Want to seem cultured without paying the hefty price?  I highly recommend a peek at the Onassis Foundation.  This beautiful building conveniently located around the corner from Saks 5th Avenue (b/w Madison and Park on 51st Street) makes you feel so ooh-la-la proud to be Greek.  A hidden gem it offers wonderful exhibits to the public year round.  And it is absolutely free!

Because it has ties to the cultural institutions in Greece, it is here at the Onassis Center that you will view original Byzantine icons, jewelry from antiquity that graced a noble lady’s nape, rare statues that come from less-known collections.  This season the main gallery focuses on the “Transition to Christianity, the Art of Late Antiquity” 3rd- 7th centuries AD.

With the savings on the admissions price, you can enjoy a warm coffee for two in the chic cafes  in the building’s public atrium.   With the whoosh of the soothing stone waterfall and the warmth of the winter sun slanting through wall-to-wall glass windows, you might close your eyes and just for a moment believe you are in Greece sipping a frappe in Kolonaki.

For more info, check out their handsome website: http://www.onassisusa.org/exhibition_transitions.php?m=3&h=3