TKO as in salivating over sexy cabinets or what a kitchen can do...good tasty food?
(maybe that would be TFO, totally food obsessed,lol)

Here is a good list to start...

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen and bath NYC

Not sure what route you will be taking upstate, but Rockland Bakery is a real treat. (opens at 6am)...Not just a counter. You get a pair of gloves at the door and go in the back where they bake. Incredible. Bagels side out of the oven non-stop and so fresh they could burn your hands. I bake my own bread and sick of bagels since i live here but they bake a pumpernickel swirl baguette and an onion bialy that are divine. Soft pretzels that i freeze and toast in the oven, yum.
(someone here has mentioned a well known tile or slab place across the street or nearby?)
-they actually mentioned visiting the tile place and the real treat was that it is near RocklandBakery

Here is a link that might be useful: Rockland Bakery

I would say a visit to Eataly is a must for all things Italian. You can eat there, as well. It's definitely an experience.

Also would recommend a look at Gracious Home -- which started out as a single large hardware store in the 60s and now has morphed into a complex of stores with different focuses on some unique products -- everything from high end linens and silk key tassels to kitchen and bathroom fixtures and everything in between. All on Third Ave between 66-68 and on two sides of the avenue.

If you love tile, then I'd stop by Ann Sacks in Chelsea and while you're there swing by Waterworks and the Moroccan Tile house on 21st St I think, as well, if only to drool.

Of the list sleevendog posted, Davis and Warshow has a huge amount of product. It's geared to designers but it might be worth a visit. But there is an entire kitchen, bath and interiors building that houses many showrooms including Wolf on E 59th St. I think the number is 110.

There's infinitely more but it depends on your area of interest.

Rococo

You are thinking of the A&D Building. It is on East 58th Street between Lex and Third. Great suggestion. There is also Woodmode, Miele, SubZero (part of Wolf), Bilotta (the kitchen design shop that I used--they sell Rutt and Signature cabinets, among others) and lots of other stuff.

Down on the Bowery is great for restaurant supply stores. Chinatown for Asian pantry items.

Oh, yes--if you drive north on Palisades Interstate Pkwy (PIP) heading out of the city, a visit to Rockland Bakery is a must! Their challah and raisin challah are the best! We love just about any of their breads; square olive rolls are a fave of DH, we like their baguettes, Tuscan loaves, ciabattas, etc., etc., not a bad one in the bunch!

I'm guessing the tile place sleevendog is referring to is Greene and Roth. It's a nice showroom (our tile guy did most or all? of the tile work in the upstairs showroom). We've worked with Annette, and with Rick (who happens to be our tile guy's brother). They're both super-nice and helpful!

Directions from RB to G&R:
Rockland Bakery
94 Demarest Mill Rd
Nanuet, NY 10954

1. Head east on Demarest Mill Rd toward NY-304 S
367 ft

2. Take the 1st left (at the light) onto NY-304 N

Destination will be on the right
0.5 mi
Greene & Roth Floor Covering
298 New York 304
Bardonia, NY 10954

Just north of Rockland Cty (off the NYS Thruway) is Woodbury Commons Premium Outlet Center--an outlet shopping mecca. LOL! Busloads of Korean (?) tour groups come up from NYC for a day of outlet shopping. If you have a AAA membership card, you just present it at the information desk to get a free coupon book. Or, you can sign up (free) as a VIP on the Premium Outlets site, and then access available coupons to specific stores, in addition to a voucher for that same coupon book.

There's a Le Creuset outlet, BTW. W-S and C&B outlets closed a few years ago, though. :(

Check opening times - A&D Building and some showrooms are Mon-Fri, 9-5 only.

For non-kitchen-specific goods, definitely go to ABC Home and Carpet, which is very close by if you do Ann Sacks, Moroccan Tile, and maybe Artistic Tile too. ABC is a huge store on Broadway between East 18th and 19th Streets. First floor has interesting housewares (dishes, blown-glass lamps, pillows) plus jewelry and other miscellaneous. The rest of the store is all furniture and rugs. GREAT place to browse and the cafe is pretty good too.

Eataly is nuts. Fun place to wander and wonder why what? A site to see for sure. Nice part of town to explore. Madison SQ park. Love the Marimeko store. Fabric fantastic. The staff wears outfits made from all the wild patterns.

