A Walk Through the Upper West Side Gilder Center With the Rag

By Bonnie Eissner

Apex has arrived.

As of Sunday, the stegosaurus fossil — one of the most complete specimens of its kind and the costliest dinosaur fossil ever sold — greets visitors near the entrance to the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, the newest wing of the American Museum of Natural History.

The towering fossil — 11.5 feet tall and 27 feet long — of the herbivorous dinosaur that roamed North America 150 million years ago fuels the imagination and is worth a look, even if it does seem out of place and alone, separated as it is from the remains of fellow leviathans in the older part of the museum. 

But seeing Apex is far from the only reason to visit the Gilder Center. The 230,000-square-foot addition along the museum’s west side that opened in May 2023 offers an otherworldly experience full of marvels for all ages. 

As our hemisphere tilts away from the sun and winter approaches, not to mention the holidays and school vacations, museums beckon. The natural history museum is a perennial favorite, especially for families with young kids, and the Gilder Center makes visiting the museum even more worthwhile. 

The center’s architecture sets it apart from the rest of the museum. Curving, sand-colored walls and walkways surround a five-story, sunlit atrium in a design reminiscent of the canyons of the desert Southwest. The undulating structure prompts curiosity, as well as Instagram-worthy photos. Exhibits tucked into the space showcase the variety, beauty, and strangeness of life on Earth. This is edutainment at its best.

After admiring and photographing Apex, visitors can cross the lobby to the Susan and Peter J. Solomon Family Insectarium. On view there are 18 live species and hundreds more specimens of critters, many of whose ancestors lived alongside the dinosaurs. The exhibit hall advertises the attributes of insects, who outnumber humans 1 billion to one. Displays of leaf and stick insects demonstrate insects’ uncanny powers of camouflage. In another section devoted to communications, visitors can press buttons to conduct a chorus of insects who inhabit Central Park. 

A nest of at least half a million leafcutter ants busy slicing and toting leaves that they use to fertilize a spongy, gray fungus that they eat illustrates the intricacies of insect collaboration. The display mesmerized many. “I could stay here all day and watch ants,” said Kasondra Bomberger, who visited the museum on Saturday from Maryland with her husband and some friends. “It’s fascinating how they all work together to build their home.” 

For those looking to interact more closely with insects, the Davis Butterfly Vivarium on the second floor is worth a visit and the additional cost of $3 to $6 for non-members. In the brightly lit garden, around 600 dazzling butterflies from as many as 80 species swirl, rest, feed, and mate. They even land on visitors occasionally, which heightens the delight. Magnifying glasses placed near feeding stations showcase the intricate wing patterns of butterflies and the straw-like proboscis they use to imbibe nectar. Colorful signs offer tidbits of lepidoptera science, and staff members and volunteers answer questions and share expertise.

Other attractions include a pupae incubator where, if you’re lucky, you can see butterflies emerging from their chrysalis. And hanging out in its own display case is a gigantic atlas moth — one of the planet’s largest insects. 

Interactivity of a different sort awaits in Invisible Worlds, an immersive video experience on the third floor that also requires another timed ticket, also around $3 to $6 for non-members. The main attraction is a 12-minute looped video that plays on the walls and floor of a vast oval room. The show takes visitors through visually stunning animated environments, from microscopic strands of DNA to a Brazilian rain forest to the ocean depths, complete with a humpback whale illuminated by bioluminescent phytoplankton.

Interactive video elements on the floor are especially popular with the younger set. Kids stomp on virtual puddles of water and watch with glee as they disperse or dart around, trailing glowing tails of phytoplankton. 

Chelsea Silverstein came on Saturday for the second day in a row with her husband and their 2-year-old son Ryder. “It was so fun, we just had to return for more,” she said. “He just kept saying, ‘Mommy, that was so, so cool.’”

Lulu, another 2-year-old, responded differently to all the stimulation. She clutched her dad, Chris Ngu, as he held her in his arms. He loved the show, he said, adding, “I know one day when she’s older she will.” 

For a quieter but still intriguing experience, check out Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Collections Core. Three floors of glass-enclosed cases along the wing’s southern wall display more than 3,000 specimens and artifacts from among the millions that the museum holds. Curiosities abound, and the exhibits reward even casual observation. Some standouts include teeth — some as long as 7 inches — from an extinct shark species known as megalodon that grew to about 50 feet long. An exhibit of New York rocks includes samples of schist, the shimmering black and gray bedrock of Manhattan tough enough to support its skyscrapers, and examples of softer and more elegant cream- and cinnamon-hued Inwood marble.

The skeleton of a giant grouper drew gasps and “oh, wows” from visitors who marveled at the massive size of the coral reef fish as they stumbled across it. 

“Imagine swimming and you see a big old fish like that,” a dad said playfully to his young son on Sunday as they gazed at the skeleton.

The father read aloud the information panel about giant groupers, which average around 6 feet long and can grow to almost 9 feet and nearly 900 pounds. Then they moved on, smiling and talking, ready to find new wonders. 

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