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a blue and white Bengal stripe interior. Prices start at about $750 with monogramming available for an additional $120. Last year The Classicist wrote about Hackett's full range of stylish Aston Martin Racing clothing and accessories. 
Since it's the first day of summer, I thought I should take it back a bit.
Dreamcicles running down your arm
Pickin' wildflowers for mom
Fireflies in a mason jar
Rollercoasters at the county fair
Stayin' up past bedtime
So I am officially starting the clock. The beginning of the summer season [bikinis and all] seems a fitting time to start looking forward to a bit of fun in steamy South Beach. By the time it starts getting cooler again at our home base in New York, things will be heating up in Miami for Dream and Vikram Chatwal Hotels.
Another ABC alum was in attendance too... Jesse Tyler Ferguson of Modern Family. Who needs TiVo when you have all of your prime time viewing at The Time ?
ve encountered in quite some time (and I'm not referring to the cocktails we had just enjoyed). Ruby et Violette is home to some of the guiltiest pleasures in the baking world. Since I was not alone (had my better half in tow), I took the R & V motto of "Live life richly. Indulge" quite literally. I think we ordered one of just about every item on their menu of brownies and cookies. The standouts are the blondies and the peanut chocholoate chunk cookies [or the 'perfect' which is their version of the classic chocholate chunk cookie]. Each of these little gems comes peftectly packaged in its own [just short of fussy] celophane jewel case. If there is one thing the proprietors seem to get, it's how to market their calories. Every bit of the experience seems perfectly branded to June Cleaver's exacting specifications... and it seems to be working as the big "O" has already waived her magic wand of endorsement over the operation as touted on their website. I am glad though that the friendly folks over at Ruby et Violette haven't forgotten that a storefront with a bit of friendly human interaction still makes sense when it comes to certain things... like serving up the 'perfect' chocolate chip cookie.
wonder. The production is a top-notch time machine designed to take you back to the era of Mad Men where business and pleasure seemed to collide over martinis.
nd preferred ticket pricing. Dream is also offering up a special package to one lucky winner in a Promises, Promises sweepstakes. Sign up to win tickets for two to the show the weekend of the TONY awards coupled with two nights accommodations at Dream and invitations for two to the official Promises, Promises TONY Awards afterparty hosted by Dream at its famed rooftop lounge AVA where you and a guest will sip cocktails and rub elbows with the stars of the show as they bask in their post awards glory.
arcel Breuer in 1966] on Madison Ave and 75th Street, The Whitney was established when Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney lost patience with the time it took The Metropolitan Museum of Art to make their decision to open a new wing to house her collection. Since then, it as become synonymous with bold twentieth century artists that push the boundaries of more conventional museums in a sizeable collection housing more than 18,000 works. Currently the Whitney Biennial is in play through May 30th.
at sex from every angle. Obviously this is not for children or the faint of heart, but I encourage everyone [of majority age] to go. Go with a good friend or your better half. Once you get past the initial giggles [if you are so inclined], you'll probably learn a thing or two. The permanent exhibits explore everything from stag films to sex toys. If you are titilated enough by your visit, you are even invited to leave an your own bawdy entry on one of several computers set up on the upper floor. The Museum of Sex is located in Fifth Avenue at 26th Street. Take the R or W train to 26th Street.
seem like a bit of a 'no brainer', but it's worth noting because of the many different ways you can slice and dice your running experience. I'm speaking of course of Central Park. I typically run the whole park drive, making pit stops at the Reservoir for water, but there are about a hundred ways to vary your route through the only sane part of Manhattan. Since there are too many permuatations to list here, I'lll simply link to the convenient Central Park Running Map the Centrak Park Conservancy has so thoughtfully posted online.
westside alternative is Riverside Park if you are above the 59th Street waistline, or the Hudson River Park if you are downtown.
