I know, the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) and the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art) are the places to go in NYC, but if you want the kind of out-of-city experience you can only find in Manhattan, I recommend The Frick (5th & 70th). Why?

  1. It’s less crowded than the major museums.
  2. The collection is housed in a Manhattan Mansion. (Really, how cool is that?)
  3. It’s small enough to accomplish in a few hours.

“The Frick Collection is housed in the former residence of Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), the Pittsburgh coke-and-steel industrialist…. Mr. Frick bequeathed the residence and the works of art he had collected over a period of forty years to the Board of Trustees…” (frick.org; pictures also from the web-site).

If you are student (or someone who considers herself to be a life-long student and still happens to have a seemingly valid Student ID card…), everyday is your lucky day because the entrance fee is a mere $5. If you aren’t a student the fee is $15, though Sundays are “pay as you wish” from 11am-1pm. (Fairly or unfairly, those under 10 aren’t allowed in the museum at all and those under 16 need adult supervision.)

My favorite painting there is Girl Interrupted at her Music by Vermeer. (Mostly this is because I love the book Girl, Interrupted by Susana Kaysen.

In the book Susana sees this painting at the Frick and uses it as a metaphor for her year in a mental institution. But that’s another story.) But there are many other famous works (which you can browse here). But, more than the paintings & bowls, I liked being in an actual Manhattan Mansion (you can get a virtual tour by clicking on the left hand navigation bar on this page, but it’s not quite the same as actually standing there) and imagining Manhattan in the early 1900s. The Frick is right near Central Park, too, so it’s pretty easy to make a day of it.

    Other Posts You Might Like:
  1. Giant Panorama of NYC
  2. Museum of Sex Giftshop
  3. Frida Kahlo is Fabulous in Philadelphia
  4. One Man’s Junk…
  5. 3D Street Painting