New York City is notoriously expensive, so I’m always on the hunt for affordable things to see and experience. If you are in the know, there are many amazing museums that offer ‘suggested donation’ admission and others that have free admission on certain days of the week. Open since 1872 The Metropolitan Museum of Art [1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028] is the largest art museum in America and one of the most renowned museums in the world.
Its doors brimming with some of the finest art imaginable are always open to you, no matter how much or how little you have to donate. Fancy that! The Met is huge and you can spend hours before seeing everything. There are works from all over the world, all throughout time.
Some highlights from my recent trip include the selection of armor, even a suit worn by King Henry VIII,
magnificent Tiffany stained glass windows,
and brilliant paintings by your favorite artists – Van Gogh and Monet.
The Met is located right beside Central Park, another place to enjoy affordably. That was great for one day, but did you know there are two other museums associated with The Met that are also suggested donation? Just a few blocks away the Met Breuer [945 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10021] focuses on contemporary art.
I was happily introduced to many new (to me) painters,
sculptors,
and creative thinkers. One of my favorite works was an interactive piece where you are given a pipette to taste colorful liquids in a bowl.
The fun part is not knowing what the flavor is going to be. The third associated museum is located in upper Manhattan is the The Met Cloisters [99 Margaret Corbin Drive Fort Tryon Park New York, NY 10040], specializing in European medieval art. The Cloisters sits in a lovely park beside the river.
It’s architecture and garden are striking, a perfect atmosphere for the art within.
I am very fascinated with the time period and particularly love its use of unicorns.
The collection of the Unicorn Tapestries from 1495-1505, woven with wool and silk, is worth visiting the museum for itself.
It brought me back to the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries from the same period at the Musée national du Moyen Âge in Paris. Another motif I love from the period is the use of stained glass, there are almost 300 panels in the museum.
I also am attracted anything odd, and there are heaps of weird sights around every corner.
One piece even contains the fragments of a saint’s arm. It isn’t far fetched to have a day filled with art and culture on a dime in NYC, thanks to the generosity of the The Mets!
Love all three of them for different reasons. The Cloisters is one of my favorite places to recharge my batteries after a busy week.