On our trip to NYC, we stopped to see the Museum of the American Gangster. I learned about it on Atlas Obscura, and then we found a Groupon for 50% discount admission, so it seemed like a worthwhile stop. The museum itself is tiny, but the guide was so well educated and passionate about the subject matter that our tour lasted about an hour and a half. The exhibits consist mostly of photo reprints of mugshots and newspaper headlines, but there are some noteworthy things to see:
Some bullets that were used in the Valentine's Day Massacre:
My favorite display was the Henry Hill one. Apparently, he came into the museum shortly after he moved back to NYC, following his removal from the witness protection program; he was pretty unhappy to see that the museum didn't mention him at all, she he donated the items himself. He donated a painting he made of the NYC skyline, a page from his yearbook in which his classmates voted him Most Talkative, and one of his suits. He also donated an icepick (his weapon of choice) and autographed it.
The museum is the site of an old speakeasy, and in the 1960's two safes were found in the basement. One is on display in the museum, and the other remains in the basement of the speakeasy, which is now an absinthe bar.
The best part of the museum was getting to go inside the old speakeasy, and picturing what it must have looked like almost 100 years ago.
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