Written By Unknown on Jumat, 29 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoThe Four Seasons Resort in Orlando, Fla.Credit Don Riddle
Sticking to a kosher diet on the road can be challenging, but Prime Hospitality Group, a New York City-based glatt kosher restaurant and catering company, is trying to make it easier by partnering with luxury resorts around the country for Jewish holidays.
The travel program, called the Prime Experience, offers all-inclusive packages with kosher dining and alcohol, activities and accommodations.
For Sukkot in October, the company is taking over a portion of the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort for 11 days. Meals will include steaks, seafood and vegetarian entrees as well as ethnic cuisine, Japanese, Chinese and Mexican.
Events include a cocktail hour with kosher wines, a children's day camp, cooking classes and speakers.
The Prime Experience started with a Passover package at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Laguna Beach, Calif., last spring and is expanding to Sukkot this year and Passover in 2015 at the St. Regis Aspen, in Colorado; the Four Seasons in Westlake Village, Calif.; and the St. Regis Monarch Beach.
The company founder Joey Allaham said that plans are in the works to offer the package on summer breaks as well and that his goal is to give more flexibility to those who follow a kosher diet. "The people who need to eat kosher shouldn't feel restricted when they travel, and I want to show that the food can be fun and delicious," he said in a phone interview.
The Orlando trip runs from Oct. 8 to 19 with prices starting at $1,850 a person.
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 28 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoCyclists heading toward Whiteface Mountain in New York.Credit Kurt Gardner
A weeklong bike tour in the Adirondack mountain range in upstate New York — meals and accommodations included — is registering riders for its debut next year, Aug. 23 to 29.
Cycle Adirondacks is being organized and produced by the Wildlife Conservation Society, based at the Bronx Zoo, to showcase the natural landscape that is home to a variety of both wildlife and historic towns and villages in Adirondack Park.
The park — six million acres — is one of the largest intact temperate forests in the world and the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States.
The tour starts and ends in Saranac Lake, the headquarters of the W.C.S. Adirondack Program, and includes overnight stops in Star Lake, Boonville, Camden, Old Forge and Long Lake.
There will be a layover day in Old Forge, where riders can pedal an optional route or take the day off the bike and enjoy the towns of Old Forge and Inlet.
Registration, capped at 600 participants, costs $1,495 and includes three catered meals daily, fully stocked rest stops, camping spots, hot showers, baggage service, on-course safety support, and a wellness tent.
Total mileage for the week will be 400 to 500 miles, depending on options, with daily routes ranging from 50 to 75 miles. Total elevation gain will be roughly 2,000 feet.
The cost is $1,495, and registration is limited to 600 participants.
Written By Unknown on Rabu, 27 Agustus 2014 | 17.36
PhotoA humpback whale.Credit Sunreef
As swimming with dolphins, sharks and even whale sharks becomes an increasingly common tourist attraction, Australia's Sunreef dive company is thinking bigger – 80,000 pounds bigger, to be exact.
In a first-of-its-kind excursion on the continent, Sunreef recently launched a swim-with-humpback whales trip, which takes tourists on a three-hour boat ride off of Queensland's Sunshine Coast to snorkel with them.
Boat captains ferry participants to known whale locations, where swimmers jump into the water – from a safe, 100-meter exclusion zone – for an encounter few but marine scientists have experienced.
"Some of the closest encounters have seen whales come up within just a few meters, some of them with calves, and all have swum up and away gently," the Sunreef spokeswoman Michelle Smytheman said of the early season tours.
Each year, more than 20,000 humpback whales pass by Australia's east coast from July through November as they migrate north from winter feeding grounds near Antarctica to warmer climates for breeding.
Sunreef's trips are supported by whale spotters from the air, so a sighting is nearly guaranteed, although any interactions aren't exactly predictable.
"The experience is 100 percent on the whales' terms," Ms. Smytheman said. Encounters can last 30 minutes or more, depending on the whales' whims, she said. "Sometimes they hang around for ages, and other times they swim up for a look and then move on or just move past without coming closer. The interested whales sometimes swim past and circle around again to take another look."
The Sunreef Whale Encounter Supervisor, Dan Hart, said that he hopes the new tour will benefit visitors as well as the scientific community studying the humpbacks.
The company is working closely with researchers from the University of the Sunshine Coast in tracking and recording the whales, he said. Two spots on every boat are kept open for whale researchers, and information gathered on the tours will help ongoing projects – including a forthcoming study by the university on tourists' emotional reactions to the whales.
Sunreef whale swimming tours are 114 Australian dollars ($108) per person, and run through Nov. 11.
PhotoA villa at the Tree of Life Resort & Spa in Jaipur, India.Credit
Jaipur is like the elusive mistress you can't get enough of. Considered to be India's first planned city, it was painted an autumnal shade of pink to coincide with the visit of the Prince of Wales (King Edward VII) in 1878. But time and traffic have turned the pink into a shade of sandstone orange, and today, the city straddles eras. Run-down palaces pop up at random street corners. Ornately carved domes rise up against glass monoliths. Global ideas mingle with generations-old handicrafts, from block printing to brass beating. A stroll around the 18th-century Palace of the Winds (Hawa Mahal), which overlooks the city's main arterial road, gives you a sense of the throbbing cosmopolis Jaipur has become. Here, the top spots to visit in all directions.
Anantaya The contemporary design studio is spearheaded by the award-winning industrial designer Ayush Kasliwal, who employs traditional craftsmanship (beaten brass, stone carvings, inlay work) to create future classics. B-6/A1, Prithviraj Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-01, Rajasthan, India, anantayadecor.com
Jaipur Rugs This is one of the country's largest manufacturers (and exporters) of flat woven silk and wool dhurries, all hand-knotted by master tribal weavers using time-honored methods. Spend a day wading through their vast collection, which ranges from deconstructed Tibetan damask-patterned weaves to silken carpets designed to mimic snakes shedding skins to a supple undyed rug bearing a Moroccan tile motif. The company also delivers globally. G-250 Mansarovar Ind. Area, Jaipur-20, Rajasthan, India, jaipurrugs.com
PhotoFrom left: hammered metal servingware at Anantaya; the selection at Jaipur Rugs.Credit
Teatro Dhora An arresting half-finished indigo-painted wall with animal heads greets you at the entrance of this concept store. Stop by for a smart selection of lesser-known Indian design labels alongside the house range of quirky jewelry, artwork made from saws and spatulas, colorfully patterned caps and well-crafted leather bags. 9, Yashwant Place, Ajmer Road, Jaipur-06, Rajasthan, India, dhoraindia.in
Jaipur Modern Dramatic black-and-white marble flooring and inlaid tables dominate this new lifestyle store set in a 1920s bungalow. After shopping for home accessories, clothes and jewelry, linger over a dreamy meal at the in-house Italian restaurant the Kitchen, which has an Instagram-worthy centerpiece of embroidered handmade teak tiles and a unique woven-wood wall installation by the award-winning Mumbai-based architect Rooshad Shroff. 51, Sardar Patel Marg, Dhuleshwar Garden, C-Scheme, Jaipur-01, Rajasthan, India, facebook.com/JaipurModern
Trunks Company What better way to pack your haul than in a customized trunk made in Jaipur? These bespoke beauties made from Italian leather, French hardware and German casters take at least 500 hours to make. The store has built trunks for storing everything — from a minibar to guns, turbans to sunglasses — but what really sets its wares apart is the suede lining the inside, always in a bright color to represent the vibrancy of the city. 44, Lane #4, Kartarpura Industrial Area, 22 Godown, Jaipur -06, Rajasthan, India, trunkscompany.com
PhotoClockwise from top: a woven wood installation by Rooshad Shroff mounts the walls at Jaipur Modern; bespoke trunks from the Trunks Company; a work-in-progress at the Teatro Dhora concept store.Credit Clockwise from top: Fram Petit; courtesy of Trunks Company; Arjun Krishnan.
Tree of Life Resort & Spa If you're looking for some quiet time, head to this secret pleasure palace nestled among rolling green hills, hidden away just off the Delhi-Jaipur highway. Laze in one of the 13 sprawling villas (five come with plunge pools), indulge in gourmet meals and surrender to an "eternal bliss" massage under the desert moon. Kacherawala-Kukas, Jaipur-303101, Rajasthan, India, treeofliferesorts.com
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 26 Agustus 2014 | 17.36
PhotoThe restaurant Asellina's gelato cart at the Gansevoort Park Avenue in Manhattan.Credit Homer Parkes/The One Group
Travelers in the mood for grab-and-go ice cream scoops can't usually find them at their hotels, but that is changing this summer with properties setting up stands serving house-made versions of the frozen treat. At the Gansevoort Park Avenue in New York City, the Italian restaurant Asellina has an outdoor gelato cart most days until mid-September selling $5 scoops of flavors like pistachio and Nutella (they are free on Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m.).
