Musée Marmottan in Paris houses an outstanding collection of Claude Monet and Berthe Morisot: http://www.marmottan.com/francais/

Brooklyn Museum, one of the finest collections of Egyptian Art: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/

The New York Public Library always has several excellent exhibitions, all housed in an apogee of Beaux-Arts design: http://nypl.org/research/chss/index.html

What makes a place secondary?

Regards, Sheryl in NYC