MoMa vs Met

12 days and counting!! Everyone on this board has been SO helpful with my questions so far, thank you all so much. I%26#39;ll be staying at the QT Hotel, which I%26#39;m REALLY excited about, and would never even have heard of it if not for this board. Anyway!!!

I only have 3 days in NYC and I%26#39;m trying to budget my time wisely. I would like to go to a museum, possibly, and can%26#39;t decide between the MoMa %26amp; the MET. I don%26#39;t absolutely love museums, but I do enjoy them some. Any advice would be appreciated (I probably only would have about 2-3 hours to spend in a museum)

Thanks!!

MoMa vs Met

If the only art that interests you is that which was produced in Europe and America during the last 125 years, go to MoMA. If you think that there was art worth looking at that was created before that and elsewhere, go to the Met.

MoMa vs Met

My suggestion would be the Met, hands down. Do yourself a favor, though,and get online to research what it has to offer. It%26#39;s soooo big and diverse. If Dutch Masters paintings are your thing, know where to find them once you arrive. Likewise, if Egyptian artifacts make your heart go ';pitterpatter';, get yourself to that part of the Met. It%26#39;s a jewel in New York%26#39;s crown!

I prefer the MET, but it is the largest museum on the western hemisphere so as a previous poster noted you need to have a game plan if you go in there. There is also a really cool exhibit on armor and swords from different ages. The armor and swords are these incredible functional pieces of art. The just remodeled the MOMA and I have to admit I liked it more before. I don%26#39;t know why, I just went back there a month ago and it seemed to lack something. The MoMA also has alot of art where your initial reaction is ';Come On, this is art???'; For instance they have a giant room where the lights turn on for 5 seconds and off for 2....that is the art. The light and dark of a space. Yeah, I get it but....';Come On, this is art???'; That though, is one of the fun things in the MoMa, trying to see the artistry in things that aren鈥檛 overtly artistic. MoMa is also $20! I think the MET is a suggested donation of 7 or 10 but I could be wrong.

Yes, the Met is suggested donation, you give whatever you want.

You say that you ';don%26#39;t absolutely love museums, but I do enjoy them some.'; What have you liked in the past and what have you hated? This will help us give you some advice. There are many museums in NYC and not all of them are art museums. When you think, ';museum';, what turns you off vs on?

Wow thanks for the great advice already. Someone actually mentioned the museum of natural history to me tonight...any thoughts on that??

As far as what kind of ';art'; or ';museum'; I like...I%26#39;m a geek at heart (ok I work in the medical field) so I%26#39;m way into science. Actually, the Bodies exhibit would be exactly up my alley, but I%26#39;ve just seen the one in Dallas and don%26#39;t know that I%26#39;d want to spend the $$ in NY to see something so similar.

Thanks again!

Hello all

This is more or less my question too!

MOMA or any other museum ?

When you are interested in portraiture and figurative art within the last 100yrs which is best to go to?

I am rather shocked that most places close down at 5/6pm in such a big city ..when you are on a strictly limited for time break there is no way you can afford to spend 4hrs in a museum on what will probaly be your one and only visit to the big apple!

If the museums were open later it would be more possible to spend time visiting.

For Lucy2001: For geeks, I%26#39;d skip the Met and MOMA and head to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and or to the Hall of Science in Queens. Re the AMNH http://www.amnh.org, sounds like you might especially like tha hall of human origins (a first rate exhibit on evolution) as well as their many paleantology exhibits (including not just reptiles like dinasaurs, but many mammals as well). Note that unlike most museums, AMNH exhibits the real fossil whereever possible, not a cast. They%26#39;re also running a big Gold exhibit now.

I haven%26#39;t been to the Hall Of Science in a couple of years and frankly, it then looked a bit tired to me. However, they%26#39;ve done some renovations, including a complete refurishment of ';rocket park';. It%26#39;s a bit off the beaten track for a short visit, so I%26#39;d lean towards skipping it.

For MikeJAyFay: skip MoMA and head to the Met -- and or to the Gugenheim. I%26#39;m not an art expert, but if you say you want figurative art, you%26#39;ll get more of that at the Met than MoMA. MoMA%26#39;s web site, http://www.metmuseum.org/, doesn%26#39;t really do the museum justice, it%26#39;s HUGE and covers many eras of mostly western art.

The Guggenheim is much smaller than the Met, but still quite large, you%26#39;ll have to check what they are planning for your trip dates, see www.guggenheim.org/new_york_index.shtml (they just closed a wonderful exhibit on Spanish art, ';From Goya to Picasso';. Note that audio tours are included in the entry fee, if you want to use it.

Another thought for MikAjayFay: re portraiture, if you can fit in a trip to Washington, DC, the National Portrait Gallery is wonderfull. They just reopened after a refurbishment -- I haven%26#39;t seen it yet -- but when I lived outside DC it was one of my favorite places. See http://www.npg.si.edu/. And once in DC you can also go the the National Gallery, etc.

Tough question: sort of apples and oranges, but I%26#39;m surprise there aren%26#39;t more votes for the MOMA; my vote.

MoMA is good for quick, dirty tour of famous paintings, easily covered (well sort of) in a few hours. Met has plenty of famous stuff, but its strength is its diversity, imho, and we%26#39;re talking at least half a day to cover its contents.

The suggestion of Museum of Natural History is a good one, esp. if you%26#39;re bringing kids. Unfortunately, going there with kids may take more time than you%26#39;re budgeted for.

If you go to the Met, stop by for a pix outside the Gugg, a few blocks north.

Hope this helps...