My New York Holiday : Chapter Four

At the end of the last chapter, the Vintage Shopping Tour girls had arrived (very late), so this chapter begins with me hanging out with some (very) jetlagged girls... and the effervescent Joy!

The first day of the shopping tour started with an art deco tour of midtown New York City.  First stop was Grand Central Station.  Oh. My. Lord.

Is it any wonder we were all looking up...

 

Here is something interesting I learned.  Back in the 80s, this building was almost torn down.  It was grimy and ugly and had completely lost its former glory.  Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was instrumental in getting the funds to have it restored to its former glory.  See that dashed line across the blue ceiling?  Follow that the the left and you will see a black rectangle.  THAT is what the entire building looked like before the restoration.  The cigarette smoke and dust and other yuck had accumulated that much that every surface was black.  It is no wonder that this building was not appreciated for what it was.  And I just love the way they left this one part un-restored so we can see it and appreciate the restoration process.

We went to quite a few buildings... but sadly I don't remember the names of them...

This is in the News Building - I remember that!

The Chrysler building is THE MOST AMAZING THING I HAVE EVER SEEN!

My day job is with a town planning consultancy, so I was interested to discover that the pyramid type stepping is actually a set-back restriction in the building code.  And they are in place to provide light and breeze to street level.

We did go to The Waldorf.... which was beautiful.  And for some reason we all needed to go to the bathroom.

I didn't even need to go - I just wanted to look!

The tour ended at The Rockefeller Centre, and we had a group photo with our tour guide, as you do.  His name was Tony and he was an exceptionally knowledgeable man, and has literally written the book on Art Deco architecture in New York!  Check out his website!

Thats him hiding back there with the hat on...

Joy and I made the day of the security guard at the Rockefeller Centre.

Kim had booked us all in the same elevator to the 'Top Of The Rock' (the viewing platform at the top of the building), and as we arrived at the head of the queue the ushers realised that we had one space and asked for volunteers to ride with us all.  One very brave man put his hand up - his name was Fabian and he was french!  Man did we give him a hard time - and then we had a photo with him at the top.  I'm sure that photo went straight to Facebook!!!

The view from the top was spectacular!  But it was also very hot in the sun, so it wasn't too long before we went back down to street level and made our way back to the hotel.  Most of the tour girls were flagging badly due to lack of sleep.  Some managed to go out for a few hours that night.  Most didn't.  Tracy made it out with Joy and I.  We went to Blue Water Grill at Union Square.  The food was amazing and the staff were incredible.  On our way out I noticed a bank of three antique telephones, so we convinced one of the floor staff to take our photo.

From there we went to a tiki bar called Otto's Shrunken Head.  It was hilarious!  It was their punk night (I think) and it was full of punks!  But still, we found people to talk to and we had some tiki drinks and had a general good time!

The lights over the bar were puffer fish!!!

Once again I've only managed to cover 1 day with my post!  Too many photos I tell you!!  The next post will be two days guaranteed.  I tend to take less photos when I'm shopping!!!

So, do you have a love for Art Deco architecture, or is another era your favourite? Ever visited a bathroom when you didn't need to go, just so you could see what it was like?  Have you been intimidated by a bunch of punks?  Ever seen a more random light fitting than a puffer fish?

Beccie
xxx

My New York Holiday : Chapter Three

I cant believe I'm up to Chapter Three and I haven't even got to the end of day four!  Lets see, when I last left you I'd had another fabulous day at The Met and had found The Naked Cowboy on my way to meet Joy...

Joy is the owner and designer of a great Aussie fashion label Hot Couture.  She had been staying with her daughter in LA and flew in to New York the day before the tour arrived so we could have some fun.  This is the outfit I chose to wear that night.

I know this looks like a dress, but its actually a jumpsuit!  AND its vintage from the 1950s!!

Joy wanted to check out my hotel, so we started the night there.

With shots!

Its ok, we only had one

From there, we went to the most amazing mexican restaurant I have EVER been to!  It is called Toloache, and I would describe it by saying that it was fine dining mexican.  It was DELICIOUS!

This is the view of the restaurant from the balcony

Joy and I ate way too much quacamole and then shared two mains and were thoroughly stuffed by the time we left!

I dropped Joy back to her hotel and finally saw Times Square at night - I can't quite decide if I prefer it at night or during the day.  It is equally hypnotic either way...

After a good nights sleep, Joy and I were ready for another adventure!  We caught a taxi to Soho and let Joy's rule guide us to breakfast.  Joy is a firm believer in things happening for a reason, and with this in mind, every time we got to an intersection, we would follow the green light (the walking man).  And in this way we found ourselves at a french bakery for breakfast!

