New York New York

From the time that I was a young woman, me and my sister and my mum have always said that we’re going to go to New York together.   After a decade of planning and wishing and saying "we should go" Erin and I decided to save our pennies, and give my mum Bonnie a birthday present of New York City. 

Me, my Mum, my sister Erin, and my remarkably fun honourary sister Julie left on a jet plane Thursday morning, and we went to the city that never sleeps, because baby, you only live once, and there ain’t any of us getting any younger.

We had big plans to be the most remarkable women in New York (which is hard, the competition is rather stiff) for the whole four days. Naturally, as a woman who owns limited shoes and foundation garments, I was nervous.  I was super freaked out.  Freaked out enough that I  packed a cocktail dress I didn’t even know I had a purpose for, and freaked out enough that I had to raid Erin’s closet for shoes and a black bra before boarding a plane, but oh, the wonder of it all.

We walked and walked,

we shopped and shopped (I have never been more in touch with my height, age and station than I was on 5th Avenue – it goes without saying that I bought nothing there… actually I bought nothing the whole time I was there – other than experiences and food) and we ate some wonderful things in some wonderful places. 

We stayed at the Waldorf, we stood under signs that said No Standing,

… we stopped in zones that said No Stopping. 

We tried (very badly) to stalk The President, in town for UN week – but the secret service is (just ask Erin) SUPER unfriendly.  I took Erin to Times Square for the first time in her life…

and one night we wore little dresses and shoes and pretended to be elegant. (That was mostly me.  My mum, Erin and Jules are actually elegant.)  


We loved New York, and baby, it loved us back. Oh the places we went, the things that we did – it really is one of the world’s remarkable places.

We’ll go back, and this time, we won’t wait decades.

If you had a day in New York…   what would you do?

290 thoughts on “New York New York

  1. I would go whither my best friend went for the entire day and hang on her every word. I miss NYC & Vicki equally, but I’d rather be in her company wherever she is. Last I knew? Upstate Manhattan, aka Inwood.

  2. I would find an outdoor cafe/coffee shop in a “hipster” area (I’d have to research where that would be first) and sit there all day and knit, journal, and people watch. Last time I was in NYC I walked all day with an incredibly heavy buddha statue in my purse (for my husband) and I don’t want to walk anywhere next time I go.

  3. I love hearing about this. Happy birthday to your mum. And here’s a secret: elegance is attitude. You have all the elegance you need. You look lovely. You all looked lovely.
    Fantastic time, I hope. <3

  4. I’ve never been to NY so Going to Times Square would be on the list. I would also like to see a good play.

  5. I’d love to go to MOMA. I have a very nice set of mugs that some friends brought me bag – and boy if the gallery can bang out mugs that nice, I wonder what else it has in store. Lol! I’m glad you had a great time – must save my pennies for travel one of these days…

  6. Eek! Every day I have a day in New York, so I can’t really answer the question. But I did want to thank you for this post because it reminded me of my first days here and how new everything was. Glad you had a great time – come visit us again!

  7. There’s so much to see there. I think I’d avoid most shopping, since branches of most of the posh stores are in my area: Tiffany’s included. Except yarn stores. Not many of those in SoCal.
    I’ve never walked in Central Park, so that would be high on the list. Walking all over would be my choice. Museums? Chicago, where I lived before SoCal, has a ton of good ones, so not so much. I’d certainly eat.
    That might take enough time for me. Walking and eating. And yarn.

  8. Oh to revisit NY when I was old enough to enjoy it! First and only trip was in high school, with my high school group and no freedom to explore. This time I would visit Greenwich Village, hunt down flea markets and thrift stores, take in a show, visit MOMA and the garment district, and drag my husband up the Empire State Building. So glad you had a wonderful time!

  9. I’ve never been to New York, so I think I’d like to visit Central Park and Grand Central Station. Then I’d probably want to find some nice places to sit and enjoy being in New York. So many of my vacations have ended up blurs because I didn’t spend enough time just being there rather than rushing about to the next thing to see.

  10. If I had a day in NY, I would go the Museum of Textiles and Crafts, (it used to be across from the MOMA..very cool jewlery and quilts there). And I would go to the MOMA, the Gugenheim,the museum at FIT, and any other museum I could fit in. I would have a fabulous lunch and finish of in the garmet district at some of my favorite fabric shops. It goes w/o saying that I would inevitably find a yarn store, or I should say, it would find me. When I lived there I didn’t knit..:( so I am not familiar w/ where they are…but I would find them! The museums and galleries are unparalleled!

  11. I’ve only been to NY twice, both times by myself as a day trip. The first was to see you at FIT (I missed almost all of the knitting festivities to hang out with a friend at the MOMA) and the last time was to go to Anna’s opening at gallery hanahou for her Mochimochiland exhibit. Both were awesome and involved yarn purchases and lots of walking.

  12. I would go to the Russian Tea Room and to see the Carnegie Museum or the MoMA. I live rather close but I was raised in middle of America and can safely say that NYC still scares me a bit (even though I’ve lived in the center of London, Philadelphia and now D.C.). There’s something enormous and imposing about that place. It might be all in my mind!

  13. I’d stand in line at TKTS to buy tickets to a show, go to said show, MOMA, the bookstore The Strand, and the Lion Brand Studio. If there was any time left, I’d spend it in Central Park.

  14. I love going to a show on Broadway. It is a fantastic experience everyone should try. I came out saying, “Oh, that is what the fuss is all about for the Theater. Now I get it.”
    I would like to spend an entire day in Central Park though. I’ve only touched it’s edges but I know there is a lot of fun stuff to see and do and I haven’t done that yet.

  15. went for a day and did it ALL.
    Central Park,John Lennon,Museum,toy store (forgot the name where Big was filmed),central station shoe shine,Empire state building just before sunset watched the city light up and the twin towers,Time square,Macy’s,Rock a Fella,Broadway
    We did how ever NOT go to our meeting and forgot to eat but oooh we had fun

  16. Take the ferry to Lady Liberty and hang out in her crown for old times sake. Then head over to Ellis Island and find my great-grandpa’s name…he went through there in 1906.

  17. I simply want to go…to sit in an outdoor cafe and breathe in what I think New York is.
    I want to hear the traffic noise and I want to hear people talking, and I want to eat the food that New York is famous for? Not sure what exactly but I want to do it all.
    Might have to stay 2 days…at least.
    I want to watch people too…all the people.

  18. Visit The Cloisters. I’ve been to New York and even to the Metropolitan Museum, but none of my traveling companions ever wanted to go there with me. If I make it back there, I’ll go alone if I have to.
    I’ve never been to the Julliard School or Lincoln Center either. That would be #2 on my NYC list.
    What a wonderful gift for you all! To have such a trip with my mom and sisters…priceless. So glad you got to go.

  19. Given half a chance I hang out in MMA, not even wasting time to go out of the building to eat. BUT, I relize I’ve never walked INTO Central Park, just outside the fencing. Heart in my throat, that’s what I’d do.

  20. I am reading the comments with interest, because I actually AM going to NYC for a day this coming weekend. I have been many times before so this time I think I will … go to a show (War Horse; couldn’t get a ticket for The Book of Mormon), go to Neue Galerie to see some Klimt, wander Central Park and take a lot of photos, walk the High Line.

  21. I spent all day on Saturday in NYC, too! We went to Knitty City on the upper west side, then we saw Billy Eliot on Broadway, followed by a cheese tasting at Murray’s, a walk through the San Genarro festival in Little Italy, and dinner in Greenwich Village. I was exhausted!

  22. That’s easy–I’d go to the Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaurs, to the Met to whatever show was hanging, and then I’d go find a great yarn/knitting establishment with an espresso bar.

  23. Good thing that baby arrived when she did. Next time I’m in NYC I plan to visit Purl Soho, last time there I wasn’t so much into this knitting thing. But my world got turned up-side-down July 2010, when my daughter gave me Free Range Knitter and I got pulled into your vortex.
    You all look great and your mom looks really great for someone who who had recent a party not for retirement.Doh!

  24. My sister lived in NYC for almost 4 years. I visited twice. Hated it.
    The only reason to go to NY for me was to see my sister. That was worthwile.
    Now… if the entire city was just like the park I’d go live there in a second. The park was fabulous.

  25. So hard to decide. Last time I went to visit my sister who lives in Brooklyn, we ate ourselves into a coma and still missed several places on our list. Tasty Dumpling in Chinatown had the most fantastic dumplings ever (although not veggie) and my sister tells me great things about S’mac (all macaroni and cheese) and Pommes Frites, Inc. And Purl Soho, of course, although I assume that your previous book tours have brought you there 🙂

  26. A day in New York? A walk in Central Park. And you can see all the brides arriving to get their wedding pictures taken in the park. A Broadway show. Whatever’s available. Or Carnegie Hall; a gem of a concert hall, and if you get the chance to stand on the stage I promise that your head will blow off from the simple wonder of standing where so many greats have stood.
    The Cloisters or the MMA, depending on the weather. (Cloisters on nice days, so you see the outside portions). A stroll down Fifth Ave, just for the fun of looking at the window displays.
    An elegant dinner at Top of the Sixes or one of the other high-rise restaurants so you can watch the lights come on across the city.
    So many things. So many things.
    Maybe the Frick. A small museum, but a charming one.

