The Museum of Natural History

Located at 79th Street and Central Park West, the American Museum of Natural History is home to two, famed dinosaur halls; the largest sapphire in the world; and a 34-ton meteorite so heavy it’s supported by columns that extend through the floor, among thousands of other treasures. But as you view these wonders, consider the amazing fact that 98% of the museum’s vast collection isn’t even on exhibit—rather most of the museum’s millions of bones and artifacts are housed in a private warren of storerooms, vaults, and attics.

As Jack and Cora discover, the museum has live specimens as well. Louis Sorkin at the entomology section of the museum told me about his private section of the museum where Euri would have found the Madagascar hissing cockroaches. These three-inch long cockroaches emit a loud, steam-pipe-like hiss.

To learn about other secrets of the museum and its collections—and there are many!—I highly recommend Douglas Preston’s fabulous book, Dinosaurs in the Attics.