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Slim Paley photo
We bid adieu to New York!
Above, a few mementos of our week.
I’m a scrapbook keeper from way back, so I’m like a little squirrel wherever I go.
I finished reading “Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge” the biography of the American tycoon Harry Selfridge who created one of the largest, successful department stores in the UK and probably the world. Interesting man, very interesting life, but sadly, I found the book a little dry. I’ve heard a film is in the works and I imagine his story could definitely make a great movie.
Next, I’m going to read “A Summer of Hummingbirds” ” Love, Art, and Scandal in the intersecting world of Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe & Martin Johnson Heade” which I picked up in my new favourite bookshop on the upper East side “Archivia Books“
I’ll let you know if it’s good. Anything to do with Mark Twain, I’m in. Now that was a life and a film begging to be made.
Also in the photo, business cards from a few of the shops I had fun visiting, including “R by 45rpm” (great casual clothes, I love their indigo) and “Nicholas Brawer” ( Campaign furniture, sporting antiques, vintage bar accessories and great chat. I was thrilled to find in him a fellow Charles Baker devotee’ )
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Read my post about cocktails and Charles Baker Jr. Here
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Speaking of cocktails, I had a positively SUBLIME “Whiskey Smash” in Bemelman’s Bar at The Carlyle Hotel.
OMG. I don’t even like whiskey.
It’s not on the menu, so you have to ask for it-a friend told me I must try one.
She’s an even Bester friend now 
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Slim Paley photo
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Tommy Rowles, the Irish bartender who has been crafting cocktails behind the bar at Bemelmans since 1958!
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and lest you be concerned that was my only cocktail (I know you worry) fear not Dear Reader.
We attended a delightful soiree in the home of fellow proud parents from my son’s graduating class (one of those fab. NY apartments with so much charm, not to mention one of the best examples of vintage red & white stripes used in a cool way, but I can’t pull my camera out all the time, as much as I’d love to)
I also went to The Kips Bay 40th Annual Decorator Show House cocktail party with my friend Heather Clawson from Habitually Chic. We had lots of fun and I enjoyed meeting Nicole from the blog So Haute (who gave me an instant “Instagram” lesson) and Stefan from Architect Design . It’s always nice to put a face to blogs you read.
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Todd Alexander Romano’s dining room at Kips Bay
This year’s show house (actually two large apartments in a new high-rise building on the upper West side) was filled with shiny, reflective surfaces, including the walls & ceiling treatments and “Green” was definitely the flavour of the moment, in more ways than one. The apartment boasted an outdoor pool-can you imagine? A pool in the heavens but, alas, no hot tub for cold NY nights. The party was in full swing, so impossible for me to snap any pics, but if you’re interested in seeing it all beautifully shot, check out Habitually Chic where Heather has several posts and extensive photos from her visit earlier in the week as well as the complete ‘low down’.
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Thom Filicia’s entrance/foyer at Kips Bay
Both photos via Habitually Chic
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.For the most part, the weather co-operated and I maintained my 10,000+ steps a day walk around the city..
Slim Paley photo
I found more colourful Prada windows,
although I didn’t get a great shot of this one commemorating the Schiaparelli exhibit at the Met (which sadly I didn’t see)
and Caution;
Thighs in reflection will look bigger than they actually are (or so I tell myself)
Or,
Does this window make me look fat?
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Words of wisdom in the windows at Bergdorf’s
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and of love on the stairs of “Opening Ceremony” downtown
Slim Paley “Instagram” photo
you DO remember the song, right?! (start at the top)
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My alter ego “The Barktorialist” was charmed by a new model in town
Slim Paley photo
Meet My Gal “Friday” (just coming from her eyelash extensions appointment on the upper East Side)
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Slim Paley “Instagram” photo
I managed to keep breakfasts down to a moderately subdued level.
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I’m not saying there weren’t a few of these consumed this week…
Slim Paley Photo
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But I was good in the afternoons
Slim Paley photo
usually ordering salads.
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Our absolute favourite meal was at “Eleven Madison Park”
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Trust me on this one.
Jump through whatever hoops you must to secure a reservation.
The extended tasting menu was
one of the best and most fun dinners we’ve experienced in a long time.
