Currently viewing the tag: "Ace Hotel"
Sunday morning was one of those morning when you know that something good must come to an end, like leaving Manhattan for home, and leaving the glamorous and exciting Ace Hotel for Vancouver’s quieter West End. I should have gotten up early that morning to pack, but those giant beds with enormous white down duvets and endless pillows trapped me, so I simply couldn’t get up. I paid for it half an hour later though when I was rushing around like a mad woman trying to stuff all of my new purchases into my already stuffed suitcase, (as usual, I brought double what I needed, but how is one supposed to know what she will feel like wearing?!). Luckily, I was traveling with a man whose suitcase was barely half full! In went my new 6″ heels, hair dryer, straightening iron, magazines and accessories. What someone might of thought had he had his suitcase searched at the air port haha… but Tommy is a sport! (Thanks Tommy!)
After barely getting my suitcase to zip up, we ditched our extremely heavy bags at the front desk and hopped in a cab to the West Village for brunch! We spotted a cute restaurant, Phillip Marie, that had the feel of a southern home and served “new American” cuisine. I chose the chicken, brie and pesto sandwich and a cup of hot coffee, perfect for a cloudy New York City day.
After brunch we wandered through the Village till we found the Rag & Bone shop, (above), where Tommy got a beautiful pair of leather sneakers and went halfers with me on a gorgeous navy Fall 2010 cashmere sweater which I will post about soon! (I’m in no shape for a photo shoot at the moment). You can find Rag & Bone in Vancouver at Holt Renfrew, Misch, (womens) and at Gravity Pope, (mens and womens). Click here for an Elle.com mini-feature on David Neville, and here for Marcus Wainwright!) As if on cue, the rain started to come down and it was time to go back to the Ace to collect our bags and make our way to the dreaded airport, (I hate flying).
The travel experience was less than desirable. Because of the torrential rain, our flight was delayed 3 hours, meaning we would miss our connecting flight in Seattle that evening. Which did indeed happen, and thank you American Airlines for treating us like lowly customers-I will not be flying American Airlines any time soon. We found ourselves stranded in Seattle for the night with no option other than to pay for a night at one of the airport hotels, synthetic sheets anyone? Finally, on Monday morning we made it home, still wearing Sunday’s clothes. Luckily, I wore a cute outfit, though Tommy did point out that perhaps all white wasn’t the best for traveling. However, I made it home without a spec on those white clothes, and somehow still smiling. All in all, it was a wonderful trip that I won’t soon forget!
Wearing: Cecico blouse, Sirens white jeans, Poetic License platform sandals (5″ for travelling), Gianni Chiarini leather carry-all, Marc by Marc Jacobs necklace, Michael Kors watch, bracelet bought from a street vendor in SoHo and aviators from a mid-town street vendor, ($3!!).
In English, “Strutting up Park Avenue in six inch platforms.”
Thursday morning we woke up ready to hit the streets! Off to the Upper East Side for some “light” shopping, as in, I brought back a lip gloss from Chanel. But nonetheless, visiting Miu Miu, Prada and Chanel was just grand.
The Dior store was getting a facelift, so the exterior was covered by a giant quilted purse. Amazing.
Wearing: H&M army green top, Talula spandex tank, Marc by Marc Jacobs necklace, Macy’s enamel bangle, Urban Behaviour denim shorts, Gianna Chiarini leather carry-all, vintage Ray Bans and Chanel platform sandals.
For brunch we re-visited a favourite, Palace Restaurant. I couldn’t tell you where it is, but I know it’s right around the corner from Miu Miu (where sadly the shoes were fabulously impressive and also highly priced), and just down the street from Turnbull and Asser (a marvelous place to find lovely pocket squares for the gentleman in your life). Palace was full of lunching business types and women meeting to share gossip and news of their grandkids, a perfect midday stop for sugary, syrup-covered french toast! After brunch, we visited the Waldorf Hotel – I’ve never seen such amazing bathrooms! (Except for maybe at the Plaza.)
And to our third and final Upper East Side desination, Bergdorfs! I’ve really never seen a restaurant so glamorous and so full of glamorous people in my life. I could lunch there every day of my life.
