The Oculus at World Trade Center is a great new place to visit in NYC. The food, fashion and shopping make for a nice break in the day. It’s for sure touristy, but it’s also a hub for food and fashion insiders.
If you keep a sharp eye out you’ll likely spot girls from newest generation of supermodels going to castings, Vogue magazine editors, and world famous chefs who have headquarters located just next store in the Freedom Tower. I found the mix of people fascinating and I heard all languages of the globe and accents from every region of the United States on the escalator ride from the front door to the main hall of the Oculus World Trade Center.
The building, designed by Spanish Architect Santiago Calatrava, is stunning! The architecture lends itself to sitting outside with your morning coffee and people watching, which, I happen to think, is one of the most interesting things to do in my endlessly fascinating hometown of New York City.
My first stop in the Oculus Center World Trade Center was Café Boulud for a latte and one of my morning craves my breakfast fave – a super rich and creamy Greek yogurt parfait with granola and local honey.
Candy shops like Sugarfina with bespoke gummy bears and public art like the Vandal Gummy sculpture by WHISbe and whimsical murals pop out all over the place. New York is about street life centered around strolling from shops to restaurants and people watching every step of the way while discovering the latest and greatest food and fashion to hit the shores of Manhattan.
On sweltering summer days like the day I went to Oculus World Trade Center, or in the blistering cold that visits New York City in the winter a modern indoor mall that’s also central to all public transportation is a welcome work around to avoid wilting or freezing in the elements while you’re trying to get your shop and your grub on in NYC.
I always say there’s nothing that coffee and lipstick won’t fix! So while you run through the shops at Oculus Center WTC like OtherStories, Kate Spade, and H&M with your coffee firmly in hand from one of the boutique brand coffee shops in the mall, you’ll have to stop for lipstick and maybe some mascara too at the mega Dior store.
A mini make-up session with one of the in-house make-up artists is complimentary with any purchase and you can get a one on one sixty minute tutorial on how to do the latest runway Dior make-up looks. I’m crushing on the Dior Pump and Volume mascara and Dior lipstick in Sassy for the summer. I think we should all take a page out of Vandal Gummy’s book and paint the town red!
CREDITS
story x @veronicawebb
photos x @Yi-Cai @yi_toz @toz_fashion
black bag with studs x @azzedinealaiaofficial
white shirt x @azzedinealaia
black suede heels with silver grommets x @azzedinealaiaofficial
white jeans x @zara
royal blue pegasus loafers x @meryracauchi
blue birikin bag x @therealreal
lipsitck @diorbeauty