Giveaway!! Enter to win "Summer at Tiffany"!!

Right before I left for my vacation, I received an e-mail from the fabulous Jennifer Pooley, editor (Harper Collins) of Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart.  She had stumbled upon my blog and she was delighted that I had listed Mrs. Hart's book as one of my "must reads" in my Do It/Did It Rolodex.  She offered up ten brand spankin' new copies of this great book for me to give away right here on this site.  I returned home from Disneyworld this morning and found the ten books waiting for me in my entryway:

If you missed my original entry, here's a brief description:

You'll be hard-pressed to find a more charming little book than octogenarian Marjorie Hart's memoir of the summer of 1945, when she and a friend from the University of Iowa boldly ventured to New York City to work for a few months. Writing some sixty years later, she describes how they found summer employment at Tiffany & Co. as the company's first female "pages," whose job it was to run merchandise between the sales floor and the less glamorous departments (repair, gift-wrapping). With so many young men in the service, Tiffany decided to give these two fresh-faced Midwesterner coeds a try. On salaries of $20 a week, the girls pinched every penny to pay the rent and see an occasional show. They ate at the Automat, dated servicemen on leave in New York, sipped cocktails at Sardi's, danced the occasional night away, and jubilantly crowded into Times Square on VJ Day. (It's not all sweetness and light: there were friends and family members lost in the war. Hart's description of walking into her aunt and uncle's home after the news came that they had lost their son, an Air Force pilot, will chill your heart.) Summer at Tiffany is a little gem worthy of the Tiffany name.

I actually scurried out to buy the book before I left for my vacation.  I'm a bit of a bibliophile, and there is something about the exterior beauty of this book that let's you know that it will be a great read.  Some books just have a good feel.  I breezed through the book in a day, gasping at Marjorie's gaffes and choking back tears as she learned of her cousin's death.  The book is so vibrantly written that you can actually step back in time to a day when women wore heels and gloves, men wore hats and the entire county rallied around the men & women serving overseas.  It made me remember my grandmother's stories of ration stamps and painting stocking lines on her legs.  Marjorie Hart's descriptions of NYC in the summer of 1945 are a literary time machine.  Hop in!

So, here's how you get your copy.  Leave a comment (scroll down to the bottom of this post) to this post, telling us all about your favorite New York City memory.  Everyone has a favorite New York memory, even if you've never set foot in the city.  Maybe you loved the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's".  Maybe you have a passion for broadway plays.  Just give us a memory!  Each person who leaves a comment  before Monday, October 1st, will be entered in the drawing for one of these wonderful books.    I'll post the winners after 12 noon on October 1st. 

To get you started, here's my greatest New York City memory:  I travelled to New York City for the first time in the summer of 1994.  My then-boyfriend's parents had a place in the city & a place in the Hamptons.  Now that's the way to see New York!!  We did all of the touristy things (Ellis Island will bring any Irish-immigrant's great granddaughter to tears...), but my hands-down favorite excursion was our trip to FAO Schwartz.  Right there on 5th Avenue, I climbed the large stone steps, opened the door and, oh my!  I burst into tears.  It was the most heavenly place in the world.  I was 23 years old and crying over a toy store!  I can still clearly remember Kermit the Frog cycling over my head on a tightrope and stuffed animals bigger than me.  Heaven!  I look forward to the day when my 2 year-old daughter is old enough to catch the train up to NYC for the weekend with me & Auntie Suni.  We're certainly going to hit FAO Schwartz (and an ice cream sundae at Serendipity's, of course!). 

So...  leave your memory in the comments section and keep your fingers crossed that I'll draw your name on October 1st!

Comments

[laurilou]

Growing up outside of the city, I have many fond memories. One of the most vivid is being 7 and going to the garden to see Barnum and Bailey's Circus. My folks had saved for months to be able to take us and Lil sis and I were completely awe struck by all the color and activity. I can still see it all.

[PattyN]

My best NYC memory is when I was there for an American History Tour class my junior year of high school. We were at the Statue of Liberty and the elevator was broken, so we had to climb all the stairs to reach the torch viewpoint, but someone was playing jazz on a clarinet inside and the acoustics were amazing! We were entertained the entire grueling walk up!

[Ruth Fishback]

Four friends and I traveled to NYC shortly after JFK's assassination. During our visit we went to Lindy's for cheesecake. Our waiter struck up a conversation with us, asked us where we were from and gave us condolences about the loss of the president since we were from Washington - it was a very touching, sweet memory.

[JennyM]

My favorite NY memory -- I went there with the finance club at Tech (my roommate was a member). We went touring and to the Stock Exchange. Looking back, I loved walking through the city, dining in Soho, FAO Schwartz, the Guggenheim, 5th Ave, a wild cab ride, feeling so small as I glazed up (like a tourist) at the tall buildings. But I guess, the most poignant memory now is going to the top of the World Trade Center and eating dinner. It was very expensive -- but I totally loved it. The worry going up all those stories in the elevator; the view of the city; the slightly queasy feeling in my stomach as I looked out and down; knowing I was at the top of the WTC. It's gone; and if 9/11 had not happened, I would think fondly on that moment - but maybe it would not now be my favorite NY memory.

