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They started working on the Gathering planning a year in advance. By October, it was becoming apparent that NYC was going to be almost impossible financially. Meeting space was $10,000 for the weekend, compared to our budget of $1,000. Guaranteed blocks of sleeping rooms were being quoted at $450 a night in mediocre places to $600+ in the best location.
In the nick of time, Elaine scored a huge victory. She got a golf friend, who is a member of the elite and private New York Athletic Club, to agree to sponsor our group for the entire weekend. Our meeting space was only $2,000, and sleeping rooms $265 - $340. And all this in one of the finest historical establishments in town overlooking Central Park and within walking distance to the Theater District, Times Square, and all the best NYC has to offer.
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Because of the splendid location and fantastic price, members converged on the city well in advance of the Gathering, and extended for days afterwards. For all the incredible experiences we had, nothing could prepare us for the magic, beauty, fascination and fun of Friday evening.
It began on the rooftop deck of the NYAC, with a mind-boggling view of the city and the park that attracts people from all over the world, even seasoned Manhattanites!. There was much excitement as people arrived, joyful exclamations, warm hugs, mentors introducing first-timers, etc. We enjoyed some very fine wine from Chalone Vinyards, handcrafted beers, rare cheeses, breads and fruits. Welcome Packets containing name badge, agenda, subway pass, and souvenir NYC pad/pen set were provided to attendees.
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After a couple hours, the group flowed inside to the Rooftop Solarium. We dined on an incredible buffet, featuring so many fine choices I can't remember them all. (My favorite was the spicy prawns.)
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Both Elaine and I gave opening remarks, and then introduced our Keynote Speaker. It was Sigrid Ivo, the Director of The Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam, Holland. Her presentation was so professionally created and delivered with such polish and humor, that alone would have been worth my journey to New York City.
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It was called "500 Years of Bags and Purses" and it depicted highlights of their jaw-dropping collection of over 4,000 items. The portion I enjoyed most was the story and photos of how their new incredible museum in Amsterdam came to be. The place is large, stunning, well-laid out, beautifully crafted and in the very best part of town in a historical 17th century canal house.
In a nutshell, Sigrid knew the original museum in her parents' house was no longer suitable so she advertised for a millionaire to assist. And she found one! "I need a millionaire" became a fun tag line for the rest of the weekend.
If you were unable to attend the Gathering, or even if you did and want a spectacular souvenir, you can purchase her new book featuring the collection on the Barnes and Noble website. Just type Sigrid Ivo in the search field. Thanks to Lori Blaser for this info, and for finding Sigrid!
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Day two began with the APCS Purse Bazaar. Seventeen sellers brought hundreds and hundreds of purses and related items, creating an opportunity unlike anything else in the world for antique purse collectors. It was held in the stunningly beautiful historical Olympic Suites of our hotel and when you could tear yourself away from the purses you could enjoy splendid views of the city.
People then grabbed lunch where they could as we were quickly due on our chartered bus to take us on our field trip. It was great fun being all together on the bus! We landed at The Museum of the City Of New York. We were ushered into a private meeting space for a powerpoint presentation that included some of the highlights of their collection, given by their head curator. It was unique in that all their purses had some sort of relevance to New York City: donated by local wealthy socialites, used in a Broadway play, etc.
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We broke into smaller groups for private backstage tours and/or to see the rest of the museum on our own. The bus picked us back up and deposited us at the NYAC.
That evening we had a real NYC adventure. Thanks to Elaine's creativity and planning, we followed my orange hat through the streets of NYC, and onto the subway to Times Square. What an experience! Since Elaine had done two practice runs for us, we were in excellent hands.
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In Times Square, we were all awestruck at the lights, sounds, massive neon billboards, crowds, things many of us had only seen on TV during Dick Clark's New Year Eve. We walked several blocks through it to the world famous Carmines Restaurant for a family-style Italian feast. And when I say feast, I am definitely not exaggerating. The quality and quantity of food served was indescribable and unbelievable! I was full after the calamari and stuffed mushrooms, and dinner had not even started.
This is probably a good spot for me to mention that, overall, the quality of the food in NYC is like nothing I have ever experienced. Even a cup of soup from a corner market tasted gourmet. And the fine dining menus Elaine chose probably have no match in the world.
