Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
The blockbuster modern-art collection — Starry Night, the soup cans, Les Demoiselles — and the crowds they draw.
The call
Worth it if you only have one day and you are traveling as a couple.
Why
- 01
The greatest-hits of modern art in one building, which is exactly the problem: the famous rooms are a phone-camera scrum.
Our read - 02
Go at open or late, and the quieter upper floors are sublime.
Our read - 03
Van Gogh's Starry Night, Picasso's Les Demoiselles and Monet's Water Lilies hang within a few floors of each other — a greatest-hits reel of modern art in one building.
timeout.com - 04
The ground-floor sculpture garden — Henry Moore reclining figures, Maillol bronzes — is free and stays open into the evening, a calm counterpoint to the galleries.
timeout.com
Is it a fit?
Go if
This is your first trip to New York
Head straight to the fifth floor on entry to see Starry Night before the crowd builds, then work downward.
You only have one day
Short trip or not, keep Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
You are traveling as a couple
As a couple, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an easy yes.
You are traveling solo
Solo, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an easy yes.
Plan it well
- Cost
- $30
- Timing
- Right at opening on a weekday; avoid Saturday afternoons and the start of Free Friday hours for Starry Night.
- Booking
- Adult admission ~$30; UNIQLO Free Friday Nights free for NY State residents 5:30–8:30pm, reserve in advance with proof of residency.
- Allow
- 2–3 hrs
- Accessibility
- Fully wheelchair accessible; sculpture garden free and open into the evening.
- Getting there
- 11 West 53rd St, Midtown (E/M to 5 Av–53 St; B/D/F/M to 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Center).