by Ashley Parriman
Fifth Avenue is famous for couture, some of the ritziest homes on the Upper East Side and in all of the city, and of course some of the finest museums in the world. It’s not a place one expects to find a bargain. But bargains are available. Despite museum tickets often matching the price of admission to an evening movie, several of the Upper East Side museums around Fifth Avenue offer “pay what you wish” hours. The following museums offer educational entertainment that won’t strain your budget. Many of these museums have upcoming special exhibits and events.
THE LIST
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, located at 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd St., offers an astounding collection of art known as one of the largest and best collections in the world. No matter your preference of style of period, every art lover will revel in this collection of over two million works of art spanning over 5000 years. Unlike any other museum on the Upper East Side, the Met is always pay what you wish, a $20 donation is only suggested. Don’t forget that the entrance fee includes same day admission to the Cloisters, located at Fort Tyron Park in Washington Heights. Currently until November 29, 2009, in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, a stainless steel sculpture by American artist Roxy Paine, is on display against the breathtaking backdrop of Central Park and city skyscrapers. In addition, Vermeer’s masterpiece, “The Milkmaid,” last displayed in the United States at the 1939 World’s Fair, will be on display from September 10, 2009–November 29, 2009.
REGULAR HOURS
Tuesday-Thursday, Sunday 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Closed Mondays, except the following Met Holiday Mondays:
Labor Day: September 07, 2009
Columbus Day: October 12, 2009
Christmas/New Year's Week: December 28, 2009
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: January 18, 2010
Presidents' Day: February 15, 2010
Memorial Day: May 31, 2010
http://www.metmuseum.org/
The Jewish Museum, located 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, showcases a permanent exhibit tracing the Jewish experience throughout history. Museum admission is ordinarily $15 for adults, but pay what you wish hours are on Fridays from 6-9 p.m.
REGULAR HOURS
Sunday-Tuesday, Thursday 11 a.m. -5:45 p.m.
Friday Opens 11 a.m. Check schedule for closing times
Closed Wednesdays
http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/
The Whitney Museum of American Art, located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street, displays the works of living American artists, offering the largest collection of 20th and 21st century American art in the world. The admission fee is ordinarily $18 for adults, but the Whitney offers pay what you wish hours on Fridays from 1-9 p.m. Upcoming events include a Georgia O’Keefe exhibit beginning September 17.
REGULAR HOURS
Wednesday–Thursday: 11 a.m.–6 pm
Friday: 1-9 p.m. (6–9 p.m. pay-what-you-wish admission)
Saturday–Sunday: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Closed Monday and Tuesday
The Museum is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
http://whitney.org/index.php
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, located at 1071 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street, is surely famous for the building that houses the collection, a cylindrical design by Frank Lloyd Wright. Inside you’ll find special exhibits, modern and postmodern paintings, geometric art, and works by other artists such as Degas. Admission to the Guggenheim is ordinarily $18 for adults, but the museum offers pay what you wish hours starting September 5 on Saturdays from 5:45-7:45 p.m.
REGULAR HOURS
Saturday - Wednesday : 10 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. - 7:45 p.m.
Closed Thursdays
http://www.guggenheim.org/
The Frick Collection, located at 1 E 70th Street and Fifth Avenue displays the private collection of Henry Clay Frick, noted American industrialist. The collection includes some of the best-known European paintings, major works of sculpture, and eighteenth-century French furniture and porcelains. Although regular admission is $18 for adults, the museum’s pay what you wish hours are on Sundays from 11-1 p.m.
REGULAR HOURS
Tuesday - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Closed Mondays and holidays
http://www.frick.org/
The Asia Society and Museum, located at 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street, is not just a home for Asian art, but a center for a plethora of cultural, political, and networking events. Admission is ordinarily $10 for adults, but the Asia Society offers pay what you wish hours on Fridays from 6-9 p.m. Upcoming events include a roundtable on September 10 on Creating Contemporary Art in Pakistan and a discussion with Stephen Roach of Morgan Stanley and his book titled, “Next Asia: Opportunities and Challenges for a New Globalization” on September 30, 2009.
REGULAR HOURS
Tuesday - Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., with extended evening hours Fridays until 9:00 pm (except July 4 through Labor Day).
The Museum Galleries are closed on Mondays, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
http://www.asiasociety.org/
A Final Word of Advice: of course, when visiting a museum at the time a popular exhibit is showing, it is suggested to arrive much earlier than the start of the “pay what you wish hours.” I recently attempted to visit the Guggenheim for a popular exhibit the day before its departure and I was met with a line that hugged the block and spilled down Madison Avenue.