Culture is part of the reason we love Brooklyn, but it often comes at a premium: steep entrance fees in the city museums. Many places also have those “suggested” fees that make you acutely uncomfortable as you whisper to the cashier you’ll be donating less than the recommended amount. Dan Nguyen, a journalist with ProPublica, has solved some of those problems with his new site I Heart NY Museums. It’s an easily sortable, color-coded database that indexes most of the city’s major cultural centers, listed with normal entrance fees, hours, Yelp ratings — and when you can get in for free.
Look for the light blue color code designating the “free/special suggested donation,” wherein the museum won’t pressure you nearly as much to donate as it does during its normal, “suggested donation” time period (indicated in dark blue). The site even includes a Google Map pinpointing each museum, color-coded according to their hours at the current time. So because right now it is 12:30pm on Friday, the MoMa will cost you the regular $20, but come 4:00 PM, it’s free, and the map changes to indicate that.
Nguyen’s self-compiled site also links to a lot of cool resources, if you’re feeling too lazy to actually venture out to a NYC museum, like the Google Art Project, which allows you to see into museums across the world, take tours, and zoom in on the details of famous masterpieces.
Get your culture on: www.iheartnymuseums.com
Via L Magazine