Had a really great time for their block party. I got really lucky because sparkles was able to get…read moreme in for two tickets. The event was free. The vibes were totally vibing. They had some fun salsa dancing going on. The art was super fun, I enjoyed the cat artwork of course. I love being able to look out the windows to see the bog long island city post office. The service is always nice here. The guy giving out the wrist bands was super funny. He was like I won't check your id you kids have fun now. The beer was like $9 thats super insane to me for a 4.7% can but thats the world we live in. The little store that they have for their merch has a great selection. I wanted to look around but it is super packed. Fun fact my father attended this school back in the 50s, wild times. Make sure you check out their basement, you wont be disappointed.

I was here last night and there was Summer Fest at the MoMA PS1. Nice music jamming outside as you…read morewalk through the museum which is an actual school building. Walking through the halls bring back flashbacks of school. Yikes. Thank goodness no detention for me. Started on the third floor which someone recommended and go down the various floors. Sorry folks- I just don't get it. Yes, it's contemporary art with the kitchen sink thrown in. No rhyme nor reason how things are placed out and displayed. There were sections and corridors but miss the connection or its all a disconnect and chaos. We- the beholder figures it out by ourselves I suppose. I try to look at the tabs with description to get a better understanding of what the artist is trying to tell us. Trying to figure out what is the meaning of your masterpiece. There are gender neutral restroom on every floor. So do not be surprise when both women go on line and come out of the bathroom. All of the sudden rain and thunder everyone from the Summer Fest comes into the museum for safety. Staff directs everyone to the second floor which is a huge room (Auditorium or Gym) people waiting for the thunderstorm to dissipate. It get so hot and humid with all the body heat but it's better than standing out in the hallway. Staff trying to figure out which exit to let out patrons. Yes, I would come back again to MoMA PS1 again. Cause displays of various exhibits do change.

Street Art Lives On In Five Pointz!…read more Five Pointz, in Long Island City, Queens, became the mecca of street art during the '90s, when the owner of an empty factory building complex, Jerry Walkoff, allowed hundreds of street artists to decorate it with murals and graffiti. Although the buildings were torn down in 2014 to make room for a high-rise housing development, that was not the end of street art at this location. There is still a monumental amount of street art on Davis Street. The new condo building is home to the Museum of Urban Arts, a new museum that's growing within this Long Island City community. The outdoor second floor is covered with murals that can be seen from the Manhattan-bound 7 train and from below, on Davis Street. There are many finely painted super-sized portraits and a lot of eyes! There are interesting murals going up each column. My favorite is a painting of a white dog, which is being lifted by a red balloon. My favorite is a painting of a white dog, which is being lifted by a red balloon. It was painted by famous LA-based street artist MRSN, who likes using stencils and has been inspired by Banksy. Several fine murals also decorate the wall of a public park area behind the building. More murals are planned for the park side of the building. There are five galleries on street level, with large windows. You can go inside by appointment, for now, but you have a good view of a variety of work, by many artists, through the windows. QR codes take viewers to more information about the artists, usually their Instagram pages. Famous street artists have works here. Question Marks has work in Gallery E. De Grupo has work in Gallery D, including paintings of writers rappelling down walls to spray road signs, small paintings of tags, and a heavily tagged fireman's coat. Amazingly, most of these works are for sale (prices are posted), so you could buy a work by a famous street artist for your home! The museum has a mind-blowing secret, though. Each of the building's 50-storey towers have stairwells that are covered with street art murals and graffiti. That's 100 stories of immersive street art! It is great that they occupy so much space here, preserving quality street art for the future. The public can see them on a tour by the Museum. I was fortunate to get a tour from the museum's founder and director, Stephanie Sulaiman. She is incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the work and the artists who made it. She has the support of icons Mike 171, De Grupo, and Question Marks, so you know she's showing work that the artists respect. I encourage you to go see the art and to make an appointment to get inside.

