Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa

Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa

“The next best thing to the enjoyment of a good time, is the recollection of it. ~James Lendall Basford”

I like to have souvenirs of my good times. They help me transport to that past moment and relive it once again. Technology has made the accumulation of memories so very easy these days and I’ve taken full advantage of this. High quality photos, video and audio is available to everyone using today’s advanced smartphone technology. Motorola and I have teamed up this summer so that I can share with you on how I #NeverMissaMoment thanks to the Moto g4 plus and the Moto 360. The #NeverMissAMoment campaign challenged me to devise a summertime adventure to share with you.


There are so many possibilities when presented with a challenge like this but there is one place I couldn’t get out of my head: Ste. Anne’s Spa. It’s one of my oldest bucketlist items. When I was first discovering the joy of the spa experience, I learned about this award winning, all-inclusive spa resort situated in the Northumberland Hills of Ontario. People who went raved about it. However, when given the choice of Ste. Anne’s Spa or my yearly Whistler trip or Barbados the spa lost out every time. With Motorola, the perfect storm of opportunity presented itself and I was finally going to get Ste. Anne’s Spa experience.
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa

It lived up to all my expectations and more. I have an obsession with hammocks and one of the first things I saw on the property was this two-person hammock under a gazebo with wind chimes. I was in heaven. Hammocks were placed strategically around the property. This was the place for me. It was so easy to find quiet little spots away from everyone even though the spa was pretty booked up. The spa is on 400 acres of farm land and they have several trails on the property available to guests.

There are more than enough hot tubs, saunas and stream rooms on the property for everyone to enjoy. I was surprised at how quiet they were, especially the gorgeous outdoor grotto. It’s a testament to great design that you can feel alone while surrounded by many people.
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa

You can go to the Spa for a day but the magic happens when you book their overnight packages. The resort is all inclusive so they provide breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. They don’t serve alcohol but encourage guest to bring their own to enjoy with dinner. I was in a room off the main building called the Blue Room (yes, it had was full of beautiful blue things) but guests with large groups can book several of the private cottages found on the property. I had a magnificent sleep-in that room. I always realize the sleep injustice I’m doing to myself at home after perfect nights like ones experienced at Ste. Anne’s Spa.
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa
Post Thai Massage Smile at Ste. Anne’s Spa

Ste. Anne’s Spa introduced me to the magic that is Thai Massage. I was taken to an outdoor gazebo for my massage treatment. Ste. Anne’s Spa has several gazebos available in the summer for outdoor treatments. It’s absolutely magical being outside listening to the sounds of nature while the wind gently blows around you. My second treatment was the Contouring Mud Stone Wrap which is like a mud wrap and hot stone massage in one. There is something about being wrapped up like a burrito to stew in botanicals that is just wonderful. The final product of super soft skin is great but I love the whole process. I have high praises for the staff, their welcoming and unpretentious attitudes were very refreshing.
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa

My smartphone is so important to me for capturing my memories. I don’t carry a digital SLR so having a smartphone with a high quality camera is a must. I capture most of my photos with my smartphone so I need something that takes great photos quickly and easily. The Moto g4 Plus has a great 16MB camera. It took awhile to get used to the camera but I expected that. I haven’t explored the Professional mode options of the camera but I’m very happy with the results I’m getting on auto-mode. The quality of the action shots is incredible. I take a lot of photos of me in motion and the Moto g4 Plus delivered the most clear action shots.
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa
Check out the quality of the Moto g4 Plus macro-mode

Its macro-mode is pretty great too as I tested it at Ste. Anne’s Spa on their beautiful flowers. The details produced by the camera were pretty astonishing as I could see the tiniest details on the poppies so clearly. One of the few Motorola apps on the phone is for gestures. The camera and flashlight gestures are pretty damn handy. I’m don’t normally take advantage of these options in other phones but Motorola managed to make them seamless. I use the camera gesture a lot to capture those fleeting moments without wasting too much time getting to an app. I definitely had my smartphone out more than the average person and the spa encourages you to leave it in the room to escape the outside world. The camera gesture really helped in keeping my rampant smartphone use discreet. I’d whip out the Moto g4 Plus from my robe pocket, quickly snap a photo and put it back. Very handy. Ste. Anne’s Spa is so beautiful, I had to document my time there. I’m very bullish on this camera!
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa

I tried to take advantage of everything available to me at Ste. Anne’s. I did a yoga class an incredibly beautiful studio. Large windows allowed the summer breeze to pass through and the sounds of the wilderness to surround our practice.
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa
The incredible Yoga Studio at Ste. Anne’s Spa

I hiked the guest trails and used my Moto 360 to get nerdy about exercise stats. The Moto 360 has turned me into an exercise tracking nerd. I keep track of my yoga practice and make sure I’m hitting my daily step and activity time goals.


Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa

I’m not just saying this but I love this phone. It has a stock Android setup which is free of all the bloatware other manufacturers place on their devices. That decision by Motorola easily put the phone in the “hells yes!” category for me. I was sold on it just on this alone. Bloatware is a scourge and this move saved me so much storage space. Thankfully the other features continued to make me a big fan of the phone. It has a slot for a mini SD card expanding the 32GB device storage. Photos and videos always take up all my storage so this was another win. The screen is larger than my last phone but I’m enjoying the extra screen size and the quality of the display. Thanks to Motorola, I #NeverMissAMomentofTranquility with the Moto g4 Plus at my side. I love how beautiful all my photos and videos turned out of this special moment in my life.
Never Miss a Moment of Tranquility at Ste. Anne’s Spa
Post mud wrap glow at Ste. Anne’s Spa

You can follow the #NeverMissAMoment campaign by following the hashtag on your favourite social networks. Please check out Motorola Canada on Twitter at @moto_can and Instagram at @motoincan for all the latest updates.

This post was sponsored by Motorola Canada. The views and opinions expressed in this blog, however, are purely our own.

A Weekend at Deerhurst

A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario
A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario

I first heard of Deerhurst in 2002. I was working at my first software testing job after finishing my programming diploma. It was a startup and the executive team when to Deerhurst for retreat. They were partiers. It made for an amazing work environment at the time. I was in my 20s. I always imagined these retreats as booze filled, hazy weekends with little real work done. There are a few things that have stuck with me from those days: a friend, a crush and Deerhurst.

A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario
A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario

When the opportunity to visit Deerhurst came about from their owners Skyline International Development, I couldn’t say no. I finally would find out the secrets of this Deerhurst place. The itinerary planned certainly didn’t call for a booze filled, hazy weekend but a relaxing and blissful one. The resort is 800 acres of beautiful wilderness on Peninsula Lake in Muskoka. I haven’t driven north of the city in a very long time and I forgot how beautiful Ontario can be. The leaves were still holding onto the fall colours so the drive was marked by swaths of orange, reds, browns and yellows that contrasted with the ragged, rolling hills of the Canadian Shield. It’s hard to believe that this Precambrian rock that covers a good portion of Canada is more than 3.96 billion years old. The Shield gets its name because it resembles the shape of a warrior’s shield. It was an easy drive with little traffic. It’s 2.5 hours north of Toronto and I can’t imagine how long it takes on a weekend in the summer.

A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario
A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario

Even though I had this slow burning interest in Deerhurst over the years I was pretty ignorant of what it was all about until trip details were arranged and we drove up the winding road to the parking lot. The resort and Peninsula Lake are way larger than I expected. I’m not sure why I couldn’t reconcile that fact when I saw them rendering and model of the new lakefront expansion Skyline International Development is planning at the resort about a month earlier. Deerhurst is old! It’s been around since 1896. Muskoka is a celebrated vacation retreat area since the 19th century. I always thought of it as just cottage country and the playground of Southern Ontario (apologies to folks that live there) than a vacation destination advertised to people in magazines and papers. I learned that Deerhurst is just like any other resort with all the fixings organized activities, on site spa, indoor & outdoor pools, fitness center, golf, games rooms, water sports, snow sports, restaurants, conference spaces and musical entertainment. Deerhurst is open all year round so it’s not just a summer destination. The resort has activities for all seasons. Guests and choose from rooms and condos. Rooms are located in the main Pavilion or Lakeside. These rooms provide a traditional hotel experience. Condos on the other hand come in 1, 2 or 3 bedroom varies. The condos aren’t attached to the Pavilion but located in a wooded enclave or overlooking the golf course. The condos come fully equipped with a complete kitchen, living room, fireplace and balcony.

A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario
A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario

Skyline provided us with a 3 bedroom condo. It was massive and we each had our own bathroom. I can’t stress how important this is in a condo vacation space. There was a TV in each of the spacious bedrooms and while we didn’t use them I can absolutely see the value in that decision. So many fights have been averted because of a few extra TVs. The free Wi-Fi access was reliable and I didn’t notice any dead spots anywhere. When I was in Barbados in August our Wi-Fi signal was strongest outside on the balcony. Thankfully, there wasn’t any mosquitoes and the temperature was in the high 20s at night. It was a bit annoying. We stayed one night but I had the most wonderful sleep on that bed. It was so quiet compared to sounds of the city that lulls me to sleep each night. They seem so much louder on the 16th floor so having the silence was special. The bathrooms had amazing water pressure and were a good size. My only complaint is that the bathroom fans are pretty loud. Not a big deal during the day but gets a bit precarious in the mornings and late at night.

A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario
A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario

Our weekend itinerary included 2 spa appointments, lunch, dinner and brunch. Saturday was rainy so we didn’t get to explore the grounds. There are some short hiking trails on the resort grounds. Guests have access to many activities that are free to guests like golf, tennis, bocce, volleyball and ping pong. There is a beautiful indoor pool in The Pavilion that is beautiful and lets in a lot of natural light. There is a fitness centre and a seasonal outdoor pool. For an extra fee, guests can choose from horseback riding, ATV tours, interactive petting zoo, indoor rock climbing, pony rides and outdoor paintball. The resort experience isn’t complete without live entertainment. Deerhurst has HIT L!ST Live which is famous as the place where Shania Twain’s career began. The cutest activity option is the Build your own Deerhurst teddy bear kit. It contains everything you need to create your own teddy bear for $20.