My only picture of the Bergdorf’s restaurant and I’m mid-chat. Anyhow, it sure was a treat! By the way, my lunch consisted of pink champagne. After lunch I dragged poor Tommy through the shoe salon, which is more like an amazon of stilettos and leather and crystals. I practically needed blinders on, I was going shoe-crazy. Unlike the last time I visited the shoe salon though, this time I left with no bags. Plenty of wishes and wants though. (Summer 2008 my mother and visited NYC during the July sale season when I purchased a pair of leopard Manolo Blahnik flats, seen here, and Prada nude pumps, seen here. Swooon.) Of course since Bergdorf’s is just next door to the most fabulous hotel, I had to take a photo in front of the Plaza, ohh memories!
Yep, I changed into flats. Zara white leather flats.
Fast forward about six hours and you would find me, along with a slew of other Vancouverites and hip New Yorkers sipping cocktails in the Ace Hotel lobby, which also doubles as a very popular bar in the evenings. The men went on to a bachelor party, (we went to NYC for a wedding, which happened Saturday), while one of the other boy’s girl and I marched off to the Meatpacking District to find some fun! And did we ever! I’m still waiting on the photo from Jen, but we met, and got a photo with, Lance Bass! It was all rather extraordinary the way our night panned out. We jumped in a cab from the Ace with the intention of getting out at a random spot in the Meatpacking District and getting a drink wherever looked good. It just so happened the cabbie let us off right in front of Ten June, a popular NYC club, (which, thanks to Miss Andrea Milner, I’ve been to before!). Of course, being only 10:15 or so, it was too early to go clubbing, so the bouncer told us to get a drink next door and come over around 11:30. Into the next lounge we went! Only after ordering a drink and grabbing a menu did I realize we had ended up at a spot I’ve been dying to go to for years, STK, a fantastic steak house and “it” spot, where we met Lance.
Wearing: Sirens white t, Zara pleated leather skirt, Zara leather studded belt, Marc by Marc Jacobs quilted clutch, vintage ring and H&M stud bracelet, with matte bubblegum pink Rimmel lipstick. Martini by STK. (You can’t see my shoes, but they were Stuart Weitzman patent leather 5 inchers).
Afterwards it was off to Ten June where we danced the night away!
- End of Day 2 -
Monday morning I arrived back in Vancouver after a very long and grueling 22 hours of traveling, (darn weather caused us to miss a connecting flight leaving us stranded at the SeaTac Airport at 12 am, how ultra glam). But I’d like to start this fashion story at the beginning! So here we go, with Day 1 of the NYC 2010 trip:
Sitting on the floor at the Minneapolis airport waiting for the connecting flight to JFK. Just flipping through Marie Claire when I saw THE KENSIE AD! Gorgeous! Faithful readers may remember I was behind the scenes at this photo shoot, seen here.
We had to get up at 3 am last Wednesday morning to catch the flight to Minneapolis, which explains my “look.” Although I was proud of myself for getting a bit of a tan before we left, (usually I am the palest of pale). My girlfriend Steph and I spent the day at English Bay on Tuesday… I really enjoyed the slide. (Wearing a Victoria’s secret bikini).
Finally we arrived in New York, at the JFK airport in Queens. The drive into Manhattan was absolutely gorgeous and was a brilliant welcome to the city!
About 8:30 pm we checked into the Ace Hotel in Midtown. I LOVE this hotel, if you’ve been reading Vogue the past few months, you know of the Ace. Alexander Wang has been featured there for his latest work, as well as countless other mentions in the various columns of the magazine. Clearly, Anna is a fan of the Ace.
Even after a long, long day of traveling, when you are in New York, you do not sleep, you go out! So we re-dressed and grabbed a cab headed for the Meatpacking District in search of a fabulous dinner. Just casually strolling through the Ace hallway en route to the elevator…
Wearing: Vintage black chiffon blouse over a Talula spandex tank, Zara leather skirt, Zara faux snakeskin heels, vintage Pierre Cardin snakeskin clutch, white enamel bangle from Macy’s and a rose gold Fossil watch.
Tommy picked the restaurant for the night, which was the Old Homestead Steakhouse, keeper of the most delicious sirloin I’ve ever tasted. As well as a knockout cosmo. Full and happy, it was back to the Ace for some much needed rest!
- End of Day 1 -
