Recently in W Category

seattlenight.jpgSometimes you just can't get to sleep. Unfortunately, Seattle doesn't have many options for insomniacs, especially downtown. But there are a couple places near the W Seattle and the Sheraton Seattle Hotel if you know where to look.

Kooky Cyber-Dogs is only open until midnight, but it's a great spot for a snack. The eccentric Tatiana is the entertaining owner, preparing an eclectic menu of sausages and vegan veggie dogs.

For a classy nightcap, Vessel is your destination. The sleek bar is a scene on the weekends, but on weeknights it's a quiet respite with inventive, expertly crafted cocktails and a small but tasteful food menu. It's open 'til 2 a.m., as is the Alibi Room down in the lower levels of Pike Place Market, where you can get a more substantial meal and a locally brewed beer.

For those who really can't sleep, there's The Night Kitchen. A haven for insomniacs, third-shifters and the after-bar crowd, the doors open at 6 p.m. and don't close until 9 a.m. Get a gourmet burger, eggs benedict or just coffee by the hour. (Not that you need more help staying up.)

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citizensband.jpgSan Francisco's SoMa neighborhood (short for "South of Market") has been growing in popularity lately, garnering attention for its on-trend restaurants, fun shops and hopping lounges. Folsom Street in particular has seen a resurgence as new hot spots intermingle with the existing leatherman bar scene. And it's all just a short walk from the W San Francisco.

Start with a cup of coffee from Sightglass. The cafe, just an open counter while the full-fledged cafe is built behind curtains, roasts its own beans and crafts spectacular cappuccinos.

Zero Zero has become a major scene for its thin-crust pizzas as well its build-your-own-dessert featuring Strauss Dairy organic soft serve ice cream. It's now open for lunch, which will hopefully not boast two-hour waits for a table, like dinner.

Twin destinations Citizen's Band and Pinkie's Bakery take diner comfort food and sweets a little upscale, with modern reinterpretations of fried chicken (pictured), pot roast and "franks and beans." Pinkie's supplies the desserts, like scrumptious sour cream cheesecake and seasonal fruit cobbler. Or make a reservation for Radius, whose French-California cuisine follows a strict 100-mile radius rule for all its ingredients. End with a carefully crafted cocktail at Bloodhound, where the decor follows a rough-hewn hunting theme, or wine at cozy Terroir.

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Starpick the W Atlanta - Perimeter

Tuesday August 24, 2010

W Atlanta Perimeter 4.jpgAtlanta has a knack for striking a perfect balance of southern comfort and cosmopolitan style, making it an ideal destination for a weekend getaway. In fact, now is a great time to explore Atlanta, because the W Atlanta - Perimeter is one of this week's participating Starpicks properties, with last-minute rates of at least 20% off regular rates for stays during the next two weekends. Located in an upscale neighborhood where the city's commerce, art, and business districts connect, this chic retreat boasts everything you need for a perfect mini-vacation. The WET outdoor pool is framed by tall trees and features sleek lounge chairs perfect for losing yourself in a book - or the company of a friend. A zen garden provides a tranquil sanctuary to relax and find your center amid the stresses of life. The SWEAT fitness center ensures that you'll stay fit and healthy while you're away from home. Savu restaurant is the place to go for American cuisine with a focus on local and seasonal ingredients, while there's no better place than Savu Bar to unwind with friends and plan the next day's adventures. Of course, the W Atlanta - Perimeter is just one of dozens of Starpicks properties this week, so check the list for the destination of your dreams.

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turka.jpgTaste the best of Istanbul...then learn how to make it, by way of Cooking Alaturka's hands-on classes.

The "fulfilling cultural experience," located near the W Istanbul, is a tasty way to spend a morning or afternoon. The half-day English-language class kicks off with a quick lesson in the history of the recipes you'll be making. Your group of 6 to 10 will then spend about two hours preparing a five-course menu of Ottoman classics, regional specialties, and home-cooking favorites under the direction of owner Eveline Zoutendijk, a graduate of the Cordon Bleu in Paris. In a typical class, you may make lentil and bulgur soup, braised eggplant, zucchini pancakes, minced meat and rice-stuffed vine leaves, and syrupy sponge cakes with hazelnuts. After the cooking is done comes the best part - lunch or dinner, paired with local wine. The kitchen flows into a 25-seat restaurant, outfitted with soothing green walls and food-themed art painted by Eveline. Then post-dining, browse Cooking Alaturka's small shop, where you can pick up Turkish ingredients like ground Antep pistachios and pomegranate vinegar to bring home. Note: vegetarians, and those with gluten-intolerance or allergies can be accommodated.

