How to avoid Super Bowl 50: If the Super Bowl is just not important in your life, here are some FREE and cheap suggestions for a football-free day in NYC and avoiding anything connected to the Big Game.
Go to a museum.
Picasso Sculptures at the Museum of Modern Art – This special exhibit of Picasso Sculptures has been a blockbuster show for the Museum of Modern Art since it opened last fall. It closes Sunday, and MOMA is taking the unusual step of staying open until midnight both Saturday and Sunday. If you haven’t seen it yet, go. If you want to see it again, go. Final weekend information.
Four of the city’s less-visited and more interesting museums are in Lower Manhattan, and I’m a big fan of all four.
National Museum of the American Indian features artifacts from tribes and cultures from both North American and South America, from the Arctic Circle to Patagonia. Right now there’s a wonderful exhibit on Central American pottery. This is a branch of the Smithsonian and always FREE. Museum website.
Skyscraper Museum features exhibits on tall buildings around the world. The current exhibit, Ten Tops, is everything you ever wanted to know about the world’s ten tallest. Museum website.
Museum of Jewish Heritage features much more than exhibits about the Holocaust, although a current exhibit is about Nazi persecution of homosexuals. That might not be suitable for children, but the exhibit about Jewish immigrant entertainers, and second-generation entertainers, most certainly is family-friendly, with video clips of comedy, music and dancing by the Marx Brothers, Barbra Streisand and others. Museum website.
Federal Hall National Memorial where you can brush up on American history on the iconic spot on Wall St. where George Washington’s first inauguration took place and where the Bill of Rights was passed. The Greek Revival-style building with the bronze statue of George Washington out front has historical exhibits inside, including the bible upon which General Washington swore his oath of office. Now part of the National Park Service, it’s FREE, including guided tours by Park Rangers. Museum website.
See a FREE movie
The Thin Man is a classic screwball comedy from the 1940s, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy investigating a murder for the fun of it. See it FREE at the Mid-Manhattan Library. Details here.
Visit a garden
First Sundays at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden celebrates the 100th birthday of the iconic Japanese pond and gardens. The day includes origami workshops to make a Valentine or Lunar New Year artwork, a LEGO workshop for kids, birdwatching with a docent and more. FREE with admission. Details here.
What do you think about this? We welcome your comments.