 Hi, you guys, I am here, look at me. I haven't done a video showing my base in so long, but I have been meaning to make this video all week long. You guys asked for it whenever you saw the pictures on Instagram. I flew back up to New York City's Garment District for the first time in five years this past weekend. And everyone wants to hear how it went and I want to tell you everything about it. Cause it ended up being a little bit more dramatic than maybe I thought it would be. I did buy fabric, I'm going to be showing you the fabric, just not in this video. I just wanted the fabric to have its moment, okay? If you don't know, if you're new here or new within the last five years, my girlfriend Amber and I, and at one point another girlfriend of ours, there used to be three of us, annually would go up to New York City to the Garment District to do just an obscene amount of fabric shopping. And then the pandemic happened and I'm sorry, I have like the worst eye allergies right now. Is anybody else feeling that? It is just like my eye, can you see? So, oh my gosh, okay, I'm sorry about that. So we would go up there, we would do the shopping, the pandemic happened and obviously we couldn't travel and then we just kind of got the habit of it, you know, planning it and picking a date and all of that. And then this year we were like, we need to go. So, we did. We flew up on Thursday. So she's flying from Charleston because she still lives there. I moved to Charlotte right before the pandemic. So I'm flying from here and I'm supposed to get there half an hour before her. And our flight, we wanted to get there really early. So both of our flights are around 6 a.m. And I don't know what happened, guys. I don't know what happened. I was just taking my sweet old time. I thought I had plenty of time. I underestimated every single step of travel. And what do you know? I miss my flight. I know, I know, I know. I've only ever done that one other time in my life. This time, thankfully though, because Charlotte is a hub for United and Newark when we were flying is a hub for United. They have flights going every hour. So they were able to get me on a 7 a.m. flight. So I missed 30 minutes, you know? So got on that flight. Anyway, so now I get there half an hour after Amber. Got on the train, got to the city, no incident. Our hotel was maybe, maybe six blocks. We always stay in the garment district, which if you don't know, it's like 37th, eighth and ninth between eighth and ninth avenues. That's kind of like, you know, the area it is. It's right outside of Times Square. So if you get a Times Square hotel, you're gonna be in the area, but we always stay in the garment district. So our hotel was not a far walk from Penn Station. Like I said, maybe six so-or-so blocks. We got there, dropped off our bags because obviously we were there so early. They weren't gonna check us in. And we just hit the town guys. We went to, let's see. I'm trying to remember all of the order of the places we went to. I know we went to Metro Textiles the first day because Kashi is one of our favorite people, the guy who owns it there. He is genuinely such a sweetheart and just so fun to work with, fun to talk to. Like you kind of like wheel and deal with him a little bit, but he kind of knows that you're doing that and you know that he's doing his thing. And it's just really, really cute. Oh, we went to Prime Fabrics first. We also love above Prime. Prime is probably four or five times as big as Metro. And we found out that Kashi and the guy that runs Prime are like commuting buddies. They ride the same train in every morning together. Like they know each other and they like each other and they're friends. I thought that was so sweet. Anyway, so Prime and Metro. And then we were like, we got like a bagel sandwich. We were doing the thing where, and if you have really good girlfriends you know what I'm talking about, but you go into a place, you both pick something that you like. We have similar tastes. You split it, but you do that like more than three meals. It was like five little meals all throughout the day. We did the bagel thing. We did like a smoothie thing. We got like one thing of sushi and split it. You know what I'm saying? So we did that all weekend long. So we got to try out tons of food. We did the $1.50 pizza, don't judge. I know, I know it is really good though guys. So we did that. And I think we might have like, when you're in the garment district you literally just walk down these streets in between eighth and ninth avenue and they're lined with fabric stores. Some of them have names. Some of them don't. Some of the names are weird. Like moon fabrics, swan fabrics. There's this place called, I think it's called HK is the name of it, but everyone calls it jinky store. There's AK. There's just, the names don't really matter. You just end up recognizing the storefront and you can pop into any of them. Moon fabric