I had a great time visiting the Museum of Urban Arts. The exhibits were engaging, and I appreciated…read morehow the museum highlighted the history, culture, and creativity behind street art and graffiti. Everything was thoughtfully displayed, making it enjoyable to explore at your own pace. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in contemporary art or looking for something unique to do.

LOVED spyscape! Amazing for family or group event. Clean facility and well coordinated from staff…read more It was a nice break from the hustle! The staff was beyond helpful finding a lost piece of jewelry! Forever grateful for their professionalism and diligence with recovery!!

This was such a fun and unique experience! I surprised my boyfriend with this for his birthday, and…read morehe absolutely loved it. The challenges, puzzles, and games really make you think--you definitely have to process the clues carefully! There are multiple levels to complete, and throughout the experience you're asked questions that determine what type of agent you are, which was a really cool touch. It was challenging, but in the best way. Now that I understand how everything works, I definitely want to go back and do it again to see if I can do even better! If you're looking for something interactive, different, and a lot of fun, I highly recommend checking this place out. We'll definitely be back!

Free. Was featuring 3 artists at the time of our visit. Has 2 floors - via stairs and elevator.The…read moremain floor is a large open space, with artwork on tables/pedestals. The lower level has tunnels, was darker for the current exhibit. Restrooms available. Closer to the Queens Plaza train stop (less than 10 min); Queensboro Plaza and Court Sq stops are also in the area.

This is a small but interesting sculpture center. When I went there were two main areas, one with…read moresculpture and sand, and another in the basement which focused on archiving culture and sexuality film and memorabilia from Pakistan.

A wise man once said those who delve into art....Let's begin this review!…read more The Noguchi Museum is a sculpture garden musuem dedicate to the works of Isamu Noguchi, artist and architect. He came to NYC as a teen in1922, you will see a handful of his sculptures in some of the buildings and airport. This museum has three floors and a basement, museum store and a garden. Today's admission is free due to 4th of July celebration. Museum's gallery section is unique and different from one another. Visitors are not allowed to take flash photography and touch the sculptures or art display. However, being me I put that to the test. Hehehe. Staff were obsequious and professional. Free wifi. Plenty street parking. Admission is affordable. Overall, I had a nice experience discovering Isamu's art.

Went there for free First Friday - free admission and scheduled activities. The museum has outdoors…read morespace for large sculptures, and a garden. There are 2 indoor floors. The pieces are in the open, not cordoned off so be careful not to touch them. Can refer to one of the laminated lists showing what's in a particular area. Some scheduled tours as well. Elevator, ramp for accessibility. Joined an art workshop in a room downstairs for first Fri - supplies and snacks/water provided, plus DJ music. Also chess boards were set-up in different areas of the museum. There is a gift shop, and restrooms. Close to Socrates Park so was a long walk from the Steinway St-M R station. I normally wouldn't mind if it wasn't a muggy afternoon. The Broadway N W station is a bit closer, also some bus lines.

If you are a movie lover, you need to visit the museum of moving image. For 20 dollars you have…read moreaccess to 3 floors of exhibits related to cinema and moving images. We loved exploring all the exhibits. My favorite was the Jim Henson exhibit. They have a lot of interactive exhibits to engage with including a make your own stop motion video, which you can then send to yourself. A great place to get lost in for a few hours. I absolutely loved my time here and recommend highly. Make sure to check out the gift shop before you leave, lots of movie related items to browse upon.

