It all Started at a Cheap Hotel in NYC- My First BV Reveal

[howardu09]

I was upset. I was feeling down and in a rut. My routine had started to bore me- again. Get up, go to work, go home. Do it all over again.

I needed CHANGE! I had grown tired of wearing the same old H&M clothes, the same old shoes, the same old Prada sunglasses, and the same old bags.

It just HAD to be done. I decided to take the bus from DC to NYC on my two days off work and shop as much as my small budget would allow. Well, as we all know, $1000 doesn't go very far in the land of designer goods.
A man should consider himself lucky to walk away with a decent wallet with $1000. Crazy right?

I packed my Mulberry Piccadilly and took flight....Well, I took bus....$40 roundtrip just can't be beat. 4 hours later, I stumbled off the bus and onto the energetic corner of W 34th Street & 8th Ave. There was no time to waste....I only had 2 days...I ended up rummaging through discount racks at NYC's finest bargain spots and had a blast.

But this story is just beginning. I would leave the city with no bags but with an impossible mission that I had to meet.


It felt like I walked the entire city before checking into my hotel....Only 3 hours have passed....Wow, I've walked the entire shopping district of Madison already...Guess I can go uptown in the morning..

[kicksarefortwids]

love that picadilly! and new york! tell more...

[howardu09]

Oh, I was going to post in the sale reveal thread but I'm a bit photo obsessive and I didn't want to hog the thread.




So I finally checked into my hotel and immediately unpacked my bag and headed back out to take advantage of the remaining daylight. I had so many places marked on my "hit list". Century 21, Mulberry, LV, Gucci, DAFFY'S, Barneys, Bergdorf, MJ, and many many more. Who was I kidding? It was just not happening in 2 short days.

I had to stop and capture the beauty of the city on many occasions. Some say New York is dirty, expensive and crowded. Well, maybe it is but I love it no less....Try living in the backwoods of Alabama for 17 years and then maybe you'll understand why NYC is such a priceless GEM. People just don't understand what they have until they lose it.





And my favorite of all....

Steam gushing from the below a construction site...

[howardu09]

Originally Posted by kicksarefortwids

love that picadilly! and new york! tell more...

Thank you. I have tons of photos. Just deciding which ones to post that are most relevant.

[howardu09]

After hours and hours of walking, eating and shopping, I made the voyage back to my hotel at 98th street and was drawn in by the most beautiful waterfall I've seen in years...



And I had to take advantage of the photo op...But my hands were full of Daffy's bags and my piccadilly was heavy..And it was raining....HARD....

So this was the best I could do.



I got back to my room and dumped everything out again and placed my things on the nightstand. Starbucks was calling my name so I went back out for round 2 of my favorite iced latte. Heavy on the milk please..

[howardu09]

I had not got to visit any of my favorite shops and I definitely could not leave NYC without stopping by the Gucci sale...So I went back for more..

And just as I was about to cross the street, I glanced up and saw it......Bottega Veneta...I hadn't thought of BV very much since my heart was broken 2 years ago after finding out that the cabat I cherished was a whopping $4000....Omg...I never knew they were so expensive...So I never looked at BV again...until a few weeks ago when I visited this thread and saw all the goodies from the sale..

[True*Fidelity]

[howardu09]

I just had to go inside.....When I entered, I was pleasantly greeted an offered a plastic bag for my soaking umbrella. I was struggling with my bags and an employee hurried over and offered to check it at the reception desk..Sure..please take it..Thank you..

I looked around and saw the most beautiful woven bags and accessories..I went upstairs to the mens floor and almost passed out.....The accessories are definitely my favorite. I must get a BV wallet and bracelet...

But, unfortuntatly, I didn't find anything I liked on sale...So I left empty handed.

Time was up and I had to go back to DC...Without my first BV....
So I had clam chowder at my favorite diner and waited for my bus to make the trek home.





But I was still happy because I now had a mission- to find my first BV...



I left the city with a smile on my face..
Photo taken just minutes before boarding my bus.

[howardu09]

When I made it home, I immediately logged onto tpf and went to the BV thread to "look around" and see what bags would suit my lifestyle...I definitely need a tote. It must be pretty large and roomy. And I like to be a little loud in the spring/summer so a bright color would be perfect.
Hmmm.....

Then I saw this bag in someone's reveal and fell in love with it.


So the hunt commenced......I went to the BV website and saw the Bottega Veneta East-West Shopper in Cobalt Blue Barcelona leather and at 50% off.....Too good to be true...

But I was still a little indecisive. I have never owned a BV bag and didn't know much about wear and tear, quality, fading, and such....Buying a new bag is like buying a car- you really need to know some things before committing. So I decided to sleep on it..I printed a copy of the bag and carried it around in my agenda and looked at it for a while.

The next morning I had made up my mind to buy it.....But there was a problem..

I logged onto the website and it was SOLD OUT

[Odebdo]

[howardu09]

Well I called EVERY single store in North America and a SA in Hawaii told me that it was still available in Vegas and Beverly Hills. I thanked her and hung up quickly and called BH.....They had it......I was at a loss for words and could not give her my cc # fast enough... 2 days later it arrived and I have never been happier...



open me...





ok...ok



all nicely wrapped and hiding in a dust bag...

[howardu09]

Cobalt is my new favorite color....After purple..



the bag is so soft and will flop over if not being carried.


The inside is lined and is also so soft.




Definitely my new favorite bag.

[howardu09]

I think I took it out everyday for a week.



First, we went shopping in Friendship Heights.



And had lunch together outside.

[LT bag lady]

I LOVE Daffys!!!!!

The Cobalt is exactly what you needed to get you out of that rut!!!!!
Beautiful!! Congrats and thank you for the lovely story!!!

[howardu09]

Then to the American Art Museum



And BV is very photogenic I see



This bag is the perfect size and the open top is not nearly as big a problem as I thought it would be