Also in New York City are the gelato stand at the rooftop bar at the Mondrian SoHo with $7 scoops, the gelato cart with $4 servings outside the Sant Ambroeus Coffee Bar at the Loews Regency Hotel, and the weekly free shaved ices in renditions such as lemon and watermelon at the Renaissance New York Times Square.
Elsewhere, the Four Seasons Hotel Boston has a pop-up ice cream shop in its lobby with 10 varieties like Campfire S'mores for $7 each; the James Chicago has a Friday afternoon ice cream shop at David Burke's Primehouse with $5 scoops of two changing options like pineapple-caramel-brownie sundae; and the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz., has a food truck navigating the grounds on some weekends with $4 ice cream bars.
International hotels are also getting in on the trend: UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa in Trancoso, Brazil, has a year-round shop in one of the village's restored fisherman's houses selling two scoops of sorbets and ice creams for $8; Rosewood Mayakoba, on the Riviera Maya, Mexico, has a complimentary shaved ice and slushy poolside cart with choices like tamarind and hibiscus; and La Mamounia in Marrakesh, Morocco, distributes free ice cream to its guests from a tricycle in such flavors as almond milk and mint.
Portable ice cream is a fun way for hotels to embrace summer, said Andrea Montobbio, Asellina's executive chef. "A lot of properties offer ice cream at their restaurants," he said in a telephone interview, "but obviously it's not just meant to be eaten as part of a sit-down meal."
PhotoInside the storage room of Bouchaine Vineyards in Napa, Calif., after an earthquake struck the area on Sunday.Credit Josh Edelson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Walkabout
A weekly capsule of travel news curated by our writers and editors.
Aftermath The 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Northern California early Sunday and sent more than 100 people to the hospital also dealt a blow to the region's wine industry. (CNN)
Not-As-High Alert A volcanic eruption in Iceland may still take place, scientists said on Sunday, but the threat level of volcano has been downgraded from red to orange. (The Independent)
Only Way to Fly For an increasing number of wealthy Brazilians, first-class perks on airlines don't cut it anymore. They'd rather just fly in a private jet. (Bloomberg)
Destination: Cuba As part of a series of dispatches from Cuba, NPR's David Green talks about how tourism money is flowing into the country, bringing a mix of economic hopes and fears. (NPR)
PhotoRaffetto's pasta store.Credit Walks of New York
The new tour operator Walks of New York has landed a star among food personalities around which to build its newest Manhattan itinerary: Mario Batali.
Its new Mario Batali Signature Food Tour of Greenwich Village, which goes on sale Monday for tours starting mid-September, includes private tastings in two of the chef's restaurants, Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria and Lupa Osteria Romana.
The walks also make stops at local shops favored by the chef such as Faicco's for arancini, Raffetto's to witness handmade pasta productions and Grom for gelato.
Although he is unlikely to make many appearances on the tours, Mr. Batali collaborated on the itineraries. Guides plan to salt their narratives with plenty of his philosophies regarding sourcing ingredients and the pleasures of sharing meals as well as cooking tips.
Three-hour tours, held Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, are limited to 12 people and cost $64 per adult.
Written By Unknown on Senin, 25 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoSow and piglets in Red Wing.Credit Pottery Museum of Red Wing
The Pottery Museum of Red Wing in Minnesota more than quadrupled its space this summer when it opened a new 13,000-square-foot facility showcasing a wide range of pottery and stoneware produced in the town.
The Red Wing Stoneware Company began making products in the late 1870s. Pots, crocks, dishware, cookware, vases and other mostly functional items made there are still sought after by collectors.
Production ended in 1967 and resumed in the 1980s.
The museum, owned and maintained by the Red Wing Collectors Society Foundation, includes a research center, a classroom and a gift shop, where visitors can purchase collectible items donated to the museum. Also on display are memorabilia, vintage photographs and products related to the industry. Admission is free.
The building anchors a rejuvenated Historic Pottery District that includes restaurants, shops and a brewery. Tours of the Red Wing Stoneware Company are available.
PhotoThe restaurant Asellina's gelato cart at the Gansevoort Park Avenue in Manhattan.Credit Homer Parkes/The One Group
Travelers in the mood for grab-and-go ice cream scoops can't usually find them at their hotels, but that is changing this summer with properties setting up stands serving house-made versions of the frozen treat. At the Gansevoort Park Avenue in New York City, the Italian restaurant Asellina has an outdoor gelato cart most days until mid-September selling $5 scoops of flavors like pistachio and Nutella (they are free on Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m.).
Also in New York City are the gelato stand at the rooftop bar at the Mondrian SoHo with $7 scoops, the gelato cart with $4 servings outside the Sant Ambroeus Coffee Bar at the Loews Regency Hotel, and the weekly free shaved ices in renditions such as lemon and watermelon at the Renaissance New York Times Square.
Elsewhere, the Four Seasons Hotel Boston has a pop-up ice cream shop in its lobby with 10 varieties like Campfire S'mores for $7 each; the James Chicago has a Friday afternoon ice cream shop at David Burke's Primehouse with $5 scoops of two changing options like pineapple-caramel-brownie sundae; and the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz., has a food truck navigating the grounds on some weekends with $4 ice cream bars.
International hotels are also getting in on the trend: UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa in Trancoso, Brazil, has a year-round shop in one of the village's restored fisherman's houses selling two scoops of sorbets and ice creams for $8; Rosewood Mayakoba, on the Riviera Maya, Mexico, has a complimentary shaved ice and slushy poolside cart with choices like tamarind and hibiscus; and La Mamounia in Marrakesh, Morocco, distributes free ice cream to its guests from a tricycle in such flavors as almond milk and mint.
Portable ice cream is a fun way for hotels to embrace summer, said Andrea Montobbio, Asellina's executive chef. "A lot of properties offer ice cream at their restaurants," he said in a telephone interview, "but obviously it's not just meant to be eaten as part of a sit-down meal."
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 24 Agustus 2014 | 17.36
PhotoSow and piglets in Red Wing.Credit Pottery Museum of Red Wing
The Pottery Museum of Red Wing in Minnesota more than quadrupled its space this summer when it opened a new 13,000-square-foot facility showcasing a wide range of pottery and stoneware produced in the town.
The Red Wing Stoneware Company began making products in the late 1870s. Pots, crocks, dishware, cookware, vases and other mostly functional items made there are still sought after by collectors.
Production ended in 1967 and resumed in the 1980s.
The museum, owned and maintained by the Red Wing Collectors Society Foundation, includes a research center, a classroom and a gift shop, where visitors can purchase collectible items donated to the museum. Also on display are memorabilia, vintage photographs and products related to the industry. Admission is free.
The building anchors a rejuvenated Historic Pottery District that includes restaurants, shops and a brewery. Tours of the Red Wing Stoneware Company are available.
PhotoThe restaurant Asellina's gelato cart at the Gansevoort Park Avenue in Manhattan.Credit Homer Parkes/The One Group
Travelers in the mood for grab-and-go ice cream scoops can't usually find them at their hotels, but that is changing this summer with properties setting up stands serving house-made versions of the frozen treat. At the Gansevoort Park Avenue in New York City, the Italian restaurant Asellina has an outdoor gelato cart most days until mid-September selling $5 scoops of flavors like pistachio and Nutella (they are free on Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m.).
Also in New York City are the gelato stand at the rooftop bar at the Mondrian SoHo with $7 scoops, the gelato cart with $4 servings outside the Sant Ambroeus Coffee Bar at the Loews Regency Hotel, and the weekly free shaved ices in renditions such as lemon and watermelon at the Renaissance New York Times Square.
Elsewhere, the Four Seasons Hotel Boston has a pop-up ice cream shop in its lobby with 10 varieties like Campfire S'mores for $7 each; the James Chicago has a Friday afternoon ice cream shop at David Burke's Primehouse with $5 scoops of two changing options like pineapple-caramel-brownie sundae; and the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz., has a food truck navigating the grounds on some weekends with $4 ice cream bars.
International hotels are also getting in on the trend: UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa in Trancoso, Brazil, has a year-round shop in one of the village's restored fisherman's houses selling two scoops of sorbets and ice creams for $8; Rosewood Mayakoba, on the Riviera Maya, Mexico, has a complimentary shaved ice and slushy poolside cart with choices like tamarind and hibiscus; and La Mamounia in Marrakesh, Morocco, distributes free ice cream to its guests from a tricycle in such flavors as almond milk and mint.
Portable ice cream is a fun way for hotels to embrace summer, said Andrea Montobbio, Asellina's executive chef. "A lot of properties offer ice cream at their restaurants," he said in a telephone interview, "but obviously it's not just meant to be eaten as part of a sit-down meal."
Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 23 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoA warning sign on a road near the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland.Credit Reuters
The Icelandic Meteorological Office has warned airlines of heightening seismic activity near the Bardarbunga volcano, which lies under the Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland.
On Monday, the office, which is responsible for monitoring natural hazards, raised the volcano's status level from green, which indicates no eruptive activity, to orange, which indicates a heightened and escalating unrest in the volcano with a possible chance of eruption.
(Orange is the fourth of a five-level system used by the International Civil Aviation Organization to warn airlines of any seismic activity.)
Beginning Aug. 16, small continuous earthquakes were measured in two "swarms," one east of the volcano's caldera and another at the glacier's northeast border, a statement from the office said. Early Monday morning, an eruption in the northeast reached a 4.5 magnitude level, the strongest in the area since 1996, and prompted the office to raise the volcano's status and issue the warning.
"As evidence of magma movement shallower than 10 kilometers (6 miles) implies increased potential of a volcanic eruption, the Bardarbunga aviation color code has been changed to orange," the statement said. "Presently there are no signs of eruption, but it cannot be excluded that the current activity will result in an explosive subglacial eruption, leading to an outburst flood (jokulhlaup) and ash emission."
Earthquakes reaching a magnitude of 3 or less continued throughout the week. On Wednesday, an intrusion about 15 miles long had formed about three miles beneath the nearby Dyngjujokull Glacier, and Iceland's National Crisis Coordination Center had been activated to prepare for a possible eruption.
On Thursday a joint daily status report from the meteorological office and the University of Iceland's Institute of Earth Sciences said that measurements to date did not suggest that an eruption was imminent.
"Previous intrusion events in Iceland have lasted for several days or weeks, often not resulting in an eruption," the report said. "However an eruption of Bardarbunga cannot presently be excluded, hence the intense monitoring and preparation efforts."
Friday's status report noted a 4.7 magnitude earthquake that was measured in the Bardarbunga caldera Thursday night and said there was no sign of the seismic activity decreasing.
Icelandair does not anticipate any flight disruptions at this time, Michael Raucheisen, a marketing and communications coordinator for the airline, said in an email on Wednesday.
"We are closely monitoring the situation and will advise of any schedule changes should they occur," Mr. Raucheisen said. "Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are commonplace in our network hub of Iceland, but in case an event does occur, contingency plans are in place to deal with any potential outcome."
In 2010, ash and debris from Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland disrupted flights in Europe for almost a week, stranding passengers and causing billions of dollars in loss for airlines.
But while an eruption at Bardarbunga would also have the potential to disrupt flights, the biggest issue would be flooding.
"The risk of any disruptive ash cloud similar to the one in 2010 would depend on how high any ash would be thrown, how much there would be and how fine-grained it would be," Martin Hensch, a seismologist at the Met Office, told The Guardian newspaper. But the biggest problem for Iceland, he said, would be flooding caused by an eruption under the glacier.
"We've known for some time that Bardarbunga was going to do something – we just didn't know what," Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist at the Open University in Edinburgh, Scotland, said in a statement. "The good news for air travel is that both these clusters are away from the heart of the main volcano, as it's in the heart that the kind of magma is produced which leads to highly explosive eruptions that produce the abundant fine ash capable of being transported long distances through the atmosphere."
PhotoSow and piglets in Red Wing.Credit Pottery Museum of Red Wing
The Pottery Museum of Red Wing in Minnesota more than quadrupled its space this summer when it opened a new 13,000-square-foot facility showcasing a wide range of pottery and stoneware produced in the town.
The Red Wing Stoneware Company began making products in the late 1870s. Pots, crocks, dishware, cookware, vases and other mostly functional items made there are still sought after by collectors.
Production ended in 1967 and resumed in the 1980s.
The museum, owned and maintained by the Red Wing Collectors Society Foundation, includes a research center, a classroom and a gift shop, where visitors can purchase collectible items donated to the museum. Also on display are memorabilia, vintage photographs and products related to the industry. Admission is free.
The building anchors a rejuvenated Historic Pottery District that includes restaurants, shops and a brewery. Tours of the Red Wing Stoneware Company are available.
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 22 Agustus 2014 | 17.36
PhotoA warning sign on a road near the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland.Credit Reuters
The Icelandic Meteorological Office has warned airlines of heightening eruptive activity near the Bardarbunga volcano, which lies under the Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland.
On Monday, the office, which is responsible for monitoring natural hazards, raised the volcano's status level from green, which indicates no eruptive activity, to orange, which indicates a heightened and escalating unrest in the volcano with a possible chance of eruption.
(Orange is the fourth of a five-level system used by the International Civil Aviation Organization to warn airlines of any seismic activity.)
Beginning Aug. 16, small continuous eruptions were measured in two "swarms," one east of the volcano's caldera and another at the glacier's northeast border, a statement from the office said. Early Monday morning, an eruption in the northeast reached a 4.5 magnitude level, the strongest in the area since 1996, and prompted the office to raise the volcano's status and issue the warning.
"As evidence of magma movement shallower than 10 kilometers (6 miles) implies increased potential of a volcanic eruption, the Bardarbunga aviation color code has been changed to orange," the statement said. "Presently there are no signs of eruption, but it cannot be excluded that the current activity will result in an explosive subglacial eruption, leading to an outburst flood (jokulhlaup) and ash emission."
Eruptions reaching a magnitude of 3 or less continued throughout the week. On Wednesday, an intrusion about 15 miles long had formed about three miles beneath the nearby Dyngjujokull Glacier, and Iceland's National Crisis Coordination Center had been activated to prepare for a possible eruption.
On Thursday a joint daily status report from the meteorological office and the University of Iceland's Institute of Earth Sciences said that measurements to date did not suggest that an eruption was imminent.
"Previous intrusion events in Iceland have lasted for several days or weeks, often not resulting in an eruption," the report said. "However an eruption of Bardarbunga cannot presently be excluded, hence the intense monitoring and preparation efforts."
Icelandair does not anticipate any flight disruptions at this time, Michael Raucheisen, a marketing and communications coordinator for the airline, said in an email on Wednesday.
"We are closely monitoring the situation and will advise of any schedule changes should they occur," Mr. Raucheisen said. "Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are commonplace in our network hub of Iceland, but in case an event does occur, contingency plans are in place to deal with any potential outcome."
In 2010, ash and debris from Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland disrupted flights in Europe for almost a week, stranding passengers and causing billions of dollars in loss for airlines.
But while an eruption at Bardarbunga would also have the potential to disrupt flights, the biggest issue would be flooding.
"The risk of any disruptive ash cloud similar to the one in 2010 would depend on how high any ash would be thrown, how much there would be and how fine-grained it would be," Martin Hensch, a seismologist at the Met Office, told The Guardian newspaper. But the biggest problem for Iceland, he said, would be flooding caused by an eruption under the glacier.
"We've known for some time that Bardarbunga was going to do something – we just didn't know what," Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist at the Open University in Edinburgh, Scotland, said in a statement. "The good news for air travel is that both these clusters are away from the heart of the main volcano, as it's in the heart that the kind of magma is produced which leads to highly explosive eruptions that produce the abundant fine ash capable of being transported long distances through the atmosphere."
Written By Unknown on Rabu, 20 Agustus 2014 | 17.36
Sun-soaked isolation seems just the thing to spark inspiration.
PhotoFrom left: Sam Falls at Hannah Hoffman Gallery, "Untitled (Venice, Palm 4)," 2014. Jordan Wolfson at David Zwirner, "(Female Figure)," 2014.Credit Right: courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner.
When Thomas Demand and Ryan Trecartin relocated to Los Angeles in 2010, they added momentum to the city's burgeoning status as an art capital to rival New York, London and Berlin. Of course, its abundant light and space have always drawn a certain kind of artist — members of the Light and Space movement, for instance, like Bruce Nauman and James Turrell. But now, with new gallery neighborhoods in Hollywood and Downtown, the endless expansion of LACMA and the impending arrival of the esteemed FIAC art fair, it seems that everyone, major figures and young guns alike, wants to call L.A. home. In the past two years, David Benjamin Sherry, Sam Falls, Gabriel Kuri, Silke Otto-Knapp, Amalia Ulman and Jordan Wolfson have relocated to the Southland, while others, like Liz Craft and Amy Yao, have returned, choosing its sprawl over more cosmopolitan art meccas.
