New York Christmas Sparkle--& a Sticky Traffic Jam

I wrote this last night on my iPhone but for various reasons in this chaotic household, didn't get to post it. Besides, I'm very particular about spelling, and wanted to double-check William Greenberg, paperwhite, éclair accent, etc. before posting.

Missed the 11:42 a.m. bus at the corner by a hair [or the time it took to brush my hair] so drove Papa's old car into the city to interview two women--smart architects who work out of the ground floor of a stately old brownstone on 93rd Street at Madison. Here's their WEBSITE. I'm writing about a Park Avenue duplex they designed and a Shelter Island farmhouse...nice....and I learned something new. I know the Upper East Side, Soho, Chelsea, Upper West Side, Yorkville, Gramercy Park, midtown, the Village, Little Italy, etc. etc. but I never knew this pocket of the city was called Carnegie Hill*.

Then walked to La Maison du Chocolat on 79th and Madison, window shopping along the way [stopped to watch a lady pipe frosting on a gingerbread house at William Greenberg at 82nd Street]. My sweater coat tightly belted, Burberry scarf in place, strolled by exquisite baby coats and shoes, red velvet jumpers and a mini gold-dust parka with fur trim...antiques and jewels and hip gifts for teens...fragrant Christmas trees and balsam wreaths, paperwhites and red cyclamen plants. 

Met my friend Sue from boot camp, who is working at La Maison du Chocolat for the holidays. [She is a skilled French translator and writer.] Looked at the perfect éclairs, dark chocolate dunked espresso beans....offered Sue a ride home and we got stuck in a sticky Christmas pudding traffic jam of 3.25 hours to get to Montclair....5:15 to 8:15. Not good. Late in the trip, we tuned into 880 AM and learned that two lanes were closed on the George Washington Bridge, causing a big backup in Manhattan with traffic diverted from the bridge and heading for the Lincoln Tunnel instead. And lots of stress at home, with a lesson and appointment and...sigh....but it was good to talk to Sue. Good night.

TCOY

1. Brisk walk in NYC on Madison Avenue. 
2. Went to Sarabeth's to eat lunch at 3 p.m.--hadn't lunched yet. Did not get those famous cookies, cakes or hot chocolate. And didn't miss them. So far, this sugar thing is going okay. It's obvious I will also save money.

*Per wikipedia: Carnegie Hill is a neighborhood within the Upper East Side, in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Its boundaries extend from 86th Street on the south to 96th Street to the north, between Fifth Avenue (Central Park) on the west and Third Avenue on the east.The neighborhood is named for the mansion that Andrew Carnegie built at Fifth Avenue & 91st Street in 1901.Today the mansion houses the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution.