Metropolitan Museum of Art

If I could pick my top 3 places to go in New York, The Met would be one of the three. I’ve always been a fan of classic French paintings, so I really enjoyed the European painting section of The Met. From the outside, it doesn’t look that big, but the place is sprawling.

You can easily spend a day here, especially if you’re into art. Do be cautious though, The Met is a “pay-as-you-wish” museum, which means you can pay as low as $0.01 to get in if you’re not a New York resident. Do note that they make this part very uncomfy – technically, you can purchase tickets ahead of time online and also from their self-service kiosks, but you have to pay the “suggested entrance fee” of $25. If you wish to buy a ticket for less than that, you’d have to tell it face-to-face to their sales rep. It’s really smart-ass, if you ask me. Of course, you’d feel shy to pay a penny to get in if you’d have to tell an actual person about it. I’m all about supporting art and artists, but The Met actually gets financial support from the local government and benefits from sponsors as well. They also only use a small percentage of the fees collected for operating expenses, which makes you wonder where the rest of it goes. They also lost to a lawsuit before, requiring them to change the wording on their signages from “Recommended entrance fee” to “Suggested entrance fee”. They also had to put a phrase that any amount is acceptable. You’re more than welcome to give more than $25 if you want, I’m just saying that you don’t have to. You can read more about that issue here:The Met Takes the Guilt

Now, back to the actual art. You’ll love it here if you’re into classical art. I specifically love Pissarro, Renoir, Monet, and Seurat, so I took my time to enjoy the paintings when I was there. They have a good collection of Neo-Impressionism paintings here as well.

 They also have regular sections dedicated to Roman sculptures, Japanese art, and Chinese art if you’re into those.

They also house special exhibits that change from time to time, so do check out their website for updates: metmuseum.org