Just BeClaws

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.

Art lovers and those who appreciate African American heritage will enjoy the works at Studio Museum Harlem. This museum boasts a collection of contemporary art by talented African American artists throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum's permanent collection has over 1,600 works of art in the forms of drawings, pastels, prints, photographs, mixed-media works and installations.

When in New York City, it's important to remember to pay respects to those whose lives were altered forever by the devastating September 11th terrorist attacks. See the tragedy through the eyes of the city that lived it at the Ground Zero Museum Workshop founded by Marlon Suson, the Official Photographer at Ground Zero for the FDNY. He photographed the "recovery" process six days a week and approximately 17 hours per day from the date of the attacks, September 11, 2001 to the closing ceremony in May 2002. The non-profit museum showcases Suson's images from Ground Zero and donates to various charities associated with the disaster, particularly organizations that participate in Mesothelioma research like the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center.