In This Issue:

• The Right Place. The Right Time. It Matters.
• The World’s Best Neighborhood Shops
• New/Worthy: Night+Day’s Latest Recommendations
• Alan’s View
  • ASD Picks: 3 Guys Who Made Hospitality Cool and Universal
  • On the Road: Southern Africa Safari
  • Last Word: Whom Can You Trust?

The Right Place. The Right Time (Dec. 31).
It Matters.

I can’t remember a New Year infused with more excitement and optimism. Here in the United States, the times, they are a changin’, as we prepare to welcome our new president and, with him, a brave new world. So, that night we’re gonna party like it’s, well, 2009.

Of course, whichever cool city you are in, there will be club parties out the yin-yang, from the typical debauchery of the Vegas strip, to the stripped-down hotties in Miami’s South Beach. Be sure to check out the nightlife recommendations of our Cool Cities guides to pick the most happening spots.

If you find yourself in the center of the universe on New Year’s Eve, there is no party on earth quite like the one in New York’s Times Square. If you don’t love being continually groped by drunken strangers from Queens, however, soar high above it all, preferably in a suite at the Marriott Marquis, where you can watch the crystal apple fall into 2009 with a chosen few.

I love the Spanish New Year’s Eve tradition of eating 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight. You’re supposed to eat one grape per chime, which I like to wash down with plenty of cava (Spanish champagne). And what better way to start the new year in Madrid than with the chocolada, a morning party with chocolate con churros. (Try Chocolatería de San Ginés at Pasadizo de San Ginés, 5.) A sweet start for what promises to be a sweet year.

Counting your blessings could also be the perfect way to usher in 2009, in
which case you might choose to visit Shanghai’s Longhua Temple to hear the cacophonous ringing of the ancient Longhua Bell. Go inside and strike the bell three times, or stay in the surrounding square with the locals.

So many choices, just one Night+Day. We wish you a joyous, prosperous,
and travel-filled new year.

Kim Westerman
Senior Editor
Night+Day, the Cool Cities series from Pulse Guides

THE WORLD’S BEST NEIGHBORHOOD SHOPS

From world-class art to locally designed jewelry, we’ve tracked down the best shopping in the world’s coolest cities. Find that last-minute holiday gift, or take home something memorable for yourself.

NEW YORK • TAKASHIMAYA

The Draw: Who knew shopping could be a Zen experience?
The Scene: Thanks to its muted colors and dulcet tunes, plush Takashimaya offers blissful browsing of such high-end goods as silk blouses, crystal vases, and arty jewelry, plus a serene tea room where you can refresh over a steaming pot of green tea. It’s worth buying something—anything—just to walk around with the telltale triangular shopping bag.
Hot Tip: Takashimaya often features unique trunk shows, when you can meet the designer and purchase limited luxury items before they go on sale to the public; check the website for dates. See all 3 of the Best Neighborhood Shops from NEW YORK

CHICAGO • ORANGE SKIN

The Draw: Opened in 2001 by two architects with a passion for bringing good design to the public, Orange Skin has become Chicago’s go-to destination for modern international furniture and home accessories.
The Scene: Set in River North, Chicago’s design-centric neighborhood, Orange Skin is surrounded by stylish galleries and boutiques. The open, airy, loft-like space allows plenty of light to pour in from floor-to-ceiling windows to best showcase the store’s selection. Orange Skin carries the collections of designers from Italy, Austria, Turkey, England, and beyond. Famous names include Philippe Starck, Marc Newson, and Michael Graves.
Hot Tip: In addition to carrying everything from furniture and accent pieces, to kitchen and bath fixtures, to lighting, Orange Skin also offers design services ranging from space planning and color concepts to rentals for movies, TV shows, and photo shoots. See all 3 of the Best Neighborhood Shops from CHICAGO

MADRID • DOROTEA

The Draw: Muy moda footwear and purses from one of Madrid’s hottest designers.
The Scene: A chic, roomy store showcasing Dorotea’s urban, modern style. She specializes in boots, sandals, and high heels modish enough to make it into the pages of top fashion magazines in both Spain and the US. There’s a wide selection of purses, too.
Hot Tip: Dorotea’s designs are stocked in more than 80 stores in major cities worldwide, but the full selection can only be found here.
See all 3 of the Best Neighborhood Shops from MADRID

