The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest encyclopedic art museum in the world under a single roof. Art works from all periods and cultures are displayed. Recent renovations, still in progress, have enlarged the exhibition space without expanding the solid rectangular building that encompasses 1,000 by 500 feet. The museum building itself is owned by the City of New York. The collections are owned by a private corporation of about 1,700 fellows and benefactors.
The admission charge to the museum is a voluntary donation, but the suggested amount represents less than half the per visitor cost of operating the museum.
Of particular note are the Greek and Roman galleries, the American Wing, 19th century European paintings, and the Egyptian section which includes the Temple of Dendur. Several temporary exhibitions are on display at any given time. Part of the Medieval collection and its architectural elements are housed at the Metropolitan's Cloisters Museum in Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan. Various tours, gallery talks and many lectures are given free of cost with general admission. A number of tours are given in foreign languages for the benefit of international visitors.
The museum receives nearly 5 million visitors a year and as many as 40,000 in a single day making it the most popular tourist site in New York City. Many student groups visit the museum on weekdays during the school year. The period between Christmas and New Years Day is when the museum is most crowded. A good tactic is to visit the popular exhibitions (Greek, Roman, Egyptian, 19th Century European paintings) early and retreat to the less popular (Asian, Near Eastern, Decorative Arts, Native Arts) as the day goes on. The museum is open late on Fridays and Saturdays, and is closed on most Mondays. Because of the recent financial crisis, some of the less visited galleries are not always open.
There are several eateries in the museum that run from moderate to expensive in cost. The large museum shop features art books and items inspired by fine art.
The main entrance of the museum has a high set of steps and is located at 82nd Street and Fifth Avenue. A ground level stepless entrance is at 81st Street.
The nearest subway stations are on Lexington Avenue at 77th Street (#6 train) and 86th Street (#4, 5 and 6 trains). Northbound buses from midtown run on Madison Avenue, one block east of the museum. Southbound buses to midtown run on Fifth Avenue, directly in front of the museum.