My Museum Highlights with the Fam

My dad and his girlfriend, Georg-Ann, came to visit me in New York this week; and, of course, they requested a private tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art á la mí. Like the last tour for my friends, I wanted to cover as much ground as possible before their feet started throbbing and their eyes glazed over.

We began with European Decorative Arts — I like to show people the period rooms to break them of the notion that art museums are stodgy, paintings-on-the-wall places. Next, we hit up Arms and Armor, bringing back memories of my dad's somewhat extreme passion for Medieval Times (the dinner and tournament) — we seriously went like 5 times when my brother and I were younger. No visit would be complete without a trip to Egypt, so we ventured from 3,000 BC through the Tombs of Meketre and Hatshepsut until we reached the Temple of Dendur. Then we took a quick peek at the American Wing, particularly The Palace and Gardens at Versailles, The Roccoco Revival Room, Vanderbilt's Herder Brothers Library Table, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Room. Though we had worked our way to the far corner of the museum, no visit is complete without throwing a little Modern Art into the mix. So I led them back through the Great Hall, quickly through Greek and Roman Sculpture and Oceanic Art to the Picassos, Balthuses, Legers, Giacomettis and Rosenquists in the gallery where we ended our tour.

The most rewarding thing for me (though I've yet to meet someone as enamored with the Met as I), is to see the look of awe on people's faces when they view the museum's collection. I watched Georg-Ann's jaw drop a dozen times and my dad grin with satisfaction. It was a wonderful visit.