A Weekend in the Big Apple

The view from our hotel room

I just returned from a delightful weekend in Manhattan with my dear friend.  The weather was perfect, with a balmy breeze, and we two country girls played like City Slickers.

First, we went uptown to Henri Bendel [or Bendel's, as everybody calls it]on 5th avenue and had the total face make-over.  Ummm, that felt good! My friend's daughter is getting married next week, so a fancy new look was in order.

Then we watched a very special demonstration in the window...shoemakers making custom shoes while you wait!  But no, not for us...


We saw young lovers, just like in Paris

And pretty girls, out for a night on the town

Then we went up a block to my favorite store, Bergdorf Goodman, to see the artfully designed windows...

...which were okay, but nothing to write home about...

I did like the background paintings by this artist 
John Gordon Gauld

Inside the door we were greeted by this installation.  hmmmm.  Not really my style.  What do you think?


Saturday night we had dinner at the closest thing to a real French restaurant that we saw. And it was fantastic!  I will definitely go there again. And I can find it, because...

It's right next door...

To Sardi's. [ I hope she didn't get stood up.]






But the best part of the trip was Sunday morning, when we went to worship at the Times Square Church, right across the street from "Mamma Mia".


This huge church  is headquartered in a theater building originally built by Warner Bros. in 1930 as a movie palace, the Warner Hollywood Theatre, which was later converted to a Broadway venue, the Mark Hellinger Theatre.Upon its purchase, Pastor Donald W. Wilkerson, brother of David Wilkerson and one of the church leaders, declared that the theater would not be altered, saying "The theater is landmarked and it will remain the same."
-from Wikipedia

I wasn't sure I should be photographing like a tourist, but I had to just grab one shot as I entered the building.  The inside is even more beautiful, but once we entered the sanctuary, I forgot about everything but the worship and the music and the beautiful Spirit that was present there. Everyone stood and sang for 45 minutes, and Jesus was the center of all praise.  It was such an uplifting experience, and quite a change from our own little country church of about 75 people. As the hundreds of voices raised in "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name", I really heard for the first time that verse that says 

Let every kindred, every tribe

on this terrestrial ball

to him all majesty ascribe

and crown him Lord of all

And indeed, as I looked around, I saw the Face of Heaven in those worshippers...black, white, hispanic, asian.  A young Korean lady next to me, two elderly Mennonites next to my friend, two arabs in front of us, an African in her homeland dress...every kindred, every tribe, and all part of the Family of God.

à bientôt, mes amies

Dawne

A Day in the City

New York City, circa 1912 

I shot this in a bank, before the guard told me not to photograph!

My gentleman and I went down to NYC on Tuesday to the ever-so big Surtex show at the Javits.  I was very grateful that my agent gave us tickets, as it's difficult to get into this show without them, even if you pay a fee.  The show was exhilarating , with hundreds of artists represented, and licensing agents also displaying their artists' work.  Even bigger than the Surtex show was the Stationery show next door, and I was like a kid in a candy shop there.  It was like the World's Biggest Kate's Paperie!  My favorite booths  actually dealt with vintage items, like TinselTrading Company,  and the delightful  Potterton Books, with an entire booth full of Very Vintage fabric sample books..huge books filled with 18th and 19th century fabrics, mostly French, that had me wondering how I could start a Fabric/Wallpaper/ Decorative Arts company, and reproduce these beautiful patterns.  The books were dear, several thousand dollars each, but oooh, the visual yumminess!  Too bad I wasn't allowed to photograph them. 

 But the young woman in this picture welcomed photography.

And here's the lovely Elizabeth at Monahan Papers.

Mixed Media artists, among others, will love this site.

Another fun part of this show was an exhibit of paper couture in the hallway separating the two shows

So cute.  And everything made from paper!

And, after an exhausting day at the shows, we took the shuttle uptown to one of my favorite places in the Big Apple, Bergdorf's.

But, yet again, the windows were in transition, and I only got to see a few done.

In honor of the late, fabulous Alexander McQueen

And a spectacular antique gilt mirror...I'd love to see this window finished!