To make it in this city, you need street smarts, determination, and grit. That’s what the Museum of the City of New York hopes to inspire with its "Keys to the City" scavenger hunt in May.
Teams of three to 10 players are needed for the hunt that will take place across Manhattan and Brooklyn with 50 clues to decipher about the city itself.
For example:
"July 11, Weehawken, NJ – A 47- or 49-year-old male (exact age unknown) of medium height with auburn hair and blue eyes was fatally shot in the stomach. He died the next afternoon. Where is he buried?"
When a team figures out a clue, it must post its pictures to a team-designated Instagram account to earn points, using the hashtag #KeysToTheCity.
Points for each clue depends on its difficulty and distance, but every site does not need to be visited to figure them out.
The museum’s public programs department spent several weeks amassing possible clues and answers and thinking about fun and relevant themes that would speak to the museum’s mission, which is to foster understanding about the nature of urban life in the city, according to museum officials.
The staff hit the pavement to test them out in person, too.
The scavenger hunt is also meant to be a fun way to fundraise for the museum.
Here’s what you need to know:
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 4
Where you’ll go: Lower Manhattan (FiDi, Two Bridges and the Lower East Side), Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, and finishing up at the Museum of the City of New York (1220 Fifth Ave.)
What you could win:
- Grand prize — a private gallery tour and reception for the team and family museum memberships for each member (valued at $150)
- Second prize — family museum memberships for each member
- Highest total donations — four tickets to New York City Center’s Encores! performance of "High Button Shoes" on May 11
- Most donors — four tickets to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Rain date: May 11.
Cost: $50 per person
Deadline to register: May 1 at 11:59 p.m.
Where to register: mcny.org/scavengerhunt