A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario
A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario

We had lunch at the Maple Pub and then when to the Shizen Spa. We were treated to the October Spa Special which featured a hydrating facial, back massage and aroma wax foot treatment. The special would be perfect for first time spa goers as it gives a good introduction to the spa experience. We hit the pool after our spa treatments and lounged for moment. Dinner was at the Eclipse Restaurant which is found in the beautiful Pavilion building. I just loved the ceiling height and wooden arches splaying out everywhere. The weekend was on a roll and dinner was excellent. We each ordered the steak options and some appetizers to share. Even though we had a full kitchen in the condo it was superb having the option of someone else doing the cooking.After dinner we got into our pj’s and watched The Man from Uncle on the living room TV. The gas fireplace going made the living room super cozy.

A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario
A weekend at Deerhurst, Huntsville, Ontario

I had an incredible night’s sleep. I’m starved for that kind of quality of sleep. It was so quiet. I usually only hear that level of quiet when I’m in Whistler. I would have liked to spend more time with that bed. I opened the curtains to discover no rain and a partly cloudy sky. Cooperative weather for exploring and photos in between buffet brunches and massages. Brunch was back at the Eclipse Restaurant. It was full featured with everything a good brunch buffet should have: a good selection of lunch and breakfast options with a massive dessert table and multiple juice options. Like all great brunches there were roast beef and omelette stations. After brunch was another spa appointment. A 60 minute massage was the perfect way to finish off our quick trip to Deerhurst. Corrinna is a miracle worker. My back was reset to pre “stressful project at the day job” levels. I relished in this wonderful feeling body I had been granted by these magic hands. We explored the grounds a little bit since the sun had fully came out. I really wish we had more time as I would have liked to explore the trails and see Deerhurst Lookout but the city and Monday called. So this Deerhurst trip dispelled a lot of notions in had. While I’m sure there have been some drunken nights for people here, Deerhurst is a family resort. There are many activity options to keep people happy. If that doesn’t work the TV entertainment options and free Wi-Fi should keep anyone occupied. I have to thank Skyline International Development for the opportunity to solve a mystery in my life and get a taste of a Deerhurst experience.

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Categorized as Travel

LAX LAS Diaries 2011 – Departure and loving my Rimowa Suitcase

The last time I got on a plane was in February and I decided it was time I went somewhere on vacation. I hadn’t left Ontario for 7 months, it was beginning to wear on me. I needed to get out. My friend Marija lives in Las Vegas. I documented my last trip there in 2008 on I want – I got. It was a blast but I didn’t expect she would be there long. Well, here we are four years later and even she’s bought a house in the Vegas suburbs. That is how Las Vegas became part of my trip.

My newlywed friends Paul and Lauren live in Santa Monica. In August 2010, I flew to Los Angeles to visit them because of a perk I received from Klout for the doomed Virgin Airlines route YYZ to LAX/SFO. Santa Monica became part of the trip since I was heading west to Las Vegas already and it wasn’t far away. I’m also in love with Santa Monica and California living. Oceans, mountains and desert oh my. Like Whistler, I can see Santa Monica becoming a place I have to visit on a yearly basis.

So, I booked myself a six day vacation spending three days in Santa Monica and the next three in Las Vegas. I used Flight Centre to book the tickets because I wanted to fly into LAX and leave out of LAS. I did some research myself but wanted to see if they could find cheaper options. They did! I left my Santa Monica to Las Vegas travel up in the air at the time of booking.

I’ve received many emails from the Rimowa PR team over the years but I’ve never written about them or looked at the product up close. They have a store in Yorkville but I’m not in the market for luggage so I never go in. I travel so infrequently and my current suitcases are functional. However, I finally got to see Rimowa suitcases in person at the A2Zane store opening. I spoke with Dezaray Romanelli, Toronto Store Manager and she showed me a selection of cases. They were really, really nice. I was offered a suitcase to test drive and it couldn’t be better timing. Plans were made and a lovely Salsa Deluxe 3 Suiter in chocolate brown was delivered to my office.

Rimowa Salsa Deluxe 3 Suiter

I never thought I was the type of person to rave about a suitcase but I’m going to do just that. I love the Rimowa Salsa Deluxe 3 Suiter. I’ve never had a more pleasant suitcase experience. I didn’t battle my suitcase at all this trip. The ease of use and design of the Rimowa was something that worked to make my travel experience easy. The Multiwheel system made the suitcase glide over any surface. The four wheels meant no tilting. I totally had a smug traveller look going at YYZ while effortlessly pushing the Rimowa suitcase and me wearing my Moncler S trench, Hudson Jeans, Jeremy Laing sweater and Dries Van Noten boots.



It also has an integrated TSA combination lock. It allows Airport officials to open the case without damage to the lock and your contents remain secure. The Polycarbonate shell is extremely strong, light and stable. The shell has a bit of flexibility and can take a beating. The telescopic handle is adjustable and comfortable for a variety of heights.

Rimowa Salsa Deluxe 3 Suiter

I love the dual chamber system which is a feature of the Salsa Deluxe 3 Suiter. It contains a garment bag with integrated shirt pocket. I died, a fucking garment bag and hangers included. No more would I pack the most casual of clothing when traveling. I have a garment bag now. It’s time to break out the good stuff and no wrinkles. The chamber system keeps things in order even when half full with it’s Velcro and divider adjustment system. I liked having the compartments in the suitcase. It allowed for me to keep different parts of my wardrobe physically separate from each other. I didn’t even come close to packing this suitcase to the limits. If anything, I packed way too much. There is so much going for this suitcase due to the features but it’s also special because Rimowa manufactures their suitcases in Canada! I love supporting local manufacturing (even if the company is German in this case).

So, I came back from my trip a die hard Rimowa fan. If I traveled a lot for business or pleasure I would definitely invest in a Rimowa suitcase. The Salsa Deluxe 3 Suiter model I test drove retails for around $800. I was heartbroken when I handed the suitcase back to the courier. Bye, bye Rimowa. You were lovely.

Travalo

I was sent another great travel gadget last year that I utilized on this trip, the Travalo. It’s a refillable perfume atomizer that meets the in cabin travel requirements. It’s really quick and easy to refill without spillage. It carries enough fragrance for 50 sprays. It’s made of aluminium and contains no glass. This really made taking my favourite D&G Anthology L`Amoureaux 6 Fragrance with me on this trip. It comes in a massive bottle and I’m too frightened to pack it in my suitcase (even with the Rimowa, ha ha). They are so small you could pack a few with you on a trip with all your favourites. I know I could have taken another with me for Fan du Fendi. Travalo is available at Shopper’s Drug Mart in Toronto. It retails for around $15.99 and comes in a variety of colours.

Chilling in YYZ utilizing the free wifi
Chilling in YYZ utilizing the free wifi

I took Air Canada to LAX which was a breeze to be honest. The customs line was empty and I arrived with plenty of time before departure. I don’t usually like talking to people when flying but I sat besides an adorable and nice couple.

I arrived at LAX midday on November 24 and the airport was dead despite it being Thanksgiving Day. I was worried about crowds but traveling the day of the holiday seemed to be okay. The weather was fabulous and I was looking forward to three days filled with friends, museums and food. Oh and a little shopping.

This is the first part of the LAX/LAS Diaries 2011 series. Stay tuned for more.

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Categorized as LAX, Travel

I want – I got takes Vancouver and Whistler – Visiting Orb Clothing

Orb Clothing Fall Winter 2011 - 2012 Preview

During the Vancouver portion of my trip, I visited Orb’s Vancouver flagship store and headquarters. Orb is a Vancouver based women’s sport lifestyle clothing line that started in 2001. Orb is part of the Global Collective Design company, established by Vancouverites by Glenn Taylor and Leslie Lee in 1992. The Global Collective Design company now has two labels that they design and produce: Arson and Orb.  The two brands also have sub brands Orion and Orb Outerwear.

Orb is empowered. The intent of Orb is to inspire all to live empowered lives of generosity; creating and attracting brilliance, beauty and well-being. The Orb design triad of mind, body and soul represents an active, fashion-forward lifestyle, designed to enhance the momentum of people engaged in living purposeful lives – to live like you mean it!

Orb Clothing Spring Summer 2011

Orb is very big on corporate responsibility and have implemented ways of reducing waste in their business practices. You can read more about those initiatives on the Orb website. They also have manufacturing initiatives to reduce harmful chemicals. They also incorporate organic cotton, polyester from bamboo, and recycled polyester content in their clothing.

Orb Clothing Spring Summer 2011

I learned a bit about the company during my visit and got a tour of the new spring summer 2011 collection. Of course, I had to play a bit of dress up too. The collection is west coast style casual. Easy going, a bit girly and comfortable.

Orb Clothing Spring Summer 2011

This season is teaming with wearable, feminine fabrics, mens suit tailoring and gorgeous accents. We cannot wait for your feedback and are excited to support you as we all transition into the Fall season.
Mind: A collection inspired this season by mystical worldly themes. Mineral textured prints, tribal graphics and prismatic displays create a bright, bold, new and exciting silhouettes.
Body: This collection is designed after the athleticism and femininity of a ballerina. Two strong characteristics working together create a truly beautiful presence.
Soul: The romance and discovery come through in this vintage inspired collection. An elegance combined with modern simplicity echoes the excitement of finding a new place for thought, growth and exploration.(source)

Orb Clothing Spring Summer 2011

My favourite pieces of the collection were the jackets and hoodies. Actually, the blazer inspired modified fleece jacket called the Loft in the photo above has replaced my Wilfred Diderot Sweater as my most favourite comfy fleece sweater. Orb generously gave me the Loft sweater and Sonora slouchy t-shirt in the very on trend cantaloupe colour from their Spring collection.

