A Sunday in New York...

Times Square

...is like a normal Monday in any European city - shops are open and people strolling around. I so enjoy being here and shopping from morning to evening... I just hardly can get enough ;).

However, it was a personal kind of duty for me to visit at least one of the few museums New York offers and so my decision fell on the Museum of Modern Arts. Ironically, German (AND Austrian wohoo) Expressionism is one of the galleries they currently run and it was refreshing to see something different from price tags, supersales and latest collections in shops. This is something, which my parents always wanted me to take on from them: No matter which city you are currently staying in - always do something culturally, which you will really keep in mind as a memory. Shops and restaurants are enjoyable, fun and probably satisfying enough but they change and so there will be replaced. Cultural "hotspots" like MoMa or the Guggenheim stay, they feed with real inspiration and knowledge. 

My absolute favourite of all the galleries was definitely the one with contemporary artists mostly consisting of the beloved Andy Warhol. Of course my shirt matched perfectly to this visit ;).

Having spent the whole morning at different galleries of MoMA, 5th Avenue was the nearest target to fulfill although I must say that I haven't found anything special down there. Maybe this can be excused with my exhaustion but seeing Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta and the 50th Prada store  was boring after all. Moreover, I'm wondering who the hell is still in need of Abercrombie&Fitch stuff as being part of the basic clothing! There was HUGE queue around half of the block! Who is still doing that? It must have been a group from somewhere they still celebrate stone age times. (Just for information: I was the biggest A&F victim you could find in Europe until onlineshopping was discovered and each brat was wearing the elk on her left breast. I still love the things I have but no need to buy new things.)  No wonder that Bergdorf Goodman was the perfect place to relax a little during lunch and we were lucky to get seated right at one of the windows releasing a wonderful view over the beginning of Central Park and the (surely) most expensive flats of New York. 

After this, I visited the Times Square for the first time and got disappointed. Not the appearance but the atmosphere reminded me of Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles being full of fake and tourists like my parents and me. As a result it took me exactly 10 minutes to see this place and then hopping on the next taxi bringing me back to Broadway. 

The evening program was filled with the Spice Market in Meatpacking District, which was once again a real taste-orgasm. I wish such delicious food would exist anywhere in Germany but no the only thing you will be able to find is turkish doner kebab. Such a shame. Asian people, please invade Germany and move the others away .. nobody wants to eat falafel and all that nasty stuff. It is time for some real curries, dumplings and pad thais!!! 

I'm already a little lugubrious since our flight is in some hours (still there will be time to make sure that I have everything Victoria's Secret is meanwhile offering). Although New York is so run down, a part of my heart is dedicated to this city. 

For information: 

Visit at MoMA including German Expressionism, Picasso, lovely Frida, Monet and Andy. 

Lunching at Bergdorf Goodman's 7th floor with an amazing sight. 

Times Square.

Dinner at Spice Market. 

Saturday in New York!

SoHo 

Although I'm currently in the city that never sleeps, my jetlag tired me such a lot that I couldn't help it and therefore fell asleep the moment I got into my hotelroom. Therefore, my posts are a little later than expected but since it is just 6 o' clock in the morning here, I hope you forgive me.

Having had an exhausting shopping-day, I must say that New York is still one of the most amazing places one can be. However, and I hope that the New York loving readers don't take it personally, I recognized a few things that made me hold on to my number 1 on my "favourite city list" and this is (unfortunately) not New York. No doubt about the fact that New York is still vibrating, pulsating, breathtaking and different from any other city in the entire world, but somehow I got the impression that the credit crunch hit NYC more than expected. Not that I'm interested in how high street quality is (no, seriously not), I must tell that streets are recognizably neglected. The last time I saw such huge potholes was when I visited Cuba and without wanting to leave you with the impression that I'm complaining about being here (HELLO, IT'S STILL NEW YORK), it's a little sobering. In comparison to London, it's all a little dirty, messy and battered. In a city like Hong Kong, you would never see anything being completely run-down, if it's not currently under construction or a little suburbian slum and furthermore the skyline does not look that impressive if you ever visited some Asian metropolis. 

And here, I will stop talking about these little peanuts, that I picked out from a city that offers you the highest shopping possibilities, restaurant density and difference in people on such a space like Manhattan. 

Living downtown, I guess that I chose the definite cool place to stay. Who cares about uptown, Park Avenue, granny-hotels like the Waldorf if you can witness photoshoots for the next Vogue issue right in 

front of your door and getting involved in the openings of the latest cool shops in the Meatpacking District?! 

Thanks to my Jetlag, I got up at a time where just investment bankers and garbage collectors seem to be awake, which made me see the broadway completely lonely and forlorn. 

At a later point of that day, I spotted Annie Leibovitz (OH YES ..!) back in Soho while we were wondering whether The Mercer kitchen offers something special because of the huge crowds being inside (I suppose it is always the same procedure every Saturday). 

After a long, exciting (shopping-)day, I finally returned to my beloved Asia De Cuba at the Morgans uptown for dinner (I already found myself in withdrawals of the amazing Asia De Cuban Calamari Salad). 

Overall, I thank my parents for being able to offer me such a broad variance of experiences I can make! I hope I will be able to make it to the same places later in life and I'm more than thankful, honored and full of joy that I'm allowed to go with them to such trips! 

For information: 

Pictures showing my lovely view from the bed. 

The Mondrian Soho.

The entrance of Mondrian Soho.

Streetlife downtown.

Asia De Cuba at Morgans Hotel with its delicious thai beef salad, cuban bbq chicken, lobster mash and an absolute crazy lobster pad thai with a great lobster fresh from Boston ;). 

Last picture showing New York from my window at night! 

Oh and sorry for the lack of picture-editing (I already cut down from 200 something .. ;)). 

Hello New York City!

It's nearly midnight and although I have just slept for two hours in my seven-hours-flight I could not resist uploading all the pictures I shot so far.  

Not that much, I know, but still I wanted to leave you with some of my first impressions. My camera ran out of battery, that's why I mostly shot during dinner at the restaurant, which belongs to the hotel I'm staying. 

Additionally, I just got to know Prutha, founder of the fashionblog http://donotshoeme.blogspot.com/! You have to check out her blog - authentic and personal. She is a wonderful person and I'm happy that I got the chance to meet her! Thank you again for taking your time. :) 

For information: 

First pictures showing the amazing view from my bed with New York City in my neck and in front;)

A huge lustre, raw tuna, softshell crab and other delicious stuff at the Mondrian's restaurant, the Imperial No. Nine.  (and don't worry I have not eaten all these nice things by myself ;) it's this great sharing concept, which more and more restaurants tend to have and which i love!)

Can't wait to wake up in a few hours to get to know this city a little more. Good night!