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Eco Houses: the New Mansions

On 08.23.10, In Luxury Living, Luxury Real Estate, By admin

McMansions are decidedly out of fashion for most of the population, and while the rich still luxuriate in five thousand square foot abodes, there is another trend that is becoming more popular.

The Green House is not just an energy saver, it can be a financial investment. Here are some of the ways you can convert your home to be green.

1. Geothermal and solar technology: Harvesting energy in these ways means tax breaks and lower bills. But did you know that many energy companies will actually buy your excess energy?

2. Recycling Rainwater: Irrigation for landscaping and gardens is a hot commodity.

3.Lumber: Choosing wood for floors and walls that is green isn’t as easy as it sounds. You might be better off using old floors, or finding renewable forests certified by environmentalists.

4. Gardens: Plant them in windowboxes, on your roof, or in your yard and start reaping the benefits of organic fruits and vegetables almost immediately. If you need to cultivate your green thumb, start lightly with herbs.

The above featured 7ten in Venice, CA., is an example of a green house. If you want to retrofit your house with green technology you don’t have to assume the contemporary look, just call a PV systems company or follow the above tips to get started.

The Prestige of Carnegie Hall

On 07.27.10, In Luxury Living, By LucyB

There’s the old tale that a New Yorker is approached by a passerby on the street, who asks “Excuse me, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer? “Practice, practice, practice.”

Built by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1891, Carnegie Hall is one of the most prestigious performance venues for classical music in the world. It’s one of the few remaining buildings in New York built entirely of exquisite masonry, and presents around 200 concerts each year.

The main hall, the Isaac Stern Auditorium, is a grand space containing no less than 2,804 seats, covered in plush red velvet, over five levels. All levels can be reached by elevator, except for the top balcony, which visitors have to climb 137 steps to get to, just like in the late 1800s.

In the video below, world-class pianist Lang Lang talks about his first solo recital at Carnegie Hall, and the beauty, magic and acoustics of the hall, as well as the special connection it facilitates between performers and audience members.

Tagged with: carnegie hall

The Algonquin for a Classy New York Stay

On 07.22.10, In Luxury Vacation, By LucyB

Blowing into New York for the weekend to see a Broadway show? Why not spend the weekend in total style by staying in the historic Algonquin Hotel on West 44th Street. A room at the Algonquin will set you back $300 to $400, but in exchange, you get to immerse yourself in a beautiful designated National Literary Landmark.

The Algonquin has a long and colorful history; today, it’s the oldest operating hotel in New York City. It opened in 1902 and quickly became host to leading players in the theatrical and literary scene, notably the members of the Algonquin Round Table, which included writer Dorothy Parker, humorist Robert Charles Benchley, and Jane Grant and Harold Ross, co-founders of The New Yorker. These thinkers met daily for lunch and heated discussion in the main dining room.

One of the hotel’s best-known residents is of the feline variety. The tradition of keeping a cat in the hotel began in the 1930s when a homeless kitty wandered in. Today’s cat, Matilda, has her own personal chaise longue in the lobby, and enjoys lounging on a baggage cart.

Tagged with: algonquin hotel • new york

Godiva’s for Luxurious Chocolate

On 07.15.10, In Luxury Food, By LucyB

I love chocolate. Who doesn’t? It’s rich, it’s smooth, it’s sweet, and it comes in so many forms: white, dark, milk, fruity, minty, liqueur, coconut, truffles, and the list goes on. I love chocolate-coated dried fruit, fresh strawberries, marshmallows and licorice, and chocolate fondu.

When it comes to buying chocolate, I prefer buying from fine chocolatiers rather than mass manufacturers like Cadbury and Hershey. One of my favorite chocolatiers is Godiva; their range of chocolates is just exquisite. And the good news is, if you can’t find them in your neighborhood, you can buy online at Godiva.com.

