Fashion legends Natalie “Alabama” Chanin and Billy Reid both claim familial roots in Alabama; it was a convergence of time and place that lured them back home.
For Chanin, it was a fruitless hunt for a NYC embroidery company willing to work on her designer T-shirt projects. Frustrated with an endless thanks-but-no-thanks litany, it suddenly dawned on her that her network of crafter/quilter friends in Alabama would be ideally suited to work on the projects. And this is what spurred her to move back to her hometown of Florence, Alabama, in 2000.
In June 2001, Reid won the CFDA’s Best New Menswear Designer award, followed by his breakout New York Fashion Week show on September 10th. Twenty-four hours later, he would be heading into a world forever changed in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Hitting the reset button, he made the contrarian decision to move back to his wife’s hometown of Florence, Alabama, and set himself apart from the herd by crafting a distinctive marketing plan – creating “a unique sense of place” for his fashion endeavors – centered in the heart of downtown Florence.
Natalie “Alabama” Chanin & Billy Reid’s Itinerary: Must-See-And-Do Stops in Florence, Alabama
The Shoals (a.k.a. the birthplace of America’s soundtrack):
FAME Recording Studios is hunkered in the rural community of Muscle Shoals on the outskirts of Florence. World-renowned musicians like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, The Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks), Wilson Pickett and many more have made pilgrimages to Muscle Shoals since the early 1960s to record their hits. In nearby Sheffield, the equally legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio opened in 1969 and was quickly dominating the charts with Number One hits by the likes of The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Sir Rod Stewart, and Paul Simon.To understand the profound impact that Alabama’s seminal music town has had on the American music scene, Chanin and Reid highly recommend watching the award-winning documentary Muscle Shoals.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Rosenbaum House showcases Wright’s relatively modest and affordable residential designs in a single-story layout with minimal interior walls.
Located in the heart of Florence, the W.C. Handy Birthplace, Museum & Library serves as a repository of the brilliant composer’s memorabilia, sheet music, instruments, and much more. Handy, revered as the Father of the Blues, crafted the genre’s definitive statements in the early 1900s.
Ivy Green, Helen Keller’s birthplace and childhood home, is on 640 acres in Tuscumbia, Alabama. A walk through the circa-1820 house is like stepping back in time to the 1880s where docents share fascinating tales of Keller’s life.
Dining:
Both Chanin and Reid say that Odette is their all-time favorite for its superb Southern cuisine in an unpretentious environment where you can relax.
Reid notes that “whether it’s for breakfast or lunch,” Rivertown Coffee Co. has “probably some of the best food in town.”
Long known for their pulled pork, slaw dogs, and rib sandwiches, Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q is also a must-try.
Trowbridge’s is an ice-cream bar (and sandwich shop) that remains virtually unchanged since it opened in 1918. Reid shares, “You have to get the chicken sandwich off the butter wheel,” while Chanin says, “The décor at Trowbridge’s is a classic ice-cream parlor with well-kept vintage mint-green booths, chairs, and stools – and it has looked this way for as long as anyone can remember.”
Big Bad Breakfast is another Reid favorite, famous for their fried eggs, crispy Southern-fried chicken, steel-cut oatmeal, and Grit Girl grits.
Out and about:
Chanin’s to-do list includes a mandatory task: a visit to the Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall, known as Tom’s Wall. Located in the countryside, Tom Hendrix’s hand-built wall is a memorial for his great-great-grandmother, Te-lah-nay, a Yuchi Indian who was displaced during the infamous Trail of Tears. Hendrix spent a quarter-century stacking eight million pounds of sandstone and limestone to honor her. As it is the largest unmortared rock wall in the United States and the largest memorial to a Native-American woman, there are stones from more than 120 countries in the wall, and each one represents a step of Te-lah-nay’s journey, and the shape, height, and width of the wall represent the different obstacles she encountered.
The TVA trails are ideal for biking and hiking along the shores of Wilson Dam, as well as the Tennessee River. Reid recommends kayaking on Cypress Creek at Wildwood Park. Located just minutes from downtown Florence, the park has five miles of mountain-bike trails.
Places to stay:
Chanin loves the historic Vrbo homes in town, and the riverfront Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa. “Even though it’s in Florence, it’s really a resort, and it’s definitely our very favorite mother-daughter getaway spot,” she says.
Reid highly recommends The Stricklin Hotel, whose ground floor houses Big Bad Breakfast. They have a vintage bowling alley in the basement, as well. Reid also mentions the equally alluring GunRunner Hotel & Spa just down the street, where you can enjoy their bar and spa facilities.
(Fun fact: At press time, you could make up to $10,000 to move to the Shoals, including the cities of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. To apply, you need to be 18 or older, make more than $52,000 a year, be self-employed or able to work remotely, and be able to relocate within six months.)
For more details, visit: @visittheshoalsal – www.visitflorenceal.com
You can listen to the rest of the interviews with Natalie "Alabama" Chanin and Billy Reid on Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer: www.npr.org/podcasts/487364788/journeys-of-discovery-with-tom-wilmer
Writer: Thomas Wilmer
Photographers: Moore & Giles, Billy Reid & Rinne Allen
]]>A nutritionally complete diet is a vital and effective medicine. People who eat well and stay away from high-sodium, high-fat diets tend to lead longer and healthier lives. But eating healthy tends to cost the money, effort, and time that busy people just do not have, making cheap, fast food the only option. Splendid Spoon provides you with health and convenience, delivering nutrient-dense, plant-based, ready-to-eat meals to residences and businesses all over the country.
They take their commitment to community wellness seriously, offering over fifty vegan, gluten-free, low-sodium meals to choose from every week. Their easily navigable interface encourages experimentation and exploration of their various smoothies, soups, wellness shots, grain bowls, and noodle bowls. Every meal contains a valuable list of featured ingredients and health benefits, along with a nutritional guide and enticing photographs. (Our favorite is the antioxidant-packed Kale Pesto Noodles.)
Splendid Spoon prides itself on leading the fight for environmental sustainability. Since 2015, the company has significantly reduced its transit carbon emissions, and rolled out entirely recyclable packaging, complemented by an online recycling guide for the customers. Food waste accelerates climate change at a worrisome rate; given that Splendid Spoon’s meals are freezable, their consumers can enjoy them at their own pace without the risk of them spoiling. Moreover, plant-based diets themselves are environmentally friendly, and eating a plant-powered meal once a week can notably help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
Not only can healthy eating prevent disease and promote longevity, but it can also slow the destruction of the planet. Splendid Spoon’s meal options embody that, making the road to bodily wellness and environmental sustainability a fruitful one for all their customers.
For more details, visit: @splendid.spoon – splendidspoon.com
]]>For those who work long hours or otherwise find themselves beset with seemingly endless responsibilities, it is nearly impossible to find the time to cook healthy meals. However, Freshly – a food-delivery service that ships all over the country – combines convenience with dietary excellence. Their constantly changing menu of over thirty ready-to-eat meals (including an entirely gluten-free menu and several low-calorie and low-carb options) saves you time and improves your diet. Also, their flexible subscription model offers multiple meal plans varying from four to twelve meals per week to accommodate everyone’s different schedules and budgets.
Freshly’s menu is ideal for sticking to your dietary preferences and health goals, as they put a lot of thought into the ingredients they use. Instead of using artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and excess sugar, they rely on high-quality proteins, veggies, and healthy fats. All of their meals average around thirty grams of protein and five hundred calories. This, however, does not impact the portion sizes – they weigh around thirteen ounces, much larger than those of most competing food-delivery services.
Part of Freshly’s success in crafting such consistently healthy dishes comes from the ingenuity of their expert chefs. Their clever substitutions enhance flavor without sacrificing nutrition. For example, in their Cauliflower Shell Beef Bolognese, Freshly uses their signature marinara sauce with veggies, as well as a touch of honey – instead of the corn syrup or glucose that most branded ones contain – to cut way down on sugar. In the Homestyle Chicken dish, Freshly coats their macaroni and cheese with a delicious sauce thickened by butternut squash, not the typical heavy cream, to add some veggie power into the mix.
