Immersed in the Big Apple
Snow-covered Central Park
Arriving in a bitterly cold and increasingly snowy New York City we were worried that everything might come to a standstill but unlike the British panic when snow arrives NYC continued to speed along and there were plenty of opportunities to explore the city in unique ways. Filling our days with research work at the fascinating archives of the Brooklyn Historical Society, New York University, New York Academy of Medicine, Columbia University and the New York Historical Society the evenings were left to fill up on theatre, museums and sightseeing.
Levine Apartment © Tenement Museum, New York
One such evening was spent in the eerie McKittirick Hotel, the set for Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More, an immersive theatre experience transforming Shakespeare’s Macbeth into a film noir style performance where we chased characters from room to room to watch the action unfold. Another theatrical evening came in the form of the Tenement Museum’s Tenement Inspectors event where we were briefed about health and safety, given checklists and assumed the role of tenement inspectors in 1906 at the Lower East Side preserved tenement building. We met actors playing the real landlady and tenant from that time and quizzed them on the poor conditions of the building in this fascinating step back into early 20th century New York.
Central Station
Other than these captivating experiences simply wandering around the streets and parks of Manhattan and Brooklyn was the perfect way to see the city with ornate Grand Central Station, the impressive Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, views over to the Statue of Liberty and the incredible sights from the top of the Rockefeller Center. Another highlight was strolling along the High Line, an old overhead freight train line built in 1934 as part of the West Side Improvement Project to carry goods to and from Manhattan’s industrial district. It served this purpose until 1980 when the last trains ran but has now been converted into a walkway through the buildings providing a perfect platform for soaking up the history and atmosphere of different areas of this bustling city.
Recent posts
Foreign Office, Consulate and Legation Files, China: 1830-1939 contains a huge variety of material touching on life in China through the eyes of the British representatives stationed there. Nick Jackson, Senior Editor at AM, looks at an example from this wealth of content, one diplomat’s exploration of Chinese family relationships and how this narrative presented them to a British audience.
The Nineteenth Century Stage is a rich resource exploring the theatrical celebrities, artistry, and changing social roles of the era. It highlights Pamela Colman Smith, known for her Rider-Waite tarot illustrations and theatre work, whose influence shaped Victorian theatre. Despite being overlooked, her life and impact are vividly captured through striking art and intimate collections within this valuable resource.