Experiencing culture in NY

After a few months in NY, I decided it´s about time that I blog about what to do here. You can find really good help in tripadvisor if you´re trying to come up with a plan, specially if you come with little time and want to enjoy the best attractions without wasting time in other things.
But if you wanna go cheap and don´t want to pay for museums, ferries to the liberty statue, the "Top of the Rock" and such, here you can find quite a few suggestions! I´ll give you links for everything.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Although the suggested fee is 25$ (25$!!!!), or 12$ for students, this is only a "suggestion". You can go for free, or pay as much (or as less) as you want.
Check out what they have before going, and decide what you want to see depending on what you like. The 1st time I went I didn´t know exactly what they had, I spent all my time in the Middle Ages and Islam sections, and missed the magnificent collection of paintings!!
Also, remember: the ticket will also give you free access to the Cloisters if you go the same day.

The Cloisters
The Cloisters belong to the Met, but are in a completely different location, so check it out carefully. This is a collection of european medieval art, located in a building made from a few real abbeys that they brought from different parts of Europe, mostly France, and put together as a sole monastery-type building. You will see sculptures, tapestry, silver objects and such, but that you can find in any other museum, including the Met itself.
What I really enjoyed here was the location, in Fort Tryon Park, and above all, the magnificent views of the Hudson river from the viewpoint on the upper floor.
Wanna see my photos? Behold!

The MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art is free every friday from 4pm to 8pm, and they also have an amazing collection of paintings from artists like Cezanne, Picasso, van Gogh, Degas, Gauguin...
My special findings here:
Gerhard Richter and his works from Oktober 1971 and his blurring technique.

James Rosenquist and his Marilyn Monroe I

Andrew Wyeth and magic realism in Christina´s world

Ferry to Staten Island
This is the way to see the Liberty Statue if you don´t want to pay a single dollar for it. You just need to go to South Ferry Station and take the ferry for free. I don´t think there´s much to see once you get to Staten Island (I might be wrong...) but you will get a good view of the statue while enjoying a nice ride that lasts about 20 min.
Again, my photos.

Also, once you get to South Ferry, if you have time and want to take a walk by the riverside, the views are beautiful as well.

Parks
Of course, you want to go to Central Park. But if you enjoy nature, there are some other parks you haven´t heard about and you don´t want to miss.
My favourite so far is Fort Tryon, but you should also check out Riverside Park... And also, now you´re in the area, take some time to see the Columbia University campus and surrounding buildings, such as the Riverside Church and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.

Columbia University area: 120 st & Broadway corner

Tram to Roosevelt Island
Now this is nice!
Rooseveld Island is a small island between Manhattan and Queens. There´s really nothing significant to see there, but again, if you like nature, you´ll find it beautiful. It was October when I went there, and the colors were spectacular.

The tramway station is located in 2nd ave close to the 60th street corner. It will cost you like a subway pass, i.e. 2.50$, and you pay with the usual MetroCard. If you got the weekly or monthly MetroCard instead of the "pay as you go", it will cost you nothing. Essentially, it counts as if you were taking the subway.

The Chrysler Building from the tram

The Frick Collection
This is a small collection (small in size, but absolutely high quality) of paintings and bronze sculptures. It´s "pay as you wish" every Sunday from 11am to 1am. They have Vermeer, Goya, Velázquez, van Dyck or Turner, among others, and my personal discovery: Corot.

Museum in Eldridge Street
This museum is actually a jewish synagogue, the first one in NY as I was told, open in 1887. You can visit for free on Mondays, and there will be a guide to tell you about the synagogue´s construction and the history of Jewish people in NY. It was a short visit, about maybe 30 min, and it was really interesting.

The Guggenheim Museum
I must say, we were quite dissapointed about this one, we expected much more... And we were so happy that we went on the free admission hours, because we would have been really regretful if we had payed for it. But you know, the exhibitions change periodically, so they might have something better now. And even if they don´t, this is just an ignorant speaking!
Anyways, this is "pay as you wish" on Saturdays from 5:45pm to 7:45pm.

The Jewish Museum
When we visited it, they had a great exhibition of Chagall, but I don´t think they have it anymore. It´s free on Saturdays during the whole day, and pay what you wish on Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm.

Carnegie Hall
There´s no way you can make this for free (not legally, at least), but this is absolutely worth paying! In fact, this might be the only touristy thing I´ve paid for since I got here, and not only once. If you´re a music lover check out the calendar, find something you like and make sure it´s in the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, because it´s magnificent. I know you don´t want to spend money, neither do I, but they have some really cheap seats. You shouldn´t pay more than 20$ for this. You should go for the cheapest of the cheapest, and take the "obstructed view" seats, because I´m telling you, I don´t think they make a big difference. Oh, and the acoustics are better in the balcony that in the dress circle.

Barnes and Noble

This is a very famous chain of bookstores here. If you´re not American, you might be surprised by the "bookstore culture" in the US. There are huge bookstores with Starbucks coffeeshops inside. You can pick a few books, sit at a table in Starbucks and spend some time reading while you have a coffee.
Want to read some book but don´t want to spend 3$ in a coffee? That´s OK too!! You will see a few people sitting on the carpeted floor, and that´s perfectly normal. No one will come and ask you to leave, you can spend as much time as you want there. So this is not a tipical touristy thing, but it´s so surprising if you´re not used to it, that it´s worth spending half an hour in any of their bookstores.
There is one B&N bookstore in Lexington ave & 86th street, and a smaller one in 3rd ave & 54th st. Those are the ones I know in NY, but there are a lot more if those are not convenient to you.
And if you´re actually looking for a cheap cheap cheap bookstore, check out The Strand!! This one is in Broadway & 12th street. You´ll find cheap old editions and 2nd hand books, and you can sell your books too.

There are a few more things for free that I haven´t tried yet, such as the Museum of Natural History or the Neue Galerie, which is free the first friday every month. Will try to keep this updated.

If you´re coming to NY some time around June, check out the Museum Mile Festival. It´s one day in June when all the museums along 5th avenue are open and free from 6pm to 9pm. I suggest you to pick one that is usually not free, like Neue Galerie, and get there early because the line will be really long and you might not make it if you get there after 7pm!

Will also blog about Philadelphia in another entry, and the buses you can take from NY to Ph.

Hope this is useful! :)