new york historical society

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i went to the new york historical society last weekend with my friend, suzi! she just happens to be a history phd candidate which was just perfect for this museum! she is in town doing research for her phd; most of her research has been done in the new york historical society! we went to see the lincoln and new york. the advertising line that has intrigued me was: lincoln, the most beloved president new york ever hated.

the exhibit was quite lengthy about 1/3 longer than we expected. it stepped through his history with new york starting with his arrival to give the infamous cooper union speech advocating to not expand slavery to the mourning parades and viewings after his assassination.

the exhibit was very well done. i was able to follow the exhibit with my limited history knowledge, but suzi still found it interesting even though she knows a lot more about this subject than the average visitor.

we both decided that our favorite part of this exhibit was this on screen game. it was a simulation that stepped us through the civil war. we had 4 choices for investment opportunities: gold, railroads, shipping and war supplies (i.e. uniforms). throughout the game, you have can switch your investment. we stuck with railroads throughout the game and we made the most money!

the exhibit took advantage of technology, but had a great mixture of commentary, 19th century political cartoons and other "original" documents (books, photographs, paintings, etc.)

definitely worth the trip!

another random note: the next large exhibit at the ny historical society is about the grateful dead, which will be amazing contrast!

times visited: 2
time in museum: 2 hrs
overall: B+ (up from a B)

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