Although I was not able to make it for the tour, I was able to grasp the theme of this museum; an in-depth view of New York City’s history and all the different variables, including immigration, protests, and cultural explosions, amongst others, that helped pave the road for what NewYork City is today.
The museum was broken down into different sections, usually focusing on a different time periods or main developments. There where exhibits which explained NYC’s essential location and how it contributed to it being a vital port city or the “capitol of the world.” Other exhibits focused on immigration patterns such as the growing minorities in the 1960’s exhibit, with concentrations of minorities shown by neighborhood. Each exhibit had primary sources in addition to artifacts that make this museum more than just a textbook on walls. Signs of protest and letters expressed more than just facts, but also carried certain emotions people at the time may have had. Its also showed how NYC’s shortage of land and density led to increased blending of cultures, even though several groups chose to populate near each other and form little Russias (Brighton Beach) and Chinatowns (Flushing, Manhattan,) as examples.
This museum paints a complete picture of how NYC came to be, from the days as a dutch trading colony, to present time, as one of the planet’s most important hubs of commerce, diversity, and progress, or as the museum states it, NYC is Density, Diversity, Money, and Creativity, all of which are exemplified throughout the museum and its artifacts.