Orb Clothing Fall Winter 2011 - 2012 Preview

Orb Outerwear is the technical outerwear component to the brand which revolves around snow sports of course. Their aim is to produce quality technical snow gear living up to Orb’s corporate responsibility standards. Snowboarding is the snow sport of choice and they sponsor several women riders each year. The Fall Winter 2011 collection was on the 2nd floor of the store and I got a little sneak peek at what’s to come in the next season.

Orb Clothing Fall Winter 2011 - 2012 Preview

Orb Clothing Fall Winter 2011 - 2012 Preview

The fall winter 2011 collection of outerwear continues to bring bright colours with a good number of neon pieces. Neon is the biggest trend I saw on the mountain this year. It wasn’t as popular during my last trip in 2008 and it’s exploded in 2011. I saw it everywhere and I really, really enjoyed it. I want bright and obnoxious ski outerwear now. I would even like to have neon equipment and be a bright beacon on the mountain. I bet you could even see me in the worst of whiteout conditions.

Whistler

Since it was a skiing trip, Orb also gave me an Esther jacket and Patrol base layer. The ocean green of the jacket matched with the magenta of my K2 pants perfectly. The jacket and base layer combined with other gear were a perfect combo. I was never cold or damn and sweaty. The only thing I didn’t like were the snap buttons. They were hard to close when you had gloves on. Eventually one popped off which surprised me a lot. It wasn’t in a real strategic location so I just shrugged and continued on with my activities. The Esther jacket wasn’t a very technical jacket as it was more street style designed. I’m very curious to see what their higher end technical jackets perform like next season. I think they’d be very good.

See all the photos from my visit to Orb in Vancouver

There are a few shops in the GTA that carry Orb, you can find them and some online retailers on the website.
See all my Whistler Photos on flickr.com and Videos on vimeo.com

I want – I got takes Vancouver and Whistler – ROXY All Star Snow Camp

Roxy Snow Camp

I wasn’t interested in snowboarding. I was a happy skier who didn’t really understand the appeal of these kids riding around on one plank and their feet strapped to it. Thanks to Seema Dhillon and Kelly Etsell of Roxy was provided the opportunity to learn how to snowboard with the ROXY All Star Snow Camp at Whistler Blackcomb.

Roxy Snow Camp

The Roxy Snow Camp is a two day snowboard and ski camp for legal age women of all abilities from absolute beginner to experts. The idea of the camp is to give women a chance to learn or improve in a women friendly environment. All the instructors are amazing women riders who are there to impart their wisdom to the attendees. It’s pretty cool to have these great role models to learn from and break the male stereotype of hardcore riders.

This program is designed for women over the age of 19 in all skill levels from their first stages of skiing to those who like to dabble in the park. This is a warm positive environment that will help you get to that next level. You’ll get great coaching from top level female skiers to help you along and the après is a riot, complete with your new friends, a few prizes and lots of the day’s triumphs to share. Meet in the morning and start the day with coffee and muffins. Plus special shopping benefits at the Quiksilver Store in Whistler, BC.(source)

Roxy Snow Camp

Day 1 was led by Nina a 10+ year snowboarder. She was only 22. Nina let me know that the Roxy instructors were warned of my (the blogger) arrival and that they must be awesome. I was a little surprised to hear this but I laughed. I guess my reputation is going to proceed me in certain situations. This could be a good thing. There were three girls in my group which was perfect. We learned some of the absolute basics like board terminology, how to use the bindings and the difference between goofy and regular foot. We learned some basic movements in the morning like proper snowboarding stance, heel edge & toe edge slides. After lunch we worked on how to do toe edge and heel edge turns individually. Once we got the two parts down, it was time to string them together into a complete movement of heel to toe edge turning.

Roxy Snow Camp

Nina was an amazing instructor. She was articulate when describing what we needed to do with out bodies and when correcting our mistakes. It’s really helpful when learning when your instructor knows the mechanics and can describe them in a way that is easy to understand and emulate. By the end of the day, I was able to put the turns together without falling too much. Day 2 would see us get on a chairlift and do some longer and steeper runs. The hardest thing of Day 1 wasn’t the falling or learning the movements; it was sequesterment to the bunny hill and magic carpet. Eric came to visit me and laugh at my turns towards the end of the day. He also rubbed in that it was puking up top and the conditions were awesome.

Roxy Snow Camp

Snowboarding and skiing couldn’t be anymore different. The easiest analogy I can use to describe it to skiers that have never touched a snowboard is that Snowboarding is all about letting go and skiing is more about holding on tight. Of course the there are the differences in equipment: a single board and way, way more comfortable shoes. No poles to worry about and only single edges. Upper body movement and pressure on the lead knee is how you steer in snowboarding. You swing your upper body and the board follows. This requires a degree of trust that your board will follow that isn’t present in skiing. Both require a lot of leg strength and snowboarding works the knees like crazy. If your legs are straight in snowboarding you are in trouble which explains the relaxed, slack snowboarder stance. The stand, turn and sit principle applies to both sports with a major difference being that in skiing you want to keep your shoulders and upper body facing down the mountain as much as possible for control. You legs absorb the bumps and you use lower body leaning to catch edges for turning. If your shoulders are facing down the mountain in snowboarding you probably picking up a ton of speed and might be in a wee bit of trouble if you can’t initiate a heel or toe edge turn. One of the biggest fears to get over in snowboarding is letting yourself point the board down the mountain during turns. As a beginner, turns would go from an edge (heel or toe depending on how you are starting) to the board being flat to another edge. Trying to skip the flat board transition often resulted in catching an edge at the wrong time and a major faceplant or butt fall. You can see some of my wipeouts from this incorrect transition in my videos.

I think snowboarding is easier to learn than skiing. You don’t have all the equipment to worry about. Progress comes more quickly in snowboarding than skiing. I remember my first lessons as a child, we didn’t touch poles until we got our snowplow down. Once we graduated to poles there was all the instruction in learning how to turn with legs together. I definitely didn’t pick it up in over two days. I spend many years in lessons to get to the level I’m at now.

Roxy Snow Camp

I awoke for day two without any major body parts hurting. Even my butt was fine. I was stoked for learning how to navigate a chairlift on a board and getting some longer, steeper runs in. My day one mate, Sarah and I moved to Myia’s group on day two as we were ready to head up the lift for more challenging practice. Myia, like Nina, was amazing. She was very articulate, enthusiastic and supportive. Sarah and I learned a lot from her on Sunday. Our first foray on the Magic chair was successful and no one fell the first time. We wouldn’t be fall free that day but as Eric said to me, everyone falls. We did a few longer runs practicing out turning and control before Myia proclaimed that we could head up the Wizard chair for more difficult and longer green runs. As the day progressed my fears eased and I got a lot more aggressive with my turns and speed. That aggressiveness caused some wipeout but I learned from each of those. After few more green runs, Myia saw that the group was progressing enough to tackle some blue runs. It was intimidating a first and I bailed a lot on the first blue run we tackled. As the fears eased the blue runs became easier to manage and falling became less of an issue. It was great to finally experience more of the mountain on a board.

I was ecstatic. Here I am, someone who has never touched a snowboard before, taking on intermediate runs. I was getting hooked on snowboarding. The feeling of putting those turns together isn’t something I can describe. It’s like catching a wave on a board and once your hooked like a crackhead always chasing the next fix. I was beginning to understand these snowboarders and why people give up skiing to board. I was slowly being converted to the darkside. Thoughts of buying boarding equipment were entering my mind. I could use the horrible skiing in Collingwood as a snowboarding training ground for my next trip to Whistler. I want to be a mountain renaissance woman who skis and snowboards with ease. How freaking cool would that be? The weather conditions would dictate whether I ski or snowboard that day. People who do both tell me that they leave their skis at home on deep pow days as snowboarding is really like surfing on those days. The thought is like a virus slowly taking over my brain. I couldn’t drop snowboarding after these two days and return to skiing; it has to continue.

Roxy Snow Camp

Myia and Nina were both really impressed with my progress over the two days. I never did tell them that I was a former athlete and pick up sports pretty quickly. My friend Andrew has called me an amazing natural athlete, which is a major compliment from him.  Soccer, field hockey, basketball, track and volleyball were my sports in high school. I went to Junior nationals for Long and Triple jump back in my university days. All that training and body awareness helped me in picking up snowboarding so quickly.

Roxy Snow Camp

The Roxy Snow Camp is really for all ages. I figured I’d be the oldest but at après I met women in their 40s learning how to handle the jumps in the snowboard park. It was inspiring. I would recommend this camp to any women who are in Whistler and are looking for instruction. I got so much out of the camp that I’m giddy about it. I went into the camp with a goal to be able to turn and ride green runs without falling all over the place. The excellent teaching from Nina and Myia blew my goal out of the water. I never expected to board intermediate runs from the top of the Jersey Cream chair.

The camp is great value of the money. You get amazing instruction for two days in small groups. There were some women who got one on one instruction because there was only one person in their level. Private instruction at Whistler Blackcomb runs around $700/day including lift ticket and rentals. The Roxy Camp is $265 including a lift ticket and $199 without. Season’s pass holders get $50 off and the Edge Card gets you $35 off. There is a cool Roxy All Star Snow Camp hoodie for each camper and a little après ski with snacks and beer. You really can’t beat the camp in terms of value. Rental equipment if needed isn’t included in the camp fees. There are two more Roxy Snow Camps this year (March 18 – 19 and April 9 – 10, 2011) and they are filling up fast.   The camp is very popular with good reason.