Freshly’s dedicated team of chefs, culinary scientists, and nutritionists ensures that their meals are packed with vegetables and other important nutrients. When the microwavable, tasty, healthy meals, which only take three minutes to prepare, are waiting for you in the fridge at home, you can appreciate having both convenience and healthy eating in one package.
For more details, visit: @freshly – www.freshly.com
]]>Before Mosaic Foods’ founders Matthew Davis and Sam McIntire started shipping healthy, no-prep meals to thousands of Americans, they were wandering through a local grocery store, disillusioned by shelves of artificially-flavored and chemically-preserved frozen foods. For those dealing with 40-plus-hour work weeks under tight budgets, these quick, easy, and cheap frozen foods are their only option. In most cases, wholesome and nutritious meals cost precious time and money to make. Davis and McIntire created Mosaic Foods to solve this dilemma, delivering convenient, plant-based frozen dishes to people for half the price of takeout meals.
With every satisfied customer, Davis and McIntire challenge the stigma that frozen food is inherently unhealthy. It is not the fact that a food is frozen that makes it unhealthy, as freezing food allows us to have the nutritional benefits of preserving food at peak freshness; it is the artificial preservatives and additives in it. All of Mosaic Foods’ meals are handcrafted by expert chefs with fresh, naturally-preserved ingredients from New York farms – and they’re just as fresh when they come out of the microwave.
In addition to being delicious and nutritious, frozen foods are essential to combating America’s food-waste epidemic and addressing climate change. Up to 40 percent of food in the United States is wasted and trucked to landfills, where they release methane, a greenhouse gas 40 times more potent than carbon dioxide. With Mosaic Foods, Davis and McIntire set the example; all their meals last up to 12 months in the freezer to make sure that their customers have time to experience the entirety of their order. They are dedicated to ensuring that all their ingredients find their way into natural, vegetarian or vegan, and long-lasting meals – like their Yellow Dal Curry – so that their consumers can join them in their efforts to reduce food waste, while enjoying convenient and satisfying food.
As a company, moreover, they are committed to sustainability, having all of their packaging to be 100 percent recyclable or made from recycled materials. As much as Mosaic Foods serves their customers, they serve the planet. People tend to misunderstand that frozen food is unnatural or unhealthy, and it often is. However, when employed correctly, it can be natural, nutritive, and delicious, as well as protective of our rapidly worsening environment, and Davis and McIntire have proven just that.
For more details, visit: @mosaic.foods – www.mosaicfoods.com
]]>With the global poverty rate that had been in steady decline this century before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, there are still hundreds of millions of people trapped in an inescapable cycle of poverty. For these impoverished communities, essential commodities, such as food, water, electricity, and basic education, often remain tragically elusive, leaving them vulnerable to famine, disease, and a threat of economic disaster. ACE Development Fund, a U.S.-based non-profit, aids the ambitious and hopeful entrepreneurs, who are left financially destitute, in the African and Asian regions, and improves their communities by giving them the mentorship, connections, and opportunities they need to turn their business dreams into reality.
After founding the organization in 2008, Al Caperna entrusted leadership and expansion of the foundation to Elisabeth Cochrane, who spent decades in Nepal and India establishing schools, community-development programs, and other socially transformative platforms. Caperna started ACE Development Fund to strengthen community-based businesses and help disadvantaged communities support themselves, and since accepting the leadership role in 2009, Cochrane has done exactly what Caperna envisioned. By 2014, ACE had given business training to hundreds of driven entrepreneurs from low-income African and Asian communities, worked in over one hundred locations, and launched over two hundred businesses.
Like Caperna, Cochrane understands how much those in less fortunate parts of the world could benefit from strong business training and ample opportunity to utilize it. ACE Development Fund holds numerous training sessions to give their social entrepreneurs the knowledge they need to make their business plans feasible. They also encourage business professionals to involve themselves in the process as mentors and impact investors – rather than simply as donors – to ensure that the people of the communities they support can build as many business relationships as possible. With their business-strategy curriculum and vast network of experienced and interested business leaders, the organization gives those in need the knowledge and connections they need to gather support for their businesses and lift their communities out of poverty.
Though ACE Development Fund creates these opportunities, none of the businesses they helped fund and launch could exist without the commitment and drive of the entrepreneurs, like Joy and Rose – founders of the locally-funded Rose Streeshakti Snacks Centre in Lonavala, India – who ultimately succeeded in creating their business. It is these pioneers who deserve the utmost praise for their vision and passion that best serve their own communities.
For more details, visit: www.acedevelopmentfund.org
]]>On the edge of the Lower East Side, where Chinatown meets the East River, towers the glistening 800-foot-tall gem: One Manhattan Square. Designed by world-renowned architectural firm, Adamson Associates Architects, with custom interiors by Meyer Davis, the sleek, luxury condominium building is an elegant giant nestled in the heart of downtown Manhattan’s cultural scene. The newest addition to the New York City skyline is so dazzling that it quite literally can’t be missed.
This property’s immaculate interior features, exclusive amenities, and breathtaking 360-degree views ensure that you’ll never forget it. Stepping into the three-story lobby, you’re greeted with gorgeous marble floors, expansive and inviting fireplace features, and a stunning gold chandelier. Contemporary design and eclectic details immediately make you feel like royalty.
A new condo development by Extell Development, One Manhattan Square has joined their long list of iconic, elite real-estate developments to embellish the skyline of the Big Apple. With other developments like Central Park Tower and One57, Extell is truly at the forefront of modernity, craftsmanship, and superior design – and One Manhattan Square is their proverbial cherry on top.
Additionally, the West 8-designed 45,000 square-foot yard features a furnished adult treehouse, Japanese-inspired tea pavilion, outdoor kitchens, fire pits, and a playground; One Manhattan Square is a breath of fresh air in a bustling urban jungle. But it’s the cutting-edge infrared sauna, state-of-the-art Pilates studio, and private two-lane bowling alley that offer the height of modern luxury.
Though the amenities meet every need you might ever have, the surrounding area adds even more charm, culture, and excitement to the experience of living at One Manhattan Square. Located just blocks away from neighborhood staples like the New Museum, Katz’s Delicatessen, and Hester Street Fair, you’re never far away from your next great adventure.
For more details, visit: @onemanhattansquare – onemanhattansquare.com
]]>In a world beset with the COVID-19 pandemic and in a sea of e-mails and endless virtual meetings, many people may feel too drained to cook. However, Factor_ offers a convenient solution for you to cook less but eat healthier; the pre-cooked food-delivery service brings high-quality meals directly to the homes of their customers.
Real chefs prepare all Factor_ meals before delivery, and their innovative, insulated packaging keeps those fully-prepared meals fresh without freezing them. Once out of the package, meals last as long as seven days in the refrigerator, allowing for some flexibility in deciding when to eat them. Customers also have a large selection of meal plans to choose from – they range from four meals a week all the way up to 18 meals per week. You can pick the one that makes the most sense for your budget and cooking habits.
Moreover, Factor_ understands that everyone has different dietary needs and lifestyles, so they provide complimentary consultations with dietitians to craft individualized dietary plans. Those seeking to gain some extra muscle mass have just as many options as those looking to reduce their carb intake. With a rotating weekly menu of nutritious, high-quality ingredients, there’s always something new to try. Each item on their menu includes a full list of ingredients and detailed nutritional information.
If you are looking for a way to save time on cooking and improve your health, Factor_’s delicious meals and dedication to personalized eating just make life more convenient.
For more details, visit: @factormeals – www.factor75.com/r/home
]]>Welcome to French Polynesia, located in the Society Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It’s the stuff of dreams: a sultry, sexy, seductively-humid warmth, seasoned with a caressing breeze.
