This is the American Museum of Natural History. A legendary place and my absolute favorite: been there many times, spent hours at the planetarium Gift shop. I was there during the holidays with my niece a while back, and in the whale room she got so excited that she headbutted me and almost broke my front tooth. Too bad I didn’t take my son Lucio there: by the time he was of an age in which he could’ve enjoyed it, the pandemic hit.
Page 2: Ny Public Library. I was there last 2 yrs ago for the JD Salinger exhibition; it was on a weekday, only a couple of stylish older men were there. I saw his letters, his glasses, books, inspiration behind the Glass family and Seymour and also his pipe. In the main hall there was a very big tree all lit up. To give the idea of how big of a tree it was, the illustration had to be vertical!
This page is “Christmas decor in an Imaginary home”. This is how I imagine the Glass family house would look like (if they celebrated Christmas). A little Clue, a little Knives out, which is almost the same thing if you think about it. A large family and their intrigues: the ancestor on the wall has seen some stuff...
Grand Central: Make sure you have a gold marker for this page! This place is gilded on an ordinary day, let alone the Holidays. Next to one exit to the streets there used to be a Toy store I liked to go to, Kidding Around. Lots of nice toys, Bruder’s trucks, Janod’s puzzles and Jelly Cat’s plushes & many books. After Lucio was born I went to lunch with my brother in the magical Oyster place below Grand Central then I took him to Kidding around where he bought a LOL doll for my nieces - I didn’t even know what the LOLs where at the time. Next to Kidding around there was a cafe’ with a bartender that looked like Fred Armisen.
Upper West Side: I remember Tina Fey talking about going to this stationery/toy store in the UWS with her daughters after school... when I first went to the Upper West Side I had to see this place. It was a nice, neighborhoody childrens’ after school go to that gave off a vibe of an ideal, regular family life in Ny. Since then I always thought of the UWS as a place where real, nice (albeit sometimes fancy) Ny families lived: dads in Under Armor, kids in Columbia boots & the elusive NY teenager. Since this whole impression is probably just a fantasy of mine, I illustrated an Imaginary house, inspired by the house on West 86th street where Lyle the Crocodile lives.
Books of Wonder; this is my favourite bookstore, where I bought my first Tomi Hungerer, Bernard Weber books. They have all the best children’s books as well as posters and prints up for sale on the walls (I bought a Maurice Sendak print here for my friend Lara). When you buy a book they give you a special Books of Wonder dollar that u can collect get discounts on next purchases. I always kept them since I found them too cute... It used to be on 17th street or something but I think it has since moved.
Lower East Side. When I was younger I was living and hanging out mostly in L.E.S. This is the apartment building our friend Arturo was living in on Broome and Mott. They had a dark entry door and I never remembered what # I had to buzz. On the stairs, the Chinese tenants kept their doors always open, some of them put stools outside and red calendars or some flowers or tents on their doors. We spent a lot of time on this building’s rooftop, we even tried to see the 4th of July firewors from there one time.
Balloon Saloon in Tribeca. I used to go there after work on Saturday to look around. During the holidays I would stop at Pearl River Mart then go down to Balloon Saloon to buy Christmas gifts for friends & kids. The first time I was there I saw a giant inflatable earth globe and I still regret not buying it. I bought a small, cheap one at Pearl River Mart that I have to this day.
The Christmas Trees Stand on Varick and Spring. There are a lot of nice ones in NYC, BK, but this one I remember fondly as I used to walk past it often on my way from work to the Ear Inn (another legend). I remember the Benjamin Moore store and the sort of antique store full of wooden furniture nearby... I never got a tree there as I lived in the East Village at the time
Bergdorf’s windows: they are a huge deal but I seldom went to see them as 5th ave was usually unbelievably packed this time of the year. I was there once they had the much talked about Balenciaga window display...I decided to picture for the book a Polo (Ralph Lauren) Nativity scene.
Calyer Street, Greenpoint. The first apartment I lived in was on Calyer Street. 8 Years later, I moved into an apartment round the corner from where I first lived. A lot had changed, most of the townhouses in the block were being sold to fancy people, but some Polish old ladies resisted: they are the ones that decorate their stoops in the best ways for every Holiday, even Easter. I took Lucio to see the display at this house last year: they had an inflatable snowman, Santa with Sleigh + reindeer, lights, music…he was unimpressed! On summer evenings, the owners of these houses sit on chairs outside their door to chat with their neighbors.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The first time I visited the Brooklyn Botanic It was a weekday morning in December: there were only moms with their little ones, giving them soup in the cafeteria hall and chasing them around in the hot tropical house or the Bonsai room. I found it was a very nice place to bring children in the coldest days of the year. They even have a pond with Japanese carp fish in it. Forget about the cherry tree blossoming!
Brooklyn Flea. During winter, the Flea Market in Fort Greene moved indoor, in an ex bank close to the Barclays Center. This is a person finding that out in front of the original summer location. I find the whole of Fort Greene beautiful during winter: beautiful lights, wreaths or trees... I remember going to the indoor fleas (which was so packed you can’t even imagine it now) then going to Walter’s on Fort Greene park under the snow one Sunday.
This the second imaginary home in the book. It’s in Brooklyn, maybe in Park Slope? They have a child, they are serving a holiday dinner. They have 2 mid century armchairs and perhaphs, who knows, a Noguchi coffee table? When I used to work for a famous design company, I had some really nice clients living in houses like this. But the first time I heard of a Noguchi table it was from an old client of mine, a linguistics professor... he used to go on and on about his art & design purchases. As he got really old, he became hard of hearing but kept going on and on on all sort of topics, from champagne to philosophy. I had a custom color miniature Gio Ponti dezza made for him to place on his Noguchi table.
Dumbo's Main Street Playground. There are plenty of Iconic views in Dumbo, from Water Street to the Carousel, but I decided to depict the Main Street Playground as It’s one of the most beautiful... and I’ve seen many! I really love the boat shaped structure. I remember wintry sundays there, first with my niece and then my son. This could very well my favorite page of the whole book, and I saved it for last!
