MoMA Expo 1: New York Rain Room

The rain room was pretty dope.
Not sure if it was worth the close to three hour wait but it definitely was an experience.
If they open the exhibit again, pack your water and a snack for the wait and don’t head from the salon here because there is a chance you will get wet.
Kids were running through the exhibit getting soaked and sometime’s if you go too fast or even too too slow, you will catch a few drops so be cautious but aside from that it’s really cool

Waited 9 hours on ⁷⁄₂₇. After three minutes in the Rain Room, some security guards singled out my group of three and demanded that we leave as it was closing time. One of the security guards said that we were allowed one more picture so we did one last pose. But before we could take the picture, we were rudely interrupted by another security guard who walked into the rain, waving his arms, blocking the camera view, and approached my sister as if he wanted to snatch her phone away. We explained that one of the other security guards told us that we could have one more picture taken but to no avail, they were shooing us out of the area as if we were trespassers.
We have never experienced such mistreatment. The worst part is that we were the only ones who suffered the abuse of the security guards. For some reason, everyone else was permitted to calmly continue taking pictures. We were understandably very upset and a sympathetic staff member listened to our story and asked around on our behalf to see if we could have one more picture taken as promised by that security guard who later denied that he had told us that. The security guard near the exit gave us a flat-​out no and behind him, we saw other people getting to enjoy at least ten minutes of picture-​taking without unjust interference of which we had been the unfortunate targets.
The Rain Room is a beautiful exhibit. However, it gets a one star from us for the inexplicable rudeness and hostility we faced. I cannot believe that we waited 9 hours for only three minutes in the Rain Room before we were kicked out. Highly disappointing. Shame on those security guards and their complete lack of customer service and any human decency.

I realize I procrastinated and left this visit to the last minute — and as result I had to camp outside with hundreds of MoMA members for hours just to get in.
What was I thinking??? Sitting on the floor under the make-​shift umbrellas to hide from the sun… Am I crazy enough to do this for the love of art? Absolutely. Was it worth the wait on the end? Absolutely! I would never experienced true beauty and genius of it from «sideline» viewing.
Once you step under the water, it is mesmerizing. You step slowly and watch the rain stop. You look up and see the pattern of your movement where water halted. You feel like you walking in absolute parallel dimension, straight from sci-​fi novella. Rain falling all around you, but not on you — and all you see are glowing silhouettes of people and rain drops against the brightest light. It’s a game of highlights and shadows. Feel of unreal.
Yes, installation will be gone by tomorrow — but pictures and memories will remain. Like any great art, it leaves an impression in your life.
If it makes it to other cities, go. see. experience. remember.

Want to feel like a super human with super powers?
You can take your chance by standing in line for this going-​going-​gone! exhibit at Moma.
The closing day is August 28^th.
We arrived at 09:30 on Wed morning to be told the members line was 7 hour wait and the nonmembers was 9. People left. I waited 5.
The exhibit room is cool, dark, with pouring rain in a large square above. As you move
(slowly) the rain stops. It was surreal. Like that scene in the Truman Show. BUT its happening to you! My newly found friends and I giggled and stared in awe.
Some approach the exhibit tentatively, tiptoeing in, one appendage at a time. Others strode. Whatever, you do, the rain stops, then continues, so you are standing in a dry spot. We danced, twirled, attempted hand stands, tried yoga poses with the light behind us so we get the best shot. (And got yelled at for attempting handstands).
You could follow the lead of a younger female patron: pick a well dressed man to pretend to be your boyfriend as you both pose in amorous silhouettes. That guy got more action in the rain room than outside of it!
Its amazing and I wished they let us stay longer since we waited so long! But I was really thankful that they did keep time or else we would have waited even longer!

