I must admit this post is a bit daunting to write. What is there to say (that hasn't already been said) of NYC, the Big Apple, Zoo York, Gotham, The City That Doesn't Sleep??? I went for an extra-long weekend trip to New York to shop, eat, & best of all, spend a few days (kid-free) with my littlest sister, Leah. She is great at details & her posts on our trip can be read by clicking HERE.
{ Leah on her cell phone on Park Ave }
So, deep breath, here goes... my highlights of New York (in no particular order):
*Visiting the massive interior design showrooms (DD Building and AD Building) & discovering the eclectic mix that is Andrew Martin (friendly & warm, Linet Martin who runs the NYC show room is an added bonus. Thanks for the sushi recommendation, Linet!).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBtjbXGoMvd_1F2JIZZmU538hyBP_Wof4bEaZ1qjd6EsIS4J_f7DK7LakclRcamMWgZweaL8-7ppuQmBeZtC-Puohanj2Cn3rNxpSKAlnZz5gvA-rpqkDaKnAlTC665mMT2j9ng8Vpj7U/s400/Andrew+Martin+Front+Cover.jpg)
*Wandering the various neighbourhoods... Soho, Nolita, West Village, Upper East Side & our "own" stomping grounds of Brooklyn.
{ I'd love to live in this Upper East Side building }
{ me in the streets of Soho }
{ The Bloomies that is featured in The Godfather }
{ rows upon rows of buildings in Soho }
{ me & a knight outside jewellery shops }
*Taking the tube everywhere. Subway travel is awesome.
{ Leah at the Grand Central subway stop }
*Ballato's Restaurant for post-dinner Venetian spritzes (& a non-alcoholic version for me). This place looks unassuming from the front but is wonderful once inside. Plus, if it was good enough for Andy Warhol & his posse it's good enough for me:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgJgdqNNMA1-Dpzs5Q-ajCvsGAbGSuNFHBph-P_9YLRTbwQdHq6ykLCEV35h9JLHSiXBZEuX0aUhRp7NAev1Yw7CkzU0qqxoMF2v5o6fS6OzV39l1YNOLvh7sSFmn-JJeF51rPBs2qvzF/s400/Ballato%2527s.jpg)
{ check out the rusticated lathe & plaster walls }
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEa2voheWOHiPCV8fbOJ-KcwdG3TACgaE6OLa_azpdG5xloLIZqiwR86xJJJHJimms77O2r9qG5_Jaq0A9V58fgraZTD8ehfNlZCSQrFDz3jjki5r1XsC_PJuY6hscJgrwTb2bYPSAVhT4/s400/1ballato.jpg)
{ warm & inviting }
We visited Ballato's after a great dinner at...
*Oficina Latina:
We had intended to go into Cafe Habana for dinner but there was a 45 minute wait. So we opted out & stumbled (HAPPILY!) upon newly opened Oficina. Their website is under construction but there are photos & a review here. I had fresh lime-y ceviche & a salad plus these amazing plantain chips & a dipping sauce similar to Argentinian chimichurri.
{ Leah outside Oficina }
{ US Flag at Brooklyn Flea }
We loved this place with it's ever changing list of vendors. We wandered for at least a few hours here on Leah's birthday finding a wonderful assortment of odds & sods...
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{ the Gifted Putterer's booth }
{ Leah trying on gogs at the Flea }
Kings Country Salvage had a set of tub armchairs in warm leather that were so comfy we overheard one man threatening his wife that he would get rid of their current fashionable couch & replace it with the armchairs. The chairs were still there when we left but he sat in them for a long, LOOOONG time.
There was one booth with some amazing jewellery (earrings, cuff links & pendants) made from scrabble letters & old typewriter keys. Brilliant!
{ typewriter keys made into pendants }
{ Scrabble letters as cuff links }
* Oysters on the half shell & Manhattan clam chowder in the Grand Central Oyster Bar.
{ Happy Birthday, Tinz!! }
{ check out all the Canadian oysters listed! }
* Rue 29, Julie Anne Mann's installation at the Ise Cultural Foundation on Broadway. Leah & I stumbled upon "Another Roadside Attraction (The Exploration of the Neo-Grotesque)" while shopping. We were kindly invited to the opening reception but had to decline due to growling tummies. The project is an eerie peek into a dollhouse inhabited by delicate skeleton creatures. Slightly macabre but incredibly fascinating.
{ skeletons at home }
{ bones in bed }
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJERWrVdaND6QNmBIguP1blkjcfFl6kjT17oDx0BaEK5xuwrVhLy1kPbcQGTFjFk3Rq5iUWqsNbtNlnowNvU79LCMnsCri9f5URPpK1FTIEZTqpQnMrzgQf-k7mb8uvbK2e7tMC8Bn3AXN/s400/persephone_lr.jpg)
{ curiouser & curiouser }
* ABC Carpet & Home was floor upon floor of fantastic. I was in heaven.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWJIPwSaO2ZsOVpdV6BCYuupyh-qpIqJRc4jp4ArinleXI-Co9xFJa3H1QnfpL9JJFpZPafzK-uypX-ymxHUBHWO_Wa9zzoCzbazK19DGpl_1zzZ7Tqh0LrEfAqDQyV_JcgUaVFUJxZYh/s400/abc_store.jpg)
{ main floor of ABC Carpet }
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-Gvi9iyrlnqKNpRmN3xKvr3CpYc1AngFWcvrQ4aKQSvDqt7k0NCNx9kRM-qrE92VGBbhjfpDiOoQ_xOUH0VdFAaORmtbXdcrriWHXQQgrQM6gTZC0RY_7JW8whTYQtlb2Vm3hq5Aa4xj/s400/abc+bedroom.jpg)
And more great finds:
{ John Derian plates }
{ sweet little deer ornaments for Christmas }
{ darling organza tutus }
All in all a wonderful trip but I was very glad to return home to my two sweet children & my handsome husband. Our reunion was a happy one & I enjoyed returning to the green of Vancouver. The concrete jungle is wonderful to visit but I do love Vancouver. Until next time, New York...
love it! totally captured all the fun we had...I remember you spending what seemed like hours perusing those cool scrabble & typewriter pendants etc...I still am in love with those funky glasses I was trying on...and I miss you heartily...until the next time is right:)
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