apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I am really liking those chairs (below, in Scavenger) but are they really worth $2k?

just a virtual shout out the whomever the awesome person was the left their italian elle decors out on e. 7th street last night for me to find

you have enabled my weekend crafting project beyond my wildest dreams
thank you SO much!

I'm moving to my new apartment the day after thanksgiving. Any last-minute moving tips for me? (And don't say "Don't schedule your move for that day after Thanksgiving.")

Wow - You're right Jessica. Those chairs are fabulous.

I'm not sure about the price tag either. I couldn't afford it.

I am so glad I don't live in New York, because whether or not I could afford it, those chairs would have to be mine.

Sometimes its a blessing to have such things (physically!) out of reach.

i just heard that sublime closed. is it true???

No plans for T'giving but since it's just me I won't cook a turkey. So it's either the hot food bar at the Amish Market or I'll get a turkey leg from the store. Yeah, that's what I might do. Then I'll have the smell of roasting turkey in the apt. Yum!

I did the parade one year but it's way too crowded for my liking. Now, if I'm up in time I'll just watch it on TV. (hate those commentators though)

New Tenant,

I've always found some coffee and donuts for the movers always puts them in a good working mood.

Reef

new tenant--
Congrats!

Make sure to set aside your "must haves" in a clearly marked, separate container, so you can set up camp on the far side of the move more quickly/easily. Toiletries, contact info, checkbook... something to drink out of/eat off of. Your pillow and sheets are also good candidates, too. Include a favorite lamp and or at least one frivolous decorative item.

Charge your phone (and any other necessary electronics) the night before.

Have an even-keeled, optimistic friend on speed dial for any moments of panic or regret.

Remember it will get worse before it gets better. But it will get better! (He says nervously, surrounded by the chaos of an office move, already in progress...)

And offer the tired, bulky movers backrubs on spread out moving blankets.

Oh, wait. That's when you're moving in a porn video. Nevermind.

this is a bit off topic, but I'm so excited I can't contain myself... I'm finally going to put 33 years of shame behind me and haul myself out to New York at the end of January. No idea yet where we will be staying, but I'd love to hear some "top five" lists of must-visit shops and sites. Any advice out there for a life-long west coaster?

btw, Jet Blue is having *amazing* buy-one-get-one-free deals right now...!

Reef - is your baby due soon?

OK. One thing to keep in mind, is that you will ALWAYS have a Thanksgiving story to tell from here on out, whenever you're at some Thanksgiving gathering. So, no matter how old the relatives, or how politically mis-aligned you might be with your guests, or fellow guests, you will always hereinafter have something you can talk about when people are reminiscing about their favorite or least favorite previous Thanksgivings (and days-after).

Oh. And P2 is smart; listen to him. At least as much as you can.

rr,

My baby was born 7 weeks ago. Thanks for asking. He is currently sleeping. Logging onto AT is about the only thing preserving my sanity!

As for Thanksgiving we've been invited around to a friend's place. Being English I'm thinking of taking along some trifle.

Reef

AQUARABBIT
what are your top five interests? help us help you!
For example, the Fra Angelico show at the Met is incredible, but it's not designy . . .

Trifle? Did someone say Trifle? Reef, would you mind posting your recipe? I think that would be a great non-trad T-Day addition to the dinner I'll be attending.

Seema, yup sublime closed their store but are still going as design consultants or something (not snarky - I just can't remember what their note said exactly). That note on the now empty store says that they can be contacted via their website http://www.sublimeamericandesign.com but it when you go there you will find that it has not been updated with the status of the store yet.

ptoo, I see you posted in the other (short lived) open thread about Brandon's and roommate's (who was mistaken for me in a photo) apt. It was DVR'd but I had to watch it last night. Call me a NYC snob but I always skip to the nyc apts and kinda skip over the others now. Sorry.

BTW, you will love Brandon's piece de resistance which I am not going to spoil for you.

Reef, congratulations!
I'm sorry I have not been following AT very well lately due to being so busy at work but do you live in nyc?
As a fellow Brit I have visions of that Alice in Wonderland ad with the ready made or ready to make trifle in a box from (was it?) Lyons Maid? "Why not eat them together?" or something.
Anyway, I'm sure your's will be made from scratch and delicious!

Good question! Our interests will definitely lean toward both the art-y and the design-y. My friend (and photography student extraordinaire) will certainly want to (a) see some photos; and (b) take some photos. I am really looking forward to the Odilon Redon show (can't remember where this is), some other great art, great architecture, great design. Anyone know of any great vegan food?

New Tenant,
congrats on the new apt. I just moved into my place in August, and because I hired movers, it was not nearly as stressful as my normal moves were. If you hired movers, my advice is let them in and get out of their way. Have lots of drinks/snacks available for them and tip them afterwards (I did $20 a piece for 3 movers for my 1 bedroom) I also disassembled everything that was going to need to be disassembled beforehand and put groups of things together that belonged together (book boxes in one area, kitchen stuff in another). If you can get a friend or 2 along to help, it's very valuable--I had someone stay behind and get all the miscellaneous stuff left behind while I followed the movers ahead to my new place. Good luck! It will be great!

aquarabbit--
The Met, MoMA, and the Cooper Hewitt are musts (imho).

