Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Free New York! Making Culture Available to All


New York has been recognized for decades as one of the world’s great cities. One of the things that makes it great is the easy access there is to amazing cultural, often for free or a minimal cost. Here are a few of our favorite affordable and life enhancing quintessential New York experiences.

Picture by Allie Caulfield

  • The Museum of Modern Art is one of the world’s most visited museums, for good reason. People come to see MoMA’s permanent and rotating collections which include masterpieces by Monet, Matisse and much more. The good news is that on Fridays, from 4pm to 8pm there is no entrance fee, courtesy of the Japanese clothing company UNIQLO. Come early, as you can imagine as the night progresses the crowds grow.
  • The Brooklyn Botanic Garden opens its doors to the public for free on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10am to 12 pm, and a few other special days throughout the year, for absolutely no charge. The garden is located in Prospect Park, and has an amazing Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, a wonderful Cherry Esplanade, a Shakespeare Garden, and Cranford Rose Garden, and many others.
  • The Federal Reserve Bank offers a free one hour tour which is mind boggling. Travel down five stories below street level to get a glimpse of the largest stash of gold reserves in the world: 7,000 tons worth. You learn all about how the Federal Reserve System works, and come away feeling enlightened about a topic that can be as confusing as it is important. The tours are popular, so you might need to reserve your place as much as 30 days in advance, but don’t miss this fun New York experience.