Michael Nassar

I’m eternally behind in my magazine reading, so I’ve only just come upon this interesting piece by Clive Thompson from February’s WIRED.  It goes a long way towards explaining a hunch I’ve long held:  social networking is optimal among small to medium-sized clusters of friends or acquaintances.  Grow a network large enough – marketing gurus and pr mavens take heed – to remove the perception of (real or imagined) intimacy and all that perceived value turns to noise.

“When it comes to your social network, bigger is better. Or so we’re told. The more followers and friends you have, the more awesome and important you are. That’s why you see so much oohing and aahing over people with a million Twitter followers. But lately I’ve been thinking about the downside of having a huge online audience. When you go from having a few hundred Twitter followers to ten thousand, something unexpected happens: Social networking starts to break down.”

Read the rest of the story HERE.

“All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time. “

→ Paul Fussell

It’s one thing to go surfing online and drool over a travel fantasy or two; it’s quite another to log on and have a shot at fulfilling them.  Visit www.virtuoso.com, and complete the 4^th Annual Virtuoso Life Travel Dreams survey by the March 31^st deadline, and you just might get both.

Virtuoso, one of the industry’s leading luxury travel networks, launched a sweepstakes-based survey last month, and the prizes are three once-in-a-lifetime dream vacations: five nights at the new One&Only Cape Town, with airfare to South Africa aboard Virgin Atlantic Airways; 10 days sailing around the Galapagos Islands on the National Geographic Endeavour with Lindblad Expeditions; and a 12-day Bangkok to Shanghai cruise aboard the Seabourn Pride from The Yachts of Seabourn.

Not too shabby for just filling out a 10 – 15 minute survey.  And honestly, whether you’re an armchair traveler or a dedicated road warrior, the survey will get you thinking … about journeys of discovery, exotic destinations, and life-changing experiences.  For a few blissful minutes today I actually spent some quality time dreaming about possibilities.

Cultural offerings and – to a certain extent – life-enriching local experiences are showing up as standard attractions more and more now that hotels are desperately competing for the attention of recession-savvy travelers.  Yet a trio of Fairmont hotels are taking art appreciation to new heights with the introduction of art-inspired features and hotel galleries.  At The Fairmont Dallas, the hotel recently teamed up with local artist Bryan Embry to debut the Ross Akard Gallery at The Fairmont Dallas, the first art gallery to open in the city’s famed Arts District in three decades. At Boston’s Fairmont Battery Wharf, hotel guests can tour the on-property Battery Wharf Maritime Museum, a 1,000 square foot museum, free to the public, featuring exhibits about the maritime history of the area  and of Boston. In Vancouver, art plays a leading role at the recently opened Fairmont Pacific Rim, starting with the exterior of the building and carrying through the lobby, public spaces and guestrooms. Of particular note is the exterior installation by UK artist Liam Gillick: a running line of repeated Helvetica text which wraps around half of the building’s facade; while the other side of the building glistens silver in the sun and teases with an image that only comes into view from a distance.

I’m not a big fan of slavishly following the trends but it’s hard not to notice the sudden ubiquity of mini spa services turning up like tapas on so many menus these days. With 46 percent of International Spa Association member spas seeing an increase in shorter (30 minutes or less) treatment bookings, and 86 percent offering shorter treatments, it looks like we’re officially knee deep into a major trend.

And it’s hard to argue with the practicality of smaller bites, as it were.   For the neophyte, it provides excellent value at lower price points and is a great way to pick and choose something new from a variety of treatments.  For the spa veteran, multiple appetizer-sized spa treatments are now an affordable indulgence, even during the recession.

Here are just a few places where you can go sampling:

The Stillwater Spa at Hyatt Regency Newport recently transformed itself after a resort-wide $35 million renovation and offers treatments designed with innovative, marine-based products in harmony with five key elements – plant, water, stone, salt and air – and focused on achieving four states of well being – physical, spiritual, emotional, and social.  For anyone looking to experience the elements without spending all their time doing that math in their heads, the spa has affordable 25-minute installments, like Tapas Soles Foot Massage, Color Shot Tasting, Tapas Soles Foot Massage and Tapas Facial.   Spa tapas are available Sunday through Thursday between the hours of 3-7 pm – kind of like a spa Happy Hour.  Order one for $50, order two for $95, order three for $145, or order four for $195.

With a lush, welcoming design and a host of innovative treatments,  Seagate Spa is a select serenity stop for hotel guests and local clientele.  Located within Delray Beach’s newly opened The Seagate Hotel, the spa offers several mini spa treatments, each under $65, including a sea salt body polish, reflexology, the express facial and a relaxing massage. The spa also features seven treatment rooms, a full wet room with Vichy shower, two large steam rooms, a Bikram yoga studio and a manicure/ pedicure suite.

