Valentine's Day in the Big Apple

Anyone who knows me well, or even remotely, knows that NYC is one of my favorite places in the world. Growing up in DC & Maryland, the Big Apple was a simple three hour train ride away. It is also a great get-a-way for Valentine’s Day! Although NYC has had bitterly cold temps lately, it is well worth it to be in such a beautiful city. We brought the typical winter gear, though the weather gave us a reprieve for a couple of beautiful days. A stay at the Waldorf=Astoria sets the stage for a very romantic stay. As a Junior League member, the Waldorf is a favorite for many of us, especially because of its history and the special relationship the hotel has had with our organization over the years. I don’t often do the tourist sites while in NYC, though I did many times in high school. I like to stick to the boutiques, shops & museums that border the residential neighborhoods. On this trip, it was a typical visit to the “Mecca” pictured above, the RL Mansion on Madison. Ralph Lauren has a few shops along Madison, obviously one of the reasons I love the city that doesn’t sleep! Speaking of not sleeping, after a late meal at Nikki Beach, we did check out one major tourist stop- the Empire State Building at 2A.M.! It was freezing, but at this time of morning, there are no lines and you will only encounter a dozen or so other people. It is as if the ESB is your personal playground this early in the morning. Another great place to visit is The Jewish Museum on Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street. A long walk down Madison Avenue warrants some refueling at Yura On Madison. They have some amazing soup and perfect cup of cocoa, among their laundry list of menu items. It is also a great place to people watch. Don’t forget to take a quiet stroll through Central Park, past the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservior, which is very pretty covered in snow as seen in the above photos showing the Upper East & West Sides.

LeAnita.com

One of my favorite jewelers is my sister, LeAnita. She was recently featured for a freshwater pearl necklace she made for First Lady, Michelle Obama. It is gorgeous, made with a teardrop pendant from Tibet. LeAnita is also supporting Autism Speaks by donating 10 percent of your purchase on certain items. She has also been featured on FOX News Chicago (the video is available on her website), in Redbook Magazine, Today’s Chicago Woman and other publications. All of LeAnita’s necklaces are made from semi-precious gem stones and sterling silver. She uses a lot of amber, onyx, turquoise and topaz for many of her pieces. I am fortunate to get a sneak peek at many of her designs before anyone else, but sometimes I see her jewelry for the first time when I see a woman walking down the street with a “LeAnita” around her neck or wrist!

Sundance Day #6

Today the Sundance Film Festival celebrated the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. Televisions were set up outdoors as a large crowd gathered to watch the swearing-in ceremony. As a true reflection of what Obama represents, the crowd was filled with interracial couples and bi-racial children. One of those couples who we ran into was actor Phil Morris (son of actor Greg Morris) and his wife Carla. Morris has been in many shows & movies, but one of his more popular roles is the one he played in Seinfeld as Kramer’s attorney, Jackie Chiles. Cory did his best impersonation of that character for Morris, who found Cory to be very amusing. We also told him of the movie we saw a few days ago, coincidentally named “I Love You Philip Morris,” which I talked about in my Day #4 blog entry. It is a new day for this country, which is evident by the fact that more people worldwide watched the Inauguration than any other event in the history of television. Hopefully the election of this new president will open the door for the respect of our differences and a greater appreciation for what we all have in common.

Sundance Day #5

We attended two movies today. One was with Peter Gallagher, called Adam. It is about a twentysomething who suffers from Asperger Syndrome and must learn to live an independent life. The movie brought much needed attention to this often overlooked disease, but the movie itself was a bit disjointed. The second movie was called The Messenger, starring Woody Harrelson. The premise is a really good one. It follows two Army soldiers whose sole job is to tell military families that their loved one has been killed in the Iraq War. The rules are strict about telling families the bad news. The soldiers must use a guided script when telling families how their love one was killed. The messenger delivering the tragic news is also told to never touch the next of kin who is receiving the bad news. No hug, no handshake-just tell them that their relative was killed in the war and leave. The Messenger started as a great movie with excellent performances. Then something went wrong! Too many story lines was the downfall of what could have been a really good feature film. The story lines became so long, that I fell asleep! I simply could not help it. Closing my eyes and nodding off was the only way I could end my personal misery of sitting through a movie that had sadly lost its focus.

