New York, New York!

Roughly a month ago Cassie and I went on a trip to New York City for a weekend.  It was my first trip and I was excited.  I'd never been to a large city before, let alone one the size of NYC.  A relative is currently living there so she was our guide throughout the city.

We drove 4 hours through a snow storm to catch our plane and after a whole day of travelling (not to mention a several hour delay in Chicago), we finally arrived at our hotel in mid-town Manhattan.

Tired but excited to start exploring.

click photos to enlarge

We stayed up late checking out some of the sights including Times Square, which was pretty neat to see at night.

Along with Grand Central Station (it's still big and beautiful on its 100th birthday)...

...and seeing the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building from a distance.

The next day we had a full day of exploring before we went to "Newsies" on Broadway in the evening.  I felt like dressing up a bit and went out in the rain in my red plaid sports coat, gray flannel trousers, and an ascot. I received several positive comments about my kit.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

I was able to hit some thrift/vintage shops on this day.  I'll tell you, thrifting in NYC is very different from thrifting where I live in the Midwest.  There are a lot more shops and vintage pieces from which to choose, but prices are sky-high.  I was, however, able to snag two 1940s sports coats at a Salvation Army for a decent price.

The next day we wandered downtown and hopped the Staten Island ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

We then made a stop at Ground Zero and the nearly completed Freedom Tower...

...before visiting the Empire State Building...

...and my favorite, the Chrysler Building.  While the Empire State Building is great, the Chrysler Building is Art Deco perfection.  It has wings and eagle heads, goodness' sake!

While at the Empire State Building we stumbled upon Cheap Jack's Vintage.  I'd heard of Cheap Jack's before, or should I say, heard of its reputation, but even so took a look inside.  Cheap Jack's, contrary to what you might think, is not cheap.  

Selection at Cheap Jack's isn't bad for men's items except for hats (they've been pretty thoroughly picked through).  There are plenty of suits from many different eras as well as leather jackets and sportswear, but all of it is pretty outrageously priced.  $500+ for a typical 1950s suit?  No thanks, I'll just wait and find a similar one for less than a quarter of the price back home.  Somehow they've stayed open since the 1970s.  It's closed right now as it is moved to a new location.

On the last day we hoofed it along 5th Avenue, looking at all the windows and ran into Rockefeller Center, another neat Art Deco building.

We also got to see the Flatiron Building, one of the tallest buildings of its time in NYC.  I love the triangular shape of it.

We loved visiting the city but I don't think I could ever live there.  NYC has a sort of energy in the air because of all of the people and busyness that kept us going throughout the weekend but I could see how it might become tiring and overwhelming with time.  

However, the more I think back at my time there the more I'd like to visit NYC again in the near future.  It was quite an experience.

One last departing look at the Chrysler Building.