Roxy graciously provided me access to the Roxy Snow Camp free of charge.
See all my Whistler Photos on flickr.com and Videos on vimeo.com

I want – I got takes Vancouver and Whistler – Skiing Whistler Blackcomb

Whistler Peak

My first 4 days in Whistler were spent skiing, sleeping and eating. I kept up with the blogging a bit. I tried to keep up with the fashion weeks unsuccessfully. Once the craving for sleep got to me the blogging dropped off. I usually ski 4 or 5 days in a row while in Whistler. This trip I did 7 days. Two of those days were spent learning to snowboard at the Roxy Snow Camp. My body is hurting.

Whistler Peak

I did a lot of skiing alone this trip. My friend Eric came out a few times but had to work. He’s a local and has a season’s pass so he gets out a lot. I’m very jealous of his lifestyle. Eric likes to tease me with text messages about the conditions while I’m sitting at my desk in the Financial District. It’s absolute torture. I was hoping to meet up with my friend Mo who took me on my first double black diamond runs that last time I was in Whistler. Our paths weren’t meant to cross this trip and we didn’t get to meet up. It was a shame since I knew he would push me to try other double blacks I could handle. To be safe I didn’t get to some of the runs I wanted to. One of the first statements of the Alpine Responsibility Code is to ride with a buddy.

7th Heaven on Blackcomb Mountain

Flute Bowl is a part of Whistler Mountain that taunts and tempts me every season. It requires a 20-30 minute bootpack up the Flute Ridge (find correct name). The bootpack I’ve affectionately dubbed the death march. The death march, it looks like hell but the rewards are amazing. The death march really deters people from riding the Flute Bowl which means pristine conditions and deep pow. On my list was Spanky’s Ladder which leads into the Gemstone bowls (Garnet, Sapphire, Ruby and Diamond). I skipped out on doing a lot of crazy stuff I wasn’t familiar with at all when alone. I still had an amazing time. I rode favourite areas of both mountain like 7th Heaven, Blackcomb Glacier, Peak to Creek, Symphony and Harmony.

Whistler Day 1

The last time I was in Whistler they were building the Peak 2 Peak gondola that would link Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. It’s the only gondola of it’s kind in the world.

Spanning the distance between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, the new world record-breaking PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola is a breathtaking, 4.4-kilometre journey to infinite possibilities. Redefining the Whistler summer experience by creating limitless new ways to get up-close-and-personal with the mountains, this engineering marvel breaks three world records.

  • Longest unsupported span of 3.024 kilometres
  • Highest lift of its kind at 436 metres above the valley floor
  • Completes the longest continuous lift system on the globe(source)

Peak to Peak

I was slightly scared my first trip across. There are only four towers and gondolas usually have many towers to get you from place to place. There is beautiful view of Fitzsmmons creek (which I ziplined across) and the valley between both mountains. I didn’t get a chance to ride one of the two glass bottomed gondolas. That would have been cool.

Peak to Peak

The first day on the mountain was painful. I didn’t do any leg training ahead of time, even though I said I would. I had to take a lot of breaks. I even had a beer which is something I never do when riding. It got better over the next days and I was able to handle runs over 6 kilometres without stopping all the time.

Whistler

Orb Clothing provided me a jacket and base layer. It wasn’t one of their more technical jackets but it worked well. It was waterproof, breathable and combined with my 4 base layers it was really warm, too warm some days. My only issue was the buttons. They were hard to snap on with gloves and one popped off on my sixth day on the mountain. I’m still wearing my K2 pants from when was 18. I love the colour but I need an upgrade to something waterproof and windproof. I way over packed for this trip. I could halved my clothing budget as I spent most of my time in gear or PJs.

Whistler Peak

The weather was a mixed bag. I saw the whole gamut of options: clear and sunny, overcast or snowy. The weather always changes in the mountains and you take what you are given. On Wednesday, a storm came into the area and closed many of the chairs heading up the mountain. Creekside was pretty much shutdown. Eric and I caught one of the last rides up the mountain. We didn’t get too far after that and headed over to the Whistler village side of things which was marginally better. The alpine saw winds of around 100 km/hr and really low visibility. That probably was the worst day I had but I still went out and rode what I could. It was a good day for warming up after my hurting day 1 on Tuesday.

Glacier Chair

Thursday was the best day. The storm of Wednesday dropped some good snow and there was some pow to be had. I was skiing alone again so I avoided a lot of the unknown fun stuff. First order of business was 7th Heaven on Blackcomb which offers some beautiful views and great gladed skiing. It lives up to the name in spades.

Blackcomb Glacier

I also made a point of hitting up the Blackcomb Glacier which is my absolute favourite spot on the mountains. The glacier is so immense. The sheer enormity of the place can’t be captured in pictures even with a wide angle lens. If you look at my photos taken from the top of the glacier you’ll see some little black specs that could be mistaken for noise. Those are people, that’s how big it is. When you finally ride out of the large glacier there is a 10km cat track that takes you back to the Excelerator chair where you can head back to the glacier if you have the patience for two more chairlifts, t-bar and a small bootpack. In all it’s probably about 13km from the top of the glacier to the end. A lot of distant to cover for one run, take that Collingwood.

Blackcomb Glacier

Monday, my last day on the mountain, was phenomenal too. It was sunny and clear for most of the day and the views of the Rocky mountain range from the alpine area were insanely beautiful. I felt really good that day despite the two days of snowboarding and using different muscles than skiing. I probably did about 25km of skiing that day. Blackcomb Glacier was revisited to see it on a clear day. I also did my favourite run Peak to Creek twice which is a 6km run from the peak of Whistler mountain all the way to the base at Creekside. Monday was a major mileage day.

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Whistler Blackcomb is why I can’t be bothered to ski in Ontario anymore. You go from runs that could take anywhere from 30 – 45 minutes to less than 5. It  just doesn’t sit well with me anymore. Of course black diamonds in Ontario don’t even come close to what you see in the mountains. Double black diamonds are just none existent.

See all my Whistler Photos on flickr.com and Videos on vimeo.com

I want – I got takes Vancouver and Whistler – Vancouver Stopover

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Getting to Vancouver was hell. I missed my flight with the perfect seat setup. I ended up on another one that way flying to Hong Kong. It was huge 777  the 3-4-3 seat configuration. I had a middle seat. It sucked, but thank god I was so damn tired that I slept the whole way. I was totally off my vacation vibe and was a super stress ball. That disappeared when I saw Denise and her car at the airport. Denise is the wife of my one of my best friends from childhood, Andrew. Denise is awesome. She arranged a surprise reunion with Andrew and I on my last trip out west to hit up Whistler. Facebook is how she tracked me down. I posted about being on the west coast and the rest was history. It was great to reconnect as we hadn’t spoken in a several years.

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The weather in Vancouver was a trip. It was like Toronto, cold and snowy. I was astonished and sad. Where was my 12 degrees dammit! I heeded the warnings and decided to pack like it was Toronto. After lunch, my first order of business was to watch Andrew play soccer with his team. Soccer is Andrew’s game and I’ve seen him play many times. Andrew has coached teams I played on in high school. Yes, I was going to watch Andrew play in the cold and snow. I didn’t know who to feel sorry for me or Andrew at first. It was cold and horrible. After the game started I knew that my sympathy needed to goto the players. The pitch and ball were slippery. It was a messy, sloppy game of football. Despite that Andrew’s team won and he scored the winning goal. It was a great welcoming moment watching Andrew do the airplane celebration down the field.

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Denise prepared a wonderful home cooked meal and my plans to hit the Tiki Bar at the Waldorf Hotel disappeared. The crazy snowstorm didn’t help the situation either. Seriously, it was like Toronto and depressing. Sunday was another day of failed plans with friends of the family. I was just tired from the commute the day before. I planned to do more in Vancouver but I promptly got very lazy on arrival and didn’t get everything I wanted to.  I did keep one commitment on Sunday. I attended an Oscar party at the Opus Bar.  The next day I paid a visit to Orb Clothing and got a peek at the new fall collection.  I went to bed early to catch the 5am bus to Whistler Tuesday morning.

See all my Whistler Photos on flickr.com and Videos on vimeo.com

I want – I got takes Vancouver and Whistler

Vancouver this morning. Where the hell am I?  Feels like back home
Vancouver Sunday morning. Where the hell am I? Feels like back home

 

Hello my dear readers,

I’m on vacation. I’m in beautiful British Columbia right now hanging out with friends in Vancouver. Tomorrow I’m heading up to Whistler for some fun ski times. I’ll be keeping you up to date on my adventures. I’ll be trying to keep an almost regular schedule here on the blog with my travel updates in between.

Things will return to normal when I get back on March 9.

Cheers
Anita

LAX Diaries – Day 4

LAX Diaries - Day 4

When I got up Monday morning I appreciated the SoCal sun. It doesn’t usually come out till after noon so you can sleep in and not feel guilty about missing the day. The weather by the ocean was overcast with clear breaks. When it’s sunny, it’s fantastic and you fall in love. Hell, when it’s overcast you fall in love; it doesn’t rain. I decided to check out the shopping at the 3rd Street Promenade. It was very close to the ocean. I first stopped at the Le Pain Quotidien and had Organic Red Quinoa salad with arugula, chickpeas and artichoke. Paul and Lauren’s original choice for breakfast/lunch was closed. This lunch put me on a quinoa kick and I’m making salad often at home using both regular and red quinoa.

3rd Street Promenade is pretty much all chain stores. That is something I noticed a lot of in my travels. I didn’t make a list of cool shops to visit before I left and I regret that. I really want to see what independent clothing retailers are doing. I went into J.Crew to see what the fuss was about. It just reminded me of Banana Republic. I’m not getting the hype but think the jewellery is interesting.

LAX Diaries - Day 4

I finally made my way to the pier. It was overcast at first but then the sun came out and it was glorious. I couldn’t have asked for a better final day. I hung out on the pier and watched the people fishing. I managed to snap a man pulling up a skate he caught. I didn’t get a snap of the solitary sea-lion that bobbed his way under the pier and out the other side.  It’s very touristy but the crowd size is manageable during the week.  You can get your picture taken with cheap cutouts of celebrities or your name written on rice.  There were all sorts of entertainers from musicians to guys in suits. The pier musicians filled the air with their music which was creepy and beautiful at the same time. Hopefully, this video I took can convey that.

