There are roughly 500 art galleries in the city, and even if you have no intention of buying, many of these galleries are well worth seeing. Most galleries are found in five main areas: in the 60s and 70s on the Upper East Side for antiques and the occasional (minor) Old Master; 57th Street between Sixth and Park avenues for big, established modern and contemporary names; SoHo for established but hip artists; Chelsea for trendy and up-and-comers; and TriBeCa for more experimental displays.

Opening times are roughly Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., but many galleries have truncated summer hours and are closed during August. The best time to gallery-hop is on weekday afternoons; the absolute worst time is on Saturday.

Soho and Tribeca
123 Watts 123 Watts St (between Greenwich and Hudson) tel 212/219-1482.
Trendy gallery known for its photography, along with other forms of contemporary art; has shown work by Robert Mapplethorpe, Arturo Cuenca and Bruno Ulmer.

John Gibson 568 Broadway (at Prince St), Suite 101 tel 212/925-1192.
Avant-garde and old school American painting, sculpture and prints, with an emphasis on conceptual art and abstract works.

Lehmann Maupin 39 Greene St (between Canal and Grand sts) tel 212/965-0753.
Shows a range of established international and American contemporary artists working in a wide range of media.

Louis Meisel 141 Prince St (at West Broadway) tel 212/677-1340.
Specializes in Photorealism - past shows have included Richard Estes and Chuck Close - as well as Abstract Illusionism.

Chelsea
Anima Nosei 530 W 22nd, 2nd floor (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/741-8695.
Global works, especially contemporary pieces by emerging Latin American and Middle Eastern artists. Mon-Fri 11am-6pm.

Barbara Gladstone Gallery 515 W 24th St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/206-9300.
Paintings, sculpture and photography by hot contemporary artists such as Matthew Barney and Rosemarie Trockel.

Gagosian Gallery W 24th St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/228-2828.
This stalwart of the New York scene, owned by an ex-LA poster salesman, features modern and contemporary art.

Matthew Marks Gallery 522 W 22nd St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/243-0200.
The centerpiece of Chelsea's art scene, it shows the work of such well-known minimalist and abstract artists as Cy Twombly, Ellsworth Kelly and Lucien Freud. See also the branch at 523 W 24th St.

Pat Hearn 530 W 22nd St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/727-7366.
This longtime venue was an influential presence in its former SoHo location, and continues to specialize in abstract and conceptual artists, and risky exhibits.

Paula Cooper 534 W 21st St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/255-1105.
Another influential gallery that shows a wide range of contemporary painting, sculpture, drawings, prints and photographs, particularly minimalist and abstract works.

Robert Miller 524 W 26th St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/366-4774.
Exceptional shows of twentieth-century art, including paintings by David Hockney and Lee Krasner, and photographs by artists sich as Diane Artus and Robert Mapplethorpe.

Sonnabend 536 W 22nd St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/627-1018.
A top gallery featuring painting, photography and video from contemporary American and European artists, including Robert Morris and Gilbert and George.

Midtown and Upper East Side
Knoedler & Co. 19 E 70th St (between 5th and Madison aves) tel 212/794-0550.
Highly renowned gallery specializing in abstract and Pop artists and post-war and contemporary art with a focus on the New York School. Shows some of the best-known names in twentieth-century art, including Stella, Rauschenberg and Fonseca.

Leo Castelli 59 E 79th St tel 212/249-4470.
One of the original dealer-collectors, Castelli was instrumental in aiding the careers of Rauschenberg and Warhol, and offers big contemporary names at big prices.

Marlborough/Marlborough Graphics 40 W 57th St tel 212/541-4900.
Internationally renowned galleries show the cream of modern and contemporary artists and graphic designers, including Francis Bacon, R.B. Kitaj and others.

Mary Boone 745 5th Ave, 4th floor (between 57th and 58th sts) tel 212/752-2929.
Specializes in installations, paintings and works by up-and-coming European and American artists. A top gallery, now with an interesting Chelsea addition (541 W 24th St between 10th and 11th aves tel 212/752-2929).

PaceWildenstein 32 E 57th St tel 212/421-3292.
This celebrated gallery has carried works by most of the great modern American and European artists; from Picasso to Rothko. A SoHo satellite located at 142 Greene St (tel 212/431-9224) specializes in edgier works and large installations.

Spaces
The galleries below provide a forum for the kind of risky and non-commercially viable art that many other galleries - reliant on trying to get art into the hands of buyers - may not be able to afford to show.

Artists Space 38 Greene St, 3rd floor (between Canal and Grand sts) tel 212/226-3970. One of the most respected alternative spaces, with frequently changing theme-based exhibits, film screenings, and the like.

Clocktower 346 Broadway (between Worth and Leonard sts) tel 212/233-1096. Temporary exhibitions, and an annual studio program run by PS1, in which artists work in the studio space within the clock tower. Visitors are allowed to wander around and talk to the artists about their work. Go just to see the incredible views of downtown.

DIA Center for the Arts 548 W 22nd St tel 212/989-5566. The pre-eminent Alternative Art Foundation's largest gallery space shows yearlong exhibitions of work by artists such as Joseph Beuys, Dan Graham, Robert Ryman and Kids of Survival.

PS 1 Contemporary Arts Center 22-25 Jackson Ave (46th St, Long Island City, Queens). tel 718/784-2084. $2 suggested donation. Based in an old schoolhouse, this is the place for avant-garde and experimental new art.