Thursday, October 22, 2009

Fall Days in New York


A cloudscape on Bowery.

The last two days in New York City have been beautiful, with thin white clouds skittering across a clear blue sky like shallow water lapping at the shore. Fortunately I have some free time to enjoy it!

On Wednesday I went up to midtown to have lunch with my friend Abby and then I attended a reading at the library where my friend author Michael Gross was talking about his new book Rogue's Gallery, about the Metropolitan Museum of Art – more on that in a subsequent post. Later I went to a birthday party for my friend artist Richard Haines in a tiny, rockin' East Village gay bar.

Thursday, I hopped on the blue Schwinn and headed downtown along the Hudson River Park. The river sparkled through the green.


Fall colors are coming to the trees


and the grasses that line the park.


Downtown, I had lunch with my friends from the ad agency. It was great to see them.



Back on the bike, I headed to Soho to check out some stores. Opening Ceremony, on a little street called Howard Street, carries avant garde fashion for men and women. Odin, on Lafayette, has cool clothes for guys. Then I went to one of my favorite stores in New York, John Derian, on East 2nd Street.


I've been writing here about Rough Luxe, and John Derian is a master. The store has a country vintage feel, and he offers iron tables with wood tops, lamps made out of industrial parts, and tee shirts printed with nineteenth century images.


The front of the store features tableware and handmade decoupage objects.


There is peeling paint and a weathered edge but still everything is very refined.

Next door he has another store which sells textiles and is a little softer. It's always fun to visit John Derian. And it was a pleasure to be outside enjoying the city on these afternoons. I still get amazed by the sheer power and population of New York. Uptown, downtown, east side, west side, day or night, the city's energy and its people go on in every direction. I've lived in New York for twenty-six years but sometimes on the street I still look around and think to myself, "I love New York so much."

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for this post--I love that store! What you say about loving New York reminded me of a line from a book review I just read and actually managed to find! Here's the line:

" . . .the affecting and cautionary soliloquy at the heart of the book that will resonate with many successful urban men. The message is clear: marry wisely, then count your blessings and never leave New York."

Amen.

Bart Boehlert said...

Tina - thanks, great quote! I did marry wisely, I do count my blessings, and hopefully I will never leave New York.

CashmereLibrarian said...

Your post conveys everything fine and beautiful about NYC. Such a grand city.

french-treasures said...

THank you for the lovely photos of grand New York. I lived there for almost 2 decades and it's still a part of my soul!

designerman said...

thanks for reminding me about john derian-the store looks amazing.

got a new bike-can't wait to see nyc from a new point of view.