AMERICAN MUSEUM of NATURAL HISTORY , A Planetarium and the best Dioramas and Dinosaurs !!
Written: Jun 05 '03 (Updated Dec 24 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very complete, even overwhelming source of natural history. Wonderful teaching techniques, movies, Planetarium
Cons: You need a lot of time to absorb it all.
The Bottom Line: This place is wonderful to just stroll through or immerse yourself into the information and wonders on hand.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: American Museum of Natural History |
Having been to the American Museum of Natural history a few times as a youth, and having some grand memories still in my mind, I have been looking forward to a visit.
A friend of mine was in town from England. He had done most of the usual NY sites on previous visits. This day we spent first at the Intrepid Museum , a WWII aircraft carrier on the west side of Manhattan on 42nd street. It's wonderful!
GETTING THERE
We then grabbed a cab for a ride up to 79th street and Central Park West, to The American Museum of Natural History.
The museum is right across the street from Central Park. These two places can be a great combination on a day of good weather. There is much to see in the nearby area of the park.
By subway I suggest taking the C line that has a stop underneath the museum itself. If you are going to do Central Park at all you can get off at 72nd Street and do some of the nearby park and then walk up to 79th street and the Museum. What I really want you to see is the front of this beautiful Museum. There are other lines on the subway that you can take also. It all depends on where you are coming from. There are other entrances too. One is on west 77th street and the other is west 81st street.
Taxis can bring you right up to the front steps and buses run along there too. If you do take your car you can find parking in the museum itself but it fills up early. There are a few other garages that, like the museum, charge a fee of $15.00 to $30.00 depending on how long you stay.
A GRAND ENTRANCE
I mentioned taking a subway to 72nd street, doing some of the park, and walking to 79th. It is worth the extra time to see the front facade. You will notice a huge statue of Theodore Roosevelt on a horse with a Native American at his side.
The museum was dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt because of the work he did as a conservationist. Teddy Roosevelt was instrumental in setting aside much land that is now todays National parks. High above on the front of the museum are words of dedication and honor to him. The words TRUTH, KNOWLEDGE and VISION along with others, are engraved in his memory. Be sure to see it and the other engravings along the front of the building, of Animals of the America's.
The grand steps lead you right up to the outside art work and the entrance of the building. There are other entrances for those with mobility problems.
The main entrance, which actually brings you up to the second floor, is noted as Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall. It is here where you get the first view of the grandeur of the inside of the building. It is immense and beautiful.
The first natural feature you will see is a confrontation between two dinosaurs! The fossil remains of these dinosaurs are beautifully set. There is controversy though on whether the Brontosaurus could actually raise itself up onto its hind legs. I had read about this years ago in National Geographic and finally was able to see it in person myself. Personally I think the big guy could do it. This big guy gets up on his feet himself every day and, if I could do it, I believe old bronti could too!
FEES and FEATURES
Ahead are the desks where you pay the suggested $12.00 fee to go in. It's a bit less for seniors and students at $9.00. Its $7.00 for children.
You will also make a choice as to whether you want to do some of the special shows that are going on at the time you are there. There are fees for these in special combo tickets.
This particular day they had a few things.
Einstein An exhibit dedicated to this man and his theories. This was on the Fourth Floor, going on through July 27th.
Another exhibit was Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind and Spirit. It's on the first floor through January 4, 2004
Every day there are films in the IMAX theatre. This is another five dollar fee. What we saw was worth it!
Available that day at different times were two shows. Coral Reef Adventure and Stomp.
After some debate between us, my friend and I opted for Stomp. He won. After the movie I was happy about the choice. More on that later.
Also available are combo tickets to see one of the shows at the Planetarium. These are always amazing and have gotten even better over the years.
At present time they are featuring The Search for Life: Are We Alone? and Passport to the Universe.
If you have never experienced the Planetarium at this museum then it is a MUST stop.
So with all this in mind decide on what you want to see and plan your day. When we went to the museum there were no lines and no waiting. I could see, however, that the line could be slow moving because of the choices that must be made at the registers. Mounted on the stanchions that direct the line are programs with features, fees, and times of the programs. Make use of your time on line to make some choices. Better yet, look up the Museum on line and get information there.
FOURTH FLOOR DINOSAURS
Being one of the main attractions for visitors and me alike we went directly to the fourth floor to the where the dinosaurs are.
We took the elevator up and then the very wide stairs down to each level below. There were plenty of elevators servicing the floors in good time.
The dinosaur displays were even better than when I was a kid. This floor has been turned into a huge teaching tool. There is a thin black line on the floor that you follow throughout the halls of the floor. It represents a giant Family Tree.
We first are given an explanation of what we are about to follow through a film narrated by Meryl Streep. The films name is Evolution of Vertebrates. I don't want to become even more wordy than I usually am, but I want to explain quickly.
They set up what is called a cladogram, which is the reconstruction of the evolutional history of animals based on evolving features. This is set up like a family tree. You follow the lines to different halls that explain what the differences are.
It starts with vertebrates and follows to different categories of tetrapds, amniots and amphibians, dinosaurs and mammals.
I found it all quite fascanating. Once I entered the halls with the dinosaur fossils I was again in awe of their size and features. These were pretty big babies!!
Much was explained in very simple terms. I liked the idea that they also had ramps that brought you higher and closer to eye level with these creatures. Adults and kids alike will love this area.
There were a couple of short films to watch and places to rest up a bit if your legs starting getting tired. Also scattered about were small learning stations. These were computers set up to ask and answer questions about fossils in the particular halls.
