The In Crowd - travel

New York City's High Line Park Opens

noreply@blogspirit.com (ian) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:59:19 -0400

Also:

Here's the NY Post's take. [YouTube video]

Toronto's Simcoe Wave Deck

noreply@blogspirit.com (ian) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:41:00 -0400

Very cool looking and great for Summer but $6 million?!?!

Also:

A view of the Wave Deck in use. [YouTube video]

Waves of differing opinions - Depending on who you talk to, new Harbourfront structure, the Simcoe Wave Deck, is either 'crap' or 'spectacular.' [Toronto Sun]

The world’s most exotic spots to snowboard and ski

noreply@blogspirit.com (ian) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 13:16:00 -0500

According to Metro. Who knew Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Scotland (see above), Tehran, Iran or Seoul, South Korea had any kind of skiing?? Click here for more details.

New York's best rooftop bars and outdoor cafes

noreply@blogspirit.com (ian) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:10:00 -0400

From the NY Daily News:

"Now that 70-degree days have us craving pints on the patio and brunch in a bistro garden, anyplace with even a few inches outdoors is perpetually slammed. So when everyone else queues up for the same stretch of SoHo sidewalk, head to one of these great city spaces to skip the crowds."

Click here for the full list. How'd they miss 230 Fifth though?? I swear I have never seen a bar, especially an outdoor one, this big.

Radio Board Shop: Aspen, CO

noreply@blogspirit.com (ian) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:29:44 -0500

I discovered this place on a recent vacation to Colorado. Quality designer street & snowboard wear in the heart of swanky Aspen. Check it if you run in 'those' kind of circles and happen to be out there some time. Just make sure your private jet has enough space for all the gear you're likely to cop!

Online: Website | MySpace

Hotels, Hotels everywhere!

noreply@blogspirit.com (ian) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 14:35:00 -0500

YG on the new Armani Hotels and resorts.

Reuters article on the new super-luxury St. Regis Hotel in Singapore with its fleet of customized Bentley limos to ferry guests around - sweet! (spotted via the Toronto Sun)

Jay-Z becomes a hotelier with his just-announced J Hotel in NYC.

New web site: We Jet Set

noreply@blogspirit.com (ian) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:50:00 -0400

From my good friend Taj at the excellent Dork magazine comes info on his brand new online travel boutique WEJETSET:

the brand

WEJETSET is the store and voice of modern travel culture. With its keen sense of design, comfort and utility, WEJETSET brings together the products and information that every smart traveler needs. WEJETSET is committed to carrying the highest quality products, while its print and online publications keep travelers inspired and informed. As a brand, WEJETSET is the definitive resource and cultural reference for individuals on the move.

the store

WEJETSET sells travel products via its online and physical stores. The inventory consists of design forward, functional items that represent a spectrum of premium goods ideal for the smart traveler. These products include travel solutions, carry-on bags, backpacks, luggage, packing aids, apparel and other items to enhance the travel experience.

the publication

WEJETSET is the cultural reference for modern travel. Its online and print publications inspire readers through informative accounts of smart travel. Serving as the definitive resource for design forward products and travel wisdom, WEJETSET’s sophisticated sensibilities keep the reader entertained and prepared to experience the world around them. Whether traveling across the ocean or commuting to work – WEJETSET provides innovative and timeless solutions for modern travel.

In celebration of our online launch we've partnered with Mercedes Benz! From July to September 18, 2007 individuals can enter to win a 2008 Mercedes C-Class sports sedan. One winner will be randomly selected and announced in September when the WEJETSET Online Store goes live!

Go online for more details here.

Madlib & Peanut Butter Wolf explore the Other Side of Los Angeles

noreply@blogspirit.com (ian) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:20:00 -0400

Following up from my review of The Other Side - Paris, here comes the latest installment in this innovative audio-visual series featuring underground hip hop faves Peanut Butter Wolf and Madlib:

"On April 10th, Time Out and Deaf Dumb & Blind Recordings release Madlib - The Other Side Los Angeles. The fifth installment in the Other Side series features critically acclaimed rapper/producer Madlib's personal audio tour of the City of Angels. Highlights of this genre-bending mix include the eclectic/outrageous jazz consciousness originator - Sun Ra Arkestra, 60's psychedelic blues quintet Outlaw Blues Band, legendary reggae drummer (Burning Spear) Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Jamaican record label head/DJ Producer Prince Jazzbo, and Madlib's own tunes- as Beat Konducta (solo) & with collaborator Jaydee (Jaylib).

On The Other Side Los Angeles DVD, Stone's Throw label supremo Peanut Butter Wolf is your personal guide to LA's sights, sites and sounds. The DVD also features an in-depth interview with Peanut Butter Wolf on 10 years of Stone's Throw as well as videos from several Stone's Throw artists.

