Anyone who thinks there’s nothing animate about a rock has never experienced Isamu Noguchi’s natural rock installations and smoothly carved marble designs at the Isamu Noguchi Museum in Queens. Noguchi once said, “The essence of sculpture is for me the perception of space, the continuum of our existence.”
He was born in Los Angeles in 1904 and was considered to be a 20th-century icon of abstract stone sculpture, spending much of his 84 years melding the relationship between the majesty of nature and the art of stone. Noguchi built, installed, and designed the museum, and approximately 80% of the artwork the Japanese-American artist originally placed in the museum remains in the same spot twenty years later, a fact that attributes greatly to the transcendent energy of the space.
Benches are scattered throughout the garden and galleries to facilitate moments of reflection. The artwork is not labeled with either titles or text; Noguchi liked his pieces displayed in this way. For a little background on the exhibits, boxes with visitor guides line the walls, and guided tours are available at 2 pm every day.
Noguchi’s Japanese garden is an ethereal sanctuary not to be missed, its sculptures like the self-contained fountain “The Well” (which lives indoors during the winter) succeed in finding the harmonious balance between art and nature. He once said, “I had a revelation in 1933 of the earth outdoors as a new way of conceiving sculpture.”
One block away from the Isamu Noguchi Museum, at the end of Broadway, is a park with a spectacular view of Manhattan and the East River called Socrates Sculpture Park where free movies and classes take place in the summer; it is not a gem, but the unusual sculptures in the park are always changing.
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At the onset of spring, there is a giant, green deer standing on the lawn. The bizarre sculptures in the park merit a drop-in, so bring a picnic, especially if you’re already in the neighborhood and in the mood for things of an eccentric nature.
How to get Isamu Noguchi Museum:
A shuttle bus to the museum leaves from the Asia Society on Park Avenue and 70th Street throughout the day on Sundays. Costing $10 for a round trip on top of the $10 admission fee at the museum, there are cheaper and equally simple ways to get there, and some scenic routes if you take the tram to Roosevelt Island. The tram leaves Manhattan from 59th and Broadway. There’s a $0.25 shuttle on the island that will take you to the Roosevelt Island Bridge. Walk across the bridge and turn left on Vernon Boulevard. Walk three blocks to 33rd Road, and the museum is at 9-01 33rd Road. That’s if the weather is nice, and you’re looking for an adventure.
For a more traditional way to reach the museum, take the N or W train to the Broadway station in Astoria.
The museum is open Wednesday through Friday, 10am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 6pm. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. (Isamu Noguchi Museum, 32-37 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, 718.204.7088, noguchi.org)
The park is open 365 days a year from 10am to sunset, and admission is free. (Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, 718.956.1819, socratessculpturepark.org)
Photos: Courtesy of Elizabeth Felicella for the Isamu Noguchi Museum
If you prefer outdoor museums – check out these tips from the offMetro team:
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram