Home Again - NYC Trip Part 1

I’m back and feeling extremely relaxed and refreshed! Despite the anxiety I had before phantom about leaving my son and husband on their own for the weekend, they both did really well and I’m really happy and grateful to my husband for encouraging me to go. I got to catch up with my friend Y and have the best girly weekend I could have asked for! I took a million photos on my phone so there’s lots to share, but I might have to break it up into several posts so that it’s not a novel! My apologies in advance for the vertical format of the videos, they were recorded on my phone as livestories on Instagram and I just didn't have time to do horizontal versions as well. Maybe next trip! In any case, something is better than nothing, so let’s get into it!

~Friday is Travel Day~

I arrived in NYC at around 5:30pm. It was quite hot but I had prepared for that by traveling in a tank top with a scarf. When I was chilly from the AC I had the scarf around my shoulders and it was perfect, but when I stepped out into the blazing heat I just took my scarf off and looped it securely around my tote’s handles. Voila; going from cold to hot was no problem and was able to breeze around looking unruffled as I found my way to the nearest subway station. Convenience aside, I was extra glad that I only had a tote and a purse because I'm pretty sure I didn’t look like a tourist at all- I certainly didn't feel like one. As proof of this, I present the fact that nobody selling tickets to comedy shows or carriage rides in the park (or anything else really) tried to stop me as I was walking.

Even though my stay was only going to be 2 full days and 2 half days, I bought a 7 day unlimited ride Subway pass so that I'd be able to move freely about the city without worrying about subway or bus fare. Even though I haven't lived in Manhattan for nearly 7 years now (and haven't visited at all for 5 years), it took me next to no time at all to orient myself. I hopped on the train uptown to my friend Y's neighborhood, and we quickly found eachother. It was so good to see her again! Although she's visited me twice since my son was born, it has been at least a year or more since I last saw her in person and it was really good to see her again. We've been chatting a long time now about me coming to stay with her for a few days (such a sweet and generous invitation) and the Memorial Day weekend was the perfect opportunity. In the space of about 5 minutes I was unpacked and changed into comfy pants (another pro to packing light- it's a cinch to get settled in!) and we had a very relaxing evening talking and catching up. The sunset view from her balcony was especially lovely, and over the course of the weekend I went out there more than once to enjoy the city sounds and ambiance.

~Saturday Morning at Tiffany's~

My one concrete plan for this day was to meet up with my friend J for lunch downtown. Other than that, there was nothing specific on schedule. Y and I both love the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, and we both adore Tiffany jewelry, so it didn't take us long to decide to spend the morning at the 5th Avenue Tiffany flagship store. We had a quick breakfast, got ourselves ready and prepared to face the scorching day. The temperatures were quickly rising (it literally felt like it was 90 degrees) so we dressed lightly- I had packed a denim skirt so I naturally gravitated towards that. However, I didn't want to wear the same white tank top that I had traveled in so I settled for the grey striped 3/4 sleeve shirt. BIG mistake; I definitely should've gone for the tank top again, I would have been much more comfortable. As it was, I am really grateful that Y loaned me a wide brimmed hat to shield me from the sun! We got off at the Columbus Circle stop and walked to Tiffany's on Madison and 5th Avenue.

The flagship Tiffany store is enormous- 6 floors of Tiffany goodness to explore! On the ground floor were some dazzling displays of very ornate statement jewelry... the kind of thing I imagine A-listers get loaned for red-carpet premiers and only royalty could afford to actually buy. The sparkle was so intense that it was actually really difficult to take a picture of the pieces on my phone- most of my snaps just look like one big blob of sparkles and light! This was the best shot I got of a particularly brilliant and intricate necklace and earrings set.

In the middle of the floor was a walk-through display styled like a greenhouse, showcasing the new Tiffany Paper Flowers collection. It was a little overwhelming to see so many beautiful pieces draped so cunningly over and around Tiffany flowerpots and other pieces of their Everyday Objects collection. The Tiffany bicycle in one corner of the greenhouse was very charming indeed, and overall the entire showcase was gorgeous to walk through and experience being surrounded on all sides by delicate little flowers that sparkled with such brilliance. I wish I could've stopped to admire it more slowly and in more detail, but honestly you could spend an hour in that small display alone, not to mention the rest of the floor.

