I have been home from Paris and great European art museums for around three months now but I still find myself missing the ability I had there to see some of these amazing and historical pieces of art that were offered in the many museums of Paris. Before I do a definitive ranking on the museums, I decided to take note and be grateful for some of the fantastic museums in NYC, much closer to where I reside for now.

4. The Whitney Museum of American Art

The Whitney is a compelling and inviting museum. Located in a great part of NYC, a day at the Whitney can be either right after or before a beautiful walk along the Highline in Chelsea. Inside visitors will find a collection of American contemporary art of simply the 20th century. This offers a unique perspective to viewers since most of the artists featured in the collection are still living! I find that when looking around in museums it sometimes can be a stretch to truly relate to what the artist was feeling and what they were trying to portray throughout their work, but with a collection like this it can be accomplished with much more ease. It’s also extremely intriguing to walk around and read about the artist’s current whereabouts and hometowns, some of which might be quite close to your own hometown! During my first visit to the Whitney I was delighted to see the large amount of people on line and in the museum since it is not one of the larger displays of collections in Manhattan, but it filled me with pride to see this recent period of art be so greatly recognized and genuinely appreciated by both NYC natives and tourists. Towards the top, each floor has an amazing outdoor viewpoint where you can see over the highline and the meatpacking district of the lower west side.

3. Solomon R. Guggenheim

It might be easy to overlook to Guggenheim, especially when it is so close in location to the more well-known MET, but I recommend that you give it the chance that it so clearly deserves. You can find it on the upper east side, across from central park. Everything about this museum is deeply intriguing, from the architecture both on the inside and out to its diverse collection. Its spiral rotunda leads you throughout the entire museum leaving it impossible for you to miss a thing. The Guggenheim museum is home to many greats of modern-art. Your journey and climb through the spiral will bring you to names such as Picasso, Monet, Renoir, a current exhibition of Moholy-Nagy works, and many more. The Solomon R. Guggenheim offers a student price of $18.00.

2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (5th Ave)

The amazing, the magical, and the endless amounts of art that is in this museum makes my heart sing. A day spent at the MET will always lead you to a new piece and a new part of history. Whether you are a fan of medieval works, modern and contemporary, European paintings, Egyptian art, Asian art, or any other notable category all with the most recognizable names- you will find a large chunk of what you seek here! Located on Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side NYC, your day visiting this museum will never be the same experience each time. The amount of temporary exhibitions held here exceeds the numbers of the last two museums by far which maintains a dynamic perspective from its visitors every few months. The student price at the MET is suggested at $12.00- that’s right, suggested! When buying tickets at the counter, all visitors – students, seniors, and adults- are all able to choose how much they would prefer to give as a donation to the museum which is wonderful when you love art but are on that #collegebudget type of life. I think it’s important to recognize that it’s great to visit a museum for free or close to it, but that these donations are what keeps the research, up-keep, and exhibitions in the museum as good as it is!

1. The Museum of Modern Art: MoMA

At the top of my out of art museums in NYC is the Museum of Modern Art. Although its collection isn’t as classic and perhaps not as grand as the MET, it certainly takes the cake for its creative appeal and influence on diverse thoughts and minds. Located at 11 W and 53rd street it is very easy to incorporate a visit to the MoMA during a day of exploring midtown Manhattan. The MoMA’s largest crowd is always centered on Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” which deserves the hype, but it’s not the other piece that makes the visit worthwhile. The MoMA’s temporary exhibitions are always extensive and change approximately every three months which once again keeps its visitors keen to evolving their ideas and creativity through the exposure to modern and contemporary art. The permanent collection features 13,000 artists with 200,000 works on display. There is a student price of $14.00 at the MoMA but if you are a SUNY student like me then you get in for free!

Happy art exploring! And remember that supporting smaller galleries is always just as important, but start with these big names to find what it is that you appreciate and what inspires you most!