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Holly Golightly's Guide to New York City

By aliciak
updated about 15 hours ago

"Mean reds." "Timber!" "Bye cat!" "There you are, you sneak!" If you aren't already familiar with those lines, add "Breakfast at Tiffany's" to your Netflix queue asap. Although Truman Capote wanted Marilyn Monroe for the part, the movie studios obviously went with Audrey Hepburn and it's now difficult to imagine the blond bombshell (or anyone else!) successfully playing Holly. The film, of course, takes place mostly in Manhattan and though it was released almost 50 years ago, a lot can be learned from eccentric Holly Golightly--and learn we shall. Get out your tiara and long cigarette holder, because it's time to channel this charismatic brunette!

Channeling Holly

This guide is partly about recreating some classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s moments in New York and partly about channeling Holly herself, taking fun snippets from her behaviors and utterances, and putting them to good use.

Holly Golightly is probably the most memorable Hepburn character—what a combination of spunk, spontaneity, sensitivity, innocence and eccentricity! I would have difficulty believing you have NO interest in being her…even for a day!

Tiffany & CO

727 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10022

The movie opens with Holly chomping down on some breakfast in front of Manhattan’s most iconic jewelry store. Later she will tell Paul (whom she calls Fred) that a trip to Tiffany’s helps her get over her “mean reds,” which are akin to the blues:

“Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there.”

Dressing The Part

A friend of mine in high school was Holly Golightly for Halloween one year and I’m jealous to this day how she well pulled it off. She didn’t perfectly resemble Hepburn, but she had the outfit DOWN, including the long cigarette holder, jewels, shoes, black dress and sunglasses. If you truly want to channel Holly, you’ve got to dress the part. Imagine how fun your Manhattan adventure day will be when you are dressed to the nines like this?

Shop Around!

I used to live on one of the very best blocks for vintage clothing: 9th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. Too bad that vintage=pricey in New York and I rarely went inside these places for fear of being tempted into drooling over Twiggy-style dresses and tall lace-up boots I couldn’t afford.

But in channeling Holly, money is no object, and remember, you’re visiting that dude in Sing Sing and getting paid to do so! (Recall from the movie and book, however, that relaying messages about the weather turned out to be drug-ring-related! Yikes!) Holly would probably prefer Bergdorf or Barney’s, but we’re recreating via vintage store search! Much more fun this way.

Cobblestones

314 E 9th Street, New York, NY 10003

Like many East Village vintage shops, it looks small from the outside, but inside reveals a crammed treasure trove. And somewhere in there is an accessory or two that Holly wore. Take the time to dig around and maybe you will find some irresistible heels or a string of pearls.

Fabulous Fanny's

335 E 9th Street, New York, NY 10003

Fabulous Fanny’s is your one-stop vintage frames shop, so pick up some of Holly’s big black sunglasses. There are clothes and other accessories as well, so keep your framed eyes peeled for the perfect little black dress.

The Easy Way Out

Fortunately or unfortunately (the latter, I think), you can buy the entire Holly Golightly look on…wait for it…Amazon. To me, that’s like buying those premade Pillsbury brownies in a tray that you just pop in the oven and “bake.” Cheating! Not fun! Don’t do it!

Holly would want you to put together your outfit(s) by discovering it piece by piece at various shops around town. Online shopping? A virtual cart? Not being able to try it on? No and no and no.

Be Adventurous, Spontaneous, Reckless!

It isn’t enough to dress the part of Holly, you’ve got to tap into some of those crazy personality traits and eccentric behaviors as well. You’re in New York of all places, and you’ve followed the boring old rules of adulthood for far too long. Remember what it was like to skip and jump through the zoo? To frolick through stores like a kid? To eat ice cream sundaes and root beer floats all day just because?

The following Holly Golightly quote should guide you:

“We can spend the whole day doing things we’ve never done before.”

Make A List!

Here’s where things get really fun: list time! Make a list of some crazy ideas and scenarios. “Eat pizza in the park” and “buy fluorescent pink shoes” are not sufficient. I’m talking really adventurous or just plain different! Something to rival Holly! Here, I will give you a few from my own repertoire. Yes, folks, I have done all of these in the presence of at least one other person:

amble about a museum without paying (and without a pin indicating such) for as long as possible
have someone pick you up while you’re wearing fancy work clothes and run you through a park sprinkler over and over till soaked (preferably it’s a surprise “attack” like it was for me…so you’ve got to be with that right someone)
play hooky and rent the mini remote-controlled sailboats in Central Park
“forget” to pay at an Upper East Side coffee shop and run down Madison Avenue like criminals, laughing with glee
listen to an outdoor concert in the rain, on a nearby swing, and sing at the top of your lungs
write haikus for the entire duration of the Staten Island Ferry
do the crab walk down the sidewalk in the middle of the day

Conservatory Pond

1 West 72nd Street New York, NY 10021

The last boat can be rented at 6pm and weekends are the best time to see families’ own handmade boats. Curiously enough, Conservatory Pond and the boats are actually in Breakfast at Tiffany’s! “Fred” is walking/running through the park while being followed by the dude who happens to be Holly’s husband. Oh snap, connection!

Bryant Park Carousel

40 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018

Holly is very playful, so it’s no surprise that a few of your ideas should be kid-like. Returning to childhood memories is a good way to put some spark back into your cubicle-dwelling, subway-riding life. I used to “floor” the middle-school aged kids I babysat with all sorts of “to-do” ideas. Heck, I took them to Chuck E. Cheese for MY birthday. My profound advice and wisdom to them once upon a time?

“If you see a swing, get on it. If you see a carousel, ride it.”

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

1071 5th Ave, Manhattan, NY 10128

Although this was not the site of my “free” walking about, I suggest the Guggenheim for your sneaky cultural pursuits. Why? Because it’s a grown-up museum (everyone is running about being silly in children’s museums), there is modern art on the walls (those Crayola colors are inspiring!) and the circular spiral design of the building is perfect for sauntering and dilly-dallying. It would probably be pretty exhilarating to run away from security by going around in circles 6 times!

Think Outside of the New York Box (Grid?)

You don’t have to be in New York to channel Hollly Golightly’s spirit. The movie may have taken place here, but being eccentric and silly is good behavior for any locale. Think outside the box! What else do you want to do? I’ve got a few long-term goals I have yet to reach:

Go on a Nova Scotia bike tour
Become a “corn detasseler” in Iowa
Be a taffy-puller apprentice
Crash a wedding reception (Oh wait, already did that one! ;) )

Someone who knew me well once gave me a birthday card that read, “We should go bowling in Canada. That way when we’re old, we can look back and say, ‘Hey, remember that time we went bowling in Canada?’” I think he wins for best card I ever received, having understood my desire to be adventurous….sometimes, just because…to “spend the whole day doing things we’ve never done before.“