It’s a damn good thing that this is as diverse a town as it is because if it weren’t, the sheer frustration of having so many amazing things to do that cost stupid amounts of money could be maddening. Thankfully, the afore-mentioned diversity means that, amongst all of those cheaper alternatives from which you truly get what you pay for, there are gems waiting to be discovered. This is one of the reasons a site like Hack exists: to let you know about those gems, especially since you’re just as likely to walk right by, taking no notice of them amidst the dense urban landscape.

Similarly, in a city of such varied artistic design, along with the wealth of museums and galleries which house the many great works of art that we are privileged to host, it is easy to forget that great art can also be a part of the public space. And what better outlet than a site the very purpose of which is to point you towards inexpensive fare to let you know that, while supporting our artistic institutions is an important thing to do, on those days when your pocket is feeling a little light, there are many places you can go to see works by major artists that not only won’t cost you a penny, you won’t even have to check your coat.

But while the basic premise of this series is to get you to think of the city itself as one large museum, there’s another extended element at work that makes it that much richer. The interior of, for example, the Met is beautiful, no question, and the city’s various museums each have their own individual styles that, optimally, enhance the experience of viewing their collections. Likewise to see a piece in an outside venue, you have to assume (or at least hope) that those responsible chose that space with tremendous consideration for the way the piece will sit within it. But minus the confines of walls and ceiling, the piece, central though it may be for our purposes, becomes part of a larger picture. Sitting amidst the steel and concrete, patiently watching the multitudes pass by and waiting for the next one that will stop and take a closer look, the pieces truly become public works.