A French dinner in vintage pink

A few weeks ago, my hubby and I treated ourselves to a night out in Grenoble 'sans enfants' (no children!). We don't go out for dinner much as I am a pretty good cook and, for the most part, I enjoy cooking for the family. It is also pretty expensive to hire a babysitter and pay for a meal and we try to save our money for holidays.

Here I am in one of my favourite 1950's pink dresses (also featured in this earlier post). Some pink gloves and earrings a deep pink pashmina set off the outfit. I picked up 5-6 pashminas of varying colours on a trip years ago to Turkey - they were very cheap and they come in so handy, particularly when you are dining outside like this and there is a little chill in the air.

Here is my hubby enjoying his beer . . .

Which he is just about to choke on as I have obviously said something hilarious and he is trying not to laugh  

. . . (!). That's what being on a night out without your children and not having to cook does to you. Fabulous!

 

 The restaurant we went to is right in the centre of the 'old town of Grenoble. And as you can see it is beautiful . . . 

I really love France - the people and countryside, food and wine are so beautiful. The only thing they don't do is vintage clothing - which is weird. There are absolutely no vintage clothing shops in Grenoble and only a relatively small number in Paris (and of those, they only have expensive 80s Chanel and not much else). But that is why etsy was invented - yay!

I hope you enjoyed that little look into French life and architecture. Stay tuned for a look at another meal out in a typical French brasserie next week!

Some great art deco New York hotels

I am back in Blogging world now after a short hiatus (or perhaps it was not so short) - sorry about that! I was away on a short vacation and then meeting a work deadline, so I am now able to get back to my first love - travel and vintage fashion! These are my last set of pics from my beloved New York, where I holidayed in May this year with my hubby. What a wonderful place. Our more recent vacation was to a mountain resort in the French Alps - lots of hiking (I did a 20 minute walk- that is my limit) and outdoor activities - not really my scene but my hubby loves that stuff and so I tag along (that is what marriage is about, non?!). I did say to him after a few days though 'I am sick of all this fresh air, I wish I was in New York')(!). So I am feeling very homesick posting about the Green Apple here . . .

This is one of my favourite sights of New York - a yellow cab and a classic old New York hotel.

I was really amazed by how many truly beautiful buildings there are in New York. I have chosen only two buildings here - two old-fashioned Art Deco hotels (in the sense that they have not been extensively renovated). The above 'New Yorker Hotel' is one I happened upon in a walk around the Macy's/Madison Square garden area of New York. I did not get a chance to look inside, but I must go back there on my next trip and have a Cosmo.

This is a better shot of that fabulous sign - I absolutely love that Art Deco font. Classic.

Now on to another old-world, Art Deco hotel, this time a stone's throw from Times Square: The Edison Hotel . . . 

Again that signage is sooooo wonderful. I should have written my PhD with that font. why didn't I???

Look at that classic Art Deco decoration. I would one day love to have an Art Deco house . . . sigh . . .

I would highly recommend this hotel by the way - they have the greatest diner ever - really old-fashioned and full of great characters - like something out of Seinfeld.  The diner does the best breakfasts and at incredibly good prices ($5 for OJ, coffee and toast - good for NY). They do a great bacon and eggs - well done, just the way I like it.

Although my hubby and I did not stay here (we stayed up the road at the Belvedere, which was also great), it has been recommended to me by a colleague and is very reasonable for NY standards. It does seem to get very busy though, so perhaps not a good choice if you want a quiet stay or you are a light sleeper. It is on 47th street so right in the heart of the city and in the middle of the theatre district. But the BEST thing ever is their cocktail bar, 'The Rum House' . . .

Again, this is an old-fashioned piano/cocktail bar which has live music most nights and great cocktails. We loved going here. On one night they had a young guy playing piano and it was right out of something from Billy Joel's 'Piano Man'. Fantastic. It apparently was closed for a number of years and was destined to be sold off but someone came along and restored it (in an old-fashioned way, not modern) and it seems very popular now. It regularly makes the 'best cocktail bars of New York' listings.

So there you are, my last post from New York. Next week I am giving you a glimpse of my life in France, with some great photos of the cobbled streets and old buildings of Grenoble and a pink vintage dress (because its all about the vintage really isn't it?!)

