One of the benefits of being a global assignee and not just a tourist is the time to discover attractions not always on the tourist’s itinerary. Most people will visit the Louvre or the Met on their trips to Paris or New York, but how many will get to Germany’s Museum of Bread, or the Vampire Museum in France?
Here are a few lesser-known gems in some of the world’s major cities:
The City Reliquary- New York City
The City Reliquary is a celebration of the small pieces that make up New York City. The rotating exhibits showcase everything from old subway tokens and vintage glass bottles from city breweries to paint chips showing the colors of the train stations through history.
Meguro Parasite Museum- Tokyo
Tokyo’s parasite museum may leave your skin crawling. With more than 300 samples on display (and thousands of research samples in the back), you can get your fill at worms, eggs, and view slides of vector-borne diseases like malaria. Despite, or perhaps because of, the grotesque atmosphere, the museum is popular with children.
Museo de Calzado (The Footwear Museum)- Mexico City
The Museo de Calzado has hundreds of pairs of shoes, famous and historical alike. You can see Chinese lotus shoes, a pair of boots worn on the moon, heels worn by Louis XIV, and even booties worn by the rescue dog who found victims after Mexico’s 2017 earthquake.
Electric Ladyland- Amsterdam
The world’s only museum of fluorescent and phosphorescent art, Electric Ladyland has both visual arts and a science component, with examples of phosphorescent minerals that shine under UV lamps. It even has participatory art, where visitors can become part of the vibrant exhibits through the use of lights.
At Living Abroad, we offer more than just information about the bare bones of life in a country or city. With links to local entertainment and exhibit listings, suggestions for family activities, and an overview of an area’s nightlife, we help assignees not only with practicalities, but with a jumping off point for any unique city sights they may wish to explore.
Written by Kate Havas, Content Manager