Sundance Day #4

One of the greatest aspects of Sundance is that we have the opportunity to watch the stars watching themselves on the screen during the movie premieres. We had the chance to sit two seats behind Jenny McCarthy & her long-time boyfriend Jim Carrey as he saw himself in his premiere, “I Love you Phillip Morris,” also starring Ewan McGregor. In the movie, “I Love you Phillip Morris,” Carrey plays a very dedicated church-going man who loves Jesus, his wife & little girl. He sings in the choir and is dedicated to his family until one day he realizes that he is gay. His antics as a con-artist land him in a Texas prison (consistently), which is where he cultivates a very intimate relationship with McGregor. During the screening, Jenny McCarthy was whispering to Jim Carrey, especially during some of his more intimate scenes on screen with Ewan McGregor. When the movie ended, she gave him a huge hug & kiss before he took the stage to answer questions from the audience. This is one of the best ways to view a film-while sitting near the stars who are often watching themselves in the movie for the first time before it is released. I do not know if this film will be picked up in the mainstream theaters or if it will go directly to HBO. I do know that Carrey earned me as a fan in this film. I usually avoid his movies, because I’m not too keen on his extreme humor, but I give this one a thumbs up. Ewan McGregor was EXCELLENT in this movie & very believable in his role. He is an amazing actor and gave a great performance.

Sundance Day #3

Readers of this blog know that several years ago, Cory & I had the opportunity to meet Pierce & Keely Brosnan at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005. Today we saw him in the movie, The Greatest, a movie about parents (Pierce Brosnan & Susan Sarandon) who lose their son in a tragic car accident and how each copes with her/her grief. It is shot in the suburbs of New York and has a picture perfect setting for the All-American family. When tragedy strikes, the family and their friends unravel as they try to wrap their heads around what has happened to their son. This movie was very powerful and emotional and a must-see when it eventually hits the theaters. Viewers of this film cried through much of the movie. For that matter, Susan Sarandon, who sat in the audience with Pierce & the rest of the cast, cried while watching the movie as well! After the movie we headed to the Chicagoans at Sundance Party, hosted by Brenda Sexton. It was great to be this far from the Windy City with a room full of people fleeing the Chicago cold for the mountains of Utah.

Sundance Day #2

The celebrities are slowly starting to trickle into Park City and Harry O’s continues to be the hot spot at night. Tonight, rapper Young Jeezy performed. I am not a personal fan of rap or hip hop (especially when the “N” word gets thrown around left & right), but he did give a good performance. Afterwards, we headed to a private party in a home further in the mountains until 4:30 AM-which is why I look so wretched in my photo!. Wesley Snipes was running around the house dressed in all white with a ski hat, using a fake Jamaican accent trying to convince people that he was NOT who he is. If someone said his name, he would ask, “Who’s Wesley?” It was quite bizarre. He also kept putting his hand in front of his face if someone looked him in the eye. This party only had 150 people, so obviously, someone was bound to talk to him & want a photo too. Wesley is much shorter than I thought, about 5’8” and very skinny. When asked if we could take photos with him he absolutely refused. Quite frankly, I am not surprised. Wesley was exactly what I expected and sadly, completely the antithesis of celebs at Sundance. They are usually laid back, accom0dating and eager for a photo op with fans. Wesley can learn from a dude named Louis who plays “Turtle”’s uncle on the show, Entourage. He was an amazing guy to talk to. Most likely because he has not achieved enough fame for it to go to his head, though when he does, I think he will still be a very down to earth man. Saturday night is another private party-this one is for Chicagoans at Sundance.

Sundance Day#1

The Sundance Film Festival kicked of tonight. As celebrities and movie-goers descended on Salt Lake City, Utah, opening night was with DJ Nick Cannon. He played everything form the 80s to now at Harry O’s on Main Street. Surprisingly, it was not a packed house. I’ve been told that lodging is down 10-15 percent this year at Sundance and the street was not as filled with “Sundancers” as usual. Tomorrow, a film with Philip Seymour Hoffman officially kicks off the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Today we had a tour of several venues that are still under construction, but will be ready by tomorrow for the first day of the Festival. These venues will be used by celebrities as nightly “hang out” spots or used for press junkets. It is currently 3 a.m. and my first movie viewing is in eight hours. More to come from the Festival of the year tomorrow...which is actually later today!

Sundance Film Festival or BUST!!

We are heading to the Sundance Film Festival again! I have not been in a couple of years, so it will be nice to return this year. Cory proposed to me at the top of Snow Bird Mountain during our first trip to Sundance in 2003. Over the years, we have been very fortunate to hobnob with the celebs, including a cozy evening of conversation with Pierce & Keely Brosnan a couple of years ago. Given the issues I’ve had with my back, I’ve also learned to travel a bit more lightly. Instead of my standard suitcases, my rolling duffle is at the door and ready to go. Considering half the bags traveling through airports are black, mine is distinctly marked so I can find it quickly and head up the mountain on the other end.

Festivus for the Rest of Us

The holiday party season is upon us & I’m still in denial that the end of the year is rapidly approaching. Didn’t it just begin? This time last year I was packing for a long Puerto Rican holiday and now I am battling snow, ice & 14 degree temperatures! I think it is time to pack again. The Chicago holiday season is always a blast. There is a black-tie almost every weekend until the end of January from the city to the North Shore. What I love about these Fêtes is that they are fundraisers for very good causes: cancer, domestic violence, homeless people, homeless pets, stroke and others.