Heard the hype, embraced our FOMOs (look it up), and started planning our trip to the MOMA Rain Room. After borrowing a friend’s MOMA membership card the night before, we braced ourselves for an early morning. Having never seen Manhattan at 5am, we got there at 5:40am only to find ourselves 50^th in line for the members line.
Before the exhibit opens, both members and general public are lumped in the same line, but once the line starts moving, everyone is sorted into their respective lines. At a certain point, they come out and tell you how long you can expect to be waiting so that you can plan your day accordingly.
We got there at 5:40am on a Saturday. They opened the exhibit for members at 8am, and we were completely done by 9am. Only 10 people are allowed into the exhibit at one time, and the sensors are fairly generous. They seem to have erred on the side of allowing more visitors through, so now visits are limited to 10 minutes with a 5 and 2 minute warning yelled out across the exhibit. The space is also smaller than you would expect. A very cool experience regardless.
PROTIPS:
— Ask around to see if your friends have a MOMA membership. Guest passes with a membership are only $ 5, credit card only. When I went, they didn’t check photo ID. If you don’t have your card, you can use photo ID to look up your existing membership.
— If you have no friends with MOMA memberships, consider getting one. For students, the price for two people comes out to maybe $ 10 more total if you buy the membership; plus, you get to skip the line! Double plus, you can go to the regular MOMA for free now!
— Get there early. Better 3 hours at the beginning of the day than 8 hours the entire day.
— To take good pictures, make sure the person is standing in front of the light, and you take it from a slight angle.
— Remember it’s art! Try to enjoy the melding of rain and laser technology before snapping away.

I didn’t have the patience to stand in line for the actual rain room. But I was able to stand in a short line for the «viewing only.»
The Rain Room was definitely cool to see in person. I don’t think it’d be worth a 4 – 10 hour wait. If you are able to wait under 50 min for the viewing only, it’s worth the wait.
The problem is now that it’s so popular, they let in about 10 – 12 people into the Rain Room. The rain doesn’t actually stop raining right at your body. It’s about 2 feet away from your body. So when there are a lot of people standing relatively close to each other, the effect doesn’t look as cool. There are just large pockets of no rain.
It was probably nice when it first opened. When you could have more space to yourself.
Regardless, it’s awesome to see so many people interested in art. It’s worth seeing. Up to you how long you want to wait.
More info on the concept behind the art piece:
The Rain Room was made by Random International and offers visitors the experience of controlling the rain.
«The work invites visitors to explore the roles that science, technology, and human ingenuity can play in stabilizing our environment. Using digital technology, Rain Room is a carefully choreographed downpour – a monumental work that encourages people to become performers on an unexpected stage, while creating an intimate
atmosphere of contemplation.»

I think the key to a short wait is going when:
1. It’s a holiday weekend (earlier in the year) and all the locals are out of town.
2. It’s actually raining.
Yes, we went to see the rain room when it was actually raining outside. We stood outside with umbrellas and then walked into a room with more rain falling down on our heads.
Surprise surprise, however, when we realized that the rain in THIS room (as opposed to outside) would actually kindly part and cease to fall if we walked slowly and calmly enough through the room (but not so much if you tried to use your umbrella). It really is a surreal experience and one you can’t find elsewhere, and I think it’s kind of great that they let you stay as long as you want, and limit the number of people in the room so that you can really enjoy the exhibit in a much more personal and intimate way.
So what time did we start lining up? About 8:40 am on a rainy Saturday in the member’s line. We were first in line, the line grew quickly, but we quickly made it over to the temporary ticketing tent where we bought our rain room tickets, and then made it first through the doors that morning.
I am kind of blown away that the waits have since become so exhausting, and that a 10 hour wait is sometimes required to just get inside for a mere 10 minutes. But those with a late-​stage case of FOMO, come early and get comfortable, because I can tell you that this is something you probably won’t see anywhere else.

