Nicholas D. Lowry, the president of Swann Auction Galleries, is regularly featured as an expert on “Antiques Roadshow,” the popular program that appears on PBS. The auctioneer is known for his prominent handlebar mustache and keen sense of style. During the week, you might find Mr. Lowry wearing a boldly patterned tartan suit that suggests a mash-up of “Boardwalk Empire” and a Scottish kilt factory.
Sundays, however, offer a different story. “It is almost always jeans, a plaid shirt and some kind of jacket,” he noted. “And I have a ‘Peaky Blinders’ hat — that’s what I wear all the time” because it’s particularly well suited for his “schlumping around.”
Mr. Lowry, 55, lives in an apartment near the Flatiron district, with Tilda, his Boston terrier, amid collectibles that include a 1930s Automat pie dispenser, antique police helmets and an old traffic light. A vegan for several years now, he likes to spend time in his home on the weekends whipping up plant-based meals for himself and tackling chores.
RUN, TILDA, RUN Every day, my alarm is set for 7. I usually wake up earlier than 7, even on Sundays. Tilda has to be walked by about 8:30 or 9 — after that, I get nervous that she’s going to have an accident — so we want to get out before then. And if it’s a nice day, I’m happy to get out.
DOGGY DISNEYLAND On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, there’s the Greenmarket in Union Square, so our morning routine on those four days is that we go walk through the market. She loves it. But on the weekends, we like to go further afield. The dog park in Madison Square Park is the easiest. It’s nuts — it’s like doggy Disneyland. We can spend a lot of time there. If we’re in the park for anywhere over 30 minutes, she will come home, she’ll eat breakfast and she’ll sleep for four hours. I love that because it means I can work, I can do other things.
BAGEL BREAK When we come home, she eats and I make breakfast. My favorite breakfast is bagels. I might make a vegan stir-fry with vegan egg, but bagels are really the best because bagels are the most New York-y thing.
IT’S A JUNGLE IN THERE There’s usually a lot of things to do around the house. The lengthiest chore that I have is watering the plants because there are about 60 of them. I put on NPR and I just walk around: I go back and forth and back and forth. I’ve got two watering cans and have to put three cans of water into each tree.
VEGAN SHOP When you’re a vegan, there are only a handful of places that you can really shop well. On a Sunday I go to Whole Foods — it’s astounding what they have and the things that I can find. I don’t take the dog because I don’t trust her in a supermarket, but I usually spend like an hour shopping, and it’s shopping for a week, or two weeks. I’ll buy vegan cheeses, vegan meats, seitan. It’s not the most exciting, but it’s how I live.
THE MAIN EVENT Sundays are for the flea market. It’s the flea market on 25th Street, which is great. It’s been part of my routine for the last 25 years. I have furnished houses, I’ve bought furniture, I’ve bought prints. Nothing ever too major: I don’t need anything major. I just need something that makes me happy. I hate coming home empty-handed. I went through a big stage of trying to find things I could put plants in: I have a saxophone that I’m waiting to use as a planter — I just haven’t figured out how to get it to stand up straight. I’m always likely to come home with something, whether it’s a vessel for plants or an antique camera.
SIESTA I’ve always been a napper. Like everybody in New York, I’m always a little bit sleep-deprived, so when I have a chance, like on a Sunday afternoon, being able to lie down and just close my eyes for a half an hour, an hour, is a fantastic, rejuvenating thing.
STRESS-FREE WORK Oftentimes, I’ll go into the office. Going in over the weekend is really a treat: I can sit there without the phone ringing, on my computer, and I can just get a lot done. Because I love my work, it’s a great thing.
HOME ALONE Sunday night, almost always, is a night to stay home alone and get a good night’s sleep. It is the recuperative night. It’s all about cooking dinner — seeing what bounties Whole Foods has produced — and then either reading or Netflix-ing until bed.
Sunday Routine readers can follow Nicholas D. Lowry on Twitter or Instagram @nicholowry.
