ABOUT ME...

I'm a laid-back 55-year-old baby boomer from Idaho Falls, ID. I have two kids and three grand kids. Speaking of kids, I figure I've had another 500, so to speak, as I've taught high school English for 22 years (!). When I'm not teaching, I enjoy rodeos, horses, and fixing small motors (lawn mower and the like).

Maybe it goes with the territory, but I consider myself a lifelong learner and try to stay up on current events and gadgets. I've taken up digital photography, primarily shooting family and nature images, and I'm sold on the technology. I get to see the shots instantly and can pick and choose which ones to keep. Figuring in the cost of film, processing and prints, I figure I've saved the cost of my digital camera by now.

I'm comfortable with my computer, and like to it mainly for managing my accounts and reading up on history. There's a wealth of information out there! Sometimes I get frustrated with the whole computer/Internet experience, but since I enjoy challenges I can usually figure things out. It's kind of like fixing a motor - you know what you want your end result to be, you've just got to figure out how to get there. I'm a trial-and-error kind of guy, but once I figure something out, it's there; I know how to do it.

WHAT'S NEW!

I'm getting ready to visit New York City. Wait, before you start ribbing me about fun in the city that never sleeps, I'll be chaperoning a group of 28 teens. Talk about never sleeping! Well, it should be quite the eye-opener for these kids (sophomores, juniors and seniors) because our hometown is considered clean, our air is fresh and our community is known for its friendly residents - everything opposite the New York stereotype. It will be interesting, to say the least.

Even with our 60-acre Grand Teton Mall, all the kids still want to go shopping in New York. Some of the kids want to compare our zoo, the Tautphaus Park & Zoo ("the Best Little Zoo in the West") with the Central Park Zoo.

I want to make sure we hit some museums...there are only two here: the Museum of Idaho (the history museum) and the Eagle Rock Art Museum. Well, the Idaho Falls Arts Council has some art galleries, but I've never been. I'm really not too interested in art, however I did promise our school's art teacher that the kids get to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York and at least see some of the major works there. I'm not sure what they even have there, let alone the major works, maybe there's some sort of tour available.

I’m a total novice at creating web pages, but our school has the server space and some of my students showed me some basics of Dreamweaver, so I’ve created this page to update the administration, faculty, parents, students and my fellow chaperones. As it gets closer to the departure date, I will post more specific travel information. In the meantime, I plan to explore various components of our trip - the first deals with the Museum of Modern Art.

Besides my self-admitted ignorance about art (give me Frederic Remington and let's be done with it!), here are some of my considerations (worries) about going to the MOMA.

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART QUESTIONS/CONSIDERATIONS:

• Is there a tour?
• How much is it going to cost for our group?
• When's the best time to go (Monday daytime's best for us...or some evening)?
• Can we buy tickets ahead of time (while I normally don't mind a short wait, waiting with a bunch of short-attention span, impatient teenagers would not be my idea of fun)?
• Where's the MOMA located and how do we get there (subway, I assume?)?
• Is there food there (like a cafeteria or snack bar? Remember, these are teens, bottomless pit teens!)?

RESEARCH & ANSWERS:

With those questions in mind, I decided to see what kind of answers I could find on the website for the Museum of Modern Art.

After typing the name into Google, I was happy to see that it (www.moma.org) was the first hit. I clicked on it, the page opened and before I could get my bearings, something like a window blind/curtain appeared on the page, then opened. It was kind of weird and distracting - maybe if you’re into modern art, you’d like it, but I just wanted some information.

Anyway, while I sat there staring at it, trying to remember what I was looking for, images kept coming and going.

The first batch advertised the Edvard Munch (he did "The Scream" - I do know that) exhibit.

Next up, an ad for the gift shop.

And then an exhibit that possibly featured tattoos (or body art, as it seems to be called these days).

So far the site seemed pretty "New York" to me, like it was trying to be cool. I felt kind of like a voyeur peeking in.

At least there were ample written word cues in the bottom half of the main page to keep me from feeling like a total outsider and help me locate what I wanted to find.

After I got used to the constantly changing marquees, I looked around the rest of the page. There are lots of choices right in the middle of the page, although they weren't what I was hoping to find.

In the left hand column, I found many more options and some success -

a link for "Visiting the Museum."

ADMISSION & TICKETS

I clicked on the link for “Admission and Ticketing.” It was informative. I learned that Museum Admission includes the galleries, film programs, audio programs, and admission to P.S.1 (whatever that is) – much more than I think we want to do there (I also learned that it's supposed to be spelled MoMA).

It's pretty expensive for older students: $12 each, although it's free for kids under the age of 16. So maybe the two prices could balance out a bit for the group and it would be affordable. But then I noticed that there's an exception to the "free" bit: "This policy does not apply to children in groups." Well, where's the group pricing? It's not on the main part of this page (although lots of other interesting information is on this page, which I'll have to remember to find again).

While I see that we could get in free (on a first-come, first in basis) with the Target Free Friday Nights deal, from 4–8 p.m., we're not guaranteed admittance and there might be lines and crowds involved. Given the rest of our schedule, I was hoping to get the museum visit in during the day on Monday. And, as appealing as "free" is to me, I think it's best not to wait too long into our trip to visit the MoMA and risk not even getting into the museum (plus this window of opportunity falls right during prime supper time. I do not want to tangle with tired, cranky and hungry teens if I don't have to.).

So, returning to the choices in the left column was easy enough and this time I chose "Group Services." Clicking that took me to information about groups and pricing. It's not as good news as I had hoped.

