As citizen of New York you know the city is a living, breathing entity. And not unlike kids, it’s had its share of growth spurts, temper tantrums, and phases that it grew out of. Now it’s standing on the brink of adulthood and it’s up to us to help determine its future. This is the message of  New York at its Core, an eye-opening new exhibit currently on display at the Museum of the City of New York, that’s perfect for NYC history buffs and urban planners big and small!

photo: Filip Wolak/MCNY

The Forces That Forged a City
Instead of focusing on raw facts and dates, New York at its Core is an examination of the city as a whole, with a strong emphasis on culture and life. Through three packed galleries, the exhibit shows how density, diversity, money, and creativity turned NYC into the city we know today. Each gallery will appeal to a different age group, and taken as a whole there is a lot to be learned here.

Introducing Port City
The first gallery in the installation spans the early years of the city, from 1609 to 1898. Housed in a single gallery room, “Port City” is the quietest portion of the Core exhibit. Sections of the walls are portioned off to represent shorter time spans. Each section displays a number of interesting artifacts, from ship and trolley models, to a woman’s Victorian era riding shoes. Each artifact is paired with plenty of writing and an overall “feel” of the years in question.

The back of the gallery is a single wall-sized display rotating images of New York from past to present. The highlight of the display is a collection of human-sized interactive screens which display information about important people (and animals, and things…) that hold an important role in the city’s history. Here you’ll find a nice mix of male and female names, some of whom you may not have heard of before, as well as some odder entries like the beaver. Swiping up on any of these large screens reveals more information about these individuals as well as images of primary sources.

The gallery’s focus on writing and quiet environment makes it a good fit with older children who already know a bit about the city’s history. This gallery will certainly teach them  — and you — some new names and facts you never knew about the city you live in.

photo: MCNY

Getting to Know World City
On the other side of the museum’s first floor is the second gallery in the installation, titled World City. This gallery looks over the years 1898 through 2012, and it is here that the exhibit really shines. Gossamer screens hang in the center of the room, displaying a pseudo-3D video montage of the city’s different aspects, from its buildings to the nightlife. The accompanying sounds and music make this gallery immediately much friendlier and more welcoming to kids.

photo: MCNY

There are also significantly more artifacts on display. The much shorter time span gives this portion of the exhibit a chance to look closely at the way the city’s culture and character evolved in just over 100 years. Everything from important events, to race, to fire safety is examined here. Displayed items include a hodge-podge of artifacts, such as dolls, clothes, posters, an old FDNY alarm bell, a trumpet, and many other oddities. Along with visual artifacts, various points of the gallery have audio and video stations that display things like a clip from Sesame Street and a phone conversation between the city’s mayor of the time with President Johnson.

Through this varied collection, the exhibit shows NYC history through many lenses. There is fodder for discussing race, politics, business, entertainment, and other aspects of life at different stages in the city’s history. The gallery does an excellent job of humanizing and bringing the city’s cultural history to life in a way that will intrigue and entertain children of any age.

photo: Filip Wolka/Museum of the City of New York Facebook page

Determining Our Fate in the Future Lab
Once you and the kids have taken in the rich history of the city, NYC at its Core invites you into the Future Lab: a place where you can have a hand in the city’s future.

Unlike the two packed dark galleries, the Future Lab is spacious and bright, with enough nooks and empty spaces to comfortably park a stroller. Here, children are encouraged to think about what they learned in the other galleries, and apply it to the future. A “What If” table asks visitors to ask their own provocative questions about a world of possibilities. Visitors can fill out their own “what if” question cards, or respond to someone else’s. The conversation is continued online, where certain guest questions are selected and answered by a group of experts. Expect to see much cynicism following the recent election (which in itself is a great discussion topic for the kids) but there are also some intriguing questions that can lead into meaningful discussions.

Past the “What If” table rests a large curved screen which displays a rotating set of Mapping NYC data. This screen examines some misconceptions we might have about our own city (for example, most New Yorkers actually live in low-rise houses, despite the media’s portrayal of NYC as a place where everyone lives in buildings). If you’re curious about how this data is gathered, you can find that information in the Data Nook. Here, two screens are available for viewing the metrics and data gathering methods that went into creating the visuals and graphs in the rest of the exhibit.

A number of long tables occupy a majority of the Future Lab. Some tables are a collection of graphs and charts that visualize different aspects of NYC today. But the real draw of this part of the exhibit are the design stations. Visitors can use a simple drag and drop interface to design their own city park, street, or housing in various NYC neighborhoods. As you modify and add to your creation, the design is rated on several factors like safety, budget, and environmental impact.

Enter your name and publish the design, and it’s displayed on the wall-sized screen nearby. Children can then have a blast standing on one of the four circles in the floor and finding themselves projected in their own design on the large screen. Although the projection is choppy  — and, at the time of our visit a portion of the screen was not working  —  kids and their parents were definitely having a blast “starring” in a prototype video of a neighborhood they themselves designed.

If the first two galleries show how people have shaped and molded the culture of our city, the purpose of the Future Lab is to remind us all that things are constantly shifting, even today. The exhibit as a whole encourages visitors to ask questions about the where we are now, and discuss how to contribute to a brighter and better future. Kids and adults alike will leave the exhibit with more knowledge, and a sense that they hold an active role in shaping New York City.

New York at its Core
Museum of the City of New York
Tickets: Adults/$14 (suggested); Under age 20/free
10 a.m.-6 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve)
1220 5th Ave.
Upper East Side
Online: mcny.org/nyatitscore

Have you visited New York at its Core? Tell us in the comments below!

— Yuliya Geikhman