kind of looks like one of those that has only sequins fabric, but then they have this basement, which sounds sketchy, but it has a basement where everything is 499 a yard. So of course we're gonna go check out the basement. So we were just like popping into different fabric stores. We ended up checking in and then lounge and hung out for a minute, got refreshed. And I think both of us changed because we were kind of sweaty and gross just from traveling. But then we went and met one of Amber's online friends that she knows from Instagram, Christina, who now is my in real life friend, because I didn't know her on Instagram before then. We went to her for dinner at a dim sum place, which was amazing. And Amber and I got like a little sampler platter and we shared it, which was awesome. And we just sat and we talked to her and just gabbed about sewing, gabbed about different things we were making. You know what it's like to hang out with sewing friends. So we did that. Went back to our hotel. Oh, no, no, no, we didn't. Is that the night we found Angelina's? There is a new Italian dessert shop in the garment district since the last five years, so new to us, that has the most incredible gelato. And the workers there were like super friendly, like abnormally friendly for New York City. Like they love their jobs, which I guess if I were serving desserts that were that delicious all day, I'd love my job too. But there was a pistachio, there was a chocolate Oreo and then they had like strawberry, mango and lemon, I think. Oh, but we went there every night. I know, they were like, you again. So we went and got ice cream and then we went back to the apartment and just talked and hung out. It happened to be the same night as the Taylor Swift release of her Speak Now, Taylor's version. So Amber got to experience that with me. She's not a Swiftie, I am a Swiftie. So we're pretty pooped, we go to sleep, wake up the next day, we hit the ground running. So one of the museums there has a revolving exhibit floor and they're doing one now dedicated to storytellers and this one is Taylor Swift. So it has like all of her costumes from different music videos, different live performances and different things like that. So it was cool to see like as a fan, sort of, what was really cool is that you could get up super, super close to her costumes. Like they're behind glass but you could get up really, really close. But it's just like one little floor. We went up a floor in the same museum and they had some exhibits like wood art which shout out to all of you because that is incredible. The things that people do and make with wood is just, I was just like, wow, I was really, really impressed. They also had three quilts from African-American quilt makers and it was sort of kind of the idea of the people who took quilting from a craft and made it into an art. And so some of the African-American women who were behind that and then someone who is like today forging a new path for fiber arts and fabric and textile art. It was really, really interesting. I loved it. We spent way more time there than I thought we would but it was just so fascinating. We just ate it up. So then, and that was like around the circle area so we took the train back. We went to Mood. We went to, oh, we had a great Greek lunch that day. Oh, so good. We went to B&J fabrics which is really kind of expensive. And I played this trick on everyone on Instagram where they have like $500 a yard fabrics there. Insane. And there instead of it being the bolts, the tube bolts laid up against the wall, they have fabric swatches like big, like maybe like one foot by two foot on these little like pant hangers. And then they have them all hung up on these little racks and then each rack has like three layers, three sections, three rods of these hung up fabrics. So you can touch every single one of them. The $500 fabric, you can just lick it if you want to. I don't recommend it, but you could. You can touch it. You can, whatever. Anyway, so I got that fabric thing off the hanger or off the rod and I took a picture of it and was like, look at my first fabric purchase on Instagram. And that was it. That's all I said. And then the very next story, I was like, are you kidding me, you guys? No, I'm not spending $500 a yard on fabric. And I'm kind of getting ahead of myself but the next day we met up with some friends and they were all like, you got me. I thought you bought that $500 fabric, $500 a yard fabric. And I was going to tell you today that we needed to reevaluate some things because no fabric is worth $500. Where else did we go that day? We kind of did, did we get to Elliot Bierman? No, we did get to elegant fabrics though. Another one that does the same little rack system. She has some fabrics that are lower end but a lot of really expensive stuff too. Not as expensive but just higher end good quality stuff. So that was that. And then that