PRPG:

The Weirdest Museum in New York City

July 2, 2014

If you’re heading to the Big Apple this summer, check out this odd attraction.

mmuseumFor the past few years, the Mmuseumm has offered visitors a glimpse at some truly weird wonders. The tiny museum is housed at the bottom of an old elevator shaft and can be found down a back alley in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. The interior is about 80 square feet and only three visitors can be inside at a time.

The curios on display rotate seasonally but there are a few permanent exhibitions. One includes a leather shoe that was supposedly thrown at former president George W. Bush during a press conference in 2008. (The museum’s curators will neither confirm, nor deny, its authenticity.)

If that doesn’t float your boat, the Mmuseumm’s current displays feature plastic spoons, various artifacts from North Korea, and what the curators call “Censored Saudi Arabian Pool Toys.” There’s also a collection of 200 mosquitoes from New Delhi that were supposedly caught and killed while attacking their victims.

The kooky museum was created by Red Bucket Films, a small studio that specializes in artistic projects and eclectic documentaries. When their landlord began renovating their building, he asked the studio if they’d like to use part of the defunct elevator shaft near their office for storage. When they asked him if they could turn it into a small museum instead, the landlord agreed.

The Mmuesumm’s grand opening in 2012 featured a Rudy Giuliani impersonator and a few jam bands. Back then, its collection included photos from old Cambodian menus, rusty combs and paper from copy machines. While those items might not sound too terribly exciting, the museum’s quirkiness attracted tons of visitors and national press attention.

While its New York City’s smallest museum, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t contain a cafe and a gift shop. However, the “cafe” is really just a cappuccino machine mounted on a wall. The gift shop, meanwhile, consists of a few postcards and pencils on a shelf over the cappuccino machine. There’s even an audio guide that can be accessed by dialing a toll-free number.

If you’re interested in visiting the Mmuseumm, it’s only open on the weekends from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is free but donations are accepted.