Bond No. 9
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Neighborhood: NoHo Type of Place: Perfume Description: Are we there yet? An early Daylight Savings Time this year may be making our evenings a bit lighter, but I for one did not appreciate the freezing rain that was slamming into my face two days ago ("That rain hurts!" exclaimed a woman on my office elevator, and no one could disagree with her) or the deeper-than-it-looked puddle of snowy slush that enveloped and soaked my entire right shoe last night. Pick-me-up needed, pronto. And pick-me-up found, in the form of perfume. Bond No. 9 is a beautiful shop (check out the stylish-but-funky chairs, the elegant design touches, and for that matter the staff, good-looking in a could-be-a-genetically-blessed-artist kind of way); and it sells equally beautiful scents, each based on a neighborhood in NYC or some representative essence of the city. There are currently 28 Bond No. 9 scents, designed by in-house pro Laurice Rahme. They're technically unisex--and you're more than welcome to embrace any of them, regardless of your gender--but certain mixes are currently drawing more women and others more men. For women, Chelsea Flowers, Chinatown, West Side, and Nuits de NoHo are popular; men are snapping up Wall St. and Riverside Drive. (Note to self: If I wear Wall St., will I start to hatch great investment ideas and soon have enough dough stashed for my dream wind-and-solar-powered beach house? Must investigate.) Pocket sprays in the signature scents start at $40; candles start at $75. The fragrances are crafted with 18 to 22 percent eau de parfum, an unusually high proportion for current lines. And if you're feeling experimental, custom blending is available, resulting in a fragrance that you helped to craft and that's yours alone. I stuck to gender type (this time) and sampled Chelsea Flowers, which was and is heavenly; each time I sniff my wrist, my spirits are lifted. Ah, the powers of the nose. I hear the wind whipping around outside, but hey--I smell like a garden (plus, I sense, a hint of vanilla), and no March gale can take away that pleasure. - Pamela Grossman; March 18, 2007
Bond No. 9 9 Bond St. New York, NY 10012 212-228-1940 http://www.bondno9.com Map Subway
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