Category Archives: Go

Shopping and dining under one roof at Art Alliance, Rittenhouse Tavern

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In the holiday season, most folks have two long lists: a shopping list of gifts to buy; and a calendar chockablock with social gatherings.

In Philly, you can eat, shop and be merry, all under the historic roof of the Wetherill Mansion at 251 S. 18th St., home to both Rittenhouse Tavern, a cushy, chic and creative restaurant, and the Philadelphia Art Alliance, where visitors can both admire and purchase contemporary crafts and designs.

The Art Alliance, located toward the street side of the building, is a bright, hip space. It’s a great place to find one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted jewelry and textiles — after all, one can never have too many decorative pillows — for that particular someone on your list.

As for the restaurant, it’s more salon than tavern. I especially appreciate the EB Manhattan ($13), a sleek and satiny concoction of Rittenhouse rye, with both sweet and dry vermouth.

Enjoy your holiday get-together with friends in either the lounge, warmed by a Carrera marble fireplace that graced the original mansion, or enjoy a repast in the dining room. (Note the mural of geese in flight, painted by Richard Blossom Farley in the 1920s.) In warmer months, guests can dine outdoors on a cobblestone patio.

The menu by chef Nick Elmi, an alum of the old Le Bec Fin, lists such high-touch dishes as Scotch eggs wrapped in pork farce (that’s chopped and seasoned piggy). Entrees include crispy striped bass with cabbage, barley and hibiscus ($27) and hay-roasted mallard breast with smoked white yam, celery and crab apple ($31). Each Sunday, Rittenhouse serves up a regional treat, an Amish-style supper of fried chicken ($19).

Open for dinner, Tuesday through Sunday. Brunch Saturday and Sunday. Closed on Monday.

 

A bigger bite of the Apple

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Are you one of those wackadoodles who spends days in line waiting for whatever new Apple product is about to hit the shelves?

Have we got an event for you.

The redesigned Apple Store at King of Prussia is opening on Dec. 8 and naturally it’s bigger and better than ever. In addition to the iPhone 5 and iPad mini, the expanded store offers more space for workshops, training, or to meet with one of those nice folks on the business team. The Genius Bar is bigger (you must be one because you shop there) so  more customers can get help.

I don’t know how it compares to the big honking Apple store that just expanded at Christiana Mall in Delaware but Apple has been pretty darn successful at rolling out retail centers that can accommodate more customers.

With Personal Pickup, you can buy online and pick up your order at the store. While you’re at it, you can use EasyPay on the Apple Store app to purchase accessories quick like a bunny.

If you are one of the first 1,000 customers, you’ll take home a commemorative T-shirt. Free, baby.

 

Recipes for the End of the World

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If you adhere to the Mayan calendar and have a sneaking suspicion the world will end on Dec. 21, you might as well pig out while you can.

You will find lots of intriguing recipes in Flavors of Belize, a cookbook that celebrates the ancient history, diverse culture and exotic cuisine of this beautiful Central American nation. The book is the creation of Tanya McNab, founder of Flavors of Belize magazine, the country’s first culinary periodical, and McNab Publishing Ltd., producer of the cookbook.

In the Kriol language widely spoken in Belize there is a saying: “Yu kyaah n travl pahn stoma.” Translation: You cannot travel on an empty stomach.

No worries about going hungry with this lineup of recipes from the nation’s top chefs, a menu that ranges from fried ripe plantains to cashew-crusted grouper to mango crumble.

The Mayan culture is not the only influence in this Latin melting pot. The cookbook’s recipes also include dishes from the Brits, Mestizo, Creole, Chinese, Lebanese and other cuisines that have left their mark on Belize over the centuries.

In all, there 120 recipes and if you want to get them all in before the lights go out, you had better start cooking.

Cyber Monday clicks with shoppers

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Point, click, buy. On Cyber Monday, consumers take to the Internet to bag bargains.

So what are we buying? The top two most searched-for products today are the Kindle Fire and Ugg boots, according to Experian Marketing Services, a provider of digital marketing and analyzing consumer data for merchants.

The retailer most popular with online shoppers is Walmart. Best Buy is second, followed by     Amazon, Sears and Target,  Experian says.

