NYC, Style & a little Cannoli: lexington ave

Monday, August 29, 2022

Happy 150th Birthday Bloomingdales !

I hope you have all been doing well ! This post comes out of pure love for one of my most favorite stores! This is not a sponsored post.

The famous Bloomingdale's department store is turning 150 years old this year! To me, Bloomies is iconic New York City. It is my most favorite store in the city, sorry I do love the new Nordstrom store, but this to me is just classic New York shopping. I have been coming here since I was little, and it has always been my happy place! When I walk in and see that fabulous black and white floor, I smile from ear to ear. I just love the way the store is laid out, the sales clerks are always so helpful and then there is 40 Carrots for delish yogurt and savory foods. I am so happy when I receive my items in the famous brown bag (little, medium, big) which started in 1971. I am so glad they are doing well in this era of many iconic stores closing (Henri Bendel, Barneys, Lord and Taylor) and I hope they celebrate another 150 years!

Here is some of their storied history from the Bloomingdales website:

1860-1879

A Store Is Born

To think it all started with a 19th century fad - the hoop skirt. That was the first item that Joseph and Lyman Bloomingdale carried in their Ladies' Notions Shop in New York's Lower East Side. In the late 1800's, most fashion retailers specialized in just one type of garment. Not the brothers Bloomingdale - their East Side Bazaar, opened in 1872, sold a wide variety of European fashions. It was the beginning of what would become a "Department Store".

1880-1929

Moving Up In The World

In 1886 came the visionary move uptown to 59th Street and Lexington Avenue. The store expanded steadily and by the 1920's, Bloomingdale's converted an entire city block.

1900-1910

Read All About It

Flexing his marketing muscle, Lyman created splashy ad campaigns to bring people in the door. People started seeing the "All Cars Transfer to Bloomingdale's" slogan everywhere - on billboards, delivery wagons, and even ladies' beach umbrellas.

1940's

Lights - Camera - Action!

Print ads couldn't say it all. The store had to be experienced. So Bloomingdale's became the stage for gala events and fashion shows, including "Woman Of The Year, 1947." With music, lighting and sophistication, it was retailing as theater.

1960's

It's In The Bag

It's not just what you buy - it's what you take it home in, too. We've always looked for new ways to be creative. In 1961, the Bloomingdale's team came up with the first designer shopping bags. Since then, many have become collector's items.

1970's

Not A Store, But A Destination

By the 70's, everyone was stopping by 59th Street and Lexington Avenue for a look - including Queen Elizabeth. People came to see and to be seen. Once there, they were dazzled by the cutting-edge fashion of designers like Ralph Lauren, Perry Ellis and Norma Kamali, who got their first truly big opportunities at Bloomingdale's.

2000+

Looking Forward

Bloomingdale's is committed to once again lead the way with exclusive merchandise, customized services, and alternative shopping venues. Carrying on the Bloomingdale's brothers' dream, we're always finding ways to set our stores apart. That's both the legacy and the promise of Bloomingdale's.

How much fun are these vintage catalog pages !

It should be against the law to shop at Bloomies and not visit 40 Carrots ! This wonderful place has been around since 1974 and I recall it being in the basement of the store when I was small. I just love the new design and larger space as it gets crowded pretty quickly.

Their savory food is also quite fantastic and you always have carrots as a side dish

Their peanut butter yogurt is my favorite and I feel so lucky when I am there and it is available as they change flavors each day of the week!

A gorgeous display with the famous black and white floor

Holiday windows are always so fabulous, these are from the 2016 season

My Bloomies ornament on my tree

I also really love their home section, which is near 40 Carrots so I always get to pop in and enjoy the beautiful merchandise

Here is a bottle of champagne to Bloomingdales for 150 years in business! It truly is "like no other store in the world".

They will be having celebrations from September 8th through the end of the year. There will be a 150th anniversary collection which I am so excited about along with pop-ups from various businesses. If you cannot get to a store in person, items will be available online. I am hoping to get to the flagship this year to celebrate this wonderful milestone in person.

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Throwback Thursday "Bloomies"

Bloomingdales is my most favorite store in the city, and this amazing shot from 1935. I could stare at this for hours. Here is some of their history from their website:

1860-1879
A Store Is Born

To think it all started with a 19th century fad - the hoop skirt. That was the first item that Joseph and Lyman Bloomingdale carried in their Ladies' Notions Shop in New York's Lower East Side. In the late 1800's, most fashion retailers specialized in just one type of garment. Not the brothers Bloomingdale - their East Side Bazaar, opened in 1872, sold a wide variety of European fashions. It was the beginning of what would become a "Department Store".