I'd also add the International Center of Photography to the list.

A day (just not a Monday) touring the Chelsea Galleries.

And ABC Carpet & Home.

Reef--
AT is th eonly thing preserving your sanity?

Uh-oh.

:)

(congrats... you using that Eames rocker?)

The Tenement Museum and the Noguchi Museum. A drink at the King Cole bar or the Monkey Bar. And of course a walk in Central Park is nice any time of year.

And if there is any way while here, there is no more amazing way to see New York than by boat/from the water.

jamie pup--
What?!?! Brandon shows his "piece" on Small Space Big Style?!? Oh, wait...

But still intrigued by your teaser.

And Brandon is a cutie.

Hey, a Friday afternoon special... anyone in the TriBeCa/SoHo SERIOUSLY in the market for/have use for two IKEA Magiker Cabinets with doors? Already assembled, and in great shape. Would need to hear back by 5 p.m. today...

i'm moving the day after thanksgiving too! good luck with your move! : )

one thing i've been doing since a couple of days ago is packing one box a day of things that at are not needed at the moment--such as books, photo albums, etc. and i cleaned out my closet to limit what i take to the new apartment to things i love or need.

great advice p(too), thank you!

Did someone say trifle? Ya know ... Rachel Greene made one, but the recipe pages got stuck together and it was part trifle and part Shepherd's pie. Methinks 'twas a Thanksgiving episode.

Oh, and P2 -- you missed the moset amazing way to see Manhattan last Sunday with the walk! But actually, yeah, the Circle Line is great fun, too.

Thanks for the great advice everyone.

I am having professional movers this time and they are supposed to disassemble and reassemble the major pieces (dining table, bed, etc). I will definitely do the coffee and snacks thing, but I think my boyfriend would probably object to the backrubs.

I will have at least two people helping me (boyfriend and sister). I am almost completely packed up because I was supposed to move last month but my new apartment was not ready so I had to stay put for another month. I've been living out of boxes since then.

BTW, any tips about the best way to deal with Kitty during the move? I was thinking about taking her to the groomers for the day and picking her up after the move. Alternatively, she will probably hide in the closet while the movers pack up and then I'll take her down with me in a cab to the new place and let her hide in the closet there. Any experience with moving nervous cats?

Moving with cats? I've done it a couple of times. I put them in one room with box, food and water. I clear everything out of the room except the above mentioned items and their beds/blankies/cat toys. They'll be fine while the movers get your things out of the place and then you can put your cats in their carriers and take them to the new place.

aquarabbit - I would go to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market (Sat. and Sun.), take a cab down B'way at night so you can see the lights of Times Sq., Bethesda Fountain and the promenade in Central Park, Lower East Side ('hood around Tompkin Sq. Pk.), take some time to walk thru Grand Central Terminal and be in awe of the space, at least one museum like the Met or MoMA. (I just spent the afternoon today at MoMA looking at the SAFE exhibit.) That is not even scratching the surface here but all of these are fun and give you a sense of NYC.

aquarabbit -
You should probably go to the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum which is on Fifth Avenue in the 90's and then walk down a few blocks to 88th to see the Guggenheim, which, although it's undergoing some exterior renovations, would still be interesting; maybe even see the inside if it's open; it's not really that hard to see the whole thing and if you go to the top and walk down its spiral, it's kind of magical. Then the Metropolitan Museum of Art is REALLY close (4 blox?). I think that Monday is only day that all those places are closed.

If your feet need a rest, then get on one of the buses that goes do Fifth and get off at 59th Street, which is where the Plaza Hotel is. Although they're converting half of it to condos, you can still have a look at the outside, etc. and then you can window-shop those next few blocks down to 53rd, where MOMA is.

Then walk another 4 blocks down 5th and you're at Rockefeller Plaza and St. Patrick's Cathedral, and then another 7 blocks and you're at Grand Central and the big famous old library with the lions out front.

That ought to be a nice dose of a lot of purty stuff in one nice day.

Does anyone have a good source to get out of rint books at reasonable prices? I am looking to purchase old David Hicks decorating books as a holiday gift. Most of the web sites I have found are crazy expensive!

Michael. Have you tried www.abebooks.com ?

Let's try that again... http://www.abebooks.com/

I looove abebooks. I've bought quite a few books from different sellers over the last couple of years, and been very satisfied with everything.

reef, the first thing to do after you move is to make your bed up. my mother told me this years ago, and i've always found it to be excellent advice. and i've moved many times.

and aquarabbit, i'm so glad you mentioned that about jetblue. i have SO been having nyc cravings.

