The City Reliquary is a unique community museum located in Williamsburg. It began in 2002 as a window display in a ground-floor apartment and was established as a museum in 2006. Today, the City Reliquary boasts a permanent display of diverse New York City artifacts, rotating exhibits of community collections, and a long list of programming. The museum prides itself in showcasing oddities that illustrate the past and present of New York City – it’s kind of kooky, and a great way to spend an afternoon.
City Reliquary’s Collector’s Night photo courtesy of Facebook.
The details: The City Reliquary is located at 370 Metropolitan Avenue, in the North Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg. Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., or by appointment. Tickets are a suggested donation of $5 to $10.
How to get there: The museum is off the L train at the Lorimer stop as well as the G train off the Metropolitan stop. From both stations, it is only a few blocks west (past the Brooklyn Queens Expressway) to your destination.
Statue of Liberty postcards | via City Reliquary Facebook
What to do: The museum’s permanent collection of NYC artifacts includes such oddities as Statue of Liberty postcards, terra cotta fragments of landmark buildings, subway tokens, geological core samples, and paint chips from the L train. The community exhibit, on display in the museum’s front window, is often changing and will include anything from giant pencils to copper jelly molds and flashlights.
Vintage seltzer bottles | via Facebook
City Reliquary is also known for its extensive neighborhood programming. Events include block parties, backyard concerts, film and music — plenty of family-friendly entertainment. There’s a nice backyard where many of the events take place in the warmer months. To see what’s happening on any given week, check out the events calendar as well as City Reliquary’s Facebook page.
Story telling at City Reliquary | via Facebook
What to do after: From City Reliquary, just walk three blocks west along Metropolitan to Bedford Avenue. There you’ll find tons of bars, restaurants, cafes, boutiques, and thrift stores. You can take Bedford Avenue all the way north until you hit McCarren Park, a popular neighborhood destination when the weather’s warm. Or you could walk all the way west until you hit the waterfront. The East River State Park is located along Kent Avenue between North 7th and North 10th Street, and from here you’ll get a fantastic view of the Manhattan skyline.
Check out Neighborhood walks: Williamsburg, Williamsburg neighborhood round-up, and Bedford Avenue: Manhattan Avenue to Broadway for more ideas on what to do in the neighborhood.