I saw something new today on the subway. People had shopping bags from stores they’d gone to. They’d purchased new items and the cashier had wrapped up the things and put them in the bags and now these people were walking around in full sight, in public, so we could all see them. They were from some good stores, too. Bally, Abercrombie & Fitch and Saks. None of us, I repeat none of us on the subway gathered around these brazen shoppers and lambasted them for demonstrating conspicuous consumption.
It made me feel good.
I’ve heard other stories, of people taking vacations and not being made fun of by their neighbors for being show offs. Instead, I hear they’re getting a slap on the back and being told they’re pretty smart for getting such a good deal.
I like that.
I think the stock market is doing pretty well, too. It’s not jumping up and down all over the place, crashing and spiking so people are hysterical. Oh, it still has its moments but overall it’s been fairly steady for awhile. My 401k is creeping back up close to where it had been. I still don’t have all that money back but at least it’s not in free-fall anymore.
Thank goodness.
I see that Syms won a bid to buy Filene’s Basement. It beat out Men’s Wearhouse. It’s swell not to see another store brand go away, like Fortunoffs and Linens and Things and Circuit City and Steve and Barry’s. All of those gone-bust stores that make the mall feel empty. I just hope Syms doesn’t put that lousy fluorescent lighting it’s known for in the Filenes Basement’s dressing rooms. You know, the ones that make you look. 20 years older and 15 pounds heavier.
I hate that.
As I was writing this, the sun came out in Manhattan and somebody just said they saw a rainbow. People are walking around shading their eyes because it’s so bright out. It’s been raining here for a very long time.
I think they’ll get used to it. We’ve weathered some good times together before.
Visitors to New York are invited to shop locally during their summer stay at the Washington Square Hotel with the sixth annual “Village Shopping Pass.” From July 1st through Labor Day, unique boutiques and classic New York shops in the hotel’s neighborhood will offer guest-exclusive discounts or complimentary gifts with purchase. The Washington Square Hotel will give guests a shopping card upon check-in with a neighborhood map, a list of all participating stores and their special offers.
Washington Square Hotel has teamed up with 10 downtown shops – in Greenwich Village, SoHo, and the Lower East Side – where hotel guests can present their “pass” and receive the discounts being offered by each retailer. Shoppers may choose among the delectable handmade confections at Li-Lac Chocolates or the international selection of artisanal wines at Is-Wine. Read the rest of this entry »
We can’t stop fantasizing about having a pampering spa treatment in a gazebo in a flowering garden on a private peninsula overlooking the French Riviera, especially now that we’ve read about Cap Estel in Eze, which indeed has all of those attributes and then some.
The historic hotel (it was opened by Frank Harris, the Irish journalist and novelist in 1900), has just added four new rooms to its offerings, located in the main house. We think their best features are not their interiors, which promise to be uber-luxe, but their private terraces overlooking the Mediterranean. But that’s just us.
If one of the new rooms isn’t available, settle for one of the 14 existing suites that reside in four separate villas throughout the hotel’s grounds. These all have swell French nicknames, such as “le Cap”, “la Mer”, “la Corniche”, “Le Parc”. Those alone make us want to get on a plane and fly to France but we’re also enamored of the fact that they also have their own entrances and security. To which we say, “tres chic.” Read the rest of this entry »
Terranea Resort opened today, June 12, 20 miles south of Los Angeles in Palos Verdes. The entire property seems amazing, since it’s right on the grand old California coastline but we’re most excited about the oceanfront Spa at Terranea, whose theme is all about wellness.
The views here are dazzling, especially from the second story oceanfront co-ed lounge, which has a walkout balcony that gives the illusion of being positioned directly over the ocean. Back inside, there’s a fireplace in case the gentle ocean breezes are just too much.
This is no small facility; the spa itself is 25,000 square feet in size, with a cool 24 treatment rooms and three VIP suites. Men and women have their own indoor/outdoor lounge areas, and that’s not all, there’s an oceanfront pool, 5,000 square foot Fitness and Wellness Center, full-service salon and a Spa Cafe. Read the rest of this entry »
This summer, from June 29-July 3, the Interplay Jazz hosts a one-week residential workshop in Woodstock, VT, that includes master classes, jam sessions, films, yoga and performances – and all that jazz.
