Street Walking

Don't you just love to walk around your city or town and look at the Christmas windows?
My friend Gail Watson in New York sent me these photos of Bergdorf's windows, which she thought were bringing window display design back to refinement. Go HERE to the fabulous blog of The Paris Apartment to see a wonderful collection of photos of the Bergdorf Goodman windows.
All this beauty put me in the mood to do a little street walking.
So I sashayed up and down Magazine Street here in New Orleans the other day. The warm weather is back with the temperature reaching a near record high. Still I was feeling festive.
My first stop is Julie Neill. Julie's signature image is the crown. I haven't asked her why this is so, so maybe she'll leave a comment and tell us.
This holiday display shows all kinds of crowns! I'm sure you could find just the right one.

Everybody in New Orleans has a little altar in their home. It's not really religious or voo-doo (which is Voudon and a recognized religion here), but rather a collection of good luck objects, a gris- gris altar.
I love this one in Julie Neill's store - I call it Mary and her back up singers. I spy some crystal finials in the bowl with the shells. Large Mary is $35. Each back up Mary is $25.
A little silver tree glistens in the window, flanked by two stunning lamps using a silver coral form. Lamps are around $200. each. Don't you love the hand painted table top. Julie Neill has a great line of hand painted furniture.
The table is set with white pottery from Italy, featuring a Fleur di Lis, which is the symbol of New Orleans. The new Julie Neill design of the metal drum shade over a chandelier is one of a zillion beautiful lighting fixtures in this shop.
Don't you just love this pale palette? The silver tea light candles on the plate look like pastries!
A study in texture at Julie Neill. Even the pastel Christmas balls have glitter crowns on them.
Julie Neill's signature colors are pale, but she has a grand collection of things in deep jewel tones. I love the lush curtains in her store.
Walking a few blocks more, I came upon Top Drawer Antiques. Aaron Jarabica is the lovely owner and his windows are filled with hundreds of vintage dolls that he recently acquired from the estate of a major doll collector.
What could be more Christmasy than a gift of a doll? The dolls from the countries of the world are $75.
Madame Alexander dolls range from $80.- $150. depending on size. There are baby dolls of every description. If you're a doll collector it would be worthwhile to get in contact with him. And right now there is a sale of 25% off. I have never seen such an impressive collection (and in the original boxes too)!
Switching gears to something super glam, I stop in at Hazelnut.
Hazelnut is chockful of great things all year around.
But holiday time is super glam. Just peek through the front door at all that eye candy!
Co-owner Tom Cianfichi dreamt up the Christmas windows a year ago: LOVE and PEACE.
He is so sweet and good looking! Sigh. And he is so humble about the major talent that he is.
The windows he designed are just spectacular! I think they are the smartest windows in town.
Two women were talking while I was snapping photos, and one said the windows reminded her of the Hippie Holiday windows at Barney's in New York, and the other one said that she thought that Tom's were better!
It's the 50th anniversary of the peace symbol, and I think Eddie Ross would love the one Tom fashioned for his eye popping display.
The little penguins make a plea to save their pole.
Moseying down the street to another wonderful place on Magazine Street is the gallery of Ashley Longshore.
She's a painter and I love her painting of a Christmas tree out front.

Her pop art paintings are fabulous, and she even did some special Christmas subjects.
But this is my favorite Santa! Lots of houses in New Orleans have these, but I have not found out where they sell them. I would love to have one!
As I walked along, I just had to take a picture of this gas station sign to record the cheap price of gas! It is down to $1.44 today! It seems like a good thing, but for the state of Louisiana it's not that hot. This state produces oil, and the price of oil is way down. Just recently Congress finally granted royalties on oil production to this poor state, and now they're pretty much worthless, and the state's budget is in a shambles since it counted on those royalties. But for us real folks, filling up the tank is a pleasure!
There are a ton of doggie daycare places doing a brisk business. Is this the future business for all of us out of work interior designers?
I couldn't resit snapping a couple of photos through the front window of this place.
I wanted to bring Cholo here so he could play with other dogs, but they won't accept him because he isn't neutered. I would like for him to sire some puppies, more than going to daycare ha ha.
This jewelry store, Kathy Beh, has one of the most fun decorations.
It reminds of Cartier in New York.
Now I'm nearly home, and I stop in to say hello to Caroline and Jack at Perch. They did up a huge live tree in their center hall. I like the way the Sputnik chandilier looks like a tree topper!
Another wreath for Eddie Ross! This would take a ginormous wire hanger! Has anyone of you actually made Eddie's wreath yet? This beauty at Perch looks lovely hanging on the antique doors.
I like this little tree in this little hallway - the Kartell chair is to die for.
These desk top smalls are so pretty at Perch.
And this stack of kiddie Kartell chairs looks like candy!!!
Perch has a new line from a fantastic Canadian potter named Laura McKibbon, AND the pieces are very affordable, starting at $33.
I love the way they look displayed on two demi lune tables ($950. each) pushed together to make one table.
This mirror at Perch is just spectacular!
And the chorus line of white pointsettias couldn't be prettier.
Unless of course you saw this bevy of white reindeer! How cute is this grouping?!
And of course I love this holiday (or any day!) red couch at Perch. And isn't the linen covered bench just too perfect?!
The couch at Perch reminds me of a Ruthie Sommers couch.
So that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed street walking with me. Ta ta for now!
PS My cold hit the road too, and I'm ready for this week's festivites! Thanks for all your get well wishes. They did the trick!

