I'm not sure if posting is going to become a regular occurrence again, but a few weeks ago I did exactly what this whole blog is supposed to be about...so I thought it made sense to post. I wandered! I got up at 8-something (I'm really not sure how)...had a vague idea in my head of something I wanted to find, and then I just left my apartment and walked for hours...did some circles around Chelsea, made my way down to Soho, over the West Village, then the West Side Highway for a brief nap on the grass...and finally home. All while strategically in a tube top and remaining in the sun at all times to maximize tan ;0 (I know, excellent multitasking).
So why the trunk? Well I don't have a lot of space in my new apartment. It's really not that small, but I have a lotttttt of crap. So I keep finding myself needing to think of innovative ways to store and sort all of my crap. I remember finding lots of cool old trunks when I went to the Brooklyn Flea last summer and I thought one of those would be a great way to decorate AND store some of what I used to fit in my giant closet at my old apt (see the trend? multitasking once again!)
No offense to Brooklyn, but...it's far. And I hate the subway. So I wandered around my turf instead. Thought I'd find something great at Housing Works Thrift on 17th, it's apparently their flagship shop. Total fail! The place is kind of...nice! It felt like Ikea in there with everyone checking out these shiny pieces of furniture organized nicely in the middle of the room. And nothing against Ikea, aka what furnishes the REST of my apartment, but I kind of just want a dirty old trunk. :)
So the wandering continued, I was out and about for several hours, happily distracted by street fairs and little shops along the way and then I was finally ready to admit defeat and head home when I decided to do some loops around my neighborhood. Enter Pippin!
I almost tripped on this little sign on the sidewalk (kinda like those ones that list the lunch specials or happy hour deals outside restaurants) that said "Vintage Home Goods" with an arrow pointing down a narrow little alley. Sketchy? Mildly. I entered. The alley, lined with old mirrors, leads to a little courtyard, connected to a little house, all filled with antique trinkets, jewelry, furniture etc. I saw the trunks immediately and the shopkeeper (so medieval) must have seen the light in my eyes because he ran out to talk to me about them, describing them to me like he was looking at prized jewels, running his hands over the detail evvvver so carefully. It was amazing. I felt the same way, was definitely in total awe. I am SO excited to get one of those babies back to my place. I will most likely give it a light wipedown before putting anything inside though. 
As a disclaimer: I'm not pretending to be the first to discover this place---I googled around when I got home (aka Starbucks--since I didn't have internet yet) and it's been reviewed on nymag, yelp etc..., but it felt like a triumph stumbling upon it and finding exactly what I'd been looking for all day...and just blocks from my new apartment! Totally meant to be. It's a sign...gotta keep up the wandering!
Unfortunately, since I can't carry a trunk several blocks by myself, I had to leave it and have been trying to get back there since...with someone to help me carry it. The shopkeeper assured me that there would definitely be new goodies by next weekend, maybe even more trunks, so I wasn't too worried leaving my prized possession. I finally made my way back today with my mama, who let me put the dirty old thing in her back seat to take it to my apartment. The things parents do for their kids! So now it's happily sitting in the corner of my living room, waiting to be filled. Success.
More than anything I felt accomplished that I'd had a successful day of wandering (and tanning) and I'm gonna try to keep it up!
Until the next sunny day in the city....
- Wandering NYer
So why the trunk? Well I don't have a lot of space in my new apartment. It's really not that small, but I have a lotttttt of crap. So I keep finding myself needing to think of innovative ways to store and sort all of my crap. I remember finding lots of cool old trunks when I went to the Brooklyn Flea last summer and I thought one of those would be a great way to decorate AND store some of what I used to fit in my giant closet at my old apt (see the trend? multitasking once again!)
No offense to Brooklyn, but...it's far. And I hate the subway. So I wandered around my turf instead. Thought I'd find something great at Housing Works Thrift on 17th, it's apparently their flagship shop. Total fail! The place is kind of...nice! It felt like Ikea in there with everyone checking out these shiny pieces of furniture organized nicely in the middle of the room. And nothing against Ikea, aka what furnishes the REST of my apartment, but I kind of just want a dirty old trunk. :)
So the wandering continued, I was out and about for several hours, happily distracted by street fairs and little shops along the way and then I was finally ready to admit defeat and head home when I decided to do some loops around my neighborhood. Enter Pippin!
I almost tripped on this little sign on the sidewalk (kinda like those ones that list the lunch specials or happy hour deals outside restaurants) that said "Vintage Home Goods" with an arrow pointing down a narrow little alley. Sketchy? Mildly. I entered. The alley, lined with old mirrors, leads to a little courtyard, connected to a little house, all filled with antique trinkets, jewelry, furniture etc. I saw the trunks immediately and the shopkeeper (so medieval) must have seen the light in my eyes because he ran out to talk to me about them, describing them to me like he was looking at prized jewels, running his hands over the detail evvvver so carefully. It was amazing. I felt the same way, was definitely in total awe. I am SO excited to get one of those babies back to my place. I will most likely give it a light wipedown before putting anything inside though. 
As a disclaimer: I'm not pretending to be the first to discover this place---I googled around when I got home (aka Starbucks--since I didn't have internet yet) and it's been reviewed on nymag, yelp etc..., but it felt like a triumph stumbling upon it and finding exactly what I'd been looking for all day...and just blocks from my new apartment! Totally meant to be. It's a sign...gotta keep up the wandering!
Unfortunately, since I can't carry a trunk several blocks by myself, I had to leave it and have been trying to get back there since...with someone to help me carry it. The shopkeeper assured me that there would definitely be new goodies by next weekend, maybe even more trunks, so I wasn't too worried leaving my prized possession. I finally made my way back today with my mama, who let me put the dirty old thing in her back seat to take it to my apartment. The things parents do for their kids! So now it's happily sitting in the corner of my living room, waiting to be filled. Success.
More than anything I felt accomplished that I'd had a successful day of wandering (and tanning) and I'm gonna try to keep it up!
Until the next sunny day in the city....
- Wandering NYer
