Christmas in New York City - Art Galleries & Theatre

Christmas in New York City - Galleries & Theatre

This Christmas visit to New York I was fortunate to see the Musical, South Pacific at the Lincoln Center, and two Art Galleries; Georgia O'Keeffe at The Whitney Museum of Modern Art and Kandinsky at the Guggenheim Museum. I love theatre in New York.  There is something very special about getting dressed up and the excitement of the opening strains from the Orchestra.It was a toss up between the new play 'A Little Night Music', the latest revival of Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning musical with Angela Lansbury and  Catherine Zeta-Jones, or the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'South Pacific' at the Lincoln Center. I am happy to say that I saw South Pacific and it was as good as the concierge at my Hotel said it was. There was something soothing about hearing songs that I have grown up with and are so familiar. The theme song "Some Enchanted Evening," stayed with me for several days. Here is the YouTube version of 'Some Enchanted Evening' you can listen to.

 

  
South Pacific at Lincoln Center 

The Guggenheim Museum had a wonderful exhibit of the work of the Russian artist, Vasily Kandinsky, who was a pioneer of Abstract Art and broke new ground in painting in the first decades of the twentieth century. The Guggenheim designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was opened in 1959 and, rightly so, is claimed to be one of his most famous masterpieces. The spiraling design of the interior makes this museum one of the best venue's I have ever been in to view an art exhibit. As you walk up the spiral ramps you can view the pieces of artwork as a whole. Magnificent!!!

 

    

The view from the roof top of the Guggenheim across the reservoir & jogging trail of Central Park.

  
I want this townhouse!

 

These are two of my favourite pieces by Kandinsky from the exhibit. 
You can view the exhibit on line here.

After the exhibit we got directions to a local's favourite restaurant on E. 73rd Street where I had a most memorable lunch of Arugula salad topped with sliced roasted artichokes and topped off with large, (very large) paper fine slices of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Yummm!!

Via Quadronno on E. 73rd Street. (left)
A Beautiful piece of street sculpture outside the restaurant. (right)

The walk back to the Hotel was in typical New York style down streets lined with beautiful townhouses all decorated for the holiday season, past apartments with uniformed concierges, among the locals walking their dogs, across streets with bumper to bumper honking taxis, and a short jaunt through Central Park.

   
Townhouses decorated for Christmas on E 73rd Street

   
Fifth Avenue

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart.

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Ano y Felicidad.

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Ano y Felicidad.

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas

From the bottom of my heart.

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Designer firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

Christmas in New York City - The Shop Windows

Christmas in New York City - The Shop Windows

This year I am fortunate to be spending some 'Christmas time' in New York, which for me is one of the prettiest times of year in this city.  There is so much to see and to do here at any time of year, but especially more so at Christmas.  The displays in the store windows are magnificent, the Christmas lights are bigger and better than anywhere, the concerts, shows and theatre are at their best, the restaurants are overflowing, and the stores are filled with shoppers looking for just the right gifts, and everywhere the city is filled with good cheer. Enjoy the pictures.

The ceiling at Macy's.

Swarovski Crystals

 
Louis Vuitton at Macy's

I loved the awnings at Lord & Taylor which were totally covered in green boughs and thousands of twinkle lights.

Kiki de Montparnasse in SoHo for the ultimate in Christmas lingerie.

Stella McCartney in the Meatpacking District 

 
Brooks Brothers at Lincoln Center featured a Tie Tree for the discerning gentleman.

 
Colombus Circle

 
Cole Haan Rockefeller Center

Anthropologie Rockefeller Center had fun and unusual window displays, like this one of the pink Cadillac in the snow bank.

 
The Gap

My pictures below of the windows at Bergdorf really don’t do the beautiful displays the justice they deserve. They were so much better than the photos. There were so many people standing in front of the windows, that it was hard to get a full shot, and then the battery went dead on my camera and I had to take the rest of the photos on my iPhone at a much lower resolution.  It is really hard to describe the amount of people in New York, unless you have been there at Christmas time.  When I returned to Vancouver it felt like a sleepy little Hamlet in comparison.

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York 

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

The striking glass structure of the Apple Store is iconic.  You enter through the glass doors into a glass cube and a spiral glass staircase leads to the service floor below ground.  I had my new iPhone with me and took it out to show it where it was born.  I am sure that there are going to be a lot of Happy little iPhones under the Christmas tree this year.

 
Glass Roof Apple Store

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here were are as in olden days,
happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Patricia Gray is an award winning Interior Designer in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who blogs about "WHAT'S HOT"
in the world of Interior Design: New and Emerging Trends, Contemporary Design, Modern Architecture and Travel,
as well as how your surroundings can enhance the world around you.
© Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™ 2009