Last Saturday we went to the Rubin Museum of Art. They have the art of the Himalayas. I'd always wanted to go and since we were so close having just made a first trip to the Andrew Heiskel Library, we figured it was easier to walk four blocks than drive uptown to the Met.
The Rubin is relatively new, so it is a completely accessible design. The main floor is not at the street level, but they built a lobby that is elevated for everyone to walk right in. There is a small - one wheelchair and one person - lift that takes you from the lobby to the main floor and it is all elevators from there. We found plenty of accessible bathrooms with no wait.
I think my favorite part was the exhibits were easily viewable from my son's wheelchair. The art work cases that held scrolls were just the right height to see without getting up. I often have to lift him so he can see this sort of exhibit, but not here. The staff were really welcoming and offered to help regularly. But the museum was so well designed, we didn't need it.
As for the art - the museum focuses on the art from Buddhist and Hindu cultures. The 2nd floor exihibit is an introduction for those of us who are not too familiar with it. They touched on geography of the region, the imagery and deities, as well as the materials used for making art. It gave us a vocabulary to approach the rest of the museum with. The other floors had interesting exhibits and activities for my typical kid.
There is a really great gift shop and a lovely cafe. I would definitely go back.
http://www.rmanyc.org/
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