The "what to see in NYC" question is one that arises periodically. What follows is a compilation, limited largely but not exclusively to Manhattan, based on postings made over the years to various Titanic message boards and mailing lists by Shelley Dziedzic, Jeff Newman, Jane Holeywell, Vera Gillespie, Patrick McSherry, Nellie Torres, Joel Edwards, Carolyn Crapo and myself. If I've missed anything, folks, let me know and I'll add it next time.
1. Titanic's pier was to be 59. It still exists as part of the
Chelsea Pier Sports Complex at 23rd St. and the West Side Highway, though the terminal building is gone and the pier is now a driving range. There are some black and white photos of the pier areas and famous steamship arrivals, although there seems to be fewer of them each time I visit.
2. Carpathia, Lusitania and the rest of the Cunard Line called Cunard Pier 54 home; this pier is south of Pier 59, at 12th Street and the Hudson River. It too still exits. The building is gone, though the iron entryway remains. Above where the doors were located, you can still read CUNARD LINE and CUNARD WHITE STAR, one superimposed on the other. You can sometimes go onto the pier, although it's also sometimes used for special events, which restrict access. Pier 54 is part of the
Hudson River Park project.
3. The IMM/White Star office in 1912 was at 9 Broadway, now a Radio Shack. IMM later moved down the block to 1 Broadway, which is now a Citibank branch office. There is a plaque on the corner of that building commemorating the history of the site, from Washington to White Star. There are also still "First Class" and "Second Class" signs over the doors, and painted medallions of cities served by IMM line on the facade a couple of floors above street level.
4. The former Bowling Green Post Office, now closed, at 25 Broadway, was once Cunard's New York office (although not in 1912). More information on that building is
here on Jeff Newman's web site.
5. In Battery Park, at the south end of Manhattan, there's a Wireless Operators Memorial, dedicated to lost radio operators, including Titanic's Jack Phillips. This memorial may have been temporarily removed, I understand, but I haven't been to the Park in recent months to verify that. It is not, though, affected by the WTC reconstruction.
6. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is located in upper Manhattan on West 112th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Inside the Cathedral is a stained glass window in memory of John Jacob Astor. It's on the left side of the Cathedral as you walk toward the front; in the window's lower right corner is Titanic. Both Astor and Madeline Astor are buried in Trinity Cemetery at Broadway and West 155th Street; I think they are the only Titanic folks buried in Manhattan, although quite a few others are buried in other cemeteries in the metropolitan area.
7. At the entrance to the South Street Seaport is the Titanic memorial lighthouse, removed from atop the Seamans' Institute. The seaport also contains several display areas, a museum shop at which maritime-related merchandise and books are available, and several restored sailing ships, including the Wavertree, which was owned by Leyland Lines (of Californian fame).
8. There is a
plaque in memory of Ida and Isidor Straus in the 34th Street entrance vestibule of Macy's Department Store (34th Street and Broadway), although this was inaccessible due to renovations the last time I was there. There is also a memorial to Mr. and Mrs. Straus in
Straus Park, the strip of concrete or "island" that separates Broadway from West End Avenue at approximately 106th Street in the west side of Manhattan.
9. There's a
plaque to Edith Evans in
Grace Church at 802 Broadway.
10. The
Intrepid Museum, on the Hudson near the Circle Line and the currently-operating passenger ship terminal, is a retired aircraft carrier converted into a museum. The focus of the museum, naturally, is on things military, but there is, for example, a model of Titanic about 2 m. long inside and a propellor from SSUS outside. The Intrepid, though, is currently in Bayonne, New Jersey, undergoing modifications, which will take until the fall of next year.
11. There is a plaque in memory of Emil Taussig at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. I have not verified this.
12. There's a
plaque in memory of W.T Stead somewhere in Central Park. Shelley, I think, knows where.
13. There's a plaque on memory of Dr. O'Loughlin in St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan. I verified with the hospital's P.R. office a few years ago that it still existed, but I never received a promised photo of it, and do not know if it's publicly accessible.
14. Although not technically a Titanic or ocean liner site and located primarily in Jersey City, Ellis Island is not to be missed. Within the historic site, there are often exhibits about the trans-Atlantic steamships that brought so many European immigrants to America. Even when there isn't a liner oriented exhibit, the fact that Ellis Island was the initial destination of so many of the passengers of the great North Atlantic steamers makes it well worth the trip. The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island boat trip, which can be taken either from Liberty State Park in Jersey City or Battery Park in NYC, is also a great way to see upper New York Harbor and the lower Hudson River.
15. Finally, also not directly related to Titanic is the Hudson County Court House in Jersey City, a 15 to 30 minute subway ride from Manhattan. The interior design of the court house completed in 1910 was one of the last major commissions carried out by passenger Francis D. Millet, who also painted two of the large historical murals on the 4th floor.
16. One of the best ways to see the city is from the water. Swimming in the Hudson or East Rivers or New York Bay is not recommended, but fortunately, boats are available. The Circle Line has regular daily cruises around Manhattan; they leave from just south of where the Intrepid was and will be. There are dinner/entertainment cruises on ships called the Spirit of New Jersey (which departs from Weehawken on the New Jersey side of the Hudson) and the Spirit of New York (which departs from the New York side). Particularly during the times of year when sunset occurs during the cruise, the views of the City are terrific.
For still more maritime sights, not necessarily Titanic-related, take a look at Ted Scull's
LOWER MANHATTAN WALKING TOUR.