[image via Cooking Alaturka]

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There's nothing like a good soak, but Chicago's SpaceTime Tanks are something else entirely. Since 1982, these sensory deprivation chambers have drawn stressed out Chicagoans to "take a vacation in an hour," floating and tuning out every distraction until they're completely relaxed. It certainly strikes people as odd the first time they try it. After all, you're floating effortlessly in 10 inches of 93.5 degree water with 800 pounds of dissolved Epsom salts. With the door closed, there are no sights or sounds, only complete darkness and silence for you to project your thoughts. Yet adherents swear by it, taking isolation sessions once or twice a week for up to two hours at a time, which can yield as much relaxation as eight hours of deep sleep. In addition to the flotation tanks, the facility also offers Light/Sound Machines, which "provide the rhythmic stimulation in the desired brain wave frequency range via goggles with LED lights and headphones," as well as "Nex-Neuro" therapy, which involves motion, vibracoustics, music, and video to guide visitors to the ultimate state of relaxation. And if all this is just a touch too weird for you, there's also traditional Swedish and deep tissue massage. Hey, they're going to help you relax, no matter what it takes. Starwood has hotels throughout the Chicago area, including the stylish W Chicago - City Center.

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Calder_Exhibit.jpgAlexander Calder is without question a well-known artist, but has not generally been considered a particularly influential one relative to contemporary art practice. A new exhibit, "Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art" (through October 7, 2010) at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago seeks to reposition Calder's legacy by pairing many of his pieces with those of seven contemporary artists (Martin Boyce, Nathan Carter, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Aaron Curry, Kristi Lippire, Jason Meadows, and Jason Middlebrook). The Museum is in a unique position to mount such a comprehensive exploration, as it counts among its permanent holdings an extensive catalog of Calder's works. These spatial dialogues - expressions of "form, movement, balance and color" - reveal just how relevant Calder remains. Techniques and aesthetics that are absolutely of-the-minute, like creative reuse of found materials, were part of his pioneering oeuvre. And the sheer visual pleasure to be gleaned from watching a mobile tremble and shift in the air currents is just as notable today as when the pieces were created. It's entirely appropriate that the exhibit is subtitled "Form, Balance, Joy." The Museum of Contemporary Art is conveniently nearby the stylish W Chicago - City Center.

[image via Photography © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Photographer, Nathan Keay. © 2010 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.]

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What better way to sample restaurant after restaurant without blowing your vacation budget? The two-week Restaurant Week Boston event lets you dine like a king at very non-royal prices, dishing up special 3-course prix-fixe menus for lunch and dinner for just $20 and $33.10, respectively.

Running August 15-20 and August 22-27, 2010, the event rounds up more than 200 restaurants throughout Boston, Cambridge, and the suburbs, making the W Boston the perfect home base from which to embark on your culinary adventure. In fact, you don't even need to leave the hotel - Market by Jean-Georges, located at the W, is one of the participating restaurants. The options are seemingly endless: For fresh seafood, Jasper White's Summer Shack is the place to be year-round; lucky you, a mere $33.10 will get you your fill of oysters on the half shell, steamed lobster, and fresh pie. For something a little swankier, head to KO Prime, a creative and chic interpretation of the traditional steakhouse, which offers dishes like watermelon gazpacho with local goat cheese, a dry-rubbed flat iron steak with summer succotash and homemade chorizo, and blueberry cake with lemon crème fraiche. Yep, that's just $33.10, too. If you want to spend a litle bit more, fork over $49.10 at The Blue Room, an amount that gets you three course with wine pairings. On the menu: an appetizer of seared squid, cannellinis, and arugula, served with a glass of Vinho Verde. The event is sure to be good for your belly, and kind to the planet as well: Restaurants are encouraged to use locally grown ingredients.

