Museum-day itineraries

American Folk Art Museum
45 W 53rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-265-1040, folkartmuseum.org). Tue--Thu, Sat, Sun 10:30am--5:30pm; Fri 10:30am--7:30pm. $7--$9.

Before: Head to the 71-year-old Prime Burger (5 E 51st St between Fifth and Madison Aves, 212-759-4730) to indulge in a quarter-pounder ($5.25--$5.95) with a side of fries ($3.75).
During: Outsider artist Henry Darger's work has inspired everyone from Grayson Perry to Sufjan Stevens. You'll understand why when you see his magnificent mural-size watercolors in the "Up Close: Henry Darger" exhibit (through September 6).
After: Sate your own creative impulses by buying oil paints, canvases, beads and paper at nearby Lee's Art Shop (220 W 57th St between Seventh Ave and Broadway, 212-247-0110).—Amy Plitt

Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art
594 Broadway, suite 401 between E Houston and Prince Sts (212-254-3511, moccany.org). Tue--Sun noon--5pm. $5.

Before: Scope the rainbow array of T-shirts at Uniqlo (546 Broadway between Prince and Spring Sts, 917-237-8811) and pay sartorial homage to Superman, Robin or Captain America—sans the colored tights—for $15.50.
During: Now for some actual superheroes: "Sounds and Pauses: The Comics of David Mazzucchelli" is on view through August 23. Mazzucchelli is best known for his work with Frank Miller on Batman: Year One and Daredevil.
After: Read free manga and eat a green-tea ice cream parfait ($8.50) at Hiroko's Place (75 Thompson St at Spring St, 212-625-1303).—Sharon Steel

Brooklyn Historical Society
128 Pierrepont St at Clinton St, Brooklyn Heights (718-222-4111, brooklynhistory.org). Museum hours: Wed--Fri, Sun noon--5pm; Sat 10am--5pm. Library hours: Wed--Fri 1--5pm. $4--$6.

Before: Fill up on pub grub (we like the warmed Brie and fried pickles—but not together) at the quaint Henry Street Ale House (62 Henry St between Cranberry and Orange Sts, Brooklyn Heights, 718-522-4801).
During: Photo archivist Julie Mays hearts BHS's copies of The Brooklynite, a mag published from 1926 to '28, and packed with "localized political cartoons" and "covers from the Jazz Age."
After: Show some love for BK by strolling Borough Hall Greenmarket (Court St at Remsen St; Tue, Thu, Sat 8am--6pm), which sells fruits and veggies, baked goods and fresh flowers.—AP

Museum of Arts and Design
2 Columbus Circle at Broadway (212-299-7777, madmuseum.org). Tue, Wed, Fri--Sun 11am--6pm; Thu 11am--9pm. $12--$15, members and children under 12 free.

Before: Browse photos, letters and annotated scripts at "Katharine Hepburn: In Her Own Files" at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (40 Lincoln Center Plaza at 65th St; 212-870-1630).
During: "Don't miss the art in the stairwells," says MAD chief curator David McFadden. "[Glass artist] Judith Schaechter has filled an entire landing window with a radiant composition." Also on view through September 20: Gemoetric glassworks by German artist Klaus Moje.
After: Order vino via a touch-screen menu at the forward-thinking Clo Wine Bar (Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle at Broadway, fourth floor; 212-823-9898).—AP

Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
36 Battery Pl between West St and 1st Pl (646-437-4200, mjhnyc.org). Mon, Tue, Thu, Sun 10am--5:45pm; Wed 10am--8pm; Fri 10am--5pm. $7--$12, children under 12 free.

Before: For lunch, museum staff like the Sicilian and Neapolitan pies at nearby Inatteso (28 West St at 1st Pl, 212-267-8000).
During: Learn why so many European Jews turned to teaching at black American colleges during the Nazi rise to power, and how their presence influenced civil rights, in the compelling "Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges" exhibit (through January 4).
After: Shake off your solemn mood with a margarita at Tex-Mex joint SouthWest (2 World Financial Center at Liberty St, 212-945-0528).—Drew Toal

Studio Museum in Harlem
144 W 125th St between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd and Malcolm X Blvd (212-864-4500, studiomuseum.org). Wed--Fri, Sun noon--6pm; Sat 10am--6pm. Suggested donation $3--$7.

Before: Fuel up on whiting and grits ($6.50) or hearty fish-and-chips ($6) at the family-run Fishers of Men (121 W 125th St between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd and Malcolm X Blvd, 212-678-4268).
During: Make a beeline for Alma Thomas's AbEx painting Space, and Jack Whitten's Khee I, two of director and chief curator Thelma Golden's favorite works from the permanent collection.
After: Stop by the historic Lenox Lounge (288 Malcolm X Blvd between 124th and 125th Sts, 212-427-0253) for a weekend show in its fabled Zebra Room (9, 10:30pm, and midnight; $20 plus $16 minimum).—Cristina Velocci

Staten Island Museum
75 Stuyvesant Pl at Wall St, Staten Island (718-727-1135, statenislandmuseum.org). Mon--Fri, Sun noon--5pm; Sat 10am--5pm. $1--$2.

Before: Grab a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich ($3.50) at the 24-hour Country Donuts (160 Richmond Terr at Stuyvesant Pl, Staten Island, 718-876-7182).
During: While the museum boasts a number of early-19th-century artworks (including local landscapes), the real scores are the indigenous creatures jarred and preserved in formaldehyde, a 350-pound meteorite and fossils from prehistoric Staten Island.
After: Cheer for the minor-league Staten Island Yankees at Richmond County Bank Ballpark (75 Richmond Terr at Wall St; 718-720-9265, siyanks.com). Tickets start at $6—less than the cost of a beer at the new Yankee Stadium.—DT