and yes....I have found it.....HOME....sigh....

Yesterday I had the most wonderful opportunity to go....SHOPPING :) and not just any kind of shopping...but NYC SoHo shopping. Stef and the kids stayed home for the day, because really I can not understand them NOT wanting to walk around aimlessly for hours on end with no particular destination....gasp.....so ya...they stayed home and did not get to enjoy my trials and tribs to get lost....literally :)

While I did actually have one destination...I needed to get to PuRL to pick up some fabric and elastic....sure I could have gone just about anywhere for that...lol...but I wanted a good excuse to go into SoHo. It took me about 35 mins to get there via foot and the PATH train which was great timing think. It wasn't hard to find at all as I did a little bit of research before I left and knew I was looking for the light aqua store, and it definitely sprang out on the street. It was small and cosy, and the staff was very friendly and let us know about a future applique class that would be taught there (hmmmmm) only 6 students per class though, the space is that kind of small, so if I was thinking about joining to let them know soon....again....hmmmmmm.....lol....my appliques suck, and I should really try something else other than just straight sewing...

After I picked up my bunches of fabric, I went to tour SoHo....and I was in luck, there were sidewalk and end of summer sales everywhere. I LOVE walking in and out of stores, trying stuff on (I am a huge DVF fan :) and then talking myself out of buying them....lol...cause really who needs a 525$ tank top.....well....not me, but I am sure someone does :) But again it was about the experience. One of my favorite things to do is pick up their "cards"....at just about every store that I could find one I did. If I liked something I wrote on the back what I did, so then I could find them again, cause at that point things were just running on a blurr...so I came home with about 20 cards....and probably went into twice as many stores (I am sure hubby is VERY happy that he did not come...lol)



It comes a time I think in all good shopping experiences, that you really need to stop and refuel. There is an abundance of places to eat....with lovely little Terrasse atmospheres' just about everywhere....and they are all jam packed. Now I am not the type that is afraid to sit and eat alone...doesn't bother me at all...I do dislike being pushed in like sardines though, but I get it...it is NYC and that is what happens here....really how can a resto fail in this area??

But after waundering around a bit to find the perfect place....like a shining beacon...it called out to me.....


Vosges Haut Chocolat......lol....but of course :) Who really needs to eat anything substantial and hearty when you have chocolate....hehehe....actually what drew me in was not only there funky outside purple decor....but the sign on the door that said "Hot and COLD Chocolate"...and yup...they had me. It was friggin hot outside yesterday, and while I love the warmth, I needed a little respite from it, and I went in to try their Cold Chocolate. It looked like most of the servers where busy helping a BrideZilla to be :) with her order, and after looking at their displays of tons of chocolate I went to the cashier to make my order...which was going to be a cup of Cold Chocolate. But when he looked at me and asked what I would be having...I blanked...lol...it happens sometimes to me...words are there...but they do not come out....hehehe....so I asked him what he would recommend??? and he suggested not something in chocolate decadence but something called "Wattleseed IceCream" ...THEY HAVE ICE CREAM TOO!!!!!!(yup, that is it, up at the top)....omg.....yup ladies...I am moving in....lol...not only did they have me with the purple decor, the amazing crystal chandelier, and let us not forget the ever cascading dreams of chocolate, but Ice Cream too...le sigh....Wattleseed Ice cream is made from a wattleseed which is native to Austrailia and macadamia nuts, with a hint of vanilla...it just really hit the spot, and was not heavy at all which it could have been in that heat. I just sat there in the store and enjoyed reading about the founder of the store (Katrina Markoff) and how she came about with the concept of Vosges, and how she made herself successful (I always admire people that start off with an odd idea and make it work)...and listening to the Bride make the very patient staff go a little crazy.....hehehe. I of course after reading about Katrina could not leave without picking up some of her amazing chocolate, and I picked up a few of her bars so I could share with the brood back home (okay maybe not) I ended up buying Black Pearl Bar (wasabi, ginger, black sesame seeds and dark chocolate), Naga Bar ...omgosh you had me at Hello...(Sweet Indian Curry Powder, coconut flakes, deep milk chocolate) and the Red Fire Bar (Mexican ancho y chipotle chillies, Ceylon Cinnamon, dark chocolate) and while I thought I was done picking up an assortment of her varied tastes of bars, she mentioned in one of her articles that she hoped that if you were going to taste at least one of her creations it would be her first one...so I also picked up her Naga truffle (sweet curry, and dark chocolate)....I was so happy to have found this store....and I was so so sad to leave....






but not before trying one of there sampler truffles that they had laid out...yum...if you are an adventerous type with your food...and especially with your chocolate...I highly suggest going in for a visit :)....next time I am picking up the chocolate BACON bar.....yup..she went there...hehehe

yup, there went my diet right there.....lol...but so so worth it.


I think I spend about 5 hours waundering the SoHo streets...and going back and forth amoung the stores....lots of very everyday type stores (American Apparel type blah blah stores) but there were fun boutiquey type that I would never have found unless there...like Olive and Betty's, and Anna Sui, which I was happy to discover...



OH and this....hehehe....because my tiara loving friend also loves cupcakes...I was delighted to find these as part of the sidewalk sales....I picked up two of her red velvet cupcakes...and carried them all the way back home to share with hubby....see I did think of him :)




LOL....me and my parcels....checking out some really great re-done furniture...possible new sewing table?? what do you think?





How can one not have fun in SoHo.....??? But is definitely a place not to bring your hubbies and your kid's if you plan to shop...and seriously shop :)