A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO SORGATZ AND I TOOK A DAY OFF, BIKED OVER TO MANHATTAN AND UP TO THE WHITNEY MUSEUM’S NEW DIGS AT THE FOOT OF THE HIGH LINE. I guess their former location on Madison Avenue was revered for its innovative, iconic design, but seriously, I thought it was pretty brutal looking. A blocky, grey, Stalinesque hulk jammed into one of Manhattan’s most elegant blocks. The enormous, graceless behemoth, I thought, clashed.

Anyway, now the Met owns it and the Whitney built a new home way downtown, at the foot of the High Line park. A bold move, a choice location and the building? A winner. Why? More glass, less concrete. It’s roomy and easy to negotiate. And every floor has an outdoor balcony or patio. I love that.

Museums are generally an indoor experience; I get that. Thing is, there are days I don’t want to be inside for the amount of time it takes to really “do” a museum. At the new Whitney, no problem. Need a breather? Hit the outdoor deck. Get some sun. Take in the view of the Hudson River, or witness the madness of Manhattan from your peaceful perch. And these little breaks have another benefit: they energize you, allowing you more time to take in the museum itself. Look, I like art, but I have limits. Some days, after two hours, I’m done. That’s it. Overload. With a little fresh air and some sun, kickin’ it in a colorful Whitney chair on the deck? I just doubled my battery life. More Whitney for me. Love it.

My only slight beef was the long line to get in, stretching down the block, but it was a nice enough day, and Sorgatz and I got to catch up. The people-watching was fun and the crowd was bubbling with good energy. I get it; it’s a new museum in a hot neighborhood adjacent to one of the most popular parks in the world. There’s gonna be a line. Upside: they managed it well, and we only waited about 20-25 minutes. And we used our trusty American Alliance of Museums membership cards, allowing us free entrance. I highly recommend donating to the AAM (they’re like a lobbying organization for museums) and getting yourself one of these cards. It’ll get you into many, many of the major (and minor, which is kinda fun) museums all over the country, at no charge. Your yearly donation is your way to say, “Hey, I support you,” to ALL of America’s museums, helping them get more funding, so you don’t have to feel like a big ol’ mooch.

Overall, our visit was a damn delight, and the entire place was chock full of stuff from the permanent collection. And since they now have 50,000 square feet for display, that allows for a hell of a lot of the Whitney’s stash, much of which was rarely seen in the old, smaller place. Of special interest to me was a huge swath of mid-century representational art — you know, pictures of people and places and actual things — featuring social and political art of the 1930s, regional stuff like Thomas Hart Benton and the Ashcan School, and even some art bordering on the cartoonish. Nice to see that. There was a good display of Pop and Abstract Expressionism and postmodern and everything else you’d expect as well.

So go thee and visit the NEW! Whitney Museum, preferably after procuring your AAM card. Take your time. Enjoy the collection and the entire building. Take a break. Get some air. Do some more Whitney. Then might I recommend a gigantic feast at Han Dynasty in the East Village for some of the best damn Szechuan in Manhattan? That’s what Sorgatz and I did and it was faaaaaan-tastic. And after that, a little McSorley’s to quench the mighty thirst.