Tag Archives: Reviews

Top Exhibits: Empire State Building Mini Museum Opens To The Public

From a Curbed NY online article:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe Empire State Building, New York City’s most iconic skyscraper, has been reimagining its observatory experience for some time now. As part of a two-phase project, a new observatory entrance at 20 West 34th Street debuted last August, and now, a new set of immersive exhibits are open to the public.

The 10,000-square-foot galleries, part of a $165 million project which began more than four years ago, include several displays that tell the history of the building from its construction to its prominent place in the city’s culture.

To read more click on following link: https://ny.curbed.com/2019/7/29/8934703/empire-state-building-exhibit-observatory-history-nyc

 

Newly Renovated Resorts: Desert Hot Springs’ “Two Bunch Palms” – Carbon Neutral Rejuvenation

From a Design Milk online article:

Two Bunch Palms Mineral WatersTwo Bunch Palms mineral springs flow up from Miracle Hill, a 600 year old source bubbling from under the surface and flowing hot directly into the resort’s pool. Ecological considerations also extend to the hotel using its very own solar field array, earning Two Bunch Palms the status of being the first carbon-neutral resort in America.

Studio MAI, the firm responsible for designing the popular Venice restaurant mainstay, Gjelina, remained cognizant and careful to retain the resort’s storied “quirkiness and authenticity” while adding enough colors, textures, and modern motifs in acknowledgement of the new generation descending into the region drawn by the desert’s charms. The resulting makeover feels fresh without cloyingly contemporary, retaining a textural charm that has mostly abandoned nearby Palm Springs.

To read more click the following link: https://design-milk.com/mineral-springs-modernity-bubbles-anew-at-the-two-bunch-palms/

Top New Restaurants: Selby’s In Atherton, CA Boasts Top Chef, Old Hollywood Style

From an SFChronicle.com online article:

Selby's Restaurant Black Label Burger“I was really focused on the idea of a burger, but taking it to the next level in terms of quality and flavor. I wanted to make it this kind of luxurious dining experience,” said Sullivan.

He’s already made a name for himself at the Bacchus Management Group’s sister restaurants in San Francisco, Spruce and the Saratoga, both known for their burgers, which cost $21 and $16, respectively.

Selby’s, a swanky new Silicon Valley restaurant styled after Old Hollywood, opened Tuesday near the Atherton border at 3001 El Camino Real…

…The Black Label Burger took chef Mark Sullivan six months to develop. Each order includes roughly 5 ounces of shaved Australian black truffles.

To read more click on following link: https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/New-Silicon-Valley-restaurant-opens-with-50-14120219.php?psid=effhg

Boomers Health Tips: Kaiser Health News And NPR Team Up To Explain Confusing Medical Bills

From a Kaiser Health News article:

In 2018 Kaiser Health News and NPR teamed up to create “Bill of the Month,” a crowdsourced investigative series in which we dissect and explain medical bills you send us. We have received nearly 2,000 submissions of outrageous and confusing medical bills from across the country.

Bill of the Month Video
Click link below to watch video

https://khn.org/news/your-go-to-guide-to-decode-medical-bills/

Each month we select one bill to thoroughly investigate, often resulting in the bill being resolved soon after the story is published. But what about the large number of Americans who receive surprise medical bills that reporters can’t examine?

NPR Kaiser Sample Hospital Bill 2019

New Camping Websites: “Tentrr.com” Provides Fully Equipped Campsites On Private Land Locations

From a Travel and Leisure online article:

Tentrr.com Camping SitesTentrr is a new site that’s hoping to take the unknown factor out of glamping while providing campers with exclusive access to locations across the U.S. — many of which are totally remote. Tentrr partners with private landowners to install a fully equipped campsite on their property. Every Tentrr Signature Campsite has a sturdy canvas tent on an elevated platform, bed, wood stove, Adirondack chairs, fire pit, grill, picnic table, sun shower, and camp toilet.

Glamping has filled a void for adventurous travelers who don’t want to brave the wild in a nylon tent, but still want to experience nature away from RVs and packed campgrounds. But as with most new things, the quality and experience of glamping can vary, with guests often unsure of what to expect.

To read more click on following link: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/tentrr-glamping?cid=407867&did=407867-20190722&mid=22947635458&utm_campaign=just-in_newsletter&utm_content=072219&utm_medium=email&utm_source=travelandleisure.com

 

Top Summer Destinations: Laguna Beach Festival Of Arts Celebrates 87th Year

From an Orange County Register article:

IMG_4711The Pageant of the Masters was first developed in the 1930s to combine music, storytelling and theatrical illusions to celebrate artistic interpretation and history. It has since become a Laguna Beach tradition drawing visitors from around the world. This year’s show, which opens Sunday, July 7, and runs through Aug. 31, marks the pageant’s 86th year. Continue reading Top Summer Destinations: Laguna Beach Festival Of Arts Celebrates 87th Year

Top Roadside Restaurants: “B.T.’s Smokehouse” In Sturbridge, Mass. Is “Astonishlingly Good”

From a Bon Appétit Magazine article  by Amanda Shapiro:

B.T.'s Smokehouse logoWhile it may be unassuming, B.T.’s is hardly undiscovered. The lines get long, so time your trip to hit the smokehouse when it opens at 11 a.m. or during the late-afternoon lull. Order your meat to go, grab a beer at the convenience store next door, and park yourself on the hood of your car, the curb, or anywhere you can find a spot. It isn’t glamorous, but it is astonishingly good.

