Guided tours are conducted seven days a week, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., except during January and February, when tours are offered from Monday to Friday only.Tours in English normally leave every half hour and last for approximately 45 minutes to one hour.
The building is closed on some holidays including Thanksgiving Day (usually fourth Thursday in November), Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
For safety reasons, children under age 5 are not admitted on tours.
Admission:
Adults: $7.50
Senior Citizens: $6.00
Students with valid ID: $5.00
Children between 5 and 14 years old: $4.00
Added to JGarden:
8/11/2001
Last Updated:
8/11/2001
JGarden Description:
The garden is located around the Peace Bell outside the General Assembly building.
The Secretary-General traditionally marks the vernal equinox (first day of Spring) and the International Day of Peace on September 5 (the day the General Assembly convenes for its annual session) by ringing the Peace Bell in this garden. The Bell was a gift from a Japanese individual in 1954 and was cast from coins collected by children from 60 different countries. It is housed in a structure ressembling a Shinto shrine, made of cypress. A World Peace Bell Association has grown up around this tradition and now 13 peace bells exist around the world. There is also one in the Cowra Japanese Garden in New South Wales, Australia.
The Committee for the Peace Bell Garden at the United Nations commissioned Shinichiro Abe and ZEN Associates to design and build a new garden around the Bell. The new design symbolically represents the seven continents of the globe, as depicted on the United Nations Flag. The Peace Bell Tower is located in the center, at the conceptual North Pole. Surrounding this is a courtyard of blue paving stone with longitude and latitude lines carved. The garden was completed in August 2000 and has become a popular tourist attraction with over 3,000 visitors a day.
The Visitors' Entrance is located on First Avenue at 46th Street. As the United Nations does not offer parking facilities, it is suggested that public transportation be used.
Subway: number 4,5,6 or 7 trains to Grand Central Station; walk on 42nd Street to First Avenue.
Buses: M15, M27, M42, or M104.
Rain of winter storm
Horns locked as they jostle
Oxen in the meadow.
