The Whitney is free on Friday evenings and second Sundays

Good morning. It’s Thursday. Today we will find out when you can visit the Whitney Museum without paying the usual $30 for admission. We’ll also see what happened on the final day of testimony in Donald Trump’s civil trial in Manhattan.

Going to a museum can be expensive. The Metropolitan Museum of Art charges $30 for general admission tickets for adults, although it lets in museum visitors from the New York area for just a penny under a penny pay-what-you-want policy.

The Museum of Modern Art also charges $30 for general admission. But MoMA does not charge admission to New York City residents between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM on the first Friday of the month.

The Whitney Museum has a pay-what-you-wish policy on Friday evenings. (It costs $30 for adults the rest of the day on Friday and other days.) But the museum is scrapping the pay-what-you-wish plan starting Jan. 12 and offering free admission on Fridays after 5 p.m.

The Whitney will also reduce admission prices on the second Sunday of each month, starting January 14.

“We know that price can be a barrier to entry,” said Scott Rothkopf, president of Whitney.

Whitney officials said the pay-what-you-wish model had confused visitors: Did it mean free? “Pay what you wish is not an expression that everyone understands,” Rothkopf said. “It’s important to be honest and say that we are free for everyone, at every age, no matter where you come from, during those times.” The tickets for the Free Friday and the Second Sunday must be reserved in advance.

The Whitney’s hope is that the free admission periods will make the museum more inviting – and broaden its appeal. Jen Rubio, a trustee of the museum and co-founder of Away, a luggage and travel accessories company, was one of the donors behind Free Fridays and said in a statement that the program aimed to “open the doors to a more equal life.” larger audience, especially one that is younger and more diverse.”

Museum audiences have slowly returned since the pandemic. The Met says attendance for New York residents and national visitors is about 90 percent of what it was before the pandemic. But visits by foreign tourists have not recovered. The Met says it’s just over half what it was before the pandemic.

In terms of pricing, stratospheric ticket prices are a 21st century development – ​​and there is a maze of pricing structures. As my colleague Zachary Small noted several months ago, admission to the Museum of Modern Art was free when it opened.

The Met, previously completely pay-what-you-wish, began charging museum visitors who don’t live in New York State a mandatory admission fee in 2018. The move came because fewer people were paying the suggested admission price, $25 at the box office. time. Now the Met is charging people from outside New York $30. General admission tickets cost $22 for seniors. Students from New York have free admission.

MoMA raised the admission price in October from $25 to $30. It also increased prices for several other categories, including those over 65 and students. Glenn Lowry, the director of MoMA, said at the time that “these admission price changes will help the museum maintain financial stability.” Prices drop by $2 for tickets purchased online.

Weather

Expect a breezy and brisk day with high temperatures in the 40s and wind chills in the 20s. At night, low temperatures will be in the low 30s.

ALTERNATE PARKING

In force until December 25 (Christmas Day).

The latest New York news

Donald Trump’s lawyers interrupted the final witness in his civil trial with an argument about the difference between two verbs – ‘could’ and ‘would’.

And then the trial testimony was over. A ruling will take weeks, if not months.

Reflecting on a few months of testimony, my colleagues Jonah E. Bromwich and Kate Christobek wrote that the proceedings were generally dry and muddled and marked by fighting between the parties — especially when Trump was present.

Trump was expected to take the witness stand again this week, but canceled his appearance. When the trial resumed, it was clear that lawyers on both sides were exhausted.

Those on the New York attorney general’s team seemed especially eager to see things through. When Trump’s lawyers said a Trump Organization witness could return, they objected in the strongest terms. “We want the case to end,” said a state attorney, Kevin Wallace.

The two sides are expected to submit a final letter next month. They will appear before Judge Arthur Engoron on January 11. His decision is not expected until the end of January at the earliest.

The case arose from a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James. She accused the former president of fraudulently inflating his wealth to gain favorable treatment from banks and insurers. James, a Democrat, has asked Judge Engoron to fine Trump $250 million or more and ban him and the other defendants in the case from operating a business in New York.

Trump, a Republican, has said the case is part of a political vendetta against him.

The trial had changed before it began, with a preliminary ruling by Judge Engoron stating that the annual financial statements prepared by the former president and the other defendants contained fraud.

“While the judge has already ruled in our favor, finding that Donald Trump committed years of significant fraud and unlawfully enriched himself and his family,” James said in a statement, “this trial has captured the full extent of that fraud exposed – and the defendants.” inability to refute it.”

A lawyer for Trump, Christopher Kise, said in a statement that defense witnesses had “confirmed what was clear from the start, that there was no fraud, there were no victims and simply no harm was done. ”

He added: “At this point, the court must and should follow the law and the indisputable evidence and put an end to the attorney general’s patently unjust political crusade.”

METROPOLITAN diary

Egg-shaped chairs

Dear Diary:

Bergdorf Goodman’s seventh-floor restaurant has two tables next to windows with egg-shaped chairs that allow for discreet conversation while offering views of Central Park.