Author: Site Adminstrator
See precious artworks at MoMA without the crowds at these exclusive new tours
On a typical visit to the Museum of Modern Art, crowds surround the most precious paintings, and it can be tough to squeeze your way in for a photo, let alone to admire the artwork’s brushstrokes. But now, thanks to these new exclusive tours by GetYourGuide, you can get in before the museum opens for a guided tour of amazing artwork.
The new MoMA Before Hours Tour with Art Expert is available on weekends and a few weekdays now through August. Tickets are on sale here for $99/person. Few New York City experiences compare to the absolute thrill of gazing at famed works of art uninterrupted for as long as you like.
RECOMMENDED: This major Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit at MoMA showcases 120 works by the renowned artist
Here’s how it works: You’ll enter the museum through a private entrance before it’s even open to the public. Once inside, meet up with your guide, a professional art historian who will lead your small group through the museum. On the hour-long tour, you’ll see some of the most coveted pieces, like Monet’s “Water Lilies,” Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night,” Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon,” Matisse’s “Dance (I),” and Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans.”
Even if you’ve visited the museum many times or consider yourself an art buff, there’s still plenty to learn from the expert guide, who will share details about the paintings’ origins, set them in the context of the era and allow you to ask your own questions. Plus, the serene feeling of strolling through the galleries when they’re empty is remarkable.
After the tour ends, you can explore the museum on your own for as long as you like, knowing you’ll be the first one inside the galleries. We recommend making a beeline for your favorite section, whether that’s contemporary art or surrealist or old masters, so you can beat the crowds. If you book a tour before mid-August, be sure to spend some time in MoMA’s new Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit.
You’ll also get access to MoMA PS1, the contemporary art center in Long Island City if you want to keep the artistic fun going all day long.
The MoMA Before Hours Tour with Art Expert is the latest addition to tour company GetYourGuide’s “Originals” series, a collection of cool experiences that unlock famous destinations and cultural attractions. Other GetYourGuide Originals across the globe include a tour of the Vatican before sunrise, an after-hours tour at Sagrada Familia and a cruise on a racing yacht with a French champion sailor.
Millions of New Yorkers’ rent may be increasing by up to 5%
New York City rent may be the highest it’s ever been, and millions of New Yorkers may soon have to pay more for their current apartments.
The Rent Guidelines Board (a group of nine people appointed by the mayor) on Tuesday, May 2, passed a preliminary first vote on lease changes for rent-stabilized apartments in New York City. The vote, which was divided 5-4, approves rent increases of 2-5% for one-year leases and 4-7% for two-year leases.
Over a million rent-controlled and rent-stabilized apartments are occupied throughout the five boroughs, meaning millions of New Yorkers may be faced with imminent rent increases. These apartments are owned by private landlords, not New York City itself.
“While we are reviewing the preliminary ranges put forward by the Rent Guidelines Board this evening, I want to be clear that a 7% rent increase is clearly beyond what renters can afford and what I feel is appropriate this year,” Mayor Eric Adams said following the vote. “I recognize that property owners face growing challenges maintaining their buildings and accessing financing to make repairs; at the same time, we simply cannot put tenants in a position where they can’t afford to make rent.”
Rent Stabilization has been in place since 1969, as a way to prevent rents from skyrocketing. Rent Control is a slightly different policy that entitles tenants who’ve continuously been in the same unit prior to 1971 not to need a new lease, and continue paying their original rent, with limited increases and eviction protection.
Many have voiced dissent against the proposed rent increases, which will face a final vote in June.
“This proposed increase is an insult to the nearly 50% of tenants in New York City who pay half their monthly income to rent. Saddling working-class New Yorkers with another rent hike in these uncertain economic times is tantamount to theft,” tweeted NYC council member Shahana Hanif.
With over half of New Yorkers already unable to afford the average cost of living in this city and a very limited minimum wage increase proposed by 2026, the proposed increase comes at a challenging time for many.