A New York Minute: Cecil Beaton Exhibition at MCNY

If your travels bring you to NYC, be sure to pop by the Museum of the City of New York and explore the exhibition Cecil Beaton: The New York Years.  Along with this gorgeous photo of Marilyn Monroe, the exhibition includes images of Greta Garbo, Marlon Brando, Queen Elizabeth, Mick Jagger, Audrey Hepburn, and other legends. Drawings and costumes are also showcased. (Did you know that Beaton designed the costumes for the film My Fair Lady?) Photographer, designer, writer - Beaton was truly multi-talented, a tad scandalous, and quite the bon vivant. The exhibition runs through April 22.

Another interesting exhibition currently on view at MCNY is The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan 1811-2011 (through July 15). It celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811, the foundational document that established Manhattan’s famous street grid. And, since this native New Yorker still gets lost when I am downtown and off the grid, I am most appreciative of the commissioner's vision!

PS. The Museum of the City of New York is one of my favorite museums in the Big Apple. It is small enough so that you can see everything in one visit but large enough to offer an eclectically curated and satisfying experience. And, the location on Fifth Avenue, just across the street from Central Park on 103rd Street, is very convenient. After your museum visit, you can stroll in the park, head uptown and see more of Harlem, or meander south and browse the boutiques in Carnegie Hill.