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It's Gourmet Ice Cream Time

Monday August 2, 2010

jenis_splendid.jpgThis is it: we're on the verge of the dog days of summer. The only cure is ice cream. Not just any ice cream, though. Plain vanilla has its place, but I think small-batch flavors made with seasonal ingredients hit the spot with more knock-out force, don't you? Here are a couple favorites for gourmet ice cream around the country.

LA's Scoops has a devoted fanbase and a staggering range of flavors, of which 18 are available each day. You might encounter blackberry-yuzu, raspberry-balsamic or coffee-Jim Beam. And of course, this being Tinseltown, someone's trying to make a movie about the place. It's a short drive from the W Hollywood.

Five minutes from Le Meridien Cambridge-MIT is Christina's Homemade Ice Cream, with a laundry list of flavors of its own. Fresh mint, cantaloupe and honeydew would make a lovely three-scoop sundae. Or maybe ginger and lemon mousse to help cool you down.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus just made up a batch of stone fruit and sour beer sorbet, with fresh peaches and Lambic. Or maybe backyard mint, with its whole organic mint leaves from a nearby farm, hits the spot better. Either way, the North Market location is within easy reach of the Westin Columbus, and the macaroon ice cream sandwiches are the perfect walking treat.

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WNewYorkDowntown.jpgOpening this summer, the 217-room, 58-floor W New York - Downtown is at the heart of all the action in Lower Manhattan. That means you're perched near Wall Street's financial nerve center at the New York Stock Exchange, world-class shopping, an international menu of eateries, and much more. You're also just minutes away from the heart of Brooklyn and its vibrant eating, nightlife, and parks, or easily accessible to a ferry that will whisk you to the famous Statue of Liberty. Walk or take easy public transportation to nearly any sight you'd want to take in. Whatever/Whenever® makes all big city dreams come true; just dream them up!

Complete with a WIRED® Business Center, WHEELS, the Acura Car Experience and Whatever/Whenever® at your service, your ultimate urban escape begins here - whether you're visiting for work, play or happily blending the two. Other amenities include two cool cocktails (to sip in The Living Room Bar & Terrace), two-way car service to and from JFK/LGA/EWR airports, complimentary late night in-room dining (1am - 5am), breakfast for two at BLT Bar & Grill each day of your stay, suit press and shoe shine, downtown New York walking tour, W "Symmetry" CD, and a room you'll love, with rates from $399.

To find out who puts the W in Wall Street, book your stay at W New York - Downtown today. Reservations are accepted now for stays on or after August 16-October 11, 2010. If you book and stay by September 7th, you will receive Triple Starpoints®! Offer is available for arrivals on all days of the week. There is a minimum two-night stay required. Want to book using your phone? Call us at 1.866.961.2860 and mention promo code WGO.

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Insane Burgers Across the Country

Tuesday July 13, 2010

yatta_allamerican.jpgThe hamburger is the quintessential American food, I think — even more so than apple pie. Although there are plenty of regional styles out there, the burger has become a blank slate upon which culinary artists may express their creativity. Or, they can just get crazy with it, like these three spots.

In Chicago, the top burger place in town comes with a side of metal. Heavy metal rules at Kuma's Corner, where it plays on the stereo and every burger on the menu is named after a metal band. The half-pound burgers range from the conventional (the Mastodon, topped with bacon, cheddar, barbecue sauce and frizzled onions) to the haute (the Lair of the Minotaur, with pancetta, caramelized onions, brie and bourbon-soaked poached pears) to the downright nuts (the Slayer, a platter of chili cheese fries with a burger and andouille sausage under the chili). Make the trek from the W Chicago - Lakeshore and be prepared to wait for a table.

The Lunchbox Laboratory in Seattle embraces the insanity. Its daily experiments, aka, specials, are the draw here — ridiculous mounds of toppings smother the premium ground beef or "dork" (ground duck and pork) patties, all but daring you to try to use the bun to lift it to your mouth. Grab a cab from the W Seattle, and stop at an ATM on the way — these burgers are pricey, but definitely worth it.

It's hard to tell you where to go from the W Los Angeles - Westwood to find Yatta-! Truck, a food truck featuring the All-American, a cheeseburger-like sushi roll filled with beefsteak, pickle and melted cheese, tempura fried. Follow the truck on Twitter to find out where to get this weird wonder.

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