The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden

 Discover one of the oldest buildings in Manhattan and one of New York City’s hidden treasures, The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden, located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Constructed in 1799 as a carriage house and converted into a day hotel in 1826, the Museum transports the visitor back to the Mount Vernon Hotel, a country escape for New Yorkers living in the crowded city at the southern tip of Manhattan. Back then, the commercial shipping and business districts of New York City lay below City Hall, while private residences extended as far north as modern day Chelsea, and it was common for upper and middle class residents and visitors to take day trips to the then- rural setting that is now midtown Manhattan.

This unique museum brings a bygone era of old New York alive and has a fine collection of American furniture and decorative arts, costumes, quilts and textiles, and works on paper including early American and New York City historical archives and documents, such as old newspapers, log books and bar ledgers. 

The Colonial Dames of America own and operate the museum, having purchased it in 1924 to use as their headquarters. Intimate guided tours of the Museum's nine period rooms, representing the circa 1830 Mount Vernon Hotel, run throughout the day and last about 45 minutes. The guides are very passionate and knowledgeable about the history of the hotel and the old New York City so make sure to ask lots of questions while on the tour.

Since you are in this part of the town, board the nearby Roosevelt Island tram for a scenic glide over the East River. Once you get to Roosevelt Island walk south along the promenade, past the ruins of the Renwick Smallpox Hospital, and Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. 

Address: 421 E 61st St. (between 1st Avenue & York Avenue). 

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11am-4pm. Admission is $8 for adults and includes a guided tour.

VISITING SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL

13 years has passed since the day that changed so many lives in ways unimaginable. The 9/11 Memorial is breathtaking site and if you're planning on visiting, take a moment to remember those who lost their lives in the attacks, and also the loved ones they left behind who are still grieving every single day. 

The National September 11 Memorial is open daily from 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. It is a tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, near Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993. The Memorial’s twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in the North America. The pools sit within the footprints where the Twin Towers once stood.

9/11 Memorial Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. *Last entry at 7 p.m. The Museum serves as the country’s principal institution for examining the implications of the events of 9/11, documenting the impact of those events and exploring the continuing significance of September 11, 2001. The Museum’s 110,000 square feet of exhibition space is located within the archaeological heart of the World Trade Center site—telling the story of 9/11 through multimedia displays, archives, narratives and a collection of monumental and authentic artifacts. The lives of every victim of the 2001 and 1993 attacks will be commemorated as visitors have the opportunity to learn about the men, women, and children who died.

9/11 Memorial Museum Store at 20 Vesey Street is open daily from 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.  Sept. 22, 2014 - Dec. 19, 2014 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Free admission.

How to get there: From the Salisbury Hotel walk to 7th Avenue and 57th St. and take the subway R going downtown to Cortlandt. Street.