OHNY: The Arsenal

Our first stop on this year's openhousenewyork weekend was the Arsenal, headquarters of NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. The former National Guard munitions depot now houses offices, parks relics, WPA murals (currently being restored), the mayoral countdown clock (showing the mayor's time left in office, which, as the guide took pains to tell us, has nothing to do with how anyone might feel about his tenure or legacy), and the original hand-drawn plan for Central Park. Although no photos are allowed of the latter, we did get a shot of a previous-generation staff roster showing that the city once employed seven senior menagerie keepers, which made us realize that we were born at the wrong time.