New York City Museums and Libraries

New York City is home to some of the most famous museums and libraries in the world, so I will dedicate one full article about them. I visited the ones that have free admission, but of course I was unable to go to all of them due to time constraints and schedules.

New York City can be quite expensive, and most museums do charge entrance fees, but as a way of thanking people for patronizing them, there are certain days in a week where there is free admission, or what they say as give what you want- as a donation for the upkeep.

First on the list is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, affectionately known as The Met. It is the largest art museum in the United States, and is among one of the most visited art museums in the whole world.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Located on 1000 5th Avenue, the Met is just a few blocks from my swanky digs. 86th St. is the nearest side street, although it doesn't intersect it. It sits partly on Central Park. If you purchase your ticket at the museum booths, what you pay is up to you and you are encouraged to be as generous as you can. General admission is $25 for adults. I did not buy the tickets as there was a long line when I went there, so I just satisfied myself by taking a few pictures outside and sitting on one of the chairs provided to the public.

Left fountain

  

In front of the museum are two fountains, one on the left and another one on the right. This little boy was having the time of his life playing with the freezing water. His lips have turned purple but he wouldn't stop playing with the water, so I along with many bystanders, started taking his picture!

Photo taken from 86th St.

I took this from the shade one afternoon for some 'artistic' effect, with the blue sky on top, the buildings on the other side still under the sunshine and the Met shaded, so there.

Main entrance

This is the main entrance of the museum, and a lot of people choose to hangout here as there is free wifi. Its permanent collection contains over 2 million works, divided among seventeen curatorial departments.

walkway outside the Met

Outside the Met, it looks like this. The pathway has trees on opposite sides creating a canopy like atmosphere, and there are tables and chairs on one side where people can sit and relax, on the other side are street vendors selling souvenirs, from artwork, key chains, fridge magnets, t-shirts, they have everything.

souvenir stall outside the met

This is just one of the stalls outside the Met. They could be a bit pricey, and it's okay to try to haggle. Some give a discount, others don't. So try your best.

Second on my list is the National Museum of the American Indian. Located on the south of Bowling Green, in lower Manhattan, it is adjacent to the northeast corner of Battery Park. Entrance to this museum is free. I was going to take the cruise to the Statue of Liberty when I went, but the lines were soooo long that day as it was a public holiday, so instead of waiting for hours in the sun to get in the ferry, I just went into the museum for some fun. :-)

Main entrance

The National Museum of the American Indian has one of the most extensive collections of Native American arts and artifacts in the world- approximately 266,000 catalog records representing over 12,000 years of history and more than 1,200 indigenous cultures throughout the Americas.

Intricately carved wooden jugs.

Current holdings include all major culture areas of the Western Hemisphere, representing virtually all tribes in the United States, most of those of Canada, a significant number of cultures from Middle and South America and the Caribbean.

Clothing apparel in those days.

The good thing about this museum is that photo taking is not prohibited at all so I kept on clicking my iPad! I spent at least a couple of hours exploring until my feet hurt.

Various vessels for storage

If you want to visit the museum, you can just take the either one of the 4 and 5 trains and get off at Bowling Green station. Alternatively, you can take trains 2 and 3 and get off at Wall Street station. It is just a few minutes walk.

American Indian artwork.

These are just some of the pictures I took, and again my iPad was very limited in terms of quality, plus, I am not a professional photographer, so please be understanding with my pictures. I'll try to do better in my future trips! :-)

Main lobby of the museum.

This is the main lobby of the museum. So like other museum, the ceiling have very elaborate designs, and since I know nothing about architectural terms, I won't attempt to describe it that way. I'll just say, it is grandiose. :-)

The apartment where I stayed is located along 5th Avenue in an area called the Museum mile because there are a lot of museums within walking distance. One of them is the Met, and another one is the Guggenheim museum. Located on 1071 5th Avenue, corner East 89th St, here is another museum within walking distance from the apartment.

The Guggenheim museum.

This museum is a contemporary art museum, and since I don't necessarily understand contemporary art at best, neither am I an art enthusiast, I did not set foot inside, ha ha! And unlike the Met where you can just pay any amount you want, the entrance fee is fixed at $25. It houses one of the world's finest collections of modern and contemporary art, in a modernist building designed by Frank LLoyd Wright.

The Jewish museum.

