Portable Mind: A sort of travel guide

#reverb10: holiday and healing in the southwest

Setting luminarias at the DeGrazia gallery in Tucson.

The prompt today in the Reverb10 project is healing. The prompt asks: What healed you this year? That's easy - my trip to the southwest. It happened at the end of a year that I spent every month traveling to various parts of the world - a goal I'd set for myself at the beginning of the year - and, despite my borderline obsessive love of travel, I was tired. My brain was full. 

We were in Tucson over Thanksgiving, and it was simply gorgeous. The wide open landscape of the Sonoran desert and the scale of the mountains helped to give me back my breath, but the single most important element was the light. Living in New York City, I feel as though I am always in the shadows (like Batman's Gotham), even when it's 90 degrees outside. It's easy to forget about the natural world when you're constantly in motion, rushing through cities, airports, and airplanes. So, healing didn't happen over a long period of time - it happened in a flash, one afternoon when we were driving from Tucson to Bisbee, and I realized I was breathing.

My goal at the beginning of 2010 was to travel at least once a month. My goal for 2011, to answer the question "How will you be healed in 2011?", is to spend more time in the southwest. 

It's long been a travel dream of mine to spend the holiday season in the southwest, particularly Santa Fe. I imagine strolling through town on clear, starry evenings with mesquite-scented air, a cup of hot mexican chocolate in hand. Waking early to trek to Taos for skiing, and recuperating at Ten Thousand Waves. 

Exactly, almost, as described in this NY Times piece:

"FIRST, there is the smell. Perhaps nothing defines Santa Fe at Christmas so much as the piquant scent of piñón wood in the clear night air, the temperature hovering in single digits, the smoke an enveloping garland of warmth extending from faux-brick hearths in modest doublewides to sculptured kiva fireplaces in the corners of art galleries on Canyon Road."

The Breakers, Palm Beach

This summer, we opted for the quiet lushness of Palm Beach instead of action-filled Miami. A perfect getaway if you're looking to disconnect on a beach with a book, a cocktail, and not much more. What it lacks in hipness, it makes up for in natural beauty and old money glamour.

The absence of crowds and lower rates make Florida one of my favorite summer destinations. As long as you don't mind the possibility of a hurricane strike, the weather is glorious on the eastern coast. Our friend Laura convinced us that a deal was to be had at The Breakers, where standard room rates can run to $780 (and beyond) in high season. May-September rates are as low as $249 per night, and include free amenities Sunday through Thursday. For those with children, like Laura, this was a true value, as those amenities include kids' camp and kids' meals.

Though we tried, Dan and I did not navigate Palm Beach as well as we should have. There is a way to get more value out of a trip, and we learned some lessons the hard way (see $75 breakfast). Here are some tips to create the perfect balance between luxe and low cost.

Dine locally - often. The Breakers has a number of fine and casual dining establishments, but somehow they all cost the same -- $100+ per meal (for two). Dinner entrees run $24+, and $32 for an underwhelming Chicken Marsala seems excessive. The hotel automatically adds a 20% gratuity to each bill, plus a service charge and tax.

The resort is within walking distance of a variety of restaurants, so it's simply a matter of sourcing and planning. We had two nights out, at Nick and Johnnie's and Bistro Chez Jean-Pierre. Nick & Johnnie's is a fun, casual place with outdoor seating, while Cz Jean-Pierre is old Palm Beach glamour and excellent French food. Our meal there was better than any we'd had at the hotel. Both recommended. Laura tried Todd English's new casual dining place, Wild Olives, located a short cab ride from the hotel. Good with or without kids, and her report was that happy hour was a great value ($7 for two drinks), and the food was excellent.

Sunday-Thursday complimentary breakfast, and an on site Gourmet shop. A bonus to being there during the week, the hotel offers complimentary continental breakfast in the Circle restaurant from 7-11am. For $10 more per person, you can add on the full breakfast. A much better deal than the $75 breakfast we had the Saturday morning we arrived, not knowing the deal ahead of time. Because Saturday is out of the complimenary breakfast window, we could have picked up coffee and a bagel (or other breakfast food) at the Gourmet shop for $8.

Take advantage of the 5-7pm Happy Hour. In the Tapestry Bar, $6 drink specials paired with homemade potato chips (complimentary) and spinach dip (a delicious add-on) make a perfect cocktail hour pairing before dinner.

Stock your room with wine, beer, or your beverage of choice. This may seem gauche in a place like The Breakers, but I don't mind telling you that I like a glass of wine at the end of the day and don't want to play $20 per glass. You can purchase a few bottles at a local wine shop or at Publix, and it will go a long way towards the value of your trip. Bonus activity: A bottle of wine + some plastic cups poolside after hours, to enjoy the ocean view under the stars.

Always ask. We were upgraded everytime. The staff at The Breakers is unbelievably accommodating, so when we arrived early (looking a little weary from our 6am flight, I am sure) the front desk attendant upgraded us to an ocean view room. Much easier during the summer season no doubt, but a nice gesture on her part. Late check-out? Granted. Car rental so we could go to Miami for a day? No problem. Hertz has a desk in the hotel, and the concierge handles the rentals. She upgraded us as well, charging us an economy rate for a standard car. Always ask.

 

High Tech Hotels: The Wit Doubletree, Chicago

My piece for PCMag.com on theWit hotel in Chicago.The first in a series about hotels across the country that are technologically advanced, and setting a new standard for the hospitality industry.