at's because the runs aren't quite as scenic [in my opinion] as the West Side, but it shouldn't be ruled out as a nice alternative to dodging traffic in Midtown. The East Side Promenade run can take you from the Roosevelt Island Tram at 60th Street all the way to the Triborough Bridge [recently renamed the RFK Memorial Bridge]. It's a nice straightline run if you want to do an uniterrupted 10k without many diversions... and the view of the East River, although a bit more industrial in flavor, does offer some interesting distractions as you ramp up to full endorphine rush.
omes from seeing your highschool crush, or in this case the new Porsche Panamera. The Panamera is the latest entry into a new grouping of luxo-touring cars [joining the Maserati Quattroporte] that can boast that they can move 4 adult occupants [seated in pretty plush surroundings] from 0-60 in under 5 seconds... now even for a non-enthusiast tha has to be at least a tad bit exciting. Now, if the Panamera had me at 'hello', it said goodbye to me with the pricetag. At around $150k, it feels far too precious for me to be jockeying for position with yellow cabs on the streets of Manhattan. 
you prefer]. Take the new Jaguar XJ for instance. What was a simply a lovely luxury touring sedan has now transformed into a super saloon of near epic proportion... and it feels a bit like that at every one of the European marks. The Audi A8, the BMW 7 seriest, the S class and even Range Rover have all upped the ante with their offerings this year [the Range Rover Autobiography is a study in overindulgence...nobody really needs that much truck. I can't think of the last 
time I ate caviar while traversing the Himalayas]. I guess the reason I find this unusual is that i am surprised by the perceived appetite that exists in the marketplace for this type of luxury product considering the economic tailspin that we are all trying to pull ourselves out of. I guess Wall Street is back.
Julie and Julia. That's the inspiration for this entry. This is not to say that I am endeavoring to cook her 524 recipes in 365 days [anyone who has met me will tell you that that is not in anyone's best interest].Now go out an enjoy a little bit of Paris in NewYork, and be glad it wasn't me who did the cooking.
in the 1950s and is brimming with sexual tension. The performances turned in from Liev Schreiber [Eddie Carbone], Jessica Hecht [Beatrice Carbone], and Scarlett Johanssen [Catherine, their 17 year old niece] as directed by Gregory Mosher are so perfectly balanced [which is unusual given Schreiber's usual stage-tilting performances], that the audience can sense the emotions of the characters almost before the characters do. Contemporary tragedy plays out on stage as immigrant cousin houseguests crowd and already crowded living situation and brings 'what lies beneath' to an uncomfortable surface. A View from the Bridge is running at the Cort Theater on West 48th Street for only a few more weeks, so get your tickets before the actors take their final bow.
lder film farce 'The Apartment' takes on new relevance as it questions the hipocracy of some heterosexual marriages in the face of post-milennial marriage inequality. This show is a hot ticket that is sure to be a hit. Brought to you by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron [the guys responsible for the film adaptaptions of Chicago and Hairspray], this production features Sean Hayes and the effusive Kristen Chenoweth [fresh off her Emmy win]. With a storyline from Neil Simon and music by Burt Bacharach, think of it a as stepping into a time machine to a much simpler time...or was it? Previews begin Saturday, March 27th with general audience production coming April 25th. Promises, Promises is at The Broadway Theater at 53rd Street and Broadway.
a traditional theater in that it would be better to lose the seats alltogether. You could categorize this show as a 'jukebox musical', but I think it would be wrong to pidgeonhole it. Whatever you call it, call for tickets as this show produced by Jay Z, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. It's worth the price of admission and then some. This show also offers special package rates with overnight accommodations included at the neighboring hotel 'The Time' and Serafina Italian] offers a 20% discount to Fela ticket holders around showtime. Fela is playing at the Eugene O'Neill theater on 49th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenues.
st month Madonna [with Jesus in tow], Jessica and Ashley Simpson, Pete Wentz, Eva Longoria, Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, Robin Thicke, Michael Buble and The Black Eyed Peas have all been spotted at the stylish Inc. Lounge on the second level at The Time Hotel in Midtown west. These spots allow the celebs to hang out, do interviews, etc without having to leave the environs of their home away from home [and the dim lighting and selective door policies keep the paparazzi at bay].
