Event · East Village
At City Lore in NYC's East Village, a Show That Maps New York by Smell, Touch and Sound
City Lore Gallery in the East Village presents Sense & the City, a show mapping about 200 New York places through photos, scratch-and-sniff strips, a tactile rail and a sound piano. It runs to January 18, 2027, open weekends.
By NBT Editors · 2026-10-20
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City Lore Gallery in the East Village is hosting Sense & the City: Exploring New York City Through the Five Senses, an exhibition that asks visitors to experience the city with more than their eyes. It runs from October 8, 2026, through January 18, 2027.
The show maps roughly 200 places across New York. Photographs set the scene, but the exhibition goes further: scratch-and-sniff strips release scents, a tactile rail invites visitors to follow textures by hand, and a sound piano lets people play with the city's noise. Together they offer a way into familiar places through senses we rarely use to remember them.
City Lore is the organization behind it. It has long documented and presented New York's folk culture and neighborhood stories, and this exhibition is part of its 40th anniversary programming. That grounding in everyday, local life shapes how the city is portrayed here.
The gallery is at 56 East 1st Street and is open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6pm. It makes an easy weekend stop for long-time residents who want to revisit a corner they know in a new way, and for newcomers looking for a view of the city that goes beyond the usual landmarks.