L.A.'s appeal lies in "the possibility of disappearing," says Ulman, an Argentine who previously worked in London and Spain. "I'm so autonomous here," Wolfson adds. "I have my studio, my house and my small life." Both artists create work that explores isolation: Ulman shoots selfies in airplane bathrooms and five-star hotels; Wolfson's scantily clad robotic dancer at David Zwirner caused a sensation this spring. "In L.A., artists can test things out without the glare of the spotlight," says Ali Subotnik, a curator at the Hammer Museum, who moved from New York in 2006. "The proximity to the entertainment industry guarantees that the art world will never be the main industry in this town, so artists are able to work on the sidelines." Anonymity has become its appeal: Like no other place, L.A. offers artists the ability to be alone, together.
A Primer on L.A.'s New Arrivals
PhotoLiz Craft, "After Dark," 2014.Credit Courtesy of the artist and Nathalie Karg
Liz Craft Arrived from: New York City L.A. gallery: none Style: Craft's fantastical, dreamlike sculptures often veer in the direction of nightmares: they include glossy, upended spiders, functionless house-like constructions, goopy unicorns, baby carriages and assorted monsters.
Sam Falls Arrived from: New York City L.A. gallery: Hannah Hoffman Gallery Style: Falls creates sculptures and paintings that he exposes to the elements, then takes photos of them to document how they change over weeks, months and sometimes years.
PhotoGabriel Kuri at Regen Projects, "Credit Becomes Retail," 2014.Credit Brian Forrest, courtesy of Regen Projects, Los Angeles
Gabriel Kuri Arrived from: Brussels L.A. gallery: Regen Projects Style: Kuri's playful sculptures repurpose materials from the manmade and natural worlds, combining them into forms that frequently comment on the role of commodities in society.
PhotoSilke Otto-Knapp at Gavin Brown's Enterprise, "Stage With Boats (blue and silver)," 2013.Credit Courtesy of the artist and Gavin Brown's Enterprise
Silke Otto-Knapp Arrived from: Vienna L.A. gallery: none (shows with Gavin Brown's Enterprise in New York) Style: Otto-Knapp applies soft, ethereal layers of gouache and watercolor to produce muted representations of performance and place.
PhotoDavid Benjamin Sherry at Salon 94, "Climate Vortex Sutra," 2014.Credit Courtesy of the artist and Salon 94, New York
David Benjamin Sherry Arrived from: New York City L.A. gallery: OHWOW Style: Sherry photographs grandiose American landscapes and tweaks them with vivid, monochromatic tints.
PhotoAmalia Ulman at LTD Los Angeles, from left, "Catastrophe #1," "Catastrophe #2" and "Catastrophe #3."Credit
Amalia Ulman Arrived from: London and Gijon, Spain L.A. gallery: LTD Los Angeles Style: Ulman has riffed on contemporary decorations: Ikea paintings, aphorisms spelled out in romantic scripts and those wavy willows people stuff into vases. Lately, she has also documented cosmetic procedures via social media.
Jordan Wolfson Arrived from: New York City L.A. gallery: none (David Zwirner in New York and Sadie Coles HQ in London) Style: Wolfson makes films, videos and installations that merge a cartoonish love for aesthetic variety (and cartoons themselves) with an underlying nihilism. This year, his animatronic stripper wearing a witch mask has become an art-world lightning rod.
PhotoAmy Yao at 47 Canal, "Skeleton, no. 2 (basic needs and the right to the pursuit of a good life)," 2013.Credit Joerg Lohse, courtesy of 47 Canal, New York
Amy Yao Arrived from: New York City L.A. gallery: none (Canal 47 in New York) Style: Yao's work spans virtually all mediums: painting, sculpture, photography, performance. But it's her objects — umbrellas adorned in funereal garb or a top hat and sequins; folding fans with attached pearls or cigarettes; brightly colored sticks with equally brightly colored hair extensions — that offer a through-line in their crooked anthropomorphic qualities, suggesting serious jokes about contemporary life.
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 19 Agustus 2014 | 17.36
T's list of things to see and do in the week ahead.
PhotoEvents taking place this week include a Copenhagen pop-up preview of Pink Zebra SF, the new restaurant by the former Mission Chinese San Francisco chef Jesse Koide (left); and the "Whiteface" exhibition at LVL 3 Gallery in Chicago, featuring Stephen Collier's "Untitled (OK)," 2014 (right).Credit Left: Angela Decenzo
Monday, Melbourne Shop for cutting-edge Australian fashion The young Australian fashion star Dion Lee opened a second stand-alone retail shop, called Site 02, for his women's collection at the Emporium Melbourne last week. Explore the new space's minimalist setup and unique mirror arrangements while browsing the brand's angular, tech-influenced wares. 287 Lonsdale St., Melbourne, Australia, emporiummelbourne.com.au
Monday, Copenhagen Eat at a Mission Chinese chef's Japanese-Mediterranean pop-up Jesse Koide stepped down as head chef at Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco, but he's about to delve into fusion cooking again in Copenhagen. Described as Japanese-Mediterranean, Pink Zebra SF will open from Monday to Saturday in an exclusive preview. The six-day run ends just as the MAD symposium — an annual two-night culinary festival which brings chefs, foodies and food journalists to Denmark's capital — begins. Pink Zebra SF will take over the Bento Izakaya restaurant from Aug. 18 to Aug. 23; Helgolandsgade 16, 1656 Copenhagen V, pinkzebrasf.com
Tuesday, New York See art that promotes Tibet's legacy and culture As the only studio in the Western world dedicated to preserving Tibetan art, the New York Tibetan Art Studio's inaugural group exhibition at Active Space in Brooklyn, called "New Voices," provides a rare platform for visitors to survey an even rarer culture's creative traditions. The 27 artists on show worked beneath, or were selected by, the Tibetan painter Pema Rinzin, whose cloth-based Thangka paintings have garnered praise from notable figures like the Dalai Lama. Runs until Sept. 7, 566 Johnson Ave., Brooklyn, activespacestudios.com
PhotoThe curators Adrian Schiesser and April Gertler of Sonntag Berlin, which will exhibit the works of Ignacio Uriarte this Sunday at Schiesser's apartment and serve the artist's favorite dessert.Credit Frank Herfort
Thursday, London Party with photographers in Soho Celebrating the release of its new Petzval lens, Lomography, the international analog film community and camera distributor, is hosting a launch party at its Soho gallery store in western London. Guests are encouraged to bring their cameras and test out the new lens, all while drinking champagne and mingling to the music of folk singer Denai Moore. 6 p.m. to 9 p.m, 3 Newburgh St., London, lomography.com
Thursday (and Friday), San Francisco Watch a dance performance about a minority culture's experience Through choreography, Kevin Williamson's The Lost Boys explores the challenges of being gay and young in the '80s, an era when HIV and AIDS acted as fodder for homophobia. In it, four male dancers blend performance art with dance in an erratic give-and-take, where tension and insecurity are revealed through each dancer's own physical catharsis. Aug. 21 at 8 p.m. and Aug. 22 at 10 p.m., 1310 Mission St., San Francisco, counterpulse.org
Friday, Los Angeles Catch FYF Fest's pre-festival parties FYF Fest began as a humble micro-festival in 2004, when 14 bands first performed beneath its banner at a few keystone music venues across Los Angeles. Now, as evidenced by this year's headliners, the Strokes and Phoenix, it has grown into one of the West Coast's most anticipated music outings. If you didn't get tickets in time, there are still a handful of FYF-related events going on around town, like How to Dress Well at the Echoplex, and Slint at the El Rey, both on Friday. The Echoplex, 1822 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, theecho.com; El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, theelrey.com
Saturday, Chicago Check out up-and-coming artists from New Orleans and Los Angeles LVL 3 Gallery in Chicago's newest exhibition, "Whiteface," debuts next weekend with works by the artists Stephen Collier and Ben Sanders. Collier's work condenses the spirit of graffiti art into his deadpan "Brick Wall Portraits," while Sanders's art approaches a kind of ironic, pop-y gaudiness, yet is ultimately far too fascinating to ignite distaste. Opening reception from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.; 1542 N. Milwaukee Ave., 3rd Floor, Chicago, lvl3media.com.
Sunday, Berlin Visit a homey art space, and try an artist's favorite dessert As part of the first Project Space Festival, an independent art space showcase in Berlin which runs until Aug. 31, the gallery Sonntag Berlin is hosting the ultra-minimalist works of Ignacio Uriarte. Sonntag's approach to the art world is homey and unique: On the third Sunday of every month, the curators April Gertler and Adrian Schiesser exhibit works by a selected artist in Schiesser's apartment, where they also bake and serve visitors the artist's favorite cake, pie or dessert. Aug. 17 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Gossowstrasse 10, 10777, Berlin, sonntagberlin.tumblr.com.
