Les Petits Chapelais

I took this photo because I love the color and the design of the sign. I believe it is a children clothing store in SoHo.

So what is your favorite color?

M&M Statue of Liberty

Here are some souvenirs from the M&M Store on Times Square. It's a favorite among tourists, especially those under the age of 10.

So what kind of souvenirs do you usually buy when you are traveling out of town?

Fishs Eddy

This eclectic store north of Union Square called, Fishs Eddy stocks some of the most colorful and interesting housewares I have ever seen. As you can see in the photo, there are a lot of fun and interesting stuff to buy here including porcelain hand molds from glove manufacturers (yesterday's photo), wooden shoe molds (not shown in this photo), cake pedestals, discontinued hotel chinaware, milk jars, old paintings, etc.

So is there anything in this store you would like to have?

Floating Stairs

If you have fear of height like I do, this will not be a comfortable climb down the stairs for you. The stairwell constructed with glass (or plastic) gives the feeling that one is floating on air. This staircase was installed just inside the entrance to the Apple Store on 14th Street and 9th Avenue (otherwise known as the Meatpacking District).

Walking up the stairs was surprising not as terrifying as walking down. And ladies who wear mini skirts might want to take the elevator around the corner from the stairs.

So are you an Apple or an IBM person?

Hastens Mattress

Hasten, the Swedish maker of luxurious mattresses, opened its first free standing store in NYC recently. The store, located in the middle of trendy SoHo, sells mattresses that are all hand stitched, using all-natural materials like horse hair, cotton and wool. It also has a 25-year warrantee but prices start at $4,475.

I wonder if our Swedish friends/bloggers all have Hasten mattresses. What about you?

New Apple Store in Chelsea

This photo was taken at the new and third Apple Store in New York City. Located in Chelsea, on 14th Street and 10th Avenue just north of the Meatpacking District, the store is one of the many new arrivals in this recently gentrified neighborhood. The staircase structure is made of plexiglass (I think) giving it that floating imagary as shoppers navigate from the one floor to another.

So what are you doing this weekend?

BFF - Best Friend Forever

I was walking through Chelsea last weekend when I saw this vacant retail store. You can see part of a quickly written vacancy sign on the bottom left. Either the realtor had a couple giant plush toys lying around or this used to be a toy store. Nonetheless, I thought this was an excellent display of friendship, even if they were merely toys.

So who is your best friend(s) and how long have you known him/her/them?

Hermès Rooftop Statue

About two months ago, Peter in Paris posted a photo of the statue of Napolean on a horse on top of the Hermès store in the french capital. He mentioned in his blog that Natalie of Sydney Daily Snap had also posted a similar photo from Australia. So I told Peter I would go and take a picture of the statue at the New York City store on Madison Avenue and 62nd Street.

Here is a list of bloggers who have posted photos of the Hermès statue around the world:

1. Eric of Paris

2. Peter of Paris

3. Natalie of Sydney

4. Ming of NYC

Let me know if here are any more Hermès statue photos so I can add on to the list.

When was the last time you bought something obscenely expensive?

Taschen Store Skylight

This is the inside view of the new Taschen Bookstore in SoHo. Taschen Books is the most prolific publisher of coffee table books in the world. It publishes books on topics ranging from art and design to film and pop culture.

There is a huge skylight at the rear end of the store, which floods the area gorgeous natural light coming through the glass ceiling. In addition, you can see the distinct SoHo loft architecture of the buildings abutting the store. The concrete wall on the right is the entrance to a staircase leading down to the basement offices. The walls of the stairwell is painted with wild, psychedelic shapes and colors, which is very indicative of the type of books the store carries.

If you like books, check out the site, Leaves of Grass by Sonia A. Mascaro who posted some wonderful photos of home libraries filled with books. I even noticed a few coffee table books in her photos.

Do you have any coffee table books at home?