After a long hiatus, Harry and I planned a short getaway to the city that never sleeps. We planned the trip around a concert Harry had been eagerly awaiting since before Covid. The performance was rescheduled for September 2022 and we thought it would be a great excuse to spend some time together in one of our favorite cities.
We returned to a hotel we discovered in 2019. The Marlton Hotel features 100 rooms and is located close to one of our favorite boroughs, the West Village. Think Carrie Bradshaw meets Patti Smith. It has nonchalant glamour mixed with the beatnik cool vibe of the NYC local scene. It used to be home to Jack Kerouac during the 50’s and 60’s. Fittingly, Kerouac is said to have influenced music icons such as the Beatles, Dylan, Jerry Garcia and the Doors. Harry’s take away after our visit was “this place is too cool for us!” but he was glad to return all the same.
While in NYC, we had to pay homage to some family favorites. I got an early start on my Christmas shopping and visited Farmacia Santa Maria Novella. This is an absolutely amazing, century-old Florentine shop that sells everything related to skincare. Their bath salts are my favorite product and I picked up a new hand cream with a citrus scent. If you are a bath person, all I can say is these bath salts create a transformative experience! Your whole bathroom will smell like heaven and you will too! Harry’s loves their shaving foam and before and after-shaving cream duo. Their scents are epic and completely natural – all fragrances from plants. If you’re ever in Florence, Italy their store is a must-see. The building itself is amazing. You won’t be sorry.
My girls are currently loving what they refer to as “preppy layered skirts” from Love Shack Fancy. My 12 year old started talking about them before they opened in Charleston and going to the store itself is quite the to-do. As soon as you walk in, you’re surrounded by pastels, florals and ruffles. My daughter’s idea of shopping heaven.
Part of the allure of NYC for me is walking around. We literally walked miles and loved every second of the people watching, architecture and landscape. On our first afternoon we had a glass of wine at a little wine bar in Greenwich Village and ended up walking by the brownstones that were constantly on Sex and the City. We also happened to walk by the Standard Hotel while they were celebrating Oktoberfest at their outdoor cafe. So we shared an impromptu stein of beer before heading up to the High Line. We ended our walking tour in an art gallery. We were on the hunt for some edgy art installations and found everything from interactive exhibits to David Zwirner’s huge space that was so fun to explore.
Our adventure culminated with us attending a concert for two bands that Harry has been following for over 30 years – New Order and The Pet Shop Boys. Before we had children we would often spend our Friday nights cooking while playing DJ as we ushered in the weekend. And we attended concerts as often as possible. Neither of us had ever been to Madison Square Garden. So seeing a band at such a great venue in NYC felt like we were rekindling a tradition.