The menu below doesn’t even include the “amuse bouche(s)” (which I don’t want to spoil for you, but are truly ‘amusing’) or the insanely delicious dessert we enjoyed in the kitchen, where I (insert red face) when asked to ‘crack’ open with our spoons the dry ice prepared-rhubarb mound of wonderfulness floating in a divine liquer, cracked the actual glass cup instead.
Cringe. They promised me I wasn’t the first.
Some sort of mob boss was also too heavy handed.
Oh… red face encore just reliving the moment.
You have to believe me when I say I’m one of those people who never breaks anything!
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No spoilers, but the apple tea, the “lollipops”, the clams (served 3 ways), the lobster and the “Egg Cream” were my favourites.
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Definitely one of the most handsome locations in Manhattan
Photos by Francesco Tonelli
The staff couldn’t possibly have been more charming in helping us to celebrate our Graduate with such a memorable feast.
“11 Madison Park: The Cookbook” video here
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Slim Paley photo
Good night Manhattan & Manhattanites!
Until next time…
I have to go unpack.
I hope I don’t break anything.
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Congratulations to you…”Proud NYU Parent”!
As I will be a newbee NYU parent in the Fall, I will thankfully bring all your wisdom (cocktail locations, dining experiences, shopping details) with me
Happy Solar Eclipse Slim.
xoxo
ps…that Irish bartender is absolutely darling!
OMGosh I enjoy your blog, every single itty bitty detail….you really should write a book, it would be delish!
What an adorable pup. For some reason, she looks like the canine version of Jack Black.
ha-that’s funny. I DO see it!
I love the sundresses in the Prada window – they look like paintings! Thank you for the lovely photographs.
Lovely pictures! I’m ready to jump on a plane right now!
From one NYU Alumni Parent to another…Welcome to the club!! I love reading your blog and enjoy your photos…always makes me smile to think of life in lovely California!
thank you Yvette!
NO. The window did NOT make you look fat. : )
HUGE heartfelt congratulations ……time flies, qui?Love to all.
Another post that left me in a puddle of longing for NYC. I am so excited for your son. I got my bachelor’s from NYU and all of the myriad experiences that I had in the city were as important as the education itself! He is stepping out into the professional world now while having already been surrounded by the best of it. Bravo to you for supporting him through this expensive but exciting time.
And a bit of sillines: Eleven Madison Park. I was invited by an ex to lunch the first year that it opened. I wanted to make him suffer a bit so I wore a sleevess gauzy Helmut Lang with strategic cutouts, including a thin slice across the torso. True, the look on his face was priceless but can you imagine my chagrin when I sat down and realized that the opening was over my belly? In such a restaurant? While eating such food? I deserved that karmic kick in the butt! The food wasn’t at all as evolved at the time and I have reread your tasting menu three times already.
Thank God for large napkins!
The puppy looks so cute…. I want one
Slim you are really an excellent photographer. This was a trip to duplicate one day!! Great book recommendation and Eleven Madison Park, oh my!
Interview with Segreto Finishes and their fabulous book Giveaway!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Hello I Love You by the Doors…genius! Todd Rundgren first came to mind but that was Hello It’s Me, right? Thanks for sharing your New York experience with us. Fabulous pictures. DIdn’t notice the thighs but love the hat in the reflection
http:oldmarriedlady.com
H&K
The red stairs photo is so cool, thank you for posting! The Prada quote even better. Congratulations on the graduation milestone. Hugs to ya, Slim.
Thanks for the Miuccia Prada quote…I feel better about my “wild self” this morning…k
Congrats to proud NYU parent! I wished we could have met for tea at the Carlyle or Martini!
Next time! xoBabe
Who could forget Hello I Love You by Jim Morrison and the Doors??? Your readers must be too young to remember the good stuff, however I’m one of those wild older women!
Oh, my!! That little Shih Tzu!!! We had a gold ‘n white “Toi” he was THE BEST! Your trip was fabulous…gives me great ideas for NYC in June! franki
So are you on instagram? I’m an IG addict!
Just a newbie, yes
Awww, congrats to your son! NYU is such a great school.
The sunset shot is amazing.
It all looks divine. Your images could be in travel magazine wooing readers to visit Manhattan!
NY is on my bucket list.
Yummy looking salad!
Feeling like a visit to New York after reading this… as much as I love Paris and London… NYC… it makes me sigh… just the thought… xv
I am most proud of your graduate…great post. Love NY in the springtime.