The infamous Rain Room. The amazing, unique exhibit, and the equally incredible line that you have to power through to get to your prize. This exhibit has been running at the MoMA for roughly 2 months, and is scheduled to end July 28^th. After that, no more rain room for everyone. This exhibit is set apart from the actual MoMA. Instead, it is to the size in its own little building, which makes sense because this exhibit is huge. If you’re thinking about coming to check this place out, you better be a MoMA member. Otherwise, you’re pretty much out of luck because members get priority access. Once you’ve gotten that covered, the next step is waking up incredibly early in the morning so that you’re not stuck waiting 5 – 10 hours in line. I decided to show up at the MoMA at 7:15am. Usually, members get an extra priority viewing hour, but for some reason, the exhibit opened at 8am this particular day. What that meant was that when I showed up, the line was already around the block to the Starbucks on 6^th Avenue.
In total, I ended up waiting 6 hours in line. By the time that I finished with the Rain Room, it was 1:30pm. Yes, the wait was brutal. Yes it was incredibly hot and humid. Luckily, the MoMA handed out umbrellas out to everyone and provided free ice cold water. In addition, they did set up a little bar so that you could buy some other drinks. I must say, sitting and waiting in a baracade for 6 hours is quite an experience. I honestly wish that I had gotten to the MoMA at 5am, because then my total wait would have just been 3 to 3.5 hours. Nonetheless, I must say that this was totally worth it.
The Rain Room is out of this world. Once you enter the exhibit, you’ll have to wait in line for roughly 30 minutes before you get your turn. They only let 10 people in at a time, and your time limit is 10 minutes. It does seem a little short, but you can get all your creative poses well within 10 minutes. The way that the Rain Room works is that within each of the panels where water comes out from, there is a camera there. That means that once the camera senses your presence, the rain will stop at that particular spot, but will keep coming down around you. You’re left completely dry, rain is all around you, and there is an amazing effect when combined with the bright light in the back. If you want to have a little fun, try running through the exhibit because the cameras won’t be fast enough to sense you, leaving you in a drenched state.
Once I was finished with this exhibit, the fact that I had just waited 6 hours for a 10 minute exhibit was a figment of the past. I can honestly say that it was totally worth it, but if you can, show up early to avoid the pain of a 6 hour wait. Bring you membership card because a corporate membership won’t work with the priority line. If you’re not a member and are coming with a group, then get one. Guest tickets are only $ 5 a person. This is an exhibit that cannot be missed, and is one of the most creative things that I’ve experienced.

Great place for cool photos. Yes, the wait is long, but if you get there early (before the museum even opens) and make friends with people on line, the time will pass by relatively quickly and you should be done before 11 and can spend the rest of the day exploring MoMA’s other exhibits in the museum. I think it helps if you’re surrounded by people that are generally in a good mood and not constantly complaining about the long wait. My friend and I passed the time the first time around by chatting up friendly strangers next to us (a mom and her daughter) in line. They were really funny and great to talk to! They shared their blanket with us and were really good sports about waiting in line for so long.
Tips:
*Buy a membership and split it with a group of friends. Each member can bring up to 5 guests at $ 5 per guest. Depending on how many friends you bring with you, you will all either break even or pay less than regular admission ($ 25). If you’re a student, the membership is $ 50! Regular membership is $ 85.
*Bring an umbrella for shade, sunscreen, a towel to sit on, snacks, ice water, and a book or game to pass the time.
*One person can hold your spots in line if the rest of your group needs to use the bathroom, make a run to Starbucks, or comes late.
*Expect around a 4 – 5 hour wait from the end of the line within the black gates… I’d say each row is about 1 – 1.5 hours.*
*Seriously, buy the membership and split it with friends… unless you really want to wait 7 hours (and that’s if you get there at 7am).
*If you’re only here in NY for a short amount of time and don’t care to step into the rain — there’s a much shorter «viewing only» line. They let in about 20 people each time from this line.*

