A Day in New York

Alana Stewart, Bestselling Author and Actress

NY – It’s always a treat for me to be in New York City any time of the year, but my favorite season is autumn, when the air is crisp and the leaves are starting to turn. For many years the Hotel Plaza Athenee has been “my home away from home” and a perfect day for me in the city begins with waking up and having a leisurely breakfast in my room. Love the oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins, crisp hot croissants, and tea. I need plenty of energy for a day of black-belt shopping! Perhaps tomorrow I’ll have a less superficial day and visit a couple of art exhibits or go to the theater, but for today I’m a fashionista.

Barneys on Madison Avenue

I begin near the hotel on Madison Avenue by checking out a couple of stores that I love, La Perla and Helmut Lang. I then proceed to Barney’s where I do a reconnaissance run, making mental notes of the items I like (which is most everything!). I’ll come back the following day to make any purchases so I don’t make rash decisions. Let me just say here that all my friends hate shopping with me. I’ll try something on three times, take forever to make up my mind, and often return it the next day, realizing I didn’t like it that much after all.

Cipriani on 5th Avenue

My favorite spots for lunch in Manhattan are Cipriani on 5th and 59th and Fred’s which is, conveniently in Barney’s. After lunch I head downtown to the Meatpacking District on 14th St. where I stop in my friend, Diane Von Furstenberg’s fashionable Flagship store, DVF. I always find something there that I love and that doesn’t blow my budget. I wander around the area marveling at all the new shops and restaurants that have sprung up since I was there last.

Rag and Bone on Christopher Street

My last stop before exhaustion sets in is Rag and Bone on Christopher Street. I could easily buy everything in the store but restrain myself. I pray for a taxi to take me back uptown to my hotel and hopefully a brief rest before dinner.

The Monkey Bar

My publisher took me to a wonderful restaurant on 63rd Street just off Park Avenue, which changes its name and décor for each of the four seasons. It was August at the time, so it was called Park Avenue Summer. When fall arrives, it changes into Park Avenue Autumn, etc. Very New York elegant and food that I suppose would be called “New American.” Or it’s always fun to meet friends at The Monkey Bar. LA is such an early night town that it’s a treat to stay out late in NYC so maybe we head downtown to The Standard Hotel to the Boom Boom Room. If I have a breath left in me, I always enjoy ending the evening with a drink in the bar of the Plaza Athenee.  Then it’s up to my room, and welcome sleep.

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