Both my boys read and loved the book From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, a story of two siblings who run away from home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. So when we started talking about which museum to visit in New York City, the decision was quick and unanimous. They both wanted to go to the Met and were excited to see if they could recognize different rooms and works of art from the book. It’s rare that the boys agree on something like this (and indeed, my oldest briefly changed his choice to the MoMA) so we jumped on it.
The Met was our last stop in NYC. And of course, when we headed that way, the skies completely cleared and we had the best weather of the weekend. But we stuck to the plan rather than change to an outdoor destination. The boys were excited, so no use in rocking the boat. We did enjoy some time outside before our visit at the museum’s fountains and after our visit getting pretzels and ice cream.
The Met, located in Central Park, is the largest art museum in the United States. It has been in its current location since the early 1870s. The Fifth Avenue facade has been added to over the years and the main building was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The architecture is beautiful and worth some time appreciating before you go inside.
Up until the beginning of 2018, the museum had a “pay-as-you-wish” policy. A $25 admission donation was requested but not required. Following some financial hardships, the museum changed the voluntary fee to be only applicable to New York state residents and NY/NJ/CT students. For everyone else, admission is now a required $25 for adults, $12 for students, and free for children 12 and under. When we walked in, the residents line for “suggested admissions” was insanely long. For non-residents there were a number of kiosks where you could quickly and easily purchase your tickets. Considering how long the line was, I may have opted to pay even if I had been a resident.
The Great Hall is as impressive architecturally as the exterior facade. It is filled with beautiful arches and columns, and three huge domes cover the ceilings. The boys were so excited to see the Grand Stairway with the large oil painting The Triumph of Marius visible at the top. This main staircase and painting are featured on the front cover of the book From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
Housing over 2 million works of art in 17 distinct collections covering 17 acres of space, the Met is simply huge. I have to admit that we found the layout difficult to navigate and the map somewhat confusing. We sometimes struggled to find a collection we were looking for and had some difficulty meeting back up with our group after we were separated. But we were still able to see the collections that the boys prioritized: Asian Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, and Arms and Armor.
We headed up the Grand Staircase and into the Asian Art collection. This is the area where we spent the most time. The boys enjoyed wandering amongst the sculptures, watercolors, calligraphy, and screen prints. The Astor Chinese Garden Court is a really peaceful spot where we managed to briefly escape the museum crowd.
We were headed to the Modern and Contemporary Art collection next, but first we had to stop and think for a moment…
The Modern and Contemporary Art collection is where my oldest really wanted to go, but I suspect he discovered that the “modern art” wasn’t exactly what he envisioned. Still, they enjoyed walking around and viewing the large paintings and sculptures. The modern art gallery covers two stories, with the lower level open to the upper level on one side and flanked by huge angled windows on the other. The natural light coming through the windows and the colorful, modern art pieces really made this collection pop.
We wandered through some other collections on the way to our final destination, the Arms and Armor room. If you have young kids and their interest seems to be waning, this is the place to head. Focused on the design of swords, guns, and armor, there are a lot of really interesting pieces in the collection. The literal and figurative centerpiece of the collection is 4 fully armored knights atop 4 fully armored horses. The display seemed to immediately captivate all the children who walked through the doors.
From there took a quick spin through the Egyptian Art collection before heading out. We spent about 2 and a half hours in the museum. I think my older son would have spent longer there if he had the option, but the rest of our group was younger kids who had mostly met their limit. The Met is simply too large to cover in a single day (or even several days), so especially when visiting with children, I think it is important to study the map and decide on the highlights you want to cover before leaving the Great Hall. This museum is so much more than a collection of paintings, and in general, kids seem to respond more to the three dimensional works, such as sculptures and archaeological pieces. Let your kids’ interests guide you and keep the visit to a realistic amount of time and your family should have a great visit to the Met.
