NYC is in its sweet spot right now: the city is gorgeous (can we talk about the near-perfect weather last week!?), the leaves are showing off, and the holiday madness hasn’t quite begun. I’m taking a brief pause on holiday content and enjoying this cozy, in-between stretch of fall.
Wednesday, November 11: Veterans Day. The NYC Veterans Day Parade, the largest in the country, marches up Fifth Avenue. Afterward, head to the Intrepid Museum’s Veterans Day ceremony at 3:30 p.m. With deep gratitude to all who have served and their families, it’s a day to say thank you and to teach our kids why it matters.
Yoshitomo Nara at David Zwirner: on view through December 12. His first major New York solo show in nearly a decade takes over both of the gallery’s Chelsea spaces, on West 20th and West 19th Streets. Start with nearly 100 paintings and drawings, then head around the corner for thirteen monumental white bronze heads. Pair it with a High Line walk!
The 83rd Brick Church Fair: November 10 to 12 at Brick Church. This is hands down my favorite holiday market of the season! The vendors are always excellent, and it’s the perfect place to get a head start on gifts. It kicks off with an Opening Night Party on Tuesday evening and runs through Thursday at 5 p.m. Bring the kids Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. for photos with Santa.
Kiku: Spotlight on Tradition at the New York Botanical Garden: last call for fall at the NYBG! Through November 15, the Greenhouses are full of Japanese chrysanthemums that have been trained for 11 months into jaw-dropping shapes. Pair it with a walk through peak foliage before the Holiday Train Show opens on November 14.
If you missed it, my November NYC guide is here. Here’s what’s worth highlighting this week:
Wednesday, November 11 to Friday, November 13: Chelsea Textiles Annual NY Sale at St. Ignatius Loyola, 40 to 80% off. Go early in the week, it’s definitely worth stopping by.
Wednesday, November 11 to Saturday, November 14: Art Week NYC, the city’s first, with 76+ galleries across the city.
Thursday, November 12: The Neue Galerie reopens, its 25th anniversary show, running through January 11. Free admission on Friday, November 13.
Saturday, November 14: The Ticking Tent Fall Market in Bedford, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, November 14: MoMA Family Films: Let’s Pretend at 2 p.m. and the Whitney’s Open Studio, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, November 15: Eat Up: Elevating Kids’ Nutrition, 2 to 5 p.m. benefiting Harlem Grown.
Monday, November 16: The Nature of Color opens at the American Museum of Natural History.
The Met’s Winter Children’s Classes: registration opens today at 10 a.m., and these fill up fast! The eight-week workshops start in January, with painting, drawing and mythology classes for ages 2 to 12. Registration closes December 4, if classes don’t fill first.
The Mark Spa: everyone’s favorite UES hotel is opening its first spa this month! The Mark teamed up with cult skincare brand Augustinus Bader on three treatment rooms offering signature facials, microcurrent, LED and oxygen therapy. It’s open to non-guests too, so it’s the perfect excuse for a pre-holiday glow.
So many new restaurants are on my hit list, and I’m hoping to make it to a few before the holiday madness starts. What’s on your dining hit list!?
Jeju Noodle Bar: Nolita, Korean. The second location of the Michelin starred original
Somssi: Greenwich Village, Korean. A cozy, candlelit bistro.
Oriana: Nolita, American. Live fire cooking
Faux: Tribeca, French brasserie, with a late night bar downstairs.
Bar à Part: West Village, a tiny French wine bar.
El Camarón Peludo: West Village, Mexican seafood wine bar.
New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts: I tried to get tickets to November’s Tales from Peter and the Wolf, (this past weekend) and it sold out before I could snag them! Learn from me and book ahead for the rest of the season. These family concerts are such a special introduction to the orchestra: The Adventures of The Firebird: (Saturday, January 16), Music & Screen: (Saturday, March 13), and Preludes & Poetry: (Saturday, April 3)
The Big Apple Circus: November 27 to January 18. The beloved one-ring circus has a brand-new show and a new home on the Upper East Side, at the Marx Brothers Playground (East 96th Street between First and Second Avenues), while Lincoln Center is renovated. Think daring acrobats, aerialists and hilarious performing dogs.
Virgil Abloh: The Codes at The Shed: Opening December 10 and running through January 18. This major retrospective celebrates the late designer’s genre-bending career across fashion, sneakers, art, architecture and music, with nearly 1,000 pieces, from finished designs to the sketches and prototypes behind them.