PhotoKay Rosen's "Blurred" billboard, lit up along Interstate 70 as part of the "I-70 Sign Show."Credit Anne Thompson
"Visual pollution. Sky trash. Litter on a stick. The junk mail of the American highway." That's how billboards are described on the website of Scenic America, a group devoted to "preserving and enhancing the visual character" of the country. But while preservationists deride the billboard, artists have long been intrigued by it for its role in American highway culture. (Besides, what artist wouldn't want a 300-square-foot canvas with a guaranteed audience?)
While artists have been using billboards since the 1960s, there's been a recent resurgence of interest in road-sign art. A number of independently organized billboard projects have cropped up over the past several years, appearing everywhere from Florida to California. The artist Anne Thompson has organized one such project, up now: the Missouri-based "I-70 Sign Show." She suggests that billboards have gained in popularity in the context of art because they "look like a quaint, outmoded medium in the digital world. In terms of art history, when communication mediums lose their functional currency, they tend to get picked up and re-examined by artists."
Here, four projects that can be seen around the country:
PhotoA piece by Mickalene Thomas that is going up this week as part of the "I-70 Sign Show."Credit
"I-70 Sign Show"
Anne Thompson's project brings artworks to I-70 — a highway that (in Thompson's words) "conjures ideas of the cross-country road trip" but that also features politically charged billboards bought by interest groups whose messages reflect an intriguing "culture-wars roadside debate." A new billboard by the artist Mickalene Thomas will be unveiled this week. Featuring two women seated against a backdrop of patchwork patterns, the piece examines appearance and female sexuality.
PhotoHannah Whitaker's "Nose (Bomberg)" hangs by an overpass as part of the "Big Pictures" project for the Cincinnati Art Museum.Credit
"Big Pictures"
Organized by the curator Brian Sholis, "Big Pictures" plays out on road signs across Cincinnati. The project, which is sponsored by the Cincinnati Art Museum, focuses on photographs by artists like Lorenzo Vitturi and Dawoud Bey and seeks to inspire "creative interruptions of daily routines." A recent photo by artist Sara Cwynar, up until Sept. 21, features an image of a toucan perched in a canopy of leaf-green Post-it notes, riffing on both the visual punning of ad imagery and on the office culture that's no doubt familiar to the commuters most often targeted by billboards.
PhotoA rendering of Times Square adorned with "Phil" by Chuck Close and "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper for the "Art Everywhere" project.Credit Whitney Museum of American Art, New York and the Art Institute of Chicago
"Art Everywhere"
Billed as "the largest art show ever conceived," "Art Everywhere" brings 58 noteworthy artworks to prominent spots across the country. (The New York Times covered it last spring.) The public was allowed to cast their votes for the featured works, which were drawn from a shortlist of 100 pieces owned by institutions like the Whitney Museum and the Dallas Museum of Art. (Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" proved most popular.) The project's decision to democratize content is an intriguing one, since billboard viewers almost never have a say in what they see.
PhotoA detail from Shana Lutker's series "Onward and Upward," for "Manifest Destiny," 2013.Credit
"The Manifest Destiny Billboard Trip"
Beginning last fall and ending in the spring of next year, 10 artists are installing their work along the Interstate 10 Freeway, which stretches from Florida to California. (T covered the project when it launched last fall.) The curators, Zoe Crosher and Shamim M. Momin, aim to question the problematic history of manifest destiny. Earlier this spring, Crosher and Momin's project inaugurated a series of road signs by the artist Sanford Biggers; the works reflect a journey Biggers took to northern Ethiopia, where the rapid construction of roads and highways is overtaking a traditionally nomadic lifestyle.
PhotoHotels and car rental companies grapple with the increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes.Credit Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Walkabout
A weekly capsule of travel news curated by our writers and editors.
Lighting Up With the legalization of recreational marijuana use in some states and the increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes, hotels and car rental companies struggle to deal with new trends in smoking. (The Washington Post)
Time Management Americans are taking fewer and shorter vacations. This graphic, depicting the decline since the late '70s, is shocking. (Vox)
Tagging, of a Different Sort For a tribe of outlaw Instagrammers, New York is a playground and battlefield. (NYMag.com)
Civilized Conveyance Cities that invest more in bike lanes save more in the long run, according to a new study. And some of those bike-friendly cities include Montreal, Berlin and . . . Tokyo? (Fast Company; CNN)
PhotoL'Austral, the Compagnie du Ponant boat.Credit Philip Plison
Tasmania, the Australian island about 150 miles south off the mainland, isn't the most frequented or easy to reach spot, but the French cruise line Compagnie du Ponant has a new excursion that gives travelers a chance to discover this remote destination.
The seven-night trip, which starts in Sydney and ends in Melbourne, is from Jan. 3 through 10 and follows in the footsteps of Abel Tasman, the Dutch explorer who discovered the island.
Stops along the way include Wineglass Bay on the east coast in the heart of the Freycinet National Park, considered one of the country's most beautiful natural environments, a place where visitors can take a walk through forest with a naturalist guide or go snorkeling in the sapphire waters.
A visit to Maria Island, just off the east coast, is also on the itinerary: This former penal colony is now a national park and is known for its ocher sandstone cliffs, wild coastal landscapes and broad range of flora and fauna like the 40-spotted pardalote, a rare bird.
L'Austral is a 132-room small yacht-style boat and is from a company based in Marseille, France, that specializes in expeditions to less-traveled and far-flung ports.
It also has a reputation for its French-inspired cuisine. Instead of preset menus, chefs tend to shop for seafood and produce at local markets, and there is a dedicated pastry chef and bread baker on board. Prices start at 2,320 euros, about $3,015.
Written By Unknown on Senin, 18 Agustus 2014 | 17.36
PhotoDiving in Petit St. Vincent.Credit Richard Murphy
Among a series of environmentally inspired changes, the private Caribbean island resort of Petit St. Vincent plans to add a dive center run by Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, in November.
Jean-Michel Cousteau's Caribbean Divers will offer scuba instruction and outings to guests of the 22-cottage resort. Although it will operate as an independent commercial enterprise, the dive center will employ a marine biologist who will work closely with resort management to offer underwater tours as well as hikes around the island.
Both the resort and dive center plan to work together to lobby for a marine preserve near the 115-acre island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Management of Petit St. Vincent has pledged to do its part to make the island more eco-friendly, with a two-year plan to install a retention pond that will naturally filter wastewater, to collect rainwater for irrigation, to compost green waste and to grow much of its own fruits and vegetables.
The sharing economy — or the prospect of what's mine is yours, for a price — has hit nearly every sector of the travel market. The success of operations like Airbnb in room rentals has spawned businesses related to recreation, dining and transportation.
The new app from JetSmarter allows fliers to book a seat on a private jet from their smartphones, promising the same ease as using Uber to get a ride.
If you want a pontoon boat in Michigan, a sailboat in St. Thomas or a ski boat in the Ozarks, GetMyBoat, launched in 2013, rents more than 17,000 idle boats around the world (the company says most boat owners use their watercraft only 8 percent of the time).
EatWith, which began in 2013, links travelers with locals in 32 countries for a home-cooked meal.
Even traditional destination clubs, in which membership fees grant access to high-end estates in popular resort destinations, have begun sharing access with outsiders. Exclusive Resorts' Gateway Escape plan allows nonmembers access to its portfolio of more than 300 rental homes for three- to seven-day stays.
With both traditional and sharing options crowding the web, travel searches can be overwhelming, but the rise of metasearch engines — search sites that aggregate results from many sites and databases — suggests that the digital future may become more organized. Such sites as Kayak for airline travel and Trivago for hotel bookings already exist. But the new lodging search engine AllTheRooms rounds up not just available hotels in a place, but shareable options including home rentals and houseboats and nontraditional choices like campgrounds, making for easy cost and option comparisons across categories in one Google-like click.
"If there's a hammock in the Caribbean or a couch in Manhattan or a four-star hotel in Las Vegas, it will show up in AllTheRooms," said Joseph DiTomaso, co-founder and chief executive of AllTheRooms. "We give the consumer what they're looking for, access to everything."
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 17 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoDiving in Petit St. Vincent.Credit Richard Murphy
Among a series of environmentally inspired changes, the private Caribbean island resort of Petit St. Vincent plans to add a dive center run by Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, in November.
Jean-Michel Cousteau's Caribbean Divers will offer scuba instruction and outings to guests of the 22-cottage resort. Although it will operate as an independent commercial enterprise, the dive center will employ a marine biologist who will work closely with resort management to offer underwater tours as well as hikes around the island.
Both the resort and dive center plan to work together to lobby for a marine preserve near the 115-acre island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Management of Petit St. Vincent has pledged to do its part to make the island more eco-friendly, with a two-year plan to install a retention pond that will naturally filter wastewater, to collect rainwater for irrigation, to compost green waste and to grow much of its own fruits and vegetables.