The Island of Tahiti
The town of Pape'ete on the island of Tahiti is the gateway to all of French Polynesia’s outer islands, as every international commercial flight comes through Pape'ete. The Tahitians’ joyous greetings serve as deft metaphors for their reverence for life and appreciation for their tropical paradise. Visit with anyone, and you’re bound to be serenaded with a melodic hello (“'Ia ora na!”), a gracious welcome (“Maeva!”), or a lyrical thank-you (“Māuruuru”). Even Tahitian graffiti is a melodic thing of beauty. At first glance, we mistook the spray-painted images adorning the airport’s underpass for a civic-commissioned art installation.
Pape'ete is the commercial hub for the realm and transshipment point for inter-island freighters. Regretfully, many travelers never experience the incredible beauty, which is only a mile or two from the town, before pushing on to their remote-isle adventure. There are movie-magic waterfalls just minutes from the town, and at the far end of the isle is one of the Earth’s premier surf spots.
Cherished memories include ordering dinner from one of the roulottes (a.k.a. les roulottes, which literally means “rolling food trucks” in French) parked along the waterfront, and strolling through the downtown market bursting with a kaleidoscope of radiant, tropical flowers.
Less than four miles from the airport is the four-star waterfront InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa. We hunkered down for two nights there, and had to repeatedly remind ourselves that we were not light-years removed from modern civilization. We could have easily stayed there for the entire week, but our itinerary had us departing on an Air Tahiti flight to the isle of Bora Bora, dubbed to be the most beautiful island in the world by Pulitzer Prize-winning author James A. Michener.
InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort
When the Air Tahiti flight lands on Bora Bora, you exit the airport to a waterside dock, where launches wait to transport guests to the various resorts. Our InterContinental boat whisked us to the Le Moana resort, zipping past the mesmerizing volcanic peak of Mount Otemanu that conjured evocative Jurassic Park images.
The seductive allure of the four-star InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort lies in its rusticity. Bamboo and woven-thatch wall accents – within the main dining spaces and bar, as well as within the thatch-roofed overwater bungalows – add a certain coziness, displaying an endearing authenticity.
But all things considered, it is definitely the super-friendly staff that makes this place memorable. They meet and greet visitors with a graciously warm sense that you are family. Moreover, like most exceptional vacation destination experiences, it is the super-cool staff that generates fond memories that last forever, in some ways more so than the physical beauty of a place.
The Bora Bora Le Moana is a place where time instantly slows to a crawl, as you sit on your overwater veranda while watching the sunset, or paddle around the lagoon in your kayak, coursing through the gin-clear emerald-tinted waters. Waterside dining in the evening, as Tahitian dancers rhythmically gyrate to the beat of drums, adds a timeless accent to the experience.
InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa
Soon, it was time to catch the shuttle boat across the lagoon to another luxury lodging, the Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa, situated on its own little motu (islet) with the majestic Mount Otemanu looming across the way on the main island.
The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa epitomizes a 5-star destination, defined by the professional and discreet demeanor of staff with their nuanced attention to detail, in concert with the sophisticated, architectural accents, notably in the spacious overwater bungalows.
Both al fresco under the stars, adjacent to the pool, and indoors, the culinary arts rival a fine-dining establishment in New York City or Paris. This is extra-remarkable when you remember that you are in the midst of the South Pacific, and are far, far away from the rest of the world.
While floating in the warm water in front of our bungalow, time has come to a virtual standstill. We do not want to pack and depart, but it’s time to fly away from paradise, and start planning a reprise visit – real soon.
For more details, visit InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa: @icfr_polynesia – tahiti.intercontinental.com & InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort: lemoana.intercontinental.com & InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa: thalasso.intercontinental.com
At press time, to travel to Tahiti, the French Polynesian government requires proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (taken within 36 hours of departure), and a follow-up self-administered test (free of charge) four days after arrival.
Writer: Thomas Wilmer
]]>We live in a world on the cusp that might be past the point of redemption: climate change progressing, our fragile food system under strain, and our planet becoming uninhabitable for our future generations. Luckily, Kiss the Ground, a champion for regenerative living and the restoration of soil worldwide, has taken up the torch, stirring our collective conscience to action – and quite simply but extremely firmly, our lives depend on it. The Los Angeles-based non-profit organization aims to raise awareness of “humanity’s greatest challenges” and their almost-too-simple solution: the very ground beneath our feet.
The non-profit has inspired filmmaker and author Josh Tickell to produce both a book and a documentary of the same name (the documentary was directed by Josh and Rebecca Tickell), and the organization’s website boasts an even more expansive array of tools with which to accomplish their mission, including free educational resources and a podcast. With their farmland and stewardship programs, advocate training, and community collaboration, the regenerative agriculture movement has been gaining momentum. Above all, Kiss the Ground is a way of life. It’s a pathway towards a fervent community dedicated to healing our planet.
Seven years in the making, their star-studded, eponymous documentary, narrated by Woody Harrelson, hit Netflix in September, and it’s already generated quite a buzz. The optimistic climate documentary, with a diverse team of activists, educators, celebrities, and community leaders, has motivated viewers to take matters into their own hands and get involved in the growing global movement. Although the film tackles the ominous subject of global warming and illustrates the harmful dangers of destructive farming practices, Kiss the Ground possesses the rare ability to inspire hope, communicating its message with a sense of positivity and a glimmer of possibility.
For more details, visit Kiss the Ground: @kisstheground – kisstheground.com & Kiss the Ground Movie: @kissthegroundmovie – kissthegroundmovie.com
]]>Greenwich Village, or more locally known as the Village, has been an artistic central and home to the LGBTQ movement and ’60s counterculture movements, ushering in a new wave of experimental ideas, galleries, theatres, and restaurants – together with some of the most prolific and influential writers, artists, and creatives. Located in the heart of the Village, with a beautiful brick façade and a touch of elegance and originality, Walker Hotel Greenwich Village is the perfect getaway location.
After enjoying a great night’s sleep with luxury Italian bedding by Frette, you can kick-start your day with a personalized wakeup call. Head down to Society Cafe for a vibrant market-to-table brunch with ingredients from the Union Square Greenmarket. Afterward, head over to some of the city’s landmark neighborhoods, such as Union Square, Chelsea, SoHo, the East Village, and the Meatpacking District, all within walking distance of the hotel. End your day back in the hotel room where you can relax on the private terrace, overlooking the stunning city views, or with a soak in their marble tub.
In addition to a timeless charm and all the comforts of modern luxury, the super-chic design hotel provides complimentary Wi-Fi, a 24-hour fitness center, concierge services, and flat-screen TVs with premium programming. The sleek black-and-white bathrooms feature amenities by C.O. Bigelow, New York City’s (and America’s) oldest apothecary.
The Parlour at Society Cafe offers a cozy lounge for drinks, bites, and live jazz music. You can also get comfortable with a good book and a cup of warm tea by the library fireplace.
For more details, visit: @walkerhotels – www.walkerhotels.com/walker-hotel-greenwich-village
]]>Testing has played a critical role in combating the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. The overall effectiveness of testing relies on accuracy, reliability, availability, and turnaround time. Currently, the most widely-used testing method collects a sample using a nasopharyngeal swab, and analyzes the sample using a technique called RT-PCR. While this technology is reliable and accurate, it falls short in turnaround time. Turnaround time (TAT) is the time it takes for a patient to receive their result after a test is performed. Furthermore, RT-PCR testing has been plagued by supply shortages of critical testing components, such as RNA isolation kits and expensive testing machinery.
As society reopens, the demand for rapid tests with a 15-minute turnaround time is growing exponentially. Rapid tests that detect an active infection are being adopted across multiple industries, including travel, education, professional and college athletics, healthcare, and public-event planning. Rapid testing allows people to be screened immediately before interacting with others, which prevents spread by asymptomatic carriers and significantly increases event safety.There are two types of rapid tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection: diagnostic tests and antibody tests. A diagnostic test is used to determine if someone has an active coronavirus infection. If the results are positive, the patient should take steps to quarantine and self-isolate to prevent the spread of the disease. An antibody test determines if someone has already had an infection with SARS-CoV-2, which is also important information for patients and scientists.
Rapid diagnostic testing for an active infection detects SAR-CoV-2 antigens, which are proteins specific to that virus, present in a sample. These antigen tests collect a sample using a nasal or nasopharyngeal swab and provide results in about 15 minutes. The tests are specific to the virus, and positive results are highly reliable. While negative results are also generally reliable, a physician may request a non-rapid confirmation test if a person has symptoms but has a negative antigen test result. This can be caused by a patient having a low viral count in their sample. Overall, the benefits of rapid antigen screening far outweigh any downsides, and major corporations and organizations have begun adoption.
To determine a previous history of coronavirus infection, the FDA recommends antibody tests. To help fight off infections, the immune system makes antibodies, which are small molecules that stick to specific germs. The presence of antibodies that recognize SARS-CoV-2 in a person’s blood indicates a history of infection with (or exposure to) the virus. Because antibodies take several days to weeks to develop after an infection begins, antibody tests should not be used to diagnose an active coronavirus infection. The results from antibody tests are important to patients who suspect they may have had COVID-19 and to scientists studying how widespread the virus previously was in an area.
Although not yet approved by the FDA, a new type of rapid diagnostic test is generating a lot of interest. This technology utilizes a spit-cup assay that changes color in the presence of a positive sample. The technology is called rapid colorimetric assay using reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). If approved, it aims to combine the sensitivity of a PCR-based assay with the simplicity and speed of a rapid antigen assay.
Rapid diagnostic testing and antibody testing are paving the way for safely reopening society and understanding the prevalence of infection in the population. Performing rapid testing significantly reduces the risk of human interactions, because it identifies asymptomatic carriers before they can interact with a group of people. Finally, despite advances in testing technology, good-behavior practices are still critical to stopping the spread. This includes practicing social distancing, as outlined in the CDC’s guidelines, and following the advice and regulations on the state and local level.
Writer: Joshua Stabach
]]>Coronavirus testing numbers are improving in the United States, but not at a rate where testing is available to anyone, at any time. Individuals are directed to testing centers because they are actively showing symptoms, because they have a known exposure, or because they work as a first responder. However, a study led by Michael Snyder, MD, PhD, chair of genetics at the Stanford University School of Medicine, aims to revolutionize the way we look at infectious-disease prevention and control, by tapping the potential of technology to keep individuals healthy rather than treating them after they become ill. Snyder and his research collaborators are exploring the possibility that wearable devices can detect early signs of viral infection without a diagnostic exam, measuring the skin temperature and heart-rate levels that elevate when the body combats an infection. If effective, this capability could be key in pre-diagnostic measures towards COVID-19 testing and management.
Collaborating with Fitbit and Scripps Research, Stanford Medicine has been working on research aimed at using Fitbit data to help detect, track, and contain infectious diseases like COVID-19 through a research consortium. The consortium brings together separate research already underway by both Stanford and Scripps to promote sharing of aggregated information, learning, and development. Fitbit is also helping promote those studies to increase enrollment.
For the past decade, Snyder has been using longitudinal methods to track measures on the human body for their potential to predict and prevent diseases. His ground-breaking research aims to make these preventive measures more accessible to the public, which could ultimately have a huge impact in helping curb the spread of viral infections, such as COVID-19.
For more details, visit Stanford Medicine: @stanford.med – med.stanford.edu & Fitbit: @fitbit – www.fitbit.com & Scripps Research: @scrippsresearch – www.scripps.edu
]]>Rapid 15-minute testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is a game-changing technology being implemented to keep businesses, schools, public events, and medical facilities operating safely. United and Lufthansa announced that they are providing 15-minute rapid antigen test kits to passengers before flights. Rapid testing was recently credited with saving Pac-12 football when a partnership with Quidel to provide daily testing to all players allowed the season to proceed. While many of the companies producing rapid tests are biotech giants, there are exciting startups also developing rapid tests that utilize similar technology.
Based in New York, Freedom For All Diagnostics is a manufacturer and distributor of rapid test kits used for detecting both active and prior SARS-CoV-2 infections. Their pipeline of rapid test assays is designed to be easy to use, accurate, and require no costly equipment to run.
Freedom For All Diagnostics currently has three COVID-19 tests in various stages of development: rapid antibody, rapid antigen, and rapid spit-cup tests. Using clinically-proven and well-established chromatographic immunoassay technology, the antibody test kit provides accurate and rapid results showing whether someone has had a previous infection with SARS-CoV-2.
The rapid antigen test kit detects if an individual has an active SARS-CoV-2 infection in minutes. This fantastic technology shows the results directly on the testing device so that coronavirus-positive individuals know they are infected before leaving the testing site. Finally, the rapid spit-cup test is being designed to provide the advantages of the rapid antigen test, while only requiring the patient to spit into a collection cup.
Most of the tests now being used for diagnosing active infections require the patient to wait at home for up to 72 hours before knowing whether they are infectious. Waiting for results is dangerous as it prevents accurate contact-tracing. The current consensus is that test results taking more than 24 hours make contact tracing nearly pointless. Freedom For All Diagnostics’ rapid, on-site results allow contact tracers to notify all potentially infected close contacts quickly.
Freedom For All Diagnostics’ SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG Antibody Assay Kit is a rapid chromatographic immunoassay intended for use in the qualitative detection of IgM and IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in human serum, plasma, or whole blood as an aid in the diagnosis of primary and secondary SARS-CoV-2 infections, as well as in identifying individuals with an adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2, indicating recent or prior infection.
According to a recent study* on the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies in patients with 2019 novel coronavirus, antibody testing played a critical role in scientists’ potential understanding of certain aspects of COVID-19. This study specifically investigated the aforementioned IgM and IgG antibodies, immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G, and found that IgM and IgG antibodies may play an imperative role in predicting the severity and prognosis of a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The study aimed to “determine the IgM and IgG responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with varying illness severities.” The IgM and IgG antibody levels were assessed via chemiluminescence immunoassay in 338 COVID-19 patients.
This study showed that “IgM levels increased during the first week after SARS-CoV-2 infection, peaked 2 weeks and then reduced to near-background levels in most patients.” They also found that “IgG was detectable after 1 week and was maintained at a high level for a long period.” Moreover, “the positive rates of IgM and/or IgG antibody detections were not significantly different among the mild, severe and critical disease groups.” Additionally, “severe and critical cases had higher IgM levels than mild cases, whereas the IgG level in critical cases was lower than those in both mild and severe cases.”
That said, testing for antibodies is crucial as it could “provide information on the time course of virus infection.” Furthermore, quantitative IgM and IgG assays could be very helpful “in the diagnosis and prognosis of COVID-19,” as well as “evaluating the severity” of the disease.
Freedom For All Diagnostics’ rapid antigen test detects small pieces of proteins that make up the virus and is considered a diagnostic test for detecting an active infection with the virus. This test utilizes a nasal swab for collection, and within 15 minutes, the test strip will show the presence of an active infection. This type of testing technology is critical for screening people before they gather with others for any reason, including business, travel, school, hospital visits, sporting activities, and religious services. Freedom For All Diagnostics believes that this technology will enable people to safely begin returning to pre-coronavirus activities.
Freedom For All Diagnostics’ ability to offer rapid test kits for both active and previous infections will significantly contribute to the fight in understanding and combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The scientific community has recognized the need for rapidly detecting active cases and identifying previous infections in the population. Due to the high rate of asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals spreading the virus, a combination of both types of tests is needed to evaluate both current and previous infection levels in the population as a whole.
