Address
1220 Fifth AVenue, New York, NY 10024
Phone Number
(212) 534 0 1672
Date Visited
11/05/2015
Website
Museum of the City of New York
Description
The Museum of the City of New York is located at 1220 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. Parking needs to be found on street or at a garage. The single door, main entrance is up 14 steps. The special needs entrance is on 103rd Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues. On weekends or holidays one should use the call button on the intercom for assistance.The lobby has two elevators that take visitors to all levels. There are also stairs to all levels. There are a few benches in the hallways.
Multi-stall, handicapped accessible restrooms are located on the 3rd floor and lower level. The 3rd floor restroom has a large handicapped stall with a sink and baby-changing station. There are two, single- occupancy restrooms on the main floor near the museum shop.
Chalsty's Cafe is located on the 2nd floor. The museum shop is located on the main level.
- Doors: single
Elevators: two
Ramps: none
Steps and staircases: to all levels
Width of aisles: spacious
Places to sit: benches in some hallways
Location of restrooms: ** 3rd, main, lower level
Type of restroom: see note below
Ease of entry and exit: good
Baby changing station: no
Available food services: Chalsty's Cafe
Friendliness of staff: very helpful
Notes: * This venue does not have a parking garage. Parking must be found on the street or in nearby garages.** Multi-stall, handicapped accessible restrooms are located on the 3rd floor and lower level. The 3rd floor restroom has a large handicapped stall with a sink and baby-changing station. There are 2 single occupancy restrooms on the main floor near the museum shop.
Yet another place that we had not visited in many, many years was the Museum of the City of New York. Founded in 1923, and originally housed in Gracie Mansion “the Museum connects the past, present and future of NYC.” (website) It…”celebrates and interprets the city, educating the public about its distinctive character, especially its heritage of diversity, opportunity and perpetual transformation.” (website)
The main entrance is 14 steps up with a single glass door leading to a beautiful lobby with a huge chandelier and very impressive spiral staircase. A large sign at the bottom of the steps to the main entrance lets you know how to proceed for ramp access, if needed. We found the special needs entrance on 103rd Street between 5th and Madison Avenues.
The Museum has undergone many changes since we were last here. Both of us were surprised by the newness of the inside of the building. Upon inquiring, we found out that the building is in the final phase of a complete renovation. While maintaining the beauty of its lobby staircase and hallways, it seems that everything else has been transformed into a modern, inviting space.
The Museum has both permanent and temporary exhibits. In a second floor gallery, that was easy to enter and had chairs that could be moved around, we viewed a very informative movie about New York’s history, entitled “Timescapes.”
All of the galleries are spacious and easy to navigate. There are large glass doors to enter most of them. A few benches can be found in the hallways.
We didn’t know what exhibits were on display at the time of our visit, so when we entered a gallery on the third floor we were amazed by what we saw -” Jeff ChienHsing Liao’s “New York: Assembled Realities.” ”This was a photographic exhibit unlike any we had ever seen. Liao “creates large-scale panoramas by combining multiple exposures of the same location taken over the course of several hours.” (website). The huge pictures were gorgeous! Another exhibit, “”Activist New York,”” delves into the drama of social activism in NYC past and present.
After viewing the exhibits, we decided we needed a break. We went to the second floor for a bite to eat at Chalsty’s Cafe, a cute setting with “local and seasonal cuisine, including soups, garden salads and artisanal sandwiches.” (brochure) at reasonable prices. Seating is at long, communal tables with benches. The museum is very Art Deco in black and white and so is the cafe.
Multi-stall, handicapped accessible restrooms are located on the lower level and third floor. The third floor restroom has a large, handicapped stall with a sink and baby-changing station. Two single-occupancy restrooms are on the main floor near the museum shop.
Last, but certainly not least, we had to make a stop at the museum shop.
The museum offers free admission to certain individuals. Be sure to check the website.
As always, we at Destination Accessible advise you to check a venue’s website, www.mcny.org, when planning a visit, to “know before you go.”
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