A Wren Says

I recently visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art, affectionately called The Met. This was my first time visiting this world-renown museum. In addition to a head full of art and wonder, I came away with some tips I will use for the next time I visit. I think they’ll be helpful to you, too. Here is a list of key things to know before you plan your visit.

1. Admit defeat now.

To be honest with you, perfectly honest, you will never see everything The Met has to offer. That isn’t a challenge to speed run to see everything you possibly can in one trip. That is truly because you would need to come back multiple times every year for as long as the museum is open to the public to see everything. From the rotating exhibits that will never come back, to the endless collection on show and in the archives, it is a massive volume of art. Too much for one human to take in. Experience as much as you can and leave that to be good enough.

2. You might want to buy a membership, even if you don’t live in the city.

If you are lover of art, even if you don’t live in New York it might make sense to get a membership. Let’s say you’re in town for the week and want to see as much as possible (even though I told you that’s a tall endeavor), that’s going to take multiple trips. And you probably aren’t going alone. At the current price of an individual membership and assuming you’ll bring a guest, it will only take two visits to make it worth it. Now, the planners out there may want to sign up ahead of time to get your membership card in the mail and be ready to hop into the members line when you arrive

3. Prioritize the exhibit you want to see.

Again you can’t see it all, but you can see most of what you hope to see. If there is a limited run exhibit that you are hoping to experience or a particular piece of art, make sure you start there. If you save it to the end, you run the risk of being too tired or too out of time to make it there. Start strong and work your way around to experience other surprises.

4. Develop a keen sense of direction.

 I struggled with reading the museum map. I kept trying to reorient myself to get to the special exhibits, but instead I found myself circling the Latin American wing. If you are a former Boy Scout, you might be fine. But the rest of us should level up on the map reading. Or just ask an attendant for help.

5. Deeply consider your shoe choice.

When you visit a museum, at a crude level you are basically paying to walk around and stand all day. Your shoes may be cute, but are they cut out for that kind of work? Wear a pair that is comfortable and made for walking.

6. Spot the benches

You’re likely to get tired. Or regret not taking the advice on comfortable shoes. Keep an eye out for benches where you can take a rest. Bonus points if you can get one in front of an artwork you actually want to observe.

7. Have snack and water breaks.

Again, you will be there for hours. Take a break at one multiple cafes or leave and head to a restaurant and come back. Your pass will admit you for the whole day. Feel free to step back outside when you need. Take care of your body, nourish yourself to power up and keep going. There’s a lot to see

8. Come with a sense of wonder.

You might be tempted to look at what’s on display and critique it instantly. “My toddler can do better than that.” Hold off on the judgement and let yourself experience that art as entering into someone else’s world. Or as a chance to see the world from a different perspective. Or to be inspired. Come with an open mind and take it all in as you go along.

That’s it for my advice, but I want to hear from you. Have you visited The Met? What do you think would be important for a first-timer to know?