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During dessert, we had one of the most delightful surprises. Member Denise Burns was giving a presentation on leather purses. What I did not know was how gorgeous her samples would be, how incredibly knowledgeable on the subject she is, and that she'd be so darn cute! How is it that after nine years of APCS I am just learning about this woman? Everyone thoroughly enjoyed Denise's presentation and thankfully she agreed to do another in the future.
Sunday, the third and final day, started in the stunning President's Room of the NYAC. We filed in at our own pace starting around 8:30 and breakfasted together on a fresh and tasty buffet. We then launched into a perennial favorite, the Member Show and Tell.
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Members who chose to participate each brought a special bag, group of bags, or related items, and laid them out on tables at front so no one knew each item's owner. I began by sharing my collection of four different Tiffany styles; beaded, mesh, petitpoint and a skin. My punch line was the beaded one which I had just "stolen" on eBay for around $100.
People continued one by one. We heard fascinating stories and saw many one-of-a-kind purses. Barbara Catanese from Italy brought several of us to tears with her heartfelt sharing of why she loves antique purses (the connection to women from long ago). Always a favorite, the Millers showcased a very special mesh with matching newspaper article, photos and provenance, for a very memorable display. All the purses were special as chosen by their proud owners.
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At this point in previous Gatherings, we would have begun to wrap up. But this was no ordinary Gathering and several wonderful surprises were still in store.
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First off, our Aussie special guests, the famous duo of Mike and Lizzie, shared an incredible short film they made showcasing purse collecting in "Oz". I had no idea what to expect but it was something worthy of an academy award nomination. It was fun, educational, charming, and extremely well done. It was not until afterward that I put two and two together that filmmaking is what Mike does for a living. It was such a treat and I will be posting a link to it under Favorite Links so watch for it.
We saved the best for last. All weekend people were asking me if I had any idea where the next Gathering would be. It was SO hard to keep it in but I let the next short film speak for itself.
We were treated to the best next Gathering announcement ever. Jennifer Whitehair will be our next City Hostess in Las Vegas, and she informed the group of it in grand style. She created an amazing video (obviously professionally done) of the city, some of its highlights, and a sampling of the Agenda. It was set to music and with brilliant special effects. The energy in the room reached a point that when it was over people literally stood up and cheered. I will be posting a link to this video as well so keep an eye out!
And yet, the weekend was not over. Barbara Catanese and her charming husband Vincenzo brought us all a souvenir from Italy - a custom-made collection of sugar packets, each printed in color with photos of her outstanding purse collection.
Recognition was given to all the many people who helped make this weekend such a success....our City Hostess, Presenters, Mentors, Special assistants like Patty Perkins on AV, Kathy Gunderson on photography, Lana Gluck on setup, etc. etc. etc. I know I am forgetting others but so many people helped it's hard to recall them all so forgive me.
And then our world was rocked to the core. Sigrid Ivo, Director of the Museum of Bags and Purses in Holland, and our keynote Speaker (and by that time, friend) who had hung out with us all weekend, offered to be our City Hostess in Amsterdam in 2014. Yes, you have read that correctly. In two years we will be having the European Gathering we have wanted for years. At the museum we have been dying to see for years. With the friends we have been bonding with for years. Could this weekend possibly get any better?
You must know the answer to that question already... YES!
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Our City Hostess, Elaine Osowiecky, has an apartment just a couple of blocks from the NYAC. For months she had been remodeling the apartment to get ready for us. Working closely with Kitty Foyle and Cathy Kaminsky, they treated us to a tour back in time.
In small groups throughout the afternoon, we headed to her place to be greeted by Kitty and Cathy in period costumes, escorted into Elaine's place, which had been transformed into a mini-APCS museum. Everywhere, professionally displayed, were highlights from the collections of Elaine, Kitty, Cathy, Kathy Glaeser, and others. At the end, each of us was gifted with a charming chocolate purse. The time, effort and cost associated with this were quite evident. I am guessing when it was all over, Elaine just collapsed!
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This was the official end of the Gathering. Yet people so enjoyed and connected with each other that many stayed beyond Sunday, seeing the sights in small groups, getting together for informal meals, comparing finds and getting to know each other even better. Over and over the same thing was said: "we are such a special group." And we are. Thank you all so much for being part of it.
See you in Vegas!
Melissa O.
New York Gathering
The 2012 APCS Annual Gathering in New York City.
