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?

Such fun

I had a really good day yesterday.  I met three of my Artful Dodger friends at Compton Verney, one of my all-time favourite galleries, to visit the "Artists Studio" exhibition.

Spending time looking closely and talking about individual artworks was so satisfying and the four of us really enjoyed each other's company and input.  We appreciated having the gallery almost to ourselves, resulting in the inclusion of staff members in our discussions too - how interesting to learn more about some of the pieces and glean a few insider thoughts as we went along.

It's really hard to specify a star of the show: Would it be the frame of William Orpen's fantastic painting of a sunny, shadowy studio?  Would it be Landseer carving one of his lions for the foot of Nelson's Column?  Of would it be a piece created by the artist in residence Sigrid Holmwood whose use of dayglo colours was so skillful we felt we could feel the heat radiating from her painting?

I think all of us enjoyed the exhibition because of the surprises around every corner.  It wasn't hung in a chronological order but in small themes.  Work in hugely differing styles was hung alongside one another and yet it all worked.  We all felt it to be an intelligent and fascinating exhibition and would recommend it wholeheartedly - though time is running out to get there before it closes on December 13th.

The other star of Compton Verney is the cafe.  We enjoyed that too!!

Feeling better

Can't have been too much of a crisis, can it?

The Christmas cakes are in the oven.