Where: Museum of Modern Art, New York City.

What: Established in 1929 with a gift of eight prints and one drawing, this crown jewel of modern and contemporary art now counts 150,000 objects in its permanent collection. Following the biggest renovation in its history, MoMA reopened on its 75th anniversary in November 2004 with double its previous capacity and a total of 125,000 square feet of exhibit space. And what treasures that exhibit space holds: galleries filled with works by Pollock and Picasso, Matisse and Monet, Warhol and Wyeth.

The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden is, perhaps, the most distinctive element of the museum; it is truly an oasis in the heart of the world's most energetic city.

And now, thanks to the spectacular design by architect Yoshio Taniguchi, it is visible from vantage points throughout the new building. In addition to the extraordinary collections of paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture, prints, illustrations, architecture and design objects, and film and other new media, there are always special exhibits.

Other Features: The MoMA Design and Book Store at the museum and a smaller branch in SoHo can fulfill your gift-shopping list in one fell swoop.

New York restaurateur Danny Meyer is responsible for The Modern restaurant, which serves lunch and dinner. Reservations are a must for the Dining Room; solo travelers can usually find a seat in the more casual Bar Room. A separate entrance allows diners to avoid the museum's admission price of $20.

If you go: Be sure to spend some time at the museum's Web site beforehand, www.moma .org. It is as informative as it is user-friendly. With a little bit of advance planning, you'll be able to maximize your time during the visit.