I read Summer of Hummingbirds when it came out and I recommend it to anyone who loves American Literature–it is insightful and a treasure of a book. I hope you enjoy it.
oh good! I’m glad to hear you recommend it Beth.
NYC , divine! Pictures, Stunning! A round of applause was heard for the graduating son & to the parents. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
Yes! Wiser and… Wilder!!! Great post, lots of info…off to the bookstore to add to my stack of “summer reading” …which ought to last me until Christmas! Fun! xoxo, Chris
Congratulations to your son! What a great week. Alas, son#1 and his wife no longer live in NY, I miss it. They live in Austin which is very fun and filled with fabulous restaurants. Thanks for the tour and accompanying entertainment.
Karen
We went to SXSW in Austin with our sons and loved the city!
Thank you for your peek into your New York visit. I’m going in a couple of weeks, looking forward to the Kips Bay Showhouse and maybe another visit to Eleven Madison Park, having been there a few years ago, and inspired by your review! I so enjoy your posts, Slim! They brighten my day!
Congrats to your son! And to you! It looks like you had a great week in NY. I had my 40th birthday dinner at 11 Madison Park and it was wonderful! (50th was at Per Se, also wonderful). You have made me want to go to NYC again. You continue to be an inspiration to me with your writing and your photography. Thanks for all you share with us!
So great meeting you too! Hope the instagram lesson was useful & hope to see you back in NYC soon!
Bemelman’s Bar is my favorite bar in all of NYC. The martinis are delicious, and the setting is sublime. I have come to prefer sitting at the bar (as opposed to at one of the tables), to watch the very able bartenders in action. Eleven Madison Park is, indeed, superlative, and a great favorite of mine, too. Next time, do try La Grenouille (again, I’m sure you’ve been there) for lunch (in fact I’m having lunch there today). Also, why not plan your next visit to coincide with the Trade Secrets garden show in Sharon, Connecticut? Reggie
LOVE Mark Twain. His favorite among his own writings that he considered more valuable than all the others combined, was ‘Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc.’ His research consumed 7+ years and he considered her ‘The greatest human being that ever lived.’ Joan of Arc still numbers among the Top Ten Generals of all time. Between Patton and Caesar. Her entire life is set down in the sworn testimony of two trials. Incredible to read her own words. I’ve been to most Joan of Arc related sites in France. Next on the agenda: her refurbished home in Domremy-la-Pucelle. Skip down to his 21st paragraph to ‘She was the wonder of the ages: http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/stj05003.htm
France was 50% occupied by England in the 100 Year War when in mere DAYS this untrained teenager saved the nation. Without Joan of Arc the Paris we all love would not exist as it does today. And America would not have been America as she was formed mainly on 18th C French Enlightenment ideals.
Joan of Arc truly was the most amazing woman in history and can’t WAIT to visit her house. In fact, maybe I’ll move into the ‘hood.
Love those stairs with the quotes. Would be a little gift every time walk up.
I meant Joan of Arc’s ‘historically restored’ home…NOT refurbished….as in for the Architectural Digest photo shoot!
Lovely photos of New York. Love that dog! What a face. Gorgeous last picture.
Congrats to your son. You must be a proud mom.
Kim
I just love your blog Slimmy!!! Was that a Wheaton or a Labradoodle? What ever the case
it’s adorable!!!
xo
kb
I missed this post! So lovely to meet you too. I must check out those restaurants you recommended and isn’t there just always so much to see (and eat!). I love my visits to New York!
Dear Slim
Enjoyed your New York posts. Loved the dog. We’re currently in Antibes and spent the day in St Juan les Pins. While my husband was busy with his water colours I enjoyed wandering the boutiques and came upon a “wonderful hat and jewellery shop, all made by the owner with a little help from her mother. They had a very cute dog called Amoun. When I asked if this was an Egyptian name they said it was. But originally the owner’s father had bought the dog, which he loved to pieces, so he called it L’Amour. But they discovered it was embarassing when they had to look for their dog, calling “Venez L’Amour, Venez L’Amour, Ou etes-vous L’Amour?. So they changed his name to Amoun. Lovely people!
Best wishes
Pamela
I loved Friday and her eyelash extensions, might be a bit much for me though being a simple country shi tzu.I love the Barktorialist.