Friday, June 24, 2011

My 10 hours in NY....

3:00 Wake & dress... I had decided not to eat or have coffee until I made it to the Museum
3:30 Leave the house
5:05 The plane takes off..
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7:50 I buy my 7 day unlimited Metro card for $29.00,  I catch the bus to the subway
9:17 I need coffee, and I'm hungry, so I head to Le Pain Quotidien.
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        I love this place they have a long communal table and it's big enough where you don't feel cramped.  The chairs are small but the place is cozy and the regulars pull out their papers and have yogurt and fruit parfaits.
You can read more about the restaurant here Le Pain Quotidien.   I had the soft boiled eggs that come with a freshly baked bread assortment.  There are jellies and a Belgian praline spread on the table for you, as well as agave, and natural sugar.  They have a variety of seasonal offerings and daily specials and it all looks so good.
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Isn't funny how when you're starving your taste buds are so appreciative. This was an excellent breakfast, simple and satisfying.

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9:46 "Alexander McQueen" - I'm on my way to the Museum, I can't show you pics because they were not allowed, but I have to say this was a fabulous exhibit. If you can't get there visit online, the Metropolitan Museum's blog will walk you through the exhibit, if they've skipped something, it's very little. I've visited the museum for past exhibits and I love the Met, but there was one, that was a bit of a dud, and when you travel in from outside of the city to see it... disappointing does not cover it.  This one was not disappointing.  There is a bit of a line, I bought my ticket and audio tape online and this might save you a little time if there are lines for the tickets.  Once you reach the exhibit, it is cordoned off and there are two lines, one for Members of the Met, and the other for non-member ticket holders.  The Members are whisked straight into the exhibit, while the rest of us wait.  Since I had arrived 15 minutes after the museum opened I was in a good position, the wait for Wednesday morning, was only 15 minutes, when I left, it was much longer.  There is a lot to see, it is a series of adjoining rooms and the garments and items are arranged on both sides, so if you stick to one side of the room, you'll need to pass through to the other side to see everything. I read everything and observe construction details, and take a little Moleskine where I keep design ideas.  It took me almost 2 hours to get through it all.  It is visually lush, a little disturbing at times but in the end very inspiring.

I also had time to have a look at another special showing of  "Rooms With a View" , if you like miniatures or dollhouses I highly recommend it.  I love both, and it was such a treat. Many of the paintings are relatively small, with so much fine detail you could get lost in each room.

Bonus** If you opt for the audio guide, you can start listening to the McQueen snippets while you are waiting.
The McQueen introduction starts at 400.  Also the audio guide is good for the rest of the museum as well.

12:19 After seeing the Alexander McQueen exhibit, I'm a little sad, he was really an artist first, a designer second.  I am sorry we won't be seeing more of him.... so to cheer myself up I hopped on the bus and stopped at Bergdorf Goodman.
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They were having a sale, a big sale, a shoe sale, so I was on my way to the top, towards the home goods department, when I realized that I had passed the Ralph Rucci area and I zipped back down to have a look at his clothes.  He uses the same sleeve as on the Vogue 1115 pattern on one of his coats.  It was all beautiful.

Also just a side note... there was a young lady on the escalator in front of me wearing a light flowing silk tunic and I was appreciating the fabric and style when a gust from the AC, which revealed no undergarments, blew her tunic enough, not to lift but inflate....all I'm saying is wear under pants.  The tunic was a little over the knee but the hem width was about 80" and it was not good.

Are you tired yet?  I left Bergdorfs because with a shoe sale, no good could come of it, so I hopped on the subway and down to the Garment District I went....

8 comments:

Bella said...

No undies? Daft!
I've never been to New York.
Looking forward to reading the next installment :D

Marie-Noƫlle said...

I share your feeling concerning A McQ. I spent many hours reading everything about the exhibition on the MET site. The video is realy packed with information. Lee MAc Queen was an artist before being a couturier and he had such a great knowledge of tailoring. I feel realy sad we lost him.
I realy enjoy reading your account of your trip to NY. Thanks for sharing.

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

I'm glad that you didn't have to wait long to see the Exhibit. 15 minutes is nuthin! I'm gonna have to go over to Bergdorf's and see the Rucci pieces...thanks for letting me know they were there!

ELMO said...

Carolyn, They are having a sale, you've been warned :) The Rucci section is not huge but I only wanted to see and touch in person, Also they have all of the other designers, so take your time, and I'll be reading your blog for your report.

Corrine said...

sounds like you packed a lot of stuff into that museum visit. I also carry a book to do sketches here and there. My current favorites are the old school composition books. Nothing fancy there, te, he. Thanks for sharing, love it.

ELMO said...

Glad you like it Corrine, the only thing I haven't figured out is how to keep my markers with my sketch book, It's time to make a cover, with a pen holder.

The Slapdash Sewist said...

You really made the most of your day! I've been itching to take a little weekend trip to NYC and you are not helping.

ELMO said...

I think you need to go, I'm pretty sure someone at the Museum was asking when you would be there:)