USA Travel Guide

We’ve mentioned a lot of great museums in this series – flight museums, hall of fames, “museums of conscience” – but nothing on this scale. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or “The Met”, in New York City is arguably the nation’s preeminent art museum with a legacy reaching 140 years and a standing collection of over two million pieces.

A city like New York, a location like Central Park, it would seem that the Metropolitan Museum of Art was meant to be. From humble beginnings of only 174 paintings and a private residence for gallery space, the Met expanded exponentially year over year, decade over decade, into the behemoth structure it is today measuring nearly a quarter mile long with two million square feet of total space. Naturally, the vastness of the collection and sheer physical magnitude of the museum would be a daunting task for any curator, so the Met employs an entire army of curators, scholars, docents and restorers, each serving an independent yet cohesive collection.

And what about that collection? Across nineteen departments, the Met features pieces from classical antiquity up to photography. Famous galleries include the Egyptian art and craftworks, Asian art, Islamic art, Greek and Roman art, an incredibly extensive collection of musical instruments, interiors, African art, the art of Oceania, European art, of course, and also an impressive collection of arms and armor throughout the ages with a focus on medieval Europe. If names mean more than locations for you, you’ll potentially see Édouard Manet, David, El Greco, Winslow Homer, Van Gogh, Titian, James McNeill Whistler, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Rodin and so many others.

Forgive me if this sounds belittling, but perhaps the very best thing about the Met is that it’s located in Central Park, New York City. Before or after your visit, there’s a world of entertainment to discover no matter which direction you walk. And speaking of walking, comfortable walking shoes wouldn’t be a bad idea. Two million square feet is no pleasure hike, after all.

The Museum of Modern Art is closed on Mondays except for certain holidays. Hours are Tue-Thur, 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.; Fri-Sat, 9:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Sunday, 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. The Met is located on the east end of Central Park. Learn more about it here.

There are so many fantastic hotels to choose from that I just couldn’t narrow it down. For a luxurious choice in Central Park hotels, one that’ll have you only minutes from the Met’s front door, consider a stay at the historic Essex House. With classic Art Deco design and a history back to 1931, it’s a gallery in itself.

Just a few blocks away, you can try one of our favorite hotels in Times Square, the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan. As the only hotel on the square with traditional butler service, this is another opulent choice that you won’t regret, especially if it’s your first time in New York City.

Image of the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Majonaise available under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2; learn more. Image of The Grand Canal – Venice available in Public Domain.