Haunting at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery

Any place that has a long history and a large population has its fair share of ghost stories, and New York City is no exception. The city is home to a wide range of haunted sites, each with a unique and terrifying story. St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, a historic Episcopal church on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, has the distinction of being haunted by one of New York’s oldest European ghosts. The church was originally built on the estate of Peter Stuyvesant, the last director general of New Netherland and New Amsterdam, which is what this area was called when it was under Dutch colonial control. Stuyvesant, sometimes called “Peg-Leg Pete” due to the fact that he had a wooden leg, is buried beneath St. Mark’s, and was reportedly a stern, short-tempered man. It is not surprising then, that “one of New York's earliest ghosts came back from the grave, so the story goes, to complain about noise.” According to local legend, in 1865, Stuyvesant had become displeased with the growth of the city disturbing his land and his peace. One night, the townspeople were awoken by the sound of the church bell ringing. They raced to the church and found a terrified sexton claiming that the ghost of the former Governor had chased him through the night. Upon examining the church, within which the bell was still ringing, the townsfolk found the door locked. When they finally got inside, they discovered that the bell’s rope had been cut off high in the air, too far up for anyone to reach. They searched the building for whoever had rung the bell, but the only thing they found was a length of rope sitting on top of Stuyvesant’s crypt. Since then, stories abound of Stuyvesant’s ghost lingering around New York’s most haunted church, and some say that you can hear him wandering around, the distinctive tapping of his wooden leg echoing through the building.

The New Hall of Gems and Minerals at the American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History is a New York institution, dating back to 1869. Since the 1970s, one of the museum’s permanent exhibitions has been an impressive showcase of gems and minerals. As a part of the museum’s 150th birthday celebration, this exhibition was overhauled, receiving a complete redesign, including a new floor plan, new specimens, and way more information. The new Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals reopened this summer, after being closed for several years. It was well worth the wait, as the new gallery is stunning and full of fascinating educational resources describing “how the vast diversity of mineral species arose on our planet, how scientists classify and study them, and how we use them for personal adornment, tools, and technology.” The new exhibition features everything from huge glittering geodes to multicolored crystal formations and cut precious gemstones. There are specimens from 98 countries around the world, and many from right here in New York. Educational and beautiful, the new exhibition is a must-see part of one of our favorite museums in New York City.

Plastic Fantastic! by Capucine Bourcart

Last year, New York enacted a law banning single-use plastic bags in an attempt to reduce waste and pollution in a state where over 23 billion plastic bags have typically been used every year. Artist Capucine Bourcart has long been fascinated with single-use plastic bags as a symbol of both waste and consumerism. Her newest work, “Plastic Fantastic!,” on display in Harlem Art Park, is a large-scale consideration of these items. Consisting of about 1600 small pieces of colorful aluminum sheeting, the work spans 66 feet across one side of the small park. Each piece is printed with a close-up image of a plastic bag, which the artist collected from friends and neighbors over several years. The colored blocks are woven into the existing metal trellis in the park, creating a rainbow gradient that catches your eye immediately. The wide span of the work illustrates the far-reaching effects of single-use plastics on the environment. Bourcart seems to ask, now that plastic bags are banned in New York, how much of this environmental harm will be mitigated?

London Landmarks

Sometimes, when you are familiar with a place, you can forget to appreciate its most unique facets. Playing tourist in a city you know well is a fun way to see places like this in a new light. London’s Tower Bridge, for example, is a functioning bridge that people drive over every day, so it is easy to forget its long and rich history, and its status as an iconic landmark. But in taking the time to look at it in the way that someone who has never seen it might, you remember how remarkable it is. The gorgeous bridge took 8 years to build and is well over a century old, but it looks bright and modern when it’s lit up at night. Nearby, the historic Tower of London sits in stark contrast to the sleek, sparkling buildings of the financial district. These ultra-modern skyscrapers and the people who live and work nearby share space with a centuries-old castle that has housed royalty, prisoners, and maybe even ghosts. It’s a fitting place to play tourist, especially now that the Halloween season is here!