On to Paris

We chose to stay at this luxury Times Square address (new Intercontinental hotel) in order to be close to Port Authority and Holland Tunnel for getting to Newark today for the fast escape to Paris. The sun is shinning into my window here-- but it is bitterly cold in NYC and I am looking forward to leaving town and being home in Paris. It's unlikely we will roll our extra suitcases over to Port Authority to take a bus like a normal person would/should do-- we will probably splurge for a taxi or call the 777 people for the black sedan and an airport rate.

Before we leave this afternoon, I plan to make a run to a favorite fabric store Mood, on west 37th Street between 8th and 7th Avenues which should be an easy walk even if my toes freeze to the curb-- i learned about this store on a TV show and first shopped it about three years ago; there is floor after floor of yard goods of all qualities and prices-- it's a big hang out for design students and garmentos.

Yesterday we went wild with glee as we enjoyed Eataly,200 Fifth Avenue at 24th Street, the Mario Batali department store of italian food prods and cafes. I wanted to buy the trufled butter but had no way to keep it from going off so settled for black truffles in pesto sauces in a can and a few jars of gianduia crema. If i wasn't head to Europe to do my grocery shopping, I would have gone wild.

Now that I have few groceries tucked away the biggie is if I go back to Duane Reade pharmacy to buy more of that French Lierac foundation that I adore that I cannot find in France anymore...at $40 a pop I hate to load up and spend down. That's New York for you -- way too many possibilities for shopping.

I feel way too old and too poor to live here again, but the thought that people do and can shop in places like Eataly reminds me that this is indeed the greatest city in the world.