It’s been on my list for years to visit the Museum of the City of New York with kids. And the impetus to make it happen: He Built This City. The ongoing exhibit features Queens-born artist Joe Macken who built a massive model of New York City’s five boroughs – 50 feet by 27 feet.
Macken did this over 21 years, wanting to recreate views he grew up with. From a distance, it looks like an intricate, detailed model with tiny houses, bridges, streets, plants, etc. But look up close, and you’ll see how he used materials like balsa wood, cardboard, and glue, and it’s not created in a finished manner. The buildings look rough up close. The grass is not realistic up close. But it works.
The model spans 50 by 27 feet and is made of at least 340 individual sections. You’ll see that the water sections aren’t slightly different colors. They’re blue, but they don’t match. The squares, however, do line up.
If you go see this exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York with kids, look for the activity brochure when you enter. They have kids’ activities like seek and finds. They have a short video which zooms in on different parts of the city. And there are binoculars throughout so you can look up close at the model (that said, I tried a few of the binoculars and there were some issues with the ones I tried).
I enjoyed listening to the other visitors talking to each other and trying to find where they grew up or where they live now. If you don’t live in NYC, there’s still plenty to look at, like tracing the route from Staten Island onto the Belt Parkway to JFK Airport. Or finding the World’s Fair globe and Arthur Ashe Stadium in flushing. Or identifying bridges. Lots of learning opportunities for the kids. Plus there are small plaques throughout with the artist’s thoughts about what he did and why.
If you visit the Museum of the City of New York with kids, make sure to check out the rest of the exhibits. There is a fabulous 28 minute film downstairs, narrated by Stanley Tucci. I almost skipped it and am glad I didn’t. Kids will like the film, which gives a good history of New York without being boring. Did you know Wall Street got its name from the northern wall put up on Manhattan island by the Dutch, after they bought Manhattan from the Native Americans (for a paltry sum)?
There’s also an excellent permanent exhibit tracing New York City history by the decade/era. Probably less exciting for kids, but there are some things they can look at in there. Did you know that Mr. Monopoly was modeled after J.P. Morgan?
Don’t leave the area without going across the street to the Conservatory in Central Park. Things were blooming last weekend, and the huge tulip area was getting ready, but was not quite there yet. But lots of amazing trees and flowers. Go visit!