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Art from the Edge at the Saatchi Gallery in London

Friday March 12, 2010

If you're looking for cutting edge art in the city of London - and you've already visited the Tate Modern - set aside an hour or two for a tour of the Saatchi Gallery. A gift to the city of London from collector Charles Saatchi (the founder, with his brother, of the ad agency that bears his name), it has 70,000 square feet of floor space dedicated to the very best contemporary art. Located on King's Road in Chelsea, the gallery boasts high ceilings, plenty of natural light, and a collection that runs the gamut from traditional portraiture to works that cause a stir around the world, such as Damien Hirst's The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, in which a shark is suspended in a formaldehyde solution. It's currently showing an exhibition entitled The Empire Strikes Back: Indian Art Today, which features colorful neon, tumbleweed, and aluminum sculptures by Shezad Dawood; mind-bending comic panels from Chitra Ganesh, and selected works by Yamini Nayar that blend sculpture, photography, and architecture in ways that defy categorization. Drop by this dynamic art space and see what you can make of it all. Starwood has hotels throughout London, including The Lanesborough, a St. Regis Hotel.

[image via Saatchi Gallery]

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Savor

Cupcakes Forever!

Friday March 12, 2010

A 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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Inside

Introducing the W Retreat & Spa - Vieques Island

Friday March 12, 2010

The island of Vieques is one of the most breathtaking places in the Caribbean, with miles of pristine beaches, verdant forests, and coral reefs teeming with life. It's also now home to the first W Retreat in the Western Hemisphere/North America, the W Retreat & Spa - Vieques Island. This stylish new destination will open its doors on March 25, 2010, treating guests to the ultimate in luxury and indulgence under the tropical sun. With 157 luxurious guest rooms, Whatever/Whenever service, and breathtaking views in all directions, every visit has the potential to transform body, mind, and spirit. As an added enticement to check it out, the hotel is offering a special Insider Access package, with rates staring at $249 a night. Spend your days frolicking in the surf, chilling out on the beach, or indulging in a treatment at Spa Chakra, with more than 60 health and beauty therapies to help you feel your best. And when the sun dips below the sea, make your way to miX On The Beach, Alain Ducasse's world-class restaurant, where Latin-Caribbean flavors take on French sensibilities in an oceanfront atmosphere. It's island life at its finest. Visit here for more information or to book your stay at this exquisite new Caribbean destination.

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Offbeat

Neighborhood Watch: Park City, Utah

Friday March 12, 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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Celebrate

Party Like the Irish on St. Patrick's Day in Chicago

Friday March 12, 2010

It's safe to say that any city that dyes its river green is pretty serious about its St. Patrick's Day celebration, and Chicago is no exception. A rich Irish tradition plus a love for beer and parades make it a memorable place to spend the holiday. With the Four Points by Sheraton Chicago Downtown as your home base, you can celebrate a traditional holiday with some memorable twists.

If you're there for the river dyeing and noon parade, which actually happens this Saturday, you'll want to start your morning at Rock Bottom's Kegs and Eggs event. The microbrewery will serve a buffet packed with scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, and, of course, homemade brews, from 9-11 in the morning, giving you plenty of time to get your fill before heading to the river, which turns green at 10:45 a.m. Cap off a long day spent outdoors with a gourmet dinner at Mrs. Murphy and Sons, which serves upscale Irish fare year-round: among its offerings are a fish and chips salad, shepherd's pie topped with buttermilk mashed potatoes, and whiskey marmalade barbecue ribs served with Guinness mac and cheese. On the big day, head to Frasca for dinner. This much-loved pizzeria and wine bar is a spot that unsurprisingly skews more Italian than Irish-most days of the year, but on March 17 it'll serve a wood-fired Guinness Pizza that features a Guinness crust topped with potatoes, béchamel, and white onions. End the night by grabbing a few pints of Harp a few blocks from the hotel at Celtic Crossings, a bar that's as Irish as they come.