Visit and Shop the Whitney Museum of American Art

New York has a lot of museums. I should know I live smack in between the Guggenheim and the Cooper Hewitt, with another half dozen museums (including the Met) within a few blocks.

But one of my favorite New York museums isn’t even in my neighborhood (anymore anyway– it moved from the Upper East Side in 2015). But nonetheless I still happily make the trek downtown to visit the Whitney Museum of American Art. A refreshing change from the crustier uptown museums, the Whitney is perfectly located in a modern, brand new building in the meatpacking district. Bonus, the Whitney is also right next to the Highline park so you can easily combine the two.

A Visit to the Whitney Museum of American Art

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The Whitney Museum of American Art’s exterior, reflecting clouds.

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Check in at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Confession: I like to visit museums just as much for their spaces as for the individual art works they house. With its soaring ceilings and multiple terraces with city and river views., the Whitney museum is definitely among those museums worth visiting for the space alone. I also loved how open and welcoming the Whitney feels– no need to stare reverently at the art or use hushed tones here. It’s the kind of place you can wander, whether slowly or quickly, and take away from it what you like.

That said, the Whitney Museum of American Art does have important works of art that even the museum going neophyte will appreciate. Some of the “big name” artists here include Jackson Pollock, Jim Dine, Mark Rothko, Edward Hopper, Alexander Calder and Georgia O’Keeffe among others.

What am I thinking here? Hmmmm

Don’t Forget to Go Outside and Explore the Whitney Museum Terraces

What really sets the Whitney Museum of American Art apart from its uptown siblings are the fantastic outdoor terraces and oh-those-views. I was lucky to see a fantastic art installation on one of terraces, MPA: Red in view (on exhibit through February 2017).

Views off the terrace at the Whitney Museum of American Art

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River views from this terrace.

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Even the outdoor stairwells come with views (Whitney Museum of American Art).

Don’t miss the installation MPA: Red in view (on until Feb. 2017 at the Whitney Museum of American Art). The exhibit’s caption reads, “looking at Mars, this imagined space reflects most humans back to Earth.”

One thing I love about installation art is that it is you are usually allowed to touch it. I visited with Dani of Globetrotter Girls who snapped my photos here. Although I didn’t plan the matching red dress, I did slip my Stuart Weitzman heels in my bag to use for the photos (to buy a similar style check these out).

Visit the Whitney Museum of American Art Gift Shop and Bookstore

Don’t miss the Whitney Musuem of American Art’s gift shop for unique souvenirs to remember your museum experience. A brief overview of what you’ll find in this cool gift shop (no cheesy tote bags here!).

Whitney Museum of American Art bookstore gift shop

The best souvenir from any art museum is usually a book– and the book selection at the Whitney Museum of American Art is pretty spectacular.

This rope necklace looked intriguing (Whitney Museum of American Art Gift Shop)

One of the more eye catching items– this Bunny Rogers orca tooth necklace (Whitney Museum of American Art Gift Shop)

Keith Haring baby rocker (Whitney Museum of American Art Gift Shop)

(Whitney Museum of American Art Gift Shop)

Floaties are big on Instagram– forget the flamingos everyone else has and get a unique artistic design from Kenny Scharf (Whitney Museum of American Art Gift Shop)

You’ll find the expected offie desk toys here (Whitney Museum of American Art Gift Shop)

This children’s snap sweatshirt is perfect for the budding artist (Whitney Museum of American Art Gift Shop)

I wasn’t expecting to see a fashion designer collaboration, but this silk dress from designer Narcisco Rodriguez was not your standard museum t-shirt. In one size only it’s an easy gift item (Whitney Museum of American Art Gift Shop)