You guys know me so well… A few weeks ago I posted on my stories that I was headed out of town for 24 hours – you immediately knew I was headed to NYC! This time around I wanted to share some of my favorite hidden gems.
When I fly to NYC for work, this is always my morning schedule… set my alarm for 3:57 (which gives me 3 extra minutes to sleep till 4am). Uber comes at 4:30 and I barely bring anything to the city because most of the time I fly back the same day and make it in time to say goodnight to the kids. I plan my day around morning jewelry meetings but also leave a little time to explore.
Bryan gets the big girls ready for school and drops them off at the bus and Gwynnie to daycare. Meanwhile, my flight lands in the city around 7:30am and I hit the ground running… a couple of my gals from my jewelry team live in NYC so it’s important for me to always touch base in person, check out new jewelry designs, trends, looks, etc. And as y’all know by now… we had a HUGE sample sale coming up so I was prepping for that too!
My first meeting was in Chelsea and I decided to walk through the flower district to get there. This is a hidden gem you might not know about. B&J Florist Supply – 103 W. 28th Street - the heart of it is on 28th between 6th and 7th avenue.
The entire street is filled with flower stores and everything you could imagine that might have to do with flowers. The stores all full of event planners, designers, and artists… they usually come to this area to get everything because the prices are really affordable and the selection is awesome. I love to get color inspiration on this street and always grab a bunch of rolls of ribbon….
They have the coolest ribbons, vases, baskets, etc.
My mom and I came here when we were planning my wedding. We parked our car in the middle of the street and filled the entire car with little wood coasters and ribbon for place settings… one of my favorite memories!
Next, I took a quick detour at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) to see what students are working on right now… I spent a semester in college at FIT. Lots of friends were doing semesters abroad while we were in college, and I really wanted to spend a semester in NY so this was my “semester abroad.” I worked with a school counselor, and we figured out a way to choose fashion classes where the credits would transfer to UVA. I loved every.single.moment.
On Craigslist, I found a place to rent in Chelsea (8 floor walkup) and I rented from the guy who played Rafiki in the Lion King on Broadway. He was taking some time off and going to San Francisco for a few months, so he let me rent his apartment and he told me about some tips on how to see all the Broadway shows for free. Students could arrive early to the theater and “sign in” to help sweep the theaters after the shows. In exchange, we were allowed to stand in the back and watch each Broadway show for free. I saw almost every show on Broadway and ended up sweeping all the theaters for 30 minutes after each show with a bunch of students – we’d turn on music and dance and it was a total win-win for me.
Next, I headed to Chelsea market and went straight for @sarabethsnyc for a breakfast sandwich – they are so good and I love watching the behind the scenes of the bakery.
I wandered into the bookstore inside of Chelsea Market and found some more inspiration for my coffee table book and so many cute NYC prints.
I got this one for one of my girls. You can shop here.
I headed down Bleeker Street to Rizzoli Books for more research of course!
And then popped into ABC Carpet and Home… still looking for a few more rugs and runners for the house. And then…. my phone died. If you know me… you are certainly not shocked!
But what was shocking was that I arrived at the airport over an hour early for my flight home and had time to grab coffee and breakfast. While grabbing my breakfast I saw this table - does anyone else tear up when they see men and women in service? I always think about how selfless they are and thank them for their service. The same thing happens to me when I see firefighters in NYC – I just start to cry and wonder if they were there during 9/11 and what each person has been through and the strength they have.
Which reminded me of this memory from a few years ago while I was on a buying trip in NY. I was trying to hail a cab during rush house in NY, without luck, when all of a sudden, a firetruck appears and a group of firefighters told me to “hop in the front seat.” I could have listened to them talk for hours. Something about NY firefighters and the love they have for their city that makes me emotional and brings me to tears… just one of those NY moments that came out of the blue.
As always - I had the best time soaking in all of the inspiration and creativity around me and came back with some awesome goodies we can't wait to share with y'all!
xoxo, Erin
