I’m back from the wild and wonderful world that is NYC!
It was a fast paced trip and since this really was my first time to stay in the city and I was the NYC newbie of my group, I was a wide-eyed tourist for sure. Now, mind you, I’ve been to many big cities in the world: Rome, Paris, LA, and San Francisco, but NYC certainly has a vibe all its own.
Traffic speeding by, a trip in a NYC taxi is like a crazy ride at Disney World. Scary, harried, fast and slow all at the same time.
(Me, Beth, Sarah in Central Park) Insert theme from “Friends” here
We met up with Beth from The Stories of A2Z (click over to read her post about the show) the morning of the Nate Show. She and a friend had taken the train into the city to meet us. We walked over to Central Park before breakfast and got a glimpse of that big green spot in the city. It’s huge and we barely saw a fraction of it. Beth is just a doll, loved meeting her in person after being friends online. I’m always amazed at how someone is just the way you picture them to be. Love her!
Staying with my friends was such a highlight and getting to hang out with them all for a couple of days was amazing. Sarah (Thrifty Decor Chick, as if you don’t know) and I, along with Emily Clark and her best friend, Katie, from Charlotte, all stayed in a hotel room together. We had a blast! I love all of those girls. I had already had the pleasure of getting to know Sarah from the Blissdom conference earlier this year and she’s so much fun. Emily and Katie were a joy to be around too, with their Southern sweet and sassy selves.
I met up with sweet friend, Centsational Girl Kate who I also got to know earlier at Blissdom and new friend Cristin, from Simplified Bee, both from California, the first day I got there and had dinner with them. I’ll share more on the city and all of our adventures later on, but for the time being, we’ll get on to the Nate Show. (Megan from Modern Bird Studios, me, Sarah and Kate).
Loved hanging with these girls!! After a quick breakfast, we headed over to the studio to stand in line. And here’s what awaited us. A little time in the outside line, waiting to get in the studio. It was hurry up and wait, which I suspect is always the case with a studio taping. Friends outside meeting and chatting it up. That’s Kate to the left and Cristin to the right. Once we got inside, we were directed to go either right or left to a waiting area that had chairs, snacks and coffee. We were in here probably 2 hours, waiting for the cue that it was time to go into the studio. Sarah and I were a little bummed that ALL our friends were in the other room, while we were in this one with more people that we didn’t know. But, we did get to meet up with a few folks in here from blogworld. That was fun! There were several people in here that were not bloggers, so I’m sure they all thought we were crazy.
A shout-out to Lindsay at The Design Story, Diane at In My Own Style and Marcy from Pine Creek Cottage. Great to meet all of these ladies at the show!
So, our room finally got to go in and much to our surprise, most of the studio was already filled. Sarah and I ended up on the far right section, back row, much to our disappointment. Oh well, that’s the way it goes. We looked around to see all our friends in the middle section, some on the front row Ahem, lucky Beth! 🙂 The studio seats are SO uncomfortable. The backs almost pitch you forward, worse than an airline seat sitting straight up. It has to be to keep everyone in a good posture. You don’t have any choice with seats like that. One of the tricks of a studio, I suppose.
No picture taking was allowed in the studio, so we had them put away in our bags, along with silent cellphones. The taping lasted probably for an hour and 1/2 or more. We were given instructions from this lady on how to behave and what we were to do. Lots of applause happened, loud cheering and excited pandemonium was the behavior of the day. We all know that applause and laughter are part of what is added to a show to energize the audience and enhance the live performance. Between segments we sat and waited with the show producer talking us through it.
There have been a lot of negative blog posts written about the show, but I’m not going to be one of them. I was grateful to be asked to attend the show and I didn’t have high expectation of what it would be like. It was fun to be a part of it and I’m so glad I went. The best part was getting to meet new and old friends and to hang out with them. The show was just the icing on the cake.
The show began with Design Star, Emily Henderson, helping a couple declutter their house and she went in and gave them a makeover. It was definitely needed and she did a great job of it. Wish he had talked to Emily a little more about her blog and the fact that she is getting her own show on HGTV too.