The Museum of the Moving Image was our afternoon outing with a four-year-old and a 15-year-old, and…read morehere's my first piece of advice: check the age-appropriateness of the exhibits before you go! There were definitely parts of the museum that were not appropriate for the four-year-old. It's not just the Muppets, people! The Muppets are great, but then there's The Exorcist and a whole lot of other things happening in there. So, depending on the ages in your group, you may need to do a little navigating. But we had a great time. The Muppets were a hit, and we checked out Felix the Cat--which thoroughly confused the four-year-old but was mostly age-appropriate. The arcade was another winner. We spent a whopping $5.50 and had a great time playing the games. Sometimes it really doesn't take much! We also enjoyed the MoMI Lab. There was a computerized dog that completely captured the four-year-old's attention while simultaneously terrifying her. She couldn't quite decide whether she wanted to get closer or get away from it, but all was well. And the café was a hit too! We ended our afternoon with a grilled cheese, two donuts, and a latte. Everybody got something they wanted, which is about as successful as an outing with a preschooler and a teenager can get. Overall, it was a fun afternoon with plenty for both ages to explore. Just do a little homework beforehand if you're bringing younger kids so you know which exhibits to wander into--and which ones to wander right past.

The Frick Collection is located in an 18th-century, New York mansion that once belonged to steel…read moretycoon Henry Clay Frick. This was his home when he was alive. Mr. Frick knew that he wanted his art collection to be seen by the public, so he built a home with that in mind. The building is just stunning and it is near Central Park. It is truly a most elegant and intimate museum you will even go into. Mr. Frick was the consummate collector of works from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century. We were impressed with not only the art by Degas, Turner, Vermeer, Rembrandt and more old masters, but the number of sculptures, ceramics and decorative arts. The collection is housed in a series of small rooms. As you walk from room to room, you will be awe struck by the beauty. The inner courtyard is such a peaceful place to sit. This is a gallery we visited in 2020 and wanted to return to see the latest renovations which were completed in 2025. They evidently spent 220 million dollars and 5 years to complete these renovations. We were thrilled that we could again use our membership at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore to gain free admission to this gallery. The renovations included a new, state of the art, 220-seat auditorium. They added 27,000 square feet of new construction; 30 percent more gallery space for permanent collection display and exhibitions; added its first-ever onsite cafe; and created a new double-height reception hall. Visitors can now walk up the grand staircase to the second floor. They have also installed new public elevators where 10 rooms and five additional passages of the original residence are beautifully renovated and stocked with masterpieces for all to view. We were disappointed that they did not bother to spend any of the renovation money to place a brief description of each piece of art next to it. They relied on everyone carrying a smart phone which I do not have.

A beautiful mansion with a museum inside…read more The Frick Collection is a private art collection that was turned into a museum, housed in the former Gilded Age mansion of industrialist Henry Clay Frick. It's an interesting way to spend a Sunday, particularly if you enjoy art, architecture, or historic homes. That said, I found the collection itself less impressive than I expected. Admission is $30, which felt steep for a relatively small museum spanning only two floors. The artwork is certainly worth seeing, but the mansion itself was honestly the highlight for me. The architecture is beautiful, with ornate ceilings, elegant rooms, and a gorgeous courtyard and garden that make the visit feel more like exploring a historic New York residence than a traditional museum. One thing to note: photography is strictly prohibited, and the rule is very clearly enforced throughout the museum. Overall, I'm glad I visited, but at $30 for the size and scope of the collection, I'm not sure it's a must-see unless you're particularly interested in the Gilded Age.

It's so funny that I joined the pottery class thinking that it would be a relaxing activity as a…read moretotal beginner. I was so wrong, but in a good way. There's a lot of technique and skill that will require your understanding, attention and intention to get things going. Be kind and patient with yourself, and remember that practice makes perfect. The teacher is also very encouraging and helpful. I was having some trouble finding balance with how much pressure to use and in which angles to apply them and her patience and continued instruction while I tried to figure it out was very much appreciated. There was a moment when it finally clicked and I made 6 pieces that day, and she was genuinely happy and proud of me for not giving up and that feeling had me floating for the rest of the day. It's 3 hours of labor where you get to use your hands to learn, create and play. You also get studio hours with your package so you can come back in your own time to practice. It's an arduous hobby to pick up, but I'm sure in time it would grow into a calming and therapeutic one. I'm grateful for the experience and I definitely recommend. You might not look like those people in the movies that make it look all artsy and romantic, but in time you definitely might haha ;)

I took a pottery wheel class at AlterWork Studios in February. The class was intimate (only 6…read morepeople), informative, and fun. There was a ton of one-on-one instruction, and our instructor was able to tailor her teaching to each person based on their background, skills, and interest. Everyone left with several completed pots, bowls, or mugs after the class!