My 'Sex and the City tour' of New York

One of the highlights of my trip to New York was the 'Sex and The City hotspots'  tour I did with the 'On Location Tour company. I would highly recommend this tour, it was great fun. Our tour guide was clearly a big fan of the series and so knew it inside and out. It was great as we were shown snippets of the series in the bus as we went around the city and after we visited the various landmarks.

First up was the 'Pleasure Chest' where the gang all buy their 'rabbits'. I may, or may not, have bought one of my very own (that is between me and my rabbit!). It was really funny as the guide got the whole bus laughing and cheering about all the various naughty sex things on the series before our visit, but as soon as we got into the shop, they all went very quiet and shy (although I have to say there were a few things there that surprised even me in there!). Next stop was Buddakan Bar and Restaurant, which is featured in the first Sex and the City movie. It is where Carrie and Big's pre-wedding dinner is held. I am sooo not a fan of the SATC movies, but this restaurant was glorious and absolutely HUGE. It was reasonably priced as well, so it would be great to come back and pay it a visit if I come back to NY. I understand that it is only open for dinner so bear that in mind if you want to go.

Buddakan Restaurant NY. Above is the spectacular function room where Carrie and Big held their bid pre-wedding dinner. The restaurant was closed to the public when we made our visit (at lunch time).

Next stop was one of the sights I was dying to visit - The Magnolia Bakery. It didn't disappoint. It is tiny inside so there is no room to sit down, so you get your cupcakes to go. Their coffee is very nice too. The cupcakes and coffee are very reasonably priced and I have to say that the cupcakes were the BEST I have eaten. 

Magnolia Bakery NY.

 Apparently the store started as a 'Mom and Pop' operation but it was so popular it was bought up and now there are franchises all over America. The original store still retains charm and the staff were friendly.

The most delicious cupcakes - yuumm!

The icing was amazing. Being a home baker myself, I am fussy. But I thought these were pretty much perfect.

Some of the houses near Magnolia. I love the exteriors of these buildings and the iconic fire escapes.

Next stop was the bar owned by Aidan and Steve in the series, Scout (really a bar called O'Neals).

There we all enjoyed a nice Cosmo with the other lovely ladies from the tour . .

I have to say, as a big fan of the series, I really enjoyed this tour. It goes for 3 and a half hours, so you get to see many more sights than I have shown here. The above just really shows the main spots were the bus stops and you can get off to walk around.

I would have also have loved to have done the Seinfeld tour, but that does not start until the warmer weather in late May, so I just missed out. I am HUGE Seinfeld fan so that is another one for the wish book (and I good reason to save up to go back to my beloved New York!)

Bus tour: On Location Tour company (they also do other tours, like the Sopranos)

Duration: 3.5 hours

Price: $46 plus gratuity. Cupcake is free, Cosmo is $9.

A night out at the Carlyle NYC in a Houndstooth capelet

One of the best nights of my life was spent at the Carlyle Hotel during my recent stay in New York. For those who are not familiar with this beautiful hotel, it is a very understated, historic hotel in the 'Upper East Side' of New York (the fancy schmancy area).

But first of all, my hubby and I started the day with a bike ride through Central Park . . .

The Reservoir, Central Park NYC

I thought the above photo, whilst obviously not chic, was a funny way to illustrate what difference a nice hairdo, make up and vintage clothes make. I do not always dress up, particularly if I am going to be out and about exercising on a bike. My only concern in these cases is that I put lots of sunscreen on and have a hat. So it was nice in the evening to get dressed up for our trip to the Carlyle . . .

Pictured on the steps of the Post Office, New York

I look a little different here than the first picture, no?! Navy and red are one of my favourite colour combinations, the effect is striking and seems to suit my very fair complexion. I would like to get a pair of vintage red gloves to match, I think they would look better than the navy, but red vintage gloves are actually difficult to find (? not sure why?). I like capelets because they don't overpower my fairly petite frame (I am only 5 feet and a half so I have to be careful with full size capes).

Hailing a cab in true New York style. Did I mention how much I love New York??

