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Across the East River from the Chelsea galleries and the Museum Mile monoliths you can find MoMA’s little sister and Long Island City’s unexpected artistic side: P.S.1.  A former public school, the red brick building now houses rotating exhibitions by international contemporary artists.  The renovated space retains many of the original structure’s architectural elements (hallway water fountains!) and classrooms are blank canvases for site-specific installations.  Sculpture, video, photography, and all that institutional art hasn’t thought of yet can be expected—but what you cannot expect is whether you’ll like what you see.  As an affiliate—but not carbon copy—of the Museum of Modern Art, P.S.1 is reserves the freedom to stretch visitors’ boundaries of aesthetic taste, asking them to reconsider and perhaps reeducate themselves on their definition of ‘art’.

Summers Saturdays are particularly genre-bending when P.S.1 hosts Warm Up, a weekly outdoor concert series with a full day of events and exhibitions.  The $10 admission price includes access to all galleries and exhibits.  P.S.1 also houses a small-but-decent gift shop, artbook@ps1, and the adjoining Le Rosier Café, a far cry from any school cafeteria.  While Long Island City may not be the next tourist hot-spot, P.S.1 is reason enough for the trip and, hopefully, inspiration for surrounding areas to get hip to some very modern art.

To get there: by subway, E/V train to 23rd St./Ely Ave., 7 train to 45th Rd./Courthouse Square, or G train 21st St./Van Alst; by bus, Q67 to Jackson and 46th Aves, or B61 to 46th Ave.

Admission: $5 suggested donation; $2 for students and seniors; free for MoMA members and MoMA ticket holders within 30 days of date on the ticket.