Discover 10 New York Museums Off the Beaten Track

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By Google Arts & Culture

Descension (2017) by Kapoor, AnishPublic Art Fund

They named it twice and it never sleeps, but there's still plenty you may not know about New York, New York. Why not start by scrolling down, here, and using the click and drag function in Street View to discover some hidden gems of NYC?

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Tenement Museum

The history of NYC is the history of immigration. As the city grew, it attracted the tired, poor, and huddled masses of the world. At the Tenement Museum you'll find a typical apartment of the 19th Century, and learn more about the difficult lives of these recent arrivals.

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Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA)

From the 19th Century, New York saw the arrival of many Chinese immigrants. MOCA aims to preserve and present this 200-year history, heritage, culture, and diverse experiences of American communities of Chinese descent. Exhibits include this recreation of a Chinese pharmacy.

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Lewis H. Latimer House

In the midst of Leavitt Field, Flushing, you might be surprised to come across this little Victorian house. This was the home of Lewis H. Latimer, a black inventor and social reformer who supervised the installation of the first electric lighting system in the city.

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Mmuseumm

Mmuseumm is a hidden gem, tucked away down a side street in lower Manhatten. Its collection of everyday objects aims to tell stories that connect people and events from across the world. Peepholes in the doors allow visitors to see the exhibits 24 hours a day.

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National Jazz Museum in Harlem

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem is a thriving centre for this quintessentially American sound that stimulates hearts and minds. The museum is a hub for live performances, exhibitions, and educational programs, as well as an archive of over 100 hours of recorded radio shows.

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New York City Fire Museum

Fire has been an ever-present threat to the city, from the earliest days of New Amsterdam to the bustling 21st Century metropolis of NYC. The Fire Museum documents the long history of firefighting, and the skills, ingenuity, and equipment that have helped protect the city.

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The Museum also houses a special memorial to the 343 members of the FDNY who lost their lives on 9/11 and features a number of firefighting artefacts recovered from the World Trade Center site.

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AKC Museum of the Dog

How much is that doggy in the window? The towering heights of 101 Park Avenue are home to the American Kennel Club's Museum of the Dog, which seeks to preserve, interpret, and celebrate the role of man's best friend in society, through fine art and interactive displays.

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SPYSCAPE Spy Museum in New York

Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once. SPYSCAPE details the history of espionage and subterfuge, with exhibits on encryption, surveillance, hacking, and covert operations. Test your own skills in interactive exhibits and they'll assign you a secret role. Good luck.

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Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art

The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in Soho is dedicated to showing the art about LGBTQ themes, issues, and people. Highlights of the collection include work by Berenice Abbott, David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Catherine Opie, and Tom of Finland.

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Noguchi Museum

You might not know the name, but you will certainly recognise the work of Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi, who designed some of the most iconic pieces of mid-century modernist sculpture and furniture. Take a look around and find serenity amongst the statues.

A Helicopter View Of The Us (1951) by Margaret Bourke-WhiteLIFE Photo Collection

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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