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building piqued my interest forty years ago, but I found viewing…read moreuncomfortable on the museum's helical ramp. Living walking distance to "Museum Mile," I thought it time to see if my sensibilities have changed. Aargh! Wrong time to visit. Hold off coming till the end of September since the ramps and some floors are closed. Very confusing going from one level to another. The elevators don't go to all the floors. Sometimes you're directed to a stairway. Other times they'll tell you the same stairway is closed and you have to find another. I much prefer MOMA and the Whitney, but when they're done doing whatever they're doing I'll return. Nonetheless, my visit was sort of worthwhile. The one minute solitary light 'experience' on the 7th floor is pretty cool. Some modern works on the upper floors I breezed over. The lower level -- or is it considered the second level?! -- was more to my liking.

Come on, it's the Guggenheim. I don't love modern art, but they do pick the best pieces here so…read moreit's still pretty great. The spiral design makes it an easy walk, no getting lost in mazes of rooms, no stress about missing any areas. They have an Infinity Mirrored Room here, and the current exhibit of Carol Bove has some metal pieces with pretty cool textures and shapes. If I have limited time, I'm more about The Met, but the Guggenheim is definitely one for which you should make the time.

This spring/summer's Raphael: Sublime Poetry exhibit was a sight to behold. 170 works by this…read moreartist known to us as Raphael (Raffaello di Giovanni Santi (1483-1520)) were displayed, many never reunited together for hundreds of years until now, the first comprehensive retrospective on his work in the US (at least according to the Met press release). Luckily I had the opportunity to check it out a week before closing, and the galleries were unsurprisingly packed to the brim. While slow-moving, thankfully most patrons were considerate of others, giving everyone a chance to appreciate each sketch, study, painting, or other media. I'll admit I went a little crazy with the photos, taking pics of almost all the works that I could, figuring when would be the next time I would see a collection such as this. It was incredible to glimpse preparatory sketches and see Raphael's style and ink/chalk work firsthand; it was like peering into the mind of a genius. Of the many paintings displayed, a couple themes stood out: the tenderness displayed in his Virgin and Child renderings, and the utmost detail he paid attention in his sketches on the human body. (And sidebar--one thing I've learned from this exhibit is Yelp's censorship of nudity is pretty strict, which I understand for relevant reasons, though slightly unfortunate when it comes to art, so I had to self-censor some pieces.) For more info: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/raphael-sublime-poetry

From ancient artifacts to the wonders of the world, there are numerous museums that meet all the…read morecriteria. There are a lot of things NYC does well, particularly its museums across the five boroughs. There are 80 museums, 32 of them in Manhattan. Opened in 1880 right next to the iconic Central Park, where New Yorkers call it Museum Mile, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, better known as the 'Met,' is one of New York's premier museums. It's considered the second most visited art museum in the world, slightly behind the Louvre in Paris, containing over 1.5 million pieces of art, some dating back thousands of years. My partner and I decided on a visit after 9 years and booked our tickets online. Once we stepped inside, the Great Hall was breathtaking, and from there it just feels like the museum goes on forever. It's impossible to see everything in one visit. We started out at the Costume Art, moving to a recently open exhibit, Rediscovering Della Robbia, Fabergé, revisiting the European sculpture, Arms and Armor & our favorite, the Impressionist at the 19th Century Paintings. The entire museum was welcoming, featuring spacious areas that allowed large crowds to navigate comfortably without crowding each other. The staff we encountered were all very professional, courteous, and knowledgeable about the areas of the museum. The Met offers something for everyone, whether one's a first-time visitor or a lifelong art lover.