The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

I visited New York museums as soon as they reopened. There was an essential element missing.

I couldn’t wait to see art. But the museum-going experience was totally different.

Perspective by
Lily contributor
December 27, 2020 at 8:55 a.m. EST

I regularly visited my favorite New York City museums before the pandemic. I spent hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA and the Brooklyn Museum. After shutting down for nearly six long months, some began reopening in late August, and I was among the first visitors. But the museum-going experience was vastly different.