Walk with me

Maybe you'd like to spend the day with me here in NYC?  Be warned, we're in for a lot of walking!

We'll start with breakfast at The Red Flame, just along 44th St by our hotel.  A short stack of pancakes should see us ok till dinner time.  Mark and I are going our separate ways today and meeting Jordi later.

We'll take a right turn onto 6th Ave, heading north.  It's Sunday morning, just gone 10am and there's not many people around.

We'll stop and take a look at these enormous lights on the pavement outside an office block on 6th before turning right to walk through the Rockefeller Plaza

Rather chaotic here because the preparations are being made for the lighting up ceremony next Wednesday and there are barriers all over.  We'll find a way through to go and take some photos outside Anthropologie which you might have seen in the previous post.

Back then, along 6th Ave, past the famous "LOVE" sign on the other side of the road.  Oh, look, there's a salon with empty places offering a $10 manicure - let's drop in.

Half an hour later

Turning left at 57th St, we'll arrive at Kates Paperie

which doesn't open till 11 - and it's only 10.35.  Let's explore a little further along 57th then

It's the Russian Tea Rooms and the Carnegie Hall.  They're just putting up the trimmings and there's a bit of shouting going on.

We'll go into Starbucks next door and enjoy a tall Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha - skinny and extra hot please.

Then into Kates for ribbons and stickers and fancy papers and some crafty ideas.

Time to move along, east on 57th, past these spectacularly huge candy canes adorning another office block, taking photos of Bergdorf Goodman windows and heading over to Madison Avenue.

Rats!  Crate and Barrel don't open till noon, so we'll hop on a bus and head up the East side towards the Whitney Art Gallery.

Sorry, no time for art, but I know there's a loo there!

We'll walk along 75th heading east till we get to 3rd Avenue, then turn right and head south to the next place on my list: Bath and Body Works

The residents of these streets like to plant ornamental cabbages.  Hmmm.

Looks like an interesting shop across the street "Birthdaybakers, Partymakers".

Mission accomplished.

I notice that I've run out of credit on my MTA card, so shall we walk back?  It's not that far...

As we go we can imagine what it would be like to have an apartment high up there overlooking the Upper East Side on a clear morning like this.  The views must be spectacular.

There are a lot of high-end stores along this part of Madison, including this jeweller, whose window trimmings are gorgeous.

Yay!  Crate and Barrel is open and we can wander around getting one or two ideas.  Wish we had shops like this at home...

Shall we try a sample of their sea salt caramels? We can console ourselves that life would be rather more expensive if we could shop here everyday.

Back onto 5th Ave, by the Plaza and isn't that a bunch of knitting on that van which just drove past?

A few more people at the Rockefeller Centre now.  Can you spot some skating with Santa?

Back to the hotel to meet Mark and Jordi, but come on, there's hardly time to sit down because there are places to go, things to see -  this time heading south down 5th Ave to look in a shop window on the corner of 37th

But there's no-one there.  Never mind.

Come on, we'll turn east on 42nd St heading for Grand Central Station.  Doesn't the Chrysler building look glorious?

After a look in the Station, at a Christmas market and a railway exhibit (take your choice and go with Mark or with Jordi and I, as you prefer), we'll make a short stop in the lobby of the Daily News Building, where there's huge turning globe and some interesting facts in there amongst the Christmas trees.

Back out on the street, we'll have another gaze at the Chrysler building and take yet another photograph of it.  Because. We. Love. It.

Let's walk past Tudor City and listen whilst Jordi tells us what it's like to live in those historically protected apartments.  Get an insight into the challenges of living in this part of NYC.

Oh my, the sun's starting to go down - it's about 3.45pm and here we are on 1st Ave by the United Nations building.  How are your feet?  Mine are beginning to complain!!

Look, over there in the bushes, there's the elephant Jordi was telling us about.  Good job the greenery has grown up to protect his modesty!

Next stop, the Japanese Society.  Aha!  There is it, opposite on 44th St.  There's a great exhibition of Serizawa's work there and maybe - please, Lord - there will be somewhere to sit down!

The exhibition is superb, the video show was so good, let's watch it through again.  In fact, let's stay until they close the doors, switch off the fountain and make going home noises...

Heading north along 1st again, we'll resist the cupcake shop

Because we're going to Rosa Mexicano for dinner and we need room for Churros, don't we, Jordi?

Margaritas all round?  I'll say....

Time to walk off all those calories and enjoy the decorations along 5th again.  We'll take photos of Bergdorf Goodman's windows now there are fewer people and the reflections are not so distracting.

One last walk - our third - past the Rockefeller Centre and I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed.

My feet held up - just - did yours?

Thanks for your company!

Our favourites

Last night, coming back "home" with aching feet, weary and longing for our bed, there had to be something really special to divert us.

All of a sudden, those feet ached no more!

