Fort Totten

New York City is littered with the military history -- places like Governor's Island, the Armories on Park Avenue and Central Park, Snug Harbor, Fort Hamilton, plus multiple recruiting stations around town. 

Easily the most fascinating of all of NYC's historical military sites is Fort Totten out in northeast Queens. Built during the Civil War, it was a fortress to protect the city. 

Today it is a multi-use park by the city, state, and US military -- the Army and Coast Guard still hold "exercises" there but, in addition to a lot of green space, there are historic houses, reseach centers, and even a public pool. There's really no other park or public space in the city quite like it and, in summer, it's a wonderful place to stroll around, look at great views of the Manhattan skyline in the distance, and be in a place that is at once historic but, at the same time, very much thriving in the present. 

P.S. I went to Fort Totten in in 2019 when an Iron Throne was snuck in there for a promotional event -- but sadly the lines were too long and we couldn't sit on it. But it was a cool moment in cultural history, never to be repeated. 

Explore Historic Bayside

Bayside in Queens is just one neighborhood in the five boroughs but boy, oh, boy does it have an amazing history.

Did you know Bayside was the original Hollywood and that Rudolf Valentino lived there?

And that Bayside also has a castle?

Then there's Fort Totten, a world unto itself.

There's so much history and so much to learn about just this one small section of NYC. There's even a huge sign chronicling the history of Bayside at its LIRR station.

Check out the Bayside Historical Society and learn some history you never knew about!

The Iron Throne in NYC

The final season of Game of Thrones is upon us and, like many a nerd across the globe, I'm irrationally excited. 

And, speaking of across the globe, this past weekend six Iron Thrones were scattered at various worldwide locations: England, Canada, Sweden, Spain, Brazil -- and, yes, here in NYC. Specifically, Fort Totten Park, Queens.

We went out there on Saturday to try and sit on it, but the line was five hours long. When you have two little kids, such a task is impossible. However, we did catch a peak of it so our nerdy hearts were satisfied.

By the way, Fort Totten is a very cool place to go anyway, a (until recently) secret park in Queens. There are beautiful views of the water and NYC skyline in the background. Definitely worth checking out, Iron Throne or no.