When Harry Met Seinfeld Tour
For two hours, groups can imagine themselves a part of modern classic television shows and films during the newly launched When Harry Met Seinfeld Tour Citywide by On Location Tours. Stops such as Monk’s Diner of “Seinfeld” fame and Café Luxembourg from “When Harry Met Sally” bring fans closer to some of the city’s most famous filming locations.
Begun in November 2015, the tour explores Manhattan’s Upper East Side and Upper West Side, two sections of the city guests will find vaguely familiar, since the area has appeared in hundreds of filmed productions.
“New York City is among the world’s most filmed cities,” said Peck. “The tour makes it easy to follow in the footsteps of your favorite movies or shows.”
Knowledgeable guides will relay industry insider information on more than 40 locations across the uptown area. The tour stops at numerous 1980s, 1990s and more recent film sites, such as McGee’s Pub, the inspiration for MacLaren’s on “How I Met Your Mother.”
Other stops highlighted in the tour appeared in movies such as “You’ve Got Mail,” “Pitch Perfect,” “Men in Black,” “Ghostbusters” and “Moonstruck.” Groups will even see the iconic fountain that inspired the opening credits of “Friends.”
Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration
At the expanded and rebranded Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, visitors can learn about the chaotic immigration methods in place before the famous Ellis Island opened in 1892. Formerly known as the Ellis Island Museum, the institution reopened in May 2015 to chronicle all eras of American immigration, from when the country’s first immigrants arrived to after the station closed in 1954 through today’s process.
The expansion unveiled the Peopling of America Center, which attempts to walk guests through the immigration process’ heartaches and successes during the years before and after Ellis Island.
“Ellis Island is such a large part of New York City’s history,” said Peck. “Now visitors can see even more than before. They truly bring the immigrant’s story alive.”
The main museum illustrates the importance of Ellis Island with moving tales from the 12 million immigrants who entered the country through the station. The descendents of those immigrants account for almost half of America’s current citizens.
Groups will view the island much as it appeared to hopeful foreigners, since officials restored the French Renaissance Revival structure to its 1920s appearance. Inside, the exhibits become more personal with artifacts, photographs, videos, oral histories and interactive displays.
National Lighthouse Museum
The lonely image of the lighthouse keeper shining a saving light through the fog is no longer a day-to-day reality of life in America. To preserve the importance of these keepers, Staten Island community officials raised money to open the National Lighthouse Museum in August 2015.
“Here, visitors can learn about lighthouses and the keepers that managed them,” said Peck. “One of the most memorable exhibits is a wall of lights. It’s really a display of 160 miniature lighthouse models.”
In the works since 1998, the museum stands in the former U.S. Lighthouse Services General Depot, which stayed unusually active due to its location on one of the busiest harbors in the country. Many of the original historic buildings around the lighthouse still stand, so the structures become part of the educational experience.
The Staten Island Depot reached its peak size during and after World War I, when two shops handled maintenance of the lighthouse lenses, which weighed thousands of pounds and stood several feet tall. A machine shop and foundry also stood nearby to keep everything fully operational.
Groups will learn not only about keepers’ daily lives but also about the complicated process involved in maintaining a beacon of light shining on the open water.
