NYC: Center of Culture
I’ve wanted to move to New York city since I was a little girl. It’s mecca for my first loves. Art museums, live performances, street art, interesting buildings, people watching, and arguably the best F&B in America. Paris, London, and Chicago are cleaner versions, but there is just something about those bright lights and big personalities that makes me overlook the mountains of garbage, rats the size of house cats, and the ick factor of public transit. I see the downsides and dark spots, but the frenetic energy of the city lives in my heart, and it isn’t going anywhere. The cost of living/rent/grind of living in the city have kept me from ever actually taking the leap and moving there full time, but I visit as frequently as possible. My goal for this crazy adventure was to spend enough time in New York to see if I could really appreciate it as a local rather than as a visitor spending a few stolen days here and there. So I booked (2) month long house sits in Oct/Nov and Dec/January, and it was EVERYTHING I wanted it to be. No to-do lists or agendas, just walks and wanders around the city and a chance to really soak it in.
I started my blog to help share the gems I discover on my adventures. I find some really cool, amazing, and delicious things in my travels, but I’m usually alone. It’s really important to me to share the incredible things that I have found and grown to love, and the blog gives me a chance to do that. Bonus points for a reference for future trips, and a one-stop-shop when people ask me for tips in specific places. But honestly, if I could get paid to just tell people where to eat and where to see beautiful things, I’d be happy as a clam. I am still trying to figure out where I want to live and what I want to do, but it was no hardship to spend some quality time with my favorite city in the world. I was thrilled when my hosts said I was welcome to have guests. I got to play tour guide for one of my dearest college friends, rekindled a friendship with a college friend that happened to be in town, and even though my mother and I have wildly different travel styles- we both love and appreciate the same the things and I got to share some favorites and new discoveries with her for a Christmas/NYE we’ll never forget.
To be honest, none of us would survive a full blog all about my favorite things to see and do in New York City. I have SO many recommendations and photos, I could go on forever. I walked over 370 miles around the city on this adventure, and I demolished my wishlist of things to see, do, and eat. I got to really experience the city. I wasn’t pressed for time and I didn’t stress about planning. I would just hop random trains and get out and walk around. I got lost, I got found, and brilliant things were discovered in between.
My NYC Google Map is a color coded and very organized collection of favorite things to eat, see, do, shop, and try in NYC. If you view it in Legend mode, it is really easy to plan some fun shenanigans in “the greatest city in the world.”
For this blog, I’m just going to just focus on my favorite museums and ways to experience theatre on the cheap, then I’ll do one on the food you can’t miss when you’re in NYC.
NYC is Museum Mecca. There are far more than a person could ever visit in a week, but here are my favorites:
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: Aside from the infamous Gossip Girl steps, it is home to a vast and varied collection that absolutely has something for everyone. I think it is the closest museum America has to The Louvre, and it can get pretty overwhelming. I try to visit on every trip to the city to visit my favorite pieces, and I always discover something new to love. The Anna Wintour Costume Institute is an ever changing homage to fashion, the Temple of Dendur is home to the infamous When Harry Met Sally Pecan Pie scene, the Frank Lloyd Wright Francis Little House replica, more than 800 Louis Comfort Tiffany Treasures, I obviously can’t get enough of the European Painters or the Degas rooms. As a lifelong fan of the book From the Mixed up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler , I always pick out the bedroom I would sleep in if I ran away to the museum. I was thrilled to catch the French antiques that inspired Disney exhibit, and discovered the visible cold storage, which was heavenly to my empty frame loving heart on these visits.
There are dozens of Degas Little Dancer, Aged 14 sculptures around the world. It’s a vague wishlist item for me to see as many as I can. I’ve seen her in Paris, Boston, NYC, Chicago, Nashville (on loan), and it never gets old. Some have tutus, ribbons in the hair, and some even have fake hair. The Dancer has moved around the MET over the years, and this was my first time catching her in this position. I was trying to frame her in the arch of her new home, but couldn’t quite catch the gallery totally empty. I was waiting for my window beside a great guard, and he kindly halted traffic in the gallery just so I could snap this photo. It will remain a treasured memory in my heart and mind. My dad has had a print of the poster behind her for several decades, so this space is heaven to me. Be sure to wander into the gallery to the left and check out the fan mounts. Mary Cassatt’s Degas Fan is nearly impossible to photograph under glass in that lighting, but it is absolutely lovely in person. I listened to a fantastic semi-biographical novel about Georgia O’Keefe after my trip to Taos, and had been dying to see some of her ex-husband’s photographs. The museum owns the infamous nude portraits of Georgia, and while they are not on display, there are some excellent Stieglitz prints to be found in the galleries.
