Hello Hello!!

I'm back with one of my very long travel posts.. There are a few photos of a fabulous fabric store in the middle, and beautiful sewn crafts towards the end but it's mostly lots of building and sightseeing photos of a fabulous city.


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In the meantime, I'm planning to bring my old school blog back to life! I've been having such fun adventures in recent times so expect captivating stories about my travels, slices of life, and other delightful bits and pieces. I can't wait to share my recent experiences with you.


Make a cup of tea and settle in ... we're off to New York!!


At the beginning of March, Mr Daisy and I flew to New York. I do a lot of travelling by myself so its always a treat to fly with Mr D!! The 22 hour flight was cruisy except for the change over at LA when we had to run as fast as we could with 4 big suitcases and our carry-on cases all the way to the other end of the airport to catch a connecting flight. Luckily the next flight was delayed so we made it. 

We arrived in New Jersey at sunset so our Uber ride into Manhattan along the Turnpike was like the opening scene of the Sopranos. 

After settling into our hotel room, and going for a walk in the area to stretch our legs and soak up the sights and sounds of the Financial District where we were staying  neighbourhood we celebrated being in Manhattan by drinking Manhattan cocktails. 

The next morning - Like waking up in a dream - New York!!
Morning coffee!
You can see by Mr D's clothes the weather was brisk!! We wore in thermals, sweaters, puffa coats, hats and gloves! Admittedly our first day wasn't as cold , but later in the week it was snowing. 

New York is famous for its buildings, and they are impressive and beautiful characters, nestled amongst each other, reaching for the sky. 

Getting outside and walking is the best way to get over jet lag so we began our day with a stroll over the Brooklyn Bridge and back. 





It was a beautiful sunny morning, casting long shadows.



Next we jumped on the subway and headed uptown... 
It was early on Sunday morning so we had the carriage to ourselves.

Some bright colour seen along the way.

We made our way to the Empire State Building. 

 A perfect place to go on our first day to get an overall view of the city we were staying in. 


There were some fun photos opportunities.  
Mr D likes to monkey around.

Back on the ground.

With a visit to Starbucks for refreshments.

Next on the agenda was a Circle Line tour. A boat ride around Manhattan Island while a tour guide pointed out the sights and landmarks of the city, it's history and other interesting facts. The tour went for a few hours and was a great introduction to a fascinating place.
We found that we remembered facts and figures that we learnt on this tour, during the rest of our visit in New York.

We floated past the impressive Statue of Liberty!!


And went under several bridges. 


Back on land and more walking. New York is so great for just wandering around. The numbered streets help stop you from getting lost and there are always interesting things to see along the way. 



We stopped to eat at a fabulous Thai restaurant with cocktails sprinkled with chilli. They added a summery warmth to a cold day. 


Fed and determined to see as much as we could, we were soon back on the street and walked for miles through Times Square, past lots of interesting buildings and beyond.

Wallking...

until we got to Central Park.


I often wander why I don't take more photos of things that we see on my travels to share later, but I guess I'm busy being there in the moment. In Central Park we watched buskers, saw people selling arts and crafts in a little market, New Yorkers strolling and sitting, walking dogs, playing ball. There were lines of Hot Dog vans, and other fast food. Mr D got a giant pretzal to nibble on as we wandered around. 







We walked until the sun started setting and it was time to call it a day. 
And what a day it had been!! - we'd walked over bridges, gone underground in the subway, climbed tall buildings, travelled on a boat and walked miles and miles. 

The next morning we were up bright and early and ready for another sightseeing adventure. We started by wandering through Chelsea Market. 

We were there before it had really opened but there were stores getting ready for a busy day. 
This is just a few photos of different things that caught my eye. 







After Chelsea we walked along the Highline. This is a train track that has been turned into a walking path with gardens, sitting areas and art installations. It is elevated so has interesting views of buildings and streets below it.  
The gardens were still in their bare dormant winter state. 



but there were little burst of spring popping up here and there.

Always lots of interesting buildings.

And happy art  





Fabulous views of the streets.

And more interesting buildings.




Its always fun to see quilt inspiration and patterns in tiles. 




We'd walked the length of the Highline and headed to MOMA art gallery, and saw lots of art along the way. 

In the window of a pizza shop.

Clever street art


A little heart. 

A good reminder.

And decoration at our feet.

We stopped at a wonderful Button Shop called Lou Lou Buttons.

With never ending walls of buttons!!

And entertaining shop owners. They started listing all the famous people who had their buttons and movies and famous outfits that featured their buttons. I loved this guys Superman sweater.


More buttons in another window display.

And I was fascinated to see a boutique shop selling bricks!! 

A beautiful chocolate shop. 




We finally made it to MOMA. - the Museum of Modern Art. 
And saw some very modern art.

Does anyone else think that this looks like a dancing elephant? 

Mr Daisy looking at art...






I should add that I was very disappointed that the Museum of Folk Art was closed while we were there. It opened a few days after we left with an exhibition of quilts that would have been amazing to see. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be.

Its always fun to see dog owners that look like their dogs.

New York's famous yellow taxis.

Me as a butterfly! Rugged up in layers of warm clothes!!

The famous HOPE sculpture.

One of my favourite building experiences was walking through the Oculus the gateway and shopping area of the World Trade Center. It was like being in a giant white ark and strangely for a shopping center, it felt was peaceful and had a reverent strong feeling.  



I've just found this information about it : 

"This aesthetic transportation hub not only welcomes those visiting the World Trade Center, but serves as a representation of New York City’s strength and resilience after 9/11. Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the Oculus resembles a dove leaving a child’s hands. Every year, on the anniversary of the attacks, the sun shines directly through the skylight and illuminates the main hall."

