FRIDAY FROTH...

I arrived in NEW YORK around four in the afternoon last Wednesday, and as it turns out, just in the nick of time.  During the middle of the night, a storm hit the area that would dump two feet of snow, turning the city into a winter wonderland and closing airports.

When I got up Thursday morning big wet flakes were raining down.  Undaunted, I made my way, leopard print umbrella in hand, down to TriBeCa to check out the OLY ATELIER flagship store at 408 Greenwich Street.  The store inhabits a space that is simple and classic. Its natural hardwood floors, big arched windows, and a sensual circular staircase serve as a perfect canvas for Oly's organic, chic, and elegant designs.

I perused the store for well over two hours, enjoying the displays of furniture, accessories, and jewelry as I would an art gallery but only better--I caressed, sat on, and tried on, as well as ogled.  You can check out the Oly line at olystudio.com but until then...

A beautiful and bold bracelet

A mirror bed with a leather headboard--why get up?

Classically cool!

Elegant, sophisticated, sensual...

Oly's wild side--a python mirror and a zebra chair.

Like a great story, a good wine, and designers, Kate McIntyre and Brad Huntzinger, Oly is complex but never complicated.  The designs present themselves as a study in contradictions--earthy and natural yet sophisticated and elegant--making them eternally pleasing and sometimes surprising!

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Just down the street from Oly you will find Robert DeNiro's GREENWICH HOTEL.  The lobby boasts some original DeNiro artwork--the actor's father was an artist and it's clear that talent runs in the family.  I didn't have time to see a guest room but I have it on the best authority that they are each unique and roomy, have great beds/bedding, and are beautifully appointed.  The hotel restaurant, LOCANDA VERDE, like the hotel lobby, is rustically hip, comfortable and cozy.  The front section of the restaurant is a cafe from morning until four p.m. in the afternoon, serving delicious baked goods--pistachio huckleberry cake any one?--and pick-me-up espresso drinks.  I stopped in for an afternoon latte and a nero cookie (chocolate, mint, and almond)--yum-yum!  I'm giving this hotel my "take someone special, some good books and don't leave the property" rating so check it out.  Greenwich Hotel

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And what's a trip to a new neighborhood without stopping by a cool shoe store?  Between Oly and the Greenwich Hotel sits a jewel of a shoe shop--EDON MANOR.  If you like shoes, and who doesn't, these are the latest styles displayed in a unique setting.  The website is worth a visit...

edon manor

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Back up town, I walked for miles through the snow in Central Park, had dinner at a favorite Mexican restaurant on the upper west side, and ended up at MAGNOLIA BAKERY on Columbus--big mistake for my waistline!