LAX Diaries - Day 4

The most curious thing for me was watching Batman, Catwoman and The Joker from the pier.  It was a trio of three people in very good suits standing around and interacting with people.  I expected their to be money involved but they happily posed for photos without requiring payment.  This was bizarre to me, who the hell spends their day in costume at the beach.  Welcome to LA, this is what goes down. I spent a lot of time on Santa Monica pier on Monday. It’s so weird seeing it get destroyed in movies now. I get the same feeling with when I see that Randy’s Donuts place just outside LAX too.

LAX Diaries - Day 4

I walked north along the beach to check out the oceanside property. Wow, there are some great homes along the shore. They all had balconies and enclosed backyards facing the ocean. The only problem is that they are right up against the bike paths which are high traffic areas. I’m curious how loud it can get at night but it seems the cops patrol the trails frequently on ATVs. I grabbed a seat and finished reading my book. Heaven is a book and the beach. I really could get used to this lifestyle.

I was very anti-LA before my trip. I never wanted to visit. Paul, my friend in Santa Monica, uses to live in San Fran and I wanted to go there. I was a bit gutted when he told me he moved to LA. This trip has turned me into a LA (well,Santa Monica really) convert. This trip prompted me to learn more about just what parts of southern California make up LA country and city. Santa Monica is its own city but it’s surrounded by the city LA, that had confused me.  It’s all LA county which adds to more confusion.

LA trends I noticed: the covered sandal gets way more attention here than in Toronto. I was indifference to these ugly sandals in Toronto to hating them by the end of the trip. Every female has long hair. I guess it’s the Californian girl look. My short hair got looks and the occasional rude comment. SoCal has a look that I don’t fit into. I was always wondering if it was the hair or the neon green Prada sunglasses people where staring at. Anyways, being ignored by men in California is fine with me as I’m ignored in Toronto and I’d rather have LA weather and ocean. I’d totally revert back to my old sporty self and I could easily assimilated into the West Coast lifestyle. My last dinner was at Sushi Roku. I was told that LA has good sushi but Paul says San Fran is better.

I took the red-eye home and the flight was uneventful (thank god). Still hate the headrest on the seats and didn’t get a very good sleep. I was very thankful I took Tuesday off from work so I didn’t have to walk into the office from the airport suitcase in hand. I love LA and plan to return again soon.

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LAX Diaries – Day 3

LAX Diaries - Day 3
Sunday started out with brunch in Malibu at Moonshadows (20356 Pacific Coast Highway). This restaurant is the most beautiful place I’ve ever eaten at. It overlooks the ocean and it takes your breath away. We were dive bombed by very large seagulls at times but it was totally worth it. This spot really solidified the need of oceans and mountains in my life. Moonshadows is called one of the world’s best beach bars and I can understand why.
LAX Diaries - Day 3

The west coast is calling me big time. I didn’t expect to love southern California but it was becoming apparent that I was drinking the koolaid hard and fast. I love desert weather, Las Vegas exposed me to it and LA perfected it. Santa Monica is a beautiful place with tree-lined streets and non cookie cutter homes. That was something I noticed a lot, homes with individual personalities. I learned there are no basements and wood dwellings are hard to come by. This is apparently because of earthquakes, termites and cockroaches.
LAX Diaries - Day 3

After brunch it was a trip into Hollywood. Paul took me to the Griffith Observatory where one of my favourite movies of all time was filmed, Rebel Without a Cause. There is even a bust of James Dean on the property. The Observatory sits 1,134 feet above sea level on the southern side of Mount Hollywood in Griffth Park. You get great views of LA. The Observatory is very popular for tourists and hikers as there are trails that allow you to explore the hillside in Griffth Park.

LAX Diaries - Day 3

The Griffth Observatory has some great features like the statues to Astronomy’s fathers which I totally nerded out over.  There is a sundial, that of course, keeps excellent time.
LAX Diaries - Day 3

After the observatory it was time to take a trip down Hollywood Blvd and check out the Kodak and Chinese Theater. The entertainment aspect of Hollywood is the only thing that turns me off of the place. Hollywood Blvd was a great example of that. It was chocked full of tourists and typical cheesy stuff like getting your own star on the walk of fame. It was interesting to the see the hand and footprints from celebs though. I was most interested in old Hollywood and cringed whenever I heard “Who is that?” from some ignorant tourist. Who is that to Rosalind Russell, are you KIDDING ME!!!

LAX Diaries - Day 3

The ride back to Santa Monica had a few sights: Fairfax high school where the Red Hot Chili Peppers met (This is important to the teenage RHCP fan me listening to Fight Like a Brave and professing my love for Anthony Kiedis); Melrose Ave which I didn’t stroll down :(, the diner from Pulp Fiction and the CBS studios. The night was low-key as Paul and Lauren were working the next day. It was Monday after all. So we had dinner at a very excellent organic vegan restaurant called Real Food Daily. I had the Ceasar salad with Tempeh bacon and a Red Hed Juice (Beet, carrot, celery, apple, ginger). I’m told the desserts are also very good here. I spend the rest of the night tearing through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I became hooked after reading the first chapter one morning. It was sitting on the coffee table and I was wondering about the hype. My review: Good book but not a great book. I liked the characters a lot and the ending was twisty enough that I didn’t discover the whole plot before the reveal. Monday would be my last full day in California and I was going to spend it at the beach.

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LAX Diaries – Day 2

LAX Diaries - Day 2 - Rodeo Drive

My first full day in California started with a trip to Rodeo Drive. It seems pretty fitting that my first sightseeing trip in LA would be its luxury centre. The actual road is pretty short but the surrounding blocks have other high-end and moderately priced clothing shops like Roots, Club Monaco and Gap. There were high-end stores I would have never expected to see like Harry Winston. We walked in and took at look at the celeb worn jewels but didn’t walk past the burly security guard who watched over the area where the sales staff where. I didn’t go into a lot of stores as I was a bit overwhelmed with the options. LA is a huge tourist town and I always find it funny to see people taking pictures at some cheesy Rodeo Drive landmark like a sign or water fountain. This happened everywhere, It’s that movie influence and one of the few things I find distasteful about LA.

LAX Diaries - Day 2 - Prada

Most of the stores where fairly plain-looking. It seemed only the Prada store lived up to luxury standards. It’s my favorite store on the strip and my favorite looking luxury store period. It’s got crazy architecture with large staircases leading up to the second floor from the front and back of the main floor. The entrance is open to the street front. It the kind of storefront you cant miss. Accessories and shoes take up the main floor while women’s is on two and mens on third. I was wearing my Milan postcard sunglasses and one of the sales staff complimented me on them. With all the money on Rodeo Drive it was interesting to see that Prada was the only on putting their money where their mouth is. This store is so awesome that at the Victoria’s Secret VIP party I spent a lot of time talking with the Beckerman’s about the greatness that is the Rodeo Drive Prada.

LAX Diaries - Day 2 - Prada

Another great store is the Taschen bookstore. What I would do for one of these in Toronto. I love Taschen books. They have a great selection of fashion, art and pop culture books that are always so eye-catching and well put together. There were a lot of expensive limited edition books for sale there. We are talking $4000 Muhammad Ali and Valentino books. There is another location in New York which I’ll have to check out when I return. One of my only regrets of the trip was not getting to see the independent shops in the city. I noticed that LA has a lot of chain stores so it would have been nice to see something not corporate.

Afterwards it was a trip to a California staple, In n Out Burger. I didn’t get anything animal style because frankly it looked absolutely disgusting. It was the first and last bit of junk food I ate on the trip. I was told that California has the best junk food so I had to give it a shot. Meh is all i have to say about In n Out Burger. Paul and Lauren live about a ten minute walk to the beach which is amazing and convenient. Paul and I walked from Santa Monica pier to the Marina del Ray pier, 5pm in total. The beaches were so wide and the sand is beautiful. The water is cold. This is what I’m told as I didn’t go in the water. That didn’t stop people and the beaches where full of swimmers. There are great bike paths that run parallel with the beach. I was really stupid and didn’t think to bring my rollerblades with me. It would have been awesome. It’s stunning how picturesque this place is, totally breathtaking.

LAX Diaries - Day 2 - Venice Beach

We wandered along the path and the trip took us right through the famous Venice Beach. It was quite a scene of characters. Old hippies were selling all sorts of things with varying degrees of usefulness. You saw the occasional crazy or eccentric person who was on a bike or roller-skates who would spontaneously break into song. I saw spontaneous singing more than once during my trip. I guess its bound to happen in the entertainment capital of the world. There were the medical marijuana guys with potleaf lays who would take you to some strange-looking storefront to get you a license through one of the doctors on staff. Of course I saw Gold’s Gym and was amazed at what a strange cliché it really is. That could be said about Venice Beach in general. It even had your ultra religious crew that were out trying to save everyone’s soul. For the most part these people just stood around with their signs and recited scripture.

LAX Diaries - Day 2

We ended the walk at Paul’s old haunt in Marina del Ray called Venice Whaler Bar & Grill (10 Washington Blvd). It has a beautiful patio overlooking the ocean. Paul says that on when it’s sunset on beautiful clear night the staff rings a bell. It’s a super cute place and we have a few beers before returning to Santa Monica for dinner at The Yard. The chef is Chris CJ Jacobson from Bravo TV show called Top Chef. It’s a gastropub that features American style tapas using fresh produce from the Santa Monica farmer’s market. The food was delicious and we had a very cute curly-haired waiter.

After dinner we had some drinks at a cute place called Bar Chloe which is known for their extensive cocktail menu. We met up with another couple who were friends with Paul and Lauren. I loved this place. It was a beautifully decorated bar that is recreating the look of a pre-WWII Parisian salon. If I lived in Santa Monica this would be one of my regular haunts. I wish I could remember what I had exactly but the lavender gimlet sounds about right. As we were leaving our cute waiter was entering after his shift. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to flirt with him. Ha.

