The Museum of Sex in New York, NY (where Else?)

It would be easy to write off the Museum of Sex as a joke, a tourist trap for the somewhat more adventurous tourist. It's not. Conveniently located on the corner of 27th and Fifth, just a stone's throw from Madison Square Park, the Museum of Sex is intellectually rich experience. Although not particularly arousing, unless that can happen to you in a crowd.

In its own words, the Museum of Sex is about "the exploration of the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality." In a nutshell, what this boils down to is an examination of events and trends from the past that brought sex to where it is today, and how that has influenced the rest of our history along the line. In a way, it's not that different from other museums. Subject matter aside. But content does not determine form.

The Museum of Sex operates both rotating exhibitions and a look at its permanent collection. One recent exhibition topic is "Peeping, Probing and Porn: Four Centuries of Graphic Sex in Japan", which is what it sounds like; never before have so many woodblock prints from old Edo been assembled in one place to depict men with monstrous phalluses pleasuring women, or those same women turning around and getting it from octopi. In a way, it's startling and even incongruous to see such modern notions of filth and smut presented in a context of art from the past, but there you have it. Reaching back to a closer, more local history, another recent exhibit was "Stags, Smokers and Blue Movies: The Origins of American Pornographic Film". This gallery of old pornographic movies shows the first attempts at dirty movies in a less polished, less accepting age, and again, the frankness and openness of clearly old movies to show hardcore sexual acts is a bit of a head-trip, and recontextualizes one's feelings about old people; they may have been more with it than we give credit for. The exhibit explains why these crude one-reel movies were made and shown in the conditions they were and how, for many men, congregating together shamefacedly in cramped, smoky theaters for these movies was the best they got for sexual education in a more repressed age. The exhibits, like lovers, come and go; previous topics have included "How New York Sex Changed America" and "Vamps & Virgins: The Evolution of American Pinup Photography, 1860-1960". All have been noted for a worthy look at our past through the lens of sex and sexuality.

It is inevitable that the Museum of Sex be, essentially, a museum of pornography; how else is one supposed to depict sexual culture in one's era to pass down to future generations? Our culture is preserved through historical documents, and this particular set happens to depict bare breasts at the tamest. As such, the museum is not for kids or for the conservative-minded oldsters (which is ironic, as Grandma's own generation's favorite pornography might be on display). But note that the emphasis on the presentation should be on the word Museum, not Sex. It's an institute for education and teaching, and nothing is presented for the sake of mere titillation; everything is put into context. It's a history lesson with more interesting visual aids. It's worth noting that the Museum accepts no funding from the porn industry, and that it is not classified as an adult education center (thus allowed to be located near schools and churches). Unlike Venice's Museo d'Arte Erotica or France's Musée de l'Érotisme, this is not a place about eroticism. You spend as much time reading as looking.

At least till you see what's on display from the permanent collection. Featuring artifacts as diverse as a RealDoll, hologram pornography, a copy of "Heather Has Two Mommies" and the 1970s film "The ABC of Sex Education for Trainables" - not to mention a variety of homemade sex machines - the permanent collection display room is a cheerfully hodgepodge arrangement of things you never knew existed, and the sheer comic perversity of it all makes for a great way to wrap up an unforgettable experience.

And once you're done with pornography on display at the Museum of Sex, there are several options for fine dining in the area.