Manhattan has more than 500 private art galleries, selling everything from old masters to tomorrow's news. Galleries are open free to the public, generally Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Saturday afternoon gallery hopping, in particular, is a favorite pastime -- nobody will expect you to buy, so don't worry.

The best way to winnow down your choices is by perusing the "Art Guide" in the Friday weekend section of the New York Times, or in the back of the Sunday "Arts & Leisure" section; the "Cue" section at the back of the weekly New York magazine, which I find to be particularly descriptive and user-friendly; the Art section in the weekly Time Out New York; or the New Yorker's weekly "Goings on About Town" section. You can also find the latest exhibition listings online at www.nymetro.com, whose "Arts" page gives you full access to New York magazine's Cue listings; www.newyork.citysearch.com (click on "Attractions"), www.artnet.com, and www.galleryguide.org. An excellent source -- more for practicals on the galleries and the artists and genres they represent rather than current shows -- is www.artincontext.org. The Gallery Guide is available at most galleries around town.

I suggest picking a gallery or a show in a neighborhood that seems to suit your taste, and just start browsing from there. Be aware that my list below doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. There are many, many more galleries in each neighborhood, as well as smaller concentrations of galleries in areas like the East Village, TriBeCa, and Brooklyn.

Keep in mind that uptown galleries tend to be more traditional and exclusive-feeling, downtown galleries more high-ticket contemporary, and far west Chelsea galleries the most cutting edge. Museum-quality works dominate uptown, while raw talent and emerging artists are most common in west Chelsea. But there are constant surprises in all neighborhoods.

Uptown -- Uptown galleries are clustered in and around the glamorous crossroads of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street as well as on and off stylish Madison Avenue in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Unlike their upstart Chelsea and SoHo counterparts, these blue-chip galleries maintain a quiet white-glove demeanor. They include Hirschl & Adler, 21 E. 70th St. (tel. 212/535-8810; www.hirschlandadler.com), for 18th- to 20th-century European and American painting and decorative arts; art-world powerhouses Gagosian Gallery, 980 Madison Ave. (tel. 212/744-2313; www.gagosian.com), and PaceWildenstein, 32 E. 57th St. (tel. 212/421-3292), whose focus is on classic modernism, representing such artists as Jim Dine, Barbara Hepworth, and Claes Oldenburg; Richard Gray Gallery, 1018 Madison Ave., 4th floor (tel. 212/472-8787; www.richardgraygallery.com), featuring American and European contemporary works, with artists ranging from Joan Miró to David Hockney; Knoedler & Company, 19 E. 70th St. (tel. 212/794-0550; www.knoedlergallery.com), specializing in the New York school and representing such contemporary artists as Helen Frankenthaler, Nancy Graves, and Frank Stella; the Margo Feiden Galleries, 699 Madison Ave. (tel. 212/677-5330; www.alhirschfeld.com), the sole authorized representative of the works of the late master ink caricaturist Al Hirschfeld; Mary Boone Gallery, 745 Fifth Ave. (tel. 212/752-2929), known for success with such artists as Ross Bleckner and Nancy Ellison; and Richard L. Feigen & Co., 34 E. 69th St. (tel. 212/628-0700; www.rlfeigen.com), and Wildenstein, the classical big brother of PaceWildenstein, 19 E. 64th St. (tel. 212/879-0500; www.wildenstein.com), both specializing in big-ticket works: old masters, Impressionism, and Renaissance paintings and drawings;

Chelsea -- The area in the West 20s between Tenth and Eleventh avenues is home to the avant-garde of today's New York art scene, with West 26th serving as the unofficial "gallery row." Most galleries are not in storefronts but in the large spaces of multistory former garages and warehouses. Galleries worth seeking out include Paula Cooper, 534 W. 21st St. (tel. 212/255-1105), a heavyweight in the modern art world specializing in conceptual and minimal art; George Billis Gallery, 511 W. 25th St., 9F (tel. 212/645-2621; www.georgebillis.com), who shows works by talented emerging artists; Barbara Gladstone Gallery, 515 W. 24th St. (tel. 212/206-9300; www.gladstonegallery.com); uptown powerhouse Gagosian Gallery, 555 W. 24th St. (tel. 212/741-1111; www.gagosian.com), which shows such major modern artists as Richard Serra and Julian Schnabel; Feigen Contemporary, 535 W. 20th St. (tel. 212/929-0500), the modern counterpart to the uptown Old Masters gallery; Cheim & Read, 547 W. 25th St. (tel. 212/242-7727), which often shows works by such high-profile pop artists as Diane Arbus and Robert Mapplethorpe Goldin; DCA Gallery, 525 W. 22nd St. (tel. 212/255-5511; www.dcagallery.com), specializing in contemporary Danish artists; and Alexander and Bonin, 132 Tenth Ave. (tel. 212/367-7474; www.alexanderandbonin.com), which mounts excellent solo exhibitions; James Cohan Gallery, 533 W. 26th St. (tel. 212/714-9500; www.jamescohan.com), particularly strong in modern photography.

Downtown -- SoHo remains colorful, if less edgy than it used to be, with the action centered around West Broadway and encroaching onto the edge of Chinatown of late. Start with Bronwyn Keenan, 3 Crosby St. (tel. 212/431-5083), who's known for a keen eye for spotting emerging talent; Peter Blum Gallery, 99 Wooster St. (tel. 212/343-0441), who showcased the divine Kim Sooja, a Korean artist who uses traditional Korean bedcovers to comment on the promise of wedded bliss, in early 2002; Lehmann Maupin, 39 Greene St. (tel. 212/965-0753), whose exhibitions run the gamut from young unknowns to contemporary masters like Ross Bleckner; O. K. Harris, 383 W. Broadway (tel. 212/431-3600; www.okharris.com), which shows a wide and fascinating variety of contemporary painting, sculpture, and photography; and Louis K. Meisel, 141 Prince St. (tel. 212/677-1340; www.meiselgallery.com), specializing in photorealism and American pinup art (yep, Petty and Vargas girls). In TriBeCa, try Cheryl Hazan Arts Gallery, 35 N. Moore St. (tel. 212/343-8964; www.cherylhazanarts.com), or DFN Gallery, 176 Franklin St. (tel. 212/334-3400; www.dfngallery.com), both of which focus on fresh and distinctive contemporary art.