While our group falls nicely between the required minimum of 10 and maximum of 50 people for reduced rates, the rates aren't all that reduced. For Basic Group Admission, adults are $16 each and high school kids are $7 each. For our group, that would be $196 for just the kids (I don't know if tax is included, that’s not clear on the site) - and that's just to get in the doors.

TOURS (go back)

I don't even think we qualify for guided tours, as the site says lecturers are available to guide groups of up to 25 people, which we exceed. Although it would cost more, it’s too bad, too, because the hour-long MoMA highlights tour includes an introduction to the building and highlights from the collection.

Okay...here's something that bugs me. The MoMA lists "children" as ages 5 to 16 – and 17-year-olds are not listed anywhere. Perhaps they are considered "college students" or adults, but that's just not right.

SCHOOL, COMMUNITY & ACCESS PROGRAMS

Further down the page there's a section called "School, Community & Access Programs." Clicking on the "School Visits K–12" link opened another possibility - and it was good news (and a good deal).

MoMA’s professional museum educators will provide student groups the opportunity to explore various aspects of modern and contemporary art. These hour-long, interactive lessons (available in one, two or three-parts) allow each group (up to 30 students) to observe and discuss three to four works of art in depth from the museum's collection areas: Painting and Sculpture, Architecture and Design, Prints and Illustrated Books, Photography, Drawings, and Film and Media. The one-part program includes one Museum visit. Now if I could only find the price for this. There's no pricing on this page (but it does note that there are no lunchroom facilities, so I'll have to look into that further).

There is a link to a PDF brochure for this program. The PDF spelled it all out pretty well. Here's the deal: a one-part, one-hour Museum educator-guided class of 30 students (maximum), and one chaperone for every 10 students for $150. MoMA educators will contact teachers to discuss lesson themes and plans in advance of the lesson. So I can get the art teacher to actually work with the museum to plan the topic of our visit.

COSTS (go back)

That $150 cost also provides all participants with free return passes to MoMA and access to MoMA's Teacher Resources. Our high school kids receive Student Passes good for unlimited free admission to MoMA for the academic year. And as chaperones we'll get an Educator Pass for unlimited free admission to MoMA and a 10% discount on educational materials at MoMA stores for the academic year. Now, Idaho Falls is about 2,500 miles from New York, but it's still a nice incentive for summer vacation.

TIMES (go back)

Since we can schedule the visit on any weekday, starting at 9:30 a.m., our preference of Monday during the day should work out fine. Reservations do need to be made at least three weeks before our trip, which shouldn't pose any problem.

ADVANCE PURCHASE (go back)

And more good news - this School, Community & Access Program class (like group tickets) must be purchased in advance (American Express, Visa, and MasterCard are accepted). So that should eliminate any issues concerning waiting in line for tickets.

Okay, that $150 is a better deal than Basic Admission. That was $6 per kid and this averages out to $5.36 each, plus an hour of instruction (and we adults are, apparently, free instead of $16 per chaperone). I might even be able to get our art teacher to spring for the cost from the program budget.

For our actual Museum tour (as opposed to the class session above), the “Visiting the Museum” link in the left column holds all the other information we need right now. MoMA's free audio program offers a virtual tour guide. We just pick up a free player at the Museum, loaded with four different audio programs—including a one-hour suggested tour and off we go.

DIRECTIONS, CAVEATS & EATS (go back)

Directions to MoMA and information on how to get there were easy to find from the “Visiting the Museum” link. The Museum is located at 11 West 53 Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and can be accessed by New York Subway lines E or V to Fifth Avenue/53rd Street or by Subway lines B, D, or F to 47th–50th Streets/Rockefeller Center. Five bus lines also serve the nearest Museum stop at 53rd Street.

This page also held some caveats on what is not allowed into the Museum (no laptops or luggage of any size). To be considerate of the Museum and to keep from a lengthy wait in the checkroom line, we should leave all book bags, shopping bags and packages in the hotel (otherwise they will have to be checked, requiring us to lose valuable time).

FOOD (go back)

The bad news? While the Museum does have three different restaurants on site, they are expensive and not ideal for our group. A PDF link from the page offers various public spaces in midtown where our students can lunch (I checked MapQuest and discovered 10 McDonald’s within one mile of the Museum, so our kids should not starve).

Editor's Note:

When I followed up with Bill after he put up his website and quizzed him on his experience with the MoMA site, he gave it an 8 out of 10 rating overall.

He felt his most important goals were met and his task, for now, complete. He'll know more when he visits the Museum, but Bill felt the site was accurate with information communicated correctly. He appreciated the ease of navigating the site. He considered the site effective. (10 of 10)

After acclimating himself to the changing (and eventually repeating) home page highlights, Bill felt he was able to navigate the site at a good clip. The speed was just right for Bill. He felt the site was fairly intuitive (as far as locating key information) and he did not expend unnecessary effort, foro the most part. Bill considered the site efficient. (9 of 10)

Bill felt the site was adequately engaging, but not necessarily his style. His experience was pleasant enough and he was satisfied by how the site supported his work. (6 of 10)

As he noted in his page, Bill encountered a few interface irritants, but the errors were minor and able to be quickly corrected. Bill considers the site error tolerant. (7 of 10)

After initially finding the main page's changing highlights offputting and somewhat confusing, Bill's realization that the rest of the page was static and clear (through the word cues/links) left him feeling comfortable searching for his information. He also reported that he was pleased to find the interface predictable and consistent, particularly the left column (where most of his site use was centralized). Bill considered the site not too challenging and, with some practice, easy to learn. (8 of 10)