Tempete a Nice 1919.jpgHenri Matisse was one of the most important artists of the 20th century, a master of color who brought classical French painting into the modern era. His work can be seen in museums and galleries around the world, but it might best be appreciated in Nice, the city he called home from 1918 to 1954. The Matisse Museum is located on the hill of Cimiez, near the ruins of Cemenelum, and it matches its beautiful setting with one of the most impressive art collections in all of Europe. Established in 1963 as a gift from the artist and his heirs to the people of Nice, the spacious museum features dozens of works by Matisse throughout his long, prolific career, from his 1898 painting Maisons a Fenouillet, a loving depiction of a rustic home, to his 1909 bronze sculpture Le Serpentine, featuring a woman in deep contemplation. There are some of his personal items on display as well, such as his table of paints and paintbrushes, along with the work of other French artists such as Auguste Rodin, who predated Matisse in France by just one generation. But perhaps the most striking work is the 1919 painting Tempête à Nice (pictured), which depicts a rainy day on the French Riviera. He manages to convey more about the city in a few brush strokes than a camera ever could. Starwood has three hotels in the Nice area, including Le Méridien Nice.

[image via musee-matisse-nice.org]

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Cupcakes Forever!

Monday March 15, 2010

cc_sunday_mimosa_large.jpgA Slate.com business columnist thinks the rise of cupcakes is a bubble heading for a crash. I say who cares when we all profit from the irrational exuberance! Here's a round-up of tasty cupcake options near Starwood hotels around the country.

Your first order of business in LA, after checking into the Westin Los Angeles Airport, should be to head to Cupcakes Couture in Manhattan Beach. The shop creates some of the fanciest cupcakes I've seen, including such treats as the "Sunday Mimosa," (pictured) a champagne sponge cake filled with orange curd and topped with citrus frosting and blood orange "caviar," and the "Little Miss Sunshine," a strawberry cake with strawberry jam, vanilla frosting and topped with a vanilla macaroon.

Sweet Revenge, a few blocks north of the Four Points by Sheraton SoHo-Village, knows its customers aren't kids: it offers wine and beer pairing suggestions for its cupcakes. Try pairing the decadent "Dirty" with a Peroni or another pale lager.

Up in Seattle, you can order online from Cupcake Royale and have a dozen delivered to the W Seattle, or have them waiting for you when you swing by the Capitol Hill location. Sadly, it's too late to get the "Deathcake Royale," but the chocolate mint gets high marks and is available all year 'round.

[image via Cupcakes Couture]

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Foreman_tea.jpgPeter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur and thelobby.com's expert on Asia.

Working at Le Meridien and being a coffee lover, I enjoy our global partnership with Illy.   However, on my last trip to Singapore, I discovered TWG Tea at the newly opened iconic shopping centre - ION Orchid, a 10 to 15 minute walk from the St. Regis Singapore

TWG Tea was established in Singapore a few years back to celebrate the island's history as a trading post for tea. This was made official in the year 1837 when Singapore's Chamber of Commerce was established. Today, this quaint little tea salon serves over 800 different teas from India, China, Japan, Burma, Brazil as well as your favorite classics; 12 different Earl Grey styles and over 100 exclusive blends such as London-Singapore Tea and Weekend in Moscow Tea.  Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m, service is quick, efficient and the staff are knowledgeable about the different teas on offer.  Tables are clothed with crisp white linen and the tea is served in stylish tea pots with elegant cups and saucers.  For morning tea, I had a Gentlemen's Earl Grey (S$10 / US $7.20) and a Crème Brulee infused with Darjeeling Phuguri Tea (S$10/ US $7.20).

My tip: Escape the Singapore heat with an Iced Tea; try Lemon Bush from South Africa; (S$10.50 / US$8) or enjoy some TWG tea when you're staying at the St. Regis Singapore, which also serves the tea to guests.

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Neighborhood Watch: Park City, Utah

Monday March 15, 2010

A quintessential Old West mining town, Park City, Utah is delightfully picturesque. Each winter, a wondrous blanket of fluffy snow piles up on the city's rooftops and covers the long boughs of tall evergreens with sparkly white. It's a paradise for skiers and snowboarders, who are easily spotted gliding down nearby slopes, or riding up on the lifts that pass right over the roadways. And during those brief breaks between downhill runs, Park City offers all sorts of distinctive shops and delicious restaurants to explore.

With its bevy of enticing storefronts, Main Street is the obvious first stop on your Park City shopping adventure. Crosby Collection (No. 419) is a jewel box of Native American treasures. You'll find Navajo weavings, Pueblo pottery, and loads of turquoise. For cute clothes (ladies and babies only), stop in at Mary Jane's (No. 613), then satisfy your inner cowboy at Burns Saddlery (No. 363). For lunch, head off the beaten path to Park Avenue. This quaint, quiet road that runs parallel to Main Street is lined with adorable miner's homes that date back to the 1880s. At No. 703, the High West Distillery and Saloon is the perfect place to warm up with a hearty burger and a highball. The brand new restaurant, housed in a hundred-year-old garage, is the first whisky distillery to open in Utah since the 1870s. After lunch, satisfy your sweet tooth a few doors down at Sugar Buzz (No. 651). Just be sure to stock up on enough jelly beans to last through the rest of your stay at the luxurious St. Regis Deer Crest Resort. It's going to be hard luring you out again from this cozy retreat nestled among the high peaks of Utah's majestic Wasatch range. Although a glance out the window is all the incentive you'll need to get back out onto those impeccable Deer Valley slopes.

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It's good to saturate yourself with the arts every now and then. That's the great thing about festivals. Back to back days filled with music, dance, and theater have the power to transport you to a realm outside your daily life. One of the best takes place in the Hungarian capital each spring. This year, the Budapest Spring Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary March 19 - April 5.

From orchestras to chamber music ensembles and choirs performing in church settings, the festival's classical music selection is vast. Pillars of the Eastern European classical music scene, the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Hungarian National Philharmonic perform concerts dedicated to the work of Beethoven and Bartok, while piano virtuosos Tamas Vasary and Pawel Kowalski both showcase evenings devoted to Chopin. For dance lovers, a handful of international companies, including the Royal Danish Ballet and Ballet Flamenco de Andalucia bring Balanchine grace and the poetry of Garcia Lorca to the festival stage. Of course no artistic program in Hungary is complete without a little folk music and dance. Both the 100-Member Gypsy Orchestra and the Young Hearts Hungarian Dance Ensemble will add plenty of Carpathian flair.

With performances taking place at a dozen theaters, opera houses, and basilicas around the city, guests of the dazzling Le Méridien Budapest will be surrounded by a varied selection of exceptional performances during the Budapest Spring Festival's entire 18-day run. From Chopin to Shakespeare. The choice is yours.

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