[Janet M.]

My best memory (it was hard to choose)was a concert in Central Park, Aug. 11, 1969 and Melanie was the headliner (with Arlo Guthrie too)....remember her song, Candles in the Rain, when she sang it there were thousands of candles and lighters held up high, it was quite a scene that I remember to this day.

[Carolp]

I lived in Queens most of my life and worked in NYC for almost 10 years before moving to VA. One thing that I loved about working in the city was that at lunchtime I could get lots of errands done - i.e. the drugstore around the corner, the card store in the lobby of the building, heck, I even took the subway to Little Italy at lunch during the Feast of San Gennaro. A number of years later, my BBF and I went to NYC and the Feast - there's nothing like a greasy zepolli!

This post has me missing the city - J, when are we taking a trip North??

[Heidi Y]

Me and my husband (boyfriend back then) took our first trip to New York together to celebrate New Year's Eve at Times Square. It was even better than you can ever imagine from watching it on TV year after year. Then if that wasn't exciting enough, the next day, Dennis took me to the Statue of Liberty. It was extremely cold crossing on the ferry, so I wasn't too cooperative. He insisted we go outside to the front of the Statue of Liberty at one of the points. I was very hesitant, but somehow he convinced me to go outside. He sat me down and proposed to me!!! You can say I wasn't so cold anymore that day!!

[pegg]

What an interesting book! My NYC memories are forever tied my early 20s. Getting that first job, getting that first real boyfriend, living in a shoebox with a good friend, going out and having fun with new friends and old until all hours of the morning. What I love about NYC is that everyone and anyone can have their "New York." It has a place for everyone and that is why some people consider it the greatest place on earth!!

I'm no longer there, but it's forever in my heart!! :)

[Caryb]

I went with my son and girlfriend to NY. I had saved my money to buy something at Tiffany's. It was only $500, but it was cash and it was mine for a change. The kids dropped me off and I thought I was on the right floor, but couldn't get anyone to help me. (Guess I didn't look the part) I went back downstairs and in the corner this wonderful young girl asks to help me. Quickly we find that a "pinky" ring would fit in my price range. She recommend a certain designer and behold there it was, a thin gold band with a bit of bling. She wrapped it up and I laid out my cash. What a rush when I got that Tiffany blue box in the blue bag. Coming home on the plane I counted the little diamonds in the ring. There were nine and that is how many years I worked to pay for their college and this trip was celebrating one graduating and one starting. This was a milestone in my life that I worked hard enough for something for my kids and for me too.

[Suni]

One of my most cherished books when i was a child was From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (I still own and re-read it often). It's the story of Claudia who decides to runaway from home, but wishes to do it in comfort, so she goes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Lots of scope for imagination in that book.

The first time I went to NYC I was 13, traveling with friends, and a completely snotty attitude laden punk rock girl.

However, instead of running straight to CBGB's or ABC No Rio like all of my friends, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and walked around pretending I was Claudia.

So much beauty and all of my girlish fantasies enveloped me. It was magic, and still one of my favorite days of my life.

[Cenia]

Last summer we took my cousin to New York City, the place never sleeps. I have been a couple of times and love all the lights, sights and sounds. We shopped, ate at hole in the wall restaurants and had a great time being tourists.

[Pat]

NY - there are so many memories. When I moved to New England, I used to go for the weekend or even a day trip. The first time I went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and New Year's Eve in Times square were fabulous - but my favorite has to be the weekend I frist moved to Connecticut. My Mom had driven with me from Denver and we went into NY for the day that first Saturday. We did a lot of touristy stuff, but my favorite memory was when we were at the Battery overlooking the Statue of Liberty and Mom was buying T-shirts as souveniers for my brothers and sisters from the unlicensed vendors in the Park. She is holding up a couple when all of a sudden all the vendors toss their stuff back in the big black trash bags and just sit on the benches. She didn't know what happened until I pointed out the cop making his rounds! She still laughs when I tease her about her "illegal" purchase in the park!

[Marlynn]

My most favorite trip to NYC (done several) was in 1983. Drove my 65 Mustang to Union Station, hopped the train, landed at Penn Station, had a free cab ride to an apt. my friend let me use (he headed to Europe). Free cab ride was the result of the cabbie getting lost and he loved my accent. Then met a colleague and had a ride in a limo to the 4 Seasons, then to the play "Mame" with Angela Lansbury. Had tea in "front" row table at the Russian Tea Room. Went to a matinee of "La Cage" then off to Sardi's with a lovely "couple" of guys who fell in love with my pearls. Next day, got a cab, went to Penn Station, and headed home. WOW! It was a once in a lifetime visit that could not be recreated if one tried.

[Marirosa]

My best memory of NYC was my very first visit in 1983 when my God Mother worked for Piedmont airlines (remember them?) and she flew me to NYC to see MENUDO in concert at Radio City Music Hall. I was 11 years old and still have the pictures and can still remember standing in line outside waiting to get in and the excitement.....
Anything to see MENUDO live!