I live near RocklandBakery and take house guests/visitors there. I don't say a word and it starts as a ho-hum chore, then the eyes bulge when we hit the back baking room, lol.

Union Square is lively wed, fri and sat with the greenmarket. ABC carpet and home is an eye-full and FishsEddy is a fun quick stop for one-of-a-kind 'smalls' and treasures that easily fit in luggage.

Here is a link that might be useful: FISHS EDDY

Thank you all so much!

Wow, I should have realized Ann Sacks would have showrooms there! How exciting.

These are both showrooms right? Which is better?

ANN SACKS - New York
37 East 18th Street
New York, NY 10003
T: (212) 529-2800
F: (212) 529-8877
Hours: Monday through Friday 9am-5:30pm
Saturday 11am-5pm

ANN SACKS - New York
204 East 58th Street
New York, NY 10022
T: (212) 588-1920
F: (212) 588-9191
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9am-5pm
Thursday 9am-8pm

bump

The whole area between 17th and 21st streets east of Sixth Avenue is filled with kitchen and bath places. You seem to want to look at tile. Walker Zanger is down in that area. So is Artistic Tile. The Ann Sacks store down there is probably the same as the one uptown.

@, blue devil, thx for the cx on the street. It is definitely then A&D building. Arteriors is also there, too. The most amazing lamps.

Ann Sacks on 18th is biggest/main. Uptown one Is small.

There's a small Urban Archaeology on 58th or 59th. If you head for the Bowery, there's a major appliance showroom there. Can't recall name.

Zabars should be seen if you haven't. They have excellent bread. Citarella is a few blocks from there if you like fish stores and places that carry quail and guinea hen every day. My old nabe.

The union Sq greenmarket is a great idea. Microcosm of the agrarian/organic/artisinal movement going on in the Hudson Valley.

I can't believe I forgot Zabars, especially because they are family friends. Ouch. The food is amazing and their kitchen goods and other home stuff is upstairs. Like two stores in one.

The appliance store near Bowery is Gringers. On First Avenue and Second Street. They have everything and have been there for a million years. Gringers was the only place that had both Blue Star and Capital.

No, I'm not talking about Gringers. Don't waste time there -- they are not nice. Was referring to Flamtech, which is 114 Bowery. Also supposed to be the new chic neighborhood.

There also is a raft of specialized bakeries as well as the macaroon palaces, gelaterias, and don't forget the food trucks. And then there's all the French places like Cafe Boulud (if someone loves pate as much as I do) or Maison du Chocolat. There's the whole sushi thing. It's limitless.

Again, if MareLuce has a specific interest, just post.

This is a really fun store with stuff to stock a TKO kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fishs Eddy

sleevendog--my parents moved out of state roughly 18 yrs ago. Every trip back "home" (to visit me and DH), they bring back boxes of RB breads and store it in a stand-up freezer in their garage. If they missed a trip, and are running low, we ship a box of must-haves to them for a birthday or holiday gift!!!

We aren't too far from RB either. :)

Books:
Kitchen Arts and Letters for new.
Bonnie Slotnick for used.

Broadway Panhandler- 8th st
Hafele Showroom- 26th st at Madison parki ground floor
Wright exhibit -American wing of Met
Manducattis- Long Island City-red sauce

Heading North- Culinary Institute of America- Hyde Park. (1-1/2 hrs up) tour is 5 bucks, food is fabulous, bookstore can lead to bankruptcy.

sleevendog,

--- TKO
I was thinking TKO as in kitchen things more than food. Where kitchen things = anything and everything about kitchens, from cabinet show rooms to Ann Sacks to Fishes Eddy.

Only because NYC food seemed a little broad of a topic for here (vs Chowhound, for example). However I appreciate those suggestions above too.

I remember several times looking up something mentioned here in the past couple years and saying to myself, "next time I'm in NYC I'm going to see that showroom" but of course I can't remember what it was...

--- NY magazine link
I almost missed your link! What a great compendium! I copied and pasted the text into Google Drive.

--- Kohler Stages sink
I wonder if there's a Kohler Stages sink I could look at in person there? (from the places on your list)

--- Rockland Bakery
That place looks extra special. I added a Google Maps "My Maps" pushpin to it.

