out like a lamb
stomping around Midtown
The sun is shining but it is still cold and I am filled with longing. For Spring, for warmth, and to be out of this purgatorial in-between that is March in New York City.
There is a moment every year when the new season’s first whispers take hold of my brain and cause me to truly access. Access my body (pale half-shaved thighs that haven’t seen the sun in months. The winter has this way of turning a whole body into just weird white shapes...), and my wardrobe. I think of the person I want to be in the Summer, and begin to think of assembling the clothing to do so.
My current list includes:
-Gold lamé bikini (wouldn’t it be revolutionary if Los Angeles Apparel had, I don’t know, a store)
-Breezy pants that aren’t denim
-Jersey dress (like Carrie Bradshaw in the infamous window-knocking scene lol. I just got the pink one I linked!)
-Some sort of Courréges something (Space Age Summer?)
-Shiny-ass Adidas shorts in a million colors. Paired with thick socks, loafers, and a huge button down for the office, but a little pointelle tank for going out.
I rewatch The Devil Wear’s Prada (2006) at least once every two months. I remember when the movie came out, and racing to read the book that I half-understood at Summer camp. It wasn’t long ago, but the Midtown portrayed in the film no longer exists (Devil was filmed in The McGraw-Hill Building, in 1221 6th Avenue, btw). COVID and the modern state of the city have all but erased the glamour from this hub of industry.
As someone who holds a rare job that requires daily in-office participation, I try to look past the ever-meandering European tourists (god, so slow) and corporate bowl-slop fast casual joints to find some allure amongst the skyscrapers.
First, I like to go back in time. You see, to truly enter the delusion of a still-hopping Midtown, you have to travel to its’ golden era and put on the Mad Men soundtrack. Sautering down 6th Avenue listening to the musical styles of Vic Damone? Divine. I willfully have no idea what is happening around me as I blindly push past tourists in front of the MoMA design store. “Vogue” by Madonna is obviously also good to clip-clop around to (like Andy, duh), crossing the street while late to work (but there’s always time to stop by Blue Bottle on 54th and 6th for a skim matcha).
The top 3 Moneymaking Midtown Musical Picks are:
1. Robert Morse’s cover of “The Best Things in Life are Free” (from Mad Men, obviously, which soundtracks my favorite scene of television ever).
2. paired with The Flying Lizard’s “Money” (hellooo Empire Records!!) , a 80’s-ified cover of
3. Barrett' Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” which REFERENCES the song sung by Robert Morse (also a cover, covered by many).
There exist glitzy remainders of the area’s cosmopolitan past in the buildings and shops that inhabit them... if you know where to look. My favorite physical building in the locale is the Baccarat Residences (across from the MoMA). Though fairly nondescript by day (I walked by it dozens of time before noticing it), the structure quite literally sparkles at night. The ridged glass refracts the light of the interior chandeliers and glitters this warm gold glow. It’s like if the Tokyo Hermes building was deliciously tacky and opulent. It’s perfect.
If you want a Midtown treat that is a bit more left of center than one of Rockefeller Center’s upscale revamp spots, there is enchantment abound. I dream of marching into Petrossian and ordering enough caviar to get one of their little duffle bags. Their cafe in Alwyn Court is closed for renovations and will hopefully will reopen when I am able to afford it. A more fiscally responsible options exists in Myzel’s Chocolate (walk down 6 1/2 Avenue to get there— it’s fabulous, very Alice in Wonderland in Midtown). Beautiful glass jars full of chocolates & gummies line the counters of this family-owned small business! Grab a bag of malted milk balls & feel yourself slip into a sort of human anachronism as you wander…
“I guess I just wasn’t made for these times…”
Till next time xx