You get the picture. Manhattan is easiest navigated on foot and most celebs who spend any amount of time here know that, so get out there and feel the fresh spring air and bump into somebody famous, or maybe better yet just an old friend.
This time around though, it seems his formula on the retail front will be entirely focused on the serious business of fashion. Whereas Colette was about total lifestyle emersion and ran the gamut of price ranges, The Webster promises to be all about the clothes, and right off the runways. Expect to see the labels of such venerable houses like Lanvin, Balmain, Maison Martin Margiela, YSL and Tom Ford [whom, incidentally, Vukmirovoc worked alongside at Gucci]. Think of it as Fred Segal/Ron Herman, meets Intermix (done at higher level of curation) set in 20,000 squar
e feet of Florida Deco.
ance: 
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elevators in the back of the store. Saks is pretty straightforward in its floor layout and women’s and men’s floors are grouped. While the designer ready to wear items are current and well curated leave the trend driven denim and casual designer goods until your later stop at Barney’s up the road a bit. As a note, Saks does have an in house restaurant that opens at 11am by the name of Café SFA, but if you’re shopping on a schedule you’ll want to leave Saks by 11 to miss the lunchtime crunch from the nearby office towers.
t from Saks, head north on Fifth past St. Patrick’s. You’ll notice several big box retailers set up on Fifth, but most of them can be found in your local shopping mall and their trophy store locations don’t carry much that differs from their suburban sprawl brethren. There are, however, some stores worth a gander that you may not have in your neighborhood, namely Takashimaya, Ferragamo, Cartier, Brioni and the new Armani multiplex which carries all of the ubiquitous Italian designer’s brands in the same build
ing divided artfully by floor. You will undoubtedly take notice of the Tiffany’s flagship store on the Southeast corner of 57th and Fifth. It is worth entering to take in the grandeur of the space and marvel at the jumbo-mortgage sized engagement rings, but the sterling silver floor is about as enjoyable as giving blood and the frenzy of activity on that floor will leave you just as light headed, so save those purchases for online.
in store and women’s entrance is around the corner on Madison Avenue. The mantra at Barney’s is Luxury, Taste, Humor and that is exactly what you will find under Simon Doonan’s creative direction at the eponymous retailer. As au currant as it is urbane, Barney’s gives direction to the rest of the retail world and is surely the only location stateside where you will find certain brands comingling under one roof… the legendary malletier Goyard proudly calls Barney’s New York home.
Co.’s skull-shaped candles to complement any chic pied-a-terre. Also, while you are meandering through the python-wrapped martini shakers and Fornasetti vases, take a turn towards the Madison side of the store and venture into the baby and toddler section. You are guaranteed to find the perfect shower gift here for the stylish expectant mother.
Hermes, YSL, Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein, Luca Luca, Carolina Herrera, and Valentino top the list. All offer custom fittings in a private setting, of course at a private setting price so window shopping is recommended for all but the truly committed shopper.
Chatwal Hotels [and midtown is ‘back’ by the way], the best way to end your day is to stroll back down Fifth Avenue on the park side of the street. By 5.30 you’ll notice the tenor of the city beginning to change a bit. Sure, it gets a bit frenetic with the evening rush as everyone who made their way in from the outer buroughs and the ‘burbs heads home for supper, but if you stick to the park sidewalk, you can watch it all in wonder and pay a visit to my favorite pretzel vendor at the intersection of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue . Getting a New York street pretzel is required at the end of a really good shopping day. It’s my way of reminding myself that not everything has to be packaged with the full weight of a global branding machine behind it. Some things, like a good New York pretzel, carry a brand of authenticity that goes far beyond what any advertising could convey.
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