Last Thursday I went to a whole new place! Any guesses?
Not to leave you in the dark for too long, I went with my class to America! New York to be precise.
First impression was that everything was big and noisy, with lots of friendly (and talkative) people!
We stayed at the Herald Square hotel, which was perfect. Central locations, nice staff, big fluffy beds and a free coffee machine! Can’t ask for anything more really.
First thing we did after arriving was to go straig to Empire State building.
King Kong plushie ♥
Since it was a late thursdag evening, there was no queuing!
I’m always awestruck by city views, especially at night.
It’s like the biggest jewelry box you’ll ever see. The Chrysler building is one of my favorites, love the Art Deco style.
The wind was crazy thought, I felt I was going to be thrown over the fence at times. Tallest building I’ve been too so far! I’m not sure if I shall top that by going to Tokyo Sky Tree next year. oO The felt tall enought, kept swaying the rest of the evening.
Friday
Friday was the time for sightseeing. Our schedule took us to the garment distric and fashion avenue to visit the fabric shops!
Store with only fashion publications!
We visited Mood and stayed there for a couple of hours. For those who are not familiar it’s a big fabric shop (seen in Project Runway) they had quite a lot of fabrics, found three fabrics, two for the next project and another just to make a scarf for myself. I felt a bit dissapointed with Moods in the end, it was quite hyped up, but it’s just that nothing really beats Japan with Fabric Town and Okadaya when it comes to fabrics. Why settle for 3 floors of fabric when you can have 8 floors of awesomeness! xD And you’ll get quality fabrics for a better price there too, still, everything is cheaper that Norway at this point.
There where other shops too, but they where scattered all around and not easy to find on that didn’t have sequin lycra only. xD
Picture says it all.
After that our teacher had arranged for us to talk to a furrier in his shop.
It was great hearing him talk how his made the fur and who he sold it too. Apparently he had worked and still does, work with huge designers all over the world such as Yves Saint Laurent. And he also makes hats, (He showed us a model he made for Queen Elisabeth and another for Kate Middleton) and the other girls got to try on coats and hats as much as they liked.
Though, I’ve always been against wearing fur, still am, but I’m not pinning up pictures of foxes on peoples closets anymore. Of course making them is a difficult and intricate job and being in a fashion course where most is obsessing about the wonders of fur from time to time I have to remind my self that I’m agains it. I could never wear fur for vanity.
After that we visited the Museum of fashion and technology, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Huge impressive place. Got some sewing equpiment from next door.
After that we just took a walk around the area and ended up in Times Square.
I just love how the police even has a little neon sign. It amused me so much that they were just like you see them on tv, standing at the corners eating donuts from the coffee shop. ^^
Saturday
Started the day off trying to find the flea marked at Hell’s Kitchen.
They had lot’s of lovely stuff.
Then we where supposed do visit the designer shops at 5th avenue for inspiration and garment finishing “inspection.”
Me strolling 5th avenue. (Photo by Ioanna)
Plenty of posh stores with interesting window displays.
It highly amused me when we went into Michael Kors and one of the staff approached me and announced that he just loved my bag! Here’s a guy who sells bags to 500 punds, who loves my little River Island one! (and I thought he was going to ask me to leave.) That just made my day.
Love the contrast, you’d have curches like these pop up now an then.
This amused me alot.
Ingvild and Ioanna.
Dinner at a nice chinese restaurant.
We reached Central Park but the end of the day, exhaused. Me and Ingvild had a quiet evening just chilling out in the room with snacks and watching Modern Family. xD
Sunday
Sunday was the day for the Meatpacking district and Soho.
Very cool place.
I loved the Highe line. Definetivly my favorite place in New York. I Could have spend half a day there in the serene atmosphere, I’m sure.
This place got to be beautiful, at any season.
Quick sweep throught China Town after some shopping in Soho.
I thought I would be a bit more interesting, but perhaps we just didn’t find the right places to go.
Then I was pretty much fed up with shops, that I persuaded Ingvild to go towards Hudson River for a stroll.
Beautiful. I would have loved to see it from the other side too.
We walked by the river quite a while to see the sun go down, before taking a cab to time square and catch the Brodway musical Mamma Mia!
When I were on our way home after the show, we were suddenly surrounded by people on Times Square, apparently it was the end of Superbowl. And just when we where there the Giants won, and the crowd burst into excitment, it was incredible, (and a tad scary, what if they had lost, wouldn’t like to see the same guys get upset. xD ) Taxies stopped and jumped out, and the police put they’re sirens on. It was crazy, can’t believe we where there so see it all!
Monday. I don’t have any pictures of start of the day, since we just whent back to Mood to buy the fabrics we saw last time and some more shopping.
This is what I got!
The fabric I’m making into a scarf, Shawl from Wool Wool (Urban Outfitters,) Forever21 tee, Zara top and a pair of shorts by Adriano Goldschmied, almost everything on sale. Round applause for afforable prices.
Sparkle all the way! Love the Kat von D eye pencil, I always wanted something from her line, glad I didn’t by a new pencil before I left. Awesomeness.
As most wanted to do some more shopping, I just couldn’t go into another store, I was seriously sick of shopping. So I whent on my own to see Kleinfeld, the bridal store that I’ve been seeing on the show Say Yes to the Dress. I was quite a walk. (Dear gps 4 minutes is not the same as 25.) But it was worth just walking and taking in the different parts of the city. I think you’ll have to have an appointment to go in thought, It would have been nice to look at the dresses thought and maybe I would have been hit by sudden luck and they would have taken me to see the people that make the dresses downstairs. 8D
Our teachers wanted us to have a last meal togheter at Hard Rock Cafe before we whent back home.
Loved these lanterns.
Sorry for the dark pictures, it’s the only ones i have featuring people. xD
My class! (Plus an additional 40 back in Britain thought)
Tuesday
The last day, we quite impulsive ran off to see Brooklyn Bridge before we were supposed to leave the hotel at 2 O’clock in the afternoon.
We didn’t manage to get up to the actual bridge. Everything was cut off because of the Giants parade which started 12 in the afternoon the same day.
Hundreds of people showed up, it was fun to experience the atmosphere of such an event. Then we just took a cab back to do some packing.
I knew that we lived near Korea Town, but I didn’t realise that we where practically in it! I could have been eating yakiniku and other awesome stuff everyday T.T But I didn’t realise until right before we left!
HOWEVER, we did have lunch at this wonderful little Korean bakery (Paris bakery) They had the the best cakes, croissans and yummy stuff I haven’t seen since Japan. (Maybe it was a good thing we didn’t go there everyday…)
Gaah strawberry short cake with youghurt cream! And the portions where perfect compared to the humoungus ones we’de seen so far. (Is it a muffin or a house? Can’t really tell.)
On our way to the airport we drove over Queens Cementary. It was mind bogglingly huge. Of course it would be big in such a big city, but still. :O
That pretty much rounds up our trip to New York, short but intensive. I had a wonderful time, I quite liked it. Thought I might not want to move there, as some already decided they want to. ^^
We didn’t see Central Park in daylight, nor the Statue of liberty, but here’s a small version, complete with inapropriate baby wear, enjoy.