The sharing economy — or the prospect of what's mine is yours, for a price — has hit nearly every sector of the travel market. The success of operations like Airbnb in room rentals has spawned businesses related to recreation, dining and transportation.
The new app from JetSmarter allows fliers to book a seat on a private jet from their smartphones, promising the same ease as using Uber to get a ride.
If you want a pontoon boat in Michigan, a sailboat in St. Thomas or a ski boat in the Ozarks, GetMyBoat, launched in 2013, rents more than 17,000 idle boats around the world (the company says most boat owners use their watercraft only 8 percent of the time).
EatWith, which began in 2013, links travelers with locals in 32 countries for a home-cooked meal.
Even traditional destination clubs, in which membership fees grant access to high-end estates in popular resort destinations, have begun sharing access with outsiders. Exclusive Resorts' Gateway Escape plan allows nonmembers access to its portfolio of more than 300 rental homes for three- to seven-day stays.
With both traditional and sharing options crowding the web, travel searches can be overwhelming, but the rise of metasearch engines — search sites that aggregate results from many sites and databases — suggests that the digital future may become more organized. Such sites as Kayak for airline travel and Trivago for hotel bookings already exist. But the new lodging search engine AllTheRooms rounds up not just available hotels in a place, but shareable options including home rentals and houseboats and nontraditional choices like campgrounds, making for easy cost and option comparisons across categories in one Google-like click.
"If there's a hammock in the Caribbean or a couch in Manhattan or a four-star hotel in Las Vegas, it will show up in AllTheRooms," said Joseph DiTomaso, co-founder and chief executive of AllTheRooms. "We give the consumer what they're looking for, access to everything."
Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 16 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoDiving in Petit St. Vincent.Credit Richard Murphy
Among a series of environmentally inspired changes, the private Caribbean island resort of Petit St. Vincent plans to add a dive center run by Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, in November.
Jean-Michel Cousteau's Caribbean Divers will offer scuba instruction and outings to guests of the 22-cottage resort. Although it will operate as an independent commercial enterprise, the dive center will employ a marine biologist who will work closely with resort management to offer underwater tours as well as hikes around the island.
Both the resort and dive center plan to work together to lobby for a marine preserve near the 115-acre island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Management of Petit St. Vincent has pledged to do its part to make the island more eco-friendly, with a two-year plan to install a retention pond that will naturally filter wastewater, to collect rainwater for irrigation, to compost green waste and to grow much of its own fruits and vegetables.
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 15 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoA Redmoon Theater fireworks show.Credit Al Zayed
In conjunction with the city, Chicago-based Redmoon Theater, known for site-specific spectacles as well as interactive shows, will stage the first Great Chicago Fire Festival on Oct. 4, with the fire of 1871 as its subject and renewal as its theme.
At sundown that day, three floating platforms in the Chicago River containing "fire sculptures" that look like pre-1871 homes will be set ablaze, eventually revealing symbolic artworks at their center referencing, among other themes, the birth of the skyscraper.
The historic 19th-century blaze destroyed most of downtown Chicago, or about 18,000 buildings. In the rebuilding, which included the world's first skyscraper, Chicago gained a reputation for architecture and engineering.
"We are trying to tell the story of resurgence, grit and a city that built itself up from ashes," said Jim Lasko, executive artistic director of Redmoon Theater.
A series of 15 summer weekend festivals in some of the city's most crime-ridden neighborhoods lead up to the event. Each neighborhood will have its own community stand on the riverfront as part of the fire fest's River Bazaar in October, selling crafts and food.
"The gripping, sensational and super-important headlines around gun violence occur overwhelmingly on the South and West Sides, and there is a counter narrative of stories we are trying to tell, and that's the spirit of resilience," Mr. Lasko said.
PhotoThe WildChild program at the Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp.Credit &Beyond
Most safari camps don't allow children, but at &Beyond's new Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp in Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve, kids between the ages of 5 and 12 are welcome with the WildChild program.
The initiative includes a ranger at the camp giving young participants a different expedition plan for each day of their stay.
Mornings usually begin with a game drive in which rangers engage the entire family by giving them a chance to step out their vehicle to study wildlife tracks and letting them try to identify various kinds of animal dung.
And while parents enjoy an afternoon of relaxation or massages, kids can partake in a range of activities such as collecting colorful bugs in large jars, pressing seeds and pods in a scrapbook and tasting leaves and herbs that grow in the bush.
Culture excursions to nearby villages to see residents perform traditional dances are also possible, and all children leave with a backpack that includes a memory book and tools, like magnifying glasses and compasses, that they used during their visit.
Joss Kent, who is &Beyond's chief executive, helped create WildChild because he has three young children of his own and wanted them to include them in the safari experience.
"There are few things as wonderful as a child's face the first time they watch a dung beetle at work or put their small hands in the tracks where a lion recently passed," he said. "We think this kind of adventure is the ultimate luxury a parent can give to their child."
Rates start at $380 per person per night (children under 6 stay free; 6 to 16 years old are half-price).
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 14 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoA rendering of the Marker in Key West, Fla.Credit The Marker Waterfront Resort
According to the travel research firm STR Inc., hotels in the Florida Keys had the highest hotel occupancy and were among the top 10 in revenue per available room in the country in the first quarter of 2014.
The numbers have attracted new developments in the islands, including the Marker Waterfront Resort, scheduled to open in October.
The 96-room resort, on a well-located lot that once was going to be used for condo development, will spread over two acres fronting the Key West Historic Seaport. Amenities include three pools and a California-Mexican restaurant and tequila bar.
The Marker takes its name from the mile markers that provide directions in the Florida Keys along U.S. 1, where southernmost Key West clocks in at mile marker zero.
Written By Unknown on Rabu, 13 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoThe boxing ring at Soho House Chicago.Credit Dave Burk of Hedrich Blessing
The members-only social club Soho House unveils its latest venue today, in Chicago. While the brand, which originated in London and has other American locations in New York, Miami Beach and West Hollywood, is defined by exclusive, refined luxury, the Windy City edition has a rough-and-tumble element that pays tribute to Chicago's pugilistic roots: a custom on-site boxing ring.
The storied Chicago tanners at Horween Leather Company are still putting final touches on the ring, which is situated in the middle of an otherwise ordinary gym, by wrapping custom vegetable-tanned leather with a slightly waxed surface around the ropes and guards that line the perimeter. Even the design was done locally, with the help of Rick Fornuto, who won the 1971 Chicago Golden Gloves and now trains amateur boxers on the city's South Side. He took Soho House's design director, Vicky Charles, to old-school boxing rings in the area for inspiration.
Soon, Fornuto will be advising on boxing programs and refereed matches for the site's members, who will probably not count Soho House's founder and chief executive officer, Nick Jones, among them. "I don't think I've put on a pair of boxing gloves since I was about 7, at school, but I do love boxing, says Jones, Soho House's founder and chief executive officer. He adds that there is a renewed global interest in the sport. "Only a month ago, a boxing match sold out Wembley Stadium. There were 80,000 people — there's a real appetite for it."
PhotoPizza East at Soho House Chicago.Credit Dave Burk of Hedrich Blessing
The boxing ring isn't the only thing that distinguishes the latest incarnation of the club. Soho House Chicago is, for the first time, opening its doors to the community — at least partially. The general public can patronize the lobby of the sprawling space (it's the largest Soho House to date) to order coffee, juice and light meals and hang out under Parisian chandeliers and art by Damien Hirst. Other unrestricted locations in the building include the Allis lounge and cafe, named after the family who once owned the local machine belt factory, the Pizza East and Chicken Shop restaurants, and the Cowshed spa — a staple at Soho House locations but the first one that nonmembers can visit.
BY Max Cantor, Chris Carmichael, Will Lloyd and Fritzie Andrade | Aug. 13, 2014 | 5:08
On the southeast coast of France, Nice welcomes travelers with alluring restaurants, a broad beach, sherbet-hued buildings and gay-friendly night life.
Written By Unknown on Senin, 11 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoBronya (left) and Kate Shillo have introduced two new businesses — Fishers Island Lemonade and the Summer Shack, a beach-themed boutique —on Fishers Island, N.Y.Credit Paul Quitoriano
Not much happens on Fishers Island, New York, pop. 236, a low-key, 9-mile-long stretch of sand east of Long Island's North Fork that can only be reached by ferry from New London, Conn. And that's just how residents and holiday regulars like it. This summer, however, one family is offering up several reasons to visit. Sisters Kate and Bronya Shillo — alongside their parents Greg and Debi Shillo, the proprietors of the no-frills Pequot Inn — have launched a spiked lemonade business, a chic beach boutique and a curated gourmet market.
