One of the things I love about visiting other cities is discovering the number of interesting museums and galleries that a new location has to offer. Whether you want to learn or be entertained - or both! - there is bound to be an art gallery, science museum, or even an interesting way to learn about the social history of that city.
The large museums are often well known and well frequented in most major cities, but it's often the smaller places that have the really interesting exhibits. As the BitchBuzz Sex & Relationships columnist, on a recent trip to New York City I just couldn't resist visiting the Museum of Sex on 5th Avenue.
When you first walk in to the building, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a sex shop. The museum's store has a whole host of items for sale - some artistic, some crass, and others functional. You can buy books of erotica, filthy photographic tomes, penis pasta, condoms and even sex toys. Fun though this all was to browse through, it was the museum that I was there to see.
As well as the interesting selection of artifacts from the permanent collection, there were further floors with changing exhibits including an exploration of sex on film, a fascinating and often hilarious look at the sex lives of animals, plus a look at "the limitless sexual imagination of comic artists" on the top floor.
However, for me, the most interesting of all the current exhibitions was Obscene Diary which "chronicles the meticulously self-documented sexual life of professor, tattoo artist and pornographer, Samuel Steward". Discovered in a San Francisco attic in 2001, Steward's preserved archive of photos, diaries and drawings formed the basis of a biography of a gay man who lived at a time when it was dangerous to be openly homosexual.
These original documents are destined for a special collections library and so this was a rare chance to see them in person, presented as a fascinating and creative exhibition. Although Steward's meticulous logging of every sexual partner and encounter may seem bizarre, his hoarding of documents gives a fascinating insight into what it was like to be gay in mid-20th century America.
After our wander around the galleries was complete, we popped into the basement bar for a drink and a chat about what we'd seen. OralFix is described as an aphrodisiac café , and I simply had to try one of their cocktails. Who could resist a gin-based concoction called The Queen's Knickers, eh? With drinks that promise "stimulation and euphoria", it would be a rather splendid place to meet for a rather saucy first date.
I thought that my visit to the museum was an extremely interesting and unusual addition to my trip, and I recommend that you check it out if you're in the area. Well, unless you're under 18 or easily offended, of course! Probably not one to visit with family, eh?
The Museum of Sex can be found at 233 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016.