Our visit to The Frick Collection turned out to be one of the smoothest museum trips we’ve had in New York. From our Airbnb in Queens, it was just two connecting subway rides, and the whole journey took only about 35 minutes door-to-door. For a city as sprawling as New York, that felt surprisingly quick and easy.

The museum is right next to Central Park, and stepping inside feels like entering another world. The Frick isn’t a sprawling institution like the Met — instead, it’s the former mansion of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, where each room was carefully designed to showcase his remarkable art collection. There’s an intimacy to the space that makes you feel less like you’re visiting a museum and more like you’ve been invited into someone’s grand home.

Inside, we wandered through galleries filled with European masterpieces. The collection leans heavily on Old Masters, and we lingered over works by artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Goya. Seeing Vermeer’s quiet, luminous paintings up close was a highlight — they draw you in with their sense of stillness and light. The Frick also has an impressive array of portraits by Gainsborough and Van Dyck, their elegance perfectly at home in the mansion’s refined setting.

Beyond the paintings, we admired the decorative arts: ornate French furniture, gilded clocks, delicate porcelain, and bronzes that add richness to the rooms. The architecture itself contributes to the experience — polished wood, marble, and soaring ceilings frame the art beautifully. It’s the rare museum where the setting is as memorable as the works on the walls.

After our time inside, we decided to enjoy the perfect bonus the location offers: Central Park. We strolled along its edge, taking in the greenery and watching the city move at its usual bustling pace. When hunger struck, we went for a classic New York snack — a hot dog from a street vendor, simple but satisfying.

With that, we made our way back to Queens, retracing our subway route. It was a day of art, history, and just the right touch of New York street life.