One of the negatives that has been mentioned is that Nate didn’t acknowledge that the audience was mostly full of design bloggers that day. It would have definitely been a great opportunity for him to say something about the fact that we all blogged about his new show and that we were all there to support him. That didn’t happen on the air (just off camera), which many were disappointed about and voiced it very vocally on blogs. I do think that was an oversight on their part and that could have been a very positive thing if they had mentioned it on-air. Don’t know what the reason for not doing that would be, but hopefully they will remedy it next time. I’m not going to use this post to bash the Nate Show. I love Nate and wish him the best with his new show. So far, I’m really enjoying it. Hopefully, he will get into his groove and we’ll see even more of his fabulous decorating style, since that is what most of us want to see anyway. I’m sure since the show is so new, they are still working out the kinks. But, I’m going to be a fan. This didn’t turn me off to Nate at all. After the taping was finished, Nate came out and took questions from the audience. Some of my buddies got to ask a question. I don’t think any of those will be on-air, but it was fun to listen in and get Nate’s input. He’s just a cutie-pie in person and looked exactly like I expected him to. I’m still a HUGE Nate fan. That’s my roomie, Emily looking to the left above on the front row. People started taking out cameras and taking pics, so I guess there was a cue given that it was OK, so I got my camera out too and snapped a few.
Nate was very warm and charming in the Q&A part. Could the show have been better? Our particular episode wasn’t exactly riveting and I’ve seen some of the other shows with better topics, but I think Nate will find just the right balance with it all eventually. But really, as I said, I was happy to be there and getting to hang out with friends in NY was the best. Love you, Nate!! I’m especially enjoying his feature with that Design 3-D gadget he has, showing a room from all angles and how it can be arranged and decorated. That’s a fun tool!Here’s a flower arrangement at the end of our row. The studio is gorgeous, all decked out with pretty pieces and lots of neat lighting. This was my first time in a studio like that, so I was all eyes. Studios are much smaller in person than they look on TV.This rug I have coveted from the very first show. I know it can be purchased online. Love! I did a search and found that Nate’s dhurrie rug can be found at HSN.com, so click there if you’d like to see it. I’m loving this rug, now where could I put one? The famous wall of green that is shown at the beginning of the show, along with some studio props. We all left the show and got a gift bag with an accessory (I got sunglasses) and a giftcard from Payless. One of the segments was a fashion segment and Payless was mentioned, so I guess they were a sponsor for this show. I haven’t shopped at Payless for years, but will have to check them out. Not a really exciting prize, but I guess it was the thought that counts. Kate, Sarah, Cristin, and I headed down the street to a pizza place. We were all starving, since we hadn’t had anything substantial to eat all afternoon. I had been eyeing the pizza in these little joints all along the streets and we went in to indulge. It was very good! I was so hungry, I got 2 slices. If I had more time in the city, I would have eaten a lot more. I got a taste of Kate’s cheesecake and would have loved to have had even more time for grazing my way through the restaurants. We did manage to get to Little Italy, but I was a little disappointed in that meal. I had Italian my very first visit to the city 15 years ago that was fantastic. This one, not so much.
All in all, it was a fantastic time that I’ll cherish the memories of forever. I loved it and would enjoy going back one of these days to take in a Broadway show, do a little shopping and eat my way through a few of those restaurants.
I’ll be back with lots more posts about the city. We saw a lot and I took a ton of pics. Our last outing before we all left was a trip to ABC Carpet and Design and it was a fun place to visit! I got lots to share from there too.
Speaking of NY, I never got the chance to share this, but my hubby’s youngest child, his 22-yr. old son, just moved back home with us about a month ago from NYC, where he’s been living for the last 3 1/2 years. We never got the chance to go up and visit, he just seemed busy all the time, but I’m glad I got to go anyway. He graduated in 2007 from the French Culinary Institute in NYC and loved the city so much, he stayed up there and worked for several restaurants during that time. But, I think he found out how hard it is to make it in that city and decided to come back here and go to work for one of the top chefs in Birmingham, at Hot and Hot Fish Club. And he’s doing well there. If you go in there, look for a tall redhead in the kitchen. 🙂
Be back soon!
Donna says
How FUN!!! Love the show!!
Tonia says
Thank you sooooooooooooo much for you lovely post on Nate. I think that most acted in haste with regards to their opinions, and not sure how the show is going to be once it’s edited. I didn’t attend, but I still had an opinion. I hope you stop by to read it. Have a fabulous weekend.
La says
Hi Rhoda!
Thank you so much for sharing your NYC trip with me. My friend and I would like to visit in the spring.
As a baby blogger, I can certainly empathize with Nate as he finds his voice.
Have a wonderful weekend! La
Lisa says
Great post today Rhoda. I loved reading it and felt like I was a tag-along having never been to NYC either. And I appreciate the positive post about Nate Berkus and his show. I love him!
MostlySunny says
I love seeing the behind the scenes shots of your trip to the show. I actually went to school with Nate (grade school and Jr high). He still looks the same-and it is neat to see him doing so well!
Rhoda says
That is SO cool!! Nate seems like a real doll.
