The art adventure

Bride Fight at Lever House

Fri
You’re playing tourist, so put aside your disdain for Times Square and check in at the Paramount Hotel (235 W 46th St between Broadway and Eighth Ave; 212-764-5500, nycparamount.com), where wild Philippe Starck furniture and the gilt-framed, Vermeer-replica headboards on most beds will get your trip off to an aesthetically dazzling start. Then head to Chelsea to catch a few shows. Under the soaring ceilings at Gagosian Gallery (555 W 24th St between Tenth and Eleventh Aves; 212-741-1111, gagosian.com) you’ll find Richard Serra’s latest installation, “Rolled and Forged” (through August 11). Next, take in one of the summer group shows, like “A Brighter Day,” 28 politically incisive works at James Cohan Gallery (533 W 26th St between Tenth and Eleventh Aves; 212-714-9500,  jamescohan.com. Through Jul 14). Round the corner to The Red Cat (227 Tenth Ave between 23rd and 24th Sts, 212-242-1122) for inventive New American cuisine.

Sat
 It’s MoMA day: Treat yourself to lunch at The Modern (9 W 53rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves; 212-333-1220, themodernnyc.com), Danny Meyer’s sleek spot, then head to the Dada show (through September 11; see moma.org). When you’ve had your fill, take the 7 train to visit the museum’s Queens sister, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center (22-25 Jackson Ave at 46th Ave, Long Island City; 718-784-2084, ps1.org). Be sure to check out the courtyard’s recently completed design, Beatfuse!, by emerging NYC firm Obra Architects. Or seek refuge in James Turrell’s sublime room (open Saturdays only, from dusk to 9pm) and gaze at the sky through the cutout ceiling.

Sun
 Don’t worry about diminishing funds: Today’s art is free. Start at City Hall Park (Chambers St at Broadway) with Alexander Calder’s paintedsteel sculptures. To thoroughly sate your hankering for mobiles and “stabiles,” catch one last Calder in front of the Seagram Building across Park as you make your way to Lever House (390 Park Ave at 53rd St, 212-888-2700), where you can gawk at the explosion of white lace and tulle that artist E.V. Day calls Bride Fight. For your finale, walk to Central Park’s 60th Street entrance at Fifth Avenue. You’ll find Sarah Sze’s Corner Plot (through October 22), a brick structure remarkably similar to the apartment building across the street, submerged in the sidewalk. Time to head home, before you too  sink into the ground from fatigue.—Kate Lowenstein