Tip #1 - The Bus Beats Driving!
To save a buck and not have to spend extra money on a hotel room, I often go up and come back in one day. I've been doing this since, well, back in the mid-90's -- before the popular Chinatown buses with wi-fi and bells and whistles and all of that. Back then I used the Peter Pan bus line from behind the old bus depot near Union Station, when Peter Pan was new. I don't use those anymore...in fact, they probably don't even exist anymore and were probably replaced by the Bolt Bus.
Right now it costs $30 each way, however, I prefer using them because they're straightforward, honest, simple and clean. If you purchase a ticked online for a seat - you will be on the bus departing at the time that you paid for. Also, they appear to have upgraded their fleet, although you won't get wi-fi and all of that on the $30 one way line. For that, you'll have to spit out another $20 each way for their luxury line. But, the other advantage is that, if you drive and are traveling on the weekend, you can depart from Bethesda and park your car in one of the public garages for free. The bus literally leaves from Waverly St. which runs immediately next to two garages...so when you return, you can just jump in your car and ride away. That's tip #1.
On this trip to NY, besides walking all over Manhattan like a nomad, I got to see and do a couple of my favorite things. So, here are more tips...
If you're into fashion (as I would expect of anyone reading a style blog) and enjoy checking out fashion-related museum exhibits, there are often various exhibits going on in NYC, of course. The Metropolitan Museum sponsors many great exhibits and recently they had one honoring the late designer, Alexander McQueen (which I unfortunately missed). However, the place that I always like to hit when I take one of my trips is the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). The FIT Museum is open on Saturdays and to the public and as a part of FIT -- always has fashion exhibits! ;)
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| Dress by Alexander McQueen (Photo-FIT Museum) |
Her collection includes many avant-garde, technically-complex and amazing pieces by Alexander McQueen, Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld, Azzedine Alaia and several other well known couturiers. Plus, FIT (at 7th Ave.
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| Shoe by Alexander McQueen (Photo-FIT Museum) |
Also, during the school year, stop by the FIT bookstore, which has a great selection of fashion textbooks and other books, manuals, etc. And if you can manage to sneak in, their library is incredibly extensive as well.
Ok, onto tip #3 - the High Line Park. Now, this free park is style related because it's super city-stylish. By now, many have discovered it -- but I first learned of it last year and was blown away, after my brother dragged me there. If you haven't been and have no idea what a High Line Park is - it's a relatively new, modern, landscape designed urban park that actually used to be an elevated freight train track. It opened to the public in 2009 and currently runs from the meatpacking district to the West 30s.
If you go from FIT, like I did, just walk west on 26th Street to just past 10th Ave. and take the stairs or elevator up. The park is unlike any other park that I've experienced because it's like walking through a forest of huge redwood trees, but instead you're meandering amongst the high-rise buildings of Manhattan. It makes you really feel a part of the city. Of course, now, in comparison to my first visit last year -- the park is packed with tourists, like an amusement ride at Disney. However, I always encourage people to check it out at night because it's really cool and sexy at that time, with lots of uplighting and that cool, NY vibe. Hopefully, it's a little less dense at night...but probably not.Tip #4! Shopping for the financially challenged. Unfortunately, since I haven't hit it big--yet--I am quite frugal in the shopping department. Ok, some may call me cheap...but there's nothing like the rush of finding a good, stylish bargain! Now if you can afford it, after you get off of the High Line...you'll be smack dab in the Village and SoHo area and can shop to your heart's delight at all of the designer boutiques. However, if you're like me, well then, you'll meander on over to Broadway (several blocks east) to find the more reasonably priced stores. Remember to wear your most comfortable, well padded shoes. Forget trying to look too cute - shopping, especially bargain shopping in New York is a mission.
Back in the day, when I used to go to NY with my parents for school shopping, there used to be tons of cheap clothing stores near the Macys at Herald Square in midtown and downtown, near Canal Street. Now, it's a little tougher because those stores are gone and many of today's stores are the same chains that you can find in Anywhere, USA. But, you'll still find a few shops that carry things that you won't necessarily find down here in DC. Two of the stores that I found eye-catching items in on this trip were Mystique Boutique and Necessary Clothing. You can find the locations for either of these stores on Yelp and apparently they both have several locations besides SoHo (BTW- just in case - SoHo stands for South of Houston Street; also, Nolita, stands for North of Little Italy).
There were a couple of other shops that I popped into, but I found better quality items at those two. Although using the term quality with cheap, may seem like an oxymoron -- not all budget fashion stores are equal. And furthermore, not all items within each budget store are the same. Whether it's Forever 21, H&M, Target, or other budget stores...as much as possible, it's important to still keep an eye out for the quality of fabric, construction, etc. And it is possible to sometimes find items in these stores that will survive multiple washings and are constructed pretty well. Occasionally, I come across such items at H&M and I found several keepers at Mystique and Necessary, but more often than not -- it's a crap shoot. But, that's half the fun--the style challenge!
Three more side notes. I also hauled my butt down to Nassau Street in the Financial District (my feet were not happy at this point), hoping to find a few more bargain stores. I had seen some cute things in store windows on previous trips and expected to find stuff on this trip. I didn't. Well, actually, there was one store with some worthwhile looking work basics...but I don't know if it's worth going out of your way for. If you happen to be staying down there or visiting the Seaport, then stop through. Otherwise, save your energy.
Also, make sure to map out where to catch the subway to go back uptown, so that you don't over-walk, as I did. And keep in mind that it can be tricky finding a cab if you're too far east, as Canal St. and the Seaport area are inundated with a zillion other out-of-state visitors all vying for a cab.
And finally, I decided to go up to midtown to check out the first H&M that I ever went to, back when they first came to the U.S., the flagship on 51st St. and 5th Ave. When I used to live up in the area and worked a few blocks away at the Citicorp building, I would frequent the store all of the time. And for a long time I found things that I wouldn't see at the other locations near 34th St. or out in the suburban malls. The 5th Ave. store, with three floors, was always bigger and better merchandised and presented. They still do a pretty good job of keeping the store organized, but I pretty much saw the same stuff that I've seen at the local stores here in DC in Georgetown or by F St. So, I recommend saving your energy on that one too.
And that pretty much wraps it up for this entry. Be sure to make your NYC fashion mecca soon and let me know of any worthwhile bargain boutiques to check out!
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