1880-1929
Moving Up In The World

In 1886 came the visionary move uptown to 59th Street and Lexington Avenue. The store expanded steadily and by the 1920's, Bloomingdale's converted an entire city block.

1900-1910
Read All About It

Flexing his marketing muscle, Lyman created splashy ad campaigns to bring people in the door. People started seeing the "All Cars Transfer to Bloomingdale's" slogan everywhere - on billboards, delivery wagons, and even ladies' beach umbrellas.

1940's
Lights - Camera - Action!

Print ads couldn't say it all. The store had to be experienced. So Bloomingdale's became the stage for gala events and fashion shows, including "Woman Of The Year, 1947." With music, lighting and sophistication, it was retailing as theater.

1960's
It's In The Bag

It's not just what you buy - it's what you take it home in, too. We've always looked for new ways to be creative. In 1961, the Bloomingdale's team came up with the first designer shopping bags. Since then, many have become collector's items.

1970's
Not A Store, But A Destination

By the 70's, everyone was stopping by 59th Street and Lexington Avenue for a look - including Queen Elizabeth. People came to see and to be seen. Once there, they were dazzled by the cutting-edge fashion of designers like Ralph Lauren, Perry Ellis and Norma Kamali, who got their first truly big opportunities at Bloomingdale's.

2000+
Looking Forward

Bloomingdale's is committed to once again lead the way with exclusive merchandise, customized services, and alternative shopping venues. Carrying on the Bloomingdale's brothers' dream, we're always finding ways to set our stores apart. That's both the legacy and the promise of Bloomingdale's.

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Roger Smith Boutique Hotel Review

My stay in the city in June was at the Hotel Roger Smith, a three star hotel on Lexington Avenue. I have stayed in this area before, at the InterContinental New York Barclay, it's a fabulous area. I wanted to see what the difference from a 3 star and 4 star would be. This hotel has been around since 1929, purchased from the Roger Smith Group in 1938.

This is the lobby. It's a very quaint design, old fashioned kind of hotel.

They offer granola and yogurt in the lobby. One couple took a look at the yogurt, and the guy said to the girl "oh you don't want this it has 11 grams of sugar" and put it back. I just chuckled to myself.

This very cool mailbox or letterbox was right near the vintage elevators.

My junior suite was not ready when I arrived, so I was upgraded to a deluxe suite but didn't get in until close to 4pm. I had things to do, and couldn't wait at the hotel for the room to be ready. The decor was interesting, to say the least. It was pretty large, I will say.

When I walked in, the air was not turned on, so it was an oven. I was not too happy, and turned on both air conditioners, and headed out again shortly after I unpacked.

A mini kitchen area, microwave, Nespresso machine and fridge.

The bedroom area was pretty large, photos above and below plus another tv.

My view from one of the many windows.

The extremely small bathroom

Positives:

Room service (delivery from local restaurants and option to charge to room)
Gym passes to New York Sports Club
Assorted Greek yogurt and granola bar and fresh seasonal fruit
Apple computers and printer in lobby
Seasonal rooftop bar with city views, plus another bar with happy hour
10 minute walk to MOMA and Rockefeller Center
Lexington and Fifth Avenue shopping
Short walk to several subway lines

I am not one to be looking for a cookie-cutter chain hotel, but things like above should not be in your room. It's just common upkeep of a hotel to not have peeling wallpaper, peeling paint on a table, and some kind of large mark on the dresser in the bedroom. These are easy fixes in my opinion.

Negatives:

$25.00 Resort Fee (as of 06/25/19)
No Fitness Center on site
No Restaurant on site
Very worn furniture, wallpaper peeling in room
Old fashioned air conditioners in rooms
No outlets in lobby to charge devices
Bathroom very tiny, no space for toiletries
Outlets in room not near chairs or bed

Roger Smith Hotel

501 Lexington Ave @ 47th Street
New York, NY 10017
212-755-1400
1-800-445-0277

136 rooms, guest rooms - junior and deluxe suits -
Location: Midtown East
Three Star Hotel
Established in 1929 as Hotel Winthrop, purchased by Roger Smith Corp. in 1938
Valet Parking
Non Smoking Hotel
Free WiFi
Pets are allowed, under 20 pounds, fees involved
Trip Advisor Ranking 156 of 475 (as of 07/09/16)
Trivago Rating 80 out of 100 (as of 07/09/16)
Price Range: $199 - $440 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room) US Dollars

Hotel prices are at their lowest in the months of January and February; their highest September and October. Sunday nights are the lowest prices for hotel rooms, in most cases. My go to places for checking prices for hotels are Trivago, Trip Advisor, Hotels.com and Travelzoo. I am learning quite a bit about booking hotels during this process of featuring different hotels on this blog.