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LAX Diaries – Day 1

LAX Diaries - Day 1

Klout is a company that uses twitter analytics to determine how influential you are on the medium. I’ve always been interested in these measurement techniques so I signed up for the service.   It works about as well as the rest of them do which means take it with a grain of salt.  Many months later I get an email from Klout telling me I have a free flight on the new Virgin America route from Toronto to San Francisco or Los Angeles. I just had to pay the taxes and fly before the middle of August. This was great as I have a good friend who lives in Santa Monica. It took me a couple of weeks to confirm my dates and I prayed that there were still flights available. Well there were and I spent the Civic holiday weekend in beautiful California.

I arrived at terminal 3 super early. I remembered my last flying experience to New York and how crazy the security and customs line was. I didn’t to repeat running to the gate again. It was a breeze this time around and I was way too damn early. Can’t win. The flying experience with Virgin was pretty good. The planes were nice except the headrest on the car was the most uncomfortable thing ever. It made for terrible sleeping. They have a three levels of class on Virgin and I took the lowest class. The taxes on first and main cabin were ridiculous. Some inflight entertainment was extra, like some movies and tv. I though that was a bit much. 8 bucks to watch The Bounty Hunter on your 7 inch screen. WiFi is $13. I received from free wifi codes to use but I really didn’t feel like opening the netbook. I wish I had my new iPod touch during this trip. Food and alcohol is extra as I expected.  The only thing I watched was the map of our flight.

Flying into LAX was interesting. It was 7PM and the city was covered in this horrible brown haze. I’d never seen anything like it. So this is the infamous LA smog, lovely. Paul & Lauren (his finance) grabbed me at terminal 3. LAX is a huge maze of 8 terminals. I didn’t see any celebs or paparazzi around. Actually my visit to LA was completely celeb free. I didn’t see anyone famous. Actually, I saw a lot of superheroes. My first night consisted of a little dinner at Bodega Wine Bar (814 Broadway) which is one of Paul and Lauren’s regular spots.

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I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City

I want - I got's Bisha Adventure in New York City

Oh my god, I better not miss this flight. I’m standing in line for security checks; it’s 7:30am. It’s Monday morning and I’m hoping to catch my 8am flight to New York. I’m impatient and freaking out. I clear security without much time to spare and I’m running to gate 151, hoping that boarding hasn’t closed yet. I didn’t even close the clasp on my bright pink sandals. Amazingly they don’t fly off my feet. I slow down a bit when I see a lineup of people at the gate. Thank god, still time. I laugh to myself. This is the start of an amazing day. I love my life.

I want - I got's Bisha Adventure in New York City

I’m going to New York City for the day. I leave Toronto at 8am and I the return flight is at 7:30pm. This trip is the product of a fucked up week, to put it mildly. The day after the earthquake I receive an email from Foujan at Matchstick. There may be the potential for a blogger to be sent out to NYC to join Charles Khabouth owner of Ink Entertainment and Alessandro Munge of Munge Lunge Design Associates for a part of their furniture shopping trip on Monday June 28th, the email reads. All expenses paid, of course. My eyes pop out of my head. Wow, wow, wow. What a great opportunity. I say yes before I even clear it with my boss. I know she’ll be cool since I would be working from home on the 28th due to G20 crap. If she’s not, well I’ll have to get inventive. It didn’t get to that point and I had my Boss’s blessing to have fun. Charles is working on his Bisha Hotel and Private Residences project and Munge Lunge are the interior designers.

I want - I got's Bisha Adventure in New York City

Real estate development leaders Sam Herzog and Mel Pearl (Lifetime Developments) and Nightlife impresario Charles Khabouth (INK Entertainment.) introduce a new private label hotel and residence brand that will redefine modern luxury. Named after Khabouth’s childhood nickname, Bisha represents that voice inside all of us that pushes us to do things differently and to live by our own rules.
Rising to 41 storeys and designed by award-winning Wallman Architects and Munge Leung Design Associates, Bisha will be a coveted new address in the heart of Toronto’s Entertainment District. Glamorously forward and seductive, Bisha will offer a unique medley of the best in design, art, food, music and culture. Located on Blue Jays Way, just south of King Street, Bisha will be tastefully modern, unapologetically free spirited and undeniably cool.(source)

Lifetime Developments are also behind the Four Seasons Private Residents, Liberty Market Lofts and M5V Condo projects.  At IDS10 Munge Leung & INK Entertainment  were part of  The Ultimate Space Designers installation.  This would be the world’s first look at the Bisha aesthetic.

I was extremely nervous about hanging out with Charles and Alessandro. It’s amazing how much Charles has indirectly been part of my youth. I’ve spent many hours in his clubs and restaurants. I have no idea what to expect from them. What if we don’t get along?   What if they think I’m annoying?  My heart was beating a mile a minute.

The day was jam-packed and we visited the following places: (Each link leads to a post on each location.  Read them all to get the full story)

I want - I got's Bisha Adventure in New York City

We also stopped for lunch at the famous Balthazar.  In true french bistro style I had a traditional ham and cheese sandwich and it was delicious.  The place was packed and I’m amazed we were able to get a table so quick.  Lunch was a total spur of the moment decision as we were driving by. We had a quick peek at Trump Soho Hotel in between visiting The Crosby Street Hotel and Todd Merrill Antiques.  I wasn’t all that jazzed about the decor but the front door made of leather was pretty.  There was one stop where I didn’t take any pictures or even write down the gallery’s name.  It was in your standard New York city warehouse but we had to check in with security first.  On the third floor was this gallery.  It consisted of a room with a giant glass box in the middle.  In the box were several chairs and tables on display.  It felt very clinic and strange.  We didn’t ask about prices here.

Trump Soho
Trump Soho

The last three stops of the day were the Ace Hotel, John Vavartos on Bowery and the Tom Ford store.  I was super excited about being in the exclusive Tom Ford store drooling over ultra lux menswear.

Ace Hotel New York
Ace Hotel Lobby and Stumptown Coffee

The Ace Hotel (20 West 29th Street) lobby reminded me more of a coffee shop than hotel.  There were a ton of people sitting around all staring at their laptops.  It was a bit bizarre as no one was really talking to each other.  Stumptown Coffee is the cutest little coffee shop I’ve ever seen.  I love the art deco light fixture that wraps around the bar.

Ace Hotel reinvents the urban hotel for the people who make cities interesting. We crave experience more than hospitality clichés. We are curious about the historic buildings we inhabit, and let them guide us to someplace both fresh and familiar. Our sensibility is democratic and inclusive. We appeal to a broad spectrum of travelers directly, without reducing everything to the lowest common denominator. Ace is built around collaborations and friendships with local designers, artists, and independent businesses.

Formerly the Breslin Hotel, the historic property that houses Ace Hotel New York has always been full of life. Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen were neighbors; “Diamond Jim” Brady (the inspiration for Marlon Brando’s Guys & Dolls character) was a regular; visionary filmmaker, musicologist and painter Harry Smith lived there, too.

The John Varvatos store was very cool. It was the legendary rock club CBGB. The store has kept the rock club aesthetic.

John Varvatos
John Varvatos at Bowery 315 Bowery New York

The Tom Ford store was beautiful.  Of course, I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside.  I’ve tried to track down a few shots for you online as they are very protective of their image.  There is an octagonal room in the back called the fragrance chamber.  The prices are crazy expensive in there.  However, watching the staff removing ties from their protective plastic layers takes away from some of the luxury.

Now, I worried that I it might be awkward hanging with Charles and Alessandro all day but it was really chill.  You could tell that they have been friends for a long time as they were all jokes, all day.  They have been friends/worked together for 15 years.  I easily fell into their joking manner and rolled with the punches.   There wasn’t any beating around the bush about prices and things were discussed openly.  After my first few heart attacks the talk about price didn’t faze me too much.   Well, that was until we hit up Flos.  I had a heart attack and almost died of laughter.I was associating with a different level of luxury and I had a lot of learn.  I managed to find myself talking with Charles and Alessandro about prices.  We mused about observations on how the length of the story a sale associate had about a piece was directly proportional to the price tag.  It was also interesting to talk about the huge price different between the same Paul Evans table at two different stores.  It was a difference of $30,000+.

After Tom Ford, I said my goodbyes to Charles and Alessandro. I had to catch my 7:30 flight and they had more exploring and shopping to do. I really wish I could have spent the night and saw some of the NYC nightlife. I hopped in a cab to LaGuardia and chuckled to myself. What a random and extremely fun day, how lucky I am.

I’d like to thank my hosts Charles and Alessandro for putting up with me on their shopping trip. I had an amazing opportunity to learn a little about their plans for Bisha and other upcoming projects in Toronto. Bisha is hoping to bring New York style hotel culture to Toronto. In New York, hotels attract locals for entertainment as well as tourists. The Standard and the Ace hotel are good examples of this. Most people’s ambitions I would write off, however Charles seems to have the magic touch and I believe there is some good stuff coming our way soon. I’m very excited about his Le Bistro project that will be open this fall. It’s a Parisian bistro that will open in Yorkville with a large streetside patio. Le Bistro will be taking over the spot occupied by Dynasty Chinese Cuisine on Bloor Street.

Random things I learned about Charles: He has the name of his kids tattooed on his arms. They are very tasteful and I like them. Charles takes his son to board meetings with him occasionally. He hates snakes and things shaped like them.

Random things I learned about Alessandro: He has an iPad. He travels extensively but loves Toronto and wouldn’t live anywhere else. He throws all eating rules out the window when he goes for his weekly dinner visits to mom.