Before I get to my night out, I'd better mention my outfit details before I forget . . .

Outfit details:

Pussy bow blouse ebay

Houndstooth capelet etsy - seller: Chiffonier

skirt: Vintage Lilli Ann ebay

Gloves Love Vintage fair, Australia

Shoes: Novo (an Australian store, bought 2 years ago so prob no longer in stock)

Handbag: etsy PhotographicAmy

hat: etsy VintageVoyce

Now on to my night out at the Carlyle . . . We went to see the most fabulous jazz trio led by the composer/pianist Earl Rose (called, funnily enough, the Earl Rose Trio). I would highly recommend this performance if you go to New York. At the time of writing, the trio had a permanent booking there each Sunday and Monday nights at 9/9.30. We hadn't actually heard of Earl Rose before, but he is actually quite a well-known composer of film and TV music. He is quite simply an astounding pianist. Both my husband and I play the piano and we were amazed by his piano playing. The other musicians were great as well. Together with a few great cocktails, we had one of the best nights of our life.

As you can see, the Carlyle is a lovely, understated hotel (which is how I like 'em). If you have been watching Season 5 of Mad Men, you may remember that when the Jaguar guy gets 'entertained' by the Mad Men regulars (Don, Pete and Roger), and the Jaguar guy drops the hint that he is in the mood for a little 'excitement', Pete Campbell says 'Well, we can go to the Carlyle, it always gets a bit crazy there' (or words to that effect). Soooo not what the Jaguar man had in mind (Roger, a little more astute and wordly, took him to a high class brothel!. The Carlyle just oozes class. Real old world class. I loved it.

Photo courtesy of http://www.carlyle.com/

Photo courtesy of http://www.carlyle.com/

I couldn't get a photo of Bemelman's bar, which is where the Earl Rose trio plays, but I got a photo of Cafe Carlyle, which is a 'rung above' Bemelman's Bar. Woody Allen plays regular gigs here, so check out the entertainment calendar on the Carlyle website if you would like to see him play (he plays with a band). I will warn you that tickets to this venue are much more expensive than Bemelman's Bar - I am BIG fan of Woody Allen but bar tickets were $135 and premium seating (at a table) $185. This doesn't include drinks or tips. So I decided not to do that in the end (!). Still, if you have the money, it would be a memorable night and I may try to do it if I go back to NYC.

Above photo courtesy of the JFK digital library

Lastly, I couldn't finish this post without mentioning the Kennedy connection. The Carlyle Hotel is actually a very historic venue. JFK and Jacqui were regular patrons, in fact JFK had an apartment in the hotel for a number of years. In the lobby there are photos of Jacqui and JFK coming out of the hotel through the revolving doors. The facade looks a bit different in the photo above as they have an awning over it for the visit. It is truly a classy place.

Details:

The Carlyle Hotel, 35 E. 76th Street at Madison Avenue, New York NY 10021

http://www.thecarlyle.com/
Look on their website for the entertainment calendar so you can plan your trip.

The Hell's Kitchen Flea Market, New York

I recently spent 6 fantastic days in New York - a city I absolutely love. It rained quite a bit whilst we were there (I went with my hubby), but fortunately there are heaps of things to do in NYC when the weather is bad.

On our first day it was sunny and quite warm so I decided to pay a visit to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market.  It is an open air market which runs every weekend - weather permitting (see further details at the end of the post).

The market is has an interesting mix of vintage clothes, bric a brac and memorabilia. When we went (at about 11am on a Sunday in May) it wasn't too crowded which was nice.

The market had lots of second hand, 80s and 90s clothes and a small-ish selection of what I call 'true vintage' - 50's and 60s stuff in particular. There were a few stalls which had a very nice collection of furs and I tried on a very nice brown fox fur capelet, but it was $125 and I didn't have that sort of cash on me (and I also thought that was quite steep for a flea market!), so I let that one go. I think that price wise, it is probably a bit more than I would like to pay for flea market goods, but it is stil fun to go and browe.

As you will see above, one stall had a very good selection of vintage wicker bags, which are a favourite of mine. As I already own about 8 of these (!) I didn't purchase any, but I thought they looked great and were in good condition. I am not sure how much they were, as when I looked inside some of them, there were no price tags.

