A World of Art Within These Walls
Commonly known as The Met, New York’s most famous museum is a regal, all-white structure on Fifth Avenue next to Central Park. The dramatic steps that lead to its entrance, huge columns that grace its facade and long, street-level fountain are stately elements that convey the grandeur of what lies inside. Founded in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is not only one of the country’s oldest institutions, it also houses one of the world’s largest and most respected collections of fine art. Within its walls you’ll find artifacts from ancient Egypt, classical sculptures from the ancient Greeks and Romans, medieval triptychs, iconic American paintings and masterworks by Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh and other names you’ll recognize from art history. The collection’s most unique department is also its most glamorous. Consisting of some 30,000 pieces of historical clothing and accessories, The Costume Institute, located on the ground level, is a meritorious celebration of the fashion industry throughout time. Each year, celebrities, designers and anyone fabulous enough to be worthy of an invite travel to New York to the department’s illustrious ball, an exuberant night that benefits the Institute. That’s not to say this remarkable museum isn’t just as special the rest of the year. In spring and summer, when the weather in New York is best, head to the rooftop terrace overlooking Central Park. Here, special sculpture exhibitions and a cocktail bar make the city’s sunset more spectacular than it already is.