Squeezing all of Zurich In

By Abigail Green -

11.29.15

“I’ve got it all under control”, well at least that’s what I kept telling myself throughout the 2 hour flight from London to Zurich. My day consisted of a breakfast meeting at Alpenrose, selecting clothing and apparel at a fashion expo, a quick tour of Zurich was planned with our Swiss editor to approve sights for an upcoming photo shoot, squeeze in some shopping for myself and then meet up with an old friend for after dinner drinks at a hotel. Don’t get me wrong, I was excited to get to every part of the day’s offerings, but wondering whether it was infact actually possible?

The day started with a 7am launch from Zurich Airport. Zachary, my dear editor-in-chief, perhaps the best one ever (are you reading this Zach??) ordered a Ferrari 458 Spider for me to drive about town so that I could get this long list of errands done. Do I need to tell you that driving the ravishing red convertible was an utter delight? Well, in case the obvious isn’t clear enough, it was. Not to mention that this car’s love for speed, perhaps got me to at least a few of my appointments not so terribly late.

First stop, was a breakfast meeting with a potential client. As the client left it up to me to choose a venue, I decided to go with something that had character and was exceptionally charming, but in no way distracting. In the end I remembered Alpenrose. I inadvertently came across it when I was taking a previous holiday to Zurich with an old boyfriend and we stumbled across this place and fell in love with it straight away. Interior decorated with timber walls and a sign at the entrance that proclaims “ No Polka Dancing”, there is a great sense of humour behind the rustic and authentic feel of the place. The cuisine is a multi-regional Swiss menu, with specialties that include Ticinese risotto and Pizokel, a savoury kind of Spätzli, made of buckwheat flour and cheese. While the aromas that greet you here are very enticing, try to hold back and save room for some of the scrumptious desserts, like the creamy cognac parfait. Well, not surprisingly in such a warm and friendly environment the meeting went exceptionally well and our client made a huge advertising order. You'd be surprised what a creamy cognac parfait can do!

Back on the road, my next stop was the Blickfang Expo, a must-go event for those in the industry like myself. The expo, which features over hundreds of exhibitions is dedicated purely on the fashion industry with a focus on B2B and B2C. The fashion on display was exciting, as it possessed a really fresh look. There was great inspiration for design portraits, fashion shows on the catwalk, workshops and consulting opportunities. Best part was that I got what I needed done, as I placed several orders of clothing and apparel. Some of the highlights for me was a gorgeous merino scarf in a screen lilac print and a gold ring in a unique modern design by Charlotte Wooning.

Getting utterly captivated, I spent way too much time time at the Expo then what I should. I raced back in the Ferrari to Zurich’s busy old city district to meet up with Phillipé our Swiss editor. Phillipé, a very sweet fellow, wanted to grab the opportunity while I was in Zurich to show me some of the venues that he had selected for a photo shoot that we have planned.  The venues he selected were superb and hit the mood precisely. The first was the Fraumunster, a ninth century abbey for women whose very walls depict a story of hopes, passions and tragedies. The Kunsthaus, a modern art museum housed in a stately white stone building and the Felsenegg cable car that takes its route through the old city, passing the opera house and national museum.  As Phillipé advised me on the angles and perspectives that he had planned, I told him that i’m sure this photo shoot was going to be a complete hit as all these locations brimmed with so much evocative character.

As that meeting went way longer then what I had planned, it was already night time before I could squeeze in an hour or so to myself. I grabbed a bite to eat and made my way towards the up market and hyper chic Bahnhofstrasse. Towards Paradeplatz were some of the world’s most prestigious brands such as Channel, Dior and Grieder. I walked into Grieder and fell in love with a pair of ankle length black suede boots. Despite the gulp invoking price tag, I easily convinced myself they’ll be perfect swishing around in this winter!

Lost in the gentle suede of my new boots, I almost lost track of time and before I knew it, it was already 9:30pm and i was late to meet my friend at Hotel Rivington and Sons. This very New-York-Style bar is located on the top floor of the Prime tower and thankfully just a short skip, jump and hop from where I was on Bahnhofstrasse. My friend Marie was waiting for me, we had a great time swapping stories to fill in the past 5 years or so, sharing laughs, sipping excellent quality wines and flirting outrageously with the abundant supply of young men in beautifully tailored suits. It was an awesome night out, for which I almost missed my flight home. But don’t worry my lovely Zurich, I’ll be back.