It was incredibly moving being at the World Trade Center and remembering 9/11. especially seeing a large sphere sculpture that had been saved from the rubble and re erected in its crushed state as a memorial of those who died on Sept 11. 



Nearby these beautiful Witchhazel bushes were glowing in the sunshine. A beautiful herald of spring and optimism. 



The next day we woke up to snow flakes floating past the hotel window. 

Mr Daisy went to his work conference and I stayed inside where it was warm and cosy.

This is a photo of Mr Daisy in the bottom corner on the street looking up at our hotel. 

I spent the day catching up on emails.

and a bit of sewing - I had a few Yo-Yo hexie blocks to add and then attached the hanging sleeve on the back of my Daisy-Mae Yo-Yo Hexie quilt. 


On the mornings that weren't snowing we'd get up early we'd go for walks and explore different areas before Mr Daisy had to go to work.










When I showed some of these photos on instagram a popular question was where are all of the people? After all New York is a bustling hustling city! 
Well, it was early! Mr D and I were still a bit on Aussie time so up super early and we made the most of it with morning adventures. 
Secondly- it was cold!!! Brrrr. Not so pleasant for locals who live there to be out. They can wait for warmer days to enjoy their city.
Plus I often snap photos without people because, let's face it, when people are in the frame they tend to steal the spotlight. Sometimes it's more about capturing the beauty of composition and scenery.

I especially enjoyed taking photos of buildings, and how they looked layered together, with their shadows and reflections in the windows adding different dimension.





I was fascinating by this building. I think the facade was sliced marble creating beautiful patterns. 

It was still being built so had building works around it. 




On another day we went to the Garment District where there are lots of fabric shops, and showrooms and shops full of colourful trims and more! You know you're there when you see the giant button and needle sculpture.


And statue of a tailor. 

There were lots of fabric shops I could have visited but the one that most people recommended was Mood Fabrics. Primarily a dress fabric shop, there was 3 levels with every type of fabric you could ever want!!

The entrance...

Opened on a room of colour and fabric as far as the eye could see!!
















In the end I didn't buy anything partly because it was overwhelming! It would be great if you knew what you wanted and went looking for it. 
Also my suitcases were packed full to their maximum weight full of quilts to be shared on the rest of my trip in the US. 

After all the fabric fondling we needed a boost so we found a cafe that turned out to be the favourite cafe of our trip. Silly me didn't get a good photo of the inside but here is its sign in case anyone is visiting the Garment District and would like to try New York's Best Cookies!




On our merry way again, with a stop off at Grand Central Station. Mr Daisy wasn't sure why we were going out of our way to see a station , but he understood when we arrived. 


Beautiful constellation painted on the ceiling!



We saw a building that had a tunnel! The Hemsley Building. 

Neatly trimmed trees. 

And then - The Met Museum!

With beautiful flowers in the foyer, a gift from a generous benefactor who left money in her will for several floral arrangements to decorate the museums foyer every week. 


This light filled atrium was huge!! It was beautiful to see the sky reflected in the water too. 


We saw rooms full of amazing artifacts, statues, furniture and suits of armour but I ended up taking a series of photos of funny portraits.






How pretty are these plates, for their colours, and the mind boggles at skill needed to paint the tiny scenes and flourishes. 

Back on the street and we saw a giant pink stretch hummer and wondered who the super star inside was? 

To finish off the day we had dinner in colourful China Town.

The next day we went to Greenwich Village. 
We were on a search for the best Reuban Sandwich in New York, and reviews had led us to the Court Street Grocers. It was lucky that we knew which sandwich we wanted other wise I would have had a hard time choosing - they all looked extra delicious.

I loved Greenwich Village for a fun colourful vibes. We were there in the morning but I can imagine it really coming to life in the evenings. 


We had a piece of giant artichoke pizza!! The pizza guy kindly cut it in half for us. 





We were walking along and came to a corner where there were crowds taking photos of this building. 
It turns out its the building from the TV series " Friends". 



We visited the Whitney Museum and saw more intriguing art. 


People often ask if we saw any Broadway Shows - we didn't, but one evening we went to Birdland, the legendary jazz club. 



It was the only night that we went out on the town. It was great to see the city lit up with lights and lots of people enjoying them selves. We walked past lots of broadway shows and through Times Square that was full of busking performers and people dressed as giant soft toys and disney characters. 




Another fine day... I love that New York is the sort of place that you'll see a church at the end of a street. 

The New York Stock Exchange!

I spied some seahorses on a building. 

Finally we come to one of the highlights of my trip - The Museum of the Native American. 

This room was breathtaking! Huge and ornate! with painted murals on the curved ceiling. 

And then there are the exhibits. So many amazing and beautiful works. These are just a mere few photos. 
This museum is a must-see for anyone interested in textiles and craft. 






It was our last afternoon in New York and we were chatting about how we'd eaten lots of the specialty local food, but we hadn't had bagels. All of a sudden in front of us was a The Rainbow Bagel shop! Being adventurous foodies we had to try them!



A fun range of schmears!!

We shared a rainbow bagel with peanut butter schmear..  or was it blueberry.. I can't remember. However I do remember it being really yummy, The bagel tasted just like a bagel and not too "rainbowy"! 


We started our New York adventure with a Manhatten cocktail so it made sense to finish it with another one and a toast to the wonderful city that had charmed us with its magic for our 10 day stay. 


Next stop - Florida!!! 
Hooley Dooley!!! How was that for a trip?!!
Stay tuned for the next exciting post that will have more much more sewing with colourful workshops and an extra special visit to meet an amazing quilter!