Metropolis: Things To See & Do

Sports

From nearly the time each was sport created, Metropolis has been the home to professional baseball, football, hockey, and basketball teams, many of which have won titles and championships time and again, often times rivaling Pittsburgh's claim to be the "City of Champions."

Baseball: The Metropolis Meteors (NL) play at Schwartz Field, a traditional baseball park in the style of Baltimore's Camden Yards, located in Queensland Park. The Meteors have won the World Series in 1969, 1980, and again in 1994, beating their cross-town rivals, the Metropolis Monarchs (AL), who play in the thoroughly modern Metrodome in Bakerline. The Monarchs have won the championship in 1968, 1973, and 1988. Ask any resident of Metropolis which team they like best, and they usually answer, "The Meteors or Monarchs - whoever's winning."

Football: Metropolis's professional football team (NFC)is also called the Meteors. Legendary in the late 1980s thanks to running back "Rock" Brandon, the Meteors have gone to the Superbowl twice (1989 and 1995) and won the Super Bowl once, in 1989, the year Brandon retired. The Meteors also play in the Metrodome.

Basketball: The Metropolis Generals, a new expansion team, has surprised everyone in the sport by rocketing to a championship win in 1994, after only two seasons of play. The Generals play downtown in the Metropolis Garden.

Hockey: The Metropolis Mammoths and their mascot Wooly are probably the best-known team during the winter months in Metropolis, due to their dynamic gameplay and on-ice acrobatics and. Often called "the Globetrotters of hockey," the Mammoths have only won the Stanley Cup once, in 1996, but consistently have sold-out games thanks to the wonderful show they put on.

Parks

Because of the charter of 1869, Metropolis's park and playground area, covering nearly 20 percent of the city, rivals that of New York City, with New Troy's famous Centennial Park easily the largest of the city's parks.

Depending on their size, Metropolis's parks offer visitors a variety of activities, including boating, horseback riding, bicycle trails, hiking, picnicking, swimming, golfing, skating, various intramural sports, concerts, craft classes, and more.

Not to be missed by any visitor to the city is Oceanside Park on St. Martin's Island. An old-style amusement park in the tradition of Coney Island filled with nostalgic rides and games along the boardwalk, Oceanside Park is open all year. A similar facility on Hob's Bay is the Hob's River Carnival which is open only during the summer months.

Along with Centennial and Oceanside, Metropolis's major parks include Perez Park in midtown New Troy, Siegel Park, Queensland Park, Maggin Gardens, and Washington Park along the West River.

Museums

Metropolis offers art and antiquities collections nearly as impressive as those in the classic Louvre, the National Gallery of Art, or the Smithsonian. Culture lovers should plan to spend hours wandering through the city's fine galleries and museums. Here is a quick list of some of the finest.

Metropolis Museum of Art (New Town)
Some of the finest collections of Monet, Rembrandt, and Picasso's works can be found here, as well as some of the top conceptual art and statuary by today's best new artists. Recent features have included collections by the likes of Moore, Shifflett, and Masters, as well as impressionist work by Anna Rundi.
Hours: M-S 10:00 A.M. until 7:30 P.M. Closed Sunday

Metropolis History Museum (Business District/Waterfront)
Whether you're wondering how Metropolis fits into the country's history, or just why the bell in the steeple of St. Christopher's Cathedral glows pale orange at night, the Metropolis History Museum is the place with the answers.
Situated near the site of the original Fort Hob, the Metropolis History Museum is a unique, interactive guide to the city's history that casts the visitor in the role of the investigator looking for answers to the city's mysteries.
Hours: M-S 9:30 A.M. until 8:00 P.M. Closed Sunday.

Metropolis Museum of Natural History (Queensland Park)
Founded by Theodore Roosevelt, the Natural History Museum of Metropolis contains 12 reconstructed dinosaur skeletons, as well as cloned, miniature woolly mammoths and sabretooth cats, thanks to a grant from S.T.A.R. Labs. The museum also contains relics from Metropolis's colonial and reconstructionist eras.
Hours: M-F 8:30 A.M. until 8:00 P.M. Saturday and Sunday 10:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M.

The Julian Gallery (St. Martin's Island)
Home to one of the world's foremost collections of rare antiquities donated by the controversial archaeologist/explorer Lori Lemaris, the Julian is also the site of the Julian Research Foundation, dedicated to learning more about ancient cultures by studying items from shipwrecks.
Hours: M-F 12:00 P.M. until 6:30 P.M. Saturday 1:00 P.M. until 6:00 P.M. Closed Sunday.

Theater

Ranking third behind New York and London for number of theaters, Metropolis's reputation for excellence in live stage performances is well deserved. Countless legends of the stage have acted some of their finest roles on the stages that line Metropolis's own Broadway.

Of the over three dozen theaters in Metropolis, there are several that deserve special mention.

Cain Theatre (675 Broadway)
Named after Robert Cain, the leading man of hundreds of plays and musicals in the 1930s, the Cain Theatre is best known today for its traditional 1930s look and rumors of two ghosts - a tall, thin man and a shorter fat man - that supposedly haunt the orchestra pit. The Cain is a stop for many Broadway touring shows.

