New York: Day Five

I had a nightmare the other night.  It was my final day in New York, and I needed to catch the airporter by 5:00 p.m.  But I was lost in the garment district, it was 4:30 p.m., and there was no way I could return to Peter’s apartment, say goodbye to Michael and the puppies, let alone retrieve my belongings.  I ended up chasing the bus from one stop to the next, finally made it to the airport, but was the last to board the airplane.  I cannot remember how it all ended . . .

I guess I am having New York withdrawal.  In reality, Monday was much more relaxed, thank goodness!

Peter and I went back to the garment district for some final day fabric shopping.  There were a couple of fabrics to pick up at Metro Textiles.  We also stopped in at Elliott Berman and I got to meet Eugenia.  The problem?  Too many gorgeous choices.  I had my lovelies shipped back; squishing of Chanel fabric is verboten.

For lunch, I met the lovely Miss Clio.  Have you heard her good news?  And once again, I forgot to take pictures – which is a shame because she was literally glowing.  We had a lovely chat over Thai food, and then walked over to Sil Thread together.  It is not as though I need any more Hug Snug, but I could not resist all of the colors.

They have an entire wall of rayon seam binding in the most beautiful colors.  I never dreamed of such riches!!

On my way home (yes, Chez Lappin felt like my home at this point) I decided to travel a bit out of the way and check out New York Vintage.

This was the first door with a lock and buzzer I encountered . . . oooh, how posh.  It did not seem like a very sketchy neighborhood, but there certainly is a whole lot of valuable merchandise inside.  I am so glad Peter suggested it.  Evidently, there is a curated section upstairs (good to know for next time!).

More examples of self-covered buttons and bound-buttonholes - I am going to have to remember this for a future project.  So many gorgeous vintage treasures!

I wish there had been more time to ogle all the pretties, but time was ticking.

When I returned to the apartment (in plenty of time to squeeze my final purchases into my expanded luggage) I got to meet Michael’s friend.  Even the friends of the partners of sewing bloggers are wonderful.  This community is pretty darn awesome!

And if there was a way of making it work, I would have informed Peter that I was not actually leaving, Tino would be arriving shortly, and we were all going to have a lovely life together, with weekly visits to the garment district, world class theatre right around the corner, and lots and lots of sewing.

All too soon, it was time to leave.  Peter, Willy, and Freddy walked me to my airport shuttle.  My flight ended up being delayed, so I had plenty of time to sit back and think about my adventures.  I was completely exhausted by the time I arrived at SFO, but it was so worth it!  And I had a wonderful welcome from Mr. Tino - I think he missed me!

Now it is back to my humdrum existence, and the daily grind.  But really, life is still pretty good, and I am so thankful for my time in New York City!  And it is great to get back to the sewing room with all sorts of new inspiration.

Oh, and you will never believe it!  I had to laugh out loud when the Fine Arts magazine addressed to my boss mentioned an upcoming exhibit at the The San Francisco Legion of Honor . . .  including pieces by Charles James!!!  I had a feeling this would happen!

So I am glad I did not go back to the Met on Sunday for a second look at those gowns . . . because I will have lots of time to visit them when they arrive in San Francisco next year!

All in all, I would have to say it was an extremely successful vacation!