Suzanne Carillo

Last week I had the chance to tag along with my husband to New York City.

Yes I froze my ass off, just like at home. I’ve been to New York City quite a few times and the weather isn’t inviting in the dead of winter nor the dead of summer, if you ask me (way too hot and humid!). The best time to visit is in spring or fall, but when opportunity presents itself I’m ready, willing and able.

We quickly booked to see “Disgraced”

A timely play considering the attacks in France had just transpired only days previously. It was a very well written thought provoking and rather shocking play. I did find it to be misogynistic at times and had to physically stop myself from screaming out during some of scenes. Would I recommend it? You bet.

We went to “Sleep No More“.  

New Yorkers are most likely familiar with this type of interactive theatre. For us it was a totally new and unique experience. It is MacBeth told through interpretive dance in a house of horrors which you explore on your own at your own pace wearing a phantom mask. No joke. That is me in the lower right photo. We took the shot in the bar.

The haunted house has 4 different levels so you spend quite a bit of time going up and down the stairs trying to find your way through the mazes of props and sets which were intricately detailed, beautiful and creepy. You truly feel like you’ve stepped back in time and straight into someone’s nightmare.

Everything is dark or dimly lit and once you come across an actor, anyone without a mask, you try to follow them to see what they will do and what scenes they will act out. I say “try” because they literally run from one scene to the next and seem to disappear as soon as they turn a corner.  It is sheer happenstance if you are in the right spot at the right time, but the play repeats three times throughout the evening so you have a good chance of seeing most of the scenes.

It gets intense.

Sex, violence, madness, love and everything in-between.

The first scene we watched was so crazy/fantastic/weird/amazing that I really couldn’t move. Literally. My feet felt like lead and I couldn’t even get out of the actor’s way. I would assume this is what it is like in a horror movie when you see the person that is scared to death but they don’t move or run and you are always asking yourself, “Why don’t they just leave???” That was me.

If you know MacBeth you will know that there are three witches that basically start and end the play. This is the scene we watched first, but it wasn’t like anything I’d read or could even have imagined. It was like being in a beautiful nightmare where you try to force yourself to wake up but simply cannot.  I was scared, fascinated and enthralled by the whole thing.  I won’t describe it all, in case you should choose to go, but I will say this, naked, bloody, twisted ballet with strobe lights and animal heads. Nuff said. My heart felt like it was going to push a hole right through my chest at one point when a naked man smeared in blood wearing a horse’s head stepped basically on top of me. Looking out from behind the mask everything seems very surreal. Like I was looking through a window pane.

All the scenes we saw after that were very tame in comparison but still remained dreamlike and ethereal. Especially given the fact that you are there strictly to observe. There is no talking, and no faces. Everyone is wearing a mask and everyone is silent, like strange voyeur ghosts. It is freaky and fabulous. A very unique experience. I’m glad we did it. Now I chase my pug around the house wearing the mask and yelling, “Out! out! damn spot!!!” ha ha.

We also did the normal New York thing which is for us at least, eating somewhere in the Village, L’aile ou la Cuisse, and visited some totally new-to-me incredible shops in Soho.

We stumbled across Green Street in Soho and they had a HUGE selection of decently priced pieces. Both of us picked up pieces there and Robert usually never buys consignment.

La pièce de résistance was definitely What Goes Around Comes Around.  You can see Robert below pimping out in a fur trimmed long coat from we think was around 100 years old. I tried on a Vivianne Westwood blazer that was insane…but much too insane for my pocketbook. The whole shop was filled with pieces that were borderline museum worthy. Also the staff were dressed so wild and funky. I kind of wished I’d asked them for photos now. We spent a good while in there just soaking up the atmosphere, merchandising and inventory.

We found the hat store that made the hat for Breaking Bad, Goorin Bros.  with a very cool staff as well.

We had to be in Times Square for the play and then ate and “martinied” at a favourite of ours The Blue Fin at the W.

Of course I had to make a quick trip to a couple of Anthro stores…especially since they had a huge sale on. I’d never been to the Soho store before and they had a great selection. I may have picked up something that looks a bit like this boho piece and a very unique dress that I’ve never seen on the Anthro website or in store before. I made it to the Rockefeller Plaza flagship store as that is one of my favourites but didn’t buy anything there. Talk about restraint!

We managed to squeeze quite a bit in our little trip. I also had a wonderful blogger meet-up.

New York never disappoints, even if it is bone chilling cold and grey it still has nooks and crannies to explore, interesting things to do and an energy that is hard to find anywhere else in the world.

Have you been to New York? If so, what was your favourite part about it?