Magical. The 5 stars have nothing to do with the line wait and everything to do with the exhibit. I’ve never experienced anything like it. You enter a giant black box and are greeted with an immediate, refreshing coolness in the air with the sound of a steady, pouring rain. As you wait in the inside line (yup, there’s another line) you have the chance to watch others frolicking between the raindrops, and the chance to practice what kind of cool silhouette poses you’ll do once you have your turn in the (very bright) spotlight.
Even though you know that the rain isn’t going to fall on you, entering the downpour is still intimidating — especially if you’re holding a fancy camera! But take it slow and you’ll see a dry circle around your body slowly widening up as you walk through the rain. Don’t immediately take pictures! Just enjoy the magic of the moment where you feel like you can control the rain. THEN take pictures. Lots of them because they will be dramatic and breath-​taking and everyone who didn’t have the tenacity to wait in line will be jealous when you post them on facebook, haha.
Helpful hints:
— the exhibit’s last day is July 28^th. Expect wait times to only increase as we get closer to the date. I heard wait times can already stretch to 8 hours.
— The line and entrance are located on 54^th st. NOT 53^rd St. Don’t go into the main MOMA building.
— the line also has little to no shade. Bring water; bring umbrellas. MOMA also has a few that you can borrow.
— MOMA members get priority access. That means that they are able to go into the exhibit starting at 9:30am instead of 10:30am (the entrance time for the general public). Members are also able to bring in 6 guests at $ 5/​guest. (Consider becoming a member to lessen your wait time).
— this also means that if you’re not a member, even members that line up after you prior to 10:30 will get into the rain room before you.
— you can save spots in line. Bad for those in front of you who are letting in a bunch of people, but nice if you wanted friends to come with you who aren’t willing to brave the long wait. (Thanks, little brother, for showing up at 6:30am for me. And thank you for your kindness random stranger/​MOMA member for letting us be your guests when we lined up in the wrong line.)
— the wait times are long because only 10 people are allowed in the rain room at a time, and while there is a 10 minute «suggested» time, it’s not enforceable. Especially since everyone’s waited so long to get into the exhibit — they’re not going to feel any sort of rush to exit the room once they’re there.
— make friends with your line-​mates. That way you can help each other take pictures once you get into the rain room!
— don’t wear black or reflective material — that makes it harder for the sensors to «see» you and you might get wetter than you expected. Also, don’t wear stiletto heels — the floor is actually a grating and you’ll have trouble getting around.
— if you walk too quickly you WILL get wet. And even if you don’t walk quickly it’s not a perfect system so you’ll have the occasional drop splash you.
— go! It’s WAY better than a cronut.

If you don’t want to wait the whole day, I suggest that you purchase your tickets in advanced and make every effort to camp outside on 54^th street at 6am. Yes, I said 6 am. It’s less painful than waiting for a cronut. It’s the only way to guarantee a visit the second they open.
There is an option to just ‘view’ the exhibit which starts at 10:30am. I highly recommend it if you don’t want to wait in line. You won’t actually get to go underneath the rain but it’ll just do. The wait is only and hour, hour and a half or so.

Not worth the hype to wait 4 – 10 hours (depending on which days you go), but it’s worth seeing in person and having a much more significantly shorter wait on the viewing line. To tell you the truth, after seeing it in person and luckily waiting only 40 minutes to view it, it wasn’t what I expected. I thought it’d be something different, like maybe the whole room is raining instead of a squared off area. I don’t like the fact that people can view it on the side like stalkers.
I’m not trying to be sarcastic, but if you want to experience the Rain Room without having to wait all those hours in the heat, go outside when it is raining with your umbrella open. All you have to do is literally stand there, hold your umbrella up and that’s the feeling you will have. You won’t be wet, but everything else around you will be. Same concept, right? Some people will think the exhibit is cool and it’s definitely a unique idea having it rain indoors and you won’t get wet without an umbrella
On some days (specifically weekends), the wait to get into the Rain Room and actually experience it can be up to 8 – 10 hours, which exceeds the amount of time MoMA is actually opened! So guess what? Some individuals are not even guaranteed to go in after that wait! I recommend for those who want to see what it’s about to wait in the shorter line to just view it. That line is only 40 min long and you get to stand to the side and see what the Rain Room looks like. When you get in, you are not walled off by glass, you are still in the Rain Room and there’s just a rope preventing you from getting any closer and getting wet. If you like what you see and feel that you want to experience the actual exhibit then I would say you should go back again to be in it.