For more details, visit: @freedomforalldiagnostics – freedomtestkit.com
* www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7202656/
Writer: Joshua Stabach
]]>Fully enjoy the Big Easy without sacrificing elegance or comfort at the Terrell House Bed and Breakfast, nestled in the heart of historic New Orleans. Located on the corner of Magazine and Euterpe Streets, the Terrell House is a grand three-story Italianate stucco-over-brick mansion, featuring a classic New Orleans courtyard complete with fountains and lush greenery.
Built in 1857, the Terrell House still retains many of its original architectural elements, blended beautifully with modern amenities and comforts. After a long day of perusing art galleries and boutiques on Magazine Street or experiencing New Orleans’ incredible music and cuisine, there is no better place to retreat to than the Terrell House Bed and Breakfast.
Along with idyllic views and Southern gourmet breakfasts, during their stay, guests will be treated to complimentary robes, beverages, WiFi, and access to the St. Charles Avenue Athletic Club, a short 10-minute walk from the Terrell House.
You may choose from four different houses, each adorned with period English, French, and American antiques, cypress furniture crafted by local woodworkers, and original artwork from local artists. The main house boasts porches, galleries, and balconies framed with ornate cast iron. Additionally, guests may relax in the courtyard or enjoy the elegantly-decorated double parlors.
The Terrell House is also a venue for upscale weddings and special events that can accommodate 20 to 120 guests. Host the perfect ceremony, reception, or rehearsal dinner in the romantic parlors and the sprawling brick courtyard. The gorgeous event space offers in-house catering, and their epicurean chefs will work with you to create the perfect menu for a perfect event.
For more details, visit: @theterrellhouse – www.terrellhouse.com
]]>Hidden away in the middle of Downtown Los Angeles is one of the city’s best-kept secrets: Tuck Hotel. A small boutique establishment, the Tuck Hotel has a city-wide reputation for being one of the best hideaway hotels in the area.
Located on 820 S Spring Street, near L.A.’s Fashion District, the Tuck Hotel is about a 20-minute walk from some of the most exciting entertainment venues in one of the city’s most dynamic districts. For example, it is a 16-minute walk away from L.A. LIVE, an 18-minute walk from the Microsoft Theater and only 0.9 miles away from the STAPLES Center, not to mention being in close proximity to a myriad of restaurants. For those interested in city walking and in taking full advantage of L.A. entertainment opportunities, the Tuck Hotel’s 24-hour front desk provides both a concierge service and ticket service for guests.
Besides its great location, the Tuck Hotel is also well known for its spacious and well-decorated accommodations. Each of its 14 rooms has a desk, a closet, and a private bathroom equipped with a shower and a hair dryer. Furthermore, they also come with a flat-screen TV and some provide a seating area. Decorated in fashionable monochromes and dark woods that are reminiscent of Old Hollywood, the Tuck Hotel’s aesthetic is as luxurious as it is Instagram-able.
The first-floor lobby and the restaurant will be closed for renovations until August of 2019, after which guests will be able to enjoy not only a newly renovated lobby and a full-bar restaurant, but also a gift shop, a boutique, a showroom, an art gallery and a lounge.
For these reasons and more, the Tuck Hotel is considered one of the best-value hotels in the area, where guests will be able to get the most out of their stay.
For more details, visit: @tuck.hotel – www.tuckhotel.com
]]>Thanks to virtual reality, we can now travel around the world while lounging on the couch in our living rooms.
360-degree augmented reality (AR) videos provide a panoramic vista, but the viewer remains an outsider looking in. The beauty of the virtual reality (VR) experience is that it’s literally encapsulating the visual landscape; with the aid of a headset, such as Samsung’s Gear VR, your brain thinks your body is inside it.
Based in Sydney, Australia, Kain Tietzel, a pioneer VR developer for Atlas Obscura, says that even though the VR experience is mind-blowing, the technology is still in the dial-up phase. “Future headsets will be equipped with predictive technology – the ability to anticipate and respond accordingly to where your eyes are focused,” he adds. “The evolution of headsets will morph into something along the lines of contact lenses.”
But until then, a more modest evolution would be along the lines of what Austin, Texas-based producer Jennifer Simonson believes. “I am super-excited about the future of VR. As headsets become more portable and affordable, more and more people will be able to experience virtual-reality travel,” she says. “I hope we come to a point where the VR headsets are as ubiquitous as smartphones, so whenever anyone wants to ‘travel,’ they can just put on their headsets and go on a short adventure.”
Simonson also adds that experiences drive engagement. “As a virtual-reality filmmaker, I can place the viewer into the destination. The viewer is completely immersed both visually and audibly, making them feel like they are actually there,” she shares. “VR eliminates the time and expense of travel, so a person can walk the ancient Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, view the great pyramids of Egypt, and watch the sunset over the Grand Canyon – all from the living room. When I made my first few videos in Mexico, I presented them to my 96-year-old grandmother, who was always a lover of travel, but is no longer able to travel due to health reasons.”
Jason Lopez, a Silicon Valley technology writer, says that the upcoming release of Apple Glass will serve as a big step toward wide-scale societal and B2B adaptation of spatial technologies. The applications are already changing the landscape of gaming, real estate, healthcare, and military-training environments.
Additionally, Tietzel mentions VR as a therapeutic modality for cancer patients’ treatments, where soothing VR exotic travel destination experiences have resulted in a reduction of pain medications.
Moreover, Lopez notes that Portland, Oregon-based Object Theory creates AR environments that make it easier and cheaper for their clients to design things like bridges or hospital operating rooms. “Instead of the time and expense of shipping costly equipment to a site and staging a demo operating room, they do it virtually,” he says. “One thing is really clear – in the theatrical entertainment space, 360-viewing demands a brand-new language. In a flat-screen world, time is compressed with jump cuts. We don’t think a thing about it when we watch. But in 360, conventional film-editing theory doesn’t work very well. That’s partly because 360 lends itself to the experience of actually being there, not just observing through a window.”
With your headset on, a weekend in Paris takes on a whole new meaning.
For more details, visit Start Beyond: @start_beyond – www.startbeyond.co & Atlas Obscura: @atlasobscura – www.atlasobscura.com
Writer: Thomas Wilmer
Photographers: Start Beyond & Lumenbrite
]]>The Hilton Anatole in Dallas is an enjoyable experience. Their 45-acre campus houses an expansive art collection, the largest in the nation. I loved the resort and was surprised by the interesting artifacts of historical significance throughout the entire property. Their accommodations include 1,606 luxuriously appointed guest rooms with first-class in-room amenities.
One of many highlights was the resort-style waterpark, JadeWaters, featuring a lazy river, luxury cabanas, two 30-foot slides, a leisure pool and more. For the less comfortable swimmers or younger crowd, there are plenty of lifeguards on duty. I personally felt comfortable and safe while my son enjoyed JadeWaters. The amenities were perfect and family-friendly, and we were grateful for the accommodations.
There are many convenient elements that you don’t even notice (but come to appreciate), like the separate elevator banks that take you directly to the indoor pool from the Atrium guest rooms. The hotel offers guests 600,000 square feet of event space as well as a variety of recreational activities. When you need a great place to get an early-morning workout, they have the 80,000-square-foot Verandah Fitness Club & Spa, tennis courts, indoor jogging track and more. If you’re hungry, be sure to dine at one or all of the nine unique restaurants and bars, including the critically-acclaimed SĒR Steak + Spirits, which was named one of Dallas’ 10 Best Steakhouses by D Magazine in 2018.
Moreover, the staff was friendly and helpful for the duration of our stay. They reached out to make sure everything was comfortable – which was considerate and much appreciated.