Discover the best neighborhood shops in other Night+Day cities

INS and OUTS:
NIGHT+DAY’S LATEST RECOMMENDATIONS

Night+Day’s Top 5 New Openings

CHICAGO • Vertigo Sky Lounge • Magnificent Mile • Ultralounge
danahotelandspa.com/rooftop-lounge
Housed on the 26th floor of the Dana Hotel and Spa, this outdoor/indoor lounge isn’t technically in the sky. But the glass-walled terrace, which gives open (and, yes, vertigo-inducing) views of the city, beats the scene at most skyscrapers… full review Wed–Sun 5pm–2am. Dana Hotel and Spa, 2 W. Erie St. (N. State St.), 312-202-6060

LAS VEGAS • BLT Burger • Center Strip • American
bltburger.com
It’s official: Chef Laurent Tourendel can make a mean burger: seven ounces of sirloin, short rib, chuck, and brisket, topped with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickles. Milk shakes, such as the liquid Nutella-like Nut Job, or the sassy Grandma’s Treat (spiked with Maker’s Mark), will rock your world… full review
Mon 11am–4am, Tue–Wed 11am–2am, Thu–Sat 11am–4am, Sun 11am–2am
$ The Mirage, 3400 Las Vegas Blvd. S (Buccaneer Blvd.), 702-792-7888

NEW ORLEANS • Rambla • Central Business District • Spanish/French
ramblanola.com
The vibe captures modern Spain: half heavy wood and iron fixtures, and half modern design and electronic beats. The menu at this recently opened tapas bar in the International House hotel (see Hotel listing) is classic Spain (patatas bravas, grilled octopus)… full review Mon–Thu 7–9am and 11:30am–11pm, Fri 7–9am and 11:30am–midnight, Sat 7:30–10:00am and 5:30pm–midnight,
Sun 7:30–10am and 5:30–11pm. $$ 217 Camp St. (Gravier St.), 504-587-7720

PARIS • Mama Shelter • 20th • Trendy (172 rms)
mamashelter.com
The St. Blaise quarter in the east of Paris is just edgy enough, but it also boasts some of the last remaining cobbled streets in Paris, with hosts of bistros and cafés long peopled by the artists and renegades of the 20th arrondissement… full review €€ 109 rue de Bagnolet (M° Porte de Bagnolet, Maraichers, Alexandre Dumas), 01.43.48.48.48

SAN FRANCISCO • La Mar Cebicheria • The Embarcadero • South American
lamarcebicheria.com
The United States has Emeril Lagasse and Bobby Flay; Peru has superstar chef Gaston Acurio. Acurio is famous in South America as not only a celebrity television chef, but as a talented restaurateur who’s elevating his native cuisine to new heights… full review Sun–Wed 11:30am–2:30pm and 5:30–10pm, Thu–Sat 11:30am–2:30pm and 5:30–10:30pm. $$ Pier 1 1/2 (The Embarcadero), 415-397-8880

The Night+Day Promise
Night+Day writers and editors use the same high standards in selecting and researching venues to be included in our Ins and Outs updates as we do for our books. Our local correspondents determine which new hot spots are the real deal and which are simply hype—just as you’d expect from Night+Day—to provide the kind of reliable information you need to make the best possible choices.

URBIE AWARDEE: In Memoriam

Jørn Oberg Utzon (April 9, 1918–Nov. 29, 2008)

It is with sadness that we learned of the passing of Jørn Utzon, the architect of the iconic Sydney Opera House, who died in his sleep on Nov. 29. He was our choice for the Urbie Award in our Sydney book, for his unparalleled contributions to the city.

The winner of numerous prizes for his innovative architecture, including the prestigious Pritzker prize, Utzon, a native of Denmark, designed the Sydney Opera House to resemble a ship at full sail. His use of sphere segments to create the “shells” of the Opera House was an ingenious solution to the problem of creating the “sails”—a problem he hadn’t yet solved when he submitted the original drawings in 1958.

