Fall Fashion, My Tennis Idol & A Cookie Mystery: Fall in NYC Part IV

I am writing to you from our apartment in Columbus Circle where my dog Moose is asleep on the floor and I can’t stop thinking about how much dog hair is in every corner of this apartment. This is our fourth fall stint on the east coast and I have been procrastinating writing a NY update, wondering if I have anything new to discuss besides how to manage dark dog hair on white floors. I was finally able to start writing when I reflected on how stimulating our first NYC experiment was. Now that I am out of the “everything is new” phase, I am relieved to report that I’m still having unique experiences while soaking in city life, consumed by people watching and limitless food options.

When we planned our first long term NYC stay, one of my goals was to return home with a new look – clothes, shoes, outfits and possibly even hair and makeup. At home in the Bay Area, I felt stuck shopping in the same stores and repeatedly choosing the same types of pieces over and over. While in NY, my plan was to shop everywhere, look for trends, try new brands and force myself to change. On day one, Jennifer took me to the Marla Aaron showroom, Blue & Cream on Bleeker and the iconic SoHo vintage store, What Goes Around Comes Around. Then, Julie showed me the ins and outs of Saks and Lee clued me into the 260 Sample Sales. Christina took me to her spring/summer buying appointments during Fashion Week.  I made friends with sales people in SoHo who texted with new arrivals and compelling sales. In November 2022, I did go home with a few new great pieces – the stand out was a faux leather pleated skirt – but not the full “new me” I was hoping for.

Now, four years later, I have decided to take the pressure off and re-frame my fashion journey. It’s not a task with straightforward steps to complete, but a process with an unknown end date. With that new outlook, I continue to be a fashion-sponge, learning as much as I can from a few really great mentors.

* Living uptown, I am just steps away from the flagship Nordstrom store which almost has no resemblance to my local store in Palo Alto, CA. The women’s shoe departments (yes there are two!) are full of inspiration, there is a MUSE section of the jewelry portico that is a mini version of the WV store and there are actually people working in every corner of the store eager to help. The experience has also been enhanced by meeting Giovanni, a personal stylist who has the talent and energy to style all four Geschkes and, added bonus, he is from the Valley! Gio selected hip, flattering outfits for my daughter and more sophisticated but also slightly edgy picks for me – including some awesome shoes for both of us. He has a deep knowledge of fashion and jewelry and took me to my first real Fashion Week show. If you want an amazing, bespoke shopping experience or are looking for something for a special occasion, I’ve got the guy for you.

* I spent two days shopping with friends and seasoned shoppers Jennifer (mentioned above) and her dear friend Amy. Day one of their 5-day schedule was rainy so these seasoned shoppers decided to focus on Bergdorfs. I met them for their afternoon session on the 7th floor and was introduced to “Linda’s” – style icon Linda Fargo’s curated shop. Like most of Bergdorf’s, the offerings are expensive and frequently conceptual (as in, “where would someone wear this?) but also inspirational and a visual feast. Day two was an expert’s guide to Madison Ave and we started at a gem we found last spring, BOCNYC. We ended at the gorgeous new location of La Double J. Whether these clothes are your jam or not, tour the 6000 square foot townhouse, try something on and ask for a peek into the “chapel.”

Jennifer and Amy continued on for another three days and sent me text recaps of shopping in SoHo, Nolita, West Village, and Meatpacking plus a list of stores that I should check out. These ladies know what they like, where to get it and have specific shopping goals for this trip. I love to shop and thought I had some understanding of the landscape but I defer to the extensive knowledge Amy & Jennifer have acquired.

Other than my fashion education journey, I would like to give you a few other random thoughts on this fall season in NYC:

* My husband got tickets to the “After 25 Years: A 9/11 Charities Comedy Benefit” at MSG and it was a truly amazing line-up of comedians including John Stewart, Pete Davidson, Nikki Glazer, Aziz Ansari, Nate Bargatze, Kevin Hart and Dave Chapelle. If they do another benefit show next year or even in five years, I will be there and you should be too!

* My friend Adrienne invited us to the Bloomberg Players Conference and even got me into the green room where I met tennis legend Martina Navratilova. When I learned to play tennis in the early 1970’s, I used a shiny red and white Chris Evert signature wood racquet and watched on TV as Martina and Chris each won 18 major singles titles. I was rendered speechless when Adrienne casually introduced me to Martina who looked thoroughly bewildered about why she was meeting me. Now, after having just watched the Netflix documentary “Chris and Martina: The Final Set,” I am tempted to write my first ever fan letter to Martina and express how inspiring she continues to be on and off the court.

* I have already seen two shows, Operation Mincemeat and School Girls. I enjoyed and would recommend both as long as you buy tickets at a discount (because I liked them but didn’t love them). My list of shows to see includes The Lost Boys, Other Desert Cities and A Few Good Men. We somehow missed the opportunity to see several amazing movies at the NY Film Festival and I am kicking myself about it because there were at least five movies and documentaries I would have loved to have seen. Somewhat last minute, we saw Fred Armisen at the Beacon (just 12 blocks away!) in his very upbeat, musical comedy one-man show and are now inspired to binge Portlandia and Documentary Now. We are also going to the Moth Mainstage this week at Lincoln Center and have reservations at The Comedy Cellar during NY Comedy Festival in hopes of high profile drop-ins.

* For those of you who have referenced my NYC restaurant spreadsheet, I am now on the Beli app which is a better way to keep my growing list updated. Thanks to Meaghan for this idea!

* While conducting a thorough search for the best cookie in NYC, I recommended the banana chocolate cookie at Chip City. Strangely, after my first visit to Chip City in West Village, that flavor was never again offered at any Chip City or even online. It was a true dessert mystery. Even stranger, the entire Chip City chain – over 20 locations – closed suddenly on October 1 and I’m a bit devastated and intrigued. Don’t worry – I will stay on this case and see what took them down. In a stroke of luck, my friend Marni brought chocolate chip cookies she baked last week to pickleball and I promptly bought a dozen. And, she just sent me photos of a banana chocolate chip version that she baked based on a Chip City recipe she researched on my behalf. I cannot wait to try them.

* NYC and LA are the undisputed best cities for cutting edge, kick ass fitness classes. As discussed in previous NYC updates, I am regularly looking for new workouts but a little nervous to actually show up because I’m afraid of getting hurt and/or soiling myself. Per “r/NYCfitbitches” and input from a few turbo exercise fanatics, the classes I need to try if I want to be a true bad ass are: Aarmy, Tone House (“Tone House humbled me and honestly frightened me”), Powered on Bond, Practice Room, The Formula and Soto Fitness. I ruled out The Tracy Anderson Workout because it’s dance-based and apparently you have to follow along with almost no vocal directions – a tough combination for someone who is rhythm challenged and easily distracted.

I am sure you are asking yourself why I would pay to be tortured and, of course, I don’t have a good answer. The only possible thing I can think of is that my mom just reduced her monthly plan at Barry’s Bootcamp from 30 classes/month to 12 classes/month. Yes, she was going to Barry’s almost every day since the turn of the century other than Covid shut down and a few joint replacements. This is the first moment in my entire life where I could possibly out pace her and, while fearing the potential injuries, I am going for it. If anyone would like to chaperone me and sweat for an hour, please let me know because I love a buddy class.