AboutToGetDusty and sleevendog,

--- Fishs Eddy
Fishs Eddy was indeed fun. Last time there I bought these small (~ finger height) narrow oval-shaped glass containers with a latch and a rubber gasket. I use them for storing minced garlic in olive oil in the fridge. I'll have to get a couple more. They were in-demand stocking stuffers.

rococogurl

--- Eataly
Got it on my list. Thanks!

--- Gracious Home
Added it to my list.

Google finds it as:
45 West 25th Street (near Eataly)
or
1992 Broadway (Upper West)
vs
>> on Third Ave between 66-68 and on two sides of the avenue.

Which would you suggest?

--- Waterworks, Mosaic House
I pushpin'd Waterworks and Mosaic House 32 W 22nd St (what came up for Morrocan Tile House).

--- ABC Home and Carpet
Zeebee, I loved ABC when I stumbled upon it last trip. Although I don't remember a cafe.

nycbluedevil,

--- Walker Zanger
Pushpin'd that too.

Thank you from a former Gilbert-Adams freshman year tenant who camped out in K-ville once or twice :-).

--- Zabars
Visited there last time. Total fun.

cat_mom,

Thank you for those directions! I added your favorites to the pushpin text.

neitsdelf,

I was wondering about that Kitchen Arts and Letters place.

I'm doing a Play - Work - Play combination trip.

First weekend (Play) will be in UES, near the Metropolitan and the Frick, probably staying at the Surrey or Carlyle. Near-ish to Kitchen Arts and Letters.

I learned NYC has an Austrian museum (the Neue) right there in UES which has the largest collection of Klimt outside of Vienna. Therefore, I'll probably spend most of that weekend standing in front of:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gustav_Klimt_016.jpg

That Klimt is on the cover to my iPhone.

Second longer weekend will be in Times Square, to see Pippen and maybe 1 more show. (What could throw a monkey wrench into these grand play plans is ... I have a healing broken bone in front part of my foot. So after ~5 hours on it, I need to rest it. I can walk UP stairs fine, but I'm not supposed to walk down stairs as much since it was in front part of foot.)

Based on all the pushpins so far, it looks like a whole day of that part could be spent wandering in the Eataly vicinity.

jakuvall,

--- Broadway Panhandler and
--- Hafele

Pushin'd. Thank you.

Could someone please be psychic and tell me what Hafele product is the most interesting one that's been implemented in your kitchens?

I know there have been Hafele products implemented here that have interested me.

Thanks for such great ideas. Now if only all the opening hours could match when I'm able to see them.

Gracious Home -- Third Ave. is by far best and most extensive as it's the original store plus the annexes. One just has kitchen/bath fixtures. Not far from Surrey or Carlyle. (I used to eat lunch at the Surrey when I worked at Sothebys years ago.)

Davis & Warshow might have a Kohler Stages sink on display. They display a lot of Kohler. Alternately, Kohler PR might know where to see one in NYC.

The Neue Galerie is wonderful -- always interesting things and the building itself is so lovely. They have one of the nicer cafes there and gift stores. There's also the Cooper Hewitt Museum for design not far (97th or 98th) and the Museum of the City of New York just a bit farther up plus Guggenheim a few blocks away, of course.

You've got right address for Mosaic House. That whole area is very interesting.

If you're staying at Carlyle or Surrey, Sant' Ambroeus, a branch of restaurant in Milan has handy espresso bar and panini, pastry. Maison du Chocolate is right there. Clive Christian cabinet showroom was next door but moved downtown.

Hafele- not to worry, you'll manage to see everything need, just open everything :)- it's not enormous but dlayout is adequate and dense. They change every now and then to stay current, last there 6 mos ago.
Kitchen area: Suzi Q, magic corner, lemans, pull out pantry (think they have the swivel one),twister, frontino doors **, drawer inserts, don't know if they are showing the "smartcab" yet but likely, lights and more lights.
They are usually pretty gracious.

I lived in Aycock! And my daughter, who just graduated, lived in Alspaugh. Genius putting freshmen on East. When I was there, it was a place to escape at any cost!

Lots of suggestions on this thread. I think your best bets for concentrated viewing are in the east 50's where the A&D building is and in the flatiron district where all those tile stores are. If your time is limited, I would sort it that way.

How did I miss Fishs Eddy when I was is in the city? That place looks like a lot of fun! Thanks for posting.

