A Long Overdue Visit to New York City!

October 2023

I was so excited to get back to New York City last month after a few years away- it's one of my favorite cities in the world. The kaleidoscope of experiences one could have is vast, and I certainly felt that this trip! Below is a roundup of my favorite things, broken into three geographic areas- Brooklyn, Beacon and Manhattan.

BROOKLYN
I was hosted by my dear friend Helmy in his gorgeous, pre-war flat in Bedford-Stuyvesant. I was amazed by the abundance of mature trees in his historic neighborhood! So special! We took in a lot, and walked everywhere....

+ Coffee and pastries at Saraghina 

+ Ice Cream from Lady Moo Moo

+ Consignment shopping at Consignment Brooklyn and ALL the Beacon's Closets

+ Definitely dinner at Frankie's 457. We think we saw Rosalia there, in a fabulous head to toe pink outfit, complete with cape. But we aren't 100% sure.

+ The current Virgil Abloh show at Brooklyn Art Museum was outstanding, historic, and alive. Also check out the prolific Nellie Mae Rowe exhibit and don't miss Judy Chicago's epic "Dinner Party"!

BEACON
Have you ever taken the train north to Beacon, NY? If you haven't, put it on your bucket list. If you have a free day, the train ride itself is worth the trip.

+ Get train snacks from Katagiri, the oldest Japanese grocery store in the USA! It's really close to Grand Central

+ Take in Beacon's Main Street. It's almost a mile long! Refuel at Little King (get the scone), check out the cool plant dyed houseline at Colorant, and be sure to make it all the way down Main to Kaight Shop. I got this Atelier Delphine dress in lime there, and a new black uniform top by Rita Row. Walk all the way to Kill Fish Creek to check out their cool waterfalls.

+ The crown jewel and reason for this trip, is to spend time at Dia Beacon. This is the best museum. It houses large scale work by contemporary artists. It's for wandering and a great place for contemplation. Take your time. It's our cathedral. 

MANHATTAN
I spent my last couple of days in Manhattan, where I met up with one of my favorite travel buddies, Scarlet Chamberlin. We stayed at the new Nine Orchard hotel in the East Village, which I highly recommend. And, there is SO MUCH SHOPPING within walking distance. Here are some highlights of our couple of days:

+ Definitely go to Corner Bar for a meal. We had our breakfasts there and it was really great! Also down the street is Cervo's, where we had a delicious and very lively dinner (and bumped into one of our fave consignors!). 

+ I got this great piece from newcomers, Maiden Lane. We met one of the owners and tried on everything.

+ Do not miss the iconic Grand Central Oyster Bar. We had lunch there at the bar- oysters and lobster roll. Perfectly old school dining.

+ We always love a stop in at No. 6. I'm still lusting after these Agatha Pants and this Anntian dress. It was also great to go to a FEIT store, I am very into these gardening clogs! (We have a couple pairs of FEIT in store right now!)

+ Bode was a really fun time. We stumbled into here late, and were totally jiving with the team. I learned about their Senior Cord line- they even take special orders and you can get your dog's face painted on a jacket! So cool!

+ I cannot go to New York without a visit to the Met. I love zipping through the galleries, with masterworks whizzing endlessly by. The Kimono Style exhibit was really beautiful and interesting (didn't know about women samurai!). There's a new Julie Mehretu piece in their permanent collection which I really love and of course, it's best to see in person.

And that's my New York, for now.