Elite Event: Rubin Museum of Art

This was my first Elite event and the Rubin Museum of Art gave us a wonderful opportunity to admire many beautiful pieces. I was surprised to see so many people taking interest in getting culturally educated on a Friday night. Upon arrival, I was welcomed by Ruggy, who offered my boyfriend and I some drinks while we waited, since we were the first to arrive. There was an entire part of the first floor sectioned off to Unilocalers where we seated ourselves and waited as more Unilocalers arrived. In the lounge, there were snacks and drinks going around. There was a good selection of music and a DJ.
After more people arrived, Ruggy directed the first group of 30 to gather in the lobby to meet our tour guide. Our guide brought us to the 5^th floor, where we critiqued three select pieces by Steve McCurry, who is famous for the photo of the Afghan girl with the red headscarf and green eyes that appeared on one of the covers of National Geographic. The guide was so knowledgeable and evidently passionate about what she does. She went into so much detail and history with each photo and she really made an effort to engage the group into a discussion and encouraged us to speak up about our own thoughts regarding each piece. After the tour, my boyfriend and I continued to walk around the other floors looking at other pieces in the museum. Thank you Ruggy and the Rubin Museum for the experience!

Thanks to Ruggy, Robyn, and the rest of the Rubin Museum staff for a night at the museum. I’d been meaning to check out the Rubin for some time, but like every other self-​respecting New Yorker, I take so many of our cultural offerings for granted.
I was impressed with the amount of people (non-​Yelp) who were here on a Friday night. Rubin must be doing something right. The staff was prepared for hungry Unilocalers, with tasty nibbles like momos (duck and chili-​cheese), flat bread with goat cheese and arugula, lamb meatball making the rounds. They were also serving up 2 or 3 different cocktails. I tried the bourbon one and the coconut rum (see Allison’s review for full ingredient list), and both were good. (Note: Café Serai becomes «K2 Lounge» on Friday nights when, admission, BTW is FREE.)
The museum consists of 6 levels, one reserved for special exhibitions. The special exhibition was Steve McCurry’s photography from India (he of the famous «Afghan Girl» NG photo). Our guide was very generous with her time and insights, helping us navigate the outstanding collection of photos spanning the 80s thru today.
Overall, a very nice event, and a smart way to combine quality food with the world-​class culture that is always right under our noses in NYC.

This was an awesome event — great mix of food/​drinks and culture. I hadn’t heard of the museum before this event, but was very impressed with the venue and exhibits! The museum has a winding staircase trough the middle, making it easy to peruse from the top floor to the ground similar, similar to the concept at the Guggenheim. The drinks were tasty — the first had a salted rim and the second had a sweet caramel drizzle. Had a great time and cant wait for the next one! Cheers to Unilocal for planning a great event and helping me find something new!

This was my first Elite event, and it definitely met my expectations! Upon arrival, we went to the lounge area where we were greeted with abundance of little bites of thin-​crust pizza, duck dumplings, caramelized onion flatbreads, spicy chili cheese sticks, and pulled pork buns and specialty cocktails which were so good! I remember having this apple cider vodka drink and espresso cocktails that were so yummy. We then proceed to a brief tour of the museum on the top floor viewing some of Steve McCurry’s work in India. The guide was extremely knowledgable and gave interesting back stories to some of the pictures. When the tour ended, we went to view some of the other art work on the other floors which you learn more of the culture and ideas of the Himalayas and surrounding regions. Being that I grew up in a Buddhist family, I really connected with a lot of the pieces and got the opportunity to learn more about Buddhism religion. I especially enjoyed paying a visit to the Tibetan Buddhist shrine room — it was very zen and beautiful. I recommend paying a visit to this museum — you will gain a deeper appreciation for the Himalayas culture. Thanks Unilocal,Ruggy, and Rubin Museum for the unique experience!

Another amazing event! I loved how the first hour was filled with endless appetizers and drinks (those chili cheese dumplings and coconut rum cocktails were seriously addicting) while the second half was a guided tour of some of the highlights of the museum. I certainly had a very cultured night, can’t wait for the next event!

