It took six hours to get our crate back. Frankly, we were thrilled that our crate came back to the booth in one piece. We saw a couple of crates that belonged to other companies (that were the same style), and they were smashed up pretty badly. I don’t recommend our crate, and we would NOT use the same one again.*
*Side note: Does anyone know where to get a sturdy crate? You know, one that made from actual pieces of wood (not balsa)? I want a good one, and I want to paint it pink. One company had their crates painted pale blue, and I thought that was pretty smart – so easy to spot.
I was amazed at the amount of trash strewn about. There must be an enormous amount of waste from a trade show.
We could have gone back home the next day, but it was our anniversary so we planned to stay in New York for it. We walked to ABC Carpet and Home (where I bought our pink zigzag Madeline Weinrib rug).
On the way we saw the Flatiron building. It was beautiful!
We have a lot of Beaux-Arts buildings here in Chicago, and of course we have a lot of work by Burnham, but I’ve always wanted to see the Flatiron. I wanted to see the Chrysler building too, but that will have to wait for another trip.
We went to Rockefeller Center and ate lunch in the café area down by the fountain.
We walked back through Times Square (again), and also walked down Broadway. Along the way, we saw a shady Mickey Mouse with a tip bag, and also the most ridiculous window display ever.
Brandon and I made sure to visit the Museum of Modern Art, and I’m so glad we did. Along with architecture, I studied art history in school. So yeah… I LOVED it. I had seen some of the paintings before, and I’ve seen other works by most of the artists, but it was still wonderful. I especially loved the colored light room that was part of Olafur Eliasson’s Take Your Time.
It was so beautiful – photos don’t do it justice. I felt like crying, I was so moved.
We did a lot more walking, eventually exhausting ourselves.
Later in the hotel, it being our last night in New York, we took a couple of pictures of ourselves together in the bathroom mirror. They’re the only photos we have from the whole trip with both of us in them…
Nice. :)
Erin
May 30, 2008 at 5:02 pmI like how your husband is such a cheeseball in every picture.
Jen
May 30, 2008 at 5:33 pmYou guys are way too cute…
Oh, and regarding the crate, have you considered having one made? It doesn’t seem like it would be a hard thing to do.
Jen
May 30, 2008 at 6:52 pmWhere did you get the pink shoes you have on in the pictures?
Making it Lovely
May 30, 2008 at 6:54 pmThose are the highly contested Crocs I bought.
alivicwil
May 30, 2008 at 7:33 pmWhat is that monument you and Brandon are standing in front of?
Beautiful pictures – thanks for sharing them with us!
(I love that cropped shot of you and the colours at the MOMA)
Lauren
May 31, 2008 at 6:54 amTry http://www.uline.com/Group_99.asp?desc=Heavy+Duty+Boxes. In the heavy duty box category they have both wooden crates and reinforced cardboard boxes. The cardboard boxes are up to 1/2″ thick and can hold motors up to 1300lb. If you ever intend to ship your crate overseas, cardboard might be the best route. All wooden crates going into Europe (at least) require fumigation before they pass customs.
Samae
May 31, 2008 at 9:08 amOur office goes to about 40+ shows a year. Our display is from Skyline and it all ships in a couple large rubbermaid-like containers. Those suckers really hold up. You might check with them. While you cannot paint them pink, they are super sturdy and really protect your stuff.
QL girl
May 31, 2008 at 7:44 pmI never thought I would EVER say this, but your crocs look cute! lol.
(I too love the cropped picture of you)
Cathe
June 1, 2008 at 12:10 amHi Nicole! I’ve been enjoying your NSS posts… gives me nice perspective on another exhibitor’s experience. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to chat during the show (I got lost a couple of times trying to get to your booth!) Love your MOMA color shots, too!
Leah E.
June 1, 2008 at 8:56 amI went to a children’s apparel show at Javitts with my best friend’s company back in March. The photos of the tear-down are bringing back some painful memories! Wish I had brought along some fugly-comfy shoes for that part!
After trying several different configurations for trade shows, she has come up with a decent system. They use a pallet with all of the furniture/boxes stored on top and then everything is heavily shrink-wrapped. This system seems to work well for her b/c she has boxy tables and chairs.
Elena
June 1, 2008 at 1:23 pmLOVE your pic of the Flatiron! It’s such a beautiful angle and I like how you included the tree. Now I want to go back so I can take the same pic! lol
Bathroom Designer
June 1, 2008 at 10:10 pmI have a suggestion on your crate problem. First off balsa is such cheap wood! Many imports from China use balsa and frankly I am surprised the crates make it in one piece. I would contact a lumber company. Take measurements of the crate you have now. Then contact the lumber company and have them precut the crate to your specifications. They can help you get solid, sturdy wood. I have done a few projects in the home like cedar closets shelves and some other shelving with them providing the cut lumber. Hope that helps. P.S. That place was trashed!
Jen
June 3, 2008 at 7:59 amAhhh – it’s so nice to see pictures of my adopted hometown from another person’s perspective. I hope you had fun while you were here – it looks like everything was great!
Laurie
June 3, 2008 at 8:37 amOh, does this mean the NSS posts are over? Sad.
Jezebella
June 6, 2008 at 10:07 amDo you know anybody who works in a museum in your city? Call them and ask who builds their crates. Heck, ask them if they have any extra ones hanging around they want to sell. It’s possible – probable even – that you can hire a museum tech to build you a nice sturdy crate. Ask ’em to line it with a layer of ethafoam so it’s nice & padded.
Highly recommended: big fat casters on the bottom so you can *ROLL* that sucker around instead of hefting it. Yeah.
MS
November 8, 2010 at 3:09 pmI know this is 2 years late and have no idea if you’re still looking for a solution to this issue, but you need a road case me thinks….not a shipping crate. Years in the concert industry has shown me the genius of those things. Many are colored. Good luck!
Desiree
December 13, 2010 at 12:57 pmI saw the Take Your Time exhibit when it was at the Dallas Museum of Art. It was absolutely breathtaking. Each part was a little bit better than the next. I can’t gush enough about how much I loved it! I always (always, always) tell people that they HAVE to take the time (pun partially intended) to see it if it is in a city close to them. Amazing!