Jet Set

Big Shoulder Bravura!

2009-12-14T14:39:11Z

When I am feeling a special case of the mean reds, there’s only one solution: I zip out of town (aka New York City) and lap up a long weekend in my other most favorite city in America.

Drumroll, please.

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When I am feeling a special case of the mean reds, there’s only one solution: I zip out of town (aka New York City) and lap up a long weekend in my other most favorite city in America.

Drumroll, please.

No, it’s not Miami.

And though I adore Los Angeles, that’s not my metropolis of choice.

Washington, D.C.? Wrong.

So where do I hang my hat on these soul-satisfying sojourns?

Chicago. Yes, Chicago.

And how, and how!

Yes, the city of big shoulders (to reference poet Carl Sandburg) is where it is. In the summer, certainly! The museums, the architectural tours, the beach. And, surprise!, the winter, too. I simply bundle up and stop in and often for fortification at the Billy Goat Tavern.

More on my favorite Chicago sites and sounds in another blog—or perhaps the March issue of Delta Sky—but here’s a little nugget of newfangled newness from that so-called Second City to whet the appetite.

To wit, The Wit.

Yes, The Wit, which is a delicious new hostelry perfectly situated within The Loop and only steps from the glories of Millennium Park and the shopping along State Street (the former Marshall Field’s, for instance). The Wit is all glass and contemporary chic with modern furnishings and easy-breezy style (I adored the soundtrack of birds chirping in the hallways). In warmer weather, the hotel’s 7,000-square-foot Roof is THE place to be, a glamorous aerie upon which to take in the sumptuous views while sipping a Londoner in Bangkok (fabulous name, n’est-ce pas?), Beefeater gin punched up with basil and fresh mango, and nibbling such yummies as charred Fiorello peppers and grilled skirt steak lavished with piquant salsa verde.

Nothing fussy at The Wit. Only fun and frisky, and that’s how I like it.

Check it out.

The Maine Event

2009-12-09T21:03:18Z

I am simply mad about the state of Maine. Crazy. Cuckoo. Over the moon. If you read my blog religiously—and those of you who do are saints—you know that I practically live my life in a Maine-made L.L. Bean Boat and Tote bag, the one must-have accessory that no one can be without. In fact, I have 47 Boat and Totes, but that’s an issue for a therapist and not for public discussion.

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Speaking of Maine, did you know that I escape whenever possible to glorious Chebeague Island and its yummy Chebeague Island Inn; that I think Portland to be one of the most exciting culinary cities anywhere (Duck Fat!, Hugo’s!); that I went to college at Colby in the wilds of Waterville; and that Maine’s gourmet go-to source Stonewall Kitchen is a favorite spot for holiday gifting. And Maine’s seafood: Oh, la, la!

Well, now you know.

This past weekend I needed some by-the-shore satisfaction, and since a jaunt up the coast to Ogunquit wasn’t in the cards, I zipped into Manhattan to sample the recently opened Ed’s Chowder House, a high-brow lobster shack smack across from just-revamped Lincoln Center. The Ed in “Ed’s” is renowned chef Ed Brown who manned the stoves seemingly forever at Rockefeller Center’s Sea Grill before venturing off on his own. Partnering with China Grill Management (Asia de Cuba, China Grill), Brown has crafted a bastion of briny bounty that mixes a chic yet bustling dining room with tip-top surf selections.

The easy, breezy dining room at Ed’s channels the spirit of the shore with a gussied-up sensibility.

I sipped a zow-ee! Chowder House Bloody Mary before supping on a towering plateau de fruits de mer (“fruits of the sea,” I just love that term), divine crab cakes loaded with rich meat and a terrific lobster roll paired with slaw. Y-u-m.

I just love a color-packed tower brimming over with glorious seafood. So decadent, so briny!

Maine by way of Manhattan, divine!

Bookish Charms

2009-12-04T21:16:57Z

I am preparing my holiday gifting list and checking it twice and thrice. Champagne is a favorite (it’s Veuve or bust, baby) as are citrus-scented candles from London’s Fortnum & Mason. CDs, too. Think everything from the Blow Monkeys to Bryan Ferry and maybe a dash of The Cult and Lady Gaga for good measure. But what else? Frankly, I love nothing more than bestowing delicious coffee table books upon my friends and talented co-workers, so here are a few far-flung favorites that channel a global go-to sensibility.

]]> I am preparing my holiday gifting list and checking it twice and thrice. Champagne is a favorite (it’s Veuve or bust, baby) as are citrus-scented candles from London’s Fortnum & Mason. CDs, too. Think everything from the Blow Monkeys to Bryan Ferry and maybe a dash of The Cult and Lady Gaga for good measure. But what else? Frankly, I love nothing more than bestowing delicious coffee table books upon my friends and talented co-workers, so here are a few far-flung favorites that channel a global go-to sensibility.

And since there are SO many fabulous coffee tables out there right now, count this installment as Part One. Part Two will feature my other favorite titillating tomes, so come back, and look me over. Again and again.

