buy MOMA in advance for tomorrow? necessary?
 

Are there lines on Fridays in the early afternoon? We are not sure exactly how many of us are going, so buying tix in advance might not be the best thing...but will do if there are lines. Thanks.

Hi, My daughter and I just returned from a trip to NYC (Dec.27-30). We tried to get into MOMA on the day we arrived (Monday afternoon), but the line was horrendous. We did finally bite the bullet and wait for 1 1/2 hrs. on Wednesday afternoon (from about 1:00-2:30) and wished so much that we had known to get tickets ahead of time. It was not fun waiting that long in the cold. We were there between Christmas and New Year's, however, and everything was very crowded. You might not encounter as many people at this time of the year unless you're going on a school-holiday weekend.

The crowded situation during Christmas week has little relevance for this week.
I would advise against spending the extra money to advance reservations for two reasons:
1. The current cold weather (it's in single digits today) would certainly discourage people from waiting in line outdoors.
2. Admission to MOMA on Fridays, starting around 4 or 5 is free. So, I cannot imagine long lines to pay earlier in the afternoon. (At the same time, I would not advise waiting for the free admission time, as there are likely to be lines for that!)
Having said all that, no one can guarantee that there won't be a line. I just think the odds are that it won't happen.

Thanks. Before seeing your post, Howard, I went to book online and discovered that to buy one adult ticket and one student ticket the fee was $11! Sheesh, it makes the high ticket price look reasonable! Anyhow, I called the museum and they told me that for the past two weeks there have not been lines in the afternoons, only in the morning. Anneryan, I guess the holidays were different. Hope so. We'll find out tomorrow! Agreed that the free admission from Target later on should make it less crowded in the afternoon. Thanks, folks!

There are discounts to may museums if you have an American Express card (some are 2 for one.) Check www.americanexpressofferzone.com/selects/coupon.

enjoylife, are you sure that's the correct address? I couldn't get through.

Try www.americanexpressofferzone.com/
and then use the "View Offers" pickbox to choose NYC specific offers.

MOMA's not on the list, but a number of other museums & activities are.

That Amex website actually has some pretty good offers--Circle Line Tours, American Museum of Natural History, Frick Museum, Empire State Building and even some fairly decent restaurants, just to mention a few.

My friend was at the MoMA this morning and he said the lines to get in was 1h30m long, then there was another 1h line just to buy tickets.

So I guess advance tickets is a good thing, if you don't mind the extra fees.

They have Free Friday nights from 4 pm till 8 pm. I went there a few weeks ago at 6 pm and there were no lines at all.

Thanks for the tip, IgorVodov.

I am a NYer and I love the free nights at the museums. I haven't tried the MoMA yet because I thought the lines would be horrendeous.

I will definitely try it this Friday.

The line last Thursday at 11am was horrendous, and there was a line as we left at 1pm, too. It was a rainy day, though. We had advance tickets via the City Pass and walked RIGHT in. I guess it all depends on the weather.

I went to MoMA last Friday, 3/18/05, at 11:00am. The line was out the door and down the block.

Fortunately, I had purchased tickets in advance on the MoMA website and walked right in.

Unless you're willing to risk a LONG line, buy in advance. Another tip: Take the elevator to the top and work your way down. Smaller crowds.

Enjoy!

I agree with the previous posters. Get tickets in advance.
Another tip: Have lunch in the cafe on the second floor. The prices are good, the food is good. The service is good. Don't be thrown off it there's a line. It moves very fast.