For more details, visit: @hiltonanatole – www.hiltonanatolehotel.com
Writers: Vanessa Ferrelli & Kristina Villarini
]]>For the first time in two decades, the former British Airways-affiliated hotel is once again back in business, now as New York City’s newest boutique hotel. Located on East 55th Street, this 37-story hotel is situated within the proximity of some of the most exciting attractions in one of the world’s most exciting cities. For those who are artistically inclined, MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art), St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Carnegie Hall are a few blocks away from the property – in addition to other popular attractions such as Rockefeller Center, Top of the Rock, and Radio City Music Hall. One can also find some of the best bars and restaurants in Manhattan as well as retail spaces for brands like Nike, Apple, Tiffany & Co., and Prada within walking distance.
For those who prefer to spend their time working or resting after a long flight, Concorde Hotel New York offers high-quality accommodations to all of its guests. Their rooms are not only spacious but are also elegantly decorated in order to provide a space that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is relaxing. They are also well-equipped with all the amenities that a modern traveler may need in their temporary home away from home: corded and wireless Internet, 50" HDTVs with cable television, soaking bathtubs and rainfall shower heads, a desk, a fully-stocked mini-fridge, and a complementary Nespresso beverage system.
Moreover, thanks to the hotel’s height and location, some of the most iconic landmarks in New York City are visible from their rooms. Thus, guests can enjoy a cup of freshly-brewed Nespresso while gazing at the Chrysler Building, Central Synagogue, the Queensboro Bridge, and the East River.
Guests at the Concorde Hotel New York will also be able to enjoy an array of services outside of their rooms – a business center, printing and mail services, a 24-hour fitness center, and concierge services.
The team behind the hotel is a microcosm of the city around it. With luxurious rooms, high-end amenities, and multilingual staff dedicated to make their guest’s stay as comfortable as possible, the newly-revamped Concorde Hotel New York is truly living up to its sterling reputation.
For more details, visit: @concordehotelnyc – www.concordehotelnewyork.com
]]>Those who live to travel and visit different countries begin to build a collection of memories from one location to the next. Some destinations will have them seeing the vast mountain ranges and fields of green, while others will take them across the seven seas. However, many who travel don’t always explore their surroundings; they only go sightseeing. Henry Cookson and his team are here to truly show people what it means to travel.
Founded in 2009, Cookson Adventures aims to be different when it comes to providing clients with unique and irreplaceable memories. Henry Cookson and his team of travel and exploration specialists are leading the way by bringing luxury and the thrill of adventuring to clients in search of new travel plans. Whether it’s plowing through the Arctic tundra on the SuRi expedition yacht, discovering the depths of the seas in U-Boat Worx’s
Cruise Sub 7 submersible, or taking to the skies in a Eurocopter AS350 helicopter, Cookson Adventures will be your guide to creating ever-lasting memories.
Armed with the many years of collective experience and experts coming from a wide range of backgrounds (such as former army and military personnel, luxury travel specialists, and even former documentary film crew), Cookson Adventures tailors every adventure to the clients’ requirements – you can be sure that your top-of-the-line adventure will be designed specifically to your desires.
By utilizing some of the most advanced technical equipment and technology, Cookson Adventures will make sure clients will have everything they need in order to fully immerse themselves in the journey. Bringing luxury along for the adventure, the SuRi exploration yacht is the perfect companion for sailing the seas or reaching the snowy tundra. Able to hold a guest capacity of twelve people, SuRi contains a collection of various suites and cabins to provide them comfort and relaxation while out on a journey. Aside from living large, SuRi is also large enough to house a landing pad, a SeaRey seaplane, a Munson Packman landing craft, and a number of other vehicles to offer clients various means of exploration.
For the current 2020 and 2021 lineup of adventure destinations, clients will be exploring parts of the Pacific Ocean, including Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Tonga, French Polynesia, and the Galápagos and Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
For more details, visit: @cooksonadventures – cooksonadventures.com
]]>London is known for its rich history and modern elegance. The extravagant Andaz London Liverpool Street is no exception, making this venue your go-to whenever you stay in the Big Smoke.
The hotel’s architecture seems a noteworthy nod to the heritage of its structure. Originally built in 1884 as the Great Eastern Hotel, the building was remodeled and renamed in 2007 to embody a look of modernism without stripping away the culture it was founded upon.
When entering the lobby, an instant sense of awe will spark the senses. The open space reflects a history of 19th-century avant-garde décor with whimsical touches of color. Local art dazzles the walls showcasing the distinctive personality and creativity of the surrounding neighborhood.
Designed by Conran and Partners to portray the city’s history with artistic flair, the hotel has 267 large rooms including 15 suites where guests can enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi and a minibar with non-alcoholic drinks and snacks. In addition, the popular hotel offers the 80-square-meter (ANDAZ)RED Suite, designed by Sir Terence Conran, which introduces designs inspired by the unique vibe of the local area. When guests choose to stay in this room, 30% of the nightly charge will be donated to (RED), co-founded by U2 frontman Bono, to support their fight against AIDS.
Moreover, the hotel includes six restaurants and bars, creating an individualized experience while offering exceptional service. If you find yourself over-indulging in the hotel’s exquisite cuisine, no worries! Their health club provides state-of-the-art fitness equipment with personalized TV screens.
Undoubtedly giving each guest a personalized experience, this hotel reflects an exceptional infusion of the classic feel, made of the locality.
For more details, visit: @andazlondon – www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/england-united-kingdom/andaz-london-liverpool-street/longe]]>Mondrian Los Angeles exists in the heart of West Hollywood, capturing all of the excitement and glamour of the Sunset Strip it’s located on. The boutique hotel boasts thirty-foot mahogany doors, and follows an audacious 20-million-dollar renovation, introducing 236 newly designed rooms, lobby, and meeting spaces. The striking color palette throughout the hotel, along with their subtly textured wallpaper, contributes to the Surrealist aesthetic and clear attention to detail.
Whether guests are in search of entertainment on or off-site, it’s difficult to run out of things to do at a location such as this. The hotel is close to popular attractions such as Paramount Pictures, STAPLES Center, Dodger Stadium, the Hollywood Hills and more.
Those who wish to stay on location can enjoy chilled drinks and cool waters surrounded by panoramic city views, and dine at Ivory on Sunset for Italian-inspired cuisine and comfort food.
After sunset, Skybar at Mondrian, perched above the pool, becomes one of West Hollywood’s hottest nightlife spots. The open-air, ivy-covered pavilion transforms from a poolside lounge to a backdrop for world-class DJs and innovative activations.
The hotel’s room options include standards with and without balcony access, and over five different suite options. Each standard room features beautiful views of the Hollywood Hills and the city of Los Angeles, or a view of the Mondrian’s pool. Every room is equipped with luxuries, such as sustainable bamboo floors and 300-thread-count cotton linens. It is the perfect place to relax after a long day, especially with their rainfall shower heads, in-room spa services, and bath amenities from Ciel Spa.
For more details, visit: @mondrianlosangeles – www.morganshotelgroup.com/mondrian/mondrian-los-angeles
]]>Traveling to Los Angeles and looking to enjoy the comfort of a warm and homey resort? Sightsee and get a chance to take in your destination? Devour mouth-watering eatery? The award-winning Steady that specializes in making the stay of international travelers as enjoyable and fulfilling as possible is ready to meet all of these needs. Located in East Hollywood, amidst an array of vintage stores, art studios, eateries and spiritual centers, they are stationed right on the outskirts of L.A.’s more tourist-heavy areas, while still being 15 minutes away from DTLA and Hollywood and 45 minutes away from Santa Monica.
Given a Guest Review Award by Booking.com only four months into operation, The Steady focuses on the leisure side of travel while guests get to bask in the much-lauded California weather. In addition to their six nature-inspired rooms that can fit as many as 46 people, guests can also swing by the common lounge and dining area where complimentary breakfast is served daily, offering fellow travelers a chance to socialize and maybe even discuss their impeccable taste in their stay, including their fresh beds to lounge in, cozy green nooks to sip your coffee slow, warm hardwood floors, and lived-in spaces aglow with golden sunlight.