night, no, no, oh, so then, yeah. So then we took, no, we walked. We walked from the garment district down to FIT which is really, it's not a 10 minute walk. It's like the garment district and then you pass Madison Square Garden and then you get to the area where FIT is. And FIT has a free museum open to the public and they change it out every few months. I don't really know how often but this exhibit was the Latin American and Latin X designers. So thank Carolina Herrera and Rick Owens and anybody that's from like South America, Cuba, Spain, you know, all of that kind of stuff. So it was interesting to see some of their work. It's not a very big exhibit. It's like two hallways and they are really, really, really kind of sticklers for how close you can get and the displays are kind of set further back. So you don't spend as much time there just because you can only look at something from this far away for so long. You can't get in there and look at the details. They'll yell at you and there's an alarm that goes off. It's a whole thing. Probably because they have students coming in there all the time maybe. I don't know. I don't know. Anyway, so we did that and then across the street they had another little exhibit all about millinery. Am I saying that right? The hats. So it was just fun to look at the hats. We don't, even one of us knew much about hat making but there were cute funky little hats in there. They had a Halston exhibit all about his micro suede and how he kind of like revolutionized that kind of wash and wear type thing for the high end client. But that had closed and it had already closed for the day so we couldn't see any of that stuff. But again, it was really small but still cool. So by that time we walked back, we got some dinner, ice cream again and then back to the hotel. And at this point we are feeling it. We are tired. We are, you know, our bodies are starting to like hurt. We're getting blisters and all the things but we've got one more day, one more day. So we're committed. The next day we had set up kind of a meetup. So she reached out to some of her Instagram friends. I reached out to some of my Instagram friends and we all met up in Central Park and everybody kind of held like a BYOB thing, bring your own brunch. And we sat and we talked on the lawn and under a tree and there was a saxophone, like a busker saxophone busker like not far by. So like in the background was this like classical sax music. It was incredible, just beautiful. I mean, it was so relaxing. It is wild to me how different it feels being in Central Park versus just stepping, one step outside the park and it's chaos. But in that park, man, you are transported, transported. So we hung out there for a good two hours and just talked and talked and talked and talked and talked. And then a whole bunch of us walked from there to the Met Museum, which is doing the Karl Lagerfeld exhibit. The Met Museum and the Met Gala, you know, the first Monday of May, they do the Met Gala. Whatever theme the Met Gala is, is what the exhibit is in the Met. So I mean, I've been to the Met exhibits before and they were like kind of just walk in, walk around, maybe 30 minutes an hour. This one was, there were so many displays. I don't know if it's because his work spans so many years and so many different aesthetics, but I mean, it kind of twisted and turned and went in and out and floored a ceiling type stuff. It was just, it was a really, really interesting exhibit that I feel like, whatever you feel about Karl Lagerfeld himself, the man, the person, the exhibit, I think, did a decent job of making sure you knew that even though Karl Lagerfeld designed these things, there is a team of incredible crafts women, people behind the scenes who are making this a reality. Karl Lagerfeld did not sew, he didn't sew a single stitch. He was like a master illustrator and he hired these atelier women mostly at that time because he would draw the thing and he'd be able to hand the drawing to them and they would be able to just pick it apart and know exactly what he wanted to see in the garment that they would be making up. It was just such an incredible thing to think about these two creative minds or maybe like a creative mind. There is some creativity on the atelier's part, but also more of like a technical view as well to make it a reality, to take his sketch and his vision using sewing techniques and all of that couture techniques to make it work. And they had interviews with them and they just were like, you know, he was very involved and very hands-on. He would come in and out of the atelier all the time, assessing like how they were coming along and making sure that his vision was being met. So I just thought that that part was really cool and really interesting to think about the relationship between the designer and the sewer. Yeah. Oh, funny story about the Met. So obviously we had this whole day, we had this brunch. I had