Hips don’t lie!

Stepping into the Museum of the City of New York, I saw glimmering lights and crystals right above me. I couldn’t tell what they were for a few seconds but stepping closer, I saw it was a fancy chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling. The natural light seeping in from the windows reflected off the chandelier in such a beautiful way. I was mesmerized. But the beauty did not end there. The spiral staircase was something out of a fairy-tale and I couldn’t help but to pretend I was some kind of princess walking up. Everyone started to take pictures of this aesthetically pleasing staircase and I was one of them. And I must say, I did take some artsy photos. 

Moving onto the official tour in the museum, the class was guided to the back of the exhibit. There was a different atmosphere surrounding the timeline of the origin of American culture. Our tour guide showed the artifacts from 1941 to 1960 crucial events. It was a rather small showcase but I can sense that there was a lot of history and depth to it. So many objects and not enough time. I saw the jacket worn by Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It symbolized the post World War 2 center of fashion. What looked like random bronze keys were the keys to Louis Armstrong’s house. Next was the authentic baseball used by Jackie Robinson, and the painting by Alice Neil of a puerto rican immigrant. The midpoint of the Civil Rights movement was depicted in the posters and newspapers that showed Jim Crow Laws and the Red Liners. The showcase also depicted cultural moments of the Harlem Renaissance. It is amazing to know that all these historical events happened right outside of Baruch College and also where I live in Upper East Side on 96th St. These were all events and things so significant to American history and I felt like I stepped back in time.

Walking little by little through the museum, I learned how different cultures affects our lives in enormous way. We entered a small room that was filled with various of colorful colors and sparkles. The artistic decoration surprised me because, everywhere I looked there was aspects of latin culture engraved on every corner of the room. The floor illustrated extensive maps of the different styles of music and dance branched from each distinctive location. One powerful object that I saw in the Latin showcase was the Grammy Award. This symbolizes power in the community because once an award is won, the music/figure becomes mainstreams and iconic. It was also the first category of Latin Music that was awarded to Eddie Palmieri for his album The Son of Latin Music in 1975. I heard so many different names that day which was overwhelming. Celia Cruz was an iconic singer who mashed up Afro-Caribbean cultures and emphasized the cultural resistance of defiance. Willie C’s FBI wanted poster, Black Panther’s strive for rights, Young Lords’ gigantic poster of them marching, and Marc Anthony’s silver microphone. It was very interesting to step into a world of culture that I did not know before. This visit to the museum opened up my perspective to different cultures and communities and I really enjoyed it.