Godiva has chocolate assortments in delicious milk, dark, and white ganaches, pralinés, caramels, fruits, and nuts pieces, as well as chocolate bars, cookies, coffee, cocoa, chocolate treats like chocolate pretzels, fruit and nut boxes, chocolate coated cashews, white chocolate pearls, and more. Godiva even has delicious baked desserts like chocolate cake, mousse and brownies.

Whether you need a wedding, birthday, apology, sympathy, get well, thank you, Christmas or Easter gift, or just a treat for yourself, Godiva’s has a chocolaty solution.

Tagged with: godiva

Clam Chowder Is Luxury

On 07.14.10, In Luxury Food, By LucyB

For me, New England cuisine is one of the most luxurious taste sensations around. Clam Chowder, lobster, scallops, oysters, mussels, and all that good stuff. Nothing’s better than a lobster or scallop roll, backed up by a good old fashioned milk shake or ice cream soda, on a hot summer’s day by the beach, or a serving of delicate lobster meat drizzled in melted butter with a bowl of clam chowder in the evening. While I love New England clam chowder, in all its creamy, rich glory, I like Rhode Island Clam Chowder even better. This is a clear broth-based chowder that’s slightly cloudy, and it’s just a little more sophisticated than the chowder you’ll generally encounter in an eatery– it tends to be served in those long-established hotels and restaurants with silver service. Tourists tend to go for the New England variety; locals know the value of the broth. Rhode Island Clam Chowder is extremely tasty and because it’s so light, you can eat more of it. Here’s how to make it:

Tagged with: clam chowder • Newport • rhode island

Newport, Rhode Island for a Touch of Class

On 07.07.10, In Luxury Real Estate, By LucyB

If you really want to surround yourself in a little luxury, then look no further than Newport, Rhode Island, home to some of America’s wealthiest families at the turn of the 20th century (heard of the Astors and Vanderbilts?). Perched atop avenues overlooking the sea are some of the grandest mansions, or “cottages,” you’ll ever find. Jackie Kennedy was married at Hammersmith Farm cottage, and Edith Wharton, who described the Newport social scene in “The Age of Innocence,” lived at Land’s End cottage. Today, you can tour some of the mansions in Newport and immerse yourself in their fine architecture, interior design, art, and gardens. The Breakers on Ochre Point Avenue, which was completed in 1895 for the Vanderbilt family, is one of the most impressive Newport abodes; this Italian Renaissance-style palazzo inspired by the great 16th century palaces contains no less than 70 rooms for receiving, dining, music, dancing, sitting, reading, drinking, and generally living in luxury.

Tagged with: Newport • rhode island • the breakers

Indulge in the Best Salmon Around

On 07.06.10, In Luxury Food, By LucyB

If your idea of luxury is gourmet food, and your idea of luxurious food is the highest quality smoked fish, caviar and cream cheeses, then you can’t go past Russ and Daughters, a New York institution in the Lower East Side since 1914.

Russ and Daughters is a tiny little shop, with the freshest dried fruits, chocolates and other sweets to your right as you walk in, and a mouth-watering array of smoked fish on the left side. The place is popular, and that means crowded – but after a short wait, you’ll have some of the most delectable salmon you’ve ever tasted, wrapped in Russ and Daughter’s signature waxy white paper, in your hot little hands.

The array of smoked salmon options is simply delightful – there are Danish, Norwegian, Irish, Gaspe Nova and Western Nova varieties of salmon, available in double smoked and organic options, as well as pastrami cured salmon, loin cut-smoked salmon, belly lox and more. Cream cheeses range from scallion and horseradish to lox, green olive and tofu.

A Russ and Daughters smoked salmon bagel with cream cheese, and tomato and red onion too, if you like, is a taste sensation to behold.