Let me give you my outfit breakdown

I want - I got's Bisha Adventure in New York City
Black Dress courtesy of Spanner, Toy Watch courtesy of Toy Watch, Necklace by Aldo, Sandals by Marais from Chasse Gardee

This is the first post in the series called I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City. Be sure to read the I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City series. I want – I got would like to thank Matchstick and Bisha for providing for all travel expenses on this day trip to NYC.

The Standard New York

The Standard New York, 848 Washington Street

Our first stop was at The Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District. This is where Charles and Alessandro were staying.

The Standard New York, 848 Washington Street

They enjoy The Standard and mentioned how busy the hotel usually is. The dinning rooms are packed and the patio is pretty busy. It’s the kind of hotel that attracts locals as well as tourists. I’m always hearing about this and that party at The Standard on the blogs.

The Standard New York, 848 Washington Street
Bottom: Charles and Alessandro prepping for the day

Charles took me on a little tour of the hotel, showing me the patio and restaurants.

The Standard New York, 848 Washington Street
Artwork on the walls
The Standard New York, 848 Washington Street
Right: the view of The High Line from the hotel room

The hotel room had the most incredible view of Hudson and the very cool High Line Park.

The High Line was originally constructed in the 1930s, to lift dangerous freight trains off Manhattan’s streets. Section 1 of the High Line is open as a public park, owned by the City of New York and operated under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Friends of the High Line is the conservancy charged with raising private funds for the park and overseeing its maintenance and operations, pursuant to an agreement with the Parks Department.

When all sections are complete, the High Line will be a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park, running through the West Side neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. It features an integrated landscape, designed by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, combining meandering concrete pathways with naturalistic plantings. Fixed and movable seating, lighting, and special features are also included in the park.

Access points from street level will be located every two to three blocks. Many of these access points will include elevators, and all will include stairs.(source)

The Standard New York, 848 Washington Street
Top: another view from the hotel room. Bottom: the large patio

Soon our driver in his black caddy picked us up and it was the beginning of the day’s adventure. The Standard looks so very cool and it’s on my list of hotels to check out in New York.

The Standard Hotel.
848 Washington Street
New York

This is one post in the series called I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City. Be sure to read the whole I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City series from the beginning. I want – I got would like to thank Matchstick and Bisha for providing for all travel expenses on this day trip to NYC.

R 20th Century Design

R 20th Century Design
Hugo França chairs in top left and bottom right photos

R 20th Century Design showroom was the first stop of the day.

R 20th Century represents a distinguished group of historical and contemporary designers whose work is among the most innovative and finely crafted of their time.

Zesty Meyers and Evan Snyderman founded R 20th Century in 1997 to realize their combined goal of promoting a closer study, appreciation and preservation of 20th and 21st century design.

R is currently developing exhibitions and publications on the designers it represents — a diverse program that includes work from North America, South America, Europe and Asia produced between 1945 and today.(source)

Evan walked us through the store and talked about some of the artists they represent. He was very friendly, knowledgeable and cute. I was really intrigued by artists Hugo França, Jeff Zimmerman and David Wiseman.

R 20th Century Design

Hugo França creates functional and sculptural work from discarded wood found in Brasil.

Finding wood left behind by deforestation requires constant scouting in the Trancoso, Bahia, area. Finding his way on foot, by donkey or canoe, he relies on the Pataxo Indians, local loggers and on his own knowledge of coastal southern Bahia, which he acquired during the fifteen years he lived there.

As long as the wood has not suffered irreversible damage, all parts of the tree may be utilized. Unearthed roots, trunks and branches are transformed by the artist into one-of-a-kind objects.

Due to the tremendous weight and difficulty in transporting the raw material, the first cuts are executed where the trees are found. And so begins the first signs of tables, benches, chairs and consoles.(source)

R 20th Century Design also publishes books.  I browsed through the book, Hugo França: The Story of the Tree which documents the process he goes through to create a piece.  You can order their books online.

R 20th Century Design
David Wiseman. top: raw materials

Sculptor, David Wiseman attracted my fashion side because of his work with Dior. The second floor ceiling in the Shanghai Dior store features 500 porcelain lily-of-the-valley blossoms handcrafted by David.  Bronze, glass and crystal are also incorporated into his work.

R 20th Century Design
David Wiseman

Wiseman, a Rhode Island School of Design graduate who majored in furniture design, started out with work that was often small in scale — porcelain pomegranates, anime-inspired deer hat hangers, resin castings of fallen branches and a series of off-kilter yet delicate faceted vases in bronze, porcelain and crystal. More recently (thanks to an ambitious ceiling installation, completed several years ago, of porcelain cherry blossoms and intertwined plaster branches), Wiseman has focused on larger-scale projects, including limited-edition chandeliers, for a range of clients from residential to retail. He painstakingly slip-casts the porcelain flowers and fruit himself and works closely with Zalman Aronow, a skilled metal worker, on the branches and blossoms for chandeliers, fireplace screens and wall pieces.(source)

R 20th Century Design
Jeff Zimmerman - right: Leaf cluster hanging lamp

Jeff Zimmerman’s handblown glass light fixtures are stunning. Words cannot describe the “Leaf” cluster hanging lamp. It’s just stunning and it should be when it comes in at around $80,000.  It’s also made to order.


R 20th Century Design
Jeff Zimmerman leaf cluster hanging lamp

His work evolves and involves idea-based design. His custom work encompasses sculptural chandeliers, lighting environments and glass wall interiors as well as abstract vases and mirrors. Through R 20th Century, Jeff creates site-specific commissions for an exclusive clientele.(source)

R 20th Century Design
82 Franklin Street
New York

This is one post in the series called I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City. Be sure to read the whole I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City series from the beginning. I want – I got would like to thank Matchstick and Bisha for providing for all travel expenses on this day trip to NYC.

Craig Van Den Brulle

Craig Van Den Brulle

The second stop was Craig Van Den Brulle.

Craig Van Den Brulle is the owner of the upscale Craig Van Den Brulle furniture store in the Nolita section of Manhattan, which opened in October 2007. Van Den Brulle has been in the home furnishings industry for over 10 years. In 1997 he opened Capitol Furnishings; the celebrated boutique featuring 20th Century home furnishings and his own “urban classic” designs. Capitol quickly became an essential shopping destination for the city’s most influential architects, interior designers and collectors.

Van Den Brulle has now expanded from the original Capitol Furnishings to a 3,000 square foot flagship store which is just one block away on Elizabeth Street. He is the designer of the VAN DEN BRULLE signature collection, a line of upscale furniture and home essentials inspired by clean lines and modern simplicity.

Craig Van Den Brulle

In addition to selling home furnishings, Craig Van Den Brulle buys modern designer pieces from the 1930’s to the 1980’s. They also have a rental service for the film, television, and magazine industries. To complete this total service shop, Craig Van Den Brulle also does design consulting and custom design work in upholstering, lighting, plating and restoration. Craig Van Den Brulle also has a small line of in house furnishings for sale.

Craig Van Den Brulle

Charles and Alessandro are customers of Craig Van Den Brulle so it wasn’t surprising that the young man remembered them as we walked in. It seems these stores attract cute young men as their employees. I wasn’t complaining.

Craig Van Den Brulle

The store was densely packed with an eclectic mix of 20th century furnishings.  It’s one of those stores that you can spend hours in discovering new things.  You can find artists like Paul Evans, John Widdicomb, Nils Landberg and de Majo IIluminazione.

Craig Van Den Brulle

Craig Van Den Brulle
192 Elizabeth Street
New York

This is one post in the series called I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City. Be sure to read the whole I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City series from the beginning. I want – I got would like to thank Matchstick and Bisha for providing for all travel expenses on this day trip to NYC.

Crosby Street Hotel

Crosby Street Hotel

The Crosby Street Hotel is an eclectic and quiet place with tucked away patios. During the day it’s cheerful and bright but I could see it being quite romantic in the evenings, especially on the huge back patio.

Crosby Street Hotel
Top: Back Patio, Bottom: Lobby

CROSBY STREET HOTEL is situated on a quiet cobbled street in the heart of New York’s vibrant SoHo neighbourhood. There are 86 bedrooms and suites over 11 floors. Each has high ceilings and full length windows. Interior design by Kit Kemp reflects a fresh, contemporary style. There is The Crosby Bar, a private leafy garden, guest drawing room, several stylish private event and meeting rooms, a luxurious 99 seat screening room and fully equipped gym(source).


Crosby Street Hotel
Top: Lobby, Bottom: Drawing Room

A short film by Jean Roman Seyfried called The Reconstruction Of My Views was made that chronicles the building of the Crosby Street Hotel over a 2.5 year period.

Crosby Street Hotel
The Crosby Bar

I learned the Crosby also has a state-of-the-art screening room with 99 seats. The setup uses the most advanced technologies with 3D capabilities. Of course there is a Sunday night film club too.


Crosby Street Hotel
Back Patio

We didn’t see the rooms but I really love the ambiance, decor and layout of this hotel. Photos on the website show floor to ceiling windows in the rooms and some suites that have terraces. I really want to stay here, it’s so lovely.

Crosby Street Hotel
79 Crosby Street
New York

This is one post in the series called I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City. Be sure to read the whole I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City series from the beginning. I want – I got would like to thank Matchstick and Bisha for providing for all travel expenses on this day trip to NYC.

Todd Merrill Antiques

Todd Merrill Antiques

Todd Merrill is located in a building with beautiful stone carvings.  It was another store that was packed to the gills with furnishings.   You always were discovering something new that was missed in this store.

Todd Merrill Antiques

Todd Merrill Antiques features American and European vintage furniture, antiques and lighting from the 1920’s to the 2000’s. Including rare and unique furniture by Paul Evans, Karl Springer, James Mont, Gio Ponti, Adnet, Fornasetti, Venini, Tommi Parzinger, LaVerne, Vladimir Kagan and many more.