That Rockland Bakery place looks quite unique. I've never heard of a bakery staying open that late before (Saturday till midnight, and other nights till 10:30pm !?!)

I'll plan to head there first for critical work-week supplies :-) after checking out from Museum weekend in the UES.

I'll be leaving about this time (5pm-ish) on a Sunday. Looks like I should drive across to the west side of Manhattan and go north from there, to avoid taking the George Washington Bridge across where all the red is, if today's traffic is any indication.

Traffic heading East (NYS Thruway, to the Tappan Zee Bridge) is a bear on Sundays, just to forewarn you. Lots of ppl heading back into the city, and to Westchester towards the end of the weekend, especially during the summer months.

Yes, I would avoid Sunday night traffic, there are plenty of awesome bakeries in Manhattan to keep your freezer full for a while. ;)
Zabars, Balthazar, Levin cookies etc....

The GWB, upper level, is by far the best way to get out of Manhattan from the west side. It puts you right on the Palisades Parkway and Rockland is 30 minutes away.

But this isn't a trip someone makes to buy bread. However good the bread might be in Rockland -- and I love catmom and totally trust her taste -- there's no need to go there over any number of Manhattan bakeries and certainly not at 5 pm on Sunday when it will take 1-1/2 hours or maybe longer to get there instead of the usual 40 minutes. Everyone is coming home from the country then or leaving the city.

No idea where you're from or what you know about Manhattan. But I've lived there most of my life. I've driven in Rome and Milan and I would never suggest driving in Manhattan. Forget it. You will want to kill yourself.

rococogurl,

This part was buried in my reply above: I'm doing a Play - Work - Play combination trip.

Play: First weekend: Museums in the Upper East Side

Work: North of manhattan, probably staying in White Plains

Play: Second weekend: Theater District

So, sometime on Sunday afternoon or evening, I must leave Manhattan and head north.

And return on the Friday.

Hopefully those will be "reverse commutes", heading out of the city on SundayPM and back into it on Friday PM.

And completely agree about not wanting to drive while in Manhattan. I'll be picking up and dropping off the rental car at the Hertz on upper east side.

Got it.

No such thing as a reverse commute during the summer at that time of the day. You're hitting peak drop off/pick up time at the car rental. There is traffic from 3 states -- NY, NJ and Connecticut in every direction. If you can travel at midday you'd be way ahead. If not, you might consider renting a GPS with traffic updates and count on double the normal time for the trip. If it's shorter, that's lucky. Then again, it's all part of the experience. You'll see. Good luck!

1010 wins- am radio, traffic on the ones , am 880 on the eights, google maps live (ish) on your phone.
I'm in and out of there at times like these more than anyone should.

If it were me and I was staying in Mt Vernon I'd go there Sunday and go to Nanuet Monday or that night after settling in.
Even if it is ok going across town and then the GW up it will be very bad going across the TPZ back to Westchester- (if you do end up on the Palisades watch speed- cops love that section) IF GW is bad then 87 north is also bad, if there is also a Yankee game plan on parking on 87.

Best sneak out from there is:
north to 125th- across Triboro, 287 EAST -Bruckner to Bronx River north- take you right up to White Plains - might hit a little traffic on the Bruckner. Bronx River is usually ok but check first.

If one of my friends was doing this trip I would suggest taking the train from Grand Central to White Plains, renting and returning a car there, then taking the train back into town. Easier; more time and cost effective.

rococogurl, you nailed it with that Grand Central train to White Plains recommendation.

12:30pm - Walked out of my room at Hotel Plaza Athenee, upper east side manhattan

12:48pm - Caught the Grand Central Metro North train on Track 112, via the elevator down near track 30 with 2 x 29" luggage in tow at this point...
Destination: North White Plains. $8.50 maybe. Odd though - I couldn't use my MCA card to pay for it.

There was a kind woman setting nearby who said that even this car opened, at that North White Plains station, although that wasn't always the case. I made the train by all of 2 minutes, so I hopped on the caboose...or the first car available.

1:30pm - I was in the elevator at North White Plains train station!
I remember this time clearly because I thought the elevator was stuck. I eventually realized I had to first go UP and change elevators in order to go DOWN.

Picked up rental car from the Hertz there. Totally painless.

More soon! :-D.