Archive for the ‘Wanderlust’ Category
Public Chicago
I’ve always loved visiting Chicago. The Art Institute of Chicago is my favorite U.S. museum, largely thanks to their extensive and impressive collection of German Expressionism and other post-Impressionist gems. The city has great jazz clubs, plenty of fun indie shopping, and a growing range of restaurants that are not steakhouses. There’s nothing quite like the architecture in Chicago; I always leave with a strained neck from all the upward gazing. Have you seen the architectural detail at the Shedd Aquarium? I die. So when I saw this post on the T Magazine blog about Ian Schrager’s newest hotel, Public Chicago, I was suddenly eager to pack my bags. Continue Reading
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CommentLondon Dressing
Okay, I promised, here you go.
During my recent trip to London, while it was snowing here in Boston, Londoners were shedding their macs to enjoy the warm, sunny weather. Perhaps people were caught sartorially ill-prepared by this, because I have to say that, on the whole, I found the men in London to be far more stylish than the women. Frump much? And I thought Bostonians were bad. Nevertheless, a few noteworthy style trends emerged. I need to perfect my stealth street snap technique; unfortunately, I left with no photographic evidence. You’ll have to trust me. Continue Reading
An April Fool Misses the Lion of March
Last week I took the opportunity for an impromptu weekend away in London. Staying in Mayfair, as I did the last time I was there, I didn’t stray too far afield, but this time I saw much more of the city than before, courtesy of my hotel room! What a view!
While I had every intention of blogging directly from London, well you know what they say. At least my handbasket is filled with yummy treats from Fortnum & Mason. I did plan three posts, and I will share them with you this week: The Savoy, Fashion and Shopping, and Street Walking. Highlights this go round certainly were discovering the American Bar at the Savoy, finding the best coffee shop ever, and having the best dim sum since I left San Francisco. (Are you sensing a pattern here?)
I did get to Church’s for my brogues, which means that I am one step closer to my cool Spring wardrobe. Perhaps one of the most satisfying things about this trip to London was that the weather was most wonderfully warm and sunny and I didn’t need my coat the entire time; it was snowing in Boston. While the lion was roaring at home, this April Fool was having a much needed getaway. London was wonderful, no joke about it.
California Dreaming
And it’s been a winter’s day all right!
In the past week, Boston got pounded by snow – twice – and then it rained for two days straight, rendering all surfaces impassable without employing some sort of improvised boot scootin’ boogie. Today we’re getting a bit of a reprieve with chilly sunshine before it starts snowing again tonight for another 8 inches or so. Fun, huh?
I doubt it will surprise anyone, then, that I’m dreaming of California, where the sun is shining and walking doesn’t require wearing those special ice pick shoes to keep from falling on one’s ass. It’s been in the 60′s in San Francisco and in Los Angeles it’s going to be in the high 70′s through the weekend and into next week. So what the hell am I doing here?
In Los Angeles tonight, my favorite columnist Mark Morford will be giving a reading from his book Daring Spectacle: Adventures in Deviant Journalism
And I’m not sure exactly what is going on in San Francisco, but I’m fairly certain that if I went for a walk on Crissy Field tomorrow, this is what I’d see:
Since this is a photo I actually took, of a spot where I actually have been, I can attest that the actuality of seeing this view is quite high.
Oh yes, I am dreaming of California in such a serious wayl
Hôtel, Je t’aime
Paris is my absolute favorite place on the planet. It’s been a while since my last trip and I miss it terribly, so I’ve been thinking that this Fall would be a good time to take a few days to visit. To stroll the blessedly tourist-light streets, have breakfast at my favorite sidewalk cafe and watch the world go by, take tea at Mariage Freres, buy ballet flats at Repetto, indulge in macarons at Ladurée and marrons glacés at Maison du Chocolat, look at modern art at the Centre Pompidou. As if the attraction of the city itself weren’t enough inducement, T Magazine introduced me to Le Pavillon des Lettres in a recent post about new boutique hotels around the world:
Opening this fall in Paris, Le Pavillon des Lettres is a sister property of Le Pavillon de la Reine in the Marais, but with a literary theme. The designer Didier Benderli gave each of the 26 rooms a letter of the alphabet. Room H has text by Victor Hugo (get it?) stenciled on the wall. For English translations, boot up the room’s dedicated iPad.
They had me at literary theme. Reminiscent of the Hotel Rex in San Francisco, which was inspired by the art and literary salons of the 1920′s and 1930′s, le Pavillon des Lettres is a sensual treat and a bibliophile’s dream. According to the hotel’s website, le Pavillon des Lettres marries art, literature, aesthetics and interior design to create an homage to the great talents of French and international literature. The writers for whom the rooms are names are Andersen, Baudelaire, Calderon, Diderot, Eschyle, Flaubert, Goethe, Hugo, Ibsen, James, Kafka, La Fontaine, Musset, Nerval, Ovide, Proust, Queiroz, Rousseau, Shakespeare, Tolstoi, Urfe, Voltaire, Woolf, Xenophon, Yeats, and Zola. Choose your literary mood and choose your room!
