• Worth a Toast
• The World's Best Places to Toast
• New+Worthy: Night+Day's latest recommendations
• Urbie Awards Announced
• Alan's View
  • ASD Picks: Three Essential Web Sites
  • On the Road: New York, L.A. and St. Martin
  • Last Word: On Being Sixty

WORTH A TOAST

Welcome to the first edition of INPULSE, our special newsletter for insiders who appreciate one of the underlying tenets that drives our approach to travel advice: life is short, but that’s okay if you make the most of it.  Or as we say in each of our guidebooks:
The Right Place. The Right Time. It Matters.

Life is a celebration, providing us with innumerable excuses to make a toast. We are certainly celebrating the launch of our newsletter and the fact that we have come so far in such a short period of time. We've published fifteen awesome guidebooks to the world’s coolest cities, recognized by the media as the “best of the trend-setting lot."

So we toast (Cheers!) our friends, family and readers, who have been so supportive as we launched this guidebook series. We also toast (¡Salud!) our writers and staff, who have produced on a very short timetable what critics have called the most detailed, accurate and timely guides available. Our final toast
(L chaim!) is to our distributor, Publishers Group West, and the booksellers who have taken a chance on a new, original travel guide—a risk for which we hope they will be amply rewarded.

With thanks,

Alan S. Davis
Publisher and Executive Editor
Night+Day, the Cool Cities series from Pulse Guides

THE WORLD'S BEST PLACES TO TOAST

It's (almost always) time to celebrate, and here is a selection of the best places to toast in the world's coolest cities:

AMSTERDAM • SUPPER CLUB CRUISE

The Scene: The sensory feast of dining and dancing 'til sunup on the seagoing version of Amsterdam's pioneering and world-famous resto-lounge is as glamorous as this city gets. From the stunning contemporary décor to the eye-catching clientele and perfectly mixed drinks served on a 100-person all-white bed, SupperClub is deliciously louche. A cast of accomplished DJs spinning Euro-chic electronica ramps up the cool cachet. Sailing at 8pm sharp, Fri-Sat.
The Clincher: Unless you happen to own a 170 ft. private yacht, sipping champagne on the deck of this sleek-chic cruiser is the closest you'll get to living out your hedonistic Euro-playboy fantasies.

Click here for all three of the best places to toast in AMSTERDAM

LOS ANGELES • POLO LOUNGE

The Scene: It's known among industry insiders as "the home of the deal," and you're no one (or at least haven’t slept with anyone) if you haven't broken bread or brokered a deal at this renowned indoor/outdoor restaurant and lounge. Consider timing your celebration for the star-studded Sunday Champagne Brunch featuring a three-course prix-fixe menu. Daily 7am-11pm.
The Clincher: Need to impress a prospective director, actor, or writer? Booking a table here gives you instant credibility in a town where there's a thin line between movers and fakers.


Click here for all three of the best places to toast in LOS ANGELES

MIAMI • DUNE OCEANFRONT BURGER LOUNGE

The Scene: The sun is setting. A briny breeze puffs gauzy cabana curtains. Dig your toes in the sand and raise your glass at one of Miami's only oceanfront lounges. Look for languid luxury, quiet chic and chill European lounge music rather than noisy South Beach - type partyers. Wed-Sun 11:30am-sunset. Sunday Lounge Parties 3pm-sunset.
The Clincher: Make this the place to impress your very serious love interest. First, snag one of the curtained lounges. Next, order a couple of Royal Veuves, some oysters and prawns, and a Kobe beef slider topped with foie gras. And then—draw those curtains.

Click here for all three of the best places to toast in MIAMI

Discover the best places to toast in other Night+Day cities

INS and OUTS:
NIGHT+DAY'S LATEST RECOMMENDATIONS

Focus on U.S. : Night+Day's Top 5 New Openings

D.C. • Donovan House