However, the elevators beckoned- Y and I had decided that while at Tiffany's we should get some of our pieces steam cleaned, a complimentary service that Tiffany offers for all their jewelry (even the most affordably priced sterling silver item is welcome!) So we headed up to Customer Service on the 6th floor, and all the while the elevator attendant made sure each guest in the elevator got exactly where they needed to go. I thought this was a very thoughtful touch, considering how dizzying the ground floor is; it would be easy to get overwhelmed (or intimidated!) and perhaps find yourself confused as to where exactly you needed to go. The numerous friendly staff and the elevator attendants made sure that could never happen.

Once at the 6th floor, we signed in with the front desk after explaining our mission and we were invited to sit in the lounge while we waited for our names to be called. Not 5 minutes had passed when my name was called and I followed the employee to her desk which was at the end of the row of desks (each discretely partitioned from the next) where she took inventory of my pieces. We talked for a little bit about some potential repairs or polishing, but in the end I decided to just get my items cleaned. All my jewelry was in very good condition overall and it would make more sense to wait until they became more heavily scratched before paying for polishing (which would remove all scratches but would also remove a small amount of silver as well). As my items were taken into the back to be steam cleaned, I was approached by another Tiffany employee who offered me a beverage while I waited! Yet another thoughtful gesture, and considering the incredibly hot day I was very happy to accept a glass of water. Unsurprisingly, my water was served in a rather posh Tiffany lead-crystal glass. :)

In no time at all my jewelry was returned to me, along with a few new pouches to store them so that my newly-cleaned items wouldn't rub against each other. As Y was also finished getting her pieces cleaned, we left the Customer Service department feeling hydrated and sparkly. At this point I still had about an hour before I was due to meet my friend J for lunch, so we decided to linger and browse for a while.

On our way back to the elevators I paused to take a brief photo of the Tiffany perfume display, which I also spritzed on a tester slip to smell. Tiffany & Co Eau de Parfum was launched in late 2017, and while I had seen it advertised on Instagram, Youtube, and the various magazines, I had never smelled it. I'm happy to report that it smelled lovely- very fresh and clean. I wish I had an actual sample of it to smell as I write this description now in order to give a more detailed and precise description of the fragrance, but I can definitely say that my impression of it on Saturday was very positive. And the bottle is beautiful!

We proceeded down to the 4th floor, which was the Homewares Department. Literally everywhere you looked was something interesting- china, sterling silver baby items, fine leather goods, paper weights, pet items, scarves, sunglasses... it would be impossible to photograph everything on this floor in the roughly 15 minutes or so I spent there!

The leather goods were interesting to see, as I've actually never seen a Tiffany bag or other non-jewelry fashion accessory out in the wild. I often see people wearing various Tiffany jewelry pieces, but I've never spotted a bag or a scarf or even sunglasses. The bags looked quite nice and of course the Tiffany blue makes them stand out. Otherwise the designs themselves were pretty simple and unfussy, maybe because they wanted the famous Tiffany blue shade to be the focal point of each piece.

I was very happy to see the sunglasses display, where I tried on several pairs of their sunglasses. For a while now I've been eyeing the Tiffany Victoria sunglasses in black but you know what? When I tried them on I decided they actually didn't suit me as well as my current Franco Sarto sunglasses.

The shape of the Victoria glasses on the left is very similar to my sunglasses on the right (sort of a rounded larger cat-eye shape), which probably explains why I was drawn to them in the first place, but I distinctly preferred my own as they were a little smaller overall and suited the size of my face better. Kind of a relief actually, as Tiffany's version costs $340 and mine were only $30! It's not often that I genuinely prefer the less expensive option, so I'm really happy that I got the opportunity to try the Victoria sunglasses on before trying to purchase them sight unseen! I do sort of wish that I had liked the Tiffany version as well, because that pop of blue on the inside is gorgeous and I really like the crystal ornaments on the sides. Maybe I can buy another pair of the Franco Sarto's and do a little bedazzling myself, as a fun DIY project...

The Paper Flowers collection was displayed throughout this department too, alongside the Tiffany flowerpots which I thought were unexpectedly cute. I very much wonder if anyone would actually plant real flowers in them, considering they cost $95 each for a single 6" one, or two 4" pots, or three 3" pots, or if they get purchased mostly as novelty pen/trinket holders. 