Ya'll are very chatty tonight!

when i lived in california, people used to rent cars to go out on Big Garbage Night... aka, when the rich through out their goods. and tonight as i walked through Tribeca wishing i had a car...
2 vintage seats.
1 metro storage shelving unit with stainless counter
a black metal closet
multiple couches waiting to be reuppoulstered
industrial sewing machine, with tags still on... bizarre.
(oh how i wished i could of put that one in the back of a cab!!!!)


and more... just wish the news here was as open minded as CA, announce what nights i should rent a car!!! or for that matter, a uhaual! oh how i miss the cali open minds.

what have you found??

Thanks so much to everyone for the great advice! It sounds like I am going to have to extend this trip from four days to four months to fit in all of this amazing stuff...! Now if anyone has any advice on a cheap place to stay.... Has anyone ever "apartment swapped" on craigslist?

Everyone take a trip on JetBlue! $130 round trip, direct flights... amazing!

Jamie Pup-
alas, I no longer live in NYC. I now live in the Philly suburbs - great school district, blah, blah, blah! We moved here due to the other half's work and it's nice but no NYC.

P2-
the Eames rocker looks great in my living room and has so far been used a grand total of zero times for breastfeeding! How did I know this was going to happen? The first few weeks after birth the only thing you can manage to sit on is an inflatable ring (unless you've had a c-section), so you can imagine what I thought about sitting on fibreglass (sorry it that's too much information!). All toddler visitors seem to love it and even the mother-in-law gave it a go, after fist giving it a "is my daughter-in-law truly bonkers" sort of look.

Enrique-
here's the trifle recipe I use. I'm sure you'll find plenty of more delicious ones online!

For the custard:

Beat 4 egg yolks until light and pale yellow in color. Heat 2 cups of heavy cream with 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Add the beaten egg yolks a little at a time to the cream mixture, while beating hard. Cook this mixture on low heat being careful that it does not boil, stirring continuously until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Place mixture in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

Sponge Cake:

Okay, here's where I cheat. I buy a good shop bought pound cake but you can make your own. Sandwich shop bought or homemade pound cake into squares with raspberry jam or preserve (use the good stuff) and place in a single layer on the bottom of an attractive glass dish.

Assembly:

At this stage I usually add fresh raspberries but you can add any fruit you like or omit the fruit entirely. Sometimes I'll also make some jelly and cut it into cubes and add it but jelly is not really traditional. You find it more in packaged trifles. Sprinkle on 1/2 cup (or whatever quantity you like) of sweet sherry or other alcoholic beverage of choice (grand marnier, amaretto - whatever you like) to soak the sponge cake.

Cover alcohol-soaked sponge cake and fruit with half the cooled custard. Whip 2 cups of heavy cream. Sweeten cream with 1/2 cup or so of icing sugar and vanilla to taste. Cover custard layer with half the whipped cream.

Repeat entire process with a second layer of cake, alcohol, fruit, custard and cream (this second layer is optional). Top with more fresh raspberries and toasted almonds. Sometimes, I'll top with grated white chocolate instead of the toasted almonds. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Eat plenty, undo your belt buckle/buttons/zipper and enjoy thanksgiving.

Reef

New Tenant--
I second making the bed first thing. When you're tired, it's nice to have a space already carved out to collapse into. In fact, any living spaces you can carve out of the chaos will help. If the movers are setting things up, that's really great. Get the bed set up first; maybe the tv too.

For the cat, I agree with the previous comment to empty out a small room or a closet in the old place, put all the cat's necessary items in there, and close the door. I would put a sign on the door to keep everyone out so that cat is not disturbed. If you absolutely can't do this in the old place, do the same thing in the new place, but this is not as good, since it's a strange place and there will be all the moving noise. Cats like to hide, so having something within the closed space that provides the cat a hiding place would be good.

You take your cat to a groomer? If the cat's already been there, that's not a bad idea either.

Doing these things will make a huge, huge difference to the feline's and everyone's sanity and will also help to prevent any acting out of the cat in the new place. What's good for the cat is good for the human.

Pixie

Not generally (she's been to the groomer maybe three times in her 14 years). I just thought it might be slightly less traumatic - probably not. I will take the predominant advice and set her up in the walk in closet with her stuff - in both apartments. I think she'll be okay.

Thanks again everyone. I'm so excited.

Reef. Thanks so much for the recipe. I've never attempted trifle, but it now seems less intimidating!

New Tenant,
Good luck with your move - so exciting! And it's so great you have movers. My last move - summer 04 - is my last move where I don't use movers.

Michael--
Have you tried alibris.com?

I've been gearing up to make trifle for Thanksgiving (along with those pumpkin pots du creme in the NY times) but is there any substitute I can use for alcohol? One of my attendees does not drink.

The alcohol is just dampening the cake and adding a touch of flavor. The most common substitutes in trifle are probably orange juice or apple juice, but any liquid that's compatible with your fruit would work. I'd be severely tempted to use tamarind juice -- it tastes exotic enough that no one will spot it as a substitution, and it has a tart edge.

Interesting. Thanks, Wende!