So the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, one of the events of the 1960s, will be 40 this year. We hear that Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (www.BethelWoodsCenter.org) in Bethel, NY, has a little celebration planned, on account that it was at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival.
We are ready to get on a plane just to go see the new Modern Wing at The Art Institute of Chicago, which opened last weekend. This is no small attraction; the addition is 264,000-square-foot in size and brings the total footage of the museum to more than a million square feet. Read the rest of this entry »
We’re currently at Disney’s newest Animal Kingdom Hotel, Kidani Village. Our room is actually a suite: # 7216. It has a full living room, a kitchenette with an oven, full-sized fridge, dishwasher and microwave. The chinaware provided it pretty nice, very Animal Kingdom-style, brown and white. I could live here.
Here are some photos of the room:
There are two bathrooms here; one is particularly large and luxe, and a double balcony. There are no bathrobes in the room, otherwise, I say this is a luxury experience.
We are at Walt Disney World Resort on a media weekend, staying at the Animal Kingdom Resort’s new Kidani Village Resort. (More on that in a separate post). We went over to Epcot tonight and hear Jose Feliciano, who gave a half-hour concert. Not very long but it was pretty good.
Here’s a clip; I had to stop recording it because an usher yelled at me. Fair enough.
The Breakers moved to the very top of our favorite resorts after our recent vist. Why? It wasn’t just the grandeur of its iconic lobby or how we felt suspended over the Atlantic in our spacious Premium Full Oceanfront Room (Tip: #5140 in the South Tower is truly tops in this category); rather, it was the friendly, intuitive service that we enjoyed from literally every employee we met at the resort.
The Greenwich Hotel opened a year ago, in April 2008. Owned by Robert De Niro, Ira Drukier, Richard Born and Raphael De Niro, it’s located at the corner of Greenwich Street and North Moore Street in TriBeCa.
On 222 Thompson Street, it’s set in one of New York’s most charming and vibrant Greenwich Village thoroughfares.
The mojitos and capanenas are amazing as is the fried calamari and shrimp in garlic sauce.
It’s tiny, so be sure to reserve a table. The bar has four seats! On a Friday night the place was packed.
A great Cuban band started at 7:45 p.m. In the corner by the window a man was rolling cigars and selling them.
Monday through Thursday there’s a happy hour; mojitos are $5. On Monday, drinks and appetizers are $5 each. It’s a good deal, on a Friday we paid $11 a pop for drinks.
The Canary Hotel is the newest oasis in one of California’s most appealing luxury shopping and cultural districts. We loved the hotel’s tranquil rooftop pool where yoga lessons are held each Saturday and wine tastings are conducted every Monday evening.
But if we had to pick, we’d say that it’s the Coast Restaurant and Bar off the lobby that’s causing the most intense buzz with the local upscale crowd. Why?
When we walked into the lobby of One Aldwych in London, on a dark and rainy November day, we felt as if springtime had sprung.
Inside, the vibe was light and airy, even though the open lobby bar was buzzing with smart-looking local business people meeting for lunch. While the lobby’s purpose slowly changes throughout the day (think power breakfasts, lively post-work drinks, vibrant pre-theater cocktails, etc.), the bar at One Aldwych remains curiously democratic.
We were on our way home from a party Denmark had thrown at 60 Thompson Street hotel last night. We got on the E train and there were four men dressed in work garb; it was late, about 9 p.m. In New York, most of the construction workers tend to head home around 4 p.m. or so… Read the rest of this entry »
TheSociety of American Travel Writers (SATW), the world’s largest organization of professional travel journalists and photographers, recently polled its members to come up with the “Top 10” tips to help travelers take better vacation photos.
Listed in order of votes with comments from SATW writers and photographers, the “Top 10” tips for better travel photos are:
1. Shoot photos early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the sun is overhead and the light is flat. Shooting in early morning and late afternoon will add more color and shadows to your photos, giving more definition to the subject.
“Although morning and late afternoon are considered the best light for making photographs, some exceptions apply. In the Caribbean, for instance, to capture the water at its most electric aquamarine, shoot the seascape from on high, preferably at noon.”– Patricia Borns, maritime and travel writer/photographer
We’ve been to the Caribbean quite a few times in our travels but hadn’t quite made it yet to the British Virgin Islands. Our recent adventure unfolded a jewel in the rough, filled with wild landscape (and some wild roads), fabulous scuba and two unforgettable resorts.
