Most of them are fine. Seven are worth planning a day around, and 42 aren’t worth the subway fare. Here’s which is which.
Must visit, exceptional experience.
Museum Mile, Upper East Side · $25
Pay-what-you-wish for tri-state residents. One of the few NYC museums you can’t see in a day. Collection is unmatched, even if half of it was probably looted. The Matisse/Derain show was thought-provoking. Free public lectures are great.
Midtown · $28
The other museum you can’t do in a day. Made me realize how much I love modern art: Water Lilies, Rothkos, Pollocks, all the hits.
Financial District, Manhattan · Free
Really powerful
Inwood, Manhattan · Free
No one does a museum like the Met. This one is spectacular. Built on Rockefeller money; gives you a sense of how unimaginable their wealth was, and underscores how much better the Asia Society should be.
Prospect Park, Brooklyn · $20
Zero expectations going in, blown away. Assyrian and Egyptian collections are fantastic, mummies included. Same looting issue as the Met. Worth the trek.
Astoria, Queens · $16
Awesome, in the middle of nowhere Astoria. Painful to get to from the UWS. Big space full of interesting sculptures and some paintings. Recommend.
Snug Harbor, Staten Island · $5
The Chinese Garden is spectacular: traditional house on landscaped grounds with ponds, very tranquil. Didn’t care for the gallery.
Best first within each neighborhood. Each borough links to its full ranking, with notes.
Don’t missWorth a detourWorth a stop