new york minute

Posted by Cobi on Monday May 03, 2010 at 06:00 AM
Comments (5)

If you're working hard on something creatively, sometimes you just need a little shake, to get your head out of your surroundings, and find some new inspiration. Whenever I feel like that there's only one thing to do - take a bite out of the Big Apple. There's just something about that crazy little island that's intoxicating.

My associate and I went down for a whirlwind trip to all my favourite haunts and then some. We were on the lookout for anything new and inspiring and found lots to write home about. Speaking of 'home', if that's your thing, here are a few tips for next time you're in nyc:

Stores don't open until 10:00am with very few exceptions, so use the morning time to hit a local deli - no need for anything fancy for breakfast and New York bagels are Almost as good as Montreal's. We did find one place open at 9:00am however, it's an amazing ribbon store in mid-town called M&J Ribbon. Floor to ceiling (and I'm talking 20 ft. ceilings) of gorgeous ribbons.

From here, walk four blocks south to Macy's and you'll be there for it's open at 10:00am. Head directly to the home floors and you'll be the only one there - it's way up on 6, 8 and 9. The bedding patterns are plentiful and beautifully displayed as are the towels. Martha Stewart's bedding line is here.

From there it's a short cab ride or a 20 minute walk straight down Broadway to ABC Carpet & Home. This is a huge home store - there's rugs in one building on the west side of the street and everything else in a massive building on the east side. We were amazed at how bohemian everything looks right now but that will change again - it's a great place to catch the latest trend. The look is very raw and eastern in influence this season, it reminded us of the 60's - we even found Jesus sandals for sale on the main floor! It was convenient to find that the Conran Shop from London has just moved into the basement level of ABC. You can check out all of the new finds from Sir Terence at the same time!

There's nothing else really around this area and so it's now time to jump in another cab and head south to Soho. I love Pearl River and always make it my first stop. It's a store that sells Chinatown wares like no one else - all the great things you can imagine but with more selection than you've ever seen. If you pop out the backdoor you can walk across the street and into a whole other world of North American perfection - the little Kate Spade store. Gorgeous.

There are still many shops to see in Soho, but in general I found it was lacking this trip. Many businesses have moved east of Broadway to Nolita or north to Bleeker street - both are hot spots of independent design shops. No doubt the high rent and influx of chain stores to Soho has driven them farther afield.

From Soho, it's time to head Uptown to check out what the ladies who lunch have on their menu. I'm talking rhetorically but that's usually exactly what I do - head straight to Barneys 7th floor restaurant (Fred's) and take a load off with a wonderful omelet or pizza and people watch (btw, you need a reservation). It's also perfect because the rest of this floor is devoted to home. Barneys Chelsea Passage always has a little edgier, contemporary take to fashion and home. Prices are steep of course, but you'll see great contemporary designs and pops of colour.

From there, it's a short walk to Bergdorf Goodman's famous top floor dedicated to home. It's been there forever and always has the finest in table linens, dishes, trinkets, books, throws, stationary, all displayed beautifully in little rooms and vignettes. This is a place to drool and dream... and if you can pull yourself away, go to a floor just below and have a peak out the window - you'll find one of the best views of Central Park in the city. Here's a snapshot we took through the glass...

Of course you still have to go to Bloomingdale's to get a more realistic look at where the world is going (and of course a little treat in the accessory dept. on the main floor!). And a million other places like the Ralph Lauren Mansion for pure drama and fantasy, and the list goes on and on...

It's like a trip down the rabbit hole for inspiration seekers - it's everywhere you look. You can even find it on the street corners - look at the fruit wood ballroom chairs we saw stacked outside the Pierre hotel waiting for a wedding...

I always say I wouldn't want to live in New York (I'd be bankrupt for one thing!) but boy, I love to visit that city. It's a whirlwind of excitement, ideas and no doubt conspicuous consumption, but it's like a wonderful day at the fair. You come home exhausted, smiling and filled with great memories of a time of crazy high energy and ready to settle back into normal life again.