Behind the Scenes → NYC

Hi everyone, I will be guest blogging for Fran over the next couple of months and wanted to introduce myself as well as fill you in on the buying trip Fran and I took last week to NYC.

Fran is my aunt (my mother’s sister) and we have always been close. Recently, we traveled to Morocco together and that trip inspired me to start collaborating with Fran so stay tuned for more about that at a later time! Fran and I met up on Saturday at the Roger Hotel, which I highly recommend. It’s a boutique hotel situated in Midtown right in the heart of the Rug District. There are plenty of restaurants to escape to and an easy walk or quick cab ride to and from Grand Central.

Wine30

That afternoon we shot up to the Met to check out the Islamic Galleries, which were renovated in 2011 but both Fran and I had yet to visit since they reopened. We found fascinating examples of 16th century carpets, some of which included knot counts of more than 2,000 knots per square inch! It was amazing to think that these works of art had been perfectly preserved for so many years.

Islamic Galleries at the MET

Our plan that evening was to relax and enjoy a nice dinner but NYC takes hold of you once you arrive and gives you energy to do more than you think or should do! So we bought last minute tickets to see An American an Paris and stumbled through what seemed like a million people on Time Square to catch this popular musical.

Sunday was dedicated to the Rug Market, which showcased classic, contemporary, antique and one-of-a-kind designs from some of the most renowned producers and wholesalers in the world. There are so many rugs coming from Afghanistan these days and it is where we tended to gravitate.

Rug Market

I had to leave Fran on Sunday evening to get back to my 9-5 job but stay tuned next week for a more extensive preview of new merchandise for the shop.