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Must-See Public Art Installation for NYC Kids: Discovering Columbus Six Flights Above Columbus Circle
We're always on the lookout for cool public art installations since they're usually offbeat and always FREE. And the minute we read about Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi's brand-new Discovering Columbus installation—which is, essentially, a modern American living room built around the 13-foot marble statue of Christopher Columbus in Columbus Circle—we knew we had to get it on your radar.
Unlike most public art displays, Discovering Columbus isn't the kind of thing you can just walk up to and look at. Since it's 60 feet in the air, there are many stairs involved. Plus, due to all the (we suspect justified) hype, visitors must download no-cost timed tickets in advance. (We already have ours!)
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The Public Art Fund unveiled Discovering Columbus a few weeks back and will be welcoming visitors through Sunday, December 2. There's only one way to see the display in person, and that's by trudging up six flights of stairs. Once in the 800-square-foot sunbathed room, you can gawk at the famous but controversial explorer, who's perched atop a coffee table surrounded by a couch, comfy chairs, a massive flat-screen TV and wallpaper decorated with iconic American pop-culture images like Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, hot dogs and the Empire State Building. Of course there's only so much to see inside the installation. The real attraction is the killer views of Midtown Manhattan out of four large windows. As they say in real estate, "Location, location, location!" and nothing beats this spot.
Nishi said his intent is to inspire visitors to contemplate art's place in society, as well as to offer the unique chance to get up close and personal with a figure that otherwise towers above us all and as such gets overlooked. But we think kids will just think it's neat to be in such a luxurious room so high above the city, while adults will wish they could afford to move in.
To visit Discovering Columbus, you must download free timed tickets in advance. Half-hour slots are available daily between 10am and 8pm. Many prime times, especially weekends, are already sold out well into October so if you want to go, make sure you get on it now. Every single person in your family needs their own ticket, and you will be required to sign a waiver before you're allowed up.
How kid-friendly is Discovering Columbus? We haven't been yet (our tickets are for October 19 and we'll definitely report back) but we spoke to the folks at the Public Art Fund and they said it's not recommended for children under age 5 (no strollers are allowed, anyway), and that all kids under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. While there is an elevator, it's reserved for physically challenged visitors, so don't expect a free ride up.
Discovering Columbus is on view at Columbus Circle through December 2.
Photo courtesy of the Public Art Fund
Places featured in this article:
Columbus Circle