  27. The last time I was in NYC was for the Knitters Represent. It was super cool to take the train (all by myself), find Strawberry Square (with the help of a lovely police officer), rubbed elbows with one of my knitting/book heroes (Yarn Harlot, that’s you), walked around with some really great ladies whom I hadn’t met before, took my first subway ride (not my favorite) and ended the day at the Fashion Institute and heard said knitting hero speak about the importance of being a person and a knitter. It was everything I had hoped NYC would be.

  28. I *did* have a day in New York, the week before last! Actually two days, the first day we did a boat tour down lower Manhattan by the Statue of Liberty, went to a couple yarn stores, ate in Chinatown. The second day I went to the Museum of Natural History (where I could have used a week to see everything!)
    Next time I want to do a Broadway show, and go to Ellis Island, and take trapeze lessons! (Yeah I saw a sign for trapeze lessons… don’t know if I’d really do it but it sounds good in theory.)

  29. Honestly, the first thing I thought was, “You handed your camera to a stranger for a photo and got it back!”

  30. What a fun trip! I went with my 2 twenty-something daughters a year ago last May, and it was my first time. We had a blast: saw an off-Broadway show, went to Central Park, Bryant Park, Mood Fabrics, NBC studio tour, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, walked the High-Line (http://www.thehighline.org/). Like you, we ate such wonderful meals, and most of all it was just a lovely girls’ weekend. We can’t wait to do it again, but have to save our pennies, too!

  31. Glad you all had a good time. Took my daughter to New York for her high school graduation and we went to The Strand; touristy stops; and ended the day with a Broadway show. I would do it all again (maybe some yarn crawling in there). It really is a great place to visit!

  32. I went to NYC at the end of August with my daughter. We visited American Girl Place and had lunch there. Then we went to Purl Soho so that mommie could play with yarn. I came home with some Malabrigo, Silk Alpaca and some gorgeous chunky yarn for an Alana Dakos cowl. there are at least 17 yarn shops in NYC! I have plans to visit them all! I’ve also been to the Lion Brand store. Alot of fun!

  33. Girls weekend in NYC sounds awesome. Looks like you had a lovely time (all y’all).
    I second Christina’s Cloisters. I’ve seen it once, but would like to spend more time there. Knitting in the monk’s garden sounds divine. I would slip off my shoes and walk the ancient stone steps, worn down by centuries of monks feet heading to prayers,in my handknit socks.
    I want to eat again at the tiny french cafe called Le Bon Soup. Wonderful french food served in a little converted … um … house? You can eat out on the covered balcony/porch. We sat there for hours last time (only time) we were in NY. I didn’t knit yet at that time. I want to sit there eating choco mousse, people watching and this time KNITTING.

  34. First – Erin is right – Secret Service can be unfriendly – however, on an airplane from Dallas to Seattle back when the first President Bush was in office, I ended up on a plane with his VP and the secret service. I had no idea the VP would or could fly commercial -they literally brought him on board with a towel over his head – it was all very Get Smart. Anyway, the brand new baby faced SS guy sat next to me and talked my ear off – the rest of them fained ignorance and reading the entire trip. One of them kept shushing the new member of the force. I had a nice chuckle.
    Now – while in NYC – DH and I go to every show we can fit in – we go to Brooklyn to eat some of the best food in the world – I map out new and old yarn shops to haunt and we spend time in the museums. Whirlwind trips, but all fantastic!!!

  35. Grew up and lived in New York for 19 years. Although I lived 30 years after that in CT and now am living in New Hampshire, if asked, I will tell you that I am a New Yorker. And always will be. What would I do? Anything! Everything! And mostly eat the world’s best pizza. Oh, and eat stuff off of food trucks. And buy great silver earrings in the street.

  36. Metropolitan Museum of Art, then lunch and knit in the beautiful cafe, then back into the museum.

  37. Just one day? that’s a tough one – but we’ll start at dawn with a quiet vist to Ground Zero where I’d lay a flower and have a thought on that day. Then off to breakfast in a diner and a trip to some fabulous LYS. A little knitting in Central Park then on to the Cloisters for a few hours and a lunch there (or nearby), then up the Empire State Building to watch the sunset. Down the elevator and off to Broadway for a show, after which would be a late dinner someplace with gourmet elegence. Then off to bed at the Plaza.
    I was in New York only once and I was 15 and staying with my elderly Aunt and Uncle. Not quite the dream trip – but I got to see a lot then. I’ve wanted to go back as an adult and truely enjoy the city. I’m so glad you all had a good time!

  38. What fun! great pics. I would go to the met, window shop in the diamond district and go to a show either “book of mormon” or watch a taping of “the Daily show” or “Late night”… followed by late night supper somewhere near times square. the next day I’d go to world trade center and dine in little italy (you can’t do New york in one day!)

  39. I would visit the Cloisters, have a nice early dinner, see a Broadway show (probably Book of Mormon) & a late snack before going back to my hotel.

  40. I would walk out the door of my hotel at 8 am and try to hit at least one art museum, the empire state building, and the NYPL. I would eat at the Roxy Deli again, which has orgasmically delicious cheesecake.

  41. I would visit the World Trade Center memorial, the Statue of Liberty and take in a Broadway play.

  42. The Zoo. Definitely, the Bronx Zoo. Of course, I’m a person who once flew to southern Mexico from my home near Los Angeles, CA, just to view a bird species that was once thought to be extinct, but was recently (at that time) rediscovered.
    That’s my New York dream, I so happy that you all were able to realize yours!
    Gene

  43. I’d go see my friends Karin and Cat and everyone else I know — because I’m way overdue for a trip to a city I called home for too short a time!

  44. I actually have been in NYC many times (including living there for four years while in High School), and I’d go again in a heartbeat.
    I would spend hours in the Metropolitan Museum. I would see a show… Broadway is great but off-broadway is as good. I would walk the art gallerys and studios of Chelsea. I would eat real knishes and pizza and kosher pickles and so much more…
    I want to go back now.
    BTW… perhaps if you Canadian hooligans hadn’t been so flagrantly breaking all those no standing laws the secret service would have been nicer. You know they knew…

  45. I’d meet my daughter and granddaughter on the terrace at the Bryant Park Grill, amble down to the Met, hit Purl Soho and go to BXL Belgian cafe for moules farcis and those french fries.
    And Presbytera, New Yorkers are wooly lambs to tourists — imagine my surprise, but it’s true (mostly.)

  46. I’ve still got yarn from Schoolhouse Products and fabric from the garment district – boy, those were good times! I’d say Cloisters or the Met, then dinner at Carmine’s or an Indian restaurant. Oh, and a raid on Zabar’s.

  47. I’ve been lucky in that my husband is sent reasonably often to NY for business. His plane ticket and the hotel are paid for, so all it costs me is my plane ticket. Every time I’ve gone we saw a Broadway show – I highly recommend that. I like to eat, and in such a large city you can find really, really good authentic food from other cultures. I’ve been to comedy shows – that’s a lot of fun. The first time we went we saw the Empire State building, but only from the outside, and we walked through Central Park. I want to see the Statue of Liberty and other landmarks on future visits. Can you believe I haven’t been to any yarn shops yet? I will add the caveat that I’ve been very, very sick (CFS/ME caused by a heart problem), especially the last time I went, so I guess that can be forgiven… but I want to get to a point where I can go yarn shopping in NY. I figure it gets cold there, like in Vancouver, and the people who get cold must know good yarn when they see it.

  48. Go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, MOMA, rest, and then out to a play or musical.

  49. I live in NYC but I visited for three days many many years ago. If you only have one day, I highly recommend riding the Staten Island Ferry. You go past the Statue of Liberty, you’re on the water, you get to see the city from “afar” and it’s FREE.
    And for the most updated pleasure: walk the Highline. See a Broadway show. Or – if it’s in season, see an opera! The other Met.

  50. I live and work in NY so it’s great to be reminded what a spectacular city this is. There’s the ‘big’ stuff like Radio City and Central Park and the Statue of Liberty. Then there’s the little stuff – like knitting on the steps of the NY public library and eating dirty-water dogs off the street and how no one is ever shocked by anything. Let me know the next time your in town and I’ll tell you about the spots the natives love.

  51. I would go to Tender Buttons on the Upper East Side which is always a pilgrimage. And I would go to Ellis Island where I have never gone to.

  52. I’ve been a couple times and I always make sure to go to L&L Drive Inn for lunch (I used to live in Hawaii and I miss the food so much!) and all you can eat sushi for dinner. I would also go to a show of some sort, and maybe eat pizza at some point 🙂

  53. And I forgot to mention: of course give your camera to someone and ask them to take a picture. I have a friend who is a professional photographer who will do this whenever asked and will often ask people if they would like her to take the picture when she sees them posing. She never tells them they are getting a professional’s eye at the lens.
    If you are afraid of New York – stay home! There’s no way you can enjoy yourself or take in all the wonderful people who rub along together so beautifully if you are afraid.
    And if you want to stop ten abreast on the sidewalk and discuss what you will have for dinner tomorrow night, be prepared to be told to MOVE.
    Finally, if you want to know where Gansevoort Street is, don’t call it Gainsworth Street. I will have no idea what you’re talking about.

  54. I’d breakfast at Barney Greengrass, lunch at Katz’s, dinner in Chinatown, and hang out mid-meals with my friends at AMNH. And make sure to pick up a snack of sturgeon and bagels at Russ & Daughters.

