Never short of something to do, somewhere to go

We met Jordi at the entrance to Chelsea Market and immediately encountered the next problem - where to eat lunch?

The answer was pretty easy - Amy's Bread.  Sorry all you GF gals, the bread and bakery here is absolutely yummy!

We enjoyed the artwork on the walls here in the market too.

Next stop was a familiar haunt on Sullivan Street - Purl.  I had someone's money to spend ;-)  See how dark it is - only about 2pm but the heavens had opened and the rain was coming down in stair-rods.

After a short respite from the weather in a nearby Starbucks, we hurried up to our next appointment at The Tenement Museum, one of the highlights of this trip.  Jordi had booked us on the "Piecing it together" tour, focusing on a couple of immigrant families involved in the sweatshops of the garment district in the early 20th century.

This photograph comes from the Tenement Museum Flickr group - this is a truly special place to visit and our excellent educator, Katie, gave us a wonderful insight into the lives of these people.  Strangely, as we drove from the airport this morning, we heard references to the museum on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour - how spooky is that?

The museum is well worth a visit.

Dinner on Monday evening was at Otto - Mario Batali's pizza restaurant, with olive oil ice cream on the menu for dessert!

Yesterday morning, Tuesday, was our last opportunity to gather up a few last minute things and to visit a few places nearby which we'd been walking past all weekend saying "there's lots of time to take a closer look".  This included the Bryant Park ice rink - cold and unatmospheric at 9am on a Tuesday morning but fairly busy with some enthusiastic skaters out there.

I had a list to fulfil at M&J Trimmings on 6th Avenue - a wonderful treasure trove of all kinds of ribbons and buttons and somewhere I could spend hours just looking around.

But something else was waiting.

We met Jordi for our last lunch of the trip at Katz's Deli - scene of the "When Harry met Sally" moment.

Our first time here and it's quite a place - the sandwiches are quite something, too!

And that, was that.  A quick farewell to Jordi whilst on the subway - till next time - and having packed our bags and made our way to JFK, we were on our way home.

What a great trip!

The High Line

This morning, in grey and overcast weather, we headed downtown, having arranged to meet Jordi at the Chelsea Market at noon.  Just nearby, however, was a recent project we fancied exploring - The High Line.

Formerly a freight railway line, servicing the Meatpacking district and the warehouses of the Lower West side, it's being developed as a green space and elevated park, currently open from 20th St down to 10th. 

The views from up above the traffic are fascinating - some landmarks such as the Empire State Building stand tall and provide a bearing for working out the others.

The walkway is made up of concrete strips resembling sleepers and the planting is "prairie-style".  The overall feel is industrial and quite in keeping with the surroundings and yet modern and cleanly laid out.

It's an easy walk with the occasional surprise - well, look what's there on the horizon!

The wooden benches were of an interesting design and there were plenty of small sitting areas and places to take it easy and enjoy the view.

Here, looking over the Hudson River towards New Jersey, with a clear view of the Lackawanna Railway Terminal there on the other side.  On a sunny day, this must be a glorious place to be.

I imagine that competition is fierce for these sunloungers on a warm day.  Don't you just love the wheels and the track reference to the former railway heritage?

A little further along, someone's private aerie is no longer as private as it once was.

There have been newspaper reports about the effects of the High Line on this hotel too.

We felt, however, that the whole project has been extremely well thought through and enjoyed our walk along it very much indeed.

 

But then we got as far as 10th St and found it came to an abrupt stop.

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.