The Week That Was at Coal Mine Cottage: September 2006

42nd Street, Manhattan

Lady Liberty welcomed Vicky and I to NYC the first week of September. Vicky flew in from Mexico and my 1 hour flight from Toronto turned out to be a five hour schemozzle when my delayed flight was held up on the tarmac for three hours! By the time I landed at JFK I'd missed the art opening in Chelsea I'd hoped to attend and cabbed straight to the Hudson Hotel. I then took a town car out to Newark to pick up Vicky and do a scenic tour of the city at night on our way back to the Hudson.

The Hudson Hotel Bar and Foyer

The Hudson Hotel, designed by Phillipe Starck has a rock-n-roll vibe that hits with decibel loaded music as you enter the fluro foyer, ride the luminated escalator to the vine hung lobby. Music rocks from dawn to dawn, the patio was in full swing and we launched off with cosmo's. We especially loved the cow-girls in the Library, the log chair in the Hudson Bar and Moroccan inspired Private Park bar.

Cornelia Street Greenwich Village

We hit the streets next day with a chauffeur in a luxurious full size classic Chevrolet Caprice Convertible, touring from Greenwich Village to Brooklyn Heights. Totally the way to see Manhattan, the open top brought us right into the street, interacting with cops, cabbies, tourists and pedestrians in a way you just wouldn't any other way. Highlights were the Brooklyn Bridge, Irish Garden, Wall street, Washington Square.

Chevvy Caprice and our guy!

Cybele by Michael Chimiakan Prince St Soho, Washington Square Monument and Vesuvio Bakery Prince street is now closed

Irish Hunger Garden

Wall Street and NYC Stock Exchange, Downtown.

Crossing over to Brooklyn, view back to Manhattan.

Cast Iron district, Greene St Soho.

I love store windows, Fashion week begins next week so the city is dressed up for this uber celeb event. From tyres at Ralf Lauren on Bleeker Street to rycyled paper art at Anthropology at the Rockefeller Center to Hay at Givenchy on Madison Ave and stretched fabric at Gaultier on 5th Ave they all inspire. We loved the big Botero scupltures at the Time Warner Building, Adams wee winkie is rubbed shiny by passers by! Barneys grey and gold graphic painted display cases and lamps on Madison and dress dummy logo at Barney's Co-op in Soho are both stunning and must see's! I always have a gander at Mark Jacobs in Barneys, I loved this velvet number.