A new exhibit is on at the city’s very own museum dedicated to transit and it’s all about maps, subway maps.
Perhaps the transit system has been under fire for the last few years for their pessimal service, but despite its flaws, the New York City Transit System has a long and interesting history. That history is at the center of the Navigating New York exhibition.
Museum director, Concetta Bencivenga, explains, “the subway has always been used to either help people navigate place, or to actually create place, the exhibit aims to show how that happens.”
The exhibit draws heavily on the museums ample collection of objects related to the transit system including maps, tools and other renderings of the past.
The earliest maps on display date back to the 19th century- long before there was any underground rail system- but they help provide context for the development of what is now the subway. Subsequently, the exhibit ends with the digital revolution and how those changes have effected subway mapping, even featuring the new MTA app.
Interested? You can check out more information on their website.
Featured image: New York Transit Museum