by D. Kearney Sparano

Created on: January 23, 2009   Last Updated: September 02, 2009

About 2 weeks ago I went to The Met with my parents. My father had taken a week's vacation and my mom thought it would be nice to look at some priceless art work at THE art museum. They also thought it would be nice to have a master of art with them, so I accompanied.

There are some things that should be known about The Met and museums like it (i.e. the Uffizi, Louvre, and Philadelphia Museum of Art)

Don't try to see everything in a day. It is just too intimidating and overwhelming.

Time slows down. It may feel like you've spent an afternoon there, but in reality it's only been an hour and a half

It's tiring. Even if you pace yourself and limit what you see, the museum will overwhelm you and tire you out.

The Met has a wonderful ability to transport you. I suppose it is part of the genius of the exhibition director, but every section seems to be designed to nuture the energy of the time period. Now with that being said, I have 3 rooms that I love when going to The Met.

The Egyptian wing has an imposing, quiet mysticism to it. There are several displays of Egyptian ruins that are both stifling to enter and awe inspiring to behold. The wing is dense with artifacts, statues and hieroglyphs. Getting lost is not only easy but almost inevitable. However, as you wander through the wing, you will eventually come to a very open room lit by the natural light that beams through the window wall.

Before you will be a man made mote and the remains of The Temple of Dendur. There is no way to escape the timeless mysticism of the temple. It is a sight that projects you out of Manhattan and places you in the land of the pharaohs.

Almost directly above the Egyptian wing is the Asian wing. It is filled with work from all over there far east. In this wing there are 2 places I must go to when at The Met. The 1st is The Japanese Section. The collection there is a wonderfully calming fountain made by Isamu Noguchi. The unspoken invitation to sit and contemplate nothingness for the rest of your time is almost undeniable, but you would miss out on my other favorite room, Astor Court.

As the temple in the Egyptian room pitches you out and places you in Egypt, this room transports you to the tranquility of a Chinese garden. I can think of no better place to meditate and to journey to the center of one's self.

Across from the Egyptian wing is the newly expanded Greek and Roman wing. Unlike the Egyptian and Asian wings that blanket you with a sense of quiet, this wing seem teeming with life. As I walk through the halls I feel as if the busyness that was Rome and Athens lives there. Eventually the hall leads you down to an open forum area.

Where the other wings pitch you out, this wing brings you back to yourself and your own humanity, this is the place to talk about philosophy, politics, economics and the news of the day. To me it is the place to start and end your trip to The Met.

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