Throwback Thursday: An Afternoon with Dolls
Posing with {ice} pops on the High Line
Last year I donated a 3-hour Private Excursion to the Guys and Dolls charity to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The winners of the auction visited New York in May and "cashed in" their excursion. A friend traveled with them who also joined us for the afternoon full of tasty bites and history.
After telling them about the Flatiron Building and the ankle-gazing that would take place in Madison Square we went to the then-open, now-closed Nutella Bar in Eataly.
A stop for crepes and croissants at the former Nutella bar at Eataly
We walked along Ladies' Mile, passed the Chelsea Hotel undergoing renovations and took a stroll along a short section of the High Line. On that beautiful May afternoon, we stopped for a refreshing treat from La Newyorkina and posed for photos (see above).
We traipsed eastward along the winding streets of the historic West Village. The stop at the Castella pop-up shop in SoHo was especially tasty. I won't bore you with details of the flirting that took place between the ladies and the cheesemonger (I make connections; whether they're professional, platonic or otherwise is up to you...), but rest assured lots of stinky cheese with spicy and sweet spreads and dips were consumed and purchased.
Cheese, cheese everywhere!
Like attracting like, I made the assumption that the ladies would enjoy the company of Italian gentlemen. So I scheduled our last stop at i am coffee (now closed) on St. Mark's Place. This stop was particularly delicious!
Witnessing the art of making a decadent cup of Italian coffee
Looking back on this excursion also highlighted how rapidly the city is changing. Two of our stops are no longer in existence. "Coming Soon" signs, notices of "farewell" from long-time neighborhood staples and storefronts covered with brown paper are the norm on countless blocks.
Guys and Dolls contacted me earlier this year about donating another private excursion for their charity fundraiser. I'm looking forward to meeting this year's visitors to New York and treating them to Native Creative Concierge charm.