The Yachts of Seabourn’s Spa Villas offer express spa services where guest receive the utmost in pampering on the outdoor spa deck.  Services range from mini-hot stone massages, facials and acupuncture to manicures, pedicures and paraffin treatments.  With the waves serving as the backdrop, these mini-treatments are available aboard all Seabourn yachts, including Seabourn Sojourn, which will be unveiled in June 2010.  Prices start at $15.

It’s only now that the Vancouver Olympics have ended that I happened to notice this interesting bit of video from the NY Times:  designer Steven Heller looks at how the pictograms used to identify individual sports have changed over the years.

(And since I haven’t even bothered to mention any of the drama coming down from Canada over the past two weeks, I guess this will also have to suffice as my version of an Olympics post-mortem, too: Meh. It seemed a little too white-bread for my tastes. A little too placid. Bring on Sochi 2014, where I bet that even the very air will taste of constant controversy.)

I got a long overdue birthday package yesterday courtesy of the Royal Mail.  Nothing quite matches the excitement inherent in unraveling a parcel that’s been copiously taped and bundled and shows all the wear and tear of traveling across an ocean.  This particular box did not fail in igniting my imagination:  dented, partially crushed, not only was it pock-marked with random stab wounds,  but the postal tape indicated it was mailed almost eight weeks ago.  No bother, since A: I wasn’t expecting anything fragile; and B: the distressed look only added to the romance and mystery of it all.

I noticed from the outset an Edinburgh return address, which immediately set my expectations high.  So imagine my grin when peeling back the lid I found a pair of brown knee-hi boots and a thick pair of proper kilt socks to go along with them!  A big shout out and thanks to Howie Nicholsby, the creative life force behind 21st Century Kilts, as well as the man who taught me everything I needed to know about kilts.  I’ve already written a bit about Howie and my minor kilt obsession.  In fact, Howie was my first posting on this website and only recently I decided that a return to Edinburgh for a new kilt should be in the cards this year.  It’s killing me that this snowy winter weather is delaying the return of spring, daffodils, and my exposed legs.  Could it be that good things really do come to those who wait?

What on earth do you do with leftover cassoulet?  It would be a crime to waste even a morsel of duck confit. (especially after smuggling it across an ocean.)  And let’s face it:  unless you’re cooking for a crowd, there’s going to be a lot of leftovers.

When someone proffered the suggestion of turning it into a hash, I got an idea that falls somewhere between a crab cake and a burger:  cassoulet cakes.  And I think it’s genius, even if I do say so myself.  I molded a big scoop of cold cassoulet into a thick patty and pressed it in fresh breadcrumbs.  After cooking up a few slices of bacon, I reserved the fat and used it to brown up both sides of the cakes before transferring them to a hot oven.  While they warmed, I plated a simple mâche salad and inspired by a croque madame – and the fact that this was breakfast after all – pulled an egg out of the  fridge and quickly fried one up.  After about ten minutes the hot cakes came out and slid atop the salad, the egg topped the cake, and bacon and parsley got scattered everywhere.

Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, the runny egg yolk brought it all together, while the mustard tang of the salad cut through the rich fat of both the pork and duck.  Delicious, yes.  Indulgent, yes.  And the perfect way to greet the passing of a cold and snowy February.

The Pod Hotel is a contradiction & quite possible a harbinger of what the future holds for hotels: a budget, boutique property located smack in the heart of midtown Manhattan; and designed for the new breed of stylish – if insolvent – travelers.

Inspired by the sleek, streamlined approach of old railway sleepers, what the intimate and bijoux accommodation on East 51st Street lacks in negative space it makes up for in mod-designed chic and 21st Century must-haves, like iPod docking stations, free WiFi and LCD flat screen TVs.

Not too shabby for $89 a night.

You read that right: a hotel room in NYC for under $100.

But there’s a service that’s actually more exciting than the fact that the price is right. It’s called the Pod Community Blog. A customized message board designed for people with active reservations at the hotel, it allows guests to interact with one another as well as ask questions or make requests before and during their stay. For example, the Ride With Me feature encourages guests to synch up travel plans and spilt the cost of a cab ride to and from the airport.

Taking the concierge’s role to a new level, the blog also acts as a resource and guide to the city. Users can log on to learn more about the city and the hotel as well as get the most up-to-date information about the latest “happenings” around NYC. Questions posted on the site are monitored and answered directly by the concierge on a daily basis.

“As the online social networking trend continues to grow,” said General Manager David Bernstein, “we designed this unique feature to create a sense of community among our tech-savvy Pod guests and allow them to connect with the hotel in a new way.”

Guests can also access the Survival Guide on the site – “one of the biggest perks of staying at The Pod Hotel,” according to concierge Bryan Raughton. Updated daily, it’s a comprehensive listing of all of the affordable and fun things to do in NYC, such as free events, “cheap eats”, BYOB restaurants, happy hours and sample sales. It also provides honest reviews and suggestions, including tips for shopping, information about restaurants, galleries, museums, clubs, concerts, gyms and internet cafes. The Survival Guide also provides guests with step-by-step directions from the hotel to their desired destination.