I love New York!! Especially in the autumn. We don’t have autumn in Houston, in fact we just have two seasons, summer and not summer. Here in New York,the air is cool and the sun is warm. The leaves in Central Park are transitioning to their annual riot of color, and look like they will be perfect in a week or two.

I am visiting the city with my Women’s Initiative friends from United Way, a girl’s weekend for 15. One of our activities was visiting the Hearst Tower, the greenest building in New York, and also the Good Housekeeping Institute. While I was aware that Good Housekeeping Magazine has a huge circulation, I never thought I would have much interest in reading it. In fact, I always thought it was something my mom’s generation reads. But I was incredibly impressed by seeing the labs at The Good Housekeeping Reseach Institute, and meeting the publisher of the magazine, Pat Haegele, and the head of the Good Housekeeping Institute, Miriam Arond. The tests they do on products of all kinds not only to determine the best products, but also to ascertain the truth or lack of truth behind advertising claims is quite remarkable. Like consumer reports, only far more focused, and free on line. Wow! If you are not a subscriber, you should be!! They will be launching a Green Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval soon, and I look forward to that very much. I love the idea of getting the facts on all those green claims!

The tour of the Hearst Tower was fabulous also. I love the way the original façade of the building was preserved, but the immense gorgeous, modern tower rises from it. The huge lobby water features are amazing, as is the 80 foot mud “finger painting.” It is impressive when a company creates a headquarters building that is an example to others on recycling, energy conservation and green thinking in every way.

Of course, no matter where I go and what I do, I am looking for ideas that make sense for Give Simple. It would be amazing to have the Good Housekeeping Research Institute evaluate our Make Your Own Cookbook kit when we get the new version.

Give Simple does work on being green, in our smaller business way. We don’t have a catalog, so no waste there. We re-use every possible bit of packing material and all of the boxes we can from our inbound shipments. We buy cornstarch packing peanuts, which dissolve in water. This visit makes me want to push our entire building to recycle, as we do in our nearby neighborhood, or at least to check with the city and see if they will pick up just from our own part of the building.

Fashion flash, what are they wearing on the street in New York? Lots of flat boots with tights and little knit dresses or short skirts. Most handbags I have seen are patent, lots of croco patent, lots of large bags. Purple, grey and of course predominantly black clothing. Long scarves looped around the neck. Bloomingdale’s Soho: Chain Jewelry, Clothing in purple, teal and fuchsia with black, lots of grey. Lots of sweaters, dresses. Tons of boots and booties.

Celebrity sighting: Kristen Scott Thomas at my favorite after theater restaurant. After 200+ trips to New York, I still get a thrill when I see the star of the Broadway show I just saw walk in to the restaurant where I am having dinner.

Central Park was lovely, we saw two shows, walked all over Soho, went to the Top of the Rock (observation deck at Rockefeller Plaza) with a first time visitor to New York, had great meals -- I do so love New York.