The detail in these fantastic "curiosites" is staggering, the designers imagination has run riot

The small vignettes within each little "room" are charming, the workmanship exquisite.

Bergdorf Goodman win hands down for the most spectacular exhibits of all

Each window has something for all, adults and children alike

though over the road, in the windows of the Man's Store, the Fantastic Mr Fox theme attracts the children's immediate attention.

The children loved the Henri Bendel windows too, for although they are undoubtedly elegant, there's a little subterranean mischief going in at child's eye level

But the most enduring window of all?

Upstairs at Henri Bendel, not Christmas windows at all.

These windows were designed and made in Lalique's studio and are listed as historic treasures.  I was so busy looking at the small mice hidden away in their Christmas display, I'd have walked right past them!  Thanks, Jordi, for pointing them out to me.

Oh, and here are the mice!

Cute, eh?

The windows

We love the exuberance of the shop window displays in the major stores and could spend hours peering through the glass, noticing the tiny details of some of these intricate designs.  Because there's so much to see, I've left these photos a little larger than usual - click on the thumbnail photo and it will open up a much bigger image.

First up, Lord and Taylor, who have created some beautiful little scenes with each tiny figure immaculately dressed in tailored clothes.

There are about half a dozen of these windows, each with a different story to tell

These are undoubtedly traditional designs, with themes everyone can recognise

Crowds form outside these stores as everyone struggles to get a good view

We resolve the problem by waiting till dark, when there are fewer people and virtually no reflections too.

But I was outside Anthropologie at the Rockerfeller centre early yesterday morning, before the crowds appeared.

A bit more arty, these, in the usual Anthro style but still interesting and fun

The snow theme is a little wishful thinking, for the weather here has been an unseasonal 59F

Unlike the L & T window displays, these are definitely grown up designs but don't attract any more attention than the usual year-round curiosity this store generates.  They're clever and very creative yet attractive, IMHO.

Unlike this one

Barneys have done their usual trick of taking a different slant and wishing everyone a "Witty Christmas", celebrating 25 years of Saturday Night Live with papier mache figures and slogans only known to the afficionados (I'm not one).  Definitely only for the grownups, I felt it was a little too clever by half.

Oooh.

Time for a break - the next entry will have the best of all: Bergdorf Goodman.

It's beginning to feel...

..a lot lilke Christmas!

I had decided that I wouldn't post a Christmas-related photo of the day until December, but I relented yesterday.  The decorations were just too overwhelming to pass by and when I scanned through the photographs I'd taken yesterday one stood out from the rest. 

We're here in New York this weekend, enjoying the city and joining in the fun of the post-Thanksgiving shopping spree.

The city never disappoints and when the sky is blue and the air is crisp, a jet-lagged early morning walk lifts the spirits and excitement levels soar.  Add to that scenario a real NY breakfast of corned beef hash and a couple of eggs sunny-side up, or raisin-cinnamon French toast with maple syrup and you get the picture.

Happy.

  

So, we stepped out yesterday morning along with everyone else, along Sixth Avenue and down to Macy's where the decorations this year are truly magnificent.  Having bagged a couple of bargains - the discounts here are generous and when the price is marked down by 50%, added 20% "early morning reduction" and then another 10% because we're British, it's hard to resist.  So, I paid my $50 for a new coat (real price getting on for $200) and the fun began.

We dropped off a couple of bags back at our hotel before heading uptown on the West Side to meet Jordi.  Fewer tourists here of course, more families going about their Saturday afternoon shopping and enjoying the sunshine.  Zabar's was busy as ever and the Christmas tree sellers on the street corners were doing their best to shelter from the chill westerly wind which blew up every cross street from the Hudson River.

The food markets along Broadway were piled high with citrus fruit.  In one store, someone had enjoyed making some beautiful arrangements which make a fun Picasa collage

We met Jordi in Barnes and Noble where I feel sure I'd never tire of browsing the shelves, however crowded it is, and excitedly talked our way back downtown.

Jordi had secured a booking for dinner at the Union Square Cafe.  Not an easy feat!

Suffice to say that Mark's Pan-Seared Scallops, Roasted Autumn Vegetables, Guanciale, Currants, Pine Nuts and Vincotto  were exactly as he could have wished and that the Grilled Duck Breast with Chestnut-Fall Squash Farrotto and Huckleberry Gastrique  that Jordi and I chose was simply delicious.  And yes, of course I had to ask what everything was (except for the duck!)

With full tummies we decided to enjoy a walk back to the hotel, past our favourite Flatiron building and up Fifth Avenue, taking a short peek inside the newly refurbished Empire State Building lobby. 

We lingered by the most stunning shop window displays before reminding ourselves of arrangements for tomorrow, saying goodnight to Jordi and collapsing into the most heavenly bed.

What a wonderful day.

Tomorrow, I'll share some more of those glorious windows.

start of another fun packed day

What do you reckon?