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Walking To Work

It's been a couple of months since I joined the ranks of job holders. I work six days a week. I love it. Everyday I walk to work. Cholo is having great quality time with Mr. Mom aka Tangoman, but he clearly hates to see me go. Alberto will bring him by to visit me later.



The street we live on is gorgeous! Lined with ancient Live Oak trees, and filled with interesting and beautiful old houses inhabited by friendly people.


This is our house, a double shotgun converted to a single, built around the late 1890's. The attic window is gone, a Katrina casualty, and Alberto promises it will get fixed this year. It's hard to replace antique windows, and this one was a stained glass beauty.



It's about a five minute walk to Perch, about four blocks.


This is the next door neighbors house (Julie and Larry), one of the cutest houses on the block. When I first came to see our house for sale I was hoping this was the one!


Next to them is Mr. Stanley. He's Polish (like me), and nearly 90 years old. He stills drives, does his own yard work, and speaks Polish to me. He hasn't painted his house in a zillion years, and it kind of looks beautiful in a faded way. It's a big ol' Creole style house.



Then we have this house, a victim of a house flipper. It's rented now, by a couple of nice guys who have an adorable cat named Achilles. We also looked at this house because it was for sale at the same time, but all the New Orleans charm had been renovated out of it.


This is our friend Michael's house. He's a working musician here, a drummer. He also teaches music at Country Day School. His house had a "for sale" sign on it when we looked at ours, and I thought it was so cute. But it had already been sold. It's still a double house, so Michael makes rent money from one side of the house he doesn't live in.



All of three of these houses were once owned by The Methodist Home, an orphanage across the street. They were each used as a residence for children. My house had eight wayward girls living in it before we bought it. The Methodist Home moved away after Katrina, and it was sold to a woman who intends in turning it into a rehab facility for dogs.


Across the street is this teeny pink house with a glorious pink angel trumpet tree. These folks only use the house during Mardi Gras. Next to it on the right is Miss Wanda's house. She had a stroke during Katrina, and has sadly abandoned her house. I think these houses look so much like the Caribbean.



Next to Michael's house are these two brand new condos that broke ground after Katrina, and are still not finished. The architect did a pretty good job of getting the vernacular of the neighborhood right.



You can see this, by looking at the two houses directly across the street, which were also once group homes for orphanage. We looked at the blue house. We ultimately chose our house, because it was the largest, and also has a off street parking, with a garage on a a double lot.


I've gotten to the end of our street.


And here's a little neighborhood church! The pastor is darling, and he just loves Cholo. There's a service and choir practice on Wednesday night, and the gospel music on Sunday is wonderful.



We have some cool cars always parked on the street like this vintage Porsche...

...and this yellow Corvette.


Across the street from the church is an old corner store that has been converted into a home. The yellow roses are called Henry Fonda and I swear they bloom all year around!


Next to them is a house with this French Quarter style courtyard. It's so pretty!


Back on my side of the street next to the church is the home of Brian and Emily (and their dog Hank) a young hip couple. Emily loves to garden, and her back patio is fantastic!


Soon we come to this terrific two story apartment building. It's been apartments since it was built in the mid 1800's.


Across the street is a cute yellow house with French blue trim. Two great Basset hounds live here, Daisy and Sally.


This blue Victorian looks like a doll house.


Then there's this antebellum house that has been owned by the same family since it was built before the Civil War. It is huge!

The family doesn't live in the main house, but in the servant's quarters in the back, which have been renovated and modernized. I would just kill to look inside the main house!

Across the street is an old one family townhouse turned into luxury condos, both of which are for sale now.


There are also cute cottages in every style. This type of house reminds me of false front house in the wild west. This facade looks like an old bank.


Here's a really cute classic Creole cottage. The deep dormers are spectacular.


Okay we're at the corner of Washington Avenue and Magazine Street.


There's a gas station with a convenience store...

...Starbucks, and the best little French bistro called Coquette...

...and a fancy little dress store too.

I'm rounding the corner now onto Magazine Street.


There are a ton of great cafes and restaurants and coffee places and shops. I spy the Sake Cafe, a really good place for sushi. I work at "perch." which is next door to the Sake Cafe.

Here's the front gate to the shop. It's in a huge old house built in 1860.

Here's the front door!


I hope you can see why I just love walking to and from work everyday! The tree lined street I live on is always cool and shady, the majestic oaks always inspiring. All the different architecture and colors of the houses and gardens are daily eye candy. My neighbors are sweet, and you never pass a person on the street without being greeted, whether you know them or not.
I hope one day you can visit New Orleans, and come walking with me!

Cholo visits his mom at work

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