New York City Museums And Galleries

New York City’s blockbuster museums are the Met, the MoMA, and the Museum of Natural History—and they are indeed world-class. But don’t limit yourself to these three; the city is home to an almost embarrassing number of high-quality museums, many of which would, in most places, be considered peerless. The Frick, the Guggenheim, the Morgan Library and Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum are all world-class. But the city’s more idiosyncratic museums are often your best bet for a straight-up good time. Check out the New York Transit Museum , the Lower East Side Tenement Museum , the Paley Center for Media (p. 242), and the Museum of the City of New York when you tire of obligatory masterworks.

During the annual Museum Mile Festival (☎212-606-2296) in mid-June, Fifth Ave. museums keep their doors open until late at night, staging interactive exhibits and filling the streets with music. Many sponsor film series and live concerts throughout the year (see Entertainment). Be aware that several major museums, including the Met, the Cloisters, the Frick, and the Whitney, are closed on Monday. The MoMA is closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

New York’s galleries are trendsetters in the art world, and they don’t charge admission. Pick up a free copy of The Gallery Guide (www.galleryguideonline.com) at any major museum or gallery. Published every two to three months, it lists the addresses, phone numbers, and hours of virtually every showplace in the city. Gallery info can also be found in the “Choices” listings of the Village Voice, the Art section of New York Magazine, and the “Goings On About Town” section of The New Yorker. Most galleries are open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 or 11am to 5 or 6pm. Galleries tend to be open only on weekend afternoons in the summer, and many close altogether from late July to early September.

Museums By Neighborhood

Museum Of Jewish Heritage. This sleek, modern building, completed in 1997, is a living memorial to both the vitality of the Jewish people and its tragic history. The building’s six sides recall at ...more

Galleries

The most cutting-edge art exhibits are often on the second or third floors of gallery-packed buildings. The buildings at 560-594 Broadway, between W Houston and Prince St., are known as the Broadway ...more