New York City's architecture is as rich as it is varied — but accessing it can sometimes be a bit difficult.
Nonprofit organization Open House New York (OHNY) works to remedy that, and one of the most exciting ways it does is through a mostly free event called Open House New York Weekend, taking place this year from October 16-18.
This weekend, hundreds of architecturally and aesthetically lush locations across the city will open their doors to the public for tours, talks and performances to remind "us of the critical role that architecture plays in making New York the extraordinary city that it is," OHNY executive director Gregory Wessner said.
Now in its 13th year, this year's participating sites — including the Eero Saarinen-designed, jet-set era TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy Airport — will be some of the most exciting yet, Wessner added.
To make navigating the event a bit easier, here are a handful of interesting sites that don't require a reservation to enter:
►Brooklyn
- Brooklyn Glass, 142 13th St., Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Farm on Kent, 320 Kent Ave., Sat. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Old Stone House, 336 3rd St., Sat. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sun. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Waterfront Museum, 290 Conover St., Sat. from 1 to 5 p.m.
►Manhattan
- Jefferson Market Library, 425 6th Ave., Sat. from 12 to 4 p.m.
- Umbrella House Rooftop Garden, 21 Ave. C, Sat. and Sun. from 12 to 4 p.m.
- Minetta Lane Residence, 16 Minetta Ln., Sat. from 12 to 5 p.m.
- Masonic Hall, 71 W. 23rd St., Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, 1 Bowling Green, Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
►Queens
- Brooklyn Grange, 37-18 Northern Blvd., Long Island City, Sat. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- World's Fair Grounds, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Sat. and Sun. from 1 to 5 p.m.
- TWA Flight Center, Terminal 5, Sun. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Entrepreneur Space Kitchen Incubator, 36-46 37th St., Sar. from 12 to 4 p.m.
►Staten Island
- Battery Weed, 120 New York Ave., Ft. Wadsworth Visitors Center, Sun. from 12-4 p.m.
- Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, 338 Lighthouse Ave., Sat. and Sun. from 1-5 p.m.
- Historic Houses of Conference House Park, 298 Saterlee St., Sat. from 11 a.m to 1 p.m., Sun. from 1-4 p.m.
►Bronx
- Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, 2640 Grand Concourse, Sat. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sun. from 1-5 p.m.
- Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse, Sat. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum, 895 Shore Rd., Sat. and Sun. from 12-4 p.m.