Apart from vintage clothing, there were stalls with bric a brac.

There were some also very quirky things on sale - including a stall solely comprised of boxes of people's old photos. It was funny as there was a sign at that stall saying 'No photos permitted of the photos' (!).

My hubby spotted this interesting item at one stall - A Calibrated Absorber Set. What is that, you well may ask. My hubby did tell me on the day, but now I sort of forget. But from memory, it is a set of medical/scientific instruments that are used to do radiation treatment. By the look of it, it is from the 50s or 60s (?). It is amazing to see some of things which survive all these years.

Details

Hell's Kichen Flea Market is located on West 39th Street between 9th & 10th Avenues and open 9 AM – 5 PM every Saturday and Sunday all year long (weather pending).

Please see their website here for further details

Honest Ed's Famous Bargain Store in Toronto

The skyline of Toronto

I have just come back from two weeks in Toronto and New York. I had a fabulous time. It was my first time in Toronto and I really loved it. It has a great vibe and a great theatre precinct. I will be posting about my trip to New York in the next few weeks (including my review of the Sex and the City tour!), but for now, let me share with you one of the quirky shops in Toronto - 'Ed's Famous Bargains' . . .

I stumbled upon this store by accident, walking from my B&B one day in search for pho (the area is called Korea Town, and is full of great Asian restaurants). Its the type of store you don't see anymore (at least not in Australia). I love these old fashioned stores and this is one of the best I have ever seen.

Honest Ed's is actually named after the original owner, Ed Mirvish. He opened the store in 1948 and it was a huge success. You can read all about the history of the store on their website here.

As you can probably tell, it is a really quirky store - look at some of these slogans on the building - 'Honest Ed's repulsive, but his bargains are appealing!'. Classic. A bit more imaginative than 'Myer, My Store' (which is a department store in Australia).

The inside of the store is full of movie memorabilia and photos of famous people who have come into the store. It is a really fun place to shop. . . as the next photo reflects: 'Wasn't that fun!'.

It is a discount store, so it is definitely not the place to go for designer/high end merchandise, but it is great for toiletries (like sunscreen etc) and really good if you were furnishing a flat on a budget (lots of cheap china), but not great for clothes I would say. But who cares, it is chock-a-block full of character and well worth a visit if you are in Toronto. It is located close to a subway stop, not far from the city. Directions are here.

Stay tuned for some posts on New York next week!

A pussy bow blouse in France

I am having a lovely time living in France. The weather is still a little cold here (even though technically its Spring!). So last night when we went to a party I made sure I was warm and wore a cream pussy bow blouse and a wool jacket with a nice fur collar . . .

Photo taken on the balcony of our apartment in Grenoble, in the French Alps. My little 3 year old (actually almost 4 year old) boy is pictured to the right. He is a real handful but a very affectionate and loving little boy.

The food in France is, as you would imagine, absolutely fantastic. There is a boulangerie/pattisserie only 5 minutes walk away from me which sells the most amazing baguettes and desserts. Pictured above is my favourite dessert from the store - chocolate tart. I have taken up bike riding to help me compensate for all the calories I am having every day. Although many French woman do eat alot of carbs as they have baguettes every day, they also eat a lot of fruit, vegetables and salads so I think this is why it is said that 'French women do not get fat'. I noticed also that there are far less processed foods in the supermarkets - so not as many pre-prepared meals and far fewer snacks and crisps. The food here is also quite reasonably priced (at least compared to Australia) so it is possible to eat very well for not a lot of money.  I love food and wine so it is like paradise to me!

Au revoir for the moment from France.

Outfit details

cream pussy bow (from the 70's I would say?) - Thrifted/Op shop in Melbourne

1960's wool jacket with fur collar (I bought this thinking it was fake fur as I do not normally buy furs, but I have since been told it is real) - Ebay Australia

Skirt Sussan's, a women's shop in Australia purchased many years ago (the shop now only sells cheap, ill-fitting clothes)

Shoes - Homy Peds from Chemist in Glen Waverley, Melbourne (they are orthopaedic ones for 'elderly ladies' but they are so comfortable!)