It’s been a crazy few weeks here at AFGID & PARISH. We completed  a big job in Alys Beach, flew up to NYC and back, and had a HUGE sale at PARISH. Whew, all that just in time for fall and football season!

Ashley and I were lucky enough to travel to New York City for the installation in TriBeCa. It was my first trip to the city and I am slightly ashamed to say that I was a total tourist. I took pictures of everything…  At least I had the blog for my excuse!

If you’re new to the blog, before pictures and our design concept can be found on my previous blog post, The TriBeCa Project.

Get ready for a whirlwind of pictures:

Speeding past the beautiful skyline on the way to the hotel:

This was my first New York cab ride! Buddy the Elf got it right when he said “the yellow ones don’t stop!” YIKES.

{Note to self: Do not cross the streets carelessly like you do in Auburn. You will regret it.}

It was so fun to see all the beautiful architecture in person! I took this one as we sped by in a cab:

The first stop was the Eventi Hotel to quickly check in before getting to work. Our hotel room was super modern and fun!

After checking in, we were off to get some shopping done!

Day One: Scope out apartment and do some major accessory shopping. 

Shopping began at CB2 and West Elm. West Elm found a great use for palates – white wash & use as display/room divider!

Another display at West Elm… This cocktail table would be so great for a small apartment!

After a ton of shopping we ate dinner with our client at Public. The design was beautiful and the people were totally how I imagined New Yorkers – all dressed up sipping on fancy drinks on a random Tuesday night.

The bathroom was totally covered in small glass tiles with built-in soap storage in the walls!

After dinner we went back to the hotel to map out our plans for the next day. We were more than pleasantly surprised to find that the concierge had sent up cupcakes in honor of my first trip to the Big Apple. How cute is that!? I guess Southern Hospitality is making it’s way up north!

Day Two: More accessory shopping, furniture delivery & installation, drapery installation.

First… Breakfast. Ashley and I are big breakfast people so we decided to hit up Bubby’s for breakfast.

We both got sour cream pancakes, eggs, & bacon….  So yummy.

Then we were off to get some work done. Our main stop on day two was the ABC Carpet & Home store. Amanda told me I was going to freak out… She was right. Six floors of  interior design heaven.

Disclaimer on the next photo: This sofa looks like the most comfortable thing ever made however it is not a statement that should be made in the middle of a living room… You might as well put a bed in the middle of the room.

This one is purely for entertainment purposes. I love America and all, but an American Flag sofa is pure overkill.

We snagged some great finds at ABC Carpet & Home and walked over to the  ABC Kitchen for lunch. Isn’t it cute!?

While wandering around looking for the hostess, we passed MARTHA STEWART having lunch with a friends. I was totally starstruck. Growing up I was the crafting, scrapbooking, baking, Martha-Stewart-wanna-be kind of girl. She was the only celeb we saw and I’m totally fine with that.

Anyway, ABC Kitchen was way too packed so Ashley and I headed to CraftBar – a super chic restaurant on Broadway.

Turns out it was the end of restaurant week so we were obligated to eat a 3 course lunch. No complaints here!

After a late lunch, we headed back to the apartment with all our shopping bags….

We got back just in time for the movers to arrive.  And the installation begins:

Around 8pm we were exhausted and ready for dinner! Mexican was calling our names and we happily  stumbled upon Crema – a much fancier Mexican restaurant than you will find in south Alabama that’s for sure.

Then we decided we had to get a little sight seeing in so we took the subway to Time Square.  The first thing I saw as I stepped out onto the streets was a giant picture of Pauly D! Not what I was expecting… But I guess I really didn’t know what to expect!

One short ride down was Grand Central Station! I’m obsessed with all the beautiful details.

After our crazy day, we could not get to bed fast enough! 6am came very quickly…

Day 3: Electrical work, Art Installation, Accessory returns, and finishing touches.

Our final NY breakfast was at Plein Sud:

The design was beautiful all the way down to the details.  Check out the upholstered ceiling!

We planned out our day while eating some yummy French Toast and Eggs Benedict. Ashley ran all over town buying even more accessories while I held down the fort with the art installer and the electrician. We desperately missed our sweet installers from home. Teaching a Spanish speaking man how to hang art the Ashley way is not so easy to do. He finally got the hang of it, thank goodness.

We got everything finished just in the nick of time! The client came home to see the finished project as we were taking the final pictures. To say that Ashley and I were relieved would be a serious understatement.

Ashley and I said grabbed some pizza from the closest place we could find, hopped in a cab, and headed back to the airport just in time to make our flight back to the South!

I hope you’re all dying to see the final pictures at this point… But you will have to wait and see! Our final pics are coming very soon!!