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New York, New Paris?

tales from a blue rose
May 27, 2016
7 min read

If your appetite for all things eroupean is never satiated and you can't get there right now then head to new york. Yes! there you can experience many of the joys of a trip to Paris, England or Italy without the huge price tag and the hassle of international travel. for me, new york is only an hour and a half, a skip and a jump away so, it was the perfect choice for an anniversary love get away. We are planning a future trip to Paris but, this trip really pacified me until the time comes. it inspired me. i would like to share my itinerary in hopes that it will inspire you to take a trip to "la grosse pomme" ( the big apple) or any other major city in america, to hunt out all the many ways you can experience a little bit of europe without going any further than your own back yard.

our first day i made reservations at the famed plaza hotel tea room, a very british thing to do! we sat under palms and a stained glass ceilings which gave the feeling of being in a solarium. the over attentive wait staff was there to serve our every whim. our waiter constantly said the word "beautiful" after each thing he presented to us. the table setting was very much to my taste. the full tea had a great selection of scones, tea sandwiches and lots of fancy, petite desserts. they were kind enough to serve us tea and coffee. both supremely delicious. it was pricey but, worth the experience of sitting in this lovely titanic era atmosphere while the modern city awaited us outside

next stop: our hotel, "the palace"

as you can see in the picture below, the interior is inspired by a mixture of european design. the hotel had an in house french coffee shop and bakery. i must say, i had a few difficulties with this hotel but, over all enjoyed my stay and in the end all wrongs were made right. oddly, my favorite part about our stay besides the stunning view, was the molton brown products in the bathroom. they are a london based company and a personal favorite of mine. the english do bathtime best!

that evening we had tickets to cirque du soleil's "paramour" what could be more french?! it was a stunning show. afterward we were able to mix and mingle with the stars at the stage door, including the twin aerialist. they stole the show and were so kind and nice to boot! i don't have any pictures because i was respectful and followed the "no photography" rule :)

i would say, we were right on track for my original mission to experience a little bit of europe in this city. not to mention the many europeans staying in our hotel, dining in restaurants and strolling on the street. the air was filled with the sounds of numerous accents, all which lent to a foreign land atmosphere.

my evening ended with a satisfying view of all my loot i purchased that day. the shopping on 5th ave is almost the equivalent of shopping along the champs-elysees in paris! the cream colored bags are from jo malone another london based company. they sell candles, home fragrance etc. their candles were a favorite of princess diana, who was said to light one everyday. i say "when a princess buys something, a candle or a shoe, all the little girls say "i want one to!" a saying i made up while pondering the ever steadfast admiration we have for royalty. the candles make a great impression as a hostess gift or are a nice gift to give oneself or someone special. the oils in the candles are highly fragrant. i guess this explains the high price point or, maybe i am just trying to convince myself. either way, i felt like a princess;) after one more google eyed gaze at my shopping bags, i laid my head on my euro sham and fell fast asleep.

day 2 seemed less eventful but, it was very relaxing and enjoyable. we walked a good portion of central park and when you are a good way inside the park, its hard, once again, to believe you are in a swarming metropolis.

after our extra long walk we decided to visit the zoo. i wasn't impressed, but it was a very french thing to do! we came upon a parisian couple feeding a tame squirrel a piece of granola. that was the highlight of that trip to the zoo. we had lunch at an amazing casual italian place named pazza notte. it very much felt we were eating al fresco. all the windows and doors were opened, the perfect opportunity for people watching. the food was truly delish. we hurried back to the hotel. to have some down time and to get ready for the evening's main event, dinner drinks and jazz at bemelmans bar in the carlyle hotel. yes, it is named after the famous and my beloved story book illustrator ludwig bemelmans. he was commissioned to paint the walls of this swanky bar. his payment was a yearlong stay at the hotel for him and his family. these hand painted murals are a living museum of his work. enjoying good food, sweet jazz and great company(my hubby) i couldn't have been more happy or more in my element. i could live in that place. i could write entire blog just about the few hours i was there! well, maybe i will sometime.

*one of the murals of the bemelmans bar in the carlyle hotel

we took a car to bememlans, but we walked the 38 blocks back to our hotel down madison ave. the silent and glowing windows of all the finest designers stores in the world, lit our path and provided us a fashion story book as we headed towards our awaiting bed.

when we arrived back to our room, we noticed a little surprise. the champagne was the palace's way of saying "sorry" for the few little mishaps that had occurred. the champagne was nice but what i really needed was the bucket of ice. after that long romantic stroll i was in pain.

we spent the rest of the evening admiring the view. the steeples of st patricks cathedral glowed in the moonlight ... or maybe it was the glow of the city lights. rockefellers center was a towering pillar in front of us and to our right was the outdated and gaudy trump towers. all the lights were out in his 3 story penthouse. guess he was out campaigning or appearing on some reality show.

We listened to the sounds of the city and continued to gaze out our window until our eyelids got to heavy and we simply had to close them.

before we did i wrote this little thing,,,,

good night new york. farewell to you. i am amazed at all the things you do. high in the air or down on the ground, a good time is most certainly to be found. moonlight and cocktails, the perfect final act. i cant wait, really can't wait to come back!

then we fell fast asleep....

day three was the last, so we wanted to make the most of it. we had a fabulous brunch with all the trimmings at a place called the international. it reminded me of the great breakfasts we enjoyed in europe on our honeymoon. it was smartly ans simply decorated and the food was just plain good. we then headed for the metropolitan museum of art. there we saw many rennassance, gothic and pre modern works of art from all over. my favorite though was the fashion exhibit

there were frocks from days gone by and innovative, current designs. chanel. balenciaga, dior and prada, were among the houses represented.

the piece that took center stage was the chanel wedding gown by karl lagerfeld.

upon first look, i thought this regal wedding gown was a sign of the times with its pregnant silhouette. i then realized he may have been harkening back to the time of the van eyck painting " the arnolfini marriage" in which the women's dress (which resembles the one above) was a sign of fertility. its staunch lines and large embellishments give it a frightening yet regal appearance. crowds stood awestruck all around it, admiring the dress as if at an alter of

fashion!

my favorite piece was this "duck" dress. i like the look of roses, cotton candy and puffy goodness! but the back of the dress is where its true asset lies...you can see what i mean by scrolling up a bit. i'm sure you can pick it out of the lineup. i could just imagine myself waddling around the museum in that delicious creation. after building up an appetite from walking the hollowed halls of the museum, we headed for what i had planned to be the end all be all destination of the trip...................................

tada! lauderee of paris! yes, they now have several locations in the city and the country. fortunately, for my figure there aren't any locations near my home.what a lovely experience is it was. my husband ate a delicious walnut croissant and claimed it was the best ever. i chose a variety of macaroon flavors and of course got some to go. we both savored one delightful cappuccinos each. it was hard to leave this little place. i will definitely be returning. if not just to listen to the french workers say things like "bon bon" and "chocolate" everything sounds better in french, no?

well, it was about time for us to be heading home. we really had a grand time. as our bus pulled out of the depot and started on its way, the new york city skyline was swallowed by a thick gray fog and it disappeared into the evening.... a dream waiting to begin again. my only thought was when i do go to paris, i hope i find a little of the big apple there.