The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Having 3 different locations and over 6 million visitors The Metropolitan Museum of Art, “The Met“, is the largest art museum in the United States. The Met’s collection holds over two million different art works and is divided among 17 curatorial departments. The primary location of the museum is at the edge of the Upper East Side at 1000 fifth avenue, its second location at Fort Tryin Park in Upper Manhattan, the third location is a much more recent addition located alongside Madison Avenue, also on the Upper East Side. The Metropolitan Museum’s largest art gallery is at its primary location, the secondary location contains a collection of art, architecture, and artifacts from medieval Europe. Finally its tertiary location expanded upon the museums modern and contemporary art.

The Metropolitan Museums collection consists of works from classical antiquity, ancient Egyptian art, Different European Artists and a collection of American modern art. The Met also has an extensive collection of African, Asian, Oceania, Byzantine, and Islamic art. The Met also holds musical instruments as well, costumes and even accessories, alongside this, antique weapons, armor and so many more historic pieces from around the world. All of these pieces coming from different periods of history, some come from first century Rome and others through modern America.

The Inside of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art
The Inside of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art

The metropolitan Museum of art came into being on February 20th, 1872 and was established in order to encourage and develop the study of fine arts and to help people understand the value of modern art. In the beginning the museum was housed in a building that was located in 681 Fifth Avenue. The First president of the Metropolitan Museum was a man named John Taylor Johnston, he previously was a railroad executive who used his own personal art collection as the first collection presented by the museum. He was helped by two other people, Publisher George Palmer Putman who became the founding superintendent, and Artist Eastman Johnson who acted as the co founder of the museum. there where also many other co founders of the museum such as Howard Potter who was a formally Civil War officer, and various other industrialists. Luigi Palma di Cesnola was the first director of the museum and served from 1879 to 1904. During this time the Met’s collection had grown rapidly, at first the museum had contained Roman works and over 150 artist works that where primarily European paintings. Along with this the museum created a new program and helped with running a series of educational programs, with the intention of providing vocational training and classes for fine arts the Metropolitan Museum of Art Schools was opened up. After a few years the museum had expanded and had added a concert hall named the Grace Rainey Rogers concert hall and was opened in 1954. This concert hall had eventually had over 200 events each season with multiple performers playing there. the concert hall was directed by William Kolodney from 1954 to 1968 and then by Hilde Limondjian from 1969 to 2010.

The Metropolitan Museum back in 1914 By Irving Underhill

in the 1960’s the Metropolitan Museum was expanded in order to include a chairman of the board of trustees. This was led by Robert Lehman who had helped the museum gain more art works since 1911 and for the next six decades helped add to the art collection of The Met. Lehman died in 1969 and his foundation then proceeded to donate over 3,000 works to the museum. This directly led to the museum opening a sperate wing, appropriately named, the Robert Lehman Wing which was opened to the public in 1975. This collection was then called ” one of the most extraordinary private art collections ever assembled in the United States”.

Today the chairman of the board is a man named Daniel Brodsky who had been chairman since 2012. Brodsky has changed one of the old policies of the museum, while previously the it was a free admission in order to enter the museum it now has a $25 out of state charge and for foreign visitors, so keep that in mind if you plan on visiting. If you are coming in out of the country, keep in mind that My Destiny Limo can take you to the Metropolitan Museum hassle free. My Destiny Limo is a fantastic car service to the New York Metropolitan Museum, regardless of the distance this transportation company provides an excellent choice if you want a limo service to the Metropolitan Museum.

the Medieval Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Medieval Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Transportation to the Metropolitan Museum is also something of great interest when designing the building. Normally people prefer to take the subway to the museum however only 3 trains actually stop there. Now a days its much safer to drive to the Metropolitan Museum and much more efficient. However, often people will opt to use a car service in Manhattan, sometimes people may even use a limo service in Manhattan. If you want to take a trip to the Metropolitan Museum the best company to use would be My Destiny Limo. My Destiny Limo will get you there on time and hassle free so you can sit back and enjoy the ride to the Metropolitan Museum in a relaxing environment. If your are outside of the New York City area and you don’t have to worry either, My Destiny Limo has a car service from New Jersey to the New York Metropolitan Museum, car service from Connecticut to the New York Metropolitan Museum, car service from Pennsylvania to the New York Metropolitan Museum, car service from Washington D.C to The New York Metropolitan Museum, and even a car service from Massachusetts to the New York Metropolitan Museum. So don’t hesitate to book your reservation with My Destiny Limo today!

Overall the metropolitan museum of art has many different exhibits for any visitor and so many activities for different ages. From the famous Met steps to the inside concerts and the Metropolitan concert hall there something for anyone. My Destiny Limo will take you there today!