Woman's Club Fashion Show

What I really love about the different women's clubs that my sister & I belong to are the fashion shows! Many times we incorporate the members into the show as models and that is when I have the most fun. I always find it interesting what the designers pick for me to wear. Sometimes I think the outfits are absolutely perfect & I may even walk away with a purchase off my own back-other times LeAnita &  I wonder, "What in the heck were they thinking??!!"

Preppy Get-a-way to the Islands

The final holiday get-a-way idea is to the Islands. What a great time to get out of the cold, especially when it has already snowed in some places and it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet!! Puerto Rico, Martinique & St. Lucia are some of my favorite places. Cory & I spent every waking moment on the beach or in the water, with a couple of retreats for a couples’ massage to recuperate from all of the sun exposure. The nice thing about an island get-a-way is that you can pack very lightly and you don’t have to travel far to submerge yourself in a foreign language. I loved Martinique because they truly put my French skills to the test. The islands are full of unusual things to do. Where else can you ride a horse bareback into the ocean? I grew up riding horses, but taking one out into the middle of the water was quite an experience. Snorkeling among tropical fish is incredible. You may even catch a school of fish following you as if you are the lead fish! One of my favorite days was a morning trip by Jeep through the rain forest, which lead to an afternoon bike ride through a banana tree-filled jungle to a lagoon. At the lagoon, a group of us cooled off under the waterfall. At night, you can find party boats and ships on the water. One of the ships used in Pirates of the Caribbean can also be seen sailing among the many Caribbean islands. You can still find a lot of deals during the holidays and there are a lot of housing options at your destination. Instead of booking a hotel, look for house rentals along the beach-of course, booking them well before you get there. Renting a home with another couple can also cut down on your expense. While everyone else is shut inside trying to stay warm during the winter holidays, you can return after the new year with a tan.

Preppy-get-a-way to the Mountains

The second Preppy get-a-way pick for the holidays is an escape to the mountains. A lot of people hit the slopes during the holidays, but I love snowmobiling! Ironically, growing up on the right coast, I always envisioned the left coast as perpetually sunny & hot-until I met Cory. He introduced me to the mountains of California and specifically of his second home in Bear Valley. What a blast it is to stay in the mountains where the snow is “deafening”. With a ground powdered in flakes, you can’t hear a thing in the woods. Everything is silent and peaceful. Peaceful-until we kick the snowmobiles into gear! We spent all day hitting the different trails along the mountainside, even giving a couple of kids a lift along the way. When we took a break inside the clubhouse, we ran into actor, Bob “Duke” Conrad. The three of us sat alone in a restaurant with a bottle of vino and talked about his movies. Several years before, he had judged a pageant where my sister was a contestant and he called her on the phone to chat a bit. If you have to be in a cold weather climate during the holidays, I would recommend a nice mountain hideaway where you can spend every night by the fire.

Preppy Get-a-way to Italy

As the holidays are rapidly approaching, people are booking their get-a-ways & I am putting a few suggestions on the blog. The first is Italy. Although Italy is not my favorite country, I have had an amazing time each time I have visited. My sister picked our dog’s name, “Giuseppe”, after one of our visits. Below is a photo of Seppe and his very famous Shih-tzu underbite. In addition to obvious destination sites like the Vatican, Pantheon and the Coliseum, it is always fun to find more obscure things to do while traveling abroad. After spending time in the more common areas, Cory found a cute hotel in Costiera Amalfitana (the Amalfi coast) for us. Every day, we walked down the winding roads of the coastline to a small restaurant for our meals. It wasn’t so bad going down to the restaurant, it was the walk back up that became a challenge! We also had a tiny grocery store nearby & stocked up on all sorts of Italian treats for our room. There are few tourists in this area, making it a very romantic part of the country too. There is not a lot of shopping available either. It is best to book a private car & have the driver take you to nearby Positano, down to Sorrento or out to Capri for the shops. With a breath-taking view (as seen in the above photos), we also spent an entire day in the room & on our patio sipping vino, watching the children in the street below our window play football (soccer) and simply enjoying one of the most spectacular parts of Italy. The truly nice thing about where we were along the Amalfi is that few people spoke fluent English, which forces a person to really brush up on one’s Italian skills! By the way, I took the photo of Cory & me looking out over the coast. I am especially proud of this one because it looks like a third person would have taken it. I think I should make photography my day job too.

L.L. Bean comes to Illinois

One of my favorite stores finally made its way to the midwest. L.L. Bean has finally migrated from the East coast. In the past I had to wait for a trip back home to stock up on my duck boots and other goodies from the preppy outdoor store, or I had to order from the catalog. Now I can roll into The Bean without any great fanfare. This is my brother-in-law trekking it through the snow to the store with me shortly after their grand-opening.