Urban Tastes

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Mid-century ad for office jobs "Better Jobs Are Open"
Urban Tastes Friday, November 18, 2022

The Washington Business Institute

Analog technologies created new opportunities, but many individuals couldn’t access them without a fight. The Washington Business Institute operated from 1930–1980. It was there that over 5,000 African Americans, the vast majority of them women, learned skills to prepare them for working in an office environment.
MCNY Madness 2020 thumb
Urban Tastes Monday, March 23, 2020

MCNY Madness Challenge 2020

We’ve selected eight images in four categories to kick off the first #MCNYMadnessChallenge. Vote for your favorites on Instagram and Twitter March 23–31 to determine what makes New York New York.
Exterior view of Katz’s Delicatessen at the intersection of Ludlow and Houston Streets with a few people walking past.
Landmarks Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Iconic New York City Restaurants

New York City is a notoriously difficult environment for restaurants to survive in. And yet, some restaurants have despite all odds withstood the test of time.
Enamel pin in the shape of the letter “V.” Top left of “V” says “World,” and top right says “Series.” At center is Yankees logo on stars and stripes top hat. At the bottom, “1953, Press.”
City Artifacts Tuesday, July 16, 2019

New York City Blues

To celebrate the opening of Blue Man Group: Ready…Go!, a new experiential installation at the Museum, we take a brief look at the color blue as it appears around the city.
Black and white circa 1910 photograph of a formal dinner banquet. Men, women, and a few children sit at tables looking at camera, place settings, dessert, and wine bottles are visible on the tables.
Notable New Yorkers Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Independence Punch and Washington Pudding

With summer upon us it is time to revisit how past New Yorkers spent their time between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Many spent time at country resorts like the Colonial Hotel on Croton Lake, socializing and dining with fellow guests.
An outdoor photo acquired by the museum's collections team of two men who is apart of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club.
Urban Tastes Monday, December 31, 2018

Coney Island Polar Bear Club

The Museum recently acquired photographs of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, which is believed to be the oldest continuous winter swimming association in the U.S. To learn more about the organization, a member of our Collections team accompanied the club for a swim.
A photo by Wurts Bros. (New York, NY) of a restaurant chef using a bread oven.
Urban Tastes Tuesday, November 20, 2018

New York by the Slice

New York is a city of immigrants who brought traditions along with them that became part of the city’s food culture. We explore the history of how pizza came to be a staple of New Yorkers’ diet.
A photo of Vera Maxwell fitting a model for Museum of the City of New work's "A Salute to Vera Maxwell" back in 1942.
Notable New Yorkers Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Dressing Sustainably, Then and Now

Valentina Schlee and Vera Maxwell, two of the mid-20th century's defining designers, extolled the merits of a minimalist wardrobe. They created looks that buoyed the nation’s women through the WWII period of L-85 governmental restrictions without feeling deprived.