Resident New Yorker Rania El Badry gives you the rundown of all things to keep in mind when visiting the ‘The Big Apple’.
The Big Apple. The Melting Pot. The City that Never Sleeps. You’ve probably heard those nicknames and others because there is no denying that New York City is the most popular city in the world. Every year, New York plays host to around 60 million tourists, with more than a sixth coming from the U.S. An international traveller is more likely to go there than anywhere else, if only because JFK airport is the gateway between North America and the rest of the world. But the truth is, New York is popular for a good reason: there is truly something for everyone, even if one is not a fan of an urban landscape, and there is certainly plenty there for the Muslim visitor.
First Things First
There are a couple of crucial things you should know prior to visiting the city.
Plan your trip beforehand. Whether you are in New York for a day or for a week, the city is big and there is a lot to explore. It’s best to have a full plan ahead of time so that you can group items of interest based on location to avoid having to waste too much time in transportation. If one has the time, it may be best to divide your days based on the five boroughs.
Use public transportation as much as you can. Taxis, Lyfts and Ubers have one main benefit in New York: you will be sure to experience a New York traffic jam. Yes, of course, there are times when they may be necessary or even convenient, but the general rule in NYC is, public transportation and a few minutes of walking will get you just about anywhere. For just 33 dollars, you can have unlimited access to the city’s subways and buses for an entire 7 day period. For more on how to get your New York City Metrocard, check the following link.
Plan for prayer and food. Once you know your plan for the day, be sure to explore online what mosques and halal food spots may be around. Most food spots in NYC are working towards making vegetarian and vegan options clear on their menus; you may just want to check if the items have any alcohol.
Online sources will tell you all about where to go and the best times to go there: famous museums walks in Central Park or visiting the Statue of Liberty. But some spots don’t feature frequently on those lists due to more popular alternatives. Here are some places to keep in mind:
For the Lover of Nature
Pelham Bay Park/ Prospect Park/Flushing Meadows Corona Park:
NYC may be known as the Concrete Jungle, but it is also known for one of the most popular green spaces in the world: Central Park. Yet, Central Park isn’t the only park in NYC; it isn’t even the biggest! That honour goes to Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, which is more than three times the size of Central Park. It is a geographical marvel that overlooks Pelham and Eastchester Bay and consists of multiple wildlife sanctuaries. Flushing Meadows Park in Queens and Prospect Park in Brooklyn are also two great parks that benefit from being largely overlooked in the shadow of their Manhattan sister: they are always far less crowded.
Brooklyn Botanical Garden:
Just across the street from Prospect Park is one of the concrete jungle’s most wondrous juxtapositions. Full of speciality gardens like the Japanese Garden, the Cranford Rose Garden, the Shakespeare Garden, the Children’s Garden, the Fragrance Garden (designed especially for blind visitors) and the Bonsai Museum, this beautiful piece of land also hosts one of the most significant cherry tree viewing sites outside of Japan. During the spring months, the Cherry Esplanade witnesses the blooming of some 200 hundred cherry trees from over 40 various species.
Tip: the Garden is free to the public every Friday from 8 a.m. to noon, and also free to the public during weekdays of the winter months (when it is still very much worth a visit).
For the Museum Visitor
The Museum of Natural History:
There are without a doubt many reasons the lover of nature may not favour visiting this museum; it does contain an upsetting amount of taxidermy from all over the world. There are, nevertheless, some halls that may be of particular interest. The museum includes the Ross Hall of Meteorites, the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals (currently closed and to be reopened in 2020), and the Hayden Planetarium. All of these make for an informative and eye-opening experience that is definitely worth your time.
Tip: while admission tickets are available online, buying your ticket at the ticket counters in the museum gives you the pay-what-you-wish option.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art:
There are many interesting elements to explore at the Met, which just so happens to be the third most visited art museum in the world. That being said, tucked in the corner of its second floor is one of the world’s most exquisite collections of Islamic art in a section entitled Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia. Don’t be misled by our phrasing to believe that this is a small collection. It isn’t by any means with nearly 12,000 pieces, ranging from manuscripts, mihrabs, tiles, pottery, textiles and carpets. The fifteen galleries hosting the collection are a place of wonder and an excellent chance to explore how Islamic art has evolved over time and across geographical landscapes.
The Brooklyn Historical Society:
The Brooklyn Historical Society is not your typical museum. As it acts as a centre designated towards studying and preserving all things related to Brooklyn, it is more a cultural institute than a museum, although it does host exhibits. Until June 2020, it will be hosting a sound and art installation by Kameelah Janan Rasheed. The exhibition is part of an ongoing project by the society to document and preserve the hundred-year history of Muslims living in Brooklyn. What stands out about the exhibition is the audio commentary that you get to hear while looking at the artwork. Every visitor is given an audio device through which they get the chance to listen to various oral histories documented by the project, telling stories of Ramadan, Eid, Mosques, and immigration, all stemming from the heart of the Brooklyn Muslim community.
The Muslim Sweet Spots
Away from everything else, there are also some spots that may be of particular significance to you as a Muslim.
The Islamic Cultural Center of New York:
New York’s most well-known religious institute for Muslims, the ICCNY was established in the 1960s and the current building, in the heart of Manhattan, was completed in 1990. Built through donations from several Muslim countries, the mosque is considered among the first mosques built in New York. With its prominent dome and minaret, it is one of the few purpose-built mosques in the city and is definitely worth a visit.
Muslim History Tour:
This walking tour is run by Katie Merriman, a religious studies scholar. Since 2014, she has held free monthly (March/April-October) walking tours of various neighbourhoods, focusing on the four hundred year history of Muslims in New York. More often than not, she focuses her tour on Harlem, walking the members through African Americans’ journey with Islam, often ending the tour at the Malcolm Shabazz Mosque, where Malcolm X used to preach. To follow news of the tours, check their Facebook page.
ICNYU:
The Islamic Center on NYU is not exactly a tourist spot, but it may well be a place of great importance to you during your visit to NYU. Equipped with multiple prayer rooms, the centre hosts Friday prayers and is open to the public should they want to use the space to pray. It is located just beside Washington Square Park and boasts great views of the park and the Empire State Building from its prayer rooms. To get in, you just need your ID. A great bonus is that it is also beside the Lipton Dining Hall, an all halal NYU dining hall open to the public.
Author: Rania El-Badry