Tip: Purchase a membership for $ 85, invite 5 guests @ $ 5 each. Divide by 6 and each person will pay about $ 18. Much better than the $ 25 General Admission pricing.
(Student membership is $ 50, 6 people would bring the cost down to $ 12.5 each)
We waited since 7am and go under the Rain Room at 9:51am. There were about ten people in front of us at 7am and by 9:25am we were twentieth in line. Yep, spots were saved, no surprise.
A worker told us to only spend five minutes in the Rain Room because the wait for members was six hours and general public was more than 7.5 hours. We stayed for ten minutes but there were people that stayed even longer.
Tips and Advice:
–Note that you WILL get wet. It isn’t perfect.
–Walk slowly unless you want to get wet.
–The room is chilly
–Try to stay several feet away from anyone nearby.
–To take silhouette photos, have your friend take the photo squatting while you stand in front of the light source.
–You need to be the first ten in line or else you will be waiting a LONG time.
This is a very unique experience and well worth the wait (and cost). Thank you Volkswagen for making this possible.

Here is some tips from a nonmember,
1. The security told us the ticket for nonmember could be purchase after 10:30am. But we were there at 9:30am. So we went to the information counter and got our student ticket right away. So students, go to the information counter.
2. The line is very longggg. They are not kidding. It was on Friday morning. We ended up spending 6 hours for the whole thing. I heard that if you come by Wednesday or Thursday, it would be a shorter line.
3. Bring a chair, a umbrella, a big big bottle of water and a friend! The sun was really burning my toes during that bleeding, sunny day. I would’ve wear sneaker instead of sandal. I love tanning but the heat is terrible. And you can ask umbrella from the workers. They distribute umbrella when the weather gets hot.
4. There is also a line after you enter the door. It was about 10 mins.
5. Shaving ice are available to purchase when you are in the square space.
6. Don’t get in the wrong line. The line facing the 6^th ave is for nonmember. Cuz I did get in the wrong line…
7. Don’t let people cut the line in front of you! We found two GROUPS of people literally cut the line. Shame on you! Shame!
8. CUNY or SUNY student has free ticket for the rainroom exhibit too!
9.Dont walk too fast in the rainroom.
EVERYTHING IS WORTH iT! Amazing interactive art show!

What an amazing experience! My friend and I woke up bright and early to get on line and wait for the MOMA Rain Room. Luckily we both had MOMA passes so we didn’t have to wait long. The Rain Room opens an hour early for MOMA Members so we waited about 20 – 30 minutes in line after the doors actually opened. If you have a MOMA pass and want to bring a friend, I believe you can buy early admission with a MOMA pass for $ 5 if your companions are not lucky enough to be MOMA Members.
We walked into a dark room and watched as a few people were let into the rain room at a time. As large groups of people went in, you could see the rain stop from the ceiling and start again as they went further into the exhibit. Cool! Only 10 or so people are allowed in the exhibit and there is no time limit for how long you can spend in the exhibit. 3D cameras capture your movement and as long as you don’t move too quickly, you won’t get wet as it rains around you!
Got in and proceeded to cam-​whore with my friend and take a ton of pictures. TIP: In your pictures, make sure the body of the person blocks the bright white light at the end of the room — otherwise your pictures will come out super saturated and bright. Also don’t be an ass — there are a ton of people waiting outside so don’t take forever in the exhibit.
Make sure to get there early or make friends with someone with a MOMA pass! Definitely a must-​see exhibit here in NYC.

