Having been a volunteer in museums in New York City and elsewhere I can testify that many of the most compelling exhibitions are on display in smaller, less obvious institutions.  Right now such an exhibit is taking place at the Merchant’s House Museum on the Lower East Side.  Over the years I had walked past the museum on my way to the subway after visiting the record stores on St. Marks Place.  (That should give you an idea of how old I am.)  Until last Saturday, however, I had never been inside.  The museum is sponsoring New York’s Civil War Soldiers – Photographs of Dr. R. B. Bontecou, Words of Walt Whitman through August 1, 2011.  Unfortunately photography was not permitted in the museum, or I would have some pictures to share.  The Burns Archive, owner of the images, does have its own blog.  A book is in the works.  It is one thing to read that there were 10,000 casualties in this or that battle; it is another to see many of these “statistics” in flesh and blood.

Merchant’s House Museum garden, May 2011

This small museum is an ideal excursion when coupled with another endeavor.  In our case that was the Union Square Green Market, where we got bread, cheese, and cider for lunch afterward.  Visit if you can.