Streetscapes

The time-honored tradition of window shopping truly comes alive during the holiday season, when retailers pull out all of the stops to make their window displays ever more eye-catching, festive and uplifting. But where, and when, did window shopping become a part of consumer behavior?

Some of the things we consider Thanksgiving staples, like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, weren't originally part of the holiday at all. 

Many classic children’s (and adult) books prominently feature New York City. In the coming months, we will be looking at a few of these titles. As we immerse ourselves in the lives of these characters and their fictional urban life, we’ll explore items from our collections, taking a virtual walk through the actual city streets. Today, we focus on Marathon Miranda.

Did you know? The Museum used to provide public walking tours around NYC. Organized geographically, and sometimes thematically, these tours were one of our many Public Programs for more than a decade. Follow along with us as we dive into our institution's history.

Highlights of the LOOK Collection as the NEH processing project concludes

Many classic children’s (and adult) books prominently feature New York City. In the coming months, we will be looking at a few of these titles. As we immerse ourselves in the lives of these characters and their fictional urban life, we’ll explore items from our collections, taking a virtual walk through the actual city streets. Today we start with one of the great ones, Harriet the Spy.    

Look assigned Vachon to the story “Brooklyn Nobody Knows” on September 21, 1948; it was published in the January 18, 1949 issue. By focusing on cultural institutions and figures, nightlife, historic landmarks, and civil engineering projects, Vachon’s photographs presented Brooklyn as on par with its more popularly represented neighbor, Manhattan.

The museum’s LOOK Magazine collection is full of fascinating photographs of midcentury New York and the people who lived and spent time in it. Some were well-known at the time and remain household names; others were living quieter lives, although often no less interesting.

East Harlem has been home to the Museum of the City of New York since 1932. Find out what makes this neighborhood so special. 

The Museum has called 1220 Fifth Avenue home since 1932, but our first home was at Gracie Mansion where the mayor of NYC resides today. Learn about the fascinating history of our beautiful building at the top of Museum Mile.