Weekend in Los Angeles

Above, a short slideshow of our weekend in LA. Of note: Pizzeria Mozza. Utterly delicious.

For further reading until I post more details, see my post about the Dwell on Design conference (one of the reasons we were in LA) over on Tumblr, the blogging platform I use when I am too busy to write longer posts lazy. Which is often, apparently.

Prelude to a weekend in LA

When I first arrived in LA to go to design school at the age of 17, I was disappointed. I'd chosen LA because I wanted to move as far away from New York as I could, and I grew up watching Battle of the Network Stars - a show that was filmed at Pepperdine in Malibu. I was seduced by the beautiful people, who seemed to promise only success and happiness, set against the backdrop of sunshine, rolling hills and bright blue sea. But, that was not the LA I encountered.

Los Angeles was gritty, sprawling, and unkind. I thought that because I was from New York I could handle anything. But LA was rougher than I'd expected. The first month I was there, someone tried to mug me. The front door of my dorm was shot out. I had no car, and I had to take the bus seated next to gang members with teardrops tattooed on their faces, through neighborhoods unlike any I'd seen before. There was no center of town, and downtown felt like a remote outpost that everyone had left behind for the glittery hills (and boy, has that changed). It was as depressing as a place could be.

I moved around a lot over the ten years I was there, and eventually began to understand that each neighborhood was a city center unto itself with its own unique local character. What evolved was the realization that I was in a city filled with many destinations, and suddenly LA was fascinating. By the time I moved back to New York for a job, I was certain that I wasn't certain I was doing the right thing.

This weekend, I've convinced Dan to accompany me to LA. And I know that when I step off the plane, it will feel like home.

 

We're staying at the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills - partly because I want to stay in a quiet, leafy residential neighborhood, but mostly because Kelly Wearstler did the interiors.

We only have the weekend, so I've researched, inquired, and foraged to create the best LA experience one can have when not familiar with the city (as Dan is not). More to come.

Photo of the Avalon hotel from Dynamist on Flickr, who took some wonderful pics of the property.

Summer travel ideas

Delightful travel story from Frank Bruni (NYT) about one of the best, and most affordable, places in Europe - Portugal.

 

photo from Virsi al sol on Flickr.
 

Madrid. And then some.

New city guide from Design*Sponge - Madrid.

Which makes me think of my dream portugal-spain roadtrip -

If you're lucky enough to go on this driving trip through northern Portugal and northern Spain, AC Hotels is a chain of stylish, modern hotels you should know about. I especially love the Hotel AC Palacio De Santa Ana in Valladolid.

Forecast: Endless Snow

This winter season seems to be neverending, and the grey, slushy streets of New York city have finally gotten to me. Though I have been pining for an escape to Miami. Or Mexico. Or St Lucia... I came across this story in T magazine about this glorious Wallace K Harrison-designed house in Maine.

And suddenly I'd rather be there, watching the snow fall over the Atlantic ocean.

Finally portable! Carry-on size beauty products

 

From 3floz.com, a new e-commerce Web site for travel-friendly beauty products

from NYTimes T Magazine 

just back from - San Francisco

Dan and I are just back from a weekend in San Francisco. We stayed at the Laurel Inn, a renovated motel in Pacific Heights with a groovy neighborhood cocktail lounge called Swank; had soju ramoz fizzes and chicken hash for breakfast two days in a row at Ella's (across the street); walked 9 miles to golden gate park, the beach, and back; had a late night dinner at Firefly in Noe Valley, and a quiet Sunday dinner at Garibaldi's, which was an unexpected surprise.

Itinerary highly recommended.

72 Hours in New Orleans - cocktails

 
 

One of my primary missions in NOLA was to find a great local watering hole undiscovered by tourists. Through a recommendation on Twitter, I'd booked a reservation at miLa, which features cuisine constructed by two disctinct influences: that of Louisiana, and that of Mississippi. My dinner was a simple and savory halibut with mustard sauce made decadent when paired with cheddar and chive cornbread. One of the nicest features of the restaurant is the seating. The booth design dims the sound of surrounding conversation, making it a good place to catch up with an old friend.

 

miLa is located in the Renaissance Pere Marquette hotel, which houses Bar Uncommon - infamous, if only for it's bartender Chris McMillan. Chris is a 4th generation bartender, founded the Museum of the American Cocktail, and crafts both original and classic cocktails without the pretention one might (or, does) find in New York or San Francisco.

 

Irene has been scolded by bartenders over her preference of flavored spirits like raspberry Stoli; some have even refused to make her the drink she wants. Chris didn't judge; rather, he created an original drink just for her that involved muddled ginger, gin and fresh strawberries. His instinct was spot on, and she downed the first drink before he could even begin making her another (different from the first, her second again began with muddled ginger, but went in the direction of tequila, fresh green apples, and lemon juice). My drink was called New Orleans is Drowning - bourbon, cognac, campari, simple syrup, and bitters. Quite delicious.

 

While mixing drinks, he talked about the history of the ingredients, the differences between bars in NYC (classic and artisanal style) v. San Francisco (local and organic ingredients), told us about some up and comers in New Orleans (Cure), and answered the ultimate question: if he were to go have a drink in NOLA, where would it be? Answers: Swizzlestick, French 75, and the Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt hotel. His knowledge of cocktails and the history of New Orleans is deep, and it is a poetic experience to sit at his bar.