Expect a spending frenzy from the fuzzy slipper set. IHS Global Insight predicts online holiday sales of $79 billion, compared to $67 billion last year.

Credit cards that work for you

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In the frenzy of holiday shopping, lots of consumers struggle with the temptation to charge way too much on their credit cards.
But we must give credit where credit is due. Not all plastic is evil. Shoppers who make their credit cards work for them can lower their tab by up to $500 by taking advantage of the right offer.  Consumers can save by applying for a new credit card and/or leveraging an existing one.
Card Hub, a credit card search service, selected the best in plastic from more than 1,000 total offers and also insights from Card Hub CEO Odysseas Papadimitriou, a former senior director in Capital One’s credit card division:
  • Earning an Initial Rewards Bonus:  Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – Provides 40,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 during the first three months.  That’s equal to $500 in travel or a $400 statement credit.  No annual fee during the first year ($95 thereafter).

Odysseas Papadimitriou (OP):  “Ever since the Great Recession, credit card issuers have been aggressively offering rewards bonuses in order to garner the business of cardholders who maintained excellent credit throughout the financial downturn.  The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers the best initial bonus on the market, and by using it for holiday spending, you’ll be able to either replenish your bank account soon thereafter or subsidize travel over spring break or summer vacation.”

  • Best for Earning Rewards During the Holidays & Beyond:  Blue Cash Preferred from American Express – Offers 6% cash back at supermarkets (up to a $6,000 annual limit), 3% at gas stations, 3% at department stores, and 1% on everything else.  The $150 initial bonus it provides cardholders who spend at least $1,000 during the first three months would cancel out two years’ worth of the $75 annual fee.

(OP):  “In my opinion, the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express is the best everyday rewards card for people who aren’t frequent travelers.  It offers extremely attractive rewards in most people’s biggest spending categories, which means you can save on all of your shopping and automobile gas not only during the holidays when these costs might be inflated, but throughout the rest of the year as well.”

  • Best for Avoiding Interest on Holiday Purchases:  Citi Diamond Preferred Card – Offers 0% on new purchases for 18 months and has a regular rate between 11.99% and 21.99%, based on creditworthiness.  No annual fee.

(OP):  “We all want to make sure that our loved ones have the happiest possible holidays, and for a lot of us that means shelling out a few hundred dollars for gifts.  If you don’t foresee being able to foot the entire bill within the month, you might want to apply for a card that won’t start charging you interest for a while because the last thing you want is for your gift-giving tab to be inflated by a high interest rate that prevents you from swiftly getting out of your holiday debt.”

  • Best for Lowering the Cost of Debt:  Slate Card from Chase – Offers 0% on balance transfers for 15 months and doesn’t charge a balance transfer fee or an annual fee.  The savings you can derive from this card could even be enough to cover all of your holiday shopping expenses.

(OP):  “The average household has roughly $6,700 in credit card debt, and that figure is sure to rise during the expensive holiday shopping season.  It’s therefore obvious that a 0% balance transfer offer can save a lot of folk time and money paying down what they owe.  The Slate Card is the best balance transfer credit card on the market in light of its long 0% intro period and lack of fees, which combined may provide savings of more than $1,000.  An interesting strategy that some consumers might want to try this holiday season is to use one of the best rewards cards for holiday spending and then transfer their debt to the Slate Card.  This would enable you to effectively garner the best possible rewards on the market as well as the best possible 0% balance transfer deal.”

Keep your passport near and dear

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Tick off the items on your packing list for your trip abroad:

Sensible shoes, for the walking tour. Check.

Wild-and-crazy shoes for a night out. Gotta ’em.

Sun block, prescription meds, swimsuit…

What about your passport holder? Keeping important documents safe and accessible can make the difference between a magical adventure and an overseas nightmare.

With StoreSMART’s passport holder, you can keep your passport close to your heart. And no one will know it’s there, not even pick pockets. Because you wear it, there’s no worry about losing your passport along with your purse or backpack.

The passport holder is a low-tech security device, a plastic pocket worn on a 36-inch lanyard. The holder is slim, but you can still slip money and a credit card in with your passport.

It’s waterproof, which also makes it a practical choice for anglers and hunters who need to carry their licenses.

