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The Korean language isn't the easiest tongue for westerners to master, but that shouldn't keep anyone from visiting the dynamic and exciting city of Seoul. While there will undoubtedly be moments when a few minor details are lost in translation, there's no need to worry about bridging the language barrier at Seoul's renowned Nanta Theater. The non-verbal performances convey every nuance, emotion, and plot point through sound, motion, and body language in a play that audiences of any nationality can enjoy. Nanta incorporates traditional Korean samul nori rhythms into exaggerated acting techniques that draw as much on vaudeville and silent movies as contemporary theater. The result is an electrifying 90-minute show that centers on the comically-charged efforts of four cooks who are tasked with preparing an entire wedding banquet in just one hour. Expect plenty of highly-crafted slapstick along with a Buddhist prayer ceremony, juggling plates, and flying meat cleavers. World renowned, the company has won accolades such as the Best Performance award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1999. Starwood has three properties in Seoul, including the chic and elegant W Seoul - Walkerhill.
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Culinary Slapstick at Seoul's Nanta Theater
Wednesday December 31, 2008
MoreHong Kong's Spectacular Big Buddha
Monday December 29, 2008
As the story goes, the spiritual teacher known as Buddha gained enlightenment after sitting under a Bodhi tree and meditating for 49 days. Statues and images of the Buddha in his meditative pose can be found throughout Asia, but there are few more impressive than the Big Buddha on Hong Kong's Lantau Island. Located at the Po Lin Monastery, the Tian Tan Big Buddha graces the top of Muk Yue Peak, and visitors who climb to the top of the three-story exhibition hall to its pedestal are rewarded with a spectacular panorama of Hong Kong as well as the benevolent protection of this 2,500-year-old ascetic. In addition to the Buddha, the monastery has several historic and culturally rich buildings, including the Ancestral Hall, the Lotus Pagoda, and the tantalizingly-named Diamond Cave. You won't find many actual diamonds there - it's the place where Buddhist ceremonies are held - but isn't enlightenment worth more than a diamond? Of course it is. Guests at the W Hong Kong or any of Starwood's Hong Kong properties will enjoy an afternoon exploring this spiritually charged destination.
Delectable Lounging in Hong Kong
Friday December 26, 2008
The newly opened W Hong Kong is creating buzz not only for its snazzy architecture, including a stunning mural overlooking the rooftop pool, but also for its restaurants, Fire and Kitchen. Fire serves up innovative fusion cuisine in a chic setting, while the Kitchen offers diners a pan-Asian comfort food menu, but with interesting touches: food is served buffet style in a working kitchen, and there's a communal table for singles dining alone.
Moving beyond the hotel, SEVVA has been garnering a lot of attention as the latest project of HK socialite/restaurateur Bonnie Gokson. It boasts a 360° view of the skyline, and is about as chic as it gets. The food and service may be hit-or-miss, though: Time Out Hong Kong's review was sour, yet it still received runner-up in for their 2008 best new bar.
Another option isThe Pawn, it's more relaxed, but still a place to see and be seen. A four-story gastropub and lounge in an 1888 building formerly occupied by a pawn shop, you can get a taste of the old Colonial days with steak and kidney pie and a pint of Guinness -- or step up to the rooftop garden, which has its own bar and unique ambiance.
Stimulating Sustenance in the Twin Cities
Monday December 22, 2008This time of year, you need some serious motivation to go outside in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Maybe that's why there are such fun places to eat and drink around the twin cities. Take Pop! and its sister restaurant, Pop!! (yes, two exclamation points), where the walls are pop-art inspired, the atmosphere is vivacious and the food is small plates designed for sharing.
Start the day at Jay's Cafe in St. Paul, where brunch is a local favorite. brunch is good at The Craftsman, too, but people visit the restaurant's beautiful arts & crafts room more for often for its dinner menu focusing on locally sourced ingredients.
Even the recently reopened W - The Foshay has some stimulation for you: head up to the 27th floor for a drink at Prohibition and enjoy an incredible view from the city.
New Galleries Enliven the Art Institute of Chicago
Friday December 19, 2008
The Art Institute of Chicago is at once a school and a world class museum, with a collection of masterpieces that's nothing short of staggering. It's been one of Chicago's top attractions since it first opened in 1893, but rather than rest on its laurels, the museum has continued to evolve throughout the years, and visitors today can be among the first to walk through two brand new galleries. Designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the Alsdorf Galleries provide a home to the museum's Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan, and Islamic Art, which in the past was only accessible to the public during special exhibitions. The Impressionist Galleries, meanwhile, got a dramatic makeover to celebrate the return of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection - including masterpieces by Monet, Gauguin, and Degas - following a loan to the Kimbell Art Museum in Forth Worth, Texas. Renoir's 1881 painting Two Sisters (pictured) has never looked better. The museum is located in downtown Chicago, and is convenient to several Starwood properties, including the W Chicago - City Center.