From the unlikely beach town of Oxnard, 40 miles north of Los Angeles, the multi-dimensional Madlib quickly rose to prominence as one of the most interesting figures in late-'90s hip-hop. With his childhood buddies in the Lootpack, Madlib quickly made a name for himself as a rapper, producer, and DJ. In particular, his expansive style and deft touch for composition made him one of hip-hop's most sought-after producers. An enthusiastic crate digger, with a deep reverence for jazz and soul, Madlib branched out into a number of ambitious, engaging solo projects.

With the Other Side, a new generation of immersive travel guide is upon us. Each volume of The Other Side boasts two key elements: a mixed CD compiled by a native audio pioneer and a DVD guide that acts as a visual handbook for both the seasoned traveler and armchair adventurer alike. While some travel guides aim to be comprehensive, The Other Side isn't concerned. It simply wants its user to enjoy and discover the very best and coolest in sight and sounds. It whispers in the user's ear advice on where to go and what to see - and it does it with unprecedented style and flair."

TRACKLISTING:
1) The Lightmen Plus One - Energy Control Center
2) Cybertron - Clear
3) Dabrye feat. Jay Dee and Phat Kat - Game Over
4) Steve Grossman - Inmate Man
5) Prince Jazzbo - Blood Dunza
6) Sun Ra Arkestra - Nuclear War
7) Quasimoto - Greenery
8) Outlaw Blues Band - Deep Gully
9) Madlib - Infinity
10) Leroy ‘Horsemouth' Wallace - Herb Vendor
11) Rhythm Machine - Freakish Love
12) Mark Murphy - Sly
13) Harris & Orr - Spread Love
14) MED feat. Poke - What It Do
15) Beat Konducta - Smog Theme
16) Jaylib - Survival Test
17) Freestyle Fellowship - Park Bench People

ONLINE:

Madlib - MySpace | Website

Click here to see trailers from Madlib - The Other Side Los Angeles

BUY Madlib - The Other Side Los Angeles here.

The SAPEURS of the Republic of Congo

noreply@blogspirit.com (ian) — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 12:37:25 -0400

I remember reading something about the Sapeur movement in Paris a couple years ago but here's a snip from an interesting article in Colors magazine titled "Paradise Is a Fabulous Suit: Music and National Pride in the Republic of Congo" about these gentleman dandy-slackers from Africa:

"Their canon of saints reads: Pierre Cardin, Roberto Cavalli, Dior, Fendi, Ferré, Gaultier, Gucci, Jourdan, Miyake, Prada, Saint Laurent, Versace, Yamamoto. A typical ballad runs: “Listen my love. On our wedding day/The label will be Torrente/The label will be Giorgio Armani/The label will be Daniel Hechter/The label for the shoes will be J. M. Weston.” Brussels, their shopping mecca, is referred to in Congolese as Lola, meaning paradise.

These are sapeurs, acolytes of a 25-year-old movement called la SAPE—La Societé des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (aka Kitendi, the religion of the cloth) — that revolves around the possession of the most expensive, most luxurious, most extravagant fashion in the world. Followers of SAPE wear $10,000 jackets and $500 shoes, but these mostly young Congolese men otherwise barely eke out a living in the rubble of Kinshasa and Brazzaville or the ghettos of Paris and Brussels, washing dishes or washing bodies, and sometimes selling their own (ed note: n/h)." (click here to read more)

Helsinki’s Shining Season

noreply@blogspirit.com (ian) — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 13:10:00 -0400

The New York Times' Travel section on the design-conscious European city of Helsinki:

"Seen at its radiant best, Helsinki can be hypnotic. It has held me in its thrall for decades with its genius for modern design, displayed in textiles by Marimekko, ceramics by Arabia and glassware by Iittala, created by the likes of Kaj Franck, Timo Sarpaneva, Tapio Wirkkala, Alvar Aalto and Eliel Saarinen, to say nothing of those nifty orange-handled scissors made by Fiskars. Some names are less familiar than they should be — Aalto stands, in my view at least, with Wright, Mies and Le Corbusier at the apex of 20th-century architecture — but certainly not through any fault of their own.

Don’t try Helsinki in the off season, no matter what the brochures say. The Finnish capital’s time is now, right now, high summer, when daylight lasts for 20 giddy hours out of 24, when the sidewalk cafes and the waterside markets are thronged by handsome, hardy people, when the procession of crayfish feasts builds toward a climax, and when the pale blue waters of the lakes and the harbor and the white bark of the birch trees match the national flag." (click here to read more)