Image via Complex Original
Although New York City is one of the most expensive cities to live in, it also offers some of the cheapest food, concerts and museums. The fact that there are so many cheap things to do in the city is one of the reasons why NYC is the most exciting city in the world. The cheap food might make you greasy and all the free shows can be exhausting, but you really do not have any excuse to not visit a free museum, each day of the week.
We did all the work for you, finding one museum for each day of the week that is completely free (or donation suggeted, but who pays the full twenty dollars, anyway?) so you can experience the best of what New York City has to offer without having to spend a dime. Instead, you can use that money you saved by spending it at their gift shops so you can show off how cultured you are. We promise we won't tell anyone.
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Monday
Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Where: 1000 5th Ave
Website: metmuseum.org
Why You Should Go: Mondays are the worst days for art freaks because most museums are closed, but the Met decided this month that it will now be open 7 days a week for the art obsessed (and mostly tourists). Some might say that the Met is overrated because of the absurd of amounts of tourists that take up the marble space, but the museum is popular for a reason. After you have walked through their Egyptian ruins, reached their breath-taking Impressionism gallery and wandered into their small, yet impressive Contemporary collection, you will find that the whole day has gone by and you still have only seen a small fraction of what the Met has to offer.
Special Exhibits: People forget that the Met Gala is more than just an event for us to oggle celebrities in weird outfits. The purpose of the party was to celebrate the new Costume Institute Exhibition called "Punk: Chaos to Couture." You don't need to be into fashion to be intrigued by the timeline of punk's influence on fashion, starting from its birth in the 70s up into contemporary looks. Beware, the exhibition ends on August 15th so you should get there before the punks leave for good.
Tuesday
Museum: American Folk Art Museum
Where: 2 Lincoln Square (Columbus Avenue at 66th Street)
Website: folkartmuseum.org
Why You Should Go: The Europeans always are the first that come to mind when one speaks of high quality art, but we have to give Americans some credit. The American Folk Art Museum is the perfect place to visit to appreciate unrecognized American folk artists. Unrecognized, however, certainly does not mean uninteresting. This museum shows a rarely touched upon history of the States told by artists that are not mentioned in the history books.
Special Exhibits: Their Bill Trailer exhibit includes approximately 63 drawings and paintings by self-taught Alabama artist Bill Traylor, one of the most respected American folk artists of the 20th century. His colorful illustrations touch upon the world of the Post-Civil war South in an honest, yet innocent voice.
Wednesday
Museum: Bronx Zoo
Where: 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx Park, Bronx, New York
Website: bronxzoo.com
Why You Should Go: We know that the terms Zoo and New York City don't seem to go together, but we highly suggest you channel your inner child at the Bronx Zoo when it is free on Wednesdays. Enveloped by the beautiful landscape of the Bronx gardens and river, the zoo has about 4,000 animals representing about 650 species from around the world.
Special Exhibits: It's hard not to think about New York Zoos without remembering the hilarious Madagascar movie. Although that took place in the Central Park Zoo, the Bronx Zoo has a great Madagascar exhibit with wildlife from the fourth largest island in the world. They have a lot to offer, by visiting their funny looking lemurs or watching their film about very small, but lethal amphibians.
Thursday
Museum: New Museum
Where: 235 Bowery
Website: newmuseum.org
Why You Should Go: If you feel like you have seen all that New York City museums have to offer, then you should visit the very new New Museum which only opened in 2007. While most contemporary art museums in the city host American artists, the New Museum presents interesting contemporary works from around the globe. You have a good excuse to walk over to Chinatown and get some soup dumplings after getting free tickets from 7p.m. to 9p.m.
Special Exhibits: Ellen Gallagher, a huge artist during the radical art movement of the 90's, is currently displaying her exhibit Ellen Gallager: Don't Axe Me until September 15th. From collage to film, she does not limit herself to any medium of art. You will be anticipating the next exciting piece of art as you walk through the gallery.
Friday
Museum: The Musem of Modern Art
Where: 11 W 53rd St
Website: moma.org
Why You Should Go: If you haven't been to the MoMA yet, you should take advantage of their "Uniqlo Free Friday Nights" between 4pm and 8pm, where you can visit all their exhibits for free. You don't need to be a pretentious art nerd to enjoy this museum. From Van Gogh's Starry Night to Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon, this museum has some of the most iconic pieces in the history of modern art.
Special Exhibits: If you haven't already seen your friends pictures on Instagram, the MoMA has a special exhibit called The Rain Room. Basically, the Room contains a field of water falling from the ceiling that pauses when it detects any human presence underneath it. It gives this illusion of you being in the rain without actually getting wet so it invites visitors to be a part of the art itself.
Saturday
Museum: Guggenheim Museum
Where: 1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street)
Website: http://www.guggenheim.org/
Why You Should Go: The architecture of the Guggenheim is enough reason to visit the museum but it also hosts some of the most important pieces of 20th to 21st century art. Starting at 5:45 pm the museum allows visitors to "Pay as You Wish" so admission for non-members is by donation. Make sure you get there on time because the last tickets are issued at 7:15 pm. Start off your Saturday nights on a cultural note so you can impress your drunk friends later that night.
Special Exhibits: The Museum is currently hosting a truly enlightening (no pun intended) James Turrell exhibit. This artist explores the relationship between light, art and space with larger than life light-art pieces that you have to see in person. Go visit the exhibit before it ends on September 25th.
Sunday
Museum: The Bronx Museum of the Arts
Where: 1040 Grand Concourse Bronx, New York
Website: bronxmuseum.org
Why You Should Go: When looking for free museums in the city, the Bronx Museum of the Arts will most likely not come up at the top of your internet search and that is exactly why you should go. This underrated museum focuses on contemporary and modern works by American artists, and has also hosted exhibitions of artists from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Their collection consists of more than 800 paintings, sculptures, photographs and works on paper. Put your lazy Sundays to good use and go see some art.
Special Exhibits: Todd Heisler, a two-time Pulitzer Prize for Photography winner and New York Times photographer, is currently showing Solace on the Line at the museum. This collection observes Bronx citizens in moments of intense prayer, whether it is at church or in the park. His work is intense and moving, definitely worth a free visit.
