“I want to show people how to do some of the most extraordinary things that are being done in bakeries,” says Martha Stewart, 76, of her 10th season of “Martha Bakes,” now airing on Public Broadcasting Service. “We make a croquembouche that’s very unusual.” When the homemaking icon isn’t in her test kitchen, selling clothes on QVC, making snacks with Snoop Dogg on VH1’s “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party” or on her beloved farm in Bedford, NY, she spends weekends with her friends and two grandchildren. She tells CHRISTOPHER CAMERON about her perfect day in the city.
I wake up with the sun. And with this heat wave, I would get right up and take a really long hike. My apartment is on 72nd Street, so I would walk straight down Fifth Avenue all the way to my daughter’s apartment in the West Village.
I grab the kids and take them out to breakfast. They love their avocado toast. Then we go to the water park in Hudson River Park because they are addicted to water parks. I’m on the park’s board, so I try to use it a lot. We might even take the water taxi and go to Brooklyn. My grandson, who is 6, loves taking boats on the river. He knows all the bridges and tunnels.
Then we would probably come home and have a homemade lunch. My daughter, Alexis, loves to cook. I’d like to take them to one of my favorite bakeries, but the children aren’t allowed to eat sugar.
I like to spend my afternoons outside. But sometimes I’ll go see my manicurist, hair colorist and haircutter at Bergdorf Goodman. I like to go up to John Barrett and get something done, then I go shop. Bergdorf has such a great shoe salon. I also love walking up Madison Avenue, but I am not really a big shopper. If I see something in a magazine or see someone wearing something I really like, I’ll go try to find it.
Later we might end up at one of my favorite restaurants like Perry Street, La Mercerie or Flora Bar at the Met Breuer. The kids like Flora Bar because there are small plates and they can get a lot of variety. For Japanese, I love EN Japanese Brasserie, but Sushi Yasuda on 43rd Street is my go-to for nighttime sushi. For Italian, Don Angie in the village is the hot spot.
In the evenings, I like to see a play. I am going to see Carey Mulligan’s new play [“Girls & Boys”]. I don’t go anyplace alone. In Paris I would, but it’s a little bit odd to see a person alone in the city. So I’m always with friends — unless I am going to Mario Badescu for a facial. You don’t take friends to facials.
