What Makes New York New York

"Three years ago, the museum had lagging attendance and difficulty meeting fund-raising goals. A proposed merger with the New-York Historical Society fell through, as did a move to the Tweed Courthouse, which left the museum without a director...and ensconced in a building on Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street that needed a multimillion-dollar renovation."

Yet by refocusing on its extensive collection, the museum has produced "a number of very local, slightly wonky exhibits dedicated to New York City: a retrospective on Daniel Patrick Moynihan; a showing of works by Samuel Gottscho, a little-known photographer who shot New York buildings in the 30's; and the Koch show, in which museum visitors are greeted by a life-size cardboard cutout of the extroverted mayor and graphs illustrating New York's 70's-era budgets."