The Gem at the End of Museum Mile: Museum of the City of New York

By Raphael Pallais of The Plaza
January 30, 2012 | New York, United States
The Gem at the End of Museum Mile: Museum of the City of New York
tommaync, Flickr

When you think of New York’s best museums, you think of MOMA, the Guggenheim and the MET, don’t you?

Well, there’s a little gem north of all of those that’s worth discovering, if you persevere up Museum Mile. That’s right: past the Guggenheim, past the Cooper-Hewitt, even past the Jewish Museum.

It’s a pint-size museum that packs a powerful punch, called the Museum of the City of New York. Look for an elegant brick building with marble steps and soaring white columns — you’ll think it was the historic mansion of a founding father, but it was actually purpose-built in 1930.

Dedicated to all things New York, the museum looks backwards and forwards — exploring the city’s heritage, its diversity and its continual transformation. Exhibits are constantly changing and could range from a study of a famous architect who influenced New York’s skyline to a collection of New Yorker magazine cartoons.

But whatever you do, you must start with the museum’s fantastic 22-minute film, Timescapes: A Multimedia Portrait of New York. It sets the scene for the rest of the museum experience, taking you from the settlement of the city up to the present day.

Right now, the museum has one of the hottest exhibits in town: The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811-2011. It’s a fascinating look at the 200-year-old grid system through maps, photographs and artifacts. It’s been so popular that the museum just announced extended Saturday hours, closing at 8:30 pm through April 7.

But take it from me, if you want to avoid the crowds (on a recent Saturday afternoon, the grid exhibit was packed!), try to visit during the week — you’ll find the museum much quieter.


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