New York City (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [90]
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
The centerpiece of the newly renovated Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum complex is the 900-foot Intrepid aircraft carrier, making it Manhattan’s only floating museum. The carrier’s most trying moment of service, the day it was attacked in World War II by kamikaze pilots, is recounted in a multimedia presentation.
Aircraft on deck include an A-12 Blackbird spy plane, a Concorde, helicopters, and 30 other aircraft. Docked alongside, and also part of the museum, is the Growler, a strategic-missile submarine. The interactive Exploreum contains 18 hands-on exhibits.
You can experience a flight simulator, transmit messages in Morse code, and see what it was like to live aboard the massive carrier. | Hudson River, Pier 86,12th Ave. at W. 46th St., Midtown West | 10036 | 212/245–0072 or 877/957–7447 | www.intrepidmuseum.org | $20; free for children under 3 | Apr.–Oct., weekdays 10–5, weekends 10–6; Nov.–Mar., Tues.–Sun. 10–5; last admission 1 hr before closing | Subway: A, C, E to 42nd St.; M42 bus to pier.
Japan Society.
The stylish and serene lobby of the Japan Society has interior bamboo gardens linked by a second-floor waterfall. Works by well-known Japanese artists are exhibited in the second-floor gallery—past shows have included the first-ever retrospective of Yoko Ono’s works and Hiroshi Sugimoto: History of History. | 333 E. 47th St., between 1st and 2nd Aves., Midtown East | 10022 | 212/832–1155 | www.japansociety.org | $10 | Building weekdays 9:30–5:30; gallery Tues.–Thurs. 11–6, Fri. 11–9, weekends 11–5 | Subway: 6 to 51st St./Lexington Ave.; E, M to Lexington–3rd Aves./53rd St.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
Art enthusiasts and novices alike are often awestruck by the masterpieces before them here, including Monet’s Water Lilies, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, and van Gogh’s Starry Night. In 2004 the museum’s $425 million face-lift by Yoshio Taniguchi increased exhibition space by nearly 50%, including space to accommodate large-scale contemporary installations. Its current building gave the museum an opportunity for an increased focus on contemporary art, evident in the recent creation of a Media and Performance Art department. The museum continues to collect: most recently it obtained important works by Martin Kippenberger, David Wojnarowicz, Jasper Johns, Kara Walker, and Neo Rauch. One of the top research facilities in modern and contemporary art is housed inside the museum’s eight-story Education and Research building.
MoMA Highlights
In addition to the artwork, one of the main draws of MoMA is the building itself. A maze of glass walkways permits art viewing from many angles.
The 110-foot atrium entrance (accessed from the museum’s lobby on either 53rd or 54th Street) leads to the movie theaters and the main-floor restaurant, Modern, with Alsatian-inspired cuisine.
A favorite resting spot is the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. Designed by Philip Johnson, it features Barnett Newman’s Broken Obelisk (1962–69). The glass wall lets visitors look directly into the surrounding galleries from the garden, where there’s also a reflecting pool and trees.
Contemporary art (1970 to the present) from the museum’s seven curatorial departments shares the second floor of the six-story building, and the skylighted top floor showcases an impressive lineup of changing exhibits.
MoMA Tips
Consider the free audio guide, especially if the scribbled and rather ambiguous nature of modern art occasionally confounds you.
Entrance between 4 and 8 pm on Friday is free, but expect to wait in line.
Check out the free Wi-Fi in the museum to listen to audio tours as you wander through MoMA (log on to www.moma.org/wifi with your HTML browser-enabled device).
With so much art on display, it’s hard to remember that the MoMA has three movie theaters. Film passes to the day’s screenings are included with the