MOMA:
Not being a huge fan of modern art, it took me a disgracefully long time to get there. I'm slightly mollified by the amount of friends and family that were also surprised to learn that some of the best Van Goghs, including The Starry Night, grace the Museum of Modern Art’s walls. While you’ll find several lovely Monet paintings at the Met, you’ll need to visit MOMA to see one of the massive curved panoramic waterlilies. It is spectacular, and can only be topped by the gallery full of them at L’Orangerie. I touched a bit on the magic of my time with the masters in this blog. I actually really love the collection of Matisse paintings at MOMA. I’m planning to go back to see this incredible exhibit of all of the works from this iconic painting together in one room for the fist time since The Red Studio was made. I was completely tickled to see this ceramic dish strategically placed by the painting on a visit in 2019, and equally disappointed to see them both missing in 2021. 2022 will be a banner year for reunions of all of the surviving pieces, and I don’t plan on missing it.
The Guggenheim is a Frank Lloyd Wright architectural marvel. I honestly love the building more than the collection, and you can pop in and admire the swirling interior via the gift shop. It will take a ticket to climb the ramps and see a fantastic sunset view over central park. I’m not particularly fond of Kandinsky, but I enjoyed the reverse chronological exhibit currently on view. Walking up the ramps and seeing his work in reverse helps you truly understand how strong his vision was out of the gate. There are some excellent impressionist pieces in their permanent collection, so be sure to visit while you are there. Timed tickets are limited, but on Saturdays from 4-6 it is “pay what you wish” to visit.
Speaking of chronological order, there are two museums in NYC organized that way. The Whitney (modern/contemporary) and The Frick Madison (Renaissance to early 20th Century.) Neither are really top choice museums for me, but there are some gems worth visiting. The Frick Mansion is closed for renovations, but I was thrilled to finally explore the collection in its temporary home on Madison. I’d recommend touring the exhibits in the late afternoon and then hopping over to Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel. The Carlyle is the preferred home away from home for visiting presidents and royalty. Their beautiful 18k gold leafed bar boasts murals by the author of the Madeline books and original illustrator of The Little Prince. The cocktails, service, bar mix, and piano player are spectacular. You’ll have to pay a cover to visit while the jazz ensemble plays, but it’s a lovely refreshment stop after a stroll down Museum Mile on the UES. The Serrano and Gillespie cocktails are delightful. Mom said it was her favorite part of our Christmas trip.
My favorite hidden gem museums of NYC are the NY Historical Society and Cooper Hewitt Museum.
I made my first visit to the NY Historical Society for the Harry Potter/ History of Magic exhibit, and the Ruth Bader Ginsberg exhibit drew me in this time. It has the most incredibly Louis Comfort Tiffany collection, the largest private collection of lamps in existence, and the +100 illuminated lamps on two stories will absolutely blow your mind. It was recently renovated and thoughtfully curated. I really enjoyed the private collection of NYC inspired art currently on display as well as the Presidential exhibit with a replica Oval Office and the chair and bible from George Washington’s Inauguration. It’s next door to the Museum of Natural History if you feel like visiting Dr. Gellar’s office and trying to sit with the White Coats or Blue Blazers for a sandwich ;)
The Cooper Hewitt Museum is housed in the old Carnegie Mansion and is the Smithsonian Design Museum. It was started from the private collections of the Hewitt sisters, two spinsters with a flair for design, a love of collecting, and a driving need to educate and share their passions. I originally visited for an incredible Pixar exhibit, but was immediately enchanted by the story and space. The building itself is spectacular, but they have the most beautiful rotating exhibits on fashion and design. They have digitized their extensive wallpaper collection, and have an interactive digital display that is really fun to play with. Pre-covid, each museum guest got a digital pen to scan qr codes on the pieces that spoke to you, then you could create your own designs inspired by your favorite pieces on digital work tables. It was VERY cool and unique, and something I hope they bring back. The E McKnight Kauffman Posters, Nature by Design, and Drawn from Nature exhibits were lovely and absolutely worth a visit before they close. They must have had some seriously successful fundraisers because the museum was free to all for Q4 of 2021, so be sure to check their website for free/discounted days.
The Museum at FIT is a free fashion wonderland, and has a constantly changing retrospective on fashion. The Ravishing Rose exhibit was spectacular, as was the fashion through the ages starting with the 1700s.
Being a lover of books and libraries, it was no hardship to get me to pop into the NY Public Library while exploring the Bryant Park Christmas Markets. The museum’s incredible collection of literary treasures are now on display, you just need to reserve your free ticket online. They have letters from Christopher Columbus, the very first Gutenberg Bible in America, PL Travers’ parrot umbrella that inspired Mary Poppins, the stuffed animals that inspired Winnie The Pooh, Charles Dickens desk and personal copy of A Christmas Carol with his recitation notes, Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington’s handwritten Farewell Address. The NYPL branch on the Upper West Side is currently showing an exhibit on Sondheim letters, but it is seriously underwhelming. You’ll have to check your coat/bags to enter to see just a couple short missives under glass. I suggest skipping it and following the Sondheim Letters Instagram for a far more interesting and diverse collection of artifacts from his typewriter.
