On the drive back we had to go past New York City, and I decided that as it was early, stopping at the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side would be awesome. I have been fascinated by the immigrant experience since I was very young. I am only a third generation American on a few sides and my grandparents all have incredible stories about their, or their parents immigration experiences. Because of this I've always been drawn to the stories of people struggling to fit in and thrive in this country after leaving everything they knew back home. When I first heard of this museum I wanted desperately to go and have a look.
The museum is housed in two buildings, 106 Orchard Street, and 97 Orchard Street. At 106, there is a gift shop which has the most amazing array of books and good NYC souvenirs I have ever seen. This is where the tours lead from. There are four tours to choose from, they vary in their scope and age appropriateness. We chose the Moore's story, which is about a young Irish immigrant family and their struggles and focuses a good deal on sanitation and health. Pictures aren't allowed to be taken, but they have an extensive Flickr collection. This set shows the restoration of the Moore's apartment.
The tour was conducted by a young energetic woman who was quick to ask our group about their heritage and share her own, which was a nice touch and added to the ease of the tour. The group was only four people which also made for a very nice personal tour. She was a very good story teller and had a lot of knowledge to share about the property, much of which did not seem to be scripted. I really felt like I could easily stay and talk with her, and our whole group for many hours, which is not a feeling I normally get with group tours.
At one point in the tour there is a short audio visual portion with songs, sounds and pictures of daily life for this family which is projected on a window in the building. I really liked this section and it was well done and didn't seem out of place or jarring as a video screen would probably have seemed.
All and all, I can't recommend this museum enough. There is a great website with a wonderful virtual tour and fun educational games for kids.
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That is really great that you had a wonderful tour guide. I sometimes think that tour guide selection and touring techniques are overlooked. It is especially important at a story based museum like this, to get visitors engaging with each other through stories to learn about each other and about tolerance. I have heard lots of things about this museum lately, all of which make me want to go visit it more!
ReplyDeleteThis museum is on my list of places to visit, so I'm glad to read that you had a good experience! I certainly agree that a guide can make or break a tour. It's always nice when your tour is small enough that your guide can really make an effort to get to know you. I know that I am more likely to remember things when I can actually have a conversation about them.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting that you had four tours to choose from. You mention that they vary in scope and age appropriateness, but I wonder how much these multiple tours are also meant to attract repeat visitors (and if so, how successful are they at doing this).
This is on my list as well, I actual read Jen's blog before yours and asked her is she had visited this museum (kinda funny, huh?) . I do agree with her comment- tour guides can make or break the experience. I often gives school tours and I try to make connections with the students so that they feel more engaged with the experience and want to come back on their own . Its sounds like this guide really enjoyed her job and did it well. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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