New York is one of the most captivating cities in the world and it is especially magical at the holidays.  The sparkles, the crazies, the nut cases, the lights, the cacophony of city sounds, the mix of tourist and locals…….its all there.

 I never tire of spending a few days in NYC during December and always see stuff I don’t see at home in my perfectly charming Midwestern town.

 Where else might I  see Spiderman directing traffic as I walk to see a Broadway play about , hmmmm, kinky red boots?  It’s great to see the characters in Times Square  pitching themselves as photo opps to tourists,  but a woman in very conservative almost “old lady “ suit sporting pink hair, caught my eye.  I’m afraid I stared at her in amazement. Who is she and why does she have pink hair? Hmmm.  Maybe I should try that.

 The decorations are great–some familiar and comforting in their consistency, but  I always see something new. This year I was captivated with the windows at Barney’s on Madison.  No effort at all to sell anything.  All Art.  Hypnotic. Otherworldly.

I couldn’t miss the  huge map making me think of our son’s business venture–J-Storm Urban Maps.  Click here to read about what he does and you’ll see what I mean.

The windows and outside walls of Tiffany’s were especially nice.  I liked the way the theme of the windows is repeated on the exterior surfaces.  It was elegant and understated as opposed to the the huge walls of glittery stuff on some of their competitors.

 Another Fifth Avenue store featured caricatures of  celebrities–literary and other.  I loved the graphic design.

We found a new app to be helpful.  When I noticed this building on Central Park South with interesting ornamentation  near the top, my husband looked it up on Field Trip and immediately found that The Gainsborough Studio building was  an original artists cooperative constructed in the early 1900s.   This app is terrific because it tells you what is right around  you with lots of details and history.  It’s great for folks like us who are very curious.

 Caught a couple of museum exhibits–Magritte at MOMA,  technically driven art at Museum of Art and Design and my fav, Queer Fashion from Closet to Catwalk at FIT.  For a former fashion writer like me, that was a real treat.  Great examples of fabulous creations.

When it was time to leave, we said good bye to our Art Deco hotel–a treasure on its own merit if you are passionate about the design theme popular during the 1920s.  While I didn’t get his picture I enjoyed observing a gentleman setting off to a splendid party in a red sequined  dinner jacket.  I imagined him being a friend of F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Or maybe he was the piano player at some elegant soiree.  Don’t know but he was fabulous….one of those memories I’ll keep to myself.  I was sorry to see him leave…..and I was sorry to say good bye to the Big Apple and head for home.

 For more Holiday Scenes in New York City Click here.   Or Here.