Damkier's Travels: New York City Museums

Statue of Liberty

If you are going to do a blog post about New York City Museums, you might as well lead with the Statue of Liberty. In a city full of icons, one literally stands above all others in the harbor and in the minds of all global citizens. New York is busting at the seams with many museums ranging from the weird and wild to world class institutions. After walking 10-13 miles a day through heat and illness, I still managed to work my way through many before heading home.

Ellis Island Processing Area

Many Americans can trace their family through Ellis Island. Millions of European immigrants arrived in New York and were processed for entry through this facility. The island and buildings were preserved and restored as a National Park and are now part of a ferry tour including the Statue of Liberty. Then as now, immigration was a hot topic with lots of opposition and hatred, but those willing to travel across the globe and work for a new life were rewarded with becoming full citizens. Unfortunately, I was stuck at Ellis Island myself for several hours due to a massive thunderstorm so I can partially empathize with my own ancestors.

Since my last visit in 2008, the construction of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and the neighboring Freedom Tower were completed. The museum and memorial do an excellent job honoring that fateful day with respect with lots of items from the rubble and details of the entire event. I was very moved by the experience, but not by the tragic events. What really moved me was the spirit and camaraderie of those who united and helped the survivors and those who cleaned up and rebuilt the area. This event really united everyone, not in anger and revenge, but in hope and the human spirit. It was very helpful to have tissues strategically placed in the exhibits. Photography is prohibited in most of the museum, but the images and items leave a lasting impression for everyone.

Enterprise Training Shuttle

After the end of the Space Shuttle program, the remaining shuttles were donated to several air and space museums across the United States. The Intrepid Air & Space Museum in New York was chosen for the Enterprise. Although it never flew, the training model was an important part of the program training and testing so the others could make it to infinity and beyond. The museum is on the USS Intrepid, a former aircraft carrier, and features many historic military aircraft and even a Concorde on loan from British Airways. They cannot fly them anymore, so the loan is likely long term!

A Tree Grows in the Brooklyn Museum

Even Brooklyn cannot escape the museums. The Brooklyn Museum is located of course in Brooklyn and is home to some more edgy art including modern feminine artists and a retrospective on gentrification in the borough. Mingled in are a good collection of all other forms from Egyptian relics to modern art paintings and an unexpected amount of recreated rooms from various time periods. The museum is also next to Prospect Park, making the area an interesting alternative to the Manhattan complex.

Smile, You're Extinct!

Since I have visited New York before, this trip was an opportunity to fill in the gaps from my previous journey. I started the day at the American Museum of Natural History which is famous for the Night at the Museum films and Neil deGrasse Tyson. The museum is very large and complicated with many exhibits arranged haphazardly. The exhibits are somewhat dated and dingy, and I was constantly dodging kids of various ages and attention spans on various summer school trips. Still, it is pretty cool to see the fossils.

Degas Exhibit

Much more interesting for me was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is Disneyland for art lovers with a massive complex in Central Park spanning the ages with extensive collections for everyone. I had to zoom through most of them, although they had some intriguing Eastern Art combined with a drool-worthy collection of French Impressionists. Even their Modern Art collection rivals entire galleries in other cities. Combined with Central Park, these museums can really eat up your day and leave you wanting more.

MoMA PS1

I was unable to visit the main Museum of Modern Art because I was just too exhausted. I was able to visit the MoMA PS1 gallery which was pretty close to my apartment and part of the overall museum. This place is just weird enough to scare away the tourists with some really abstract and bizarre art. The museum is in an old school building that was repurposed into a gallery using the existing halls and classrooms in a way the teachers probably never envisioned. This is not a gallery for amateurs with many exhibits pushing the boundaries. What better way to end my trip? Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.