Always remember to check the hotel's website itself, they are really trying to have you book direct and sometimes offer specials or a discount with AAA that is cheaper than the websites I mentioned above. I am also finding that if you book on your mobile device, you can save some money as well. I actually got a better rate via my mobile phone than using my AAA discount online direct at the hotel. You should really do some research on your price for hotel a few different ways, and ALWAYS book a room that you can cancel, you never know what may happen in the future.

Remember to take into account for your total cost the NYC Hotel tax of 14.75% plus Daily $2.00 per room occupancy fee.

Would I stay at the Roger Smith Hotel again? I don't believe so. Even though a clean hotel, and excellent location, just not my type of hotel. The worn furniture in the rooms, the peeling wallpaper and just overall dated look didn't impress me. If you need a stay in the city, and funds are limited, you will be okay staying here. The funny thing is, I actually paid less for my stay at the amazing Giraffe Hotel than this hotel. Do your research, always book when you can cancel, and keep your options open when choosing your New York City Hotel. I would not pay more than $200 per night to stay here, you can do much better.

My rating for this hotel, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being perfect in every way, is a 5.

Be sure to sign up for my future posts, so you do not miss the next hotel review. You can also follow me on Instagram for live photos during my stay, and see where the next stay will be!

Disclosure: This stay was paid for by me. I will always state at the end of each review whether my stay was paid for by myself or if I was hosted by the hotel. I will honestly tell you about my experience at this hotel, not being swayed in any way by complimentary services. I know you value my opinion, and it is important to me to be as honest as possible. All opinions are my own. Thank you so much.

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for being a reader of this blog!

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New Items at Dylan's Candy Bar

I was really thrilled to be contacted by Dylan's Candy Bar to work with them on a post. One of my favorite places to visit in NYC, prefer during the week, when a bit less busy. Dylan's is the brainchild of Dylan Lauren, daughter of Ralph, and her love of candy and the Willy Wonka movie. I personally love both versions of the film, it is just so much fun and brings out the child in everyone! Dylan's Candy Bar opened in 2001, and has become a major lifestyle brand as well as tourist attraction in New York City.

I love Dylan's Candy Bar because you can find both unique candy as well as vintage candy you love. It is so fabulous for gifts, for big and little kids, and your gift will be very unique. I love when I give something that just makes someone smile and be so excited.

Here are some new items Dylan's has to offer:

DYLAN'S CANDY BAR SIGNATURE SOUR TACKLE BOX $28.00

DYLAN'S CANDY BAR BEST OF DCB GIFT BUCKET $100.00

DYLAN'S CANDY BAR SOUR LOVERS GIFT BASKET $50.00

Dylan's Candy Bar is great for the Hello Kitty lover, and you can check out their website HERE for the latest items available as well as their stores

These fun vintage lollipops are so cool and tasty, you really feel like you are back in time in a Willy Wonka style candy shop!

I am a BIG fan of Dylan's chocolate bars, which have some very unique flavors. The red velvet cake is just so so good!!

The flagship store on Lexington Avenue has some really fun features! The wall of celebrities and their favorite candy is really cool!

Yes, Dylan's Candy Bar has an actual Candy Bar and Candy Cafe. You can make reservations HERE on their website which I would highly recommend.

Dylan's Candy Bar is also open in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, East Hamption and soon to be in Union Square area of New York City! You can of course shop their website, and have items shipped to you as well, which works great no matter where you live.

Dylan's Flagship Store

HOURS

Mon - Thur: 10am - 10pm

Fri & Sat: 10am - 11pm

Sunday: 10am - 9pm

LOCATION

1011 Third Ave, 60th St.

Subway: N,Q,R,4,5,6

646-735-0078

Disclosure: I am really excited to spread the word today about one of my favorite companies, Dylan's Candy Bar. Dessert and candy is a favorite of mine, and I am in this shop more than I should be! A HUGE Thank you to Dylan's Candy Bar for contacting me to work with and for sponsoring this post.

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Christmas on Lexington Avenue

New York City during Christmas is so beautiful. I don't go that often during the holidays just because it is so darn crowded. If you stay away from Rockefeller Center area, it isn't quite as bad. I really love Lexington Avenue, there are great restaurants and shops, and it's easy to walk around during the holidays. How fabulous is this door and wreath? It was snowing that day too, go figure!

Love everything about this building. The windows, the blue, the brick - Just Fabulous !!

Another gorgeous piece of architecture here!!

This is a french bistro called Sel & Poivre, still need to pop in for lunch one day.

Their decorations were just adorable!!

I came across this lovely decorated church or school, the best part of New York City is what you find when you are least expecting it. That happens to me almost always, and puts a smile on my face.