We forgot the camera! After taking the subway all the way to the museum, we realized we left the hotel without the camera! Even though we left without it, we still had a great time at the museum! The museum had just been renovated only a few months before our visit. The biggest attraction for us was the new American wing. It was really great! They had the original Paul Revere painting, a few original paintings of George Washington and Paul Revere silver! The museum had each wing set up so each of the collections spanned three time periods. Each time span was on a different floor. I thought this was poorly set up. The collections were not gradual in one consistent floor instead they stopped then started on a different level. I was so tired of going up and down steps to see the entire exhibit! Needless to say we did not see the whole museum. It was too large and I did not like going up and down all the staircases. Instead we only looked at the exhibits we picked out from the directory. Then we saw a few exhibits nearby since they were on the same level. The collections also ran into each other and it became confusing as to which way to look to see the entire exhibit. Walking out the door of the Asian exhibit I was all of the sudden in the modern art room. Instead, I thought they should have had all the Asian collection on one floor that lead the patron through the entire Asian section instead of splitting it up.
This museum was by far the most expensive. But, it was also the most packed with stuff to do! Even though I did not see the whole museum, I got to see a lot for my money. As we walked through the museum, we eventually got so physically tired we had to sit down! But, the gift shop was a nice change of pace after looking at all the art all day. Yet, the gift shop only gave discounts to students who went to school in the Boston area, even though I had my out of state school ID I did not get a discount. The museum was long, but overall I was happy I went. It was easy to get to as it was right off the subway. There is a stop in front of the museum. After we went, we stopped for lunch at a local pub called the Squealing Pig! It had fantastic haddock chowder! The museum is located around several college campuses such as the Massachusetts Design School and the Harvard Medical School. It was fun to explore after seeing the museum! I would suggest leaving a lot of time in order to fully get your money's worth out of this museum! I would also suggest taking breaks throughout your time there because it is so large! This museum is a must see when visiting Boston!
This was my favorite piece held by the museum:
Check out their website before attending the museum to plan your trip:
http://www.mfa.org/
