The Lustre of Lost Things

Travel Guide

New York

This is a true quest – not just a booktrail – in and around and underneath the city of New York

The bronze man at 14th street station

There is a bronze statue of a man sitting here waiting for a train which never comes. Walter sits here and finds peace and starts to wonder who else is lost and waiting for things in life, in this big metropolis of a city.

From this point, the city opens up its secret nooks and crannies. The metro system in particular, often the place where objects are lost and found everyday, becomes a magical underground place for the real act of searching to take place.

Take City Hall:

“The Second World War will consume the earth and City Hall station will lie still and  silent as a tomb, misplaced by time. But on this day in 1904, we are untouched by what is to come, for New York’s first subway has opened and its crown jewel is City Hall station, where the future swells large with promise, glorious”

Walter sees the city “Filtered through the lens of days gone by”

A fascinating insight in to the weird and wonderful nooks and crannies of New York city, both overground and underground. History in the tunnels beneath the city, where things aren’t lost at all but where mystery and more are waiting.

Amy’s Bread

This is a magical bakery in the very area where the Lavender’s place is. Take a look and decide for yourself

And there’s more says Sophie…there are even more secrets to share in the city that never sleeps:

Washington Square Park.

On a nice afternoon, Washington Square Park comes alive with artists—musicians strumming guitars and playing violins and pianos, painters sketching in their notebooks or painting murals on the sidewalks, actors rehearsing their scenes in full costume, breakdance groups astounding the crowd. It’s in the West Village, not far from Carmine Street—home to The Lavenders—so you might see Walter here, solving a Lost case or running past in his red high-tops to make a delivery.

Chinatown.

Located near the Lower East Side, where I used to live, here you’ll find Canal Street—a shopper’s haven—and the most delicious (and inexpensive) dumplings and noodles. This is also where Walter meets an aging immigrant who collects bottles from trash cans to support herself and her family back home. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Walter finds himself here, at a strange and beautiful exhibition…and experiences what he calls an “instance of recognition in [an] accidental place.”

The Carousel

Located in Central Park, the marvelous Carousel is where Walter discovers something about what real friendship is—and in the process, breaks a law or two. City Hall subway station. Here’s a secret: if you stay on the 6 train after the last stop at Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall, you can sneak a peek at this abandoned subway station. Chandeliers, skylights and old New York elegance—just magical.