I would have loved to go into the Jewish museum as I have been to Israel several times, but sadly, my schedule did not permit me to go. This museum is also within walking distance from the apartment, located on 1109 5th Avenue corner 92nd St, it is in fact the nearest. It is the first Jewish museum in the United States, as well as the oldest existing Jewish museum in the world, it contains the largest collection of art and Jewish culture excluding Israeli museums.

American Museum of Natural History.

This is the American Museum of Natural History. This is where the movie Night at the Museum starring Ben Stiller was shot. Located on the Upper West side of Manhattan, the AMNH is one of the largest museums in the world. It is on Roosevelt Park across the street from Central Park. The museum complex comprises 28 interconnected buildings housing 45 permanent exhibition halls, in addition to a planetarium and a library. 

The American Museum of Natural History lobby

The one mission statement of the American Museum of Natural History is: "To discover, interpret, and disseminate—through scientific research and education—knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe." 

I only took a picture of the dinosaur on the lobby as there was a very long line when I went there, so sadly I did not get to explore all their cool displays. What a shame. :-(

The last thing to be discussed in this article  is the New York Public Library. Located along 5th Avenue and 42nd St., the Stephen A. Schwarzman building below is part of the New York Public Library, which consists of our major research libraries and 88 branch libraries located in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island.

Stephen A Schwarzman Building of NYPL.

Often referred to as the 'main branch', this Beaux-Arts building houses outstanding research collections in the humanities and social sciences as well as circulating children's collection.

fountain outside NYPL   

As with most structures on 5th Avenue, the architecture is Greco-Roman style with columns, fountains and the like. This fountain is on the left side of the entrance. Free wifi is also available inside the premises so if you're looking for internet access while outside, you may want to come here. Let's take a tour inside now, shall we?

Lobby

This is the lobby. From here you can choose to go to several reading rooms right ahead, or you can choose to take the stairs on either side to explore upstairs. The building is massive, and you can just follow other people walking around, tourists like me, taking pictures, and people diligently doing research in various research rooms, or just reading in one of the ornately designed reading rooms.

McGraw Rotunda

This impressive space is set beneath arched bays, paired Corinthian walnut pilasters over 17-feet high, and striking murals by Edward Laning, depicting the history of the written word. McGraw Rotunda lends itself to small receptions, dinners and cocktail events and because this is a public space, events can only be held in the Rotunda when the library is closed. Too bad I could not get the ceiling in the picture as well. I just asked a kind stranger to take a photo of me. :-)

McGraw rotunda ceiling

This is the ceiling of the McGraw Rotunda. As you can see, it is very elaborate, for lack of a better word, or due to my limited vocabulary in architecture. But you see the intricate details- no wonder it is held for receptions and the like.

Bibiliography and history section

I loved the smell of books in this room! Built carefully by generations of curators over the past 160 years, the collections of the New York Public Library now exceed 50 million items. In combination with the lending collections- the books, the DVDs, and CDs that can be borrowed for weeks at a time, it is the most comprehensive library collection ever brought together for the free use of the public! And the public sure use it!

Rose Main Reading Room

This is just one of several small reading rooms of the library. Every section you go, there is a corresponding reading room where you can just put your bags, sit, and start reading your heart out. There was a research room, biography room, and all kinds of rooms present, and yes, those are real people in the picture. Taking photographs is allowed, we just have to be quiet to allow those who are reading/doing research do it in peace and quiet so they are not disturbed.

hallway

All of the reading rooms, hallways, and in fact all over the place, the ceilings were ornate as you can see from the picture above. The design is different in the reading rooms, it is different in the hallways, it gives off an air of grandiosity, if I may use that word.

stair area lobby

This is the view when you come down from the staircase on the left. So here there are concrete benches where you can just sit and let your feet relax if you get tired from walking.

And here is the finale of the visit.

The Rose Room

This is the Rose Room. It is the main reading room of the library. One of New York City's most iconic locations, the majestic Rose Main Reading Room measures 78 feet by 297 feet- roughly the length of two city blocks, with 52-foot-tall ceilings displaying murals of vibrant skies and billowing clouds.

Here, patrons can request material from the  Milstein Stacks, the Library's environmentally optimal storage facility located underneath Bryant Park with a capacity of over 4 million items. Visitors can also browse and read the thousands of reference volumes lining the shelves. Cool, right? Or, should I say grandissimo?

All in all, my experiences in these museums and library were to say the least, fulfilling. I had a great time browsing the displays, reading the information, just marveling at the sights before me. New York City has a lot more museums, and these are just the ones I went to. 

Will be posting my other adventures in the city in the next article, so til the next one and happy reading!

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