  55. I was there with three work colleagues for a national conference, in 2000, and we took a couple of extra days for sightseeing. One of the stops was SoHo, where we happened upon a gallery featuring my favorite artist/writer Faith Ringgold! We spent HOURS there, enjoying every moment; ate exciting food, saw a play or two, and laughed into the nights. We’ll never forget it!

  56. I always thought those signs were for cars! Now I see the error of my ways, it just takes an outsider to uncover the true essence of a place. Glad to see the good publicity for my hometown and super glad you had a great time. Do come on back now.

  57. That just does it ,I am adopting you as a sister! I think, for the record, you looked elegant too. I was there once, it was awesome and I would for sure go to as many art museums as humanly possible to fit in. I missed Harlem and Ellis Island last time so those are on my list for next time. Also want to see some of the buildings Georgia O’Keefe put in her work, and just sit in Central Park and watch people,might need a body guard for this one. So glad you got to take y our mum and sister. Hugs to you Oregon misses you.

  58. I’m in New York every day, since I work here, and my favorite thing to do is still to just find a seat in Herald Square or Bryant Park and just watch the city go by. I’m so glad you all had fun, and you should come back anytime. 🙂

  59. So, last trip I went to Habu textiles, yup, that was the highlight of my NYC trip. LOL. But I always love going to see a show on or off Broadway. Love to visit Central Park by day and Times Square by night and eat — always great places to eat!

  60. I would climb onto the bottom leg of the E in the LOVE sculpture and have my photo taken. Then I would call home for bail money, because I’m sure one shouldn’t do that, and would probably get arested, but IT’S A BIG E!

  61. My daughter lives in NYC so I do visit pretty often and have a few favorite things: walking in the West Village, walking on the High Line, visiting the NY Public Library, visiting the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and eating! Last time I was there I was not too impressed by Purl Soho; the shop doesn’t live up to the website.

  62. I don’t know if you’re being facetious or not but the “No Standing” signs refer to vehicles; they just mean that you can’t stop your car there even if the engine is running and the driver is in the vehicle. I am from California and when I asked a New Yorker why the city cares where someone stands he almost choked from laughter.

  63. a day in new york… i would begin at john lennon’s “imagine” mosaic in the park, and end with standing in front of the 9/11 memorial. but in between that i would visit the neighbourhood shown in the movie YOU’VE GOT MAIL, go up the Empire State Building, ride the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, embrace the lion statues at the public library, skate at rockefeller centre and squeeze in a few fine hours at PURL SOHO!

  64. That is so utterly spooky! I came over to the blog to find the restaurant you recommended the last time you were in NYC, because we’ll be there on Monday night, and there you are–in NYC!! Does this cosmic connection mean that I too will be able to produce a baby garment a day? With itty-bitty bobbles??

  65. I live just one hour from that place and, because of multiple job losses, have not even ennough money to go out of the house except once a week to shop for food when my unemployment comes.
    One day for me would be to shop for anything I want and not worry about price tags…and see St Patrick’s Cathedral and goo to a fun broadway show.

  66. For sure, I would go to a play on Broadway, probably a musical. There really is no substitute for the experience. You can go see the same play elsewhere but in New York you become part of the history of the play and of the theatre itself. You get to sit in the same theatre in which dozens of famous and not so famous plays took place and just soak it all in.
    I also love to go in the fall and just smell the hot pretzels and roasting chestnuts, see the skaters at Rockefeller Center and look at the department store windows dressed for Christmas.

  67. I had a day in New York a couple years ago. I’m not a big city girl, but I was taking a road trip down the east coast and a friend I went to school with in Ireland had just arrived to NYC. I wanted to go swing dancing at Swing 46, but my friend is not a dancer. Instead, I walked to Greenwich village, explored coffee shops, shared a pint with my friend, and continued on my way. Next time, I plan on going to that swanky little club. But in all, the people you travel with, and the ones you meet along the way, are the experience. The location is just the backdrop.

  68. Hm. Probably eat like it was going out of style, hit all the yarn stores I’ve heard about but live too far away from, go to an art museum and central park. And maybe check out broadway before taking a red-eye home 🙂

  69. PS. If you ever want to go incognito, just wear the black dress. I would never have recognized you in it.

  70. Oh I would spend a good chunk of the day in Central Park, then I would go to knitting stores, ride the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, eat amazing food, go to a Broadway show, take in one or two musuems and do a lot of walking. I went to NYC last fall for the first time in my life an I fell in love with it, I was a nervous wreck before going because I live in a VERY small town but NYC is so wonderful as soon as I arrived the nerviousness disappeared. I look forward to going back again.

  71. Well, in fact, I had 10 days in NY, on febr 2005.
    How cold!! lol
    But we loved and intend to return.
    It was the first time we ate lobster, and we walked a lot… (but I did not shop that much,same as you…)
    I miss NY. Thanks for showing us the pics!

  72. I would do what is becoming a tradition for our family – for our daughter’s birthday in November we see a Broadway show and eat at a great restaurant call trattoria dell’arte.

  73. I went to New York one time, did the Today show, met you at Central Park, did a yarn crawl in the afternoon, met some really great knitters and went to your book signing in the evening. Had a GREAT TIME and will always remember it.
    Let’s do it again!!!!
    Nancy

  74. NYC misses you already! Come back soon, and make sure to visit some of the cool stuff in the outer boroughs on your next go (Coney Island in BK, The Bronx Museum of Art, Flushing Meadows/Corona Park in Queens). But honestly, as long as you got some good coffee, good food, and good walking, you can consider it a genuine New York experience. 🙂 That’s all most of us lifers do anyhow!

  75. I live in NYC, and it is the greatest place in the world. BEST thing to do is take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry at sunset; the most GLORIOUS view in the world. Then, come back after dark, and watch the City ride towards you in all its glory. Total travel time: about 40 minutes. Price: Free. Memories: Priceless.

  76. I went to a gala with a recommended dress code of “festive attire.” I met up with my new lover that evening at the hotel, we walked hand in hand deep into the night, snuck in and out and avoided the people I was traveling with, and the next day I was away with life time promises, another visit planned, and a broken heart months away. It ws a glorious weekend.

  77. I would like to go – back – to New York City … to see if there is a chain of shops called “Harlem Dry Cleaners”. Or just one.
    Some years ago I was taking a Greyhound bus from New York City to New Brunswick – in order to get home to Nova Scotia, Canada.
    It was dark or nearly dark when the bus started on the journey. I noticed a business that we were passing which was called “Harlem Dry Cleaners”. (The thought, “Oh, I must be in Harlem”, sprang to mind. Duh.)
    But then we passed a second place with a sign labelling it as “Harlem Dry Cleaners” … then a third business with the same sign. (At which point, the thought, “We’re stuck in Harlem” came to mind. Double duh.)
    I really would like to know if it was a chain of dry-cleaning shops that I saw. Or not.
    Which would mean (as I have been suspicious of for years) that the driver was going in circles. Perhaps he was delaying his departure from the city for some reason. Maybe he was just upping the mileage for the trip. Or perhaps he was lost.

  78. I’m actually planning a trip right now! Central to it is the (for sale) 5th Avenue mansion that my mom lived in for a couple of years in the late 60’s. It’s all original, and amazingly beautiful, and we want to go see it before some gazillionaire buys it and won’t let us in. I know there’ll be a side trip to Central Park, but otherwise, I’m thinking I only need those two things to be happy.
    Yay for you girls!!

  79. I live in Brooklyn and my pseudostepkids (their father and I aren’t married) live on the Upper West Side, so I often forget just how fantastic New York is when you’re not used to it. Thank you for reminding me of that!
    My mom is coming in from Pittsburgh next weekend for my birthday, and while she’s limited on how much walking she can do, I’ve got a few awesome things planned for us over the course of three days: Ellis Island, a Circle Line tour of Manhattan, the Book of Mormon (that was her birthday present to me, actually), and on the food side, German food at Hallo Berlin, South African fare at Madiba’s, and Texas-sized margaritas at Dallas BBQ. Add to all that time with my pseudostepkids and goddaughter (my mom’s pseudo-grandchildren)…I think she’ll have a good NYC experience.

  80. I went to college in NYC and it was a FABulous experience. (Lincoln Center? My college chorus Performed in Lincoln Center. I’ll never get to do that again!) Also, see a really cool, uber-hip, off-Broadway show. Write ahead for tickets and go to the taping of your favorite TV show (Daily Show anyone?). Walk around the West Village late Saturday night and then again late Sunday morning. Eat in that wonderful Parsee restaurant whose name I can’t remember. Visit Eataly. Now you’ve got me sighing.

  81. I’d take a cab to the Metropolitan Museum, gorge on some art and then walk back to wherever I was going by way of central park. By the way, you pull off “elegant” with aplomb.

  82. I’d find some of the GREAT yarn shops I’ve heard about and do a yarn crawl through the city! Then I’d find a little cafe and sip coffee and KIP all day!!! I too would not have bought a thing in the shops (other than yarnie goodies). We live about 1 hr south of NYC. You should have made an announcement, Steph! We’d have had a flash-mob KAL~!

