The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, and some four years later the cornerstone was laid for the present UN Headquarters in New York City. While television has captured famous scenes of debate from both the General Assembly and Security Council, much behind-the-scenes diplomacy occurs every day among delegates from the nearly 190 member states as well as between the numerous international organizations and international civil servants of the UN. In addition, translating the many words spoken and printed here is done by an amazingly dedicated staff of professionals. Some of the more well-known sights to see include the Chagall Stained-Glass Window, the Norman Rockwell Mosaic, the Chinese Ivory Carving, Japanese Peace Bell, Swords into Plowshares Sculpture, and the UN Post Office. After the tour, get your souvenir stamps and have them cancelled at the UN's own post office, visit the book store and coffee shop, and don't forget to get your picture taken outside with the flags of the world! The sad reality of the current state of the Secretariat building, however, is that it urgently needs renovations and a modern heating-cooling system. It remains to be seen as to when and whether the entire UN will pick up and temporarily move to Brooklyn while multi-year renovations take place. The Visitors' Entrance is located on First Avenue at 46th Street. The building is closed on some holidays including Thanksgiving Day (usually fourth Thursday in November), Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. A limited schedule may be in effect during the general debate of the General Assembly (mid-September to mid-October), between Christmas and New Year, and during special conferences and events. For general information on tours call: (212) 963-TOUR (8687). For tours in languages other than English, call: (212) 963-7539 on the day you plan to visit. For group reservations call: (212) 963-4440; write to the Group Programmes Unit, Room GA-56, United Nations, NY 10017; fax (212) 963-0071; or e-mail: [email protected].

The mission of the Museum of Sex is to preserve and present the history, evolution, and cultural significance of human sexuality. In its exhibitions, programs and publications, The Museum of Sex is committed to open discourse and exchange, and to bringing to the public the best in current scholarship. The Museum's exhibition schedule changes frequently, and we encourage you to visit their website for up-to-date information. Aside from frequent exhibitions, the Museum is home to the Ralph Whittington Collection. Ralph Whittington, who recently retired as a curator at the Library of Congress after 38 years of service, was a major force in acquiring and documenting pornography since the 1970s. Since picking up a pocket-size magazine on a second-grade school trip to Baltimore, he has known of his interest in the subject, and 'came out' as a collector about twenty years ago. His collection, which includes more than four hundred 8-millimeter films, 700 videos, 1,500 magazines, 100 books, and artifacts such as blow-up dolls and bawdy house coins, has been recently acquired by the Museum of Sex.

