New York: Dutch Estate and Tavern Parties
Every year, more than 10 million tourists travel to the Big Apple to see with their own eyes the Statue of Liberty, legendary skyscrapers, and the city's richest museums. An obligatory part of the "tour package" is a visit to the famous Central Park – a favorite recreation spot for residents and guests of the American metropolis.
The popularity of this place is so great that on weekends it is not easy to find a free bench or a spot on the lawn. Moreover, the park is literally occupied by athletes: thousands of cyclists, runners, and rollerbladers train from dusk till dawn. Therefore, lovers of leisurely walks in nature and elderly people prefer to spend time away from the noisy Central Park. Fortunately, the city has a place for every taste.
One of the quietest and greenest corners of New York is Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Little known among tourists, it arose at the end of the 19th century on the site of an estate of a wealthy Dutch family. By the way, in 1895, the first public golf lessons in the United States were opened there.
The huge territory of Van Cortlandt Park is divided into three parts: historical, sports, and a forest preserve. In the historical part – an 18th-century house – there is a museum where you can learn how wealthy Americans lived in the time of George Washington. The sports part includes a small stadium, a golf course, bike paths, and a swimming pool. In the forest zone, you can watch birds and study the unique local flora. A small stream flows through the forest, which is called a "paradise for ornithologists" because rare birds, such as hawk owls and wood ducks, nest along its banks.
For tourists tired of shopping and viewing masterpieces of the Metropolitan Museum, one can also recommend going to Staten Island, where the Historic Richmondtown museum complex is located. In essence, this is a large historical village that fully recreates the atmosphere of the first settlements on the east coast of the United States. Among the main attractions of the museum is The Voorlezer's House – a perfectly preserved wooden house from the late 17th century. The Voorlezer's House is known, among other things, as the oldest school building in the country.
From January to April, on Saturdays, costumed parties are held in the historic Richmondtown tavern, where participants can fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a 19th-century festive feast. No electricity, modern music, or fancy cocktails. Dinner by candlelight and real whiskey, admission – $10.
Paris: Foucault's Pendulum and a Parachute Jump
The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Musée d'Orsay, the Seine quays, the Latin Quarter... Of course, these sights are famous worldwide. However, Paris would not be Paris if it could not surprise an experienced tourist. Thus, not every guest of the French capital knows that in the oldest European polytechnic museum – the Paris Musée des Arts et Métiers (Le Conservatoire des Arts et des Métiers) – one can see the famous Foucault pendulum. This device, first demonstrated by French scientist Jean Foucault in 1851, is used for the experimental demonstration of the Earth's daily rotation.
The Musée des Arts et Métiers, located in the very center of the city in a medieval church of Saint-Martin-des-Champs, houses a stunning collection of scientific and technical exhibits. Here you can see the first microscopes and supercomputers, steam engines and the laboratory of the great French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, electrical devices and antique globes.
The highlight of the museum, capable of delighting both children and adults, is the collection of early 20th-century aircraft. Flying machines, including the unusual bat-shaped airplane of Clément Ader, soar under the church dome. Also on display is Louis Blériot's monoplane, on which he crossed the English Channel for the first time in human history in 1909.
You can continue your scientific and educational excursions in Paris at Parc Monceau. This relatively small park is often unfairly overlooked by tourists, perhaps because it is an uncharacteristic place for the city. Its creator, Louis Philippe Joseph, Duke of Orléans, was a great fan of everything English. That is why he instructed the gardeners to lay out the park in a purely British style, which was a truly revolutionary event given the long-standing rivalry between French and English schools of landscape gardening.
As a result, an informal English garden appeared in the center of the French capital with winding paths, wide promenades, lawns, and artificial waterfalls.
In 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin, ascending in a Montgolfier balloon, made the first parachute jump in history, landing in Monceau in the presence of numerous onlookers. Then, in 1871, the park experienced bloody events: many supporters of the Paris Commune were executed here.
Today, being in this place, you can touch the life of the rich and famous. The quarter where Monceau is located is a local Rublyovka: French millionaires and descendants of old aristocratic families live here.
To be continued.