For the art enthusiast, the destination for a trip can sooner be determined by what there is to see at the destination. As most of the accessible art these days can be found indoors in museums, the question becomes what museums the particular destination has to offer. Especially the major metropolitan places of the world have an abundance to offer here. London has the Tate, Tokyo offers e.g. the Bridgestone Museum of Art, France has the Louvre, Holland the Van Gogh Museum and Barcelona the Picasso Museum. All are indeed admirable museums and just great destinations. However, for the committed museum fan, there is nowhere like New York City.

The king of the hill within New York hotels is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Founded in New york in 1870, it contains a large number of wide collections, from classical antique to modern art. On this last subject, New York's Museum of Modern Arts should be said to be more comprehensive, but that is a issue of degrees and as the Metropolitan Museum of Art also contains so many other collections, it certainly comes out on top as a whole. 2 million square foot of exhibits spread over 26 structures is just difficult to compete with.

And the modern arts collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is not insignificant either. With works of Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Vermeer, Cezanne and many others, it indeed has a collection that would be the envy of many other museums around the world. Among the key works are Picasso's portrait of Gertrude Stein, 37 different canvasses by Claude Monet and the largest collection of Vermeer anyplace in the world. The latest high-end purchase by the museum was Duccio's "Madonna and Child" for which it paid more than USD 45 million. In total, more than 10.000 works of art can be found in the modern arts collection alone. It is indeed a rewarding destination for these works alone.

However, the Metropolitan Museum of Art contains a deal more. Take just the Japanese collection. There you can find Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa", among the most iconic of Japanese art prints. It belongs to the category of prints that inspired the likes of Claude Monet to start European Impressionism. As such, not only the works but the connections between periods and art forms are accessible throughout the vast museum grounds. From the Byzantine to the American, the African to the Asian and everywhere in between, the complete collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art stand second to none.

So should your way pass through New York, or are you planning your next art viewing trip, then do not miss the jewel of the New York Art Scene, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Like the Louvre in Paris, it requires you to take your time but it is time well spent and an experience second to none.