Our first stop was to the island of Tortola to Frenchmans Lookout, a favored choice of one of our favorite celebrities, Kate Moss. We were enchanted by this five-bedroom villa, which can be bought out by families or any VIP seeking a vacation that is surreal and sublime. Here’s the lowdown: Frenchman’s has four bedrooms on its top floor and another on the main floor. All rooms are fabulous, but we’re told that the paying guest usually gets dibs the Master Suite. Whichever the choice, each room has stunning views of the Sir Francis Drake Channel and, depending on the room, the views will be of Virgin Gorda, St. John, St. Thomas, Little Thatch or Jost Van Dyke.
A colleague of mine was relaying the tale of his neighbors today. Here’s how it went: The husband is a police officer and the wife is a nurse. During the recent heydays of lavish global spending, this couple wasn’t considered especially affluent, but these days, because the security of their professions provides them with a virtual “fixed” income, they’re flying high in comparison to their neighbors. They didn’t hesitate to take their recent vacation to Walt Disney World with their two children and while they were there, they enjoyed some excellent deals on hotel pricing and dining. They are starting to realize that this is a swell time to travel and they’re wondering if they should start planning their next trip soon, while the deals are so favorable.
I found this to be an exciting travel story….certainly a detour from what we’re used to writing about….
Lakedale Resort at Three Lakes welcomes a vintage 1978 Sovereign Airstream to its collection of accommodations. This fully equipped trailer will be located at a premier lakefront campsite with water and electric hook-ups included.
The vintage Airstream, considered to be the “Rolls Royce” of travel trailers, is one of five accommodation types offered at Lakedale. Additional lodging options include cozy guestrooms, family-friendly log cabins, canvas cabins with real beds and linens and campsites.
The moment we walked into the lobby of the Charleston Place Hotel (www.charlestonplace.com), we felt we were part of the city’s vibe. This Charleston, SC establishment is a key stomping ground for upscale locals, thanks to the popular Charleston Grill restaurant and the Thoroughbred Club, a good old-fashioned open lobby bar that sits beside a sweeping grand staircase.
Keeping the local traffic flowing is the fact that the hotel, which is run by Orient-Express, has 30 shops, such as Gucci, St. John and Brookstone, on site. It’s also located on King Street, which is the main shopping street in the historic district.
We strongly recommend staying in “The Club” on the top two floors of the hotel, where doting service goes beyond other luxury hotel club-floor standards we’ve experienced. For example, guests returning from a walk in the rain on a recent Sunday afternoon were delighted to find that a glass of dry sherry awaited them. Rooms on this floor also have the best views of Charleston. The best pick of all is the 1,200-square-foot Presidential & Spoleto Suite.
There are few places in the world that make you feel as if you are somewhere magnificently significant; Hotel Splendido in Portofino, Italy, is one of them. It all comes down to location: The hotel sits atop a winding hill in a stunningly idyllic port on the Italian Riviera, overlooking Portofino’s cove and the Tigullio Gulf, where jetsetters glide along in their yachts and sloops. Then there are the exclusive homes tucked into the hills; just across from the hotel is the home of the designers Dolce & Gabbana, which draws its own posh crowd when the duo is in town.
We love the location of the Gran Melia Colon Seville, which is in the historic portion of Seville, close to wonderful side streets and main attractions. Sol Melia has done it again. We were there for the grand opening evening, here are some highlights:
We purchased a new bookcase last week and, with that, came the task of moving all of the books from the existing bookcase. It sounded easy enough, but on a Sunday evening, which is when we finally got around to it, it became downright draining to sift through piles of books we hadn’t really looked at, or even cared about, for the past 20 years. Besides, old books can be pretty dusty.
In the midst of this mess, I found an old copy of the New York Times Sunday Magazine, whose cover story was entitled, “Is the Age of Affluence Dead?” It was published in December 2001… Read the rest of this entry »
Did any of us really believe that Airborne eased the effects, even prevented, the common cold? I giggled when I heard on the news that the company that produces it had agreed to discontinue those claims and pay out $7 million in settlements for misleading advertising. What was funny was that since I was little, I’ve always heard that there is no cure for the common cold and yet, somewhere along the way a pill came out, over the counter no less, that attacked the common cold issue head on. Who’d have thought? Read the rest of this entry »
June 15, 2009 
Posted in Columns, luxury travel trends 
1 Comment » 
