One word for this trip, cold. I do not think there is anything that could ever prepare me for a New York Winter but I would do it again, just maybe after getting heated coats. Thanks to Janet’s love for planning, we had a fun-packed itinerary.

My New York Travel Diary.

MET

                This was planned for a rainy Monday. I think this was a good idea because we were indoors away from the rain and the cold outside. I would suggest wearing comfortable walking shoes because you will definitely get those steps in. I am not sure if the wait line is usually that long, but we did visit over Christmas-New Year period, so it being a festive season, there were many tourists in town.  New York is a tourist town either way so it would be good to factor in the long queues outside.

                There was a lot to see. I do not think we got through most of the sections. One thing I know for sure is I had seen it all. By the time we were done, I felt my brain was drained from all the reading and viewing. They do have different art work coming in at different times of the year. This gives one a chance to go through their website and peruse and see what’s in store before planning a visit. I did have a couple of favourites from this visit. My obvious one would be the souvenir store, where I got a few vintage post cards. Their religious section won my heart though. They had the most beautiful chalice and monstrance I had ever seen. They had this warm golden look with small shiny sparkles. They were a site to behold.

Olfactory

                Later on in the day we headed to Olfactory. We happened to call in ahead of our appointment time and got slotted in a little bit early since we got done at the MET sooner than we expected. The main activity here was to make our own perfume. We got stationed and started with exploring the Scent Wall. We sampled the different fragrances to familiarize with what they had. They had different profiles for each of the scents and their makers. After, our instructor blended similar scents to form six unique fragrances. She then put them on different spots on our arms. At this point the studio interior had all manner of scents going round as other people were trying out their own too. She advised us to go outside, smell each of them and pick our top two. My scents leaned towards the flowery and fruity side, which then formed my base.

                The last step, one of my favourites in this process was naming the scent and picking its bottle colour. This made it more personal. I chose the name ‘Tabasamu’. I bet if you tried my perfume you’d agree. To top off this whole experience, our instructor informed us that once our bottles were out, we could always email them to get refills. Our information was already saved up in the system making it easier for them to just make the exact same perfume as the original one.

As if this was not already the peak of this whole experience, she drops another bomber. We could also have a body wash and lotion made of the same scent, a whole set! This made my day. Imagine just walking around wearing your own perfume, to me, that is a huge flex. I think this is one of those things I would want to gift myself every year.

                Their website is also generous with information. They offer guided instructions in case you feel adventurous enough to get a home kit and work the magic on your own. I don’t think it gets any better than that.