In this issue:
Seriously Funny: Onstage and in his new documentary, Chris Rock says what you can't—and why we're glad he does.
Also: Taylor Swift: Our Q & A With Music's Girl Next Door
Monday, November 30, 2009 by Rudy Maxa.
I should only have to mention the word “Switzerland” for you to think of “winter.” Or at least, a fashionable winter. From the elegant main pedestrian street of Gstaad to the chocolate shops of Zürich and the peaks of the Alps, Switzerland is one long ode to snow and winter.
Friday, October 30, 2009 by Rudy Maxa.
Two great hotels in Manhattan reopened this summer, and both splashed out millions to remake themselves. Say hello—again—to Mark and Pierre. Well, The Mark and The Pierre.
The first time I checked into The Mark years ago, I thought it was the coolest hotel in the world. Before the phrase “boutique hotels” was on everyone’s lips, The Mark was a discreet hideaway on Madison and 77th with a tiny bar barely big enough to hold 15 people tucked off its lobby. A sophisticated restaurant was opposite the 77th Street entrance, and soon that will re-open with celeb chef Jean-George Vongerichten running things.
Friday, October 23, 2009 by Rudy Maxa.
It’s a welcome bonus when a hotel reflects the city it’s in, and during a long weekend in Portland—crunchy, funky Portland, Oregon—I was the guest at two hotels that fit the bill. The Hotel deLuxe and the Hotel Lucia are managed by the same company, and they’re both great old Portland buildings that have found a new life as boutique hotels.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009 by Rudy Maxa.
Searching for a career? Ever consider becoming a . . . butler?
Charles MacPherson will teach you how at his Toronto school for butlers. You’ll take Laundry 101 and, if you pass that, Laundry 201. You’ll learn the correct way to shake a hand, how to set an elegant table, the general rules of protocol and how to run a household.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 by Rudy Maxa.
I think I found the ultimate family resort this week—a summer camp on steroids, a Neverland without the weirdness. It’s not a secret place—Smugglers’ Notch Vermont, approximately a 35-minute drive from Burlington, has been around since 1956. But throughout the years, it has morphed into a sprawling resort with upscale condos, waterparks, tennis courts and—in the winter—ski slopes. Plus, there are enough kids’ activities to fill a year of Saturdays.
Thursday, July 30, 2009 by Rudy Maxa.
“It’s like the Hamptons without the fancy restaurants and celebs,” I said on the phone.
“There’s a lot to be said for that,” answered Catherine, who has homes in Paris, San Francisco, Florida and Washington, D.C., and knows quite a bit about see-and-be-seen restaurants and celebrities. “Where is it again?”
“Northern Wisconsin, on Lake Superior. It’s called Madeline Island.”
“You know,” said Catherine, “that’s a whole part of this world I know nothing about.”
And, until I moved to Minnesota nearly six years ago, I didn’t know anything about these parts, either.
Rudy Maxa is host and executive producer of the public television travel series, Rudy Maxa's World. The 78 episodes he has hosted have won numerous awards, including a 2008 regional Emmy for his episode "Rajasthan." He's a contributing editor with National Geographic Traveler magazine and has written for a host of national travel magazines and newspapers. For nearly 15 years he offered consumer travel commentary on public radio's business show Marketplace as "The Savvy Traveler," which was also the name of a one-hour, coast-to-coast weekend show on public radio that he co-created and hosted for four years. Prior to his career as a travel writer and broadcaster, Maxa was an award-winning Washington Post investigative reporter, magazine writer, and columnist for 13 years, during which time his reporting was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He was a senior writer at The Washingtonian magazine and Washington, D.C., bureau chief of Spy magazine. The author of two non-fiction books, Maxa lives in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota.
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