New York City

A visitor to New York City could easily lose themselves for a week in the wonders of Manhattan’s art scene, from galleries to museums catering to every artistic bent.

For contemporary art lovers, besides the obvious (The MoMA), the trendy Bowery neighborhood features the most recent home of the thirty-two-year-old, New Museum.

Contemporary self-taught artists have found a worthy home for their work along traditional folk art dating back to the 18th century at Midtown’s American Folk Art Museum.

Picking up a weekly Time Out New York is a good bet to get fresh news on the latest openings, shows, and installations throughout the city.

Into the Valley

Though masses of traditional American and European artwork can be viewed within the many historic mansions of Tarrytown and environs, head north through the Lower Hudson Valley on Route 9 for about an hour to reach Beacon, home to the Dia:Beacon, a huge contemporary art museum.

In the summer, the famed Storm King Art Center, just 30 minutes away, creates a 500-acre canvas for the sculptures of world-famous artists and a lovely stone house museum housing a changing exhibit.

Cruising the picturesque countryside on four wheels is one option, and exploring heavily tree-lined hills and open grassy valleys might be a touch more romantic.

A stop at the incredible 6-acre hand-chiseled and fitted bluestone Opus 40 in Saugerties is a must and a perfect lead in to the final destination of Woodstock, a unique village created by artists who never really left.

With any luck, a performance will be scheduled at the nearly century-old Maverick Concert Hall, a hand-hewn music chapel created and built by Hervey White’s artist colony of 1916.