Brooklyn Museum Guide

The Brooklyn Museum of New York will leave you speechless as soon as you see it. Its imposing building could well be the official residence of President Joe Biden or the U.S. Congress, but it is one of the best museums in New York, the second most important museum in the city behind the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and one of the most emblematic in the U.S. Do you want to discover the treasures it holds inside?

As a worldwide reference institution, its permanent collection brings together more than one and a half million objects and documents focused on American art. In addition, you will enjoy its contemporary art collections and thanks to the jewel in the crown, its Egyptian art collection, you will travel back in time to discover the world of the pharaohs and feel like Cleopatra and Tutankhamun. Interesting, isn't it?

As I told you, the smartest thing to do is to buy the priority ticket which costs 13 €. The good news is that it is one of the cheapest museums in the Big Apple, unlike the rest whose entrance usually cost around 20 €.

In addition, this price includes the guided tour that takes place daily in the museum with a professional. This way the experience is much more complete and you can focus on the highlights and learn about the history of the works of art, the legend of the Egyptian papyrus, and the architecture of the building, among others.

What is included in this ticket

• Admission to the Brooklyn Museum
• Daily guided tours of the special and permanent collection
• 10% discount in the gift store, which is never a bad thing
• Free cancellation in case your travel plans change

Nuria's Traveller Tip

If you're crossing the Brooklyn Bridge during your visit to the museum, it's best to do it first thing in the morning so you can take photos without too many tourists, enjoy the 1.8 kilometers of the tour!

If you are one of those who prefer to buy tickets at the box office, you can also do it although it will cost you more expensive (about 14 ¤) and you will lose the benefits of buying the ticket in advance, such as discount, access without queues and free cancellation.

Brooklyn Museum prices and discounts

I only recommend you to stop by the ticket window if you are one of the discounted groups below:

• Adults - 14 € (general admission and no discount).
• Senior (over 65 years old) - 8,70 €.
• Student over 20 years old (with accreditation card) - 8,70 €.
• Disabled visitors (accompanying caregiver enters free) - 8,70 € - 8,70
• 19 years old or younger - Free

Free admission to the Brooklyn Museum on Saturdays beginning Spring 2022

On the first Saturday of every month, the Brooklyn Museum allows free admission and prepares a day that extends into the evening (from 5pm to 11pm) with cultural programming to welcome tourists and New Yorkers who come to the art center. This activity has a tradition of more than 20 years and will resume in the spring of 2022. Stay tuned!

Nuria's Traveller Tip

If you love flea markets and you're traveling to New York in winter, head to the Winter Flea, a flea market of antiques, crafts and food that opens between November and March. It's very curious!

The pine library is very well connected and easily accessible by public transportation. Located in the heart of the Brooklyn borough, the Brooklyn Museum is locatedjust 30 minutes by subway from Manhattan and sits on the Eastern Parkway. It is part of a complex of 19th century parks and gardens, which also includes Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

• Where is it located? It is located at 200 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.
• How to get there: Subway lines B , D , Q , N , R. / By bus on lines B41, B45 and B69. You can also get there by bike and enjoy the green spaces along the way.

Get to Brooklyn by subway

If you are wondering what is the best way to get around the Big Apple and access the museum, the easiest way is to take the subway. The ticket costs approximately 2,60 €. So that you don't break out in a sweat when moving around this other subway city, here are some basic tips for using the New York subway.

• Monday and Tuesday, closed
• Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• First Saturday of each month, from 2 to 6 p.m.

Take note! The Brooklyn Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and does not have very long visiting hours, in winter most days it is open only from 11 am to 6 pm (except Fridays and Saturdays which is until 8 pm). Like the rest of the museums in New York is closed on December 25, January 1 and Thanksgiving Day.

My advice is to try to visit the museum during the week because weekdays are the least crowded and avoid Saturdays and Sundays. Ah! And remember that museums often change the hours depending on the season. So it is best that you take a look at them on their official website the day you are going to visit.

Did you know that in ancient times the Egyptians believed that in order for a deceased woman to be reborn she had to briefly become a man? This and other interesting facts you will discover in the exhibition 'Beyond a Woman: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt, which includes such fascinating objects as a mummy's mask and the impressive sarcophagus of the Lady of the House.

On the other hand, the Ancient Egyptian Art exhibition features such impressive treasures as a gilded wooden statuette of Amunhotep III, a relief from the tomb of a man named Akhty-hotep and a female terracotta statuette created more than five thousand years ago. Yes, you read that right, five thousand years!

