Last weekend we checked-off a bucket-list item. For years I've dreamed of taking my older girls to New York to see a show and show them the town. My oldest is graduating from High School soon and since my husband had a business trip there this fall, we decided to seize the day.
We only had 2 ½ days so it was fast and furious and we covered a LOT of ground in that amount of time. (It almost feels like a dream right now.) One of my favorite parts was a good walk across Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Quoting movies along the way... "Don't you just love New York in the fall?", keeping our eyes out for the Central Park Rangers, singing songs from Enchanted...)
One of my favorite stops in New York is always the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art. (I'm kind of an art history nerd, so this stuff gets me excited.) It's always fun to stumble upon something iconically famous (like Washington crossing the Delaware) and go, "Oh. THAT's the real one!" Other favorites include the gorgeous Tiffany glass and my all-time favorite artist Van Gogh. This time the one that spoke to me most was this floral with the bright green background. Such gorgeous colors.
Also some cool inspiration in the Egyptian wing - those Egyptians had some awesome graphic design skills. Flat, gorgeous prints that could be so contemporary right now. I'm also always mesmerized by the wrapping on the mummies (yes, real mummies) in this three-dimensional log-cabin effect. Some seriously cool 3D textile art right there that could also be so contemporary.
I visited another favorite museum - the Lower East Side Tenement museum. This is a tenement (very small apartments) building built in the 1860's that has different apartments restored to look as they would have during the times and lives of different families who lived in the building.
I'd been once about 8 years ago and loved it. I really wanted to bring my husband and kids back because one apartment in particular choked me up. It was the home of Italian immigrants who came the exact same time as my mother-in-law's grandparents arrived in the US. (Image of the Baldizzi apt in the top right is courtesy of the Tenement museum website.) We loved it.
We also connected with the Italian roots eating cannoli and Lombardi's pizza in Little Italy. That day we also walked the Brooklyn Bridge (it happened to be our 19th Wedding anniversary so we did what parents of teenagers normally do and try to publicly embarrass them) and finally we saw Hamilton! Okay, we saw the grave of Alexander Hamilton, not the smash hit Broadway musical. 😉 We'll have to save the musical for another day when we don't have to get a second mortgage in order to buy a ticket.
And then the shopping: Purl Soho is always a favorite to visit. The interior is just so pretty and inspires you to create. They specialize in high-quality yarns, fabrics, felt and notions. It was hopping the day I went because of the New York City Yarn Crawl. (Think shop hop.)
I always love the inspiration to be had there. Pretty projects on the walls (love that hoop collection with Liberty prints!), kits, pretty bundles, etc. Lots of fabrics for both apparel and quilting projects. Not a lot of print collections (other than Liberty of London). Most of the fabrics read as blenders so they can be used for multi-purposes. You can see more about Purl Soho as well as their inspiring projects on their website. (For example, here is the recent tutorial for the triangle quilt.)
A couple of other new-to-me shops that I visited on this trip: I'd heard from people how much they loved Fishs Eddy and it did not disappoint. It is a super eclectic shop specializing in dishes and glassware with lots of fun, funky products. I bought a couple of small things, but would have bought so much more if I hadn't had to carry it around with me all day (that was a good tempering motive that probably kept me out of trouble).
Near Fishs Eddy (both are just down Broadway from the Flat Iron Building) was this fun, funky Danish store called Flying Tiger. Think of it as a miniature IKEA (complete with maze to make your way through) with lots of small scale items like party goods, office supplies, kitchen tools, etc. It was really fun to walk through!
It was a whirlwind adventure and I'm already tired again just recapping. But we felt so lucky to do it. Now it's back to reality and catching up on everything (including my sleep) that was left undone at home. Just so you aren't left wondering, yes, I did hit the Garment/Fashion district visiting a couple of old favorites as well as an awesome new quilt shop in the city, Gotham Quilts. I'll be sharing more about. Stay tuned.
Mary
OMG, what a trip. I actually screamed out loud when you said you saw Hamilton!!!
Jocelyn
Isn't NYC amazing? I was born there and lived there the first 13 years of my life. Only been back once since, and that was years ago. But it still is the most amazing city I've ever been to. We lived close to Central Park, so I would go there with my friends. And the museums are the best. Everyone should go to NY at least once.
rae6684
Went to New York last year for the first time ever. It was just amazing, missed the fabric district completely, that will have to be my next trip
Karen Seitz
I love your travelogues. Your photos are always so great. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Beth T.
Oh, what fun. My favorite city. And I love the Fishs Eddy website--for window shopping only. In NYC, a hidden gem is the Theodore Roosevelt birthplace. I'm a TR nerd, and it brought me to tears to see the things he had grown up with, and the real items--like the speech he had in his pocket during the assassination attempt, as well as the tender little family photos and the log cabin quilt on the bed. I was lucky to go on a day when I was the only one there, and could see that the Park Service employees who guided me around love their job as much as I love that President. It just made me proud of our country for preserving our history and sharing it. One more thing to love about New York City, along with that incredible museum his father helped establish. 🙂 Thanks for the little tour; I don't know when I'll get back, so I loved the glimpse. 🙂
Amy Smart
Oh that sounds so cool! I've never been there. I'm a total Presidents' History nerd so that sounds like something I'd love. Thanks for the recommendation!
Darci
The FDR memorial, Four Freedoms Park, on Roosevelt island is also very cool. Be sure to get the guided tour from the ranger. you get to the island from Manhattan by tram, much cooler than taking the subway.
Andrea_R
I love NYC. 🙂 I recognize a few places I've been in your pics.
Darn, now I miss it... :/
Leslie K.
Wow, you really DID jam a lot into 2.5 days in NYC! I have been to NYC twice and have loved it. The last time we went was for the US Open (tennis) in 2014. That was before I had really gotten interested in quilting. Thanks for your info on fabric shops (which I will be visiting on our next trip!). You also find such unique places to visit (the tenement museum) and I will be checking back here for all your insights the next time we visit. This trip looks like it was so much fun!
Lissi
It looks like you had a wonderful time! I think that's a great way to see NYC, and I really appreciate the tip about the tenement musuem; I'm adding that to my "must see" list!
Estefania
Wow... I really liked this entry as we are just flying to NY next week!!! I love NY...!!!
Diana
Parent bonus points for embarrassing your kids! What a fun trip~looks like a beautiful time of year to go~on my bucket list for sure!
Diana
Parent bonus points for embarrassing your kids! Looks like a lovely time of year to visit~this is on my bucket list for sure!!
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For an Aussie who has always wanted to visit NY, this was such an exciting post to read. Thanks so much Amy for sharing your adventures and photos!
pennylanequilts
Wow, you packed a lot into a couple of days! I'm sure lots of new memories were created.
Lisa LeBlanc
Amy, while you were connecting with your Italian roots, you should have ventured into Eataly! It's right across from the Flatiron building!
Nicole
NYC! My second home! I am a NJ native but lived in NYC (Chelsea/Flatiron) and go back just about every year. So all those places are very familiar to me- my kids loved Flying Tiger. What people don't realize is that once you get on the ground in NYC you lose track of how much time you've spent walking, because there's so much to look at on every block. I'm surprised you didn't visit City Quilter this time around! That is my favorite NYC quilt shop and it is soon closing. 🙁