It’s that time of year again when New York flings open its too-often locked and double barred doors for the 10th annual Open House New York (OHNY) weekend. The event promises unprecedented access to the cities myriad of architectural, cultural and historical gems. From the spectacular—The Grand Masons Lodge, which is participating with the event again this year at its historic 23rd street location—to the austere—the Brooklyn Army Terminal, an imposing 5 million square-foot site of criss-crossed steel and exposed concrete—to the just plain obscure and whimsical—come explore the lost streams of New York, which can be observed, using a flashlight, through the ventilation holes of old manhole covers, but normally that’s about it.
It’s a wonderland, this city.
Likewise, the Fading Ads of New York City tour offers a chance to stop and remember the New York that once was. The tour is directed by the remarkable Frank Jump, a documentarian and historian of these commercial artifacts for more than twenty years now, whose breadth of knowledge on the topic is unsurpassed.