  83. I went there for a day. We rode the Red Line (or was it the Blue Line?) tour buses all around the city. It was fabulous!. the tour guides were great, and we could get on and off when we wanted. I’d do that again, and wander around Soho and the Village. Eat a hot dog off a cart, and take a carriage ride through Central Park.

  84. I have been to NYC, I wore a black sequined dress to an engagement party (it wouldn’t fit any part of me now) and ate my first Indian food there and went to the garment district and bought clothes in a warehouse, and saw the Fantasticks…and another time I went to the planetarium museum- it is attached to another museum and if I had one place to go, that’s where I’d go. It was gorgeous. Then I’d go to the Zoo

  85. Marvelous, marvelous to take a trip to NYC with you all. High Line, definitely right up on the list. MOMA, DeKooning show is a wonder. Run, walk, stroll, sit in Central Park. Union Square Greenmarket. Any coffee outdoors where you can watch the denizens of the greatest city on earth…

  86. My husband grew up there. Last time I was there was with my daughter when she was doing an internship with a publishing company. We had the best time–went to a play (The Vagina Monologues), ate at a wonderful (no longer there) Indian restaurant overlooking Central Park, went to the Tenement House museum…. The whole experience felt magical!

  87. I’d spend time in Central Park, doing whatever they have their… do they have boat rides and/or horses to rent? A carriage ride at the very least!
    I’d hit a Broadway show, stay somewhere terribly posh and likely eat way too much good food 🙂

  88. well, given that I live only 3 hours by car from NYC…. and have a brother that lives in Queens…
    HIT EVERY YARN SHOP that my GPS could possibly locate…
    They have the Lionbrand shop in NYC… and lots of little yarn shops…. 4 days in NYC with no yarn shops????
    Sounds like a very good reason for a return trip… well, that and the Bronx Zoo, Strawberry Fields in Central Park and the NY Aquarium…

  89. My husband & I are headed home from spending the past 2 months 60 miles no of NYC. Took train in one day each week and walked a certain area. Seeing reconstruction of WTC is amazing. Love the “Highline Park” in Chelsey and Central Park of Course. Saw the Cloisters two years ago and it was wonderful. We also took the ferry to Governor’s Island which was neat as it was Friday and you could rent a bike for free for an hour. I am not surprised at all that you got your camera back. NYers are really nice people, of course there are always a few bad ones but most are really decent. We are already talking about things we missed seeing or want to see again.

  90. My cousin’s art gallery, a deli on Times Square that has the best french toast ever, at least one yarn store and one bookstore, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park and a hot dog cart. Perfect day.

  91. So glad you guys had fun. NYC is a blast. I moved away from the NY metro area three years ago. I miss it every day. My fantasy NYC day would include a stop at The Purl, a play (Mormon Musical?), a museum (MOMA?), clothes shopping (I would buy), and food. All of this would take place with BFF Robin at my side. We would, of course, stay at the Pierre. If only….

  92. I know I’m bad, but why would I want to go to NYC? Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Olympic Rain Forrest, Everglades, I would beat you to the car. (Been to Niagara Falls, Canadian side would love to go again.) Just saying.

  93. I’d quickly do Purl Soho and get one of those new york bagels I see folks get starry-eyed about over here on the west coast, then get the heck out of town. I’m not trying to be mean, but egad, just the idea of that many people all in one place makes me shudder.

  94. If I could go to New York, I would spend the day going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History. After that, I would go to Serendipity for supper/dessert, then take a ride in a horse drawn carriage in Central Park.

  95. I grew up outside NYC, but haven’t spent much time there. Next month I’m having a big birthday, you know the kind with a 0 on the end. The plan is my mom will watch the kids for a day and a night while my husband and I hit the big apple. I know there are some museums I’d like to visit, but I’ll be looking at the comments today for more ideas.

  96. I would ride the Staten Island Ferry, eat Korean at Mandu Bar, shop at Macy’s — they have some talented knitwear designers — take tea at Le Train Bleu in Bloomingdale’s, and see a Broadway show.

  97. I had a day in New York, several years back. I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and ate a hotdog from a street vender! It was an awesome day. For my next day in New York, I want to go to Mood, and maybe the Statue of Liberty.

  98. I’d spend my day at MOMA: the paintings, the tapestries, the old musical instruments, the armor room — and I haven’t even mentioned the tea room and gift shops!

  99. MOMA in the morning, lunch there, Bergdorf’s and Barney’s for clothes shopping in the afternoon, Times Square for Thai noodles for dinner, Broadway show in the evening, back to Times Square for late snack.
    2nd day would be Brooklyn, the Zoo and the Botanical Gardens, lunch at Nathans, 3rd day, the Metropolitan Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History, and lunch at one of the wonderful lunch carts, maybe Uncle Gussie’s or the Jerk Cart (that’s Jamaician food) Evenings the same – noodles, a show and a late dinner.
    Sigh..

  100. I feel awkward because I live in the Metro NYC area and I seldom visit. My favorite parts of NYC (and there are many) include Central Park (from carriage rides to ice skating in winter) and the Hudson (great boat tours)…and food…oh, the food. There’s this little dumpling place in the East Village…the best…
    Your small group of Canadians make me appreciate the gem in my backyard. ~ksp

  101. Oh, oh, oh, and the High Line! I wanna see the High Line. They took the elevated train tressles and freakin made a PARK up above the city. How could I forget I want to see the High Line Park!

  102. I would do exactly what I did in June of this year : find fantastic food to eat and go to a play.

  103. Having been born in Boston – right across the street from Fenway Park – I grew up with the typical New Englander’s disdain for all things related to NYC…especially the Yankees.
    It’s only been in the last ten years that I’ve begun to appreciate the jewel that this city really is. My best friend relocated there and lives on the Upper West Side, just a couple of blocks from Central Park, so I’ve been able to see the city from a different perspective.
    A few years ago we made a list of things that we wanted to do together and have been working our way through the list each time I go for a visit. We’ve gone to Broadway shows, museums, and have done a yarn crawl.
    However, some of the best things we have done are non-touristy. For instance – the night before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, we have watched the handlers blow up the balloons on the side streets that feed into the parade route. It is such a festive atmosphere.
    And then on New Year’s Eve we walk down to Central Park to see the fireworks that are shot off at midnight. We can hear the roar of the crowd from Times Square when the ball drops, but to my way of thinking the show that we see is a whole lot more impressive. When it’s over we go back to the apartment and drink a champagne toast while watching Dick Clark on TIVO.

  104. There is never time to spend the time I want to devote to New York. It’s my favorite place in the world.
    But some of my favorites? Brunch at Sardi’s. 1920s picnics on Governor’s Island. Vintage events in Manhattan. Walking *everywhere*.
    And I got to take my nephew Patrick to New York (his first visit!) on request. Needless to say, Auntie Mame took him to the Algonquin for a cocktail (he’s 14–he had a lemonade).
    Strolling through Central Park (anywhere) in the spring or fall…the Christmas windows at Macy’s….lunch at the tea room at Sak’s. Meeting friends anywhere for cocktails.
    Egg creams in any diner around.

  105. eat a bagel outside of tiffany’s. go into tiffany’s. seek out every super cool yarn shop. drink frozen hot chocolate at that serendity place. find a hole in the wall book store and get lost inside. dress up in a dress and shoes i’d normally never wear, go out to dinner and catch a show on broadway. and of course, see the empire state building – kiss my husband while on top of the empire state building and see the statue of liberty.

  106. Go to the top of The Empire State Building, visit the Lion Brand Store, go to Tiffany’s, and drink some beer

  107. I’d hit a museum this time, eat a hotdog from a buggy, do some browsing at a designer boutique, do some actual shopping at a funky boutique then off to an unknown restaurant with a fabulous view for a great meal. Glad you ladies had a Fabulous time! It really is one of the great cities of the world.

  108. What a wonderful trip! I would love to attend Vogue Knitting Live and then go to every museum and landmark.

  109. Visit the Costume Institute at the Met Museum.
    Shop at Bergdorfs and SFA.
    Check out the exhibits at the NY Public Library.
    Eat at the 2nd Ave deli for lunch.
    See a play.
    Go to the Cafe Carlyle or the Algonquin no matter who is performing.
    Go to Vogue Knitting Live.
    Any one or two of the above.

  110. Many a good time in NYC…. I love to wander in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and of course spend time with friends and eating at lovely places. The next visit will also involve a run in central park!

  111. I am lucky enough to live in New York!
    But some days I let my little girl (almost six) take over the daily planning and go where she wants to go. She’s got quite the interesting concept of the city.
    I also love walking around it with tourists and out of town friends, because I’m always reminded of how awesome the city is, through fresh eyes.
    But on days where I’m feeling particularly down on the city, I shell out the ridiculously expensive ticket price for the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) and stand up there staring out at the city with my family. Makes me feel both big and small.

  112. It doesn’t sound like you went to any museums but next time you’re in NYC, let me know and I’ll leave you tickets for the American Museum of Natural History – I work there!

  113. To Nancy.
    You mean you can actually sit on the steps of the New York Library and knit and people watch? Really? The one with the lions in front?
    Damn. I think you just added one to my bucket list.

  114. Oh, take the ferry to Ellis Island, wander all over there, buy some books, and then back to the Village for dinner and wine. Something on Broadway, and dessert at the Algonquin. This is, assuming that when I am in NYC, I also have money…

  115. I’m going soon! And my plans include shopping for things I can’t find at home, going to the sex museum (it’s seriously awesome), the Rubin museum of art, and basically anything in the Lower East Side.

