Lower East Side’s Hidden Gem

Two weeks ago I received a private invite to the Woodward Gallery in Manhatten’s Lower East Side. When I got off the D train at Grand Street I was pretty sure that I was in Chinatown and just knew that I was walking the wrong way. With my iPhone/GPS in hand I start following the directions, reluctantly. Looking at the numbers on the building, I should’ve been very close, but looking at the buildings I felt I was far from my destination and while my shoes were cute, my feet were aching. Suddenly I look up and spot a red flag on the building that read “Woodward Gallery”. I had arrived.

Once inside, I was amazed by the simple beauty of the space. The featured exhibit was “Margaret Morrison: Larger Than Life”, an exhibit of oil paintings of your favorite childhood candy. Think gummy worms, gumballs, wax lips and ring pops! The theme of the event was “Candy and Champagne” and I filled up on both. I was given a ring pop and told that I had to wear it on my finger until I left.

Shortly after I spotted my friends, a man walked up and introduced himself as John Woodward (who just so happens to be the Director/Co owner of the gallery). I was taken aback by his humility and explained briefly that I was drawn to the gallery after seeing that they had Jean-Michel Basquiat (my favorite artist of all time) and Andy Warhol originals, which are hard to view unless they are on tour. After I explained my love for Basquiat, he proceeded to tell me how he was good friends with both artists. I was floored. So we chatted and he shared stories about Warhol and Basquiat. Imagine my amazement.

Kristine Woodward, John’s wife, and Owner/Vice-President of the gallery, and an amazingly nice woman,  took a small group of us on a tour of the vault, which is a sub level, temperature controlled room where they hold loads of original paintings by some of America’s most famous artists. Of course I asked to see Basquiat and Warhol originals and we also saw the first LOVE, that Robert Indiana painted.

Overall the Woodward Gallery is one of the best that NYC has to offer. The humility of the Woodwards was inspiring and the collection is one that you can only find in this hidden gem.  So if you are lucky enough to get invited to a private event or can get an appointment for a tour, I highly recommend it. And if you can actually afford one of the pieces, feel free to add a Basquiat to your tab for me!

http://www.woodwardgallery.net/

From the Plane to Happy Hour (Jetsetter Style)

Jetsetter Style – by jnabongo on Polyvore.com

This is a perfect outfit for ladies of the jetsetting lifestyle. It is practical for travel, yet still allows you to head straight from the airport to happy hour. The black sweater dress is comfortable enough to survive a run to NYC, LA, or even London. The teal colored tights are a great interruption between the dress and the practical flat black boots. And if you’re anything like me, you need that scarf to keep you warm on the plane when your neighbor refuses to turn off their AC. With the failing economy and airlines charging you for your first piece of luggage (apparently you shouldn’t pack anything if you are traveling domestically), this black Tumi roller bag is durable and the perfect size for the overhead bin. Marc Jacob’s Grafitti Shopping Bag is big enough to carry anything that doesn’t fit in the roller, including your MacBook Air, Canon point and shoot, iPod, and M.A.C. makeup. And finally, never leave home without your Gucci aviators. A must for any frequent flyer.

Visiting Japan? Skip Tokyo and Head to Kansai

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine Kyoto, Japan

Japan is not in the top slot on many travels itineraries, but if it is lucky enough to get added, most people think of heading straight to Tokyo’s Narita Airport. I say, please readjust your flight plans.

After living and traveling in Japan for the past year, I highly suggest that you hop on a non-stop from SFO (San Franciso) or DTW (Detroit) and enjoy the ride to KIX (Kansai International Airport, in Osaka). Traveling in Kansai allows you to see more of what Japan has to offer. Kansai is the name of a region in western Japan that is inclusive of Kobe, home of the world famous Kobe beef, that melts in your mouth and not in your hands, Osaka, Japan’s third largest city, and Kyoto, Japan’s traditional capital. Kansai’s location also puts you much closer to Hiroshima which should be on any itinerary.

KYOTO

If you have the pleasure of visiting Kyoto, I recommend three temples that I think are must sees. The Golden Pavillion, or Kinkaku-ji, is probabaly the most famous, and yes its golden!!! Kiyomizu-dera, which is my favorite because of the awesome views of Kyoto from the top. I recommend a visit here in April for sakura (cherry blossoms) or in the fall when the leaves are changing colors. If you have never appreciated nature before, Kiyomizu will change that. My third recomendation is Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine. If you are familiar “The Gates” art installation in Central Park, this is where the inspiration came from. With several hundred orange torii lining the walkways, Fusjimi Inari is a breath taking experience and a great photo opt. My other recommendations in Kyoto are Pontocho, which is a very narrow street one block west of Kamogawa (The Kamo River). On this street you can find cute hidden restaurants and bars and you can spot the occasional geisha!!