Dawn - Hydrangea Home says
Love Nate! Isn’t he such a cutie. I was at the very first taping however, I don’t think it has been on just yet. I wish I had been at the show with all of you great bloggers – would have loved to meet all of you! If you ever come back to NY – let me know. I would surely come into the city to see you! Looking forward to more posts about your trip. And how exciting that your husband’s son went to the French Culinary Institute! One of my boys wants to go to culinary school one day too!
Have a great weekend!
Beth@A2Z says
You are grace and class and I love you! Meeting all of you was so worth the trip and I feel blessed that I was able to go! Thanks again for inviting me and for being such a genuine soul :).
Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says
It’s nice to hear everyone’s take on the taping of the show, Rhoda! I tend to be glad I didn’t get involved in that whole blogging about Nate, Nate day thing. And I live in New York, so it wouldn’t have been a major deal for me to take the train into the city from Long Island! We’ve been having beautiful weather and I’m so glad you got to enjoy it.
Stefanie@IvyRoad says
It looks like you had a great time and took some beautiful pictures! I hate that the seats were uncomfortable at the Nate show 🙁
Tammy@InStitches says
Loved your post and SO bummed I didn’t get a chance to meet you. I had a great time too.
mary beth says
Rhoda! Loved reading about your NYC trip..never been, but it’s on my bucket list! This has nothing to do with your post, but my sweet daughter is in MS for a few weeks and would love to do a road trip to Birmingham for a fun shopping day for her birthday. Any tips on some fun places to go antiquing and junking there? She lives overseas and doesnt have access to the fun places we do, so I would love to tell her where to shop on her special day!
Janell Beals says
Rhoda, It was a pleasure to meet you and hang out a bit after the show! I thought it was a really fun experience, and loved meeting so many fabulous bloggers! Hope to have the opportunity to catch up again in person soon…Janell
Megan says
Rhoda, it was so awesome to meet you this week!! I have always thought you to be an amazing lady, and it was so cool to finally hug!! On another note, you are a foxy mama!! Anyway, thanks for not ducking around a corner when I arrived! Love you, lady!!
Shelle says
What a great post, Rhoda! I’m so glad that you got to go. I’ve had a lot of fun reading everyone’s posts and their experiences. Can’t wait to see the other pictures and more tales of your adventures in NY. I love NY. I’ve only been once and I always wanted to live there. It’s a fun, ecclectic place. 🙂
[email protected] says
Rhoda, you are so classy…. I’m so glad you had such an amazing time! I just went to NYC for the first time this July with a bunch of girlfriends for my 40th birthday. We had a blast! I loved it SO much that my sweet hubby and I are heading back in January. I never dreamed I would love it as much as I did…. I love Nate too, although I haven’t watched the show yet. Chasing these 3 year olds gets the best of me sometimes…. I’ve missed the blogging world and am glad to be back after a LONG break. Go check out my blog. I have tons of pics from Jamaica… We just got back from renewing our vows…
Love ya!
Pat says
Thanks for keeping it positive. I think it woud be really hard to mess up a trip to NYC. So, it wasn’t like getting a treat from Oprah’s show, but let’s give hime a break. That Payless card may come in handy sometime. The last time I shopped at Payless was several years ago. I got caught in NYC in a snow storm with only a pair of clogs. Payless saved the day with a cheap pair of boots! I still have those boots that I take with me whenever I go since we don’t get much snow here. Lo and behold, I used them again there in the snow too. Looking forward to seeing the other pics from your trip!
Cindy S says
WoW NYC!!! Looks like you had a marvelous time, good for you!
Robyn says
Sounds like fun! Thanks for all the positivity!
sandy says
I’ve been anxiously awaiting this post to hear all about your trip. I am so happy that you were given the opportunity. Maybe you already posted this info, but could you tell us how all the bloggers happened to be there? I do think the producers should have mentioned that there were many bloggers in attendance. Although I have never really been a fan of Nate’s decorating style, I really, really like his personality. I like his heart and his humor and so far I have really enjoyed all of his shows. I can’t wait to see this one. Do you know when it airs? Thanks for all of the pictures and all of the hard work you do on this blog
sandy
Rhoda says
Sandy, I did mention this earlier, but some girls on Twitter started a campaign back in June when Nate’s new show was announced. They started a Nate Day, whereby any bloggers could join the party & blog about Nate on a certain day, which many of us did. So, they asked the producers to consider doing a blogger day on Nate’s new show, which they did. They sent out email invites to all of us who had blogged about Nate’s show & we all got to bring a guest with us.
cristin @ simplified bee says
Rhoda,
I am so blessed to have met you. You’re such a beautiful woman inside and out. Hanging with you and the other gals in NYC was my highlight of the whole trip.
Looking forward to following your blog and hope to see you soon.
xo,
cristin
ps- all the best to your step-son’s new venture!!!