Museum of the City of New York Admission with the Timescapes Film

Most New York museums use the city as a backdrop. This one makes the city the subject. The Museum of the City of New York sits at the top of Museum Mile, at 1220 Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street, in a 1932 Georgian Colonial Revival building facing Central Park's Conservatory Garden, where the Upper East Side meets the southern edge of East Harlem. It is about twenty blocks north of the Met, which makes it an easy add-on to a Fifth Avenue museum day. The ticket covers general admission, the permanent exhibitions and every special exhibition on view. Two long-running shows anchor the visit. New York at Its Core spreads the city's history, and its future, across three galleries, using objects, images, photography, contemporary video and interactive digital displays. Activist New York follows the people who organized, marched and campaigned across the five boroughs, then and now. Several special exhibitions run alongside them at any given time. Start with Timescapes if you can. It is a 28-minute documentary narrated by Stanley Tucci that covers 400 years of New York history in one sitting, and it gives everything else in the building a frame. It screens every 40 minutes, and headsets are available in French, Mandarin and Spanish. Plan on about an hour, more if a special exhibition catches you. Food, drinks and gift shop purchases are not included. The building is fully wheelchair accessible, strollers and service animals are welcome, and the visit suits all fitness levels. Up to 15 travelers can be booked on one order, and mobile or paper tickets are accepted. Public transport stops nearby. This ticket is for the Museum of the City of New York only and does not include the Met.