Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
have select times when the museum is free, and (c) museums that only suggest their admission prices—even the
Whitney, Guggenheim, and MoMA will let you in for next to nothing if you time it right. Go and revel in NYC's
embarrassment of cut-rate cultural riches.
Always Free
American Folk Art Museum
After a decade rubbing shoulders with the MoMA in Midtown, this museum
has returned to its original digs. Early American decoration is on permanent view, augmented by rotating exhib-
itions. Among the amazing oddball autodidacts here you'll find the world's largest collection of Henry Darger's
art. Check out the free tours at 1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (There's free music, too, with guitar perform-
ances at 2pm on Wed, singer-songwriters on Fri at 5:30pm.)
2 Lincoln Sq., Columbus Ave., btw. 65th and 66th sts., across from Lincoln Center.
212/595-9533.
www.folkartmuseum.org
.
Tues-Sat
noon-7:30pm; Sun noon-6pm. Subway: 1 to 66th St.
Art Students League of New York Gallery
This independent art school, founded in 1875, is a New York
legend. A host of big names started out here, including Norman Rockwell and Georgia O'Keeffe, who left behind
work in the League's permanent collection. The galleries on the second floor exhibit portions of that collection
along with art by current students, members, and other contemporaries.
215 W. 57th St., btw. Broadway and Seventh Ave.
212/247-4510.
www.theartstudentsleague.org
. Mon-Fri 9am-8:30pm; Sat-Sun 9am-4:30pm
(closed Sun Jan-Aug, closed at 3pm Sat Jan-May). Subway: N/Q/R to 57th St.; B/D/E to Seventh Ave.
Audubon Terrace
Broadway, between 155th and 156th streets, boasts a complex of educational and cultural in-
stitutions, housed around a central courtyard with an odd, oversize statue of El Cid. The sedate classical struc-
tures are completely unexpected in the middle of a colorful Harlem neighborhood, and few people make the trek
this far north on the island. As a result, Audubon Terrace has been hemorrhaging institutions at a rapid pace. All
but the following two have flown south/downtown:
The Hispanic Society of America
Hispanic treasures ranging from Bronze Age tools to Goya portraits,
seemingly assembled at random, fill this intriguing, newly renovated museum. Free tours are offered every
Saturday at 2pm. Don't miss the intricate marble chapel sculptures on the first floor and the gorgeous arabesque
tiles upstairs.
Audubon Terrace, Broadway, btw. 155th and 156th sts.
212/926-2234.
www.hispanicsociety.org
.
Tues-Sat 10am-4:30pm; Sun 1-4pm. Subway:
1 to 157th St.
American Academy of Arts and Letters
This prestigious century-old organization extends membership
to the cream of the nation's writers and artists. Exhibits in March and May highlight the works of these artists, as
well as the recipients of Academy prizes.
Audubon Terrace, Broadway, btw. 155th and 156th sts.
212/368-5900.
www.artsandletters.org
. Open when exhibitions are up Thurs-Sun
1-4pm (closed Fri-Sun during holiday weekends). Subway: 1 to 157th St.
Austrian Cultural Forum
The architecture of the Austrian Cultural Forum has garnered more eyebrows
raised than critical praise. I find the exterior ominous, like a dagger looming over the street. The interior is more
attractive, sleek, if somewhat cold. Austrian- and European-themed shows rotate through the five-level gallery,
and there are regular film and music programs.
Events are free, but many require advance reserva-
tions.
11 E. 52nd St., btw. Fifth and Madison aves.
212/319-5300.
www.acfny.org
. Daily 10am-6pm. Subway: E/M to Fifth Ave./53rd St.
BLDG 92
The history of the Navy Yard is simultaneously the history of Brooklyn and America, giving this
small museum unexpectedly broad appeal. A timeline in the main exhibit space walks you through the yard's
highlights, spanning a century and a half of ironclads, steamships, and aircraft carriers. The structure itself is
intriguing, a genteel 1858 Marine Commandant's residence with an environmentally friendly modern building
artfully grafted onto it. On the fourth floor, find a pleasant terrace and gourmet canteen eats (artisanal grilled
cheese, $5).