The Shillo sisters, both over 6 feet tall, are former college basketball players who have worked in the New York media world, in Kate's case, and for Patagonia and Under Armour, in Bronya's. Inspired by a sibling sojourn to the stylish surf shops of Montauk, Kate's weekends-only Summer Shack, located off the Inn's front porch, hosts a well-chosen collection of beachwear and accessories, like colorful painted Norquay paddles, vintage-inspired sunglasses from Wonderland, versatile swimsuits from Solid and Striped and limited-edition Fishers Island market bags by the socially responsible lifestyle brand Apolis. Kate also makes her own contribution to her shop's inventory: "I snag the oyster shells that we would normally throw away, clean them, bleach them, and paint them with gold leaf."
PhotoThe Summer Shack sells beach clothing and accessories.Credit Paul Quitoriano
Bronya's project, Fishers Island Lemonade, is based on a decade-old recipe from the Pequot (the only public bar, and the only light-up disco floor, in town). There, she learned to blend 15-liter buckets of vodka, whiskey, lemon juice and honey-derived sweeteners. Three years ago, she decided to package her signature lemonade concoction in a can; it took two years to perfect the taste profile. The yellow-striped container was designed by Kate's good friend Camilla Benbassat, the founder of the fashion-centric design agency Avec, and inspired by the Giorgio Beverly Hills Perfume towel that "my mother had around the beach house," Bronya explains, "which always reminded me of summer." She recommends her drink served over ice "with a lemon wedge and mint from the back garden."
It might also pair nicely with something from the new market next door to the Pequot, Fishers Island Gourmet, run by Debi Shillo, which features goods from around the country, like Brooklyn Brine pickles, Salty Road Taffy and J.K. Adams slate boards.
With its unspoiled swaths of sand and historic New England charm, Fishers Island is an ideal place to spend the final weekends of the warm-weather season. If a summer trip isn't in the cards, however, Fishers Island Lemonade is available throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island and should arrive in New York City by fall.
Last May, Rundale Palace, a 18th-century Baroque palace in Latvia, celebrated the completion of 50 years of renovation work with the opening of the Duke's Library, one of several rooms finally open to the public for the first time. The Duke in question was Ernst Johann von Biron, the Duke of Courland, for whom the palace was built between 1736 and 1740 by the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli as a summer residence. It boasts 54 rooms, including a 1770s-era billiards room and a banquet hall known as the Great Gallery, which have also finally been restored to their original splendor. Some have called the palace the Versailles of Latvia.
The person primarily responsible for this miraculous facelift is Imants Lancmanis, a 73-year-old painter, art historian and director whose involvement with Rundale began in 1964 when he was an art student in Riga. First hired as a research assistant, he became the palace's director in 1975. "I had my personal visual image of Rundale," he says. The restoration of one ceiling painting took six years; stucco decorations in the White Hall, a chapel turned ballroom with pastoral scenes above the windows, took about a decade. Because there were no wall fabrics, the restoration team had to order 4,400 meters of old pattern replicas. The entire tin roof also had to be replaced.
The European treasures inside the palace include a portrait of Catherine the Great alongside Russian rulers and a chest of drawers designed by Jean-Henri Riesener, who worked for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The Lancmanis family selected many of the paintings, furniture and textiles from auctions, gathering others from Latvian museums and Russian private collections. Romantic mythology fills the place: there is a ceiling painting of Venus and Adonis in the Reception Room, while the pink-hued Rose Room is dedicated to Flora, the goddess of spring and flowers. In the gardens outside, Lancmanis says, there are are 2,400 different varieties of roses, and 10,000 in all. "It really is the largest in northeast Europe."
With understatement, he adds, "I was lucky to have time to participate in the restoration."
Rundale Palace is open year-round. For more information, visit rundale.net.
Photo"Good Night Sleep Stretch" at the Park Hyatt Tokyo.Credit Park Hyatt
One of the biggest luxuries in a time-pressed world might just be a good night's sleep, and now hotels are offering new ways to help their guests get the best rest possible, often with a dose of wellness before bedtime.
The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C., for example, has a "Goodnight Wishes" turndown amenity: a reflexology salve, a temple balm, a lavender pillow sleep spray or dark chocolates with ginger and passionflower, which supposedly induce sleep.
Hotel Vermont in Burlington, Vt., has a bedtime menu with sleep-friendly amenities such as aromatherapy oils ($18), a flannel pajama set ($95) and complimentary storybooks. At the Park Hyatt Tokyo, guests can take part in a free 30-minute "Good Night Sleep Stretch" every Saturday and Monday night in which an instructor leads them through slow stretches and breathing exercises to relax the body. The session is capped off with herbal tea.
At the Sofitel Paris Arc de Triomphe, the suites and junior suites are equipped with NightCove technology; LED lamps emit light sequences said to help the production of sleep-inducing melatonin. The Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, reopening in September after a restoration, will have these lamps in guest rooms on the seventh and eighth floors.
Valerie Wilson, founder of Valerie Wilson Travel, a New York consulting firm, said that these amenities are a way for hotels to connect with guests.
"Properties want to make their customers feel at home, and ways to help you have a good rest feel very personal and thoughtful," she said. "Of course, to sleep well, there is nothing better than having a top-quality mattress and pillows, but these options certainly are creative."
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 10 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoBronya (left) and Kate Shillo have introduced two new businesses — Fishers Island Lemonade and the Summer Shack, a beach-themed boutique —on Fishers Island, N.Y.Credit Paul Quitoriano
Not much happens on Fishers Island, New York, pop. 236, a low-key, 9-mile-long stretch of sand east of Long Island's North Fork that can only be reached by ferry from New London, Conn. And that's just how residents and holiday regulars like it. This summer, however, one family is offering up several reasons to visit. Sisters Kate and Bronya Shillo — alongside their parents Greg and Debi Shillo, the proprietors of the no-frills Pequot Inn — have launched a spiked lemonade business, a chic beach boutique and a curated gourmet market.
The Shillo sisters, both over 6 feet tall, are former college basketball players who have worked in the New York media world, in Kate's case, and for Patagonia and Under Armour, in Bronya's. Inspired by a sibling sojourn to the stylish surf shops of Montauk, Kate's weekends-only Summer Shack, located off the Inn's front porch, hosts a well-chosen collection of beachwear and accessories, like colorful painted Norquay paddles, vintage-inspired sunglasses from Wonderland, versatile swimsuits from Solid and Striped and limited-edition Fishers Island market bags by the socially responsible lifestyle brand Apolis. Kate also makes her own contribution to her shop's inventory: "I snag the oyster shells that we would normally throw away, clean them, bleach them, and paint them with gold leaf."
PhotoThe Summer Shack sells beach clothing and accessories.Credit Paul Quitoriano
Bronya's project, Fishers Island Lemonade, is based on a decade-old recipe from the Pequot (the only public bar, and the only light-up disco floor, in town). There, she learned to blend 15-liter buckets of vodka, whiskey, lemon juice and honey-derived sweeteners. Three years ago, she decided to package her signature lemonade concoction in a can; it took two years to perfect the taste profile. The yellow-striped container was designed by Kate's good friend Camilla Benbassat, the founder of the fashion-centric design agency Avec, and inspired by the Giorgio Beverly Hills Perfume towel that "my mother had around the beach house," Bronya explains, "which always reminded me of summer." She recommends her drink served over ice "with a lemon wedge and mint from the back garden."
It might also pair nicely with something from the new market next door to the Pequot, Fishers Island Gourmet, run by Debi Shillo, which features goods from around the country, like Brooklyn Brine pickles, Salty Road Taffy and J.K. Adams slate boards.
With its unspoiled swaths of sand and historic New England charm, Fishers Island is an ideal place to spend the final weekends of the warm-weather season. If a summer trip isn't in the cards, however, Fishers Island Lemonade is available throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island and should arrive in New York City by fall.
Last May, Rundale Palace, a 18th-century Baroque palace in Latvia, celebrated the completion of 50 years of renovation work with the opening of the Duke's Library, one of several rooms finally open to the public for the first time. The Duke in question was Ernst Johann von Biron, the Duke of Courland, for whom the palace was built between 1736 and 1740 by the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli as a summer residence. It boasts 54 rooms, including a 1770s-era billiards room and a banquet hall known as the Great Gallery, which have also finally been restored to their original splendor. Some have called the palace the Versailles of Latvia.
The person primarily responsible for this miraculous facelift is Imants Lancmanis, a 73-year-old painter, art historian and director whose involvement with Rundale began in 1964 when he was an art student in Riga. First hired as a research assistant, he became the palace's director in 1975. "I had my personal visual image of Rundale," he says. The restoration of one ceiling painting took six years; stucco decorations in the White Hall, a chapel turned ballroom with pastoral scenes above the windows, took about a decade. Because there were no wall fabrics, the restoration team had to order 4,400 meters of old pattern replicas. The entire tin roof also had to be replaced.