Priced at $5.99, the passport holder is an ideal stocking stuffer for your favorite travelers.

At The Torridon, hospitality ’tis grand

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In the craggy mountains of the Scottish Highlands, The Torridon is a jewel that sparkles with history, romance and genuine hospitality.

It’s the ideal place to experience, if only briefly, a slice of leisure and privilege, indulging in such activities as clay pigeon shooting, archery and Scotch sipping.

If you have ever had the good fortune of visiting The Torridon, you will be pleased — but not surprised — to learn that the property was named AA Hotel of the Year for Scotland for 2012-2013 at the recent AA Hospitality Awards.

The awards, judged by AA inspectors and industry professionals, are among the most prestigious in the British hospitality industry. Winners are recognized for excellence, success, a dedication to raising industry standards, and a commitment to the overall guest experience.

Sited on 58 acres of parkland overlooking a sea loch, The Torridon is set in a remote and lovely cranny in the western Highlands.  While the public spaces echo the hotel’s Victorian roots with opulent wood paneling and crackling fires, the 19 guestrooms are large, luxurious and comfy, with a fresh, contemporary feeling.

Niceties include Egyptian cotton sheets, duck-down feather duvets, flat-screen televisions, iPod docking stations, free WiFi, a tea and coffee maker, sparkling and still water, and Tunnock’s teacakes, a round shortbread biscuit covered with Italian meringue and encased in a thin layer of chocolate.

Fancy a sit-down dinner? The Torridon Restaurant has earned three AA Rosettes as a fine-dining establishment. (In the lounge, we enjoyed the option of ordering a large glass of wine or the regular pour. The regular is a generous portion, at least 6 ounces. The large is pretty much filled to the rim, which means your server will be walking very carefully to ensure your libation arrives intact.)

A night cap, laddie? The clubby Malt Whisky Bar features 350 varieties of Scotches. The next morning, enjoy a hearty Scottish breakfast.

Small and intimate, it’s a fine place for a family holiday or a corporate retreat. No worries about getting bored in a remote location. There are lots of activities on property and nearby to keep guests of any age and interest occupied. Outdoor options include hiking, kayaking and mountain biking. Guides and instructors, helpful and handsome, are on site.

Or stroll about the kitchen garden on your own, then swing by the barn to pet a shaggy Highland cow in the hotel herd.

The Torridon is romantic as well as rustic, which makes it a popular wedding and honeymoon destination, including celebrations for same-sex couples and their loved ones.

A friendly hotel manager told me about the wonderful wedding weekend The Torridon hosted for him, his partner and their families. I, in turn, waxed rhapsodic to my daughter, a bride-to-be, and now The Torridon is on her short list for the destination wedding she and her fiance are planning.

Rates start at £220 — that’s $349 USD — for a classic bedroom and breakfast, but vary by room type, season and length of stay.  The Torridon offers a variety of packages throughout the year, focusing on everything from family fun to romantic retreats and from adventure-filled days to relaxed evenings.  Current offers focus on Christmas and Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year. I can’t imagine a better spot to sing Auld Lang Syne.

Like The Torridon, Connoisseurs Scotland is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.  The hospitality group’s 30 members include four of the world’s finest golf resorts (Cameron House, Gleneagles, Turnberry and St. Andrew’s Old Course) and several outstanding city-center properties, including Prestonfield, one of only two 5 Red Star Hotels in Edinburgh; the newly refurbished Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle; and two destinations with Michelin-star restaurants, the sumptuous Inverlochy Castle Hotel near Fort William and the warm and elegant Kinloch Lodge on the Isle of Skye.

Jewelry alert: ADORNIA’s trunk show at Knit Wit

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It’s always a treat to see jewelry up close and personal.

It’s also a pleasure to meet the creative spirits who came up with the ultimate accessories.

ADORNIA Fine Jewelry is holding an exclusive trunk show at Knit Wit on Philadelphia’s Main Line, on Nov. 16 and 17.

The company was founded in 2012 by two stylish friends, who also happen to be industry experts and jewelry enthusiasts. Becca, aka Bex, Aronson is former accessories editor of Lucky Magazine and fashion editor of REDBOOK, as well as a Penn grad; Moran “Mo” Amir is a former retail operator for Catherine Malandrino and Diesel.

