Day One hundred and four : A trip to a new marketplace

Remember dancing the nights away at Limelight? I know certainly do! Opened as a nightclub in November 1983, this Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion was the place to be in the 80s for rock and disco music, in the 90s, it was at the center of the techno and goth craze. It was, if you ask me, my generation's "Studio 54" -- scandalous, decadent, fantastic, full of naughty acts, certainly a right of passage in a way to have gone dancing at Limelight. It sure was about experiencing the music in this somewhat eerie environment that was originally built as a place of worship.  As a club, Limelight closed and reopened a series of times in the late 90s and early 2000s. In 2003, it underwent a makeover and was transformed into Avalon - a place I never stepped foot into, but apparently fell short of its previous days of nightlife glory. Avalon shuttered in 2007 and the church remained a haunting reminder of its former self. Earlier this month, Limelight reopened, not as a club this time, but re-branded and redone as Limelight Marketplace.

Limelight Marketplace boasts around fifty shops spanning the gamut from doggy boutiques to cupcake bakeries to Hunter boots retailers to bookstores and bag stores to gourmet food purveyors and chocolatiers and more -- really a one stop shopping sort of spot. Like a mall but "Manhattan-ified." As soon as I heard about this transformation, I knew I had to check it out for myself, not sure what to expect, I'd heard good things and bad, I was going to make my own opinions....

Walking into the "new" Limelight, it felt very NEW, certainly a shopping experience that could only be created and successful in New York City. Every nook and cranny was taken up by a different sort of purveyor, with walls but no doors separating each shop from the next, however it felt like one fluid shopping experience. Walking towards the back of the first floor, I knew I needed to check out Jezalin's -- the high-end gourmet food shop that I was told had cheeses and meats and other fun food goodies! Definitely a me sort of place!

 The nice thing about walking into Jezalin's was that it felt somewhat separated from the new and shiny other retail outposts -- rustic and inviting, you could order a sandwich, sample some cured meats and cheeses, or pick up some preserves. Their cheese selection is decent -- with some great Loire Valley goat's milk cheeses, some of the European greats and a very small selection of American artisanal cheeses. However, the prices certainly reflect what I imagine to be the extremely expensive rent. Definitely worth a visit! Moving along from Jezalin's, throughout the three floors of this new retail mecca, you come across the artisanal chocolatier, Marie Belle, with their extensive selection of chocolates filled with everything from fennel to champagne and more. In search of satisfaction for your sweet tooth, your options don't stop there -- there's cupcake stop, Candy Cake company, a candy store, a frozen yogurt counter, and plenty plenty more!!

Limelight Marketplace re-branded has attempted to wash itself clean of its nightclub aura of years past -- successful in accomplishing that goal, I only wonder whether it will be successful as its new entity.

Check it out and let me know your thoughts!