Dirty Dancing: The Musical: The stage version of the 1987 classic is coming to Broadway for the first time, with all the music from the film. It’s a limited run from February 12 to September 5, 2027, and tickets are on sale now. This one has a girls’ night out written all over it!
Reminder: now is the time to plant those paperwhites! They take about four to six weeks to bloom, so if you start soon, you’ll have flowers just in time for the holidays. I had so much fun doing it last year, and it was super easy and rewarding. I picked up a bunch of pretty vessels and potting materials from Jamali Garden in the Flower District (if you haven’t been, it’s a must!), and you can easily order paperwhite bulbs online. Any time I needed a last-minute hostess gift, I tied one with a red ribbon, and voilà: simple and so pretty!
I use this tote non-stop and get so many compliments on it. There are some great new fall colors, and I have my eye on this one.
I’ve been using this vitamin C serum and can really see a difference in my skin. I love that the serum is kept separate until you’re ready to use it, so it’s as fresh and potent as possible. I’ve been pairing it with this NAD+ Peptide Rich Cream, which is thick, rich and my new winter go-to.
I guess now we’re officially in sweater season and I’m eyeing a red sweater for the holidays. J.Crew has some good ones, (up to 30% off right now) and always a fan of this Alex Mill cotton cardigan.
Other good things from J.Crew since there’s a big sale: knock-off velvet Belgians, and these look like perfect, cozy fall weekend pants
Also, from last week, here’s my Thanksgiving guide. It was a big hit, thank you for all who has shared it, it means so, so much to me. By far, the most popular product was a Camp Snap camera, which I can’t recommend enough (for kids or adults!) for capturing special family moments.
More Thanksgiving outfit ideas: Nili Lotan pants, this fun checkered top, and love these cropped pants with a jacquard hem
Lindsay Sword is the writer behind Fashion Soup, a fantastic Substack that always inspires me. After years on the business and merchandising side of the fashion industry, she knows exactly what makes a piece worth buying, and why. Her newsletter covers personal style, seasonal trends and what to actually wear, and her take is smart, practical and so much fun to read (all while raising three kids!). Below, she shares her top NYC picks, which are just as good as her fashion finds...
The Consistency Project: If you’re looking for perfect vintage Levi’s, you need to book an appointment here. Their sourcing and stock is amazing, but even better is their ability to fit you in exactly the jeans you want. (They also offer quick-turn alterations - and will ship to your home if you’re from out-of-town.) If you go to their Lower East Side location (which I recommend), make an afternoon of it and grab a drink in the Swan Room, one of the most beautiful bars in the city housed in the former teller hall of the historic 1912 Jarmulowsky Bank Building (which is now the Nine Orchard Hotel, my go-to staycation spot).
Dries Van Noten: Visiting this store is my version of going to an art gallery. (My previous favorite Soho store was BDDW, an actual furniture and art gallery, and I’m so sad it closed. It was like an amusement park for your senses.) The Dries layout is perfect for exploring the curated assortment, winding your way through small rooms and several floors. I particularly love the beauty and fragrance collection, which I think is so brilliantly designed.
Topdrawer: My go-to for charming and useful home goods and accessories, perfect for house warming gifts (and stocking stuffers!). I’m obsessed with their bandanas, silk-screened by hand in Kyoto and made from 100% cotton in beautiful colors. (Good luck choosing, but if you buy four, they gift you a fifth!)
Rizzoli: Swing by after Topdrawer to lose yourself in their incredible selection of gorgeous art and coffee table books and the serene, warm space that feels like it’s from another era.
The Guggenheim: This is my favorite museum to visit with my boys, the size and scope are manageable and the spiral ramp obviously captures the attention of little kids. But my favorite part is the Art Cart on Saturday mornings, where children can make art inspired by the exhibitions right in the galleries (my middle son made a paper collage inspired by the Alex Katz retrospective a few years ago that is a prized possession of mine and hanging in our apartment).
BOC NYC: This independent boutique in Carnegie Hill is sneaky good for all our favorite Substack brands like Donni, Jamie Haller, B Sides, TWP, Freda Salvador, Nili Lotan, Mother, and more. Dash across the street for The Corner Bookstore - the small heartbeat of this special neighborhood. (But please stock more romance novels!)
Thank you for sharing your incredible picks, Lindsay!!
Thank you so much for having me, your guides are an essential resource for us! I can’t believe the Big Apple Circus is moving up here for a bit, that’s such a sweet tradition for my boys. Thanks for the head’s up, and I definitely need to check out the Color exhibit at the Natural History museum!