all have their own art galleries, but those on the Upper East Side are in a class of their own. In keeping with the tony surroundings, the emphasis here is on works by established masters rather than up-and-coming (or even still-living) artists. Their locations are eminent as well: large town houses and upper stories in and around Madison and Fifth avenues. Note that galleries often have limited hours, so make sure to check times in advance.
Acquavella.
The 19th- and 20th-century art shown inside this five-story marble-floored mansion tends to be by the big names, from Impressionists through Pop artists, including Picasso, Lucian Freud, and James Rosenquist. | 18 E. 79th St., between 5th and Madison Aves., Upper East Side | 212/734–6300 | www.acquavellagalleries.com| Subway: 6 to 77th St..
Jane Kahan.
This welcoming gallery represents very lofty works. Besides ceramics by Picasso and modern master tapestries, one of this gallery’s specialties, you’ll see works by late-19th- and early-20th-century modern artists such as Fernand Léger, Joan Miró, and Marc Chagall. | 922 Madison Ave., 2nd fl., between E. 73rd and E. 74th Sts., Upper East Side | 10021 | 212/744–1490 | www.janekahan.com | Subway: 6 to 77th St.
Keszler Gallery.
Inside a warren of rooms on the ground floor of the same building that holds the Gagosian you’ll find contemporary works by celebrity painter Russell Young