  116. I DID have a day in New York this June. I went to four yarns shops (best one is Knitty City on the Upper West Side), made two friends (one in Purl Soho and one on the subway. I’m from Idaho. We talk to everyone.) and sat next to actor Matt Dillon at lunch in SaraBeths. It was the best. day. ever!

  117. My husband and I visited NYC for the first time ever this spring – did the Central Park bicycle tour, saw 3 great plays by standing in line at TKTS, did the ferry tour, rode in a pedal-taxi, enjoyed the Empire State building, got filmed at the Today Show (we were hometown heroes for holding a sign, haha!), ate breakfast each morning at Fluffy’s Cafe, and promised ourselves, at midnight at the Top of the Rock, that we would be back soon!

  118. That’s easy – I’d got to the Metropolitan Opera – I’d love to see The Ring Cycle, but if I don’t have enough days, I’d love to see almost anything at the Met! The other place I’d go is to the Garment District, and go fabric shopping; Id’ probably check out some of the yarn shops too.

  119. Last time I went to New York the twin towers were there, so I would go and visit the memorial first.
    Then…………I would visit Times Square and this time actually go INSIDE Tiffany’s instead of standing outside just looking in the windows!
    And I would find myself a really great restaurant to eat dinner in, and make sure to visit China town!

  120. I live here, so one day in NYC just doesn’t seem that amazing. However I know it’s a wonderful city. I guess my favorite part is the swing-set in central park. I get to act like a small child. I promise you I don’t look remotely elegant.

  121. First I would do Broadway…I can’t believe there wasn’t a photo of a sock in progress in the jumbotron in Time Square….

  122. Me, I’d have a huge pastrami sandwich, go to the Blue Moon for carpaccio, take in the opera, visit the Metropolitan Museum (or others), and then head home to my quiet mountain home.

  123. Pizza from a coal-fired pizza oven. Only a handful remain, no new ones may be create. yes, makes a total difference. A NYC treat for sure!

  124. I have had a day in NY. Weeks in fact. If I could go back, I would hit every museum I could. Have a great pastrami sandwich at the Carnegie Deli. Have a Frrrozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 3. Have a Texas sized margarita at Dallas BBQ. Oh, and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

  125. I’ve been many times, even lived a couple summers there, but the last time was 8 summers ago before I became a complete ravin’ yarner!
    To be concise, I would walk, gawk, and eat! To elaborate…
    One of the highlights of a visit I made with my sisters in March 2001 was to Ellis Island and the Statute of Liberty – could have spent more time there.
    Breakfast on fresh bagels, cream cheese & good coffee. The Metro Museum of Art. Dinner in Chinatown. The Frick. Some off off broadway play or performance. The Cloisters.
    Go to all the yarn shops I didn’t know enough to visit before.
    I know! That’s a several 24 hours worth of NYC. A magical place…sounds like you had a great time and thanks for sharing the pictures.

  126. I had a day in New York, and I spent it at MOMA and trying to get to the Met. I ate a breakfast that cost $22 (scrambled eggs and bacon — who knew?) and learned to negotiate the subway.

  127. MOMA, Purl Soho, Magnolia Bakery, see a show on Broadway, and do some SERIOUS eating! 🙂 I’ve been to NYC before, but not recently – it would be fun! I still prefer Chicago, but NYC is fun in small doses.

  128. I had the opportunity to go to NYC to see the Metropolitan exhibit of Faberge eggs and other of his works. We also saw an matinee of “The Merry Widow” and ate at la Cote Basque (big time dining at the time). I took a different point of view vis a vis what to wear in the big city. We took the train from here in Syracuse NY and I didn’t want to burden my husband w/too much luggage. I thought, no one knows me so black skirt, hose, shoes (2 pair, as you say you walk and walk in NYC) and several sweaters and tops. Gravy. Great place. Happy to hear you had fun.

  129. Sorry, everyone, I guess my punctuation was lacking! I meant that it was a good thing Steph got her camera back, and something to be expected because New Yorkers are generally nice to tourists.

  130. Only a day? Hmmmm… Prolly go to either Chinatown or one of the other ethnic places, like Little Italy. Definitely shop. Maybe spend money. (Who am I kidding?) But, I use to live and work in Joisey (that’s the smaller part of NY, right next door) for a few years, so I don’t need to see the other well-known sites. I just wanna go eat. Yeah – definitely EAT!! And good gravy – how could I forget? Yarn stores! (And if the last hour or two permits, a fabric store or two.)

  131. Visit my childhood/high school best fried, who told me since we were six that she was going to go to Princeton and live in NYC…and then did.

  132. I’d go to Coney Island. I love Coney Island. Glad you had a great time – looks like (even without Coney Island) you had a ball!

  133. In NYC, I would go to the Met, to see more 18th C paintings and textile artifacts (and do some private research), and to the Cloisters. I can do without the glitz and lights and crowds! (been there, done that, got the tshirt)

  134. Go to The Frick … drool over the art … coffee at the wee cafe down the road from Purl Soho with the barista from downunder (NZ) who understood me when I said “A long black please”!!

  135. i would have a fabulous dinner at buddhakhan, and do inappropriate things with a man whose name i don’t care to know.
    wait. i already did that for my 26th birthday.
    oh well, i’ll make it a tradition then.

  136. So glad you had fun!
    Since I’ve lived there on two separate occasions, I have seen and done most of what I’ve wanted. However, I have yet to go ice skating at Rockfeller Center – so I would wait until it was the appropriate season and go ice skating. Then, some decadent hot chocolate afterwards. 🙂

  137. I’m from UPSTATE NY, 80 miles south of Ottawa. I visited NYC in May 2005 as a chaperone for my daughter’s senior class trip. We enjoyed Beauty & the Beast, Strawberry Fields, Statue of Liberty, Hard Rock Cafe, Times Square, and Central Park. I was supremely impressed that our bus driver could make a u-turn on a NYC street, and more than slightly embarrassed during the NBC Studio tour because I couldn’t get through the metal detector w/o setting it off. After emptying EVERYTHING out of my pockets, I finally pulled out the ball of yarn, and the wip scarf on small, metal, circular, needles. I never go ANYWHERE w/o my knitting. 🙂

  138. go back to the met museum – one day is not enough. i would also take the time to just lie down in central park (weather permitting). I’ve been pretty darn good the times i’ve been though – carriage ride through central park, lunch at the now defunct Russian Tea Rooms, Empire State, Rockafeller, boat ride around the statue of liberty (though i haven’t been in there), met, MoMA, guggenheim (again should actually spend more time there) and the museum of american folk art. Not to mention broadway over and over, serious shopping and YARN STORE! I really really do <3 New York. Once is definitely not enough, and honestly neither is Twice.

  139. Seriously, you did not go into one Yarn shop?! New York must have at least one. If you never sleep, think of ALL that time to knit…. just sayin’….
    I <3 NY

  140. I would… I don’t know. I’d want to do everything. I think I’d hunt down at least one yarn shop, then go to museums, eat at a cafe, and then, go see a Broadway show. In an adorable LBD that would make me look amazing. 🙂

  141. If I had a day in NYC, I’d leave as quickly as I could! Well, actually I’d visit some friends I have there, but I really don’t like New York. It gives me a headache. I’m glad you finally got to take your family trip there, though. It sounds like you had a great time. And what a wonderful gift for your mother.

  142. I have fond memories of many trips to NYC when my in-laws lived there. Now we visit as tourists. We always, always visit the Met, and usually see a Broadway show. I’d like to revisit the Cloisters. But next time, we have to stop at the twin towers memorial, which is now open.

  143. So glad you had fun, Stephanie! A weekend in NYC? Next time, for me, it’s staying in Jersey City and taking the PATH train into Manhattan. Visiting the new 9/11 memorial and watching the Freedom tower going up. Taking the subway to Main Street Flushing (Queens) for great Asian food and strolling at the markets. How the neighborhood has changed since I lived there as a kid! Knitty City. MOMA. The FIT museum. Buy ribbons across the street. 30 Rock (great view from the Top). Lunch in Little Italy on the Block of Restaurants. Ride the Staten Island Ferry. Lunch or tea at Keller’s bistro at the Columbus Circle skyscraper. Pizza. Lincoln Center at sunset, catching the Met or City Opera or dance. A seafood meal on City Island. Prospect Park (gotta hit every borough!). The little colonial buildings of Wall Street. Visiting Spuyten Duyvil – preferably by boat. Wow, I can’t wait!

  144. The best pickle I ever had was plucked from a vat in the midst of a bustling street market next to the Flatiron building. If I had one day in New York, I would go on a quest for that pickle. And to Purl Soho.

  145. I find it amusing that Christina couldn’t find a friend to go to the Cloisters with her, and almost a dozen of us put it on our lists.
    For those who haven’t seen it, it consists of parts of medieval cloisters from Europe that were brought over and assembled. They have some wonderful artwork there, as well as the open spaces of the old cloisters.

  146. I wake up every day in NYC, but recently played tourst with a cousin visiting from Paris (yes I plan payback).
    We had great day walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, through Dumbo taking the water ferry to Williamsburg walking around there, got a ride to a friend house in Park Slope and walked the whole length of Park Slope. It was fun seeing where the young hipsters live.