While Los Angeles is often portrayed as a fast-paced area, The Steady is here to show you another side of this famous city since their aim is to provide their guests “a true Angeleno experience” – with walking tours throughout the cultural centers of the city or pub-crawling through L.A.’s up-and-coming neighborhoods.
For more details, visit: @thesteadyhostel – www.thesteadyhostel.com
]]>Imagine a private tropical isle with your very own palatial waterfront villa. Following a seductive soak in your beachside plunge pool, your two housemen arrive with an icy libation and a snack of fresh-caught lobster. Imagine: a private isle situated in the midst of one of the planet’s largest and most beautiful barrier reefs with gin-clear water, where snorkeling, scuba diving, and fishing are the stuff of legend. Welcome to “your private island” – Cayo Espanto nestled off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea is a place where dreams become reality.
Cayo Espanto was envisioned by Jeff Gram, who turned a personal dream of creating an ultra-luxe destination into reality. A place imbued with stellar service, melded with the world’s finest cuisine sourced locally from fishermen and farmers – a place where your wish is a command, exemplified by the old adage – there’s only one class, and that’s first class. That said, Cayo Espanto has been humming along since 1999, discretely attracting honeymooners and celebrities, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Bill Gates, Tiger Woods, and Jennifer Lawrence. “I created Cayo as an oasis for lovers, but equally alluring for the solo traveler seeking blissful peace, and family getaways, [including] some who take over the entire seven-villa island for a lifetime of memories,” Gram says.
Even the process of getting there is part of the magic. We flew United from Houston to Belize City, where a Cayo representative was waiting to seamlessly whisk us through customs and expedite boarding the Tropic Air hopper flight to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. From there, another Cayo rep drove us to nearby docks to meet the shuttle boat that zipped us across the bay to our private island.
The entire staff – including cooks, housemen, housekeepers, and masseuse – formed a receiving line and awaited our arrival on the dock. The fine-tuned, nuanced training of staff members is so peerless that they could serve as tutors for staff at premier five-star resorts around the world. Their delivery, style, grace, and authentic friendliness have tempted more than one multi-millionaire guest to offer a king’s ransom and spirit away staff members to their own mansions in the Hamptons. Oh, and that leads to another nuance of perfection: My partner and I agreed that our massages on this isolated islet were among the best treatments we’d ever had anywhere in the world.
Additionally, Gram totally values his workers, and treats them with the respect of treasured friends, providing an incredibly handsome compensation package. He proudly notes that one of his employees has parlayed his pay into ownership of six homes in his nearby hometown.
There’s a little more on service: When our two housemen delivered a meal or drink, it was done with a graceful precision, reminiscent of two syncopated ballerinas. They deftly slid in a plate or flatware from our left, with right arms artfully resting behind their backs.
“I didn’t realize how much I needed a chill-out trip until I settled in at my waterfront villa,” Johanna Read from Vancouver, British Columbia, says. “I unpacked, changed into my breezy island-wear, ate a delicious seafood lunch on my private deck next to my plunge pool, took some photos of the cerulean sea, and felt my blood pressure drop. This was my first trip in, I don’t know how long, where I could just relax, enjoy the vistas, swim whenever I wanted, read a book, or just gaze at the stars.”
Courtney Cacatian from Charlottesville, Virginia, adds, “Each meal served in our cabana was more impressive than the last, and when we left the island, our first thought was to form a plan to save enough money to return for another dose of pure indulgence.”
For more details, visit: @aprivateisland – aprivateisland.com
Writer: Thomas Wilmer
]]>If you walk down Argyle Street in the bustling King’s Cross neighborhood in London, U.K., you will eventually come across a large, tall and severed-looking building, distinguishable for its Brutalist design and for the small, red pill-shaped elevator running up and down its side. You would have found The Standard’s first hotel outside of the United States.
Located in what used to be the Camden Town Hall Annexe, this 1970s-style building has been restored and reinvigorated in order to please and fit the needs of The Standard’s new and prospective guests. With 266 rooms decorated in 42 unique styles, from Cosy Core rooms to terraced suites with outdoor bathtubs overlooking St Pancras station, this hotel has something for everyone, for every need and every taste.
In the United States, The Standard has long been associated with youthful, playful aesthetics and a fun-loving atmosphere. The Standard, London has managed to preserve the chain’s expected vibe while adding its own subtle flavor of European glamour and sophistication in bold colors and retro prints intended to contrast with the general greyness of London. The hotel’s ambience is ideal for those who want to feel invigorated by their surroundings while still experiencing the height of luxury.
But The Standard is not just another swanky luxury hotel in a fashionable neighborhood. London already has plenty of those! Where The Standard, London really shines is how it merges comfort with culture, history, and fun. For example, the lobby lounge features a library that is specifically curated to pay homage to the building’s original use. There is also a Sounds Studio – a broadcast venue equipped with a recording booth – that hosts weekly talks and live-music events.
Guests staying at The Standard will also have access to some of the finest food in London. Helmed by the London-based chef, Adam Rawson, both Isla and Double Standard offer fresh, tasty meals and extensive wine and cocktail lists. The only difference is their ambience: Isla is perfect for those who wish to enjoy a nice, healthy meal in a serene and beautifully tended garden, while Double Standard is great for a casual drinking hangout with friends.
At The Standard, London, you can experience the best that London has to offer, and have fun while doing so.
For more details, visit: @thestandardlondon - www.standardhotels.com/london/properties/london
]]>Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown is placed right in the center of Tribeca where art meets architecture with an explosion of diversity and vibrancy.
The hotel occupies the first 24 floors of the 82-story tower, outlining downtown’s skyline. Due to its location, guests are able to spend a day on the waterfront, or exploring one-of-a-kind businesses and trendy spots. In addition to gorgeous hairpin turns and imposing staircases, stone and marble finishes decorate the rooms, spa, pool, and lobby. Yabu Pushelberg designed an asymmetrical look for the hotel with its limestone and concrete exterior, making a dramatic impact on visitors in comparison to the inside.
The hotel holds an entire floor dedicated for rejuvenation and wellness, a seven-room spa, a lap pool, and a fitness center overlooking downtown and all of its glory. Family itineraries and children’s welcome gifts are available for every guest in need of suggestions and goodies.
Not only does the hotel provide valet parking, they also offer a private dining experience at CUT by world-renowned chef Wolfgang Puck. It is also important to note that dogs and cats under 25 pounds are welcome at the hotel.
Complimentary items include morning coffee and tea in the lobby, WiFi, in-room iPads for hotel services, bottled water, cribs, over 100 international newspapers, and items to childproof rooms. When you need extra space or a bit more luxury than the typical guest rooms offer, their Gotham Suite with a terrace, overlooking the surrounding neighborhood, is an amazing option. With iconic views of New York City, it offers ample space for guests along with their aesthetics and services. Whether you are on a business trip or simply looking for a family getaway, the Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown is surely a place to satisfy everyone’s needs.
For more details, visit: @fsnydowntown –www.fourseasons.com/newyorkdowntown/
]]>Originally founded on Hollywood Boulevard in 1903 by H.J. Whitley, the “Father of Hollywood,” the historic Hollywood Hotel has always been a hotspot. The hotel established its new location on Vermont Avenue in 1964 and has since been paying tribute to its legendary status. With their pool surrounded by gardens, cocktails in the outdoor lounge, and multiple exclusive packages to choose from – the Hollywood Hotel has it all.
Mornings at the hotel are highlighted by their complimentary hot breakfast buffet. For evening dining, the hotel boasts their Route 66 Bar & Lounge, located on the lower level, featuring a comedy club with open mic and booked shows Thursdays through Saturdays. Guests looking to wind down can relax in the hotel’s sparkling pool, meditative atrium garden and fountain, and sauna.
