After a few days spent in Atlanta, it felt great to get back up top. Don’t get me wrong, there are many things the “Big Peach” does well - think fast cars, sweetened iced tea and grits cooked any way imaginable - but fast-pace living isn’t exactly what the south bases its reputation. I immediately stepped up the pace just by stepping off the plane.

Since these are my last few days in NYC for a while, I decided to soak up a little more culture than usual. I was in this frame of mind when I took two days to visit the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Before I immersed myself in classical art and culture, I decided to trot down to Times Square and consume a little pop culture. On the way, I noticed an older woman who was impeccably dressed. As I approached her, I gave her the once-over once again and- Wait, that smile, that blonde hair, is that?

As fast as I realized Sharon Stone was approaching, she passed and the guy walking behind me looked to me for confirmation. I nodded. Yeah, it was her.

I finally reached ESPN Zone where I ordered a beer and a burger while I watched snippets of the previous night’s games and got the latest scores.

An hour later and 11 blocks up and two avenues over I made my way into MoMA and happened upon my all-time favorite painting, “Starry Night,” by Vincent van Gogh. There’s something in the whimsical swirls of paint that make me feel like letting it carry me where it wants. And there was nothing like seeing it up close.

During the two days, I saw several works by van Gogh, Henri Degas, Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keefe, Claude Monet and Salvador Dali as part of several different exhibits.

At $20 a pop, going from museum to museum in this city break a travel budget. So let me give you a tip. That “recommended” $20 donation, which is basically the price of admission, is just that - a recommendation. It’s basically the same when you bid on buying a house. You can bid below, at or above the asking price. The key fact to remember here is, your bid never gets turned down.

Some people actually give a few pennies, a desk clerk at The Met told me. So if it means the difference between going to or skipping the museums altogether, then don’t be ashamed to drop your copper.

Whatever you wind up paying, it’s worth it. Where else can you find brews, burgers and the bourgeoisie all within a 5-minute walk of each other? Oh yeah and don’t forget Sharon Stone.

(The paintings I saw inspired me to take pictures of what I would paint if I could. To check it out, click here.)