NYC Travelougue: Yesterday and My Plans for Today

I had a blast in NYC yesterday. What was I doing? First, I visited the Shops at Columbus Circle, which is in the Time Warner Center and is directly across from Central Park. It reminded me of many of the high end malls in Las Vegas. Sephora, True Religion, Aveda, Bouchon, Coach and other upscale establishments populated this retail space. Next, I spent some time at the monument in Columbus Circle. It was of Christopher Columbus. He was standing on a very tall granite column. Three bronze reliefs decorated the column, which represented Columbus's three ships -- the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. An angel holding a globe was at the monument's base. Benches and a huge pedestrian circle surrounded it. A beautiful fountain encircled the entire area. After I was done with Columbus Circle, I walked around the south Central Park area until I found a cute restaurant called Route 66. A simple decorated establishment, I enjoyed a delicious and well scented breakfast of thick French toast, plumb and juicy sausages, tasty scrambled eggs and two cups of coffee. The feel, the taste and the smell of the area was intoxicating.

Later that afternoon, I decided to go on an adventurous and purposeful walk on Broadway. I planned to visit the flagship store of Saks Fifth Avenue. On my way to the Fifth Avenue retailer, I passed by the theatre or studio where the David Letterman Show is held. As I walked by the studio, a large crowd of people on its side caught my attention. They were waiting to get a glimpse of Johnny Depp. He did finally arrive and I only saw the back of his brown leather jacket.

After this spectacle, I continued my walk down Broadway until I saw a huge ad for Sean John's I Am King cologne. The ad featured a dapper looking Sean John in a white Tuxedo Coat. The fragrance's name was underneath him to the left and its image was also underneath him to the left. A "Times Square" sign hugged his ad. I took a picture of the ad and continued to my retailing "temple."

After passing Radio City Hall, NBC Studios and many other fine retailers, I finally made it to Sak’s Fifth Avenue Store. When I entered it, I knew I was in heaven. Built in 1924, this behemoth retail space is ten floors of luxury. You'll find every high-end designer that you can imagine in it. It also features many designer boutiques, such as Louis Vuitton and Chanel.

As the Fragrance Man, I spent most of my time in the fragrance department, which was very huge. It took up almost the entire first floor of Saks. Nearly all the major names in upscale perfumery were there. I sniffed Yatagon by Caron, an Arabic inspired fragrance by Tom Ford as well as Tom Ford for Men Extreme, four scents from Bond No. 9 and several scents from Penhaligon's. At the very end of my adventure at Saks, I decided to purchase Endymion by Penhaligon's and Bleeker Street by Bond No. 9.

Later that night, I went to see an interesting play called Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe in Theater Row Studios. It was hilarious. It was about a charlatan preacher who preyed on women and wealthy men. That's all I'm going to tell you. If you want to know more about it, see it. After the play, I found myself on Christopher Street. I visited two interesting pubs -- The Hanger and Chi Chi’s.

Today will be jus t as adventurous. I’m planning to visit the world’s largest department store, Macy’s on Harold Square, and later this evening, I will be partying in Central Park. Ciao for now.