Shuster Hall (326 Broadway)
Metropolis's largest theater, the Shuster is the city's home to large Broadway shows. Having been in use since 1938, the Shuster can boast performances by the likes of Olivier Langusto, Guinness, and nearly every well-known star of the American and British stage.

Metropolis Theater (1900 Broadway)
Home to the Whitty Banter Show, the "Metro," as it's called by the natives, has always been a home to live television performances, and that tradition continues every day at 11:30 P.M. when the Whitty Banter Show is broadcast nationwide on WGBS. Tickets for the Whitty Banter Show are free, but reservations should be made at least three months in advance to guarantee seating on any preferred date.

Warner Theater (Corner of Broadway and Broome Street)
Metropolis's old-style movie theater, the Warner has remained contemporary by maintaining its wonderful facade and interior reminiscent of the early decades of the Twentieth century while replacing its audio and visual components with completely digital components. It now serves as a cutting-edge test theater for many international premiers. Production schedules of many films have been delayed so that the Warner would be available for the premiere.
Every December 15 through 25, the Warner hosts charity, black-tie gala showings of It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street.

Morpheus Theatre (Corner of Broadway & Fiddler's Green Avenue)
Home to an eclectic collection of live events, readings, stage shows, and artistic films, the Morpheus has earned a reputation in the United States and Europe as the primary theater for avant-garde films, including Jean-Paul LeFleut's 1998 award-winning Dream Lord, the classic Ramadan, and the disturbing psychological thriller Thermidor, which starred Rita Farr in the early 1960s. Like the Cain, the Morpheus Theatre has long been rumored to be haunted.

Shopping

In many ways, Metropolis has surpassed New York as the shopping mecca for the entire country, rivaling some of Europe's finest cities in terms of exclusive merchandise and shops. Anything and everything under the sun can be found within the city limits, and as the age old saying goes - if you can't find it in Metropolis, it isn't worth having.

On the whole, downtown shopping is organized into districts, while malls and shopping centers ring the perimeter of the city. Each shopping district has one or two historic, key stores that are seen worldwide as leaders in their field.

The districts usually begin their day at 4:00 A.M., with sales between 4:30 and 7:00 A.M. made only to retailers. Beginning at 8:00 A.M., the district warehouses and shops open to the public.

Each of Metropolis's six boroughs has its own major mall.

Fashion

Centered on the world-renowned downtown shop, Mr. Leonard's, the Metropolis fashion district is subdivided into the shoe district, the garment district, and the fur district. All districts are located within a three-block radius of 1700 Ontario Avenue, three blocks east of Perez Park.

While fashion shows comparable to those of Paris are held seasonally, the district is also the home to the spring "Tux grab," when the previous season's tuxedos are offered for sale at nearly 80 percent off retail prices.

Other clothing shops to check out while you're in town include: DKMS Clothes (urban and hip-hop wear by the country's top designers), Mr. Mike's Gentleman's Clothier, Abel Fashions and Hosiery, and Vivienne's. All are world famous for their selection and service.

Jewelry

Anchored by Digby and Sons and Schwartzenoff's, Metropolis' jewelry district lies adjacent to the fashion district, nearly coming to the edge of Ordway Drive, along the west side of New Troy island. Originally, what is now the jewelry district was a Dutch settlement. It has been known since the late 1700s as the country's finest jewel market.

Larry Minson Jewelers joined the two original shops in the late 1800s. The three shops have worked in concert to ensure Metropolis' place as a leader in the world's gemstone and fine jewelry marketplace.

Between the three stores, everything from raw gemstones to estate jewelry to custom settings and designs are available. It is rumored that Digby's created the wedding rings for the Luthor wedding.

Art

Located in the northwest section of New Troy, the city's art district is known for its fine galleries and many dealers in rare and unusual art. While the bulk of the dealers offer paintings, many sculpture and antique dealers can be found in the area as well. Leading galleries indude the Simmons Gallery, Turley Gallery, and the renowned Schaffenberger, home to the finest impressionistic work of this legendary master.

Consumer Electronics

As Metropolis is the national leader in electronics production and distribution, the high tech retail district of Metropolis is a bustling thoroughfare. The so-called Tech Street (actually Tesla Avenue) is located along the border of Metropolis University and encompasses roughly two streets and five blocks. Here, you'll find the Kord Retail Outlet, along with outlets for WayneTech and LexCorp items. You'll also run into plenty of Met U's computer science students milling along Tech Street, looking for deals and spare parts for class projects and other tinkering they're up to, all trying to become the next Lex Luthor. If your wallet can afford it, and if you're tech savvy, a trip to Tech Street is definitely worth your while - after all, can a place where they consider DVD players old hat be all bad?

Daily Planet Guide to Metropolis, from WEG

Additional material from the The Atlas of the DC Universe, from Mayfair Games

Superman: The Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel (Hardcover) by Scott Beatty (Author)

Wikipedia Entry