Nice people, cool museum, great tour guide… so glad to (finally!) be part of an «elite» event! We really enjoyed getting to know everyone with whom we spoke. It was impressive how many folks, Unilocalers and civilians, were enjoying some culture on a holiday season Friday evening in Chelsea. The Rubin Museum is a unique combination of visual pleasures, educational opportunities, and spiritualism so it is a particularly fine place to recharge and refresh. We hadn’t had too many beverages in the café so after elevating to the top we slowly worked our way down the showy open spiral staircase Barney’s left behind (after going bankrupt!), indeed, there was so much to see by the time we got back down the party had moved on!

I don’t think enough people immerse themselves in culture on Friday nights, myself included. I’m more of your typical «let’s go to a museum on a weekend» kind of gal. However, The Rubin Museum provided an excellent opportunity to see some beautiful pieces, an excellent way to wind down after a long work week.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by staff and surrounded by delicious bites and drinks from the K2 Lounge. I got to sample nearly everything from Caramelized onion flatbread to braised duck momos. I was inadvertently double-​dusting drinks within the first 10 minutes (HEY, Friday night!), but I must say, their Pagal Nariyal drink was so unique and truly wonderful: coconut rum, coconut milk, pineapple juice, espresso, chat masala, and toasted coconut does, indeed, work, and it works well!
Yan and I were among the first 30 guests to arrive, so we were in the first round of people to visit the Steve McCurry exhibit on the 5^th floor. Our knowledgeable and passionate tour guide took us around three specific photos and immersed us in lengthy discussions about compilations and McCurry’s career and photographic trademarks. She did mention how he has a knack for getting his subjects to look at him; as the photographer of the famed «Afghan Girl» photo from National Geographic, that statement is quite true! I certainly saw that in quite a few of his other photos as I roamed the exhibit post-​tour, from a young girl looking at him from the back of her father’s paddle boat to a young shirtless man posted on a light blue brick wall. Stunning photos throughout! We were also able to slowly roam the other floors on the Rubin, intricate pieces of art from India and Nepal throughout the various levels.
Thanks to Ruggy, Unilocal,and the staff of The Rubin for a memorable and enriching evening. And thanks to Yan for inviting me as your +1! Yeah, buddy!

This was my fish Elite event since moving from Florida and I have to say I was not disappointed! I’ve never been one to care for museums they’ve just never kept my interest but this time it was different.
Our tour guide showed us some of the work of photographer Steve McCurry and I was immediately captivated by his work. The colors and the people in the photos were so striking to me. Each picture had a story which I loved.
Thank you for a fun event but most of all for the experience.

Thank you thank you Ruggy and Unilocal for making space for me tonight at one of my top favorite museums in NYC. I haven’t been here in awhile, so this was such a special treat for me. I had a dazzling time tonight. Really enjoyed so much with old and new Unilocalers tonight.
I showed up around 7:15pm and there were already quite a few Unilocalers here in a sectioned off area just for Unilocalers. The staff were super nice and kept bringing out alcohol and food for all of us to try. They brought out great cocktails including Cranberry Pom ($ 14) and Barreled Apples ($ 14), both nice and refreshing. Plates and plates of yummy goodness just keep coming, including Chile Cheese Momos ($ 10), and Caramelized onions, goat cheese and arugula flatbread ($ 13). I also saw lamb meatballs ($ 13) and duck momos ($ 11) being gobbled down by the Unilocal crew.
After about 20 minutes of eating and mingling, we were kindly ushered by an excellent museum curator/​guide to the 5^th floor. I did not know that Steve McCurry’s photos were on exhibit here (and until April 2016) and when I found out, I was so excited, happy and felt so lucky to be here tonight!
Words cannot express how much I love McCurry’s photos. He is famous for the Nat Geo photo of the Afghan girl with unforgettable green eyes. His continued work in India and how he captures life in exquisitely colorful photos evokes such vibrancy and passion. The museum guide was amazing telling us stories about the three selected photos. The first one was about Jodhpur (and its bloody history and the celebration of Holi), the second about Kashmir (a middle way between India and Pakistan), and the third about Rajasthan (a drought lasting for 13 years leading into to a monsoon). And my ever continuing long time affair with India continues…
Thanks Unilocal for such a wonderful Friday night at the Rubin. On Fridays, the museum is FREE and hosts the «K2 (Kilimanjaro) Lounge» where people come to eat, drink, listen to cool music with a DJ and roam around the museum exploring Himalayan art and the beautiful museum space. I will definitely be back soon again to revisit McCurry’s photos and everything else this museum has to offer. And being an annual member only costs $ 65, what a bargain. You have got to check out this museum!