Without considering boutique-sized establishments, there are eighty-six museums in New York City—enough to keep a tourist busy with a different location every day for three months. Then, if you endeavor to do each establishment justice (the MET alone merits a whole week), the museums are enough to keep for a whole year’s worth of exploration. Visitors to the city will do well to choose a couple sites to visit, and absorb those collections more deeply. So, how do you pick? Eliminating what does not interest you is the best method, but keeping an open mind is the most successful. Here is a brief New York museum guide, featuring the top three do-not-miss locations in the city.

The Frick, an art museum in a mansion along Central Park, is a must-see. Its conservative collection (in sheer numbers, not selection) is the richest in the city. The famous painting of the penitent Saint Francis of Assisi alone, is worth the $18 admission fee for adults (discounts are available for students and senior citizens). The building itself is a work of art, and visitors will find the house full of solitude, a perfect location for reflection and pensive thought.

The Cloisters, part of the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art), is also highly recommended. The gardens reflect Greek tradition, and in a city that never stops moving, a quiet escape is worth every minute. Visitors to the gardens will leave with a sense of peace and an excitement for history. For those with the energy, the Cloisters can be visited on the same day as the Met for no extra charge.

Last but not least, we have the Met: no one should visit the Big Apple and not explore the Met. If you only have one day, make sure to enjoy the Egyptian and Greek halls—so rich with artifacts you will be overwhelmed. If you have the time and energy, make a trip to the second floor and view paintings by many of the most renowned artists in history.

For free admission and a surprising find, visit the main New York Library to see E.E Cummings’ typewriter and Charles Dickens’ letter opener. The library also has artifacts from many of America’s most important civil liberties icons, like Martin Luther King Jr. and even George Washington. The architecture of the library is, in itself, a worthwhile reason to visit, with its Greek-style pillars and marble stairway. Choose between Madame Tussaud's New York, Merchant's House Museum, Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, Municipal Art Society, and El Museo from the list of New York museums, and you will have visited a mere fraction of the great displays available to the public.