Going East: The Met

If any of you have ever read, From the Mixed of Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, it's possible that you, like I, were introduced to the Met through the eyes of two mischevious siblings who ran away to this immense museum and lived within it's walls as they solved an art mystery. 

Ever since reading this book, I had wanted to visit the Met, so when we planned our trip, it was no coincidence that this was chosen as our first stop, with plenty of flex time so that we could spend as long as we (I) needed. 

Now, while we were here, the Alexander McQueen exhibit was open. 

While I am not one to really follow designers, I had heard amazing things about this, so Ed and I chose this as our first stop once inside. 

Good thing we went there directly - even at our earlish time (less than an hour after the museum opened), the line was over 45 minutes long.

 I was a bit worried that it wouldn't live up to expectations, or Ed wouldn't be all that interested in looking at a bunch of clothes, but luckily it was every bit as spectacular as had been promised. Ed loved it as much as I did, and we were both very glad to have taken the time to wait. 

This was one of the first dresses we saw, and stuck with me as one of my favorites:

source

Each room was a different line, with a very different style and message. The works seemed a very good mix of futuristic, tribal, and modern art. 

After exploring this amazing exhibit, it was onto the permenant part of the museum. We made a tentative plan in line that prioritized which rooms we'd visit, and the Impressionists were up first. 

I remember this Cezanne being in a Sesame Street movie when I was a kid, and I always think of that when I see it. 

The painting below is the same one that we saw made into sculpture in New Jersey!

After this, it was past lunch time and, since we still had a ton of the museum left, we took a quick break to the rooftop to catch some views and have a snack. 

While it was beautiful, it was also super toasty, so after not too long, we headed quickly back inside for more art. We went through the very fun musical instruments wing by way of the atrium. 

Then we check out the tiffany stained glass on the way to the American wing. 

The other atrium that housed much of the American Art.

At this point, Ed was pretty tired (as was I) and feeling ready to take a break, so he rested while I went through this American home full of period pieces and different era furniture and design. 

I was especially excited about the bedroom modeled after those in the 1600s. 

After this, Ed was ready to keep going, so we headed to the Temple, a la "When Harry Met Sally"

This was great to see in person, not only since it is featured in one of my favorite movies, but also because it's pretty amazing to see a real Egyptian temple (especially one that wasn't stolen). 

We made a quick tour through the Egyptian wing (since we were quickly losing our stamina),

and then headed to the early Americas/ indiginous peoples wing (that isn't it's actual name, but is a relatively accurate representation). 

A very cool ceiling cover

While I had every intention of taking lots of pictures for my students, since they will be studying Native Americans early this school year, I soon decided that pictures online would be better taken and probably more interesting; basically, I was about ready to leave and couldn't make the effort. 

Before we left, we stopped to take a look at the Georgia O'keefe paintings. 

We saw a few more cool things on the way out (like this polar bear that was like a shruken image of the one at the Musee D'Orsay)

And, of course, some Picasso,

and finally, we were finished, for this visit, at least.