I know a lot of us are fans of New York. It seems I can never go there often enough and every time we’re there, new adventures pop up. A famous actor (I can’t remember who) 
once said, “Chicago is like New York without the stress.” No truer words were ever spoken. And even though the pear trees were in full bloom, there is nothing quite like the crab apples blooming on Lincoln Park West to show me where my true loyalties lie. We stayed at The Standard for the first time in the Meat Packing District, an inexpensive hotel with a very high cool factor. As a matter of fact, 
every night The Standard Grill was packed to the rafters and there 
were lines two blocks long every afternoon waiting to get into the outdoor beer garden. In other words, there was LOTS of activity…just the way we like it! We came to NY this time to attend the Antiquarian Book Fair at the Park Avenue Armory, the largest 
rare book show in the world with over 200 dealers who specialize in not only rare books, but autographs, manuscripts, original artwork and 
maps spanning five centuries. In other words, there is something for everyone—it’s really like walking through a museum because you find such priceless rarities. (Although the dealers have indeed managed to put a price on them…
in many cases, a very high price.) Take for instance, Ernest Hemingway’s typewriter (I was even allowed to poke a few keys!), which was priced at a mere $100,000. It has his personal sticker on the top of the case 
and, supposedly, he wrote his last great works on it. Besides rare books, I also saw letters from Abraham Lincoln, a photo of Amelia Earhart that she had signed “Flying is fun!” (priced at $10,000), 23 color Kodachrome slides of candid shots of 
Marilyn Monroe on the set of “Bus Stop” from 1956 (priced at $1500), an early 15th century page from an illuminated manuscript (priced at $395,000), an E.H. Shepard original drawing from “Winnie the Pooh” featuring Piglet and Pooh for $30,000, two small (2” X 3”) but 
delightful and intricate Beatrix Potter watercolor drawings each priced at $90,000, a team photo of the Homestead Grays from 1935 for $2500 and a watercolor by 
Woodie Guthrie for $15,000 along with a gazillion other rarities, not to mention all of the great books we saw! For instance there was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” for $175,000, James Joyce’s “Ulysses” (one of 
750) for $55,000, Hemingway’s second book, “In Our Time” (one of 170 copies) for $85,000, Dashiell Hammett’s “Maltese Falcon” for $45,000 and a book published here in Chicago – “The Wizard of Oz” – for $40,000. One dealer had an archive 
spanning 60 years of personal correspondence between Hugh Hefner and his high school and lifelong friend Jane (Janie) Sellers. She has stated, “At 16, I 
knew he was destined to do amazing things, so I saved every scrap of paper he ever sent or gave me.” They are still friends and 
when she asked him if he’d mind if she sold it, he told her to “Go ahead!” As a matter of fact, the dealer has even spoken to Hef himself concerning the material. The price tag for this piece of history is $250,000 
and includes letters, original cartoons, invitations to the Mansion, news clippings on and about Hef, PB music, Form S-1 for Playboy’s IPO and the first issue of Playboy signed twice by Hefner and much more. In one of the letters, concerning a 
return visit to Chicago, he writes, “That first night we went back and revisited the original Playboy Mansion. I donated it to the Art Institute many years ago, but it is closed up now and will probably eventually be sold and converted into apartments. The main ballroom, my bedroom 
and the study where I wrote “The Playboy Philosophy” were still in pretty good shape, but the secret panels didn’t work anymore. The swimming pool was still intact but there was no water in it. The 
underwater bar was still there too, but the Playmates’ pictures had disappeared long ago from the wall.” It was a real thrill to go through this archive and even the dealer said he looks at Hefner in a different 
light than he had before reading all of the personal letters. Lots of celebs are book collectors too and during this show, Yoko Ono had visited. In 
the past, Steve Martin, Martin Scorsese, Whoopi Goldberg, Charlie Rose, Mick Jagger, George Steinbrenner and Leslie Stahl have been seen browsing through 
the cases as well. The first day we checked out the shops near the hotel including one of my favorites, Jeffrey. We also paid homage at the Alexander McQueen store. I still can’t believe his genius is gone…just seeing the new line that he never lived to see in the stores 
