Babymoon to NYC
packing list, food blog, flower district report, vegetable hats, brioche still life etc.
I recently learned about the concept of a ‘babymoon’, which is a holiday before the baby comes. My husband and I both had some time off these past couple of weeks so we decided to go to New York City, having never been there together. Although maybe not the ideal place for relaxing (the amount of walking ended up being a little bit much for me as I enter into this third trimester) it was definitely a perfect spot for a last hurrah.
Below, in a similar format to my Paris blogs and Upstate NY weekend are highlights from four days in Manhattan: my packing list, eating notes, exhibits I loved, flower market report etc. As a thank you to paying subscribers I’ve included more of my favourite places to visit at the end of the letter (which may make it too long to view in email format).
Packing List
Anchoring the packing items are, as usual, a few Pleats Please pieces that can be worn together or easily mixed with the other pieces I brought: my cream ‘thicker bottom’ skirt, black t shirt and, a favourite, my French menu dress. While being perfect for travel, Pleats Please pieces are now doubling as ideal maternity wear (especially the menu dress over baby bump!). I also brought special pieces made by friends Lee and Sarah, the lemon stripe dress and red shorts set. Both have made me feel so good to wear during pregnancy. For entertainment I packed Edna O’Brien’s August is a Wicked Month to revisit, because it is timely and pocket sized, ideal for travel.
I had packed a different night shirt from Peress, one I bought on a trip last year - however with Peress closing for good at the end of this week (last day Aug 29!) we made it one of our first stops and I ended up also picking up this purple striped men’s night shirt to feel elegant while pregnant at home. I will miss visiting this shop on upcoming trips - I love their revolving hand-painted window signs (I wrote about them previously here). Thank you Mr. Peress and Bibi <3
Eating Notes
Some eating highlights below:
Warm Currant Scone and Fresh Orange Juice at Buvette
I love tips from people with great taste and was very excited to learn about where Clare De Boer likes to eat in NYC. On the list I was reminded of Buvette in the West Village and importantly, the tip of ordering their warm currant scones. I consider myself a scone connoisseur and this one, with a generous spoonful of butter and marmalade was FANTASTIC.
Everything at Superiority Burger
But especially the three desserts I insisted we order: malted date shake, peanut butter pie, and coconut cake with passion fruit. The salty orange zest in the date shake was a revelation to me. I’d wanted to come here for so long and it did not disappoint. We ordered two plates of vegetables (burnt broccoli and one of the specials, peppers and house-made stracciatella), two sandwiches (the TFT and cheesy collard greens on focaccia, the latter being one of my fave bites of the meal), a side of french fries (must get) and a sugar free cranberry juice/seltzer mix topped with maraschino cherry.
Wiener Schnitzel at Cafe Sabarsky
We came here for lunch before viewing the Paula Modersohn-Becker exhibition at Neue Gallery (which I LOVED - no photos allowed - it’s on until September 9th if you are in NYC and haven’t yet seen it). Many of the paintings focused on her pregnancy which was special timing for me to see. For lunch we shared a beet salad and a Wiener schnitzel with yummy potato-cucumber salad and lingonberry sauce. Apple strudel with a generous piping of whipped cream and two coffees for dessert. We were seated in a corner booth and while looking out the window saw Alba Rohrwacher walk by.
Coffee Break
I love stopping at Nectar after a visit to The Met - this time I ordered just a big frothy cappuccino with cinnamon but depending on the time of day I love to get a classic breakfast and grapefruit juice or a rice pudding.
Late Lunch at The Odeon
On one of the days we had tickets to two back-to-back evening films at The Lincoln Center, part of their Jacques Rozier summer series. Before heading up there we had a late lunch in a booth at The Odeon of caesar salad, burgers, fries, Diet Cokes and their classic ice cream sundae. They also kept quietly and swiftly replenishing a giant carafe of ice water on the table which I appreciated so much. I love institution restaurants.
Art That I Loved
We visited The Met twice this trip - once to look at the newly rehung European paintings and then again to visit Sleeping Beauties. Here is what caught my eye on these visits:
The Brioche, 1870
I obviously loved this brioche still life by Manet and especially the exhibition label description which calls attention to the details: Manet surrounded the buttery bread with things to stimulate the senses—a brilliant white napkin, soft peaches, glistening plums, a polished knife, a bright red box—and, in traditional fashion, topped the brioche with a fragrant flower.
Detail of Pansies, ca. 1903
I had never seen this Matisse painting before - and I love Matisse flowers so was especially delighted.
Maria Teresa, 1651-54
This painting by Velázquez was originally bust length, but was subsequently cut down - the exhibition label explained that the circulation of this portrait of Maria Teresa wearing a wig with butterfly ribbons was how the young princess received the attention of suitors across Europe. A very early dating profile pic.
Now from Sleeping Beauties:
Pet Portraits
If I am in the West Village it’s important to stop by Mimi Vang Olsen’s Pet Portrait studio to see what she’s working on. It would be a dream to get one made of Jean Darlene, but I think she is in very high demand. She doesn’t have a website, just a phone number to call to set up an appointment, but when searching out more information about the studio I came across this article where she shares her one rule for pet portraiture: "Get it right, so that it's absolutely that pet," she said. "[It's] not just any corgi. It's this corgi."
Issey Miyake at Desert Vintage
We stopped by Desert Vintage and visited Salima Boufelfel, one of my style crushes. When we entered the store the dress below caught my eye from afar. I thought it was beautiful striped sheets of tissue paper to wrap purchases (which wouldn’t be a stretch). However, Salima moved it while we were there and it turned out to be a beautiful Issey Miyake dress. Of course.
Flower District Report
I always make it a point to start a day in the flower district (located on West 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues) no matter the season. On this trip the stores were teeming with teddy bear sunflowers, marigolds, zinnias, dahlias, fancy grasses. The shops open around 5:30am and close between 10:30am and noon so it’s best to go early.
More of what I like to do in NYC
Eating, museums, shopping, activities: