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10 museums you didn’t know existed in New York City

Although the Metropolitan Museum, American Museum of Natural History, and Museum of Modern Art are well known among tourists visiting New York, these are not the only options for those who enjoy this type of place. New York City has dozens of museums, dozens! Some are super different and dedicated to very interesting themes – even for those who are not the biggest museum fans. In today’s post, I bring 10 of them!

1. Museum of Moving Image – it is the only museum in the country dedicated to the art, history, technique, and technology of the moving image in all its forms. It is a great place for movie lovers and also for those who enjoy games. The venue covers a very wide range of subjects, exploring all stages of production, promotion and exhibition that the film industry involves. It is not a big museum and I would say that one afternoon is enough time to explore the place well – maybe even less than that. The photo gallery is super interesting and the makeup and special effects section are also very cool: there are explanations about the characterization of famous characters. Star Wars miniatures also deserve an honorable mention – sure fans enjoy this part a lot. In addition, there are temporary special exhibitions. In 2015, I had the chance to check out a wonderful exhibition of Mad Men.

Address: 36-01 35 Avenue, Astoria, Queens.  Tickets are $15, free admission on Fridays after 4pm.

 

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2. Museum of Sex – YES, you’ve read that right! The Mission of the Museum of Sex is to preserve and present the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality. The Museum produces exhibitions, publications and programs that bring the best of current scholarship to the widest possible audiences and is committed to encouraging public enlightenment, discourse and engagement. They always have interesting exhibitions and you can check it out on the website. Besides that, they also have a store, open to the public.
Address: 233 Fifth Avenue. O ingresso custa U$18

3. The Museum at FIT – Fashion Institute of Technology is one of the most renowned institutions in the world when it comes to studying fashion. I think few people know, but FIT has a museum – access is free. Their collection of pieces is one of the largest in the world and they promote different and super interesting exhibitions all year round! To check the calendar, just access the website.
Address: 27th Street com a 7 Av. Free admission.

4. The New York Transit Museum – Founded in 1976, the New York Transit Museum is dedicated to telling and preserving the stories of mass transportation – extraordinary engineering feats, workers who labored in the tunnels over 100 years ago, communities that were drastically transformed, and the ever-evolving technology, design, and ridership of a system that runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Housed underground in an authentic 1936 subway station in Downtown Brooklyn, the Transit Museum’s working platform level spans a full city block and is home to a rotating selection of twenty vintage subway and elevated cars dating back to 1907. Through artifacts, pics, videos, and texts, the museum tells the story of the New York transportation system. One of the exhibits tells how the stations were built in the 1920s when the subway began to be developed. Precarious working conditions and accidents marked the period. My favorite exhibit is the one that shows how the MTA managed the transportation system in the face of various crises – such as September 11, Hurricane Sandy and a blackout. With photos and videos and testimonials of company employees, you can learn a little of what each of these episodes caused to the city. At the platform, you can travel through time, visiting the trains from several decades, and see how everything has been modernizing. Loved seeing the vintage trains! The interior preserves advertisements and maps of each decade.
Address: Boerum Pl & Schermerhorn St. Tickets $10 (adults) $5 (children and seniors). 

5. The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York’s contribution to the global responsibility to never forget. The Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. As a place of memory, the Museum enables Holocaust survivors to speak through recorded testimony and draws on rich collections to illuminate Jewish history and experience. As a public history institution, it offers intellectually rigorous and engaging exhibitions, programs, and educational resources. The Museum protects the historical record and promotes understanding of Jewish heritage. Check out the current exhibitions. 

Address: 36 Battery Pl. Tickets $16.

 

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Beautiful fall day in Battery Park City and The Skyscraper Museum is FREE today only for OHNY! #ohny #ohnyweekend #ohnyweekend2019

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6. Skyscraper museum – the only museum in the world dedicated to skyscrapers. The exhibitions trace the history of building skyscrapers with models, videos and infographics. A special section dedicated to the World Trade Center examines its creation as an urban renewal project in the 1960s and documents the reconstruction after 9/11. Case studies also present the history of construction and models and graphics of the tallest skyscrapers internationally.
Address: 39 Battery Pl. Tickets are $5.

7. The Statue of Liberty Museum – located on Statue of Liberty Island, this new museum allows millions of visitors to enjoy the Statue of Liberty experience and be inspired by its history and message of freedom and opportunity. It features an immersive movie theater, galleries, unobstructed views of the Statue of Liberty, rooftop, plus the ancient torch on display. Access included with a ticket to visit the Statue. 

8. Society of Illustrators –Founded in 1901, it promotes the work of artists from around the world through events and exhibitions. The permanent collection is one of the most complete of its kind in the world and consists of about 2,000 works by many of the greatest names in American illustration.

Address: 128 E 63rd St. Tickets are $15. Free admission on Tuesdays, from 5pm to 8pm.

9. Museum of the City of New York – this museum celebrates and interprets New York City and educates the public about its distinctive character, especially its heritage of diversity, opportunity, and perpetual transformation. The collection includes paintings, drawings and photos, both of the city and its inhabitants, as well as clothing, decorative objects, toys, rare books, and manuscripts, among others. For those who love New York, it’s a must-see!

Address: 1120 Fifth Ave. Pay as you wish. Suggested admission is $18.

10. Queens Museum – here, the highlight is Panorama, is the jewel in the crown of the collection of the Queens Museum and a locus of memory for visitors from all over the globe. Conceived as a celebration of the City’s municipal infrastructure by urban mastermind and World’s Fair President Robert Moses for the 1964 Fair, the Panorama was built by a team of more than 100 people working for the great architectural model makers Raymond Lester & Associates over the course of three years. In planning the model, Lester referred to aerial photographs, Sanborn fire insurance maps, and a range of other City material as the Panorama had to be accurate, with the initial contract demanding less than one percent margin of error between reality and the “world’s largest scale model.” Comprising an area of 9,335 square feet and built to a scale of 1:1200 where one inch equals 100 feet, the Panorama is a metropolis in miniature. Each of the city’s 895,000 buildings constructed prior to 1992 and every street, park and some 100 bridges are represented and assembled onto 273 individual sections comprising the 320 square miles of New York City.

Address: Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Meridian Rd – Pay as you wish. Suggested admission $8

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