ALAN’S VIEW, December 2008

As publisher and executive editor of the Night+Day series, and as someone who has spent a lifetime in travel, I certainly influence our selections and recommendations. But our guide books reflect a collaborative effort involving local writers and experienced editors. So I welcome this opportunity to share my very personal views and experiences. I sincerely hope you find them somewhere between interesting and extremely helpful (life-altering is probably too much to ask). And needless to say, I very much welcome your comments.
Click here to send me an email

One of the features in each Night+Day guide I most enjoy is the Urbie Award. It is our chance to honor the extraordinary people whose creativity and talents help make cities the vibrant meccas they are—and exciting places to visit. Please check out the Urbie Award winners’ stories (Urbie Awards).

From my vantage point, there are three innovators who deserve special mention for initiating the huge change in travel and entertainment that started just more than 20 years ago and has created the need and audience for Night + Day.

Hotels—Ian Schrager, of Club 54 fame, opened Morgans Hotel in New York in 1984. This was the first boutique hotel that had a see-and-be-seen lobby, cool restaurant, and hot bar—a destination for cool that transformed the hotel industry. Not only do we see boutique hotels today, but also chains of boutique hotels—think W—that open up trendy to the masses.

Restaurants—Terence Conran opened Bibendum in London in 1987—the first huge restaurant that was as much about a social scene as it was about food. Every major city now boasts these mega-cool restaurants that generate unimaginable crowds and revenues. If you want to experience a prime example, just step into Buddakan (in Night+Day New York Ins and Outs) next time you’re in New York.

Lounges/Bars—Rande Gerber, Cindy Crawford’s husband, opened the Whiskey at Schrager’s (all things are connected!) Paramount Hotel in New York in 1990, beginning a trend that allowed (some) ordinary folks into Studio 54-type bars and nightclubs that were previously reserved only for A-listers. Gerber’s lounges, many in W Hotels, and others like them, have democratized the trendy social experience in major cities throughout the world.

On the Road: Southern Africa Safari

First the bad news: “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” has misled us all these years. Lions do not sleep at night (they sleep during the day); lions are not in the jungle (they are on the savannah); and lions do not say, “Wimoweh, wimoweh!”

Now the good news: I can pretty much guarantee that if you can afford the expense of an African safari, you will have one of the most memorable, bucket-list–worthy experiences of your life.

My advice: Plan the trip on your own:
1) Ask your friends, and use the Web to get recommendations for safari camps.
2) Identify your priorities among the key variables: price and comfort (keeping in mind there is a pretty strong correlation between price and comfort); predominant animals (some have lots of elephants, others cheetah, but most have something for everyone); number of jeeps allowed at a sighting (generally ranges from three to 10); and climate (I’d vote for late October as the perfect time to go to southern Africa).
3) Book directly with safari camps, whose staff will also help with all your inter-camp travel needs.

Our trip started at Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side… Read more

Last Word: Whom Can You Trust?

This has been a year filled with some of the most extraordinary questions and challenges, but one of my primary concerns is the damage done to our collective sense of trust.

Will we be able to restore our trust in government? The president is about to spend a few billion dollars to bail out the auto companies, whose marketing prowess and environmental concerns might get us a hybrid Hummer some day! Can we find a way to save the jobs without saving the companies or their executives?  Probably not, but as my good friend Mitch Rofsky (betterworldclub.com) pointed out, for those of us who can remember the Sixties (yeah, I know, if you can remember the Sixties, you weren’t there), here is the supreme irony: Without federal help, it is entirely possible Ralph Nader will be able to buy what remains of General Motors!

Can we trust baseball players? We’re witnessing a trillion dollars going to bail out financial institutions, intended to trickle down to ordinary people. Taxpayers gave a multi-billion-dollar loan to Citibank, which in turn gave the Mets $400 million for stadium-naming rights (will Citi Field now be called Citi and Taxpayer Field?), to ensure baseball teams such as the Mets can continue to pay baseball players $25 million per year. We may love baseball, but players are not my idea of ordinary people.

And then we’re hit with Bernie Madoff’s $50 billion Ponzi scheme! Unfathomable. It raises one of the scariest questions of all: If you can’t trust your golf partner at the Palm Beach Country Club, whom can you trust? I don’t say this lightly—my father was a member of the club up until his death in 2001. OK, the SEC was asleep at the switch.  Nonetheless, a group of very smart people got scammed big time—and it could happen to any of us.

All this news drove home the importance of one of the fundamental tenets of Night+Day: Provide trustworthy travel advice… Read more