Museum of Chinese in America
Worth a detour·Lower East Side, Manhattan
Solid permanent exhibit on Chinese immigration to America. The temporary exhibit on the senses had dishes infused with smells you had to identify; never seen anything like it. Always appreciate something novel.
What it is
Small museum focused on the Chinese experience in America through exhibits & public programs.
Pair it with
Worth a detour or better, within a 15-minute walk. Numbers match the map.
- 1Drawing Center0.3 mi · Free
Large collection of drawings, all modern.
- 2Museum of Street Art0.3 mi · Free
Take the elevator to the 20th floor of a hotel and walk down 20 flights; the stairwell is the museum.
- 3Museum at Eldridge St0.4 mi · Free
European-style 1800s synagogue in NYC, who knew.
- 4American Numismatic Society (ANS)0.5 mi · $50
Never saw the gallery; talked to a curator for 90 minutes about Roman Republic coinage.
- 5Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation0.6 mi · $15
Massive collection of Chaim Gross sculptures plus his collection of art from well-known artists.
- 6Grey Art Museum0.7 mi · Free
Fantastic and shockingly large modern art collection for a museum no one’s heard of.
Also on the block, if you have time
Camera Club of NY (0.1 mi, free), Banksy Museum in NYC (0.1 mi), Artists Space (0.2 mi, free), Mmuseumm (0.2 mi, free), Leslie-Lohman Museum (0.3 mi).
Skip Italian American Museum (0.1 mi), even if you’re passing.