  147. Did you visit Patience and Fortitude (the lions)at the New York Public Library? They’re on my pilgrimage list. And Mood in the garment district. And the Hayden Planetarium? Or see “Pale MAle”, the red-tailed hawk that lives in Central Park? Did you have lunch at the United Nations? I’m glad you had a great time.

  148. The Met. Absolutely no contest, I would spend the entire 24 hours in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And I would see, maybe, 5% of it at that…..

  149. Looks like you had a fabulous trip! Glad Erin didn’t push it too hard with the Secret Service LOL
    I’m not a city girl and have it too much around me here in the greater DC area, so I’d have to say I would seek out all things nature – zoo, central park, etc!

  150. If I only had one day, I would probably try to recreate “On the Town” as closely as possible. I figure if they could see it all, so can I! 🙂

  151. You made me laugh out loud because I remembered my first trip to NY right out of college and getting very intimidated by the “no standing” signs. I took it quite literally. If I go back I’d go to Felidia’s for dinner and take in a show. Oh, and also a few museums and also a walk in the park. Too much to do there. Glad you all went.

  152. Love going to NYC in December just to go window shopping! FAO Schwarz, the Toys R’ Us in Times Square, the wonderfully 1950s decorations all over Little Italy…it’s fabulous! For your next trip, I highly recommend doing the Ferris Bueller tour of Chicago!

  153. I have a dream of going to NYC. I would ride the Statton Island Ferry, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building. Find a diner and ask for “a pastrami on rye, hold the mayo”, wander 5th Avenue, drink a coffee whilst watching commuters leave and arrive at Grand Central, trot through Central Park. Visit the Strawberry Fields site, visit the Natural History Museum, take my girls to a Broadway show, visit the Met. Ride the subway, hail a cab, walk past brownstone buildings and admire Times Square. SORRY!!! Did you say a DAY? No way.
    Sue, Australia

  154. I grew up in Montclair NJ, just a 20-minute bus ride to Midtown Manhattan. The bus to NYC stopped outside my high school every 10 minutes. We would jump on and ride into the city and roam around Greenwich Village. In those days not much else was safe for a bunch of teen agers from the ‘burbs. Now the much more of the city is clean and vibrant and wonderful. And the tragedy of 9/11 soften the edges of even the most hardened New Yorkers. Some of my best friends from childhood are Broadway actors.
    Now I live really far from home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. But I get back every summer to see my elderly folks.
    5 years ago I brought my (then 4-year-old) son home to see one of my good old buddies play Lumiere in “Beauty and the Beast.” Last year I brought him home to see “Billy Elliot.” This past summer we spent a day at The American Museum of Natural History which is practically perfect in every way.
    Next summer I look forward to taking him to the memorial and construction at Ground Zero. As a kid I could see the Twin Towers from my kitchen window. As a teen-ager I watched from a boat on the Hudson as a daredevil base-jumped off. I stood next to them and looked up until I was dizzy. A high-school classmate died on 9/11 and I still find it hard to believe he was the only one I knew. It still takes my breath away to think they are gone.

  155. It looks like you had a wonderful time!
    As a CA girl, I’ve only been to NYC a few times, even though I’ve lived on the east coast for almost 2 decades. A perfect NYC weekend would inclde a museum, a long walk in Central Park, brunch at a wonderful local hole in the wall, and one really fancy dinner. My husband would probably insist on seeing an opera 🙂

  156. I’d get my Mom to come meet me, and go stand in the tickets line and see whatever came up. And go out to eat somewhere. Or go to the Met. Or go meet up with friends and find some fabulous veggie place to eat.
    I’ve done all these things and more, but then, I used to live in New Jersey, and many friends of mine live in the city.
    I’m glad you had such a good time. Come to Boston sometime. It’s not the same as NYC, but it’s a lovely town.

  157. NYC is my favorite city of all time. I would eat pizza at Johns and cheesecake at Juniors. I would have perogi at Veselka. I would ride the subways and shop and eat like in no other place. I would feel the presence on my nephew Jeff Buckley, who loved New York too.

  158. I grew up in New York and it always does my heart good to hear people enjoy it (NYC used to get a bad rap). My great uncle used to drive a bus in Manhattan and would let us ride the bus and we’d just get off where we wanted and he’d tell us when and where to meet him. We especially loved the bus depot where all the drivers sat around and smoked, drank coffee and ate donuts!
    You all seem like you did it up right – and just drank it all in. And you looked super glamorous on your LBD (little black dress) night!

  159. Being in CT, we go into the city once a year for a show. But someday I’d like to throw caution to the wind and stand in line for rush tickets one day or wait at the discount shack for cheap tickets! A few years ago we went into the city when Martha Stewart did her knitting show…even taught my hubby how to knit ‘cuz everyone HAD to knit to be in the audience!

  160. My 18 year old daughter and I went to NYC in April. Like you we walked and walked and shopped and shopped! We took in a Broadway show and ate the most wonderful food. We can’t wait to go back – next time we want to go to the top of the Empire State Building.

  161. I would discover new and cool restaurants because of the comments left here! Would take in a broadway play, have drinks on top of The Met, go to McSorley’s for beer, crackers, cheese and onions. Hit vintage shops in SoHo. My oh my, I need to go back….NOW!!

  162. Happy Birthday to your Mother … glad you had a great time.
    My day in NYC: The Metropolitan Museum, The Frick, New York City Ballet; the carousel in Central Park, tea at a grand hotel; maybe a walk through Tiffany’s (for breakfast?)
    Always love the energy of the City, even on days like today when it was gray and drizzly on the way to work!

  163. Happy Birthday to your Mother … glad you had a great time.
    My day in NYC: The Metropolitan Museum, The Frick, New York City Ballet; the carousel in Central Park, tea at a grand hotel; maybe a walk through Tiffany’s (for breakfast?) and good Broadway show — perhaps a musical?
    Always love the energy of the City, even on days like today when it was gray and drizzly on the way to work!

  164. I’d hang out in Hell’s Kitchen with my mom, and visit the places she remembers from her childhood there. Also, drag her to as many art museums as we could do, maybe (biiiiiig maybe for both of us) visit Ground Zero to pay our respects to those who died there ten years ago. I never had much of a chance to visit NYC outside of a couple field trips my mom’s community college art classes took there, but sheesh… It hurt. It hurt A LOT. Still does. And probably always will.

  165. If I had a day in NYC I would spend it with my wonderful little grandson who lives in Brooklyn. I’ve been there many times and every time we find a new neighborhood with something amazing to see. The one thing we do every time is go to The Strand (and really miss the Annex too)

  166. Walk, walk, walk, all over the place, especially the neighborhoods like Greenwich, West Village and both the upper East and West sides. The Lion Brand flagship store on 15th (I believe) is surprisingly fun — even with all that acrylic.

  167. I love New York so much I MOVED here in March 2010 from South Florida!!! I live in Greenwich Village (the West Village) work in a yarn shop here (and for Pace University) and think I live in the most incredible city in the world! I’m so glad you enjoyed *my* city!!

  168. I’d love to see the Maple Leafs play the Rangers at Madison Square Gardens or the Bills play the Giants!

  169. You had a happy time! Me? If I was to go I’d see a few Broadway shows and walk in Central Park. I’d check out Greenwich Village and some of the famous clubs. But, mostly I’d rather stay here at home.

  170. Once, a decade ago, my husband’s cousin got married in New Jersey, and we spent one whirlwind day in Manhattan. We saw everything we could reach below (and including) Central Park. We went back this summer for a long weekend, and tasted the city more leisurely. Next time, we won’t go in July. But yes, we definitely will go back.

  171. See my sister’s place in Manhattan. Meet my dad’s cousin Janet Asimov, if I get there soon enough (my sister thinks she’s great.) Go to Central Park and birdwatch. Go to cafes and people watch.
    I so love that you all got to go!

  172. I did! In 2008, prior to rhinebeck we had a single say in NYC… Bought a metro card and had a full on yarn crawl. It was so awesome!

  173. I’d go and take the tour of Radio City Music Hall as it’s considered an Art Deco wonder and maybe I’d make a point of seeing the Chrysler building in the flesh for the same reason. It would then be a toss up of shopping (garment district please) or MOMA (MOMA I think) and/or the Cloisters, plus a daytime pass thru Central Park topped with a Broadway Show in the evening. Can you do all of that in a day?

  174. I’m planning on visiting NYC on Friday to see the de Kooning retrospective at MOMA. And, on 10/1 I’m looking forward to the NYC Yarn Crawl. Lucky me, I was born there and currently live right outside the city in NJ. Even so, every time I climb the steps from the train station I’m in awe. There is no place like it in the world…

  175. No one’s mentioned the most spectacular view of the skyline, harbor, Statue of Liberty, et al: from across river on the Promenade in Brooklyn Heights. Added bonus is you can walk or bike across the Brooklyn Bridge, enjoying the same view from many angles!
    I would also re-visit the Rainbow Room (top of the NBC Rockefeller Center building) for a drink or dinner.
    And of course the Metropolitan Museum.
    Runners-up: Prospect Park, which Brooklyn-ites know is Olmsted’s superior work, and, almost any day in spring, if you visit Prospect Park you must cross the street to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Also, lesser-known Frick Museum in a mansion just 10 blocks down from the Metropolitan.

