The Museum of Modern Art is one of the best museums in New York City and
in the world, you know you are bound to see some breathtaking art,
regardless of your art savvy or lack thereof!

The MoMA is open daily, except for Thursdays and holidays (Christmas and
Thanksgiving) from 10:30 am – 5:30 pm.  Admission is $20 for adults. Save
yourself the time and hassle of waiting in line, by pre-purchasing tickets
through their website: Moma.org.  You will recieve a link to your booking
voucher via email once your booking is confirmed. The coat check service
there is free, but you may want to have something warm to wear, even in
the warm weather months, as it tends to be a bit chilly.

For a day with the girls (or guys), visiting the MoMa during the earlier
hours (morning/afternoon) would be a great way to enjoy some brunch or
have a casual day. Start your visit by making your way to the 5th floor
and work your way down. The 6th floor is normally reserved for special
and/or temporary exhibitions. Some of the most amazing work will be found
in the fourth and fifth floors. The 5th floor is divided into 13
galleries. There you will see greats like Picasso, Monet, and Matisse. To
grab a fabulous, but simple meal or treat, visit Terrace 5 where the cafe
offers a full seasonal menu, delicious pastries, wines, and cocktails. No
reservations required. For fun, you can do the luncheon tasting menu for
$25. They have an amazing view of the sculpture garden and the city
streetscape. Cafe 2, located on the second floor, offers a quick break
filled with expressos, pastas, soups, and pastries.

Target Free Fridays, if you are so adventurous, start from 4pm to 8pm.
They normally attract large crowds as admission is free, so be prepared to
arrive as early as possible. You can fend the population by starting from
the fifth floor and working your way down.

For some amusing, irreverent audio guides to listen to as you visit, you
can download podcasts by Art Mobs, through iTunes. They are the project of
a professor and his students to make visiting the MoMa more entertaining.
It makes for a more amusing visit than those ever serious lectures of the
official MoMa audio guides can offer. You can subscribe to these free
podcast guides through: http://mod.blogs.com/art_mobs

At the end of your venture, check out the MoMa Design Store, which
features some of the most fun and strange collectables, design objects,
and gifts you can buy.

For an evening with that special someone, visiting the MoMa could invoke
art-induced euphoria. How romantic can you get than that? Being in front
of Claude Monet’s “Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond”, which
stands at 6 feet tall and extends to 41 feet long would take anyone’s
breath away.

Though the 4th and 5th floor are worth visiting with your date, the 3rd
and 2nd floors hold a vast assortment of drawings, photographs, and design
that are worth seeing. The 2nd floor holds some of the larger-scale pieces
and installations in the museum. Have a romantic dinner at The Modern,
which offers fine French-American cuisine. They have two dining
experiences, know as The Dining Room and The Bar Room. Be sure to reserve
your place at this restaurant weeks in advance. Reservations can be made
by calling 212.333.1220 or visiting http://www.opentable.com. The Bar Room,
however requires no reservations, so if you just want to grab something to
drink with your date before heading off into the sunset, this is the
place. And for music, the MoMa has live jazz Thursdays and Saturdays from
6-10 pm.

Be sure to check out Vincent Van Goah and the Colors of The Night exhibit,
which goes on until January 6th, 2009. Order tickets online for a
guaranteed entry into this particular exhibit as they do fill up fast!