On September 11, 2011, the long-awaited memorial to the 2,982 victims of the 9/11 attacks was dedicated and, on the following day, opened to the public, officially unveiling the two nearly one-acre-sized footprints set one story deep into the plaza in the exact places where both of the Twin Towers once stood. Four waterfalls spring from each of the two footprints' four sides, creating a serene and reflective sound that counterbalance the noise and bustle of the city around them. Each waterfall is framed with bronze plates with the names of the victims from each tower, organized by category: first responder, worker, and so on. The names of each section of the Memorial follow the headings below: Framing the North Pool: World Trade Center: Those who worked in or were visiting the North Tower (1 World Trade Center) on 9/11 Flight 11: The crew and passengers of American Airlines Flight 11 February 26, 1993: Those who were killed in the February 26, 1993, bombing of the World Trade Center Framing the South Pool: World Trade Center: Those who worked in or were visiting the South Tower (2 World Trade Center) or other areas of the WTC complex on 9/11 Flight 175: The crew and passengers of United Airlines Flight 175 Pentagon: Those who worked in or were visiting the Pentagon on 9/11 Flight 77: The crew and passengers of American Airlines Flight 77 Flight 93: The crew and passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 First Responders: Those who received the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor awarded by the White House on September 9, 2005 Enter the 9/11 Memorial at the intersection of Liberty Street and Greenwich Street or at the intersection of Liberty Street and West Street. The 9/11 Museum Requires Tickets and Visitors are urged to purchase them online. Purchasing tickets in advance allows you to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum at your preferred date and time. The National September 11 Memorial 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. The monumental artifacts of the Museum provide a link to the events of 9/11, while presenting intimate stories of loss, compassion, reckoning, and recovery that are central to telling the story of the attacks and the aftermath. The Museum offers both a Historical Exhibition and Memorial Exhibition. Historical Exhibition In the Historical Exhibition visitors learn about first responders arriving to Ground Zero shortly after the attack. Part 1: The Day-9/11 The opening section of the historical exhibition presents the events of the day as they unfolded on September 11, 2001. Visitors learn how the normalcy of a beautiful late summer day was overtaken by a sense of shock, disbelief and increasing horror as America came under attack. Using artifacts, images, video, first-person testimony, and real-time audio recordings from 9/11, the exhibition provides insight into the human drama underway within the hijacked airplanes, the Twin Towers, and the Pentagon; the courageous actions of first responders and civilians assisting one another, and the experiences of people near and far from the attack sites, as day turned to night and our collective sense of history had changed: there would now forever be a "before 9/11" and an "after 9/11". Part 2: Before 9/11 After learning about the day of 9/11, visitors enter a series of galleries that chronicle what led up to the attacks. The exhibition examines the World Trade Center as a symbol and a target. It then addresses the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the evolution of the terrorist network al-Qaeda. The exhibition features trial evidence, oral testimony and archival news footage. Part 3: After 9/11 The culminating chapter of the historical exhibition takes visitors from the immediate aftermath of 9/11 to the present moment, exploring the character and challenges of the post-9/11 world. From presentations on collective grief, global responses, and the search for the missing in the immediate days and weeks after the attacks, the exhibition will explore the prodigious efforts of recovery and rebuilding at the three attack sites, describing innumerable acts of compassion, volunteerism and public service. A concluding presentation presents the ongoing questions arising out of 9/11, and the evolving nature of how we understand its significance and place in history. Memorial Exhibition The Memorial Exhibition commemorate the lives of those who perished on September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 and provides visitors with the opportunity to learn about the men, women, and children who died. Visitors enter the exhibition along a corridor in which portrait photographs of the nearly 3,000 victims form a "Wall of Faces,"  intended to communicate the scale of human loss. Nearby, interactive tables allow visitors to discover additional information about each person, including additional photographs, remembrances by family and friends, artifacts, and the location of individual names on the Memorial plaza. Rotating selections of personal artifacts are also featured. An adjoining chamber presents profiles of individual victims in a dignified sequence through photographs, biographical information, and audio recordings. Rounding out the Museum experience is Foundation Hall, a room of massive scale and soaring height. Here, the "slurry wall," a surviving retaining wall of the original World Trade Center that withstood the devastation of 9/11, is presented as a testament to survival and determination. Against this backdrop is the "Last Column," 36-feet high and covered with mementoes, memorial inscriptions, and missing posters placed there by ironworkers, rescue personnel, and others. Removed during the ceremony marking the close of the recovery effort at Ground Zero, the column, laid prone, was draped with an American flag and escorted by honor guard. Standing tall once again, the Last Column encourages reflection on the foundations of resilience, hope, and community with which we might build our collective future. Transit As with most things in New York City, the MTA provides the best way to reach both the memorial and museum. Subway lines with stops at Fulton, Rector, and Chambers Street, Brooklyn Bridge, City Hall, and Port Authority ferries and PATH train service are your best bets to reach the site.

A combination of traditional park and repurposed piers, Brooklyn Bridge Park offers spectacular views of downtown Manhattan and the New York Harbor from almost every part of the park. The 85-acre riverside park is now a serious contender for New York's Best Park, with DUMBO's Empire-Fulton Ferry; Pier 1's massive, Jurassic Park-esque bridge and greenery, showing off the vistas from the Vale Lawn and Granite Prospect and hosting Syfy's annual Movies With A View film festival; Pier 2's multifarious basketball, handcall, bocce, and shuffleboard coats; Pier 3's beautiful greenway; Pier 4's amazing artificial beach; the picnic peninsula, fishing station, and sports fields at Pier 5; and the dog run, volleyball courts, playgrounds, and "water lab" of Pier 6.

Brooklyn Steel is a 1800-capacity warehouse-turned-live music venue in Brooklyn. With great sight lines and an impressive speaker system Brooklyn Steel has quickly become one of New York's premier live music venues.

The vast lawn of Manhattan's Central Park is widely considered by Manhattanites to be their personal land grant; you'll find frisbee players, picnickers and all sorts of activities taking place here that you'd find on any private lawn in America. The difference is that here you'll be amazed at how good people are at ignoring each other's activities—until you're bonked with a frisbee or someone's dog (forbidden in any case from the Great Lawn) trots over to your sniff your food.