  176. I would walk around Central Park, buy a hotdog from a sidewalk vendor, then take in a Broadway matinee. I’ve been there twice and really enjoy the energy there. One of my fav things we did last time was take the subway to Brooklyn, then we walked back to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge. Awesome.

  177. Having just flown to NYC just for the day a month ago to run some errands. But that’s another story. There’s a small Mexican restaurant in the West Village at W10th and 7th Ave that has fantastic Jalapeno Maguaritas. Also not be missed is M&J Trimmings on 7th Ave in the Garment District around 38th St. It has a whole wall of fabulous buttons, you could knit fantastic sweaters around these buttons, they are to die for. And then there is the Metropolitican Museum of Art and the Modern Museum of Art and the Guggenheim – Have to visit all my favoriste paintings and sculptures and add new ones to the list. And window shop and people watch. It’s the most wonderful place in the world to people watch. And the at least one obligatory piece of NY style pizza!

  178. Ohh how exciting! You all look like chic ladies about town! I’d love to go in the autumn…in the movies New York just seems far more glamorous and romantic in the autumn.

  179. I love New York! What a unique and awesome culture it is up there. I love that huge a huge city can have such a community feel. I’ve been twice to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and twice to walk around Time Square and see shows. But if I were going truly as a gift for myself, and wasn’t taking someone else up there as a gift, I would go just to walk SoHo all day and check out every art gallery I came across.

  180. I’m with Lindy….. Outdoor cafe, good coffee, LOTS of knitting and people watching… Heaven! Glad you guys had such a GREAT time, what a great gift for your Mom!

  181. I lived in NYC for 10 years and my favourite thing will always be walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Second is wandering around Central Park. My favourite yarn store is Knitty City on 79th between Broadway and Amsterdam. The owner is so lovely and her staff is very helpful and patient, and it’s just a nice place to be.
    Best. City. Ever.

  182. You look pretty elegant to me. Not over the top, but just right.
    Erin looks like a boatload of laughs.
    If I ever went to New York for one day, I don’t have a clue what I would do. That could prove dangerous.

  183. I grew up in NYC and lived there til I was 24. moved back when I was 27 and left again at 38. I miss it almost every day and love it dearly. now my youngest is moving there. She lived there this past summer for 6 weeks and fell in love with it too. There are always new things to see and experience in NY.

  184. Me? I’d go to Mood Fabrics and Purl Soho and scarf down some delicious food finished off with a really great cocktail…one someone’s else dime. Hah! Hah!

  185. I live close enough to NYC that my husband and I can day trip down (if we’re feeling ambitious), and we do an occasional weekend. And what do we do? Well:
    We go by the Strand (18 miles of books!), stop for chocolate at Max Brenners, we walk and walk and walk. One of our favorite places to visit is the new Highline park- a very cool linear park built on an old elevated railway trestle. We check for interesting exhibitions at the various museums, as well as the New York Historical Society and the NY Public Library (which is totally worth a visit just for the building). We have gone to a live taping of the Prairie Home Companion radio show. And then walked some more and eaten great food!
    Sounds like you had a fabulous trip- congratulations on making the time to do it!

  186. New York! Oh man.. no question. Forbidden Planet for comic books and general geekery, stop somewhere on Lexington & 28th for Indian food, the Strand because the smell of a warehouse full of used and ancient books is too much to resist and since this time I’d be going back as a knitter (so much lost time!), there would have to be yarn involved. If I’m very lucky my day would coincide with the farmer’s market in Union Square.
    My feet would be very sore, but it would be a Very Good Day.

  187. I’m lucky to live in a suburb of New York, so a day in the city is not uncommon for me. Among my favorite things to do is to go to Central Park. There is just so much to do there. A lot of times, my day in the city centers around my husband’s firehouse in Hell’s Kitchen or at least starts there. I love the walk to his firehouse from Grand Central Terminal – straight across 43rd, through Times Square – just great people watching, scenery, all of it. The days that end up at Yankee Stadium are among the best!

  188. I had a day in NY yesterday! Here’s what we did: took the train in, bought socks at Elegance in Penn Station, wandered around Lincoln Center and hd coffee on the plaza, met my visiting cousins for lunch at Boulud Sud, took in a fantastic quilt exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum (wonderful place, apparently in danger of closing), walked slowly up Columbus Ave., hit a yarn shop, did some family chores and came home.
    My perfect day in NY: in summer, I’d do Shakespeare in the Park the right way–first wait in line half the day, talking to your neighbors in line and enjoying the scene; get your tickets when they’re finally distributed; scoot out to Broadway to buy a picnic feast; come back and eat it on the grass while waiting some more and hearing the itinerant musicians; then see some great Shakespeare in the Delacorte. Winter: I’d come in December and participate in the Messiah Sing-Along in Lincoln Center. Anytime: The High Line, the Circle Line, the Frick, and the Brooklyn Museum (like it so much I got married there.) Ah, New York!

  189. I’m so glad you had a wonderful time! New York is home to me, and I love it. You’ve only just scratched the surface, you know; Brooklyn has amazing yarn stores, just sayin…

  190. My elder son, age 26, went to undergrad in NYC and now is in med school there. That is 8+ years of having an excuse to go to New York, and I have taken advantage of it. My favorite parts of the various visits were the Gospel Brunch at Sylvia’s in Harlem; spending a day at MoMA (where they allow cameras!); introducing #1 Son to steak tartare at DBGB; taking #2 Son, then 14, to Hard Rock Cafe for a burger; staying at the Hotel 17 (looks like the apartments in Rosemary’s Baby); my weirdly decorated room in a hotel I don’t remember the name of (a sheik from the 19th century would have felt perfectly at home); and the little TV screens in the taxis.

  191. Broadway plays, Library of Congress, Met, Museum of Fine Arts, Ballet, Miss Liberty, horses in Central Park ( if they still have them) – oh gee – lots of eats and architecture. Fun thoughts – good question.

  192. I LOVE New York. I am actually trying to save up vacation time and money to attend the Vogue Knitting Live that is in New York this January. I’m glad that you all had a good time!!

  193. P.S. Your mother looks very cool. I want her hairdo and her jacket.
    (Accidentally commented this in your previous blog.)

  194. Sounds like a dream trip. So glad you had a wonderful time (although I don’t remember seeing a sock in any of those pictures).
    Can’t say I’ve ever really had a hankering to go to NYC but I think if I did, I would just wander and absorb the vibe.

  195. One day…hmmmm, tough. We spent nearly a week and still didn’t get EVERYTHING done!
    We stayed just off Time Square and fell in love with Jamba Juice.
    I walked to nearly every yarn store I could track down in NYC…and yes, be sure to go to Purl SoHo! Especially if you are feeling down or need a burst of color.
    Go to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty…and see how that “melting pot” concept works in real life.
    Walk around the reservoir in Central Park. People watch from a bench for a while…maybe near a busker you enjoy.
    Take in a play. Eat a cuisine that you won’t get in your hometown. Have to eat a NY bagel, too!
    Go to MOMA. There is also a great folk art museum.
    Go to Macy’s. And Barney’s. Window shop on Fifth Avenue (?Is that the right one?).
    And, despite the rep, New Yorkers are very friendly, outgoing…and have lots of suggestions and opinions!!!

  196. If I only had one day I’d:
    1. Make sure I stay with my favorite aunts in Queens.
    2. Get up super early.
    3. Go down the block and get some Dunkin Donuts and a coffee.
    4. Go back up and have real breakfast with my aunts.
    5. Get dressed, take the F train into Manhattan.
    6. Visit the Guggenheim.
    7. Stroll through Central Park.
    8. By now it’s probably past lunch and I’m starving, so get some street food.
    9. Hop on the F train again into Brooklyn.
    10. At Prospect Park, visit my cousin Joyce at her bakeshop. (www.joycebakeshop.com)
    11. Hopefully I can get to Luna Park before sunset to ride the Cyclone.
    12. Have a Nathan’s and regret never visiting Coney Island.
    13. Take the F all the way from beginning (Coney Island-Stillwell) to end. (Jamaica-179th)
    14. Tell my aunts what I did, and all the things I didn’t get to do cause I only had one day.

  197. One day isn’t enough, but if it’s going to be a day here and there on a regular basis, and you’ve done the touristy things, I’d highly recommend taking the subway to the north end of the island to visit the Cloisters: beautiful grounds and a really neat museum. That’s where the famous Unicorn Tapestries are on display. That evening, Times Square, dinner, and a Broadway show, of course.
    I’ve only been once, myself, but I’m ready to go back – I loved it, too. 🙂

  198. I’d love to hear about the great places you ate! My mom, my best friend (closest thing I have to a sister) and our children (9, 9 and 7) and my 15yo niece are going to NYC in October and I am so excited! We have our tickets for the Lion King in hand already…

  199. I am a lucky one who has a brother who lives blocks from Central Park. I still don’t visit enough. Great to see you all enjoying…what looks like the hotel in some famous movie – where were you in your chic black dress?

  200. I would see my niece, Jennie Ford (actress, singer, dancer) in the production of Evita on Broadway starting January, 2012… here I go to book the tickets!

  201. “We stood under signs that said No Standing”. I love it!
    It’s not technically in NY city, but I’ve always wanted to go the Cloisters. Someday!

