When it opened in 1934, the High Line was a major infrastructure project. It was built for freight trains coming into New York, and got rid of hazardous at-grade intersections at a cost of $2 billion in today’s dollars. The tracks actually were built through warehouses and factories so that trains could be directly unloaded into their destination. In the 1950s, however, rail traffic began to de...
The National Museum of China is at the tail end of a renovation which will modernize the museum and more than triple its exhibition space. The world’s largest collection of Chinese antiquities is housed here. The museum covers Chinese history up until the end of the end of the Qing Dynasty. The oldest item on display is the remains of Yuanmou Man, dating back 1.7 million years. ...
The Roman city of Beirut met a traumatic end in the sixth century after a series of devastating earthquakes. As a result, there is little evidence of the city’s glorious Roman period. What little remains are concentrated Downtown. In front of the Parliament building stand four corniced columns, discovered in 1968. A strand of five more columns stand to the left of the St. George Maronite ...
The Ariana Museum, also known as The Swiss Museum of Ceramics and Glass, is dedicated to the ceramic arts. It is located in the front yard of the Palais des Nations in the Parc de l'Ariana. The building was constructed between 1877 and 1884 by Gustave Revilliod to house his prodigious art collection. It was named after his mother, Ariane de la Rive. The museum was eventuall...