The Morgan Library and Museum551

More museum than library, The Morgan also throws concerts and films into its mix. The collection includes important music manuscripts, early children's books, Americana, and materials from the twentieth century.

The Morgan expanded its campus in 2006, adding 75,000 square feet. The project was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, and includes a performance hall, a welcoming entrance on Madison Avenue, a café and restaurant, a shop, a reading room, and collections storage. Piano's design integrates the Morgan's three historical buildings with three modestly scaled steel-and-glass pavilions; a soaring central court connects the buildings and serves as a gathering place for visitors in the spirit of an Italian piazza.

All public areas are wheelchair accessible. Wheelchairs are available on request.

Dining: The Morgan Café offers a casual dining atmosphere in the glass-enclosed central court, evoking European al fresco dining. The menu features salads, sandwiches, and desserts with a nod to early-twentieth-century American fare. The Morgan Dining Room's menu is more formal, and draws inspiration from early-twentieth-century New York City cuisine. Guests dine in the original Morgan family dining room, located in the restored mid-nineteenth-century brownstone.

The expanded gift shop is expensive, but worth a look if you need something special.

Members are entitled to free admission to the galleries, a 10 percent discount at the Morgan Library Shop, and other special benefits and privileges. Family membership is $150/year.