The European treasures inside the palace include a portrait of Catherine the Great alongside Russian rulers and a chest of drawers designed by Jean-Henri Riesener, who worked for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The Lancmanis family selected many of the paintings, furniture and textiles from auctions, gathering others from Latvian museums and Russian private collections. Romantic mythology fills the place: there is a ceiling painting of Venus and Adonis in the Reception Room, while the pink-hued Rose Room is dedicated to Flora, the goddess of spring and flowers. In the gardens outside, Lancmanis says, there are are 2,400 different varieties of roses, and 10,000 in all. "It really is the largest in northeast Europe."
With understatement, he adds, "I was lucky to have time to participate in the restoration."
Rundale Palace is open year-round. For more information, visit rundale.net.
Photo"Good Night Sleep Stretch" at the Park Hyatt Tokyo.Credit Park Hyatt
One of the biggest luxuries in a time-pressed world might just be a good night's sleep, and now hotels are offering new ways to help their guests get the best rest possible, often with a dose of wellness before bedtime.
The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C., for example, has a "Goodnight Wishes" turndown amenity: a reflexology salve, a temple balm, a lavender pillow sleep spray or dark chocolates with ginger and passionflower, which supposedly induce sleep.
Hotel Vermont in Burlington, Vt., has a bedtime menu with sleep-friendly amenities such as aromatherapy oils ($18), a flannel pajama set ($95) and complimentary storybooks. At the Park Hyatt Tokyo, guests can take part in a free 30-minute "Good Night Sleep Stretch" every Saturday and Monday night in which an instructor leads them through slow stretches and breathing exercises to relax the body. The session is capped off with herbal tea.
At the Sofitel Paris Arc de Triomphe, the suites and junior suites are equipped with NightCove technology; LED lamps emit light sequences said to help the production of sleep-inducing melatonin. The Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, reopening in September after a restoration, will have these lamps in guest rooms on the seventh and eighth floors.
Valerie Wilson, founder of Valerie Wilson Travel, a New York consulting firm, said that these amenities are a way for hotels to connect with guests.
"Properties want to make their customers feel at home, and ways to help you have a good rest feel very personal and thoughtful," she said. "Of course, to sleep well, there is nothing better than having a top-quality mattress and pillows, but these options certainly are creative."
Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 09 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
PhotoBronya (left) and Kate Shillo have introduced two new businesses — Fishers Island Lemonade and the Summer Shack, a beach-themed boutique —on Fishers Island, N.Y.Credit Paul Quitoriano
Not much happens on Fishers Island, New York, pop. 236, a low-key, 9-mile-long stretch of sand east of Long Island's North Fork that can only be reached by ferry from New London, Conn. And that's just how residents and holiday regulars like it. This summer, however, one family is offering up several reasons to visit. Sisters Kate and Bronya Shillo — alongside their parents Greg and Debi Shillo, the proprietors of the no-frills Pequot Inn — have launched a spiked lemonade business, a chic beach boutique and a curated gourmet market.
The Shillo sisters, both over 6 feet tall, are former college basketball players who have worked in the New York media world, in Kate's case, and for Patagonia and Under Armour, in Bronya's. Inspired by a sibling sojourn to the stylish surf shops of Montauk, Kate's weekends-only Summer Shack, located off the Inn's front porch, hosts a well-chosen collection of beachwear and accessories, like colorful painted Norquay paddles, vintage-inspired sunglasses from Wonderland, versatile swimsuits from Solid and Striped and limited-edition Fishers Island market bags by the socially responsible lifestyle brand Apolis. Kate also makes her own contribution to her shop's inventory: "I snag the oyster shells that we would normally throw away, clean them, bleach them, and paint them with gold leaf."
PhotoThe Summer Shack sells beach clothing and accessories.Credit Paul Quitoriano
Bronya's project, Fishers Island Lemonade, is based on a decade-old recipe from the Pequot (the only public bar, and the only light-up disco floor, in town). There, she learned to blend 15-liter buckets of vodka, whiskey, lemon juice and honey-derived sweeteners. Three years ago, she decided to package her signature lemonade concoction in a can; it took two years to perfect the taste profile. The yellow-striped container was designed by Kate's good friend Camilla Benbassat, the founder of the fashion-centric design agency Avec, and inspired by the Giorgio Beverly Hills Perfume towel that "my mother had around the beach house," Bronya explains, "which always reminded me of summer." She recommends her drink served over ice "with a lemon wedge and mint from the back garden."
It might also pair nicely with something from the new market next door to the Pequot, Fishers Island Gourmet, run by Debi Shillo, which features goods from around the country, like Brooklyn Brine pickles, Salty Road Taffy and J.K. Adams slate boards.
With its unspoiled swaths of sand and historic New England charm, Fishers Island is an ideal place to spend the final weekends of the warm-weather season. If a summer trip isn't in the cards, however, Fishers Island Lemonade is available throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island and should arrive in New York City by fall.
Last May, Rundale Palace, a 18th-century Baroque palace in Latvia, celebrated the completion of 50 years of renovation work with the opening of the Duke's Library, one of several rooms finally open to the public for the first time. The Duke in question was Ernst Johann von Biron, the Duke of Courland, for whom the palace was built between 1736 and 1740 by the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli as a summer residence. It boasts 54 rooms, including a 1770s-era billiards room and a banquet hall known as the Great Gallery, which have also finally been restored to their original splendor. Some have called the palace the Versailles of Latvia.
The person primarily responsible for this miraculous facelift is Imants Lancmanis, a 73-year-old painter, art historian and director whose involvement with Rundale began in 1964 when he was an art student in Riga. First hired as a research assistant, he became the palace's director in 1975. "I had my personal visual image of Rundale," he says. The restoration of one ceiling painting took six years; stucco decorations in the White Hall, a chapel turned ballroom with pastoral scenes above the windows, took about a decade. Because there were no wall fabrics, the restoration team had to order 4,400 meters of old pattern replicas. The entire tin roof also had to be replaced.
The European treasures inside the palace include a portrait of Catherine the Great alongside Russian rulers and a chest of drawers designed by Jean-Henri Riesener, who worked for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The Lancmanis family selected many of the paintings, furniture and textiles from auctions, gathering others from Latvian museums and Russian private collections. Romantic mythology fills the place: there is a ceiling painting of Venus and Adonis in the Reception Room, while the pink-hued Rose Room is dedicated to Flora, the goddess of spring and flowers. In the gardens outside, Lancmanis says, there are are 2,400 different varieties of roses, and 10,000 in all. "It really is the largest in northeast Europe."
With understatement, he adds, "I was lucky to have time to participate in the restoration."
Rundale Palace is open year-round. For more information, visit rundale.net.
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 08 Agustus 2014 | 17.35
With two hurricanes expected to hit the Hawaiian islands beginning Thursday night, several airlines and some hotel chains have offered to waive change fees for customers with reservations for travel in the next few days.
Hawaiian Airlines will waive all change fees and any difference in fare for customers holding tickets to fly there Thursday and Friday. Customers can rebook a flight on or before Aug. 12, as long as the original ticket was bought before Aug. 4, the origin and destination are the same, seats are available in the same class of service and the change is made before the original flight's time of departure.
Customers who wish to reroute their flight will not be charged a change fee but will be responsible for any difference in fare, and there may be some concessions made for customers who cannot find seats in the same class of service.
Changes can be made by calling 800-367-5320 or on the airline's website, hawaiianairlines.com, where customers are also encouraged to check for any future updates to scheduled flights. (Those who change a reservation online will be required to pay any change fees and the difference in fare up front, but can request a refund for those charges by contacting the airline's consumer affairs office.)
Alaska Airlines and Delta are offering similar waivers for changes to reservations and, in some cases, refunds and credit on future travel for those who wish to cancel their trip altogether. And Island Air, the interisland carrier, is waiving change fees and differences in fare for those with flights booked between Thursday and Monday. It has already canceled or suspended all flights on Thursday and Friday.
Guests of any Outrigger hotel or resort on the islands can also make changes to or cancel their reservation without penalty, provided the reservation begins any time between Aug. 5 and Aug. 12. Starwood Hotels and Resorts will also waive cancellation fees for guests who need to rebook because of the storms.
Hurricane Iselle, currently designated a Category 1, is expected to hit the city of Hilo with 80- to 90-mile-an-hour winds on Thursday night, then slow to a tropical storm as it passes Honolulu on Friday morning. Julio, which is currently designated a Category 2 hurricane, is expected to weaken to a tropical storm before landfall Sunday night.
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for the islands of Oahu, Kauai and Maui; flood warnings have been issued on all the islands. Iniki was the last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii, in 1992.
