Atlas Obscura’s Guide to a Strange Summer in NYC

by Allison Meier July 15, 2014

It’s deep into summer now in New York City, and here at Atlas Obscura we have a whole wunderkammer of wondrous events planned to make the most of the sunny season. We also have some recommendations of hidden spaces in all five boroughs, with what we are sure as some unfamiliar locales for even the most extensive of city explorers.

ATLAS OBSCURA HOSTS A STRANGE SUMMER:

	ROAD TRIP TO NEW HAVEN July 19 Leave New York behind and hit the road with Atlas Obscura for a full day exploration of New Haven, Connecticut, including the Cushing Brain Collection and an underground cemetery.
	MANHATTAN’S GILDED AGE RUINS July 20 Discover what remains of the Gilded Age in Manhattan in a walking tour of history hidden in plain sight.
	LOVECRAFT IN BROOKLYN July 21 H. P. Lovecraft concluded his unsettling “The Horror in Red Hook” in Brooklyn’s historic Green-Wood Cemetery, and in tribute we are staging a complete atmospheric reading of the tale among the tombs.
	THE RACE UNDERGROUND July 23 Author of The Race Underground Doug Most joins us at the New York Transit Museum for a story of rivalries, corruption, and incredible invention — the battle between NYC and Boston to build America’s first subway. For a preview, check our our Q&A with Most.
	AN EVENING WOLF HOWL July 24 Help us welcome adorable wolf pup Nikai to the pack at the Wolf Conservation Center of South Salem, New York, on this evening excursion.
	THE INSALUBRIOUS VALLEY July 26 Prepare for rough terrain and wear sturdy shoes for this adventure into the industrial and colonial-era secrets of the Newtown Creek. For even lifelong New Yorkers, it’s an area that remains a void in the public eye.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH IN THE FIVE BOROUGHS:

	FORT TILDEN Queens Hit the beach alongside military ruins at Fort Tilden, once a part of the Atlantic sea wall defense system. Walk through sand-filled frames of houses, explore bunkers, and check out MoMA PS1’s installations in the abandoned structures as part of their Rockaway! summer exhibition.
	DEAD HORSE BAY Brooklyn Prefer your beaches covered in 19th century glass and other bits of curious trash? Then step off the Q35 bus just before crossing the bridge to Fort Tilden for Dead Horse Bay. Don’t worry, the name is just a leftover from its proximity to where were once horse-rendering plant, although watch your step for horseshoe crabs and other unfortunate sea creatures.
	TUGBOAT GRAVEYARD Staten Island We can’t resist one more recommendation for strangeness on the NYC shores: the Tugboat Graveyard on Staten Island. Around two dozen harbor ships rest here rotting in the shallow water.
	HIGHEST POINT ON MANHATTAN Manhattan While Manhattan has soared far beyond the island’s highest natural point with its skyscrapers, we still recommend a stroll out to Bennett Park in Washington Heights to find the boulder embedded with its now-humble title. The parks in the summer can be brimming with the crowds, but you are likely to have this obscure locale to yourself.
	LITTLE RED LIGHTHOUSE Manhattan Perfect for a summer picnic is the Little Red Lighthouse beneath the looming George Washington Bridge. Then stroll down the Hudson River as far as your legs will take you.
	MMUESEUMM Manhattan Sure, the Met, MoMA, New Museum, AMNH, and all those behemoth museums have the high-powered AC, but summer is for exploring new places, and we recommend seeking out the curiosity-packed Mmuseumm lodged in an elevator shaft. Check their site for open hours.
	WOODLAWN CEMETERY The Bronx With 400 acres accessible at the end of the 4 line, strolling the shady space of Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx is a beautiful escape. Even better, join their August 10 full moon tour to experience the burial ground after dark.