Eye Candy
Every year around the same time (right now, to be precise), the season’s enduring chill leaves us craving a sunny respite. If you’re feeling the same – or just looking for a new weekend getaway – allow us to present a fresh batch of vacation ideas: an art deco escape in West Hollywood, a Bahamian beach trip with a side of contemporary art, and a food-focused reset in Saint Lucia. It’s all below, along with news on Japan’s cherry blossom forecast. Spring, we see you!
Five Things We Love: Sunset Tower Hotel
It’s the spring of 1929: Audrey Ruston (later, Hepburn) is born in Brussels, Al Capone is arrested in Philadelphia, and the first Academy Awards take place in Hollywood. Just west of that event, along Sunset Boulevard, a 15-floor residential tower designed in the Zigzag Moderne style becomes one of the first high-rises of its kind in Los Angeles.
How to Tap Into One of the Caribbean’s Most Exciting Art Destinations
Turquoise waters, pink-sand beaches, sprawling resorts – most travelers to the Bahamas book it straight to a sunbed, but on my recent visit, I found myself in a giant tent outside the convention center at Nassau’s Baha Mar resort, staring up at a 17-foot-tall, mahogany-wood sculpture by Bahamian artist Antonius Roberts. The piece, Back to Back, Belly to Belly, was on display at the Fuze Art Fair, which showcased the work of 120 artists from 21 countries.
When I Needed a Reset, I Went to Saint Lucia
By the time my partner, Harvey, and I arrived in Saint Lucia that spring, the most appealing form of celebration I could imagine was sleep. We’d landed a few days after my birthday and just a week after the end of an intense, monthslong media-award-judging process. It’s some of the most rewarding work I do, so I was thrilled to have made it through another season of cross-country travel and lengthy deliberations
In This California County, Sustainable Travel Comes Easy
Travelers road-tripping along California’s Pacific Coast Highway can once again pass through Monterey County’s 80-mile stretch of the scenic drive, a portion of which reopened in January after three years of closures. While this Big Sur coast is rightly renowned for its dramatic cliffs and misty redwood forests, the county’s natural beauty covers way more ground.
Taste the Mediterranean on These Culinary-Centric Sailings
There are beautiful coastlines and ancient history, of course, but it’s what’s on the plate that makes the Mediterranean’s most alluring destinations truly appetizing. Luxury small-ship cruise line Silversea celebrates the Med’s gourmet cachet through S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste), its comprehensive culinary program that brings an authentic, locavore focus to onboard dining, cooking classes, shipboard talks, and exclusive shore excursions.
Quentin Luk, head bartender at Regent Hong Kong’s Qura, shares what he’s been loving lately.
Packing: Beats headphones so I can listen to Queen or Maroon 5 – both great companions for long journeys.
Reading: Recently, I’ve been interested in culinary culture and how to implement cocktails into the daily dining experience – The Art & Science of Foodpairing is enjoyable on the topic.
Scrolling: Gronda. It’s a recipe app with demos by famous chefs and bartenders.
Dreaming of: Melbourne, to visit friends, explore the bar scene, and attend a family wedding.
Salem, Massachusetts’ Peabody Essex Museum is hosting a celebration of sculptor Edmonia Lewis – a Black, Indigenous Mississauga master of the form – through June 7. This exploration of painter Danielle Mckinney’s portraits is a coffee-table must-have. Japan’s cherry blossom forecast is live. The Guggenheim Collection and watchmaker Swatch collaborated on new timepieces inspired by Monet, Klee, Degas, and Pollock. Globe-trot in the Year of the Horse with Montblanc’s apropos accessory.
