VIBE

Avant-garde architecture enthusiasts go weak in the knees for the new premises of the New Museum, a six-story, precarious-looking stack of aluminum mesh boxes by Pritzker Prize winners Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa. Inside, the collections, which since 1977 have focused on the works of obscure contemporary artists from around the world, are just as cutting-edge as the building itself–though critics bemoan the fact that many pieces lack the wit and panache of the digs. Nonetheless, views from the rooftop terrace, a fabulous bookstore, and a lively series of seminars and film screenings ensure that the New Museum remains a destination for contemporary art fans.

GO HERE WITH

Contemporary art buffs

WHY WE LIKE IT

The building makes a visit here worth it, even if you don’t dig the art (check out the bright lime green elevator!). Also, the New Museum attracts a very radical crowd, making it a great way to connect with the surrounding Lower East Side community.

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

Quality control isn’t great–some exhibitions are superb, others mediocre at best.

GOOD TO KNOW

The free, docent-led tours are worth checking out. They leave from the lobby level Glass Gallery from Wednesday to Friday at 12:30pm and on weekends at 12:30pm and 3:00pm, and they last about 45 minutes. (Tours are first-come, first-served; no reservations permitted.) If you can’t make it for the tour, free iPod audio tours are available from the visitors' desk in the lobby. Also, Thursday nights (when admission is free), it tends to be packed. Also, leave your fur coats, laptops, and luggage at home–they can’t be checked. All bags are subject to search, and all backpacks must be checked.

CLOSEST COMPS

The Museum of Modern Art (New York); MoMA PS1 (New York); Whitney Museum of American Art (New York); Centre Pompidou (Paris)

Click here for our full-form mobile travel guide, The Purple Passport to New York City.