Our first attempt at the Rain Room was a fail — we got there at 9:45 on a Saturday and were told that the members line was already 5 hours. We couldn’t wait, so decided to make a second attempt the following weekend.
This time we came prepared — we got there at 8am (there were maybe 20 people ahead of us) with a towel to sit on, breakfast, sunscreen, and a book to read. And in fact, the wait passed quite quickly and pleasantly since we were comfortable and occupied.
I don’t know if the wait would have been worth the 5 hours, but it was definitely worth 2. It’s just an awesome experience and worth it alone for the pictures you end up with!
The first impact when you walk in is awesome — it’s all dark with just the 1 light and you hear and smell the rain. And taking your first steps into the rain is a great feeling.
My only complaint is that I wish they allowed fewer people into the rain at a time (of course, that wouldn’t help the line any) — but people tend to clump together and then you have huge areas in the middle where it’s not raining at all. With fewer people, you could get even better pictures and it would feel more like it’s raining all around you.
But all in all, I thought it was a great exhibit and was happy to have the chance to experience it while it’s here in NY.

I knew before coming here that a 4 – 8 hr wait was expected so we got here at 11 am. we were told the line was gonna 3 – 4 hrs long. I and my friend had not seen each other in a while so it didnt faze me as much. I felt lucky it was not 6 or 8. The security are pretty nice on keeping the line up to date and letting us borrow umbrellas if it gets too sunny.
Is it worth it?
For a person who hates rain. I am in love. This is how it should be in real life. The footpaths should have these sensors.
Anyways, back to the room. I loved it. You will get a tiny bit wait if you move too fast so hold your precious camera close to your body.
The room gives you an opportunity to take some seriously good pictures. So go!

Yes the line is long… My boyfriend and I decided to become members so that we could come an hour early with hopes of not waiting so long. When we arrived, we were told there was a 5 hour wait.
In all honestly, the line did not look like it was going to be 5 hours so we stuck it out and made some new friends in line. We got in line at about 9:45 and got into the Rain Room at 12pm. So really we waited half the time we were told. Is the wait worth it? I can’t make a general judgement as I sure some people think it’s silly and others think it is amazing. I personally really wanted to come and did think it was worth it. Did I think it was the best exhibit ever? No, but I would have been disappointed had I’d given up.
Inside, the room is really cool. I’m sure some of you have seen the instagram shots and this is definitely a cool place to come if you like to take unique photos. My boyfriend brought his expensive camera and got some really beautiful pictures. You do get a tiny bit wet so I would wear clothes that can handle a drop of water but in no way was I drenched. Phones and all are totally fine.
This is certainly a unique experience and I’m glad I got to see it.

I bought a MOMA membership thinking it would save me some time waiting in line. It didn’t. We got in line around 9:45 and was told it would be a 5 hour wait. I asked the employee if she was joking but she was dead serious. The early entry didn’t guarantee you’d be in quickly, just that you would go in before anyone without a membership. I was determined to go and luckily we only had to wait around 3 hours. When we were let into the room the line outside only filled about half the barricades which means if you strolled in around 1 your wait would be about half of what ours was. If you do want to get in quickly I would recommend getting there perhaps an hour before early entry.
The room is quite cool. They let in around 10 people into the rain area and they seem to bunch up by the light for photos. It’s not all that precise so if you’re standing within about 5 feet of someone there wont be any rain between you. It’s still very neat but not as amazing as I had imagined. You’ll get hit with a drop or two every now and then but for the most part you stay completely dry. I don’t think it was worth the 3 hour wait but at the same time I would have been disappointed if I hadn’t visited it.

Please heed my words…
^^Make sure you wear sunscreen
^^Bring an umbrella not for the rain room but for waiting outside in the scorching sun. You will get baked.
^^ You will wait 3 – 4 hours just to get in and once you get in there will be another line so prepare to be disappointed.
^^Keep yourself well hydrated it gets hot waiting outside.
Questions:
Is it worth it? No… Kinda ridiculous you have to wait that long just to experience 10 min of the rain room. BTW! you have unlimited time once your in…
Will you get wet? sort of… if your walking too fast or running in the rain room you will get wet. the sensors are not perfect expect a drop or two to fall on you while you are slowly walking.
Advice:
Buy a membership pass so you can get there early 930am… be one of the first in line you may not have to wait that long… otherwise be prepared to wait.