I had a divine cup of tea, a soft boiled egg and some salmon.  Joy got some freshly baked bread with her breakfast, but due to my coeliacs disease, I got some cardboard flavoured biscuits that I took one bite of and didn't bother with.

On our wanderings we had seen a couple of shops we wanted to return to.  One was Kate Spade, and the other was Miz Mooz.  Lets start with Kate Spade.

Joy and I both knew that stepping across the threshold would mean we would be parting with cash.  Kate Spade makes the most wonderful high quality novelty handbags, and lovely jewellery and accessories too.  And clothes - though they are a bit modern for my tastes.  Here are two things Joy and I desperately wanted but couldn't quite bring ourselves to buy.

A noodle box and a bird cage!!!

We did buy a bag each though - we bought these ones!

We like to call this photo the Red Head Fan Club

If you want to see a clearer image of the bag, follow this link.

From Kate Spade we headed to Miz Mooz.  What girl doesn't like shoes!

Lots of shoes!!

We both tried on lots of pairs of shoes.  I bought *cough* three pairs *cough*, which isn't that bad really when you consider I tried on ten pairs...  Everyone in the shop was so lovely, and the girl at the counter told us our next stop - Onieals Grant Street Bar.

So off we wandered!

 Apparently, they used to film bits of Sex In The City here...

Not that I would know - I never really got into that show.

Regardless it was the perfect next stop.  The whole front of the restaurant that faced the street opened up with french windows, and a gorgeous cool breeze was wafting in.  We ordered our cocktails and set about relaxing and enjoying ourselves.

After a silly photo, of course!

After a good time off our feet, we wandered on, heading in the direction of Hannah's shop Dusty Buttons once more.  You see I had left a dress there and I was pretty sure I wanted it, and I knew Joy would give me good advice.

So we wandered again... through Chinatown

No, I didn't buy any vegetables.  I didn't buy any of the seafood either - It was sitting on the pavement in the heat!  Ugh!!  On we wandered to Dusty Buttons...

Where I showed Joy the dress I hasn't been able to stop thinking about - and she told me that if I didn't buy it, she wouldn't talk to me again.  Here it is.

Sadly, I don't have a clear photo of me wearing it on the trip because I wore it at night... this photo on my dress form will have to do.  It is a heavy novelty print covered in sequins, still with its original belt.  I also purchased the shoes and the necklace.

From there, we caught a taxi back to our hotels, got our things, and caught a taxi back to our new hotel - The Roosevelt.  I don't have wonderful things to say about The Roosevelt.  The trouble really started when I arrived and there was not a soul there to help with my two suitcases and 10 shopping bags.  Luckily the taxi driver helped me get my cases out of the boot and into the gutter, but then he drove off.  Luckily there was a gold trolley not too far away so I grabbed it and I loaded it with my shopping bags, and a lovely passer by lifted my suitcases on, and I pushed it inside, up the lift and into the lobby.

The bellhops were horrified!  I wish I could have taken a photo of his face when I pushed my trolley out of the lift!  Hahaha!!

Anyway - I checked into the room I would be sharing with Kim (the lovely lady who runs the tour I was on) and went to find Joy to work out our next move.  Kim and the other girls were landing at around 9pm, so we decided to go to dinner and be back at The Roosevelt by about 10.30pm.

We maaaaaay have gone back to Toloache and ordered the exact same thing as the previous night....  But to change it up a bit we then went to Lillie's Victorian Bar for a drink.

Oh god, this place was perfect for me - a victorian themed bar furnished with actual victorian bits and pieces shipped from Ireland.  And its called Lillie's because its in homage to Lillie Langtry, who was a renowned beauty, a notorious socialite, and a woman far ahead of her time by all accounts.  Anyway, the most impressive bit of the fit-out was the air-conditioning system.  Only I would notice something like this - I'm a details person, what can I say!  The pipes which hang below the ceiling had been wrapped in pressed metal so that they weren't jarring against the beautiful ceiling.

After a drink we realised what the time was and hightailed it back to The Roosevelt.  Where we waited, and waited, and waited.  And just before midnight, we gave up and went to bed.

But before I got to sleep, Kim arrived and filled me in.  The airline took an hour to get their bags onto the carousels, then the bus that was booked was at the wrong terminal, so it took him a while to get to where they were.  Then they got stuck in roadworks.  And finally when they arrived at the hotel, the hotel had sold their rooms.  Rooms that had been booked for 6 months.

To say Kim was angry was an understatement.  But she was also exhausted.  She got everyone a room and then crashed asleep.

And thats where I will leave it for now.  Chapter Four will be the start of the tour!