The pet accessories were pretty cool too- imagine Tiffany blue leashes and collars with palladium tags, or Tiffany blue food and water bowls for your pooch! Is it completely extra and unnecessary? Yes, undoubtedly so. But we think nothing of spending hundreds (or thousands) on accessorizing ourselves, our children, our homes, our cars; it doesn't surprise me at all that there's a market of very high end pet accessories for the pampered pooches of the world. I'm almost halfway seriously considering a blue collar for my own little pup... And yes, Tiffany does also sell stainless steel tags that you can engrave with 3 initials: doggy bone, fire hydrant, or the classic Tiffany heart tag. It's a little disappointing that you can only get 3 letters on these tags, so you'd still need a proper tag with your pet's name and address, but I still think they're very cute overall!

I love horses so this massive 27-inch tall sterling silver trophy immediately caught my eye. Wikipedia has a whole little article on it; the trophy is presented to Belmont winners for ceremonial purposes only and afterwards return to Tiffany's. The winners get to keep a silver engraved plaque instead. I couldn't believe how enormous this piece is in real life- I can only imagine how much it must weigh!

The tower of Tiffany blue luggage pieces was very commanding, and the tiny little sterling silver chinese takeout container was a funny little thing to spot. Apparently, it's a pillbox! There was so so so much more on this floor that I barely got to glance at, let alone photograph. I could easily have spent 2 hours here, or even more if I was really focusing on each piece and touching everything.

As it was, I found myself feeling pressed for time as the agreed-upon hour for my lunch date with J was quickly approaching. So with one last admiring look (I just had to take a quick snap of the view out one of the windows!) we left the 4th floor and decided to head down to the 2nd floor (sterling silver) for just a little peek before leaving.

Instead of taking the elevator again, this time we used the stairwell, which actually turned out to be just as thoughtfully designed as the rest of Tiffany's. Wide stairs with an easy rise, beautiful wall sconces to provide just the right amount of light (not to bright or harsh, but not too dim either) and lovely glass panels at each end of the stairs that featured what looked like an art-deco design. 

The 2nd floor was full of everything sterling silver, although there were also gold, rose gold, and rubedo items on display, as well as plenty of diamonds sprinkled liberally throughout. I honestly didn't get to browse even 1/10th of what was on display on this floor, but what little I did take in was very pretty. I feel very inspired by a few of the items I saw- sometimes there's nothing like seeing a piece in person to really make an impression!

The Paloma Picasso Olive Leaf Tassel Necklace in Rose Quartz definitely caught my eye- of course, because it's pink, but also because of how beautifully the tassel seemed to be made. The beads gradually go from smaller to larger, which is a really subtle detail that you might not even notice at first glance but I bet it makes a huge difference in how the pieces lays and moves when worn. I can't imagine spending anything close to $1k on a silver necklace, but gosh it was pretty! I also really liked the pearl version, although one mustn't be greedy...

I was also rather taken with the Paloma Picasso Loving Hearts necklace in sterling silver, which priced at $225 is a much more reasonable and achievable item if I put my mind to it. This design is also available with a diamond in the center for $400 in sterling silver, or $875 in 18k yellow gold or 18k rose gold. Out of sheer practicality, the sterling silver diamond-free version seems like the one I'm most likely to ever own (if at all!) but the extra little sparkle of the diamond in the center of the design really was very charming and beautiful. Despite my preference for rose-gold hues, I think over the past couple months I've actually re-connected with my silver jewelry and I really enjoy wearing silver again. Of course it's nice that I don't have to limit myself to just one metal, and mixing my  silver and rose colored jewelry let's me enjoy everything!

There is also a set of matching Loving Hearts earrings, currently available only in sterling silver, for $225. I never gave this design much thought when browsing the Tiffany website but I really liked these earrings (and the matching necklace) when I saw them in person. They look dainty, elegant, and I love their flowing symmetry. And of course how can I not love anything featuring a heart motif? The more I think about it, the more I feel like these two must inevitably be added to my Tiffany wishlist! 

At this point I really really had to get going, otherwise I would be very very late to lunch indeed! We left the store and separated, agreeing to meet up back home after I was done catching up with J. As I walked away from Tiffany's , I took a quick passing shot of this Dolce & Gabbana window display that really spoke to me (considering my love of all things floral, floaty, and feminine) before noticing in horror that somehow in just 3 hours or so I had managed to drain my phone's battery from fully charged down to 19%! And I still had to navigate to the restaurant where J would be waiting for me, as well as navigate back uptown to Y's apartment after I was done. Feeling pressured both by my dying phone battery and the oppressive heat, I scurried down into the subway once more and tried to keep my phone as inactive as possible to conserve what remained of my battery life.

~~~

And here I will stop for now, because this post is insanely long and photo heavy! Part 2 will be coming shortly!

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