Founded in 1870, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest art museum in the United States.
The Met draws more than six million visitors a year and suggested donation of $25 for adults, $17 for seniors and $12 for students. Some pay out of a sense of obligation. Many pay because they don’t know they have a choice. However, you will find signs advising visitors: “The amount you pay is up to you.” Some New Yorkers only pay a penny to get a sticker(for entry).
If you still feel guilty about not paying the full price, consider that the museum receives annual grants from the city without paying taxes or rent, has a $2.5 billion investment portfolio, and uses admissions to cover only 11 percent of its operating costs. Six in ten Met tourists don’t pay the full $25, but as the AP reporting reveals, many of the people who don’t pay are locals who know they don’t have to, while it’s the unwitting out-of-towners who get yoked into chucking up the full price.