Waiting for McQueen

Ryan and I sometimes procrastinate.

In a city like New York, there are just so many new things popping up all at once that you can’t alway get to everything right away. That’s one of many reasons why we waited until the very, very last minute to see Savage Beauty, the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

We had heard horror stories of four hour lines stretching into Central Park and down Fifth Avenue just to get into the museum, then being faced with another three hour line upon entering the Met.

But yet, we somehow still weren’t deterred.

We woke up early this morning and headed uptown, but we knew we would need sustenance before a long day on our feet (and possibly outside).

Continuing with our museum theme, we popped in for brunch at Untitled, Danny Meyer’s new space in the Whitney Museum, our favorite museum in the city.

While Untitled serves a three-course prix fixe dinner, its breakfast and brunch offerings are a little more subdued. The menu runs the gamut of casual diner fare—pancakes, burgers, eggs, soups—all sourced from local purveyors and prepared with the same attention that goes into the food at Meyer’s other establishments (see Eleven Madison Park).

We started off with a few cups of Stumptown coffee and then dove into a delightful meal of old brunch standbys.

Ryan went for the buttermilk pancakes, which arrived steaming hot, alongside a fresh apple compote. Ryan said they were the best pancakes he’s ever had and I’m inclined to agree—buttery, fluffy, and a perfect vehicle for syrup and butter.

I tried the Untitled burger, topped with roasted tomatoes, grilled onions and pungent aged cheddar. It was also served with home fries and a very tasty pickle.

After fueling up at Untitled (and just enjoying the airy, modern space for a few moments), we trekked a few blocks north the find the end of the line at the Met.

We encountered the line at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 79th Street, three blocks from the museum’s front door at 82nd Street. This might sound daunting, but this line moved surprisingly quickly and we were within the museum’s doors in almost exactly an hour.

Apparently there was actually another line outside the museum’s doors that took closer to two hours, but, by sheer chance, we ended up in the shorter of the two.

The line within the museum, as you can see at the top of the post, was a bit more difficult to judge. It snaked throughout the museum, allowing us to get up close and personal with Cypriot works, ancient Middle Eastern art and a few 19th century prints and photographs, for good measure.

This line took closer to two-and-a-half hours, but I know Ryan will agree with me that it was worth the wait and the sore feet.

The exhibition was breathtaking and I’m forever grateful that Ryan encouraged me to wait (I admit—four hours is a long time on line!) even when I was a little reluctant. In fact, our waiter at Untitled told us that he thought we were quite brave for attempting it and said the galleries at the Whitney were almost empty all day long.

McQueen’s creativity and skill at his craft are unparalleled, but I do think that next time a major exhibition comes to town, I might not wait until the last day to take a look!

- Laura

P.S. If you didn’t get a chance to see the show for yourself, the Met’s website has some beautiful photographs of some of the exhibition’s highlights.