A tranquil retreat in the center of a busy neighborhood, the hotel exudes all of the elegant luxury and understated charm of a Parisian mansion home. And its proximity to les Champs-Élysées, la Place de la Concord and la rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré makes it the perfect portal to Parisian fashion and trends, nestled amongst the best galleries and shopping the Rive Droit has to offer.
While I generally tend to prefer the other side of the river, this time I would gladly make an exception to be able to enjoy this wonderful new hotel. Drinks at Le Meurice; dinner in the Marais. No, that would not suck.
A bientôt!
Let your shoes be your guide.
Wanderlust takes many forms. Yes, it may be travel purely for the sake of getting away and experiencing a new place or enjoying a beloved destination. But sometimes wanderlust is more like a deep-felt restlessness to shake things up, smash the status quo, leap out of limbo into a place – either proverbial or actual – where the life we are living is one that inspires us and makes us eager to start every morning wondering what fantastic thing is going to happen to us today.
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
~ Dr. Seuss
So when I saw Polyvore’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! contest I absolutely was inspired by this Dr. Seuss quote to create an entry of my own. To enter the contest, you have to pick a pair of shoes from a selection chosen by Polyvore and create a set inspired by where you believe they will take you. From the entries, Polyvore will pick three winners to receive $100 gift cards.
I guess it isn’t difficult to figure out where I want a pair of Ripicca sandals to take me and what I would love to be doing once I get there.
London Photo Essay
Despite my intention to keep blogging from London, for a variety of reasons that never really happened, not the least of which was the lovely weather and everything to see and experience that was outside the club lounge where the computers were. So here are a few photos I snapped with my iPhone as I wandered around. No particular theme really, just images that caught my eye.
I wish, now, that I had ignored the haughty stares of the security guard at Alexander McQueen to take some photos of the gorgeous, gorgeous dresses I could never afford and will never see up close like that again. Same with Vivienne Westwood, although the ladies there were lovely and I’m sure they wouldn’t have minded if I had tried on a few dresses and would have taken the photos themselves.
First, of course, is me in front of Buckingham Palace. Just in case anyone was wondering whether I’d made the whole thing up. As we wandered toward Piccadilly, we encountered the guards leaving the guard barracks on their way to the Changing of the Guard. We’d been wandering for a long walk through Hyde Park, working up an appetite, so we abandoned that historic event for the comforts of The Wolseley – a restaurant/tea room that feels like a cross between the Palm Court at the Plaza in New York and Angelina’s in Paris. Yummy, yummy pastries and most excellent coffee.
On Saturday evening we had dinner at an amazing Indian restaurant recommended by the hotel Concierge, Amaya Bar & Grill. It truly was the best Indian food I’ve ever had, as I was assured I would find in London by absolutely everyone. This was a modern space with gorgeous art and food that was out of this world. Since this was my first trip to London, I was having a difficult time keeping my bearings, so I don’t know what neighborhood this was in exactly. We cabbed.
London cabs by the way are so amazing. I wanted to weep when I returned to Boston and had to cram into the back of one of our cabs.
I also love how London has all of these lovely little squares featuring restaurants and shops. Sunday found us wandering again and we stumbled upon Liberty of London in a spot filled with people and vibrant fun. I’ve never seen a building covered with flowers before – it was miraculous. We wandered in. I fell in love with a Jerome Dreyfuss bag that was alas as out of my budget as the gorgeous things I saw everywhere else. Note to self: next time you go to London be rich.
It was a short trip, so there wasn’t time for much else. A cab ride to the airport on Sunday took us through Chelsea, which I want to explore at length on my next visit. It seemed like my kind of neighborhood. One charming street that I seemed to keep finding myself on as I wandered in endless circles between Piccadilly and Regent Street was Albemarle Street. Lots of galleries there. This sign on a door caught my eye. I have no idea what goes on behind the door at Number 23.
Goodbye London! Next stop, Vieques.
My name is Angela Eloise and I am a freelance writer. That sounds as if I am copping to an addiction. I am. In addition to writing this blog, I also write a column about social media and I am at work on a series of essays that I hope to see in print some day. Cloud of Chaos was born from my desire to dance with the absurdity of life, to create a space where I could write and share all of the gorgeous, fun, snarky deliciousness I find spinning around me every day. What does a spinning cloud of chaos have to do with writing? Everything, as it turns out.
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