vip in the city

Playing hooky

SC, CS and I played hooky today, calling into our respective offices, for a much needed day off. And what better way to spend a girls day out than shopping?

At New York Magazine’s Best Bets event at The Metropolitan Pavilion at The Altman Building. The landmarked building was constructed in 1896 as the carriage house for (defunct since 1989) B. Altman’s Department Store. The space was restored in 1998 to its original grandeur with 17-foot vaulted arch brick ceilings and original Corinthian columns. It now serves as a venue for events like this, and the annual Chocolate Show (scheduled in 2006 for November 10-12.)

Our trio arrived just as doors opened at 11:00AM, queuing up behind the other (almost exclusively) women, who apparently weren’t expected to be in the office that sunny morning either.

Alternate covers for New York Magazine‘s current Fall Design issue. The magazine features a photo spread of “Legends at Home,” including one of James Dean in his fifth floor apartment on my block. Dean called that place home for two years in the mid-1950s, during which he also did a photo shoot on the street in front, from which emerged one of his iconic images.

Jewelry, accessories, apparel, shoes, beauty products and home design objects… We wandered among the colorful, tempting stands, but only SC ended up buying anything (and that not even for herself.) Still, the fun is in the journey. And a percentage of the ticket sale proceeds went to the Fund for Public Schools.

We picked up our bright orange gift bags and set off for a leisurely lunch at tiny Tartine, my erstwhile Sunday brunch spot. From our sidewalk-side table facing the leafy green West Village block, the afternoon sun was bright and unseasonably warm on our faces, enhancing the lazy day feel.

More shopping, and then SC left us to attend to some B-school business. CS and I took in some more sun on a stroll uptown and caught “The Last Kiss” at our neighborhood theater. I had read precious little about the film prior to seeing it — the screening time just happened to mesh with our schedules — and I probably will not be the only one to observe that the movie may as well have been titled “Garden State 2: Electric Boogaloo.” I was slightly surprised to note that the screenplay was written by Paul Haggis (and not in collaboration with Zach Braff), the same scribe that gave us “Crash” and “Million Dollar Baby.” Disaffected, emotionally-stunted protagonist pondering life’s direction and purpose, while being drawn to a petite, perky brunette, and supported by a cadre of quirky friends. Even the soundtrack was interchangeable: Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Remy Zero, Aimee Mann, Coldplay, Imogen Heap.

I do like the ethereal “Hide and Seek,” though I feel that the song has been overused of late.

Later in the evening, I attended a launch party at The W New York for Food Network‘s Dave Lieberman, whose second cookbook “Dave’s Dinners: A Fresh Approach to Home-Cooked Meals” was released this month by Hyperion. Philadelphia-native Lieberman began his television career as the star of his own public access cooking show, Campus Cuisine, while a student at Yale. He was named one of People magazine’s “50 Hottest Bachelors” in 2005. (Well, he is a man who can cook.)

No cooking demonstration, but Lieberman was there, signing copies of his new book. Though I’m not actually sure what this inscription says…

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