Tagged with: caviar • Russ and Daughters • smoked salmon

Top 10 Words for Wine

On 07.02.10, In Luxury Food, Luxury Living, Luxury Overdose, By admin

Improving your vocabulary is something everyone aspires towards. But what about your vinous vocab? Ever tasted a wine and been lost for words? Not because of the taste, but because you literally don’t know how to describe it? Here are ten of the best words to express your appreciation for a fine wine.

1. Crisp: a young wine usually has these flavors. Sauvignon Blanc and Italian whites often fall into this category.

2. Fruity: often given a bad name, this word suggests tastes that may be dry or off-dry (sweet).

3. Grassy: a classic term used to describe Sauvignon Blanc.

4. Hearty: used to describe complex tannins, this word applies to reds like Syrah or Malbec.

5. Oaky: a popular word derived from the casks in which wines, particularly Cabernets, marinate.

6. Rich: often used to describe full-bodied and weighty wines with lots of flavor, like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.

7. Soft: use it to describe wines with fruity accents, low acidity, and mild tannins.

8. Spicy: associated frequently with Syrah, “peppery” is a complementary word to use.

9. Supple: describe Pinot Noirs and Bordeaux with this word, for their low tannins and texture.

10. Velvety: much like #’s 6 and 9, this word is better than “smooth.”

There you have it my fellow wine-drinkers. These words will take you one step closer to becoming an oenologist.

Tagged with: oenologist • wine • wine words

Manet’s Self Portrait Sells For $33.2m

On 06.23.10, In Uncategorized, By admin

The piece “Self Portrait of Manet, A Bust (Manet and a Palette),” broke the artist’s auction record and kicked off a grand start for Impressionist collectors in London. The self-portrait is just one of two in existence, and has been hailed by Charles Moffett, co-curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as, “one of the greatest self-portraits in the entire canon of art history.” Other impressionists works sold higher than expected, which signals a resounding boom for the art market, which more than tripled its June sale at 112.4 m pounds, from last years little more than 33m pounds.

Andre Derain’s Fauvist landscape “Trees in Coillure” sold for 14.5m pounds, Matisse’s “Two Women Playing Odalisques” sold for 10.5m pounds, just over its 10m estimate. Matisse depicts a nude and a harem lady in a scene that he once said satisfies his passion for “lavish figures and color.” A couple of late (1937) Picasso drawings of his mistress, Dora Maar, sold on average for over a million each.

On the other hand Monet’s “Flowers at Vetheuil” was supposed to fetch 4m pounds but didn’t find an audience at all. 15 other works by Cezanne, Miro and prominent modern artists didn’t sell either.

Tagged with: manet self portrait • Matisse's "Two Women Playing Odalisques" • Monet's "Flowers at Vetheuil"

Airbus A-380 Is a Luxury Monster

On 06.17.10, In Luxury Living, Luxury Vacation, By admin

With only 30 Airbus A-380s in flight, (and 230 on order) these sky-boats are still relatively rare. Touted as flying cruise ships, many airlines realized that in the economic downturn they couldn’t sustain casinos, pools and other luxurious favors, so instead they packed the Airbus with seats – lots of them. Able to hold more than 500 passengers, these planes definitely do live up to their original expectations – when you fly first class.

As opposed to a coach seat from L.A. to Sydney for $818, a first class suite costs $24,538. In Singapore Airline’’s first class suites, a double bed comes standard, but they enforce a no sex policy, so it isn’t really worth it.

In the states, no airline yet has the Airbus, which has a market mostly with international flights with high traffic. American consumers prefer frequency, which is why planes that fly between states are smaller. Only five airlines offer flights on the A-380, but it lures often for its size – its 262 foot wingspan makes it by far the largest airplane ever; the Boeing 747 wingspan is just 211 feet.

Although in coach, leg room is just 31 inches, less than most Southwest flights, there is more shoulder room in the 10 abreast seating on the lower level and the 8 abreast upstairs. In a few years, however, who knows? These planes may become the standard for international travel.

Tagged with: air france 7 • airbus a-380 • singapore airlines

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