MUSEUM WATCH
Red Hot MoMA
On a recent trip to New York, CoGo saved Friday night to check out the newly renovated Museum of Modern Art -- that being the time the museum sets aside for free admission to the masses from 4 to 8 p.m. each week. Naive CoGo figured there would be a few fellow cheapskates lined up to avoid the hefty $20 admission fee, but was unprepared for the seemingly endless procession of humanity that snaked down 53rd Street, doubled back on itself in a parking lot and stretched clear around the block to 54th Street. CoGo hasn't waited in a line like that since Disney World -- and wasn't about to start now, opting instead for the bar at the elegant Warwick Hotel across the street.
Turns out that's the best thing CoGo could have done. MoMA estimates that 5,000 to 7,000 people take advantage of "Target Free Friday Nights" on a given week, and they all seem to show up at once, starting at about 3:20 p.m. Once the doors open at 4 o'clock, there's generally a wait of 45 minutes to an hour. But by the time CoGo ventured out again at 6:30, the line had disappeared and we strolled right in. And once inside, there were no worries about overcrowding: The stunning, airy new building, with six floors of space and a soaring, 110-foot-tall atrium, absorbs a mob like a sponge.
No need to rush: Target has committed to sponsoring Free Friday Nights at MoMA for four years. And major props to the discount chain: In an admirable show of restraint in these overmarketed times, there is no Target branding inside the museum.
TRAVEL TICKER
Delta Air Lines has decided to stop selling food, which only a quarter of passengers were buying. The airline will instead offer free snacks . . . Air fares are up, and way down. On the one hand, Northwest initiated a fare hike, which others followed, of as much as $20 round trip. But United and US Airways last week set off a fare war in many markets. United's promotional fares extend to March 18; US Airways' sale fares must be purchased by today . . . Search fares on discount carriers in Europe at a new Web site, www.fly4less.com. The site includes flights on Ryanair, which competitor www.openjet.com does not.
BARGAIN OF THE WEEK
Oh, Poi!
Fly to Hawaii for about $552 round trip. Details: What's the Deal?, P3.
Reporting: Cindy Loose, K.C. Summers.
Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to: cogo@washpost.com. By fax: 202-912-3609. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.
