A Day at the NYC Transit Museum

NYC Transit Museum

A few days before the Thanksgiving holiday, my sister and I took my nieces and nephews on a trip to the NYC Transit Museum. My nephew expressed his interest in trains and buses and it was a nice day out, so we all hopped on the train towards downtown Brooklyn. The cool thing about the NYC Transit Museum is it’s inside an old subway station. There are a number of activities available for families, but it was our first visit. We decided to do our own exploration instead of taking part in group activities.

Steel, Stone, and Backbone

The exhibit Steel, Stone, and Backbone show the development of the NYC Transit system from 1900-1925. We were able to see photos and videos of workers digging through the tunnels and get hands-on with the tools they used to build the tracks.

Dynomite display Steel, Stone, and Backbone exhibit at the NYC Transit Museum
bolders - Steel, Stone, and Backbone exhibit in the NYC Transit Museum

Moving The Millions: New York City’s Subways From Its Origins To The Present

We proceeded down the stairs to see Moving The Millions: New York City’s Subways From Its Origins To The Present. In this exhibit, we walked through real subway cars from the early 1900s til modern day. It was cool to see the evolution of the cars, how they got the “straphanger” name and brand advertising. I actually thought subway advertising started in the 70s or 80s. We were also able to see the different maps, showing the transit system’s expansion throughout the years.

Old Train from Moving The Millions: New York City's Subways From Its Origins To The Present NYC Transit Museum
Train Car
old train car
old map pf queens Moving The Millions: New York City's Subways From Its Origins To The Present
NYC Transit Musuem Straphanger Moving The Millions: New York City's Subways From Its Origins To The Present
Old Trains - Moving The Millions: New York City's Subways From Its Origins To The Present NYC Transit Musuem

On The Streets: New York’s Trolley’s and Buses

Our favorite exhibit was On The Streets: New York’s Trolley’s and Buses. We learned about the expansion of the bus system and the inclusion of stop and walk/don’t walk signs within the traffic system. We also saw a “day in the life'” of a transit employee, took a ride in mock buses and were a bus driver or dispatcher for a moment.

Transit Worker's Uniforms - On The Streets: New York's Trolley's and Buses NYC Transit Museum

Bus

Dispatchers - On The Streets: New York's Trolley's and Buses NYC Transit Museum

It was a fun afternoon to learn about the NYC Transit system that gets millions of New Yorkers and tourists around every day. For more information about exhibits, visiting hours, prices and accessibility, visit the NYC Transit Museum online.

Being a Straphanger at the NYC Transit Museum Brooklyn

Have you visited the NYC Transit Museum before?

14 thoughts on “A Day at the NYC Transit Museum

  1. Donna Shana says:

    I’m debating visiting New York for my bday this year, and this museum looks really cool. I’ll be sure to put this on my must do list!

  2. Cece says:

    How cool is this! I’ve been to New York a few times and really want to take my kids to experience it for themselves. I think the transit museum will have to be added to the list of places to visit, for sure!

  3. Eva says:

    This seems like a great first stop on a kid’s trip to NYC! Especially if the family will be using public transportation to get around the city. It will give them a new appreciation for how they are getting from point A to point B.

  4. MJ says:

    This is one of the museums I have always wanted to visit but always forget about. I am going to make it happen the next time I am in the city!

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