Marirosa

[Donna]

My father grew up in a tenement house in Manhattan and during my early childhood, before my grandparents retired and moved to FL, my family would drive to NYC to spend weekends with my dad's very large (and loud) Italian family. I loved walking into what must have been a tiny apartment and being greeted by a throng of great aunts, uncles, and cousins, all of whom had been cooking for days (or so it seemed) just for our visit. And best of all, after eating tones of incredible homemade Italian food for hours, my Uncle Bill (who, it was rumored, drove for the mafia, or maybe that was just a family legend) would take my brother and me down the street to an Italian bakery to pick up the most delicious pastries and canolis. I love visiting NYC now and thinking about what it must have been like for my dad to grow up there.

[Carrie]

Hi!
My favorite NY memory, was when I visited there in 1976 staying with my cousins who lived in NJ.

My cousins, who were going into 10th grade and 11th grade, took me to the train station and thus we began our journey into the city.

We took a dizzying array of subways and buses and I marveled at their ability to manage it all. I grew up in a medium-sized midwest city, so it wasn't as though I had never seen a city, but this was amazing.

We saw the Statue of Liberty, went to the top of the Empire State Building and had lunch at some quaint eatery. We walked around many neighborhoods and I returned marveling at the amazing diversity of it all.

Definitely different than Cleveland, Ohio!

[Luisa Morgan]

Breakfast in New York Giveaway!

In 1995, My husband Ricardo was in a 3 week training at a little town in New York. It was mid April and I took a 2 day mini vacation, so I flight to New York for a 4 day weekend. When I got there it was snowing and I was not really prepared for the cold weather, (I live in California). Anyway we went to 5th. street, we went to Niagara Falls and of course we went to Manhattan and to see the Statue of Liberty. By the time we get to the Statue I was very sick with a cold and flue. I felt terrible I got fever and huge headaque, but I was at New York my dreamed city. Even that I felt terrible I was amaze by the Statue, the ferry (boat) trip and all the experience. Something my husband remembers very much is that he is always complaining of me buying souvenirs for family and friends, in this ocassion he saw me that was feeling so bad, that he did the shopping for me and thank God, because he bought more and more expensive items than I would. This memory is so great for me, is one of those trips were everything was beautiful, despite my sickness I really enjoyed my first trip for New York. So much that one of my dreams is to leave at least 1 year in New York City. I am working to achieve this goal.
Luisa

[Nicole]

I have many favorite New York moments as a Canadian leaving in Montreal back in the eighties and going to NY for the weekend to visit my girlfriend who was living there (did I ever envy her!). Here are some memories: My first shopping trip to Bloomingdales, lunch at the Russian Tea Room, a show on Broadway, tea at The Plaza, New year's Eve in Times Square, dinner in the Village, jogging in Central Park, clubbing at Studio 54 (remember it was in the 80's!).

[mary puskar]

I saw Carol Channing in Hello Dolly in New York when I was just a teenager on a school trip for the journalism club. Never ever again in musical theater have I seen a production that could match it in pure "fun." It was just magical!

[Michelle Lum Ho]

I would love to have a New York memory...I guess I'm one of the very few that have never been there. I'm enjoying very much the comments being written about favorite moments and would love to win and read what sounds like a delightful book. So do you think you could please consider me in winning one of the issues.

[Lois]

What I remember most about NYC was a return trip from Long Island. I hate to drive in urban cities and normally would take the long way round to get home. But this time a friend was driving and using her navigation system we found ourselves right in the heart of Manhattan. It was thrilling to drive down the streets and look up at the immense skyscrapers. Unplanned beauty.

[Sue]

My first trip to NYC was two years ago with my son's high school choir group. The other adult chaperones began to chuckle as they looked at me when we started walking the streets around Times Square. Apparently, my mouth was hanging open as I was just taking it all in. I must have really looked like a tourist! But my highlight was riding the ferris wheel in ToysRUs - another first for me! Talk about a kid in a candy store - that was me!

[Amanda]

I have never been to NYC but I do love the movie "An Affair to Remember" that takes place in NYC! Who doesn't love Cary Grant tho?

I love to curl up with great books and this looks like one to do that with! Thanks for doing this giveaway!

[Denise]

I've been to New York many times even to bring in the New Year at Times Square and party all night after but, I would have to say that the trip in 1989 with my now husband to purchase my diamond ring was the best. I worked in a jewelry store for 5 years and learned quite a bit about diamonds so I was armed and dangerous. Let me just say that diamond knowledge is a prerequisite for the diamond district or they will eat you alive!! However, even with that being the best memory, I do have a very sweet memory of when I was a mother's helper for 2 boys. The older of the two, Jeffrey, was going to marry me when he grew up and we were going to drive a volkswagon bug to New York and live in the city. I went to New York City with his family (I was 13) and needless to say it left a great impression on us.

[Jeanette]

My BFF and I used to take annual trips to NYC to see shows and to shop, of course. Now that scrapbooking and papercrafting consume our spare time, we haven't had many opportunities to continue our tradition. I do think it's time for another trip as I am running out of topics/events to scrapbook!