LIBRARY, GIFT SHOP, CAFETERIA, and MORE
The museums library, also on the fourth floor, is open for all kinds of research. The hours, however, are limited to 11am - 4pm, Tuesdays - Fridays. Though I didn't use it I was surprised at how much space was dedicated to it.
This level had a gift shop appropriately called the Dinostore. There is also a small cafeteria on the fourth floor that was closed that day. There are plenty of clean and well stocked restrooms in the museum.
THE THIRD FLOOR
We didn't get to discover this area. I can tell you that it has halls and areas dedicated to North American Birds, New York State Mammals and another of New York City Birds.
For those wanting to look out further than New York you can check out the Hall of African Mammals, Hall of Pacific Peoples, Plains Indians, Eastern Woodland Indians, Primates, and Reptiles and Amphibians.
This is also the level where the Hayden Planetarium is, however, access is from the first floor.
THE SECOND FLOOR
This is actually the main floor where you enter from the grand Central Park entrance. Once again, like the third floor there are displays and wonderful dioramas of animals and peoples of the world. This floor we did.
The Hall of African Mammals gets you up close with some large predators. Being just inches from a huge tiger gives you the idea of their strength, size, and the unmatched hunting tools they possess. They are pretty wicked looking animals if you are lower on the food chain. At the same time they are truly magnificent.
There is another small area with a few benches nearby, for film called Mammal Theatre.
The Museum Shop is right next to the African Animal Hall. All kinds of souvenirs, books, and the like are here.
Other halls and displaying Peoples and mammals are the Hall of South American peoples, Asian Peoples, Mexico and central America, Birds of the World, and the Hall of Oceanic birds.
I didn't get to the Rose Center for Earth and Space, that is mapped out as being on this floor. I would have liked to see the room called The scales of the Universe, and another large area dedicated to The Big Bang.
This floor also houses an education wing with labs and a Natural science center. So much to see, so little time!
THE FIRST FLOOR
This is the floor you enter from the parking garage and the subway. It is also where the IMAX Theatre is.
There was no line at all when we were there. The fact is there were only about 100 people in this theatre that looks like it can hold over 1,000 persons.
The theatre is a grand looking place. I was really surprised by it's scale and old fashioned decor.It has the look of our turn of the century theatres. It had two levels and what looked to be a standing room area. This big guy appreciated the wide seats and leg room.
We saw the show Stomp. It was playing in a Broadway Theatre. Stomp is a group of New York rhythm musicians who play whose instruments are household or street items like garbage cans, and lids, crates, and such.
My wife and I saw the show Stomp a couple of years ago. It was fun and lively.
This IMAX special opened with some of these guys and gals doing their thing on the fire escapes and windows of a four or five story walk up apartment building. From there the scenes change to many different parts of the world showing different peoples expressing their musical rhythms in different ways. We traveled to Africa, South Africa, Spain, England, Japan, South America and other destinations in this film. The visuals were fantastic. The screen is huge and every person and place, near or far, is in perfect clarity. The audio in the theatre is excellent.
The show went on for about forty five minutes. I enjoyed every moment of it. I still would have liked to have seen the other IMAX offering of the day, The Coral Reef Adventure, but time didn't allow it. I will have to go back with my wife. She and I have really gotten into snorkeling in the last few years. This film should be perfect for us.
After the show we looked through some of the other displays of the first floor. The North American Mammals section was pretty awesome. the dioramas are wonderfully set. It really seems like you are transformed to a moment of time in each of the displays. The animals, trees, and settings are very life like.
The North American Forests has a huge slice of an American Redwood tree. These trees are amazing!
DISAPPOINTMENT
I must mention that I was very disappointed that the Hall of Ocean Life, on the first floor was closed the day we were there. This hall has recently been refurbished and I have read it to be fabulous! The museum has had a huge Blue whale suspended from the ceiling in the hall for years. It is something you must see when visiting. Ha, maybe you can write a review here in Epinions and tell me what the newly refurbished hall is like.
Other displays on the floor include Northwest Coast Indians, small mammals, and the Human Biology and Evolution wing.
I took a peek into the Discovery Room. This is a hands on area for kids to experiment and learn. It looked like fun.
The first floor also houses the museums largest cafe and food cafeteria. It was good sized, however I didn't get to check it out. While on the move in the city I prefer a couple of hot dogs from a street vendor. It saves time and to me it's fine dining, on the run, as its best. There is a vendor right in front of the museum.
IN CLOSING
I highly recommend spending time at this museum. You could spend a quick three hours and see the Dinosaurs, a floor of displays, and either the IMAX or Planetarium show and be very satisfied. If you have more time then you have so much more to see.
I liked the idea that the halls were broken up with short films and teaching areas where you could get off your feet yet continue learning.
Another fun learning tool were 7 1/2" x 14" pamphlets that were available for the different halls. The paper would suggest particular dioramas or displays to see and then ask questions about them like "How many kinds of baby animals can you find in this diorama?"
Another area may have a drawing of particular dinosaurs the kids must find and then answer questions about them.
Kids drawing and imagination are also brought into play in these pamphlets.
Handicapped access is available, in fact the raised platforms in the dinosaur area helps wheelchair bound get a different, more elevated, view of the fossils.
Handicapped restrooms were also easily available.
So handicapped or not, young and old, New Yorker or not, come on down to the American Museum of Natural History, learn and be entertained at the same time.
This is one of the many great NYC sites found in this book
The Great Sights of New York: A Photographic Guide
NEW YORK CITY, take a tour right here.
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The Metropolitan Museum of ART A fifteen minute walk uptown from the Zoo on 5th Ave.
Museum of Natural History across from Central Park West
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Something is Missing A Tribute to the good people and the twin towers that were lost on 9/11 http://www.epinions.com/content_3161628804
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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