Of all the many museums in New York, this one is the most striking to me because of the unique experience you have while viewing the art. This Frank Lloyd Wright building integrates art with architecture in a way that makes it unique to this city. No matter where you are standing you get an incredible, extremely thought out detail of his work and the exhibited work.
I have old friends in San Francisco who grudgingly tell me that the High Line is everything that's wrong with New York. Well, too bad. To me, it embodies a culture that's constantly reinventing itself: a defunct elevated railway that was becoming a burden to the city ("we used to climb up there to throw garbage bags full of rotting Korean food at the Hasids!", noted a successful photographer's assistant) becoming a startling example of urban greening for the public good. The expert landscaping makes it feel like walking on a Montauk beach - but a stone's throw from some of New York's most progressive galleries and hotels.
A place for when you only have a day and your soul needs the smell of an ocean breeze and to feel sand between your toes. You can watch all the craziness of Coney Island from across the water.
I often run to this place and I love this perspective on glittering Manhattan and the feeling of coolness in the air from being so close to the water. To sweat and breathe and see this view of New York gives me a sense of being in this great City.