EAB Designs

New York City - Part II

With temperatures more like spring, instead of mid-August, we welcomed the opportunity to eat our lunch in Bryant Park which is situated behind the New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan.  I love the park's gardens, planted urns, pea gravel paths and little carousel.  A peaceful and beautiful place to rest our tired feet!

Right across the street from Bryant Park (on West 40th) you'll find wonderful places to stop in to buy all kinds of delicious food and treats for your picnic lunch in the park.  We particularly like Zeytinz fine food market.  Delicious sandwiches, salads and one of the best linzer cookies I have ever tasted! 

  

Another wonderful place to go on West 40th is Le Pain Quotidien.  We stopped back in for a late afternoon break and enjoyed the most delectable lemon tart and apricot crumble.  The cafe offers delicious salads and sandwiches made from fresh organic ingredients.  The founder and his gorgeous house in southern France, are featured in the August issue of Food and Wine Magazine.  I picked up a copy of the issue and can't wait to try some of the recipes.  The good news is Le Pain Quotidien has over 100 locations, so there may be one near you!  The charming interior features beautiful wood furniture and a long communal table.  I guess I was enjoying the atmosphere and dessert so much, I forgot to take any pictures.  Head on over to their web-site, or pick up the magazine issue, and you'll see why I loved it so.  To my surprise, when I checked the web-site I discovered there are several locations all within thirty minutes of our home.  I know where I'll be heading in the future!

Friday was a clear and beautiful day and we all enjoyed a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and a ferry ride as well.  The girls attended a matinee of Phantom of the Opera on Saturday (one of my favorites).  We ate dinner in a terrific noodle place in China Town off the beaten path (the total bill for six people was under $30 - an unexpected bargain!) and then we walked over to Little Italy for dessert.  (I can never say no to a Napoleon!) Boy, we sure did eat a lot ... but when you're walking for miles and climbing subway stairs all day and evening you burn a lot of calories.  I actually lost weight on the trip and believe me, I ate a lot!  Which brings me to my all time favorite authentic New York City Treat - Candied Nuts!

For two dollars you get your choice of warm honey-roasted almonds, cashews or peanuts which come wrapped up in a little paper bag. The nuts are prepared right on the carts in a large metal bowl over a heating element.  I especially love to eat them when visiting during the winter months.  So warm and yummy!!  The "Nuts 4 Nuts" carts are all over Manhattan...no wonder they're so addicting.

A Perfect Weekend in New York City - Part I

I'm definitely not a city girl, but thankfully my husband is.  He lived in NYC until he graduated from college so he is "the man" when it comes to taking me and our girls to NYC.  We just have to tell him where we want to go, what we want to do and he makes it all happen without a moment's worry or hesitation.  We zip around on the subway from morning till late at night and he loves going to all the shops and out of way places as much as we do.  This weekend was no exception.  The weather was absolutely perfect, in the 70's!  After a quick breakfast we headed to the garment district to visit our favorite shops, and a few new ones as well.  Our first destination, Mood Fabrics.

For those of you familiar with the TV show, Project Runway, this is the fabric store where the designers shop for their fabrics.  I had never been there before.  My younger daughter and I felt like we had died and gone to heaven!  Even "the man" could not get over the extensive selection.  I think he may have been almost as excited as us.  Truly, I think you could find anything you were looking for here.  There are three levels, over 40,000 square feet, of rows and rows of neatly organized absolutely beautiful fabrics from silks to wools.

When I came upon the above row of fabrics, I almost passed out.  Beautifully embroidered silks and ruffles in amazing colors!  Like these...

 And these....

We especially loved the iridescent color of the ruffled fabric on the right.  I think Marie Antoinette's seamstress would have been a frequent visitor to this aisle.

The bottom level of the store is devoted to upholstery fabrics for home couture.  "The man" especially loved this level.  One row after another of high quality unique fabrics, perfect for any home decor project!

My daughter adored this upholstery fabric on the couch she's sitting on as well as all the bright greens, oranges and blues available in similar designs.  She definitely inherited a signficant share of my genes...she went crazy in the same aisle as me!

Once we left Mood, yes - it was very difficult to leave, but we did venture on to a few more of our regular stops.

Tinsel Trading Company had relocated since our last visit.  I kind of missed the charm of the previous interior.  I was hoping to find some handmade paper and embellishments for my frames there (last trip I brought home quite a lot!) but this visit I just picked up a few things.  Their window displays are always very creative and I was happy to see some pieces from Wendy Addison's collection.

Throughout the fashion and garment district you can see these flags pictured on the left.  There are a handful of different characters and subjects relating to fashion and I found them really charming.  On the right is M & J Trimming, a must stop for buttons and trims!  After admiring their vast selection, we were starving and in dire need of lunch, which I'll continue in Part II tomorrow - not to be missed!

White on White

 

My daughter was wearing a necklace today that we purchased last summer from this little shop in Rome.  We discovered the shop late one evening after dinner.  I was instantly drawn to the white on white decor and, of course, had to absorb every nook and cranny. To our surprise, the prices were not expensive and both our girls took home a favorite piece.  I just love the creative ways the jewelry was displayed on the white lampshades. 

 

Tea in Brugge

Today it is cool and rainy and I am reminded of a charming little cafe we stopped in while visiting the beautiful city of Brugge, in Belgium, last summer.  When we arrived, it was also cool and rainy, and we decided to step into this cafe to rest a while with the hopes the rain would let up.  I loved the colors of the interior and the grand chandelier with its bronze silk shades.  We were each served individual teapots and crystallized honey on a wooden spoon to sweeten our tea.  The rain soon let up, yet none of us were in a hurry to leave.