Anna’s New York Trip Inspiration

My bite of the Big Apple

Last week I took my very first trip to the Big Apple. It was a whistle-stop trip but I was determined to cram in as much as I could, including of course some home shop browsing. Now this is an interiors blog, not travel, but I just thought I’d add my two-cents to the plethora of opinions out there, just in case you’re interested ;).

If you’ve ever considered going to New York do it! Its an amazing city. I have to confess it wasn’t top of my list, but having been I couldn’t have been more wrong about it. My favourite part probably wasn’t the centre part, it was definitely the Chelsea Market area (pictured below), Greenwich Village and probably also Little Italy and China Town. I liked that they had real people living there and the building were really beautiful. We took the high line (a rooftop walkway that has been beautifully created on an old train route) from near the centre of town and that took use to Chelsea where we made our way along the river through these areas. Brooklyn was also great and well work a walk along the bridge. My personal tip would be to walk back on Manhattan bridge as you’ll then get a view of Brooklyn bridge with the Statue of Liberty in the distance behind it.

We arrived in New York on Thanks Giving late in the evening and quickly ventured out to catch the last of the celebrations, visiting Times Square and 5th Avenue. The next day was of course Black Friday, something the US does better than anywhere else! It was madness, but I managed to visit some of my favourite stores then and on the following few days.

Back to interiors!

Just in case you’re heading to New York for a similar trip, I’ve created a little map with some must-visit stores detailed. Feel free to comment to suggest your own additions and I’ll add them on so we can help others. Pictures very welcome!

There were, of course, a few stores that really stood out for me. They’re not quick-in and out stores either, they are massive 5-10 storey department stores that could easily consume a few hours of your time. So, I picked two of my favourites and spent the most time in those.

So, here is what New York is doing interior wise this season:

ABC Carpets & Home

888 Broadway, New York

Now the first thing to say is that I don’t think I saw a carpet in there!! The name does not do that store justice at all. Its a marvellous store in an industrial style building with over 7 floors of lovely things to see and buy. The ground floor has a market setup with independent sellers which was full of lovely Christmas items when I visited.

From the first floor upwards the shop has the layout of a traditional home-focused department store, but in an amazing building. Here are some of the lovely things I spotted.