El Parador Cafe

For a New York City history lesson, skip the text book and head straight to the source at the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives. The archives were established in an effort to collect, preserve and make available primary information chronicling the social and political history of New York City. The archives serve researchers, journalists, students, exhibit planners and others. Some documents the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives has in its possession include papers of several mayors, the records of the New York City Council, the New York City Housing Authority, the piano maker Steinway & Sons and a Queens History Collection.

The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 16.3-acre arts and entertainment complex that boasts a reputation for being the world's leading performing arts center. This state-of-the-art complex is a patron of New York City's cultural and intellectual vitality, and if you're a fan of the arts, you're guaranteed to find an event that suits your interests here. The institutions of the Lincoln Center host thousands of performances, educational programs, tours and other events each year in venues throughout the complex.

See the stunning architecture of the United Nations Headquarters, located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan. The complex was built in 1950 on land donated by the Rockefeller family and the famous building overlooks the East River on what is considered "international territory." The building is highly identifiable due to the fact that its perimeter fence is lined with flagpoles presenting the flags of all the UN member states and the UN flag.

No trip to the Met is complete without seeing The Cloisters exhibition. The Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art located in Fort Tryon Park and presents art works and architecture from Medieval Europe. The collection at The Cloisters is comprised of about five thousand European medieval works of art, mostly created between the 12th and 15th centuries. Other artifacts and attractions include tapestries, the Cloisters Cross, medieval manuscripts and illuminated books. The landscaping surrounding The Cloisters includes gardens planted according to horticultural information from medieval manuscripts and artifacts.