LA Stories

Hue

Los Angeles-based interiors whiz Kelly Wearstler returns with another gorgeous design book, this time about the power of color. Packed with glorious images of La Wearstler’s various projects (her sensibility has segued from Hollywood Regency to '70s-era eclectic) and zero text, Hue would be the perfect present for the design junkie in your life who likes some good eye candy. $49.95

New Orleans, Right Now

Dam Good Sweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style

I am smitten with New Orleans-raised pastry chef David Guas’ colorful pastry creations (chocolate bread pudding with salted bourbon caramel sauce—yum!) as well as his ice creams, jams and sweet sendoffs. Scattered among the colorful recipes and rich images are terrific tidbits about the Crescent City. Dam Good Sweet is the perfect present for the lover of all things sweet. $25

Meet Me In Manhattan

Indochine: Stories, Shaken and Stirred

My most favorite restaurant in Manhattan is Lafayette Street’s long-running Indochine, a favorite of celebrities, style gurus and tastemakers. The service kicks and the pan-Asian cooking epitomizes simple-chic sublime. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, this bastion of perennial cool shines in Indochine: Stories, Shaken and Stirred, a coffee table tome that mixes original stories by the likes of Salman Rushdie and Fran Lebowitz with images from shutterbug Patrick McMullan and artwork by Helmut Lang and Julian Schnabel, among others. $50

London Calling

David Hicks: A Life of Design

The late Brit wit designer David Hicks brought a wildly contemporary spin to the once-staid world of English interiors, piling on geometric patterns with jewel-like colors to stunning effect. David Hicks: A Life of Design traces Hicks’ life and works paired with heady images that will leave you panting. And author Ashley Hicks, the designer’s son, brings an exceptional personal, touching viewpoint to the tome. $65

Viva Venezia!

Secret Gardens in Venice

Tucked away down dark alleys and sheltered behind the many canals, the gardens of Venice offer paradisiacal escapes that only the lucky have the chance to visit. Secret Gardens in Venice opens the garden gates to these verdant retreats and tell the rich stories behind the spaces. The boxwood . . . the statues . . . the ivy-draped walls. It’s all ga-ga glory in green. $50

Ciao-Ciao, Mr. Chow

2009-11-30T16:46:06Z

Just before Thanksgiving—and en route to Antigua, Guatemala, where the Nixon clan celebrates the holiday—I spent a few nights in Miami to catch up on what’s doing in this balmy, beachy burg. There have been a slew of new hotels and restaurants open of late in South Beach, so I wanted to check in on the latest and greatest.

]]> Just before Thanksgiving—and en route to Antigua, Guatemala, where the Nixon clan celebrates the holiday—I spent a few nights in Miami to catch up on what’s doing in this balmy, beachy burg. There have been a slew of new hotels and restaurants open of late in South Beach, so I wanted to check in on the latest and greatest.

My partner in crime for my wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am whirl was design and style writer Saxon Henry, who’s currently penning a few pieces for the magazine on the Miami scene. She and I met up and tippled and tasted our way around the Deco district and certainly lapped up the the Big M (frankly, Miami is far too glitz and glam for me, I am much more of an understated type myself but my sojourn 'twas fun nevertheless).

Among our favorite evenings on the town was an especially spirited evening at the brand-new W South Beach. Designed by interiors superstars Yabu Pushelberg, the hotel calls to mind the one-time stomping grounds of the Rat Pack but updated for today—all polished stone, dramatic lighting, mega-height ceilings, flickering candles, slick and chic. We settled in for a few cocktails upon alpaca-draped chairs at the hotel’s dramatic and dark Living Room with is tapas-like nibbles and colorful libations loaded up with muddled fruit.

The sexy digs at the W South Beach’s Living Room Bar where Saxon and I sipped and supped among the fur-covered furnishings.

From there, it was on to the hottest new boîte in town, the hotel’s outpost of Mr. Chow, where Saxon and I sat between Drew Barrymore and her gaggle of hipsters and Jamie Foxx and his duo of libidinous lovelies. As we sampled the glorious dumplings and the wildly chic (but uber-expensive!) Peking duck, we watched Drew bop about the dining room and chat up the lovely Betsey Johson (we are crazy about Betsey, she is just so nice!) as Foxx oozed LA-style cool in gold sunglasses and an omnipresent BlackBerry. When the charming Michael Chow, the owner of the global Mr. Chow empire, came over to greet to us, well, that was the icing on the cake of our star-watching, name-dropping dinner.

The sleek-and-chic interior of the just-opened Mr. Chow, the South Beach outpost of the global Asian restaurant known just as much for its scene as its perfect Peking duck.

The restaurateur behind the Mr. Chow empire, Michael Chow, and his glamorous wife, Eva.

And what fun to be smack in the middle of such a scene!

Tales of Paper Trails

2009-11-16T14:08:11Z

Where would I spend my last dime, you might ask? Travel, certainly. Maybe a trip to Buenos Aires or Marrakech. On a good tailor, no doubt. On a terrific bottle of wine, perhaps a Super Tuscan. And most definitely upon fabulous stationery. I truly believe that handwritten notes are absolutely essential in today’s helter-skelter world of e-mail, Tweets, text messages and other electronic-driven ephemera.

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If you do not write handwritten thank-you notes, frankly, you need to stop reading this blog right this instant and purchase a stash. And now is the perfect time since we are just before the holidays, and you will be able to pen glorious missives in thanks for the lovely gifts that have been bestowed upon you for Christmas, Hanukkah, et al.

So where to turn?

If you can afford the most luxe of the luxe, there’s nothing better than Smythson of Bond Street, the bespoke British stationer who crafts glorious notecards as well as travel journals and luscious leather goods like backgammon sets and boxes for cufflinks and jewels.

But if you seek a bit of economy in your epistolary, might I suggest the terrific wares from BirdDog Press, a custom—and eco-minded!—letterpress studio run by the delicious Allison Bozeman, the so-called “soy ink siren.” Working out of her press in Lyons, Colorado, Ms. Bozeman turns out such nifty notations as bespoke business cards (as well as calling cards, an essential in my roving repertoire) and all sorts of other paper-driven pleasures.

The very cool Allison Bozeman at work at her press in Lyons, Colorado.

I am off to Miami this weekend and then Antigua, Guatemala, for Thanksgiving, so expect some far-flung epistles of my own coming to you straight from south of the border.

Olé!