[image via Art Institute of Chicago]
Theo and the Organic Chocolate Factory in Seattle
Friday December 19, 2008Seattle's Theo Chocolate is setting a humane, environmentally friendly and truly tasty example in the chocolate world. Independently owned and operated, Theo is the only chocolate company in the United States that is certified organic, employs fair trade practices that insure that farmers receive fair and living wages for their products, and actually produces chocolate from the bean to the bar (rather than just molding pre-made chocolate). It's also the only chocolate-maker to receive a seal of approval from the renowned anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall, whose image appears on Theo's new dark and milk chocolate bars. Organic chocolate can be a crapshoot, but Theo's bars, sourced from beans all over the world and available in daring cacao contents all the way up to 91% dark, are special. Its sister label 3400 Phinney also offers adventurous flavor ideas, from the buttery crunch of bread & chocolate to the surprisingly adult combination of fig, fennel and almond.
While Theo Chocolate is available in stores and boutiques nationwide, its 3400 Phinney Chocolate Factory is a convenient drive from the W Seattle. The company conducts public tours of its unique processes ($6; children under one year are free) every day of the week, and also offers private tours for groups of 10 or more ($12 per person). The latter option is a bargain when you consider you have a whole chocolate factory and all of its imaginative possibilities all to yourself. Call (206) 632-5100 for reservations.
A Taste of Mexico in San Diego
Thursday December 18, 2008
San Diego is so close to Mexico, you can practically surf there, so it's no surprise that the city boasts some incredible Mexican restaurants. If it's tacos you're craving, you have your option of a simple taqueria or something a little fancier, like Limonz Rostizado, where a high-tech roaster oven and a cavalcade of toppings and salsas allow you to mix and match to your heart's content. (For fish tacos, the Rubio's chain is considered tops, although you won't be let down by Wahoo's either.)
The creative vegetarian options help Pokéz stand out from your stereotypical burritos and chimichangas place — although it has those, too. For hip and modern Mexican to match the W San Diego, visit nearby Candelas, a sumptuous space serving contemporary dishes, or Calaco Grill, a "taco lounge" also near the hotel that makes its own tortillas fresh to order — and a pretty good sangria, too.
Ride Over To The New York Transit Museum
Tuesday December 16, 2008The New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn Heights is far from an obvious tourist destination. Interactive and hands-on, it's a place where locals can find as much as visitors, although the latter might have a bit more fun fooling friends back home by showing off pictures of them as the driver of New York City buses and subways (which can be taken inside the Museum's retired vehicles).
Enjoy the classic film River of Steel (and flicks of other films with subway scenes) in the R-46 screening room, learn about how the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) evolves with regards to technology and environmental conservation, peruse 50-plus years of tokens and ticket-taking systems or simply get lost in a history of cartography, with maps and schematics of one of the world's most impressive and efficient transit systems. Take a cab to the museum from the W New York -- Times Square. Or, if you want to get into the spirit right away, why not take the subway there? The 2, 3 and R trains in Times Square stop just a brief walk from the New York Transit Museum.
A World of Art Deco in New York
Friday December 5, 2008In New York City, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, an Art Deco masterpiece rises above the rooftops. From its glossy elevators to its stepped pinnacle, the Empire State Building crowns the city skyline with glorious Art Deco panache. New York and Art Deco are inseparable, so if you're heading to the Big Apple this month, get a closer look at the classic style with a trio of exhibitions.
Through December 20, the New York School of Interior Design hosts Art Deco New York, in Gallery A, on East 70th Street, and Fashioning the Modern French Interior: Pochoir Portfolios in the 1920s at its NYSID Gallery a block south on East 69th Street. The former features images of architecture, fashion, textiles, and graphics created in the period between World War I and World War II, while the latter includes a collection of over seventy prints created by French interior designers that utilize an extraordinary technique of stencil cutting and coloring known as Pochoir. The third Art Deco exhibition, Art Deco Design: Rhythm and Verve, takes place at the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, and runs through May 22, 2009. It focuses on the bold graphics of plate books and portfolios from the library's "Art & Architecture Collection," and includes a series of free talks including one on "Art Deco Revivalist Architecture in Manhattan" and another on "Deco in Dress."
Of course for design lovers there's no better place to stay than W New York - The Court. The stylish hotel sits in the midst of Murray Hill, within walking distance of Deco landmarks like the Chrysler Building, and easily accessible from all three exhibitions.
Keep on Top of Starwood's Newest Hotels and Resorts
Tuesday December 2, 2008
Starwood has so many exciting new hotels and resorts opening up across the country that it can be hard to keep track of them all. Until now, that is. Check out the recently launched a microsite that helps connect travelers with its newest properties, wherever in North America they happen to be. Simply click here and browse by destination, property type, or brand to find new and noteworthy hotels and resorts from sea to shining sea. Curious to see what's new in Colorado? Have a look at the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon (pictured), with inspiring views of Beaver Creek Mountain. Looking for the newest resort? They don't get much newer than the Equinox Golf Resort & Spa, Vermont, a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection. Wondering where the next W will wind up? The sleek new W Fort Lauderdale will open on March 1, 2009, ushering in a new era of style to the classic beachfront town. You can even search on an interactive map. Best of all, you'll have instant access to special offers that make checking out a new place all the more enticing. Visit the Opening Offers site today and explore the best in new designs, new escapes, new views, and new luxuries.
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