Top 5 Tips: Visiting a Museum

Five excellent and practical tips on visiting a museum from Jennie Kim, an art historian.

TIP #1: Take advantage of extended hours.
Museums tend to be less crowded during the time they offer extended hours since most people (including tourists) may not know about it. 

TIP #2: Look at the fine print.
Look carefully at the fine print regarding museum admissions. For example, The Met's admission is suggested and therefore, is pay what you wish. 

TIP #3: Use side or back entrance to avoid long lines.
Avoid the crowds and the long lines at the main entrance by looking for side or back entrances which usually have shorter lines. (I've used this tip at the Louvre in Paris with great success.)

TIP #4: Do more with your museum admission.
In addition to the docent tours, museums often have lectures and symposiums given by scholars and specialists, which you have access to with your museum admissions. Ask the information desk to see what's available to you that day.

TIP #5: Start at the end.
When walking to a crowded special exhibition, especially for those with timed tickets, work backwards and start at the end. You'll be able to avoid the bottleneck that usually forms at the first few galleries.

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See All Tips 

A Private Tour of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

I bumped into a family friend and found out she gives private tours at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Of course, I had to jump at the chance and booked a one-hour tour with her. 

Know anyone who knows exactly where they are in the Met Museum while walking though each room of a gallery? Well, Jennie Kim does and it's quite impressive. I don't, and I've been going to the Met for as long as I can remember. But then again, I'm not an expert like Jennie who has a Ph.D in Art History. So yeah, you can say she knows a thing or two about art and museums.

My friend Alia and I met up with Jennie near the information desk by the main entrance. 

The floral arrangements in the Great Hall are stunning!

Here's Jennie answering a question from Alia. Best part of a private tour, you can ask as many questions without feeling like you're taking over a tour group's time. Our tour covered the Renaissance and Baroque, and Greek and Roman collections. 

Starting on the second floor, we weaved through the rooms where certain paintings were pointed out and explained. At one point, we sat down in front of the Caravaggio paintings and were entertained with a little history and back story on Caravaggio's life and work. (Interesting tidbit: There's question by some art historians as to whether The Lute Player is really a Caravaggio.)

Walking though, we passed an artist recreating a painting.

From the second floor European paintings section, we headed back down the staircase and made our way to the Greek and Roman Art galleries.

The Roman Sculpture Court was built to mimic a lavish Roman courtyard complete with a water fountain in the center.

This sculpture in the Greek and Roman Art gallery blew my mind a bit. Jennie pointed out his teeth, which you can't see unless you're at a certain angle and know to look for them. Something I never would have noticed on my own.

In one hour, we covered A LOT since we there were just the two of us on the tour. We moved at an easy pace and Jennie customized the tour as we were walking through the museum. If something caught our eye, we would walk over and Jennie would give us some information on the work. I loved the experience of having a personal tour guide with me at the Met.

Tours can be customized to suit any interest and sample tours of the Met include:
- Greek and Roman
- Renaissance and Baroque
- Nineteenth Century
- Modern 

INFO: Jennie Kim | Art Education and Advisory | arteducationandadvisory@gmail.com
PRIVATE TOUR: Customized tours starting at $100/hr 

Iced Tea Makers

1/ From Bodum, this iced tea maker can be used as a fruit infuser. Or for the best of both worlds, tea with fruit infusion!
2/ Loving this iced tea maker from Takeya which makes iced tea in 30 seconds. Get the boxed set for the neoprene jacket to keep your tea cold and to absorb condensation.
3/ A basic tea maker for hot and cold tea. Just add ice to make iced tea. 

Photo Credit: From Linked Sources  

Tea at Three: Hojicha & Palmier

TEA: Hojicha [Harney & Sons]
SWEETS: Palmier [Épicerie Boulud]

Picked up a crispy and super flaky palmier (See the Best of 3: Palmiers) from Épicerie Boulud and paired it with an earthy and smooth Hojicha from Harney & Sons. The sweetness from the palmier went perfectly with the Hojicha. 

The lovely cup pictured is a one-of-a-kind; It was made by my sister in her pottery class. The best kind of design—pretty and functional.

Review: The Gotham Lounge at The Peninsula

On a rainy Sunday, I met up with a friend for afternoon tea. Went to The Plaza Hotel only to find out they were fully booked and we were turned away. A quick walk over to the Four Seasons and found out they no longer have afternoon tea service. Finally, we went to The Peninsula and thankfully, the third time was the charm. 

SETTING:
Afternoon tea is served in the hotel lounge so the room is not just for tea. The tables are spaced far enough apart so you don't feel like you're joining in on the next table's conversation. The lounge has a very business casual feel to it, perhaps a little too corporate. It didn't feel special.

SERVICE:
Great, except for one misstep. When the tiered tray was brought over, the server didn't stop to tell us what was being served. I like it when they go over what's on each plate on the tray. 

TEA & TEA SELECTION:
Small but varied tea selection. I got the Earl Grey Supreme, which was very good. Perfect for a rainy day.

Three-tiered tray for two.

SAVORIES:
Five finger sandwiches each. All made with fresh bread. The sandwiches were all very good, with nice touches of caviar. I really liked the egg salad and the smoked salmon sandwiches. Nice presentation and tasty!

SCONES:
Odd, we were given three scones for the two of us. I've always gotten even numbers of scones so I was a little surprised. Not sure if they forgot to give us another one or if that's how it's served. With the scones came the clotted cream, lemon curd and strawberry preserves. Scones weren't warm, but the size was good. 

SWEETS:
The pastries were adorable but they were a miss with me. The cakes were too dense and it didn't taste freshly baked. I ate only a couple of bites of each one.

OVERALL:
The afternoon tea here is $55 per person, which is the same cost as the tea at The Pierre, St. Regis, and the Ritz-Carlton but The Peninsula isn't on the same level as those three. Mostly, it's due to the setting. If the lounge had a more of a elegant or posh feel, it may be worth the cost. If this was a $40 tea service, I would have been very happy, but it's definitely not worth $55. 

LOCATION: The Gotham Lounge at The Peninsula | 700 Fifth Avenue at 55th Street | New York, NY 10019 | 212.956.2888
AFTERNOON TEA HOURS: Daily from 2:30PM - 5:00PM
COST: Traditional Afternoon Tea $55 | Menu