Package deals, such as the Pamper Your Pet package, include special amenities for your fuzzy friends, while the Warner Bros. Studio, Universal Studios and Six Flags packages encourage guests to get the most out of their stay in Hollywood.
The Hollywood Hotel combines cosmopolitan California architecture and vintage Hollywood charm, paying homage to its star-studded history. Nearby attractions include the Hollywood Palladium, the Griffith Observatory, and TCL Chinese Theatre, all just 2 to 4 miles from the hotel.
When it comes to rooms, guests can choose between a classic or a suite, each contemporary and individually decorated. Custom-designed furnishings and private baths with lighted vanities give a nod to the Old Hollywood glamour aesthetic.
For more details, visit: @hollywoodhotel – www.thehollywoodhotel.com
]]>Exploring the depths of space in the name of research and science has always been a massive endeavor. As technology has advanced, we have been able to improve our understanding about what space is, allowing us to see Earth from an entirely new perspective. Before, traveling to space was only accessible to specialists, astronauts, and those at the top of their field. But now, even civilians will be able to explore space and view the Earth from a distance. With the combined talents of Axiom Space and Roman & Erica, Inc., being able to take a tour into space is becoming closer to a reality.
Axiom Space is a privately-owned space-station manufacturer/service provider, who plans to create the world’s first commercial space station. With the goal of bringing private astronauts on a trip to orbit the Earth, Michael T. Suffredini, president and CEO of Axiom Space and former manager of NASA’s International Space Station program, wants to give civilians the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be out in space, witnessing transcendental views of the Earth from 250 miles up, and to enrich their lives with the chance of a lifetime. And in order to bring this experience to the public, Roman & Erica, Inc., a globally-known luxury travel and lifestyle management firm based in New York, is connecting pioneering individuals – ready to discover the wonders of space travel – with Axiom Space.
With the proven reputation Roman & Erica, Inc. has built, clients will be among the very first to be offered the opportunity of a lifetime. While on board, clients can fulfill their own missions, unlocking possibilities on a global scale: Whether fostering awareness of urgent global issues or building a mission to advance their private foundation, guests are able to curate their own adventure. Experiencing the view of Earth from space, called the “overview effect,” will fundamentally change their perception of the world.
The entire experience includes unprecedented access to NASA’s training facilities, including a 15-week astronaut-training course, the transportation to and from the space station, and approximately ten enriching days of life in space and microgravity. You will be one of the few people in human history to have witnessed what lies beyond our planet’s atmosphere.
For more details, visit Roman & Erica, Inc.: romananderica.com & Axiom Space: @axiom.space – axiomspace.com
]]>The recently renovated Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago, located in the downtown Loop neighborhood, offers new reasons to visit as it is minutes away from Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile, Lake Michigan, 360 CHICAGO (formerly known as the John Hancock Observatory), and The Art Institute of Chicago.
Among the magnificent skyscrapers along the Chicago River, the hotel adds a historical charm to the city’s waterfront; the facade remains true to its original early-20th-century design when it was the headquarters of the D.B. Fisk & Co. hat company. The interior presents a stylish modern look with a vintage flair. Royal hues of blue complement the lobby and walls covered with black-and-white images of Chicago architecture. The redesigned guest rooms feature high ceilings, large bay windows, and walk-in showers with marble accents. Business and luxury travelers can enjoy spacious suites that offer separate sitting and work areas.
Beyond the aesthetics, the hotel also offers many perks and treats: WiFi, daily newspapers, morning coffee and tea service, and a yoga mat in the closet. Additionally, the added convenience of valet parking and pet-friendly accommodations is a huge plus. Forgetful travelers can rely on the front desk to offer a phone charger, lip balm, deodorant, lint roller, and toiletries. The fitness-conscious can have a workout in the 24-hour gym equipped with treadmills, elliptical machines, weights, and headphones. For a workout in the fresh air, bikes are also available for a ride along the lakefront or around town. To relax inside, there are in-room spa services.
Most guests can be found near the lobby fireplace especially during the wine hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Complimentary selections of red and white wines are served along with delicious appetizers. The lobby also offers a wide variety of books curated by the Newberry Library that you can check out or read while sipping on the featured wine of the evening.
Across from the lobby, Fisk & Co., the seafood-centric upscale tavern, has a Belgian-inspired menu. Their specialty is mussels and fries, but its comfort food and raw bar of oysters and shellfish win the popular contest. Both guests and visitors stop by for the live music and cocktails on selected nights.
Having a great time is easy, and it requires little work – thanks to the friendly staff. Upon arrival, the staff shares the current hotel events and promotions, the manager checks in to ask about your stay, and the front desk provides suggestions on the Windy City’s must-see sights, happenings, and attractions. With the style, convenience, cuisine, and the welcoming atmosphere, it is difficult to end a stay at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago when you never want to leave.
For more details, visit: @monacochicago – www.monaco-chicago.com
Writers: Vanessa Ferrelli & Tiffany Shorter
]]>Set in the historic NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan, Lex Hotel NYC ushers in a new era of modern boutique style. Named for its convenient Lexington Avenue location, the hotel offers sophisticated and contemporary styles for travelers in search of adventuring New York City. Offering 48 rooms of accommodations outfitted with comfy Garnier-Thiebaut linens, daily wine and cheese selections, and private balconies, this spot is perfect to recharge after exploring the bustling streets.
Due to its surroundings of a culinary melting-pot of flavors, local dining options include traditional Chinese dumplings, authentic Italian meatballs, and so much more. Nearby favorites include the Californian-inspired Upland, Dos Caminos’ Mexican cuisine, and AYZA Wine & Chocolate Bar’s quality bar of chocolate.
If guests wish to stay inside the hotel, or even in bed, 24-hour room-service orders are fulfilled by Tivoli Cafe; in addition to endless coffee and tea, daily continental breakfast is served on the scenic rooftop when weather permits.
Bounded by Chelsea, Murray Hill, Midtown South, and the Flatiron District, there’s never a lack of things to do around the Lex. Just steps from access to all major transportation lines, guests can easily see all the sites including Times Square, the Empire State Building, Union Square Park, and more. You can also stop by the concierge desk for the organization of tickets for plays, concerts, sporting events, and trips.
For more details, visit: @lexhotelnyc – www.lexhotelnyc.com
]]>In a world with exorbitant and rising rent costs, many people find themselves struggling to make ends meet. However, a new housing building in Venice, California, plans to change all of that. With a new approach to accommodation, PodShare Venice creates a unique and non-traditional experience for cohabitation. As the by-product of sky-high rents, PodShare’s mission is to redefine the housing industry and provide new opportunities for its guests.
In this modern-day bunkhouse, you’ll find a fascinating experience with communal living. The redesigned, custom bunk beds – referred to as pods – are 50 square feet, have personal outlets and nightlights, and even have their own flat-screen TVs with Roku. If you’re a person who loves to move around and travel while diversifying your network, PodShare might just be the place for you.
By becoming a member of PodShare, you are a part of their Live-Anywhere plan that grants unlimited transfers and access to a network of neighborhoods. Not only can you save by cohabitating, but there are also various different learning and networking opportunities to be made. PodShare is growing fast and even has 5 other locations across California: San Francisco, Hollywood, Westwood, Downtown L.A. and Los Feliz.
PodShare believes in the importance of traveling and is aware of the cost prohibitors that are placed among those who wish to travel. Their housing model offers a solution that allows people to live affordably and work in different areas by just transferring to a different pod. Their mission is to allow people to save so that they can spend on personal experiences, their future families, or for investing in themselves.
With PodShare, you create a community filled with new friendships and relationships; multiple occupants have even tattooed the PodShare logo on themselves. By staying at PodShare, you are welcoming yourself to a new and exhilarating experience with this conscience-based approach of accommodation. Whether you’re a tourist, student, or nomad, you’ll be a member of a distinct housing society, and you’ll be sure to get the most out of your stay.
For more details, visit: @podshare – podshare.com
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