Their formula for success blends jewelry pieces in gold, silver and precious stones with strong lines and feminine wiles, staples women can enjoy year in and year out, day and night. Collections range from Mayan-inspired long, hoop silver earrings ($195) to a $6,200 necklace embellished with black pave diamonds from the Deco After Dark line.

Knit Wit, a Philly original for half a century, operates stores on Chestnut Street in the city and Margate, down the Jersey Shore, as well as the Bryn Mawr location at 905 W. Lancaster Ave., where the trunk show will take place. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on both days.

In addition to blingy buys, the ADORNIA gals will be offering a styling consultations, on the house, as well as  a chance to win a $200 gift card to www.ADORNIA.com.

Neon Museum to light up Vegas

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After 15 years of anticipation, the lights are going on at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, an attraction dedicated to the preservation and celebration of some of the city’s most distinctive architectural landmarks.

The doors officially open on Saturday, Oct. 27.

This museum glows in the dark. It is home to a collection of more than 150 neon signs dating from the 1930s, the largest collection of neon signage in the world. And where else but Vegas?

At the two-acre outdoor museum Neon Boneyard, iconic signs from the city’s most celebrated properties — including the Moulin Rouge, the Desert Inn, the Flamingo and the Stardust — are displayed along signs from bygone restaurants, hotels and businesses. How electrifying!

The museum’s new visitors’ center is the recently rehabilitated La Concha Motel lobby, the seashell-shaped, Mid-Century Modern architectural masterpiece designed and built by architect Paul Revere Williams. Originally constructed in 1961 on Las Vegas Boulevard South, the La Concha lobby was saved from demolition in 2005 and moved to its current location in downtown Vegas in 2006.

Bill Marion, who chairs the museum’s board of trustees,says the attraction will bring culture and revenue to the community.

“There is renewed interest in ‘old’ Las Vegas and in the rediscovery of the historical downtown area,” says Marion in a statement. “The Neon Museum will play a major role in this renaissance by bringing new visitors to downtown Las Vegas, by creating additional opportunities for tourism growth and by adding to the ongoing economic revitalization of the area.”

Tours last 45 minutes and will be available to the public every half hour starting at 10 a.m., with the last tour departing at 4 p.m., every Monday through Saturday. Tickets are $18 for adults; $12 for students with ID, senior citizens, veterans and Nevada residents. Children ages 6 and under are admitted free. Tour capacity is limited, so purchase tickets in advance through the Neon Museum’s website. The La Concha Visitors Center will be open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Both facilities are located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North, Las Vegas.

Keeping both feet firmly on the ground

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Life is all about connections.

These days, I’m connecting with Juil clogs, my new favorite fall footwear.

The closed-back clogs, christened Copenhagen, are good looking, with wood-toned heels and trim, and brown leather uppers. (They also are available in black.)

What you don’t see is Juil’s exclusive copper conductors, embedded in the footbed and outer soles, which are believed to channel antioxidants from the earth into our bodies and return us to a natural state of being with every step we take. Synthetic shoes with rubber soles don’t conduct electrons.

So when the good folks at Juil contacted me and asked if I would be interested in giving their footwear a try, I was intrigued. This sounds interesting! And who better than an active scribe to put shoes through their paces?

In my writing life, I spend a lot of time on my feet. So I put Juil to the test, at work and at play.

My conclusion? These clogs are so comfy I can dash to an interview, grab a cup of coffee with a source, chase down a quote and then head off for drinks with the girls.

And when my feet feel great, the rest of me tends to follow.

The folks at Juil understand that footwear that is good for you also can be attractive. You could wear the maker’s Brio sandal, available in metallic pewter and other color choices, to a cocktail party. I call it the Yogurt Principal. We all started eating yogurt when producers figured out how to make something that is healthy also taste great.

Sworn off leather? Juil also offers vegan and cork sandals and clogs.

Footwear is sold in whole sizes, 5-11 for women and 7-13 for men. Wear a half size? Order the next size down for sandals and the next size up for clogs.

Prices range from $125 for sandals to $165 for closed back clogs. Standard shipping and returns are free.