So, do you love mexican food?  Do you have a weakness for Kate Spade?  Have you bought fish on the side of the road?  Do you notice small details?  Have you ever turned up to a hotel only to find you have no room?

Beccie
xxx

My New York Holiday : Chapter Two

At the end of Chapter One, I had spent two days in New York, had met some new friends and had gotten a massive tattoo!  Lets continue...

In the morning I got up, unwrapped my leg (which had been wrapped in glad wrap post tattoo) and got ready for another big day out! 

I don't think this photo needs much of a caption.....

Today was my big day out with Daffny WITHOUT the kiddies!!!  I had some time to kill before I caught a taxi to Daffny's place, so I went and sat in Time Square and let myself get hypnotised by the lights.

Then I caught a taxi.  Lets just say that heat + no air conditioning + bad taxi driving + motion sickness does not make a healthy combination and I may have lost my breakfast.  No matter!  I was ushered into Daffny's house and given a spot in front of the airconditioner and plenty of water until I felt better, then it was off out for us!

Here is Daffny and I in front of her house.... well her neighbours house actually... but you get the idea!

After I confessed to Daffny that I was having trouble getting a decent breakfast (fruit doesn't last in your stomach for long...and when the next thing you can readily find to eat is McDonalds fries you know you have a problem!) our first stop for the day was Trader Joe's.  Oh my goodness how awesome is that place!!!  And so many gluten free options!  I basically cleared the shelves of a few types of fruit bars, and cookie bars, and I bought a box of chocolate chip cookies!  So good!!

Then it was on to Coney Island and the Boardwalk!

An important stop for anyone visiting Coney Island is Nathan's Famous - they have been selling hotdogs since forever (1916), and its also where they have that revolting hot dog eating competition every year.  This years winner ate 61 hot dogs in 10 minutes.  Ugh!

As a side note, did you know there is an International Federation of Competitive Eating???  I didn't.  And I'm not sure my life is any richer knowing that exists...  Anyway!

Daffny and her husband Andreas lined up for a hot dog each.  I could only look on as my coeliacs disease prevented me from trying them.  No matter, it definitely looked like they were tasty!!!

We also had a look at the rides.  But Daffny's fear of heights and my motion sickness meant that we didn't actually go on them...

This crazy looking thing is the Coney Island Cyclone, which is a roller coaster made mostly out of wood.  It shakes!!  No thank you!

And then we went for a walk on The Boardwalk!

Then the heat started to get to us, so we moved on to our next location - Brooklyn Farmacy, for a late lunch.

Can I just say, that if you are in New York or are going to New York you should go to this place.  Its an old pharmacy that has been renovated and turned into a Soda Fountain, and they have decorated it with vintage and antique pharmacy bits and bobs!  Its fabulous.

I love posing with a telephone!

I had the most delicious potato salad and a soda, while Daffny and Andreas enjoyed some fabulous looking sandwiches!

After a long and relaxing sit and a chat, we headed to East Village to visit Hannah in the store where she was working - a vintage shop called Dusty Buttons!  Its a little store, but wow did they have some amazing stock!  I maaaaaaaay have bought several dresses and a pair of shoes.....

It was such a wonderful day - good friends, good food, sunshine and shopping!  I slept well that night I can tell you!!!

The next day I headed back to The Met, but this time I had Hannah as a tour guide!

Yay Hannah!!!!!

I am completely in love with this painting.  Renaissance is my favourite artistic movement and I could have looked at this painting for days.  I mean, just look at that horse! 

After we looked at the art that I loved, Hannah took me to the armoury.  The Met has an amazing collection of armour - my favourite things were the european pieces.  Most of these things were worn into battle by the upper class, so were really decorative.  Or they were only used for ceremonial purposes.

This helmet was INSANE!

Ahem.  So you will notice that the statue in the next photo is missing an.... important bit.  Well, the story goes that when the Christians saw all the Roman statues they were so offended that they chiseled off all the penises and replaced them with plaster fig leaves!

Hannah says she likes to think that somewhere in the Vatican is a room full of marble penises... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! 

After Hannah had gone to work (sad!), I went back to wander around the art.  I still didn't see all of it, but I did find this painting, and I decided that she was a lady after my own heart - wrapped in leopard fur.

Day four is not quite over yet.  The amazing Joy from Hot Couture arrived on the night of day four - but we had such an amazing time that I will have to save that for my next installment!

But wait!  On the way back to the hotel to meet Joy, I found The Naked Cowboy!!

So - have any of you been to Coney Island?  Have you entered a hot dog eating contest?  Enjoyed the delights of a Soda Fountain?  Got sick in a taxi?  Found the Naked Cowboy?

Beccie

xxx