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

One of the most recognizable building designs in NYC, the cultural museum has stood the test of time through its unique architecture and stunning art collection. The art museum itself is located on 1071 fifth avenue in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is home to continuously expanding collection of impressionist, post-impressionist, early modern art, and contemporary art. The museum would also normally hold exhibitions throughout the year (however due to Covid-19 these may have been subject to change). The museum holds exquisite pieces of art while also being visually stunning itself.

The Entrance to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City with Black Cars speeding By.

The history of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is actually quite an interesting one. The original founder of the museum, Guggenheim himself, was originally a member of a very wealthy mining family. Guggenheim had been collecting old works of art since the 1890’s and had met with artist Hilla von Rebay in 1926. Hilla von Rebay was a European avant-garde artist who had an affiliation towards abstract art that represented both a utopian and spiritual aspect. In the beginning Guggenheim did not have an official “museum” to display his art collection, instead he began to display it at his own apartment in the Plaza Hotel. sd. Soon enough Guggenheim’s collection had become large enough for him to establish the Solomon R. Guggenheim foundation which focused on the appreciation of modern art and all its varieties. The foundation then opened up in 1939 under the name “the Museum of Non-objective Painting” which was led by both Guggenheim and Hilla von Rebay. By the early 1940’s the foundation began to collect so many art pieces that it had become clear that the museum needed a permanent building. this led to Guggenheim and Rebay writing a letter to Frank Lloyd Wright and had asked him to design a building that would house the art they had collected throughout the years. Frank Lloyd Wright accepted the job and took it as an opportunity to experiment with his organic style in an urban environment. it took Wright 15 years to design the final building, during this time he had gone through 700 sketches and six sets of working drawings but at last he was able to come up with the final design for the museum. In 1948 Guggenheim’s collection had expanded by purchasing the estate of art dealer Karl Nierendorf who has about 730 pieces. Then in 1949 Guggenheim had died, this led to Hilla von Rebay resigning as the director due to the differentiating philosophies she had with the board of directors of the foundation, who all happened to be members of Guggenheim’s family. Despite this, Rebay had left behind many pieces of her own personal collection which included pieces from Albert Gleizes, Alexander Calder, and many more. Eventually in 1952 the Museum was renamed The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Solomon R. Guggenheim and Hilla von Rebay

Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the first to create an art building in NYC that did not follow the traditional style of buildings back then, he had instead made something expressive, and personal. The concept of the building was rather interesting, back then most buildings followed a simple scheme of interconnected rooms that would be reached through stair cases and where a person would be forced to retrace their steps in order to exit the building. Instead The Guggenheim Museum was more of a slope, one where upon entering the building you would go up an elevator and then descend via the slope slowly admiring the different pieces of art presented to you. In addition in the center of the slope, in the Atrium, would be the final art piece for visitors to view. The location of the building was carefully chosen as well, the first couple of locations thought of where the Bronx, and even Riverdale. Eventually Wright, Rebay, and Guggenheim had settled n 89th st and 5th avenue, overlooking Central Park. This actually helped with cancelling noise pollution and provided the museum with relief from the urban environment that is NYC. It was not the only thing it helped with however, this also made it easier for transportation to reach the museum itself. Black Car vehicle transportations can find a quick easy route to the Guggenheim and companies such as My Destiny Limo will have zero issues getting to the museum because of its placement and layout. On top of this if you don’t live in New York City then you have nothing to worry about, even if you’re coming in from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington D.C. or Connecticut you can trust that My Destiny Limo can get you there comfortably for your visit. Despite how long Wright had worked on the design of the building not all of his original plans had actually gone through. For example Wright had originally wanted a stone finish for the building but eventually it was turned down for a concrete design in order to cut costs. Wright had also incorporated a large rotunda into his design in which Rebay and Guggenheim could have lived in, however this was eventually used as office space and storage. Overall despite not being Frank Lloyd Wright’s final design it still turned into an engineering marvel and became one of the most recognizable buildings in New York City.

The Construction to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City

After Rebay had stepped down as the director of the museum James Johnson Sweeney had become the new director. Sweeney had a very different view on objective painting and sculpture, unlike Rebay, Sweeney had embraced modern objective art and worked on expanded the Guggenheim collection in order to include it. Sweeney had began to include works that where not only in the 20th century, Sweeney had included artists such as Joseph Csaky, Jean Arp, Calder, Alberto Giacometti, and David Smith. During his time the foundation has also received 28 different important pieces of work as a gift. These gifts where given to the foundation by Katherine S. Dreier, one of the founders of America’s first modern art museum collection, also known as the Société Anonyme. Katherine S. Dreier was one of Rebays colleagues and among her collection include works from Juan Gris, Alexander Archipenko, and Constantin Brancusi. Sweeney also managed to acquire works from other artists such as David Hayes, Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock. Sweeney had also overseen the final 6 years of the museums constructions and during these times he had a strained relationship with Frank Lloyd Wright. Unfortunately Frank Lloyd Wright had passed away 6 months prior to the opening of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. The Guggenheim building turned out to be his final work and became one of his most well known due to its nature and location. The Manhattan skyline was known for its typically rectangular designs, so a building that was cylinder shaped provided a sharp contrast in the city. Interestingly enough the building design was already receiving criticism for its unique aesthetic. it was believed that the building would actually overshadow the art that it held inside. However, Wright believed that it would in fact enhance the art inside. Finally, after the death of Frank Lloyd Wright and Solomon Guggenheim the museum had opened on October 21st, 1959.

