Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
170 Central Park W., at 77th St.
212/873-3400.
www.nyhistory.org
. Regular admission $15; pay what you wish Fri 6-8pm. Tues-Thurs and Sat
10am-6pm; Fri 10am-8pm; Sun 11am-5pm. Subway: B/C to 81st St.; 1 to 79th St.
The Noguchi Museum
Many New Yorkers have passed the Red Cube sculpture on lower Broadway, the
stainless-steel plaque at the AP's headquarters in Rockefeller Center, and the sunken garden at the Chase Man-
hattan Bank Plaza, without realizing they're all by Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi. Noguchi's former
home/studio shows off additional creativity in transforming a photo-engraving plant into a graceful oasis in the
midst of industrial Queens. Renovated in 2004 and 2008, the museum features galleries of Noguchi's sculptural
and architectural forms, and a tranquil birch-shaded sculpture garden.
9-01 33rd Rd., at Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, Queens.
718/204-7088.
www.noguchi.org
. Regular admission $10; pay what you wish the 1st
Fri of every month. Wed-Fri 10am-5pm; Sat-Sun 11am-6pm. Subway: N/Q to Broadway. Walk 8 blocks along Broadway toward the East River.
The Rubin Museum of Art
New Yorkers finally got a Himalayan art museum when the Rubin opened up in
2004. A marble-and-steel spiral staircase, the focal point of the Barneys department store that was the previous
tenant, winds through seven floors of painting, sculpture, and textiles. Thoughtful texts provide context for the
bodhisattvas and mandalas on the walls. On Friday nights at 6:15 (except during the summer), when entry to the
museum is free, you can catch a tour with a contemporary artist or curator and learn even more.
150 W. 17th St., btw. Sixth and Seventh aves.
212/620-5000.
www.rmanyc.org
.
Regular admission $10; free Fri 6-10pm. Mon and Thurs
11am-5pm; Wed 11am-7pm; Fri 11am-10pm; Sat-Sun 11am-6pm. Subway: 1/2/3 or F/M to 14th St.; L to Sixth Ave.
The Studio Museum in Harlem
Dedicated to the art of African Americans, with a sideline on the African Di-
aspora, this small museum has gathered a terrific permanent collection. Exhibits rotate frequently and the calen-
dar is packed with freebies. There are poetry readings, dance, forums, and open studios for the A-I-R program,
which shows off the Artists in Residence that the Studio Museum helps support.
144 W. 125th St., btw. Lenox Ave. and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.
212/864-4500.
www.studiomuseum.org
.
Suggested admission $7; free Sun.
Thurs-Fri noon-9pm; Sat 10am-6pm; Sun noon-6pm. Subway: 2/3 to 125th St.
Whitney Museum of American Art
Behind imposing Bauhaus walls on Madison Avenue lies a spectacular col-
lection of 20th-century art. The Whitney is rich in Edward Hoppers, Louise Nevelsons, and Georgia O'Keeffes,
and they're good about rotating the permanent collection through their upper galleries. Shows of contemporary
artists on other floors tend to be rather cutting edge for a big Uptown institution. The legendary
Whitney Bian-
nual
—love it or hate it (or both)—is the institution's biggest draw.
945 Madison Ave., at 75th St.
212/570-3676.
www.whitney.org
. Regular admission $18; pay what you wish Fri after 6pm. Wed-Thurs and
Sat-Sun 11am-6pm; Fri 1-9pm. Subway: 6 to 77th St.
Suggested Admissions
Many New York institutions let in visitors on the basis of a “suggested admission.” The price you have to pay
isn't set in stone; it's set by the dictates of your own conscience. Before you decide how much to pony up, remem-
ber that you're already giving if you pay local taxes. We working stiffs support the NYC Department of Cultural
Affairs, the largest agency of its kind in the U.S. In 2012, the agency had $152 million set aside for expenses. The
DCA helps fund dozens of local institutions, many of which are owned by the city (and by extension, you and
me). Sometimes $1 seems like the right amount to be spending on one's own museum. That's not to say if you're
flush you should be stiffing these institutions, which do spectacular work. If you've got a spare couple of bucks,
by all means toss them in the hat.
American Museum of Natural History
It's easy to lose yourself within the 4-square-block walls of this le-
gendary museum. Low-profile sections still have the dingy lighting and old-fashioned lettering of a few decades
ago, but the big players received radical upgrades. Dinosaurs have been brought into the 21st century and $210
million has space-aged the Hayden Planetarium. With that big an outlay, the museum likes to see its full $19 ad-
mission when you come, although technically it's only a suggestion and you can pay what you wish.
