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The Met: best winter hangout in New York
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Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue at night
There are cold, nasty winter days when even the most die-hard New Yorker secretly wishes for a good mall—one of those huge interior spaces where you can wander for hours, gazing at things and people, then maybe take a break for coffee, a drink, or a bite to eat before wandering some more.
For better or worse, Manhattan doesn’t have many malls. There is the disappointing and banal Manhattan Mall across from Macy’s, the pretentious, pink marble-lined Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue and the marginally more tasteful but still over-the-top temple to consumerism, the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle. Nobody I know would be caught dead in any of these monstrosities—except for a quick run to buy skinny jeans for their desperate teenage daughter. And, anyway, you can stroll through any of them in five minutes.
New York City, however, has something like a mall, only better—way better—the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 5th Avenue and 82nd Street. The Met has more square footage open for public wandering than the Time Warner Center. And it has more fascinating and beautiful things to admire than any mall in New York…or anywhere else in the world. I mean, which would you rather spend time gazing at—a Hugo Boss calfskin bag or a Greek god?
I’ll admit I’m biased. I’ve always been a sort of mall rat of the art world and have been hanging out at the Metropolitan museum since I was a kid. I started back in the Met’s pre-historic, pre-King Tut blockbuster era, when its corridors were all but deserted on weekday afternoons. In those days, you could sometimes spend five minutes alone in the room with Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” or Rembrandt’s “Self Portrait,” and there were no audio tours or plaques to tell you what to think and no digital cameras to prevent you from seeing without an intermediary.
How the Met has changed! These days the rooms are usually overflowing with people—thanks to the museum’s high profile shows, its gala benefits, its advertising campaigns and its multitude of gift shops. But you can still have a wonderful time there and—if you like to use your eyes—you will never get bored, no matter how many times you return. I’ve been hanging out at the Met about once a month for more than 30 years and I still haven’t seen everything that’s there. And I still look forward to every visit.
No matter who you are or what your interests, there is probably something at the Met for you. Children famously run straight for the Egyptian mummies and the hall of medieval arms and armor. Teenagers usually adore the high fashion displays in the Met’s Costume Institute. Antique collectors go gaga for the American Wing. Garden enthusiasts will be enchanted by the Chinese rock garden in the Astor Court. Architecture buffs will admire the famous Little House living room that Frank Lloyd Wright designed, now installed in the museum. Students of Middle East culture and interior design fans will want to see the gorgeously paneled 17th century Nur al-Din Room from Damascus. And nearly everyone loves the iconic Egyptian Temple of Dendur, surrounded by water canals, papyrus plants and sphinxes. These are just a few highlights of the more than two million works of art that make up the Met’s permanent collection. And, besides all that, there are the fabulous special exhibitions that change throughout the year.
When you get tired, hungry and thirsty, the Met has two cafes, a cafeteria and a bar where you can relax. My favorite is the Balcony Café & Bar, on the second floor of the beautiful Great Hall, where you can have a drink and tapas while looking down at the crowds milling below. The bar is open Fridays and Saturdays from 4:00 to 8:00 pm and features live classical music.
Weekend evenings are the perfect time to go to the Met, since it stays open late on Fridays and Saturdays to 9:00 p.m. You can take in an exhibition or two, break for drinks or dinner, then wander the museum for another hour before closing time--with far less company than you'd have during the day. If you plan prudently, the Met can be one of the classiest “cheap dates” in Manhattan.
On the subject of money, if you’re on a tight budget, don’t feel you have to pay the museum’s suggested admission of $20 per adult. “Suggested” is the operative word here. You will be admitted no matter how large or small you donation. If you can only afford 50¢—so be it. Art isn’t for the wealthy—it’s for everyone.
Come on in! Make yourself at home at the Metropolitan Museum of Art—America’s most spectacular mall.
Links to more information about the Met:
Metropolitan Museum of Art general information
Planning your visit to the Met
The Met's new Greek & Roman gallery - New York Times video
Other stories about New York museums:
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