Todd Merrill Antiques has opened a new 4000 square foot shop focusing on American and European designer furniture and lighting from the 1920s through the 1980s, at 65 Bleecker Street in New York City. The new showroom is on the ground floor of the Bayard-Condict Building, New York’s only building by esteemed architect Louis Sullivan. The historic landmark space is located at the top of Crosby Street at the intersection of Bleecker Street, and looks directly down into the heart of Soho.(source)

Todd Merrill Antiques

It was at Todd Merrill that I finally began to understand how important Paul Evans is.

Paul Evans (1931 – 1987)
Pennsylvanian Paul Evans studied sculpture and silversmithing at several institutions, including the Cranbrook Academy of Art. In 1951, while working as an artist in residence as a silversmith at the working history museum Sturbridge Village near Springfield, Massachusetts, Evans frequented artisan Phillip Lloyd Powell’s shop in New Hope, PA and asked Powell if he could put a few of his own pieces on display. In 1956 Evans moved permanently to New Hope and his acquaintance with Powell turned into a business and creative partnership.
In the late 1950s Evans began making copper chests with decorative doors, followed by sculpted steel-front cabinets that revealed Evans’ unique way with welding. Evans and Powell had big break when they had a two-man show in 1961 at America House, an exhibition eld at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York, now named the Museum of Arts & Design. In 1964 Evans became the designer for furniture manufacturer Directional. With Directional, Paul Evans introduced his highly collectible editions such as the Argente series, Sculpted Bronze series, and the very popular Cityscape series.
Most Evans pieces were signed, and all of the custom items have a signature and a date. Paul Evans took a unique approach to furniture making, a combination of handcraft wedded to technology that anticipated the limited edition art furniture of today, such as the work of Ron Arad. More particularly, the artist’s relationship with Directional set a unique standard for creative manufacture by insisting every piece is made by hand, finished by hand, supervised by the artist at each step of production, one piece at a time.(source)

I understood that I was seeing his work in many of the stores we visited. I also immediately understood the appeal of his unique metal furniture.

Todd Merrill Antiques
Paul Evan table

Just like Craig Van Der Brulle, Todd Merrill Antiques is a full service shop. They purchase premium designer name furniture from the 1920’s through the 1980’s. Todd Merrill also offers customization and restoration services using their collection of master craftsmen in America on mirror or metal work, lacquering, gilding, wood refinishing and upholstery. Yup, they rent to film and television productions too.

Todd Merrill Antiques
65 Bleecker Street
New York

This is one post in the series called I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City. Be sure to read the whole I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City series from the beginning. I want – I got would like to thank Matchstick and Bisha for providing for all travel expenses on this day trip to NYC.

Moss

Moss, 150 Greene Street

Moss is one part of a space that holds three stores. The other two are Flos and Moroso. This trio of stores were my favourites on this trip.

In 1994, former fashion entrepreneur Murray Moss opened Moss in a small gallery space in Soho, with a determination to transform the public perception of industrial product design. The store quickly became internationally known for its product selection and presentation, with clients ranging from highly informed design professionals, to celebrities, students, and tourists with maps.

The shop grew and evolved — expanding to nearly 7000 square feet in late 1999 when Moss’s partner Franklin Getchell joined the company. Together they expanded the product base to include furniture, especially from Italian manufacturers, lighting, watches and jewelry, books, tabletop and a significantly increased focus on the studio work of the designers we offered(source).

Moss, 150 Greene Street

Moss also has a small section of unusual jewellery and watches. It’s just as eclectic as the other offerings in the store.  They aim to have more than just home furnishings for sale which attracts a diverse clientele.  Moss carries designers like Established & Sons, Tom Dixon and Studio Job.  I love the inflated metal stools by Oskar Zieta.

Moss, 150 Greene Street

Many of the stores we visited were small and jammed packed with furnishings. Moss felt like a museum. There was lot of space and plenty of things in glass cases.  I really liked the sparse white background in the store design.  It allowed the bright, crazy pieces stand out on their own.

I had a few mistakes with the video option on the Olympus E-PL1. However, I’ve posted that mistake because it gives you a bit of an idea of the store.

Moss
150 Greene street
New York

This is one post in the series called I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City. Be sure to read the whole I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City series from the beginning. I want – I got would like to thank Matchstick and Bisha for providing for all travel expenses on this day trip to NYC.

Moroso

Moroso New York, 146 Greene Street

Moroso is another store that makes up my favourite trio with Flos and Moss. This was the first store that had a lot of textiles on display that we visited.  The standout fixture was the huge white couch with the large, intricate black and white drawing behind it.  The drawing’s historical style contrasts with the modern furnishings around it.  It’s really interesting to see how each store is incorporated invisual displays.  Items from Moss, Flos and Moroso are together throughout the three separate spaces.  That collaborative sales pitch isn’t something I see often and very effective considering the niche placements of each store.

Moroso New York, 146 Greene Street
Right: Paper Planes by Doshi Levien

The best way to introduce ourselves? Just telling you what we do. Since 1952 MOROSO has been designing its sofas, armchairs and accessories with wellknown designers such as Ron Arad, Carlo Colombo, Enrico Franzolini, Marc Newson, Toshiyuki Kita and Patricia Urquiola. MOROSO has been constructing its sofas and armchairs aiming at top quality. For its quality, the company was the first producer of upholstered furniture in Italy to receive on 24 June 1994 the ISO 9000 certification for firm management and the ISO 9001 certification for design, production and customer service. (source)

Moroso carries the Diesel Collection, Doshi Levien, Tord Boontje and Patricia Urquiola.

I had a few mistakes with the video option on the Olympus E-PL1. However, I’ve posted that mistake because it gives you a bit of an idea of the store.

Moroso New York
146 Greene street

This is one post in the series called I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City. Be sure to read the whole I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City series from the beginning. I want – I got would like to thank Matchstick and Bisha for providing for all travel expenses on this day trip to NYC.

Flos New York

Flos New York

Flos occupies the corner of the shared building with Moss and Moroso.  It’s home to some seriously hot looking light fixtures. You can find designers like Philippe Starck, Jasper Morrison and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni here.

Today Flos is an international organization that offers a complete range of residential, commercial and even custom-made lighting products that can be seamlessly integrated in any office, hotel, or store, together with a specifically designed line of informative materials, among which a corporate manual.
Flos contract division assists architects with the know-how it acquired over its forty years of experience not only as a manufacturer, but also as a specialty lighting systems designer for a wide-range of challenging environments, such as museums, stores, and theatres.(source)

Flos New York
Left: Yes, there is a giant lamp in the store. Right: Hooo!!! & Haaa!!! Lamps

The store itself is quite minimal with a few tables. Most pieces are displayed on shelving built into the walls.  The standout item in the store is the oversized Kelvin LED lamp design by Antonio Citterio with Toan Nguyen in 2009.

The Hooo!!! & Haaa!!! Lamp By Philippe Starck, Jenny Holzer, Moritz Waldemeyer and Baccarat was incredible.  I had gotten used to hearing numbers in the five or six digit range but  I still almost hit the ground when the price tag of $126,000 was announced.  There are 9 lamps in existence. Hand made Baccarat crystal is the body and custom LED by Moritz Waldemeyer were used.  Jenny Holzer provided the text on display. You can’t customize the text, I asked. There is a table top version of the floor lamp for a more reasonable $12,000. You can see more photos of the lamps on Moritz’s website.

Flos New York

I also loved Philippe Starck’s Gun lamp series. I’m weird like that though. Alessandro confessed to me that he owned these lamps and that they were sexy. Ha, I can’t complain with that assessment.

Flos New York

Flos USA – Flagship Store
152 Greene Street
New York

This is one post in the series called I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City. Be sure to read the whole I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City series from the beginning. I want – I got would like to thank Matchstick and Bisha for providing for all travel expenses on this day trip to NYC.

India Diaries: Bracelet Overload

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When I was in India, I went crazy and bought at ton of cheap bracelets from the Dilli Haat market. I basically have sleeves of bracelets in different colours. Here are some of my finds that I’ve been posting on twitter.

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I’m wearing two sets here. The set that looks blue is actually purple.

India Diaries - Market Finds

India Diaries - Market Finds

My friend Sonja got a good picture to some of my bracelets on the weekend.

India Bangles: photo taken by Sonja A
India Bangles: photo taken by Sonja A

I bought a lot of blingy bracelets in India because they were bright and fun. I came home with sets of bracelets but I still wish I bought more.

India Diaries – Akshardham Temple

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I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see the Akshardham Temple properly.

Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi epitomises 10,000 years of Indian culture in all its breathtaking grandeur, beauty, wisdom and bliss. It brilliantly showcases the essence of India’s ancient architecture, traditions and timeless spiritual messages. The Akshardham experience is an enlightening journey through India’s glorious art, values and contributions for the progress, happiness and harmony of mankind.
The grand, ancient-styled Swaminarayan Akshardham complex was built in only five years through the blessings of HDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) and the colossal devotional efforts of 11,000 artisans and BAPS volunteers. The complex was inaugurated on 6 November, 2005.(Source)

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My coworkers and I were loaded up with our stupid Western gear but you couldn’t bring anything into the temple with you. We opted to stare from outside a bit instead of leaving our stuff in coat check never to be seen again.

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From the outside the temple takes up a massive space. It looks incredible. It’s only when I returned home and saw this video did I realize what I missed. I’m so disappointed.

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Categorized as India

India Diaries – Indian Paintings

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Some of my most prize possessions from India were the paintings I bought at Dilli Haat, a market in the heart of Delhi. This experience of buying artwork was interesting because I got to talk to the artist who was from Udaipur. He sat me and a coworker down in his tent. Most merchants in the market would have chairs for customers to sit down at. We poured over his prolific works of art each one more beautiful then the next.

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This is my favourite piece. The richness of the blues just sucked me in. This scan can never replicate just how detailed and beautiful his work is.

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This is the piece that was painted on old government paper. On the reverse side is a some Hindi writing. I have no idea what it says.

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I got these elephant silk paintings for my brother and mother.

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Categorized as Art, India