List of permanent exhibits

• Arts of Asia
• American Art
• The Brooklyn Della Robbia
• Ancient Egyptian Art
• Beyond a Woman: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt
• Assyrian art
• Design: 1880s to present
• Judy Chicago's dinner party

Temporary exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum

Special exhibitions here are top-notch. Among the temporary exhibitions is 'Andy Warhol: revelation', which explores until June 19, 2022 his most unknown facet: the artist's relationship with religion and its influence on his works of art. And the fact is that the creator of pop art was a faithful believer, who would have thought!

Another of the most visited and stylish exhibitions is 'Christian Dior: designer of dreams', which traces the pioneering history of the House of Dior and includes more than two hundred haute couture garments, as well as photographs, sketches and containers of old perfumes. Elegance in its purest form!

Nuria's Traveller Tip

One of the museum's Egyptian gems is a papyrus from the Book of the Dead, one of the most important religious texts of the New Kingdom. And my favorite part! The 'Mummy Chamber', a special section that explores the rituals associated with mummification.

The Brooklyn Museum's store is quite diverse and offers everything from puzzles for children to shirts and home decor items. They also have a ' Made in Brooklyn' section dedicated to products made by local artists in the neighborhood.

However, it was not my favorite store. One of the stores that impressed me the most in New York was the Museum of the City of New York with its amazing collection of Sesame Street puppets, an iconic series of my childhood!

In Brooklyn, what I liked the most is undoubtedly the Brooklyn Museum's street market (The Market), which organizes every Sunday (from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm) outdoors in front of the museum. A small flea market where handmade products are sold and where you can find everything from jewelry to handmade shoes. All the objects have an interesting story behind them. Come and discover it, it's worth it!

After your visit to the pine library, one of the best things to do in Brooklyn, is to take a stroll through the Brooklyn Flea Market every Saturday from 10AM to 17PM between the months of April to October. It is a vintage flea market that offers different products (clothing, furniture, books, jewelry and crafts) lovingly displayed by more than 150 local vendors and artisans.

You can also take advantage of your cultural visit to tour the borough of Brooklyn, especially the famous bridge. You will have seen it a thousand times in movies and television, but crossing it is an unforgettable and magical experience. You don't know how impressive it is until you cross it, an image that will stick in your traveler's memory forever! Here I tell you more details about the 10 things to do and see in Brooklyn.

If you are traveling to New York with kids you should know that the Brooklyn Museum organizes activities on the first Saturday of every month also for children. There are free half-hour art sessions led by teaching artists for the little ones. For example, in one of the classes they built a miniature roller coaster. Are you up for this creative plan with your family?

However, we all know that museums can be exhausting. And for them, even more so. If at this moment, you are imagining your child running like crazy through the halls of the museum, do not worry, because the institution has developed some simple tips for visiting the museum as a family.

Practical tips for visiting a museum with children:

• Choose a time of day for the excursion that is best for your children and their energy levels.
• The most important rule to teach them is not to touch the art or the display cases.
• Be flexible. If your children get tired or restless, be prepared for a plan B, such as going to the cafeteria or the store to look at the children's toys.
• In the galleries, you can ask them questions, such as "How is this painting different from the last one?" to invite them to think or play "I see, I see."
• After the visit, you can ask questions such as "what did you like best?" or "what would you like to visit again?"

If so much art has whetted your appetite and your guts are starting to growl, you can stop for a light bite at The Norm restaurant, which has architecture inspired by the museum's secret and mysterious labyrinths.

The menu, created by Great Performances, features local produce and global flavors that reflect the different cultures and diversity of Brooklyn. Among the dishes you can find are smoked salmon with fennel and tomato (for 19 €), grilled veal fillet with caramelized onion (for 25 €) and for vegetarians, a sautéed mushroom salad with warm citrus and house vinaigrette (for about 8 €). Finger-licking good!

On the other hand, if you want to enjoy a different and urban gastronomic plan, I suggest, as a good "tripita advisor" that I am, that you approach the Food Truck BkM, which offers a selection of fresh food, snacks and drinks to enjoy the sculpture garden of the museum with a little shade. The food truck opens with the arrival of good weather. And if you get hungry, don't worry, here are the best places to eat in Brooklyn.

Bon appétit!