Situated between I-84 and I-90, B.T.’s is an ideal pit stop for any drive that takes you up to (or down from) Boston, New Hampshire, or Maine. Brisket is the thing here—smoked for 24 to 30 hours on local apple and hickory wood. You can order it à la carte, in a Reuben-style sandwich, or—my favorite—on a platter with classic sides like collard greens and mac and cheese.

To read more from article click on following link: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/bts-smokehouse-sturbridge-massachusetts

B.T.'s Smokehouse
https://www.btsmokehouse.com/

B.T.'s Smokehouse Brisket Rueben

 

 

 

Boomers Travel: “Life House Hotels” Converts Historic Buildings Into Lifestyle Destinations

From a Hotel Management online article:

Life House - Little Havana in MiamiBy next year, Zeidan expects Life House to have more than 20 hotels open or under construction across the country, with new developments in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Denver, Colo.; and Lake Tahoe, Nev. “Ninety percent of our hotels are historic buildings that we convert and re-imagine into lifestyle products,” he told HM. In developing each property, the company’s creative team examines both the logistics of the asset and the narrative of the building and its location. “Historic buildings have a tremendous amount of stories and inspiration to draw from,” said the executive.

Life House opened its first hotel late last year in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood and will have five more hotels in the city by the end of 2019, as well as a further five beyond Miami. In total, Life House has signed more than 500 rooms across nearly 10 projects so far, spending less than $5 million of venture capital and positioning the company to raise a Series B round of funding this summer.

Zeidan’s asset-light growth plans for Life House are focused on markets with high hotel prices and where home-sharing services are highly regulated. Miami’s Airbnb regulations and seasonality made a boutique brand a good fit, he said, and the high prices on hotels in Nantucket made that city optimal for a lifestyle brand. “And there’s an under-supply of hotel inventory there,” he added.

To read more from article click following link: https://www.hotelmanagement.net/transactions/100m-hand-life-house-has-big-plans-for-small-hotels

Life House - Little Havana in Miami Rooftop Bar

Website: https://www.lifehousehotels.com/

50th Anniversary Of Apollo 11: “The Moon Miracle” By Thom Gibbs Is A Spectacular Chronology

From a Telegraph.co.uk online article by Thom Gibbs:

The Moon Miracle by Thom Gibbs The Telegraph Chronology 2The first question is often ‘why haven’t we been back?’ Fifty years since humans stepped onto the surface of a foreign planetary body there has not been another event to rival it. Not in space, nor back here on Earth.
There have been enormous leaps forward. The Large Hadron Collider, the internet, the fidget spinner, but there is no match for the romance of our first moonshot. It is quite possibly the only achievement of our time which will be remembered centuries from now.
The audacity and aesthetics of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins’s journey still resonate. Their mission was so perilous that Richard Nixon had a speech drafted in the event the astronauts did not come home. “Fate has ordained that the men who went to the Moon to explore in peace will stay on the Moon to rest in peace,” it read. “These brave men… know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.”
The Moon Miracle by Thom Gibbs The Telegraph Chronology

Top New Travel Products: “The Layover” Travel Blanket Is Perfect For Flights, “Super Packable”

From YankoDesign.com article:

Layover Travel Blanket PackabilityDesigned with the soul of a sleeping bag, the Layover is a blanket explicitly built for traveling with. Its construction beats those flimsy, tiny, smelly blankets they hand out on flights, and gives you a full-body comforter that wraps you in its cocoon-esque design. Crafted with a breathable nylon exterior and an insulated interior, the Layover is cozy and can keep you warm in those often-chilly flights. Unlike traditional flat, rectangular blankets, Layover’s design comes with pockets and pouches for your hands, legs, and even a few key belongings (like your passport or boarding pass), giving you an experience comparable to being a baby kangaroo in its pouch. The Layover fits your body like a glove, keeping you absolutely snug and ensuring that the blanket doesn’t come off when you move or turn in your sleep. Pair it with a good eye mask and neck pillow and you’ve got yourself the holy trinity of effective transit-napping.

Layover Travel Blanket Warmth + Comfort

The Layover Travel Blanket highlights

Website: https://www.graveltravel.com/

To continue reading Yanko Design article: https://www.yankodesign.com/2019/07/18/the-layover-travel-blanket-is-the-most-innovative-travel-product-since-the-neck-pillow/