was so very sad. The first night, we had vowed to dine at the Waverly Inn owned by Vanity Fair’s Graydon Carter. It is a well known hot spot with no number to call for a reservation so we made nice with the maitre d’ and snagged a reservation for Friday night. It is a cozy, charming and romantic little place in SoHo (16 Bank St. to be precise) and when you walk down the stairs and squeeze 
through the small little door, you feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. The tiny bar only seats six and even the doors in the bathroom are only 13 inches wide. And yet, the food and the clientele 
are sheer perfection. (On Friday night, we saw Prince Albert of Monaco’s fiancée, Charlene Wittstock.) It is now one of our favorite spots and as a matter of fact, we went there the next evening, too! Saturday night, I shook hands with a man who walked on the moon because Buzz Aldrin and his wife Lois were 
there. We had met them a couple of times before at Playboy Mansion New Year’s Eve parties and they seem to be a very devoted couple although I noticed he spent a lot of time on his Blackberry while she 
entertained friends. My friend Lynne Bredfeldt, who’s been to the Waverly before, spotted Daniel Craig and Steve Buscemi the week before and in the past, she’s run into Blair Underwood, 
Michael Douglas and former couple Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal. And, of course, no trip is complete without a trip to the Temple of Shopping: Bergdorf’s! We managed some face time on Madison Avenue and I even got to spend some time with fellow 
Playmate and friend Laura Lyons (February 1976). Her two daughters, Ruby and Lily Aldridge, are superstar models with lots of major shows and ad campaigns already under their belts (look for Ruby in the next Marc Jacobs ads!). And their darling friend, Ali Huffstetler, is a well-known actress there and has been working since she was 13! I love NY…never a dull moment! Click here for more pics from this fun-filled trip!
Back in Chicago, local designer and all around nice person Elda de la Rosa previewed her glamorous evening gown collection at Fishman’s Fabric store last week and although 
this seems like an unlikely gathering spot, it was the perfect place for her lux fabrics to make their debut to an adoring crowd. Elda was one of nine finalists competing this year in the Oscars Designer Challenge for 2010 (fellow Chicago designer Sam Kori George won). Her gown for the competition was called “Lucero” – meaning “shining star” – and she said it was inspired by the women in her life who helped 
her become a designer, including her mother, grandmother and former sewing teachers. Elda grew up in Rockford and attended the Illinois Institute of Art. She started out as a freelance designer for film and photography shoots in Chicago and opened her own boutique nine years ago. 
She presents two collections per year—consisting mostly of evening gowns, cocktail and wedding dresses. She has a sense of old Hollywood glamour that is very appealing and 
on top of all of her talent, she is so very nice! As a matter of fact, she may be designing my gown for the Joffrey Gala on Friday, April 23rd. You should stop by her Edgewater boutique (located at 5555 N. Sheridan Road) and check out her creations for yourself or call 773-769-3128 or visit www.eldadelarosa.com for more info. (Pics by Steve Starr and Michael Collinsworth…click here for more show photos!).
Superstar chef Art Smith and longtime partner, Jesus Salguiero, have exciting news: They will wed in the fall in Washington, D.C. at the Liaison Affinia Hotel – home of Art’s restaurant, Art & Soul. They have been inseparable for 10 
years and in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Art said, “I’ve had an amazing career and life because Jesus taught me to dream and believe. We are a dynamic and creative duo who love to bring beauty to people’s lives, as well as our own.” I couldn’t be happier for Art and Jesus! Congrats in advance on continuing your loving life!
Chicago’s Man About Town Bunky Cushing is launching his own web site called “The Squire of Society” which will be debuting today, April 13th. Bunky knows the scene and his style and flair will have us all watching! Check it out at www.BunkyCushing.com and put it on your list of favorites! Welcome to the World Wide Web, Bunkster! :)
Missed ya!!
Posted by: lynne jordan | April 14, 2010 at 12:16 AM
Fabulous post as usual Candace!!
Posted by: lynne jordan | April 14, 2010 at 12:15 AM