a reusable water bottle and they check your bags and he was like, the security guard was like, what's this? And I'm like, it's a reusable water bottle. He's like, is there water in it? And I'm like, yeah. And he's like, drink it. And I'm like, I couldn't tell if he was joking, but I'm in New York. So I'm like, I'm sure he's not joking. So I'm like, okay, it's like I drink it. And me being a very curious, like journalistic type of person, I was like, what was that? Like you want to make sure it wasn't like a bomb or poison and he said, no, I wanted to make sure it wasn't paint because people will take paint and throw it on exhibits. I was like, oh geez, wow. Yeah, okay, no, not paint, just water and we are all good. But I thought that was really interesting. Anyway, so we left the Met, walked to the train, took the train back. If you're curious, that day for the BYOB, we had stopped at a smoothie place. Oh my God, I had the most delicious kale juice in my life. I'm not a big fan of those green juices, but this was kale and watermelon and something else and something else. Oh, kale and watermelon, it slaps. You guys have to try it. Amber, I think got a smoothie, smoothie, banana, something. And we went to CDS and picked up like trail mix and stuff. That was our, oh, and an apple from the hotel. That was what we had for brunch that day. And then it was time to pack up and go. And my adventure is not even close to being over because as we get on the train to go back, oh, I had so much fabric that all weekend, I was like, I'm just gonna ship it back. I'm just gonna box it up and ship it back. So we get to the post, the USPS office, they're right in Penn Station next to everything. It wasn't out of the way at all. And it's not gonna be cost effective. Like it's cheaper for me to check a bag than it is for me to ship this fabric. So I spent all that time doing that. I'm like lugging it around. It's kind of heavy. And we get on the train. Unfortunately, your flight has been canceled. And I'm like, what, what am I gonna do? I'm like, oh my gosh. And I'm not the kind of person to just like instantly freak out, spiral, go out of control. So I'm trying to like, we saw, stay calm. But yeah, I'm just like, I'm not quite sure what's gonna happen. So I get to the airport. They have you go down to this like, this like level where nobody is. There's a super long line. And I'm like, oh my God. And I'm like, there's gotta be another way. I'm gonna call. So I start, I find a number and I call them. And I'm gonna hold probably for 20 minutes, half an hour. All things considered, not that bad. I've been on hold for much longer, for much less. And she was able, she was trying, she was telling me, yes, we can get you too. We can get you out of Newark tonight, but it's to another hub. And like the next closest hub that makes any sense at all is Chicago. And I'm like, no, I don't wanna go to Chicago. That's like in the wrong direction. I'm like, how about a non hub airport that is in the Carolinas? Like just get me to the Carolinas and I'll figure out my way home. And she's like, well, I have a flight to Charleston. And I'm like, Amber's flight? And it was. So I got myself booked on Amber's flight. We got to, I was like, Amber, you can't get rid of me. Like you're stuck with me for another three hours. So we flew back, watched a movie together, talked more and all that kind of stuff. And then got into Charleston around midnight. I rented a car and drove through the night to get back home to the girls who had been here because they, their boarding ended that day. And I and everybody else thought that I was gonna be home that night. So they just brought them home and my roommate, not my roommate, my neighbor went and picked them up and brought them back here. So they're waiting for me. So I had to get home. So yeah, I just drove. And honestly, it really wasn't that bad. If you've ever driven in the middle of the night before on the highway, it's like, there's no tractor trailers. There's no construction work going on. There's no just like random backups for no reason at all. No accidents. I zipped here like super, super fast. Three hours max. But yeah, it was an adventure for sure. But honestly, it was all worth it. It was so worth it to be back in the city. So worth it to hang out. Amber, obviously, meet new sewing friends, meet up with old sewing friends, see all of the like cultural things that we saw about art and everything else. Like it was just, it's a whirlwind. We do a lot and a little amount of time to make it the most cost effective for both of us. But it's still really fun. And now for sure, Amber and I both have committed to make this an annual thing. Again and again. But yeah, I hope you enjoyed living vicariously through me. I will be back soon, the fabric haul from New York City. Okay, but yeah, that's gonna do it for me today. Thanks so much for watching and I'll see you very soon. Okay, bye.