Wayyyyy off the beaten path of your standard NYC Museum Experience is the Museum of Sex. The extremely prudish should probably skip it, but it’s home to a very unique and interesting collection of artifacts on the history of sex, the stellar selections from secret collections, a boobie bounce house, and the SuperFunland Erotic Carnival.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also suggest a visit to the Brooklyn Museum. It wasn’t even on my radar until I saw ads for an incredible Frida Kahlo exhibit that I managed to attend during the Tory Burch Women in Business conference at the museum. This time I was thrilled to finally catch the Obama Portraits and the delightful Dior exhibit, and I’ll be back this summer for the Monet to Morisot Impressionist exhibit. They consistently have the most interesting and eclectic exhibitions. It’s absolutely worth a trip across the bridge to visit.
THEATRE
I can’t get enough theatre/live performances when I’m in New York. I try to catch at least one show every time I visit. Musical, play, concert, ballet, opera…it really doesn’t matter, I’m interested in pretty much all of it. My first sit in New York, I caught a couple discounted weekday performances, thinking it would be more covid responsible, but they were still pretty full. UPDATE: all theatres are requiring masks until the end of May, but they no longer require or check for vaccination status. It’s a little less reassuring, but wear a good mask or two and you should be fine. If you do lower your mask, you might risk the wrath of queen Patti Lupone.
The Broadway offerings change a bit too fast for me to offer much input for you, but I wanted to share the best ways to catch a show inexpensively if you have some flexibility.
TKTS is a same day half-price ticket seller. They usually have several locations open around NYC, but in COVID, you can only go to the Times Square Box Office. If you download the app, you can see what shows they are offering half price orchestra tickets to. You will have to run to the TKTS box office to pick up your tickets for that night’s show or the next day’s matinee. Added bonus, they are no longer cash only and you can pay with any major credit card.
I’ve probably caught 40 shows using TKTS (in NYC and London) but this year I won a Broadway Jackpot and got to see Patti Lupone in the Sondheim Revival COMPANY. It’s absolutely required viewing for a Spoiled Spinster, and very affordable this way.
TodayTix is an app that allows you to join the lotteries and purchase discounted theatre tickets in advance. Here you can access rear balcony tickets, partially obstructed views, and cheaper orchestra tickets. I regularly enter into lotteries for specific shows while I am in town, and I love the notifications when discounted tickets become available.
The Fever App is new for me, but there are some really wonderful local events featured in the app with a very user friendly interface. The Candlelight Christmas Concert was INCREDIBLE, I got discounted tickets to the Van Gogh Immersive Experience with a special preview for the Monet one, and best of all, the Nutcracker Burlesque. I’ve been checking for more candelight concerts in all the participating cities that I visit. As much as I’d love to catch the traditional Nutcracker at Lincoln Center one time, I would go to the burlesque version year after year. It was one of the most impressive variety shows that I’ve ever seen. It was everything that I wanted the real Moulin Rouge show to be.
GameTime starts discounting tickets the closer to showtime you get. So if you are feeling really brave, you can keep checking their site to see if the show you want to see starts dropping.
Lottery Direct helps round up all of the discount ticket lotteries for you to enter
There are no-show ticket lines at the most sought after shows. I waited there for Hamilton a couple of times. Some people are really successful at it if there is something you are dying to see but don’t want to break the bank. Most box offices will also sell a discounted day of ticket, and that works pretty well for solo travelers.
I’m not the biggest fan of online ticket resellers, but StubHub has a box office a few blocks from the theatre district. You can usually buy your deeply discounted tickets just before a show starts, grab the hard copies and run to catch your show. I was able to see both Harry Potter play performances in primo seats for under $125, 30 minutes before show time. It was a mad dash to get the tickets and a VERY long day in a theatre, but it was totally worth it.
Fun fact, thanks to Covid, the Harry Potter play has been condensed into 1 show, so it’s much cheaper and easier to experience. The special effects in this play are mind-bendingly good. If you didn’t believe in magic before the show, you will after. So go if you can :)
I’ve honestly heard some really phenomenal buskers on the streets and subways. There is more culture than rats in NYC, it’s positively brimming with both. I hope this helps you narrow down some choices, but it’s pretty hard to go wrong. I find that some of my favorite works of art are free and fabulous. Scavenger Hunting NYC Street Art is my favorite past time. I walked hundreds of miles around the city enjoying the graffiti, murals, and installations. It’s pretty COVID safe and there really is something for everyone. Phoebe NYC is my absolute favorite, she has hundreds of sassy paper dolls plastered all over lamp posts, mailboxes, hydrants and subway stations. I get giddy every time I find one, they bring me so much joy.
But there are plenty of unknown/uncredited works to fall in love with too. Here are some of my favorites from my strolls around the city this winter.
So whether you visit a museum, take a trip to the theatre, or just a walk around the block… I hope you’ll take some time to really soak in some of the most incredible art and beauty in arguably the most culturally rich city in America.
