Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The largest art museum in the Western hemisphere, the Met is without rival the world over. 35 acres -- more than 1.6 million square feet -- of floor space, more than 3.3 million works of art, a collection that spans the entire length of human history with specialty collections at every major point of interest along the way, the Met is a pretty good advertisement for the cultural achievements of mankind. The Museum's only flaw is its unfathomable size; walking up the magnificent steps to the main entrance on Fifth Avenue is like setting foot on a whole new continent. Your best bet is to treat the massive complex as a series of separate, specialized museums--an museum of Impressionism, worth one day's visit, a world-class ancient Greek collection, worth another, a day for Modernism, a day for Renaissance, a day for furniture, a day for tapestry. New Yorkers spend whole lives nibbling at the edges of the remarkable collection, so don't feel bad about skimming--this place requires picking and choosing. If you're at a loss for what to see, check out the temporary exhibitions, which are advertised to the world in regal scrolls unfurled from the museum's main entrance; they never disappoint.