OSAKA

I must admit, I haven’t explored Osaka very much outside of my favorite area, Shinsaibashi. Only about a seven minute Subway ride from Osaka Station, Shinsaibashi is an easily excessible playground. With loads of shopping, you can find all your favorite flagship stores, i.e. Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Dior, smaller stores that boast Japanese fashions, on the shotengai (a covered shopping area), and loads of restaurants and bars that will satisfy any craving. Shinsaibashi is my number one pick in Japan for nightlife. With a variety of bars, clubs (house, hip hop, top 40) everyone can find something that suites your taste. Shinsaibashi also gives you the “Cheers” feeling after being there for awhile. Whenever you walk into your favorite bar, the bartenders will address you by name and all of the patrons are generally very friendly. My two favorite bars are Cinquecento, the only place in Osaka that I can get a variety of martini flavors, with everything on the menu only 50o Yen (about $5), and Zerro, a very friendly bar with friendly bartenders and awesome food. If you are really nice, they may even let you dj from your iPod. My club recommendations include Onzieme, on Fridays, which is a bit posh and usually the djs spin a mix of house, electronica, hip hop, and top 40. Azzure, which is a great Saturday night spot, which spins hip hop. And if you still have a bit more energy on Sunday, head to Don Flex, which spins hip hop and top 40. Azzure and Don Flex are more casual but still a great time.

KOBE

I don’t have much to recommend in Kobe except for Kobe beef, if your budget allows it. While I am not a huge beef eater, I could not pass up the opportunity to try this famous dish in its place of origin and like I had been told, the beef melted if my mouth, like butter. I spent around $130 USD for my meal but there are always cheaper option. The restaurant which remains everyone’s favorite is, Mouriya (http://www.mouriya.co.jp/indexe.html). It is located in the Sannomiya district of Kobe. If you have the time and money, it is a must do!!

Since I have been in Japan for a year, I have loads of recommendations, but these are all of my list toppers, if you want more info please google the recommendations or leave a comment and I will respond. I hope I have interested everyone in traveling to Japan.

Hotel Review: Westin Book Cadillac, Detroit, Michigan

During a recent trip to Detroit, I had the chance to stay at the Westin Book Cadillac which is Detroit’s newest four star hotel. I generally do not stay in hotels when I travel but sometimes I like to spoil myself. And as a lover of all things luxurious, I always opt for, four stars.

As I drove up to the Book Cadillac with the snow falling consistently around it, I felt like I had been transported to Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. The structure is amazing and its age shows the architectural prowess of the 1920s. When I pulled up to valet, I was immediately disappointed by the fact that they did not open my door and even more upset when I struggled to pull my luggage out of my trunk with absolutely no assistance from the two valet employees standing by. The last straw was when I opened the door to the hotel myself. Upon entering the hotel, I was wowed by the beauty of it all. Quite a magnificent site. My friend Crystal and I, headed up the escalator to check in. The staff was very friendly and after receiving our key we were on our way. We entered the room and were both impressed. It was cold so I immediately ran to turn up the heat. After about ten minutes of the temperature remaining at a cool 59 degrees, Crystal called down and was told that an engineer would call us to walk us through the problem. After fifteen minutes and no call back, she calls again. They decide that they will move us to a different room and someone would be up to get us shortly. After waiting about ten minutes, my patience is shot so we decide to head downstairs, check out and head for a different hotel.

When we reached the front desk, we tell them the situation and the manager comes out. By this point, I’ve already confirmed vacancies at another hotel. When the manager goes in to issue a refund she informs us that she cannot because the room was booked through a third party website. Ugh. At this point I’m losing it. I’m stuck in silence because of my anger so Crystal handles the move to a new room and the manager offers us complimentary breakfast. We get up to our new room and things seem to be intact. There is heat and after a quick phone call complimentary breakfast turned into complimentary dinner. After we ate, I head to the shower to prepare for our evening out on the town. I turn on the water and begin to search for the shampoo. None. Conditioner. None. Four stars? I think not. I forgo the washing of my hair and hop in the shower. To my surprise, the water was somewhere between lukewarm and cold. I don’t have much time so I soap up and rinse off as fast as possible.

On our way out I tell the employee at the front desk that we have no hot water, shampoo, or conditioner and that I expected it to be fixed by the time we got back. Upon our return I noticed shampoo and conditioner, but no hot water. So at about 2:30am a very nice and apologetic engineer comes to fix our hot water. Upon check out the next morning I shared all of my disappointments with another manager who in turn offered me two complimentary nights in a suite. And while I was amazed by the gesture, first impressions are lasting impressions.

Overall, The Book Cadillac gets a thumbs down from me. I would never stay there again, it is a gorgeous hotel masqurading as a four star establishment, but it is not quite there yet.