In 1961 Sweeney was succeeded as the director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum by Thomas M. Messer. Messer proceeded to be the director of the Museum for nearly 27 years, the longest of any major art institutions. in 1962 Messer decided to put on a large exhibit with a combination of the Guggenheim’s paintings with sculptures. However, presenting three dimensional sculptures had was seen as a problem to the museum nature of having a downwards spiral. The exhibit was actually a great success, though despite that, Messer recalls being scared and having a haunting feeling that this exhibit would be his last. Then, in 1963, Messer had struck a deal with Justin K Thannhauser, who provided 73 private pieces for the museums permanent collection. These art pieces included Impressionist, Post-Impressionists, and French modern masterpieces, it also included works from artists such as Camille Pissarro, Vincent van Gogh, and even Pablo Picasso. After Sweeney came a few other new directors of the museum, such as Thomas M. Messer, and Thomas Krens who helped create new paths for expansions of the museums. Some of these expansions include a new theater (Peter B. Lewis Theater), a student sketching center at the entrance of the Sackler Center, and restoration of the exterior.

Prospect Park

The Park Slope Entrance to Prospect Park

covering an area of 586 acres, Prospect Park is one of the biggest in Brooklyn and continues to show how beautiful nature can be even among the urban environment in Brooklyn. Prospect Park is surrounded by 5 different neighborhoods, it’s adjacent to the Brooklyn Museum and even contains its own botanical garden on top of also being right next to the Brooklyn Public Library. Needless to say Prospect Park holds more than its fair share of activities for its visitors to do!

One of the Many small waterways scattered around Prospect Park
One of the many small waterways scattered around Prospect Park

Prospect Park is an urban park that was established between 1867 – 1873 however the park itself was actually proposed 8 years prior in 1859 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Interestingly enough both Olmsted and Vaux where the same people who also helped design NYC most famous park, Central Park itself. Throughout the next decade and a half the park under went numerous redesigns and refurbishments in order to both modernize the park and clean it up. redesigns included the addition of the Prospect Park Zoo, a picnic house, a concert grove, The Boathouse, and even the Litchfield Villa. The Prospect Park also host constant outdoor Concerts and Parades during the summer. The new modernization of the park also added new facilities such as basketball courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, The Prospect Park Tennis Center, and even an ice skating ring for winter.

The Lafrak Center at Prospect Park being used as a Ice skating ring during the winter.
The Lafrak Center at Prospect Park during winter

Prospect Park has an area of 526 acres in central Brooklyn and consists of waterways, ravines, lakes, and watercourses. The waterways in Prospect Park are actually apart of a singular man made watercourse that leads throughout the park. The watercourse makes use of the preexisting ponds and the lowland out-wash plains in order to make a drainage around the waterway itself. The waterway is also lined with vegetation around the borders that absorb precipitation and help water flow. interestingly enough, two thirds of the lake evaporates annually, however the water is restored throughout the rainy season.

The artificial lake at prospect park being enjoyed by two people
Prospect Park Lake

The Prospect Park Lake is artificial and covers about 60 acres of the park itself. The lake itself holds over 20 different species of fish and even several different islands inside the lake. visitors are also allowed to kayak and use pedal boats in the lake and sometimes even fish, however the lake does hold a catch and release policy. Prospect Park also has 146 acres of Ravines and a long meadow that goes down the western side of Prospect Park.

Prospect Park is also filled with landmarks and structures that scattered around the land. The entrance to Prospect Park is one of these major landmarks, two columns outside the entrance of Bartel-Pritchard Square. Grand Army Plaza also contains The Soldiers’ and The Sailors’ Arch, a large arch that is located on an oval in the middle of the park. The park also holds many monuments and statues, such as the Mozart Monument, a bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln, Dongan Oak monument, and many more scattered around the park.

Prospect Park may not be as big or as famous as Central Park but that does not mean that it does not have its own visual spectacles or entertainment opportunities. The natural landscapes in the park combined with the monuments and man made structures make it a sight to see for any visitors who wish to be blown away by the marvelous beauty of the park. Visitors who prefer to take a more active role when it comes to entertainment can attend any one of the parades and concerts held at the park or even bring friends to some of the soccer fields or basketball courts in order to stay on the active side. Overall Prospect Park is a perfect place for any visitor who wants to experience what Brooklyn has to offer, and luckily for you My Destiny Limo can take you there today!