  202. By the way, almost done with my first pair of Cutest Booties. And they are.
    Doing them in pumpkin orange with green ties.Thinking of making a baby surprise to match.:-D

  203. Gasp! We were very nearly in the same city at the same time!
    If I were to return, it would be hard to choose just one thing to do, but I would spend a day at the Met, followed by coffee + knitting + writing in Central Park and a fabulous dinner.
    Thank you for sharing your pictures; it looks like you all had a wonderful time 🙂

  204. I would find the first pizza place, a New York Deli (where Sally met Harry), and spend as much time at the Guggenheim Museum as I could and….locate as many yarn stores nearby the museum to loot ummm…errr… shop!!!

  205. If I were in NY for a day:
    Morning: get a bagel (toasted onion with cream cheese) and coffee from whatever deli/bagel shop is close. Sit near the window and people watch.
    Take the train to the Met and wander its halls, marveling at the amazingness of everything.
    Get a hot dog and soda from one of the carts outside the Met and eat lunch on the steps. Polish off a pretzel.
    Afternoon: Wander down to 12th and Broadway and spend a few hours at the Strand used bookstore. Bring a backpack.
    Evening: Head to Chinatown for dinner, walk around and sidewalk shop, then end at Ferrara’s for unbelievably delicious dessert and coffee. A perfect day!

  206. I lived in NYC for almost 12 years, and miss it often. The first week I was there, pounding the pavement, there were people on every corner giving away copies of the New York Times and trying to sell subscriptions. I took one, but when the man tried to sell me the sub, I said that I didn’t have an apartment. He said it was OK, they could deliver it to my office. When I replied that I didn’t have a job either, and tried to give him back the paper, he said, “That’s OK; you take that. There are want ads in there.” To me, that will always be New York: it’s got a tough surface but a kind heart. I am glad you had a good time.

  207. I would (and have) gone yarn shopping! Love me some School Products products. In fact, I just got off a website where I was checking out room availability in November.

  208. ahhh, Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the New York Public Library, the 911 Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and I would eat in/at places that are not common in Northern Minnesota! And I would sleep on the way home.

  209. I went to NYC in 1964 to the World’s Fair, and then also went some time later and saw the Macy’s Christmas Parade from my uncle’s office high in the sky. We saw Soupy Sales (awesome comedian, for you younger folks…) Thanks for the memory jolt, Stephanie!

  210. I live on Long Island and wish I could have met you. I love your books and follow you on your blog. Hope you enjoyed yourself!

  211. when i went to nyc for the first time i made my husband take a picture of me standing beside the broadway street sign. he was embarrassed, so i told him “these are the same people who come to vermont and stop in the middle of the road to take pictures of cows, which we think is silly. take the freakin’ picture!” i walked in central park and went up the empire state building at night … thanks for bringing up those memories. nice way to start the day!

  212. I did have 24h in New York. My husband and I flew there on points, stayed in a hotel on points and went to see David Letterman. I also got to visit Purl Soho. It was awesome and I so want to go back (for more than 24h this time!)

  213. Since I am a Bonnie, I think I would have my picture taken under that sign ‘bonnie’s new york’. Where is it? I love to go to New York…always amazes me.

  214. I would go to Mood Fabric because I am a fabric junkie and because I could pretend I am on Project Runway. “Make It Work” Of course, if I had extra time I would go find yarn but good fabric is harder to come by in my area.

  215. Your trip sounds amazing! Is that Le Cirque? What a fun restaurant.
    Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live in this city- I hope you were able to stop in one of our amazing yarn stores 🙂

  216. I am in NYC every day of my life and couldn’t be happier about where I live. There is always some amazing thing to do if you want to, or not if you don’t want to. So happy you enjoyed yourselves.

  217. April 2011 – took the family to Manhattan – stayed in New Jersey – no problem using the buses and subway. We spent one day each at MOMA, Natural History and the Guggenheim. We ate several desserts at Ferrara’s bakery and in Chinatown. Fed a family under $15 in Chinatown at Vanessa’s dumpling house.
    It was just like being in Toronto or Montreal kinda.

  218. I love NYC! If I had a day there, to do whatever I wanted, I would start at Purl Soho for some yarnie goodness. I’d go to Magnolia Bakery for cupcakes. I’d go to City Bakery for lunch, because, YUM. I’d go walk around Brooklyn, because I *heart* Brooklyn irrationaly. I’d go to Battery Park and drink sangria and look out at the Statue of Liberty. I’d see a play, preferably Chix6, which my friend is producing. Then, I’d find a lovely rooftop bar to cap off my perfect day.

  219. I have actually spent 24 hours in New York. It was both intense and awesome. My mom, two of my aunts, my cousin, and I ate pizza and cheesecake from our favorite places, saw an off Broadway play, went shopping at FAO Schwartz and Macy’s and went to Central Park. Then we crashed for a few hours in a hotel room but not before climbing out the window onto the rooftop to take pictures. Great city!

  220. Well, assuming that yarn store stops are de rigeur, what else I would do is go live in the Museum of Natural History. Then I’d go see someone famous give a lecture or performance, cuz that stuff happens all the time in NY. And then I’d probably go live in Bloomingdales. And then I’d go to Ground Zero and think.

  221. I used to live in midtown, and I will admit to missing some of Times Square’s funkier energy. (I lived in Hell’s Kitchen when it was still hellish–before Starbucks was a twinkle in its leering little eye.) I will be going at the end of October for my friends Tim and Michael’s wedding. I can’t wait. BTW, is that fancy restaurant Circo? If so, yum…

  222. Sorry, can’t read all the comments–but I’d recommend the NY Public Library and the lovely new park just behind it. I was thrilled to see a copy of the Gutenberg Bible there, a wonderful shop inside, and company for reading and people watching! Also, the Morgan Library holds treasures for bibliophiles, tho I haven’t been there since it was remodeled. Window shopping is one of my favorite NY pastimes. A commercial art form, very fun for the budget challenged.

  223. Only one day?
    I would get up quite early, watch the sun rise over Ellis Island, leave flowers at Ground Zero, and in front of the Dakota as well.
    I would eat breakfast at a good kosher deli.
    I would sit on a bench at the Imagine memorial and knit for a long, peaceful while, and then take a hike through a not-so-busy area of Central Park.
    I would eat lunch at a small neighborhood Italian family restaurant. Lasagna.
    I would ride the subway and go see the building on the cover of Physical Graffiti and have my picture taken in front of it.
    I would sneak into the Julliard and watch ballet practice for awhile.
    I would go to the place where the Stonewall riots happened, and think of friends long gone.
    I would stroll down 5th Avenue just to see it, and stroll through Soho.
    I would eat dinner at Windows on the World if it were still there, or if they reopen it in the new tower. Failing that, I would find some damn good Chinese food.
    I would hit a couple of Irish bars and meander through Greenwich village.
    I would hang out in Times Square after midnight and buy a hotdog from a street vendor.
    I would tip all the street musicians I encountered.
    I would sleep at the Broadway Hotel, and think of the song as I drifted off.

  224. Go and visit Winnie the Pooh and his friends at the Main Branch of the NY Public Library. (If you didn’t know, that is where Christopher Robin Milne’s actual stuffed animals now live — they were given to the City of NY some years ago.)
    And maybe, if I can get the courage up, go to Ground Zero.

  225. As a person who has made NYC my home for the last 12 years (and who has been welcomed by NYC with open arms0, it makes me so happy to see people visit and enjoy it. I think your little black dress looks chic and fabulous – you could turn up anywhere looking like that and look great. After 12 years, I still, every day, have my breath taken away by the energy and beauty of the city.

  226. If I could go to NYC, I would do pretty much the same things that you did. It sounds like a fantastic trip!

  227. Eat, see shows, buy New York yarn, see Central Park, Times Square and the NYC public library’s main branch. Staten Island Ferry and Statue of Liberty.
    As far as the Sneakret Service…yes, they are humorless while on the job. They have special classes in grim for that. But they are a right ok bunch outside. (I have lived a rock’s throw from DC all my life…I know a wide variety of Feds)

  228. I went to the yarn store that had ads in the magazine I’d been reading (Strings in SOHO)! I drove past another in the taxi but my brother thought I was joking when I said “STOP, THERE’S A YARN STORE.” We saw a Broadway musical. Next time my mother says we have to go to the Folklore museum and see quilts 🙂

  229. Next time I visit th Big Apple, I’m going to the Metropolitan Museum, Museum of Natural History, walk in Central Park and if it’s during summer, catch a free play, go see a Broadway play, visit the Cloisters, listen to some cool music and people watch in the Village and maybe, just maybe do all this without telling my mom that I’m in town with some unknown to her guy, and then have her get into the same subway car I’m taking to head out to the airport…oh, and then get disowned for a year.

  230. I’m from NY but haven’t been back in 10 years. If I had one day to spend there again I’d go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, make my way from there up to the Cloisters, go down to Greenwich Village to shop and eat, and I wouldn’t leave NYC without a visit to Purl. I’d also visit my school and the places I worked.
    I’d be very tired!

  231. The Hells Kitchen Flea Market! Only place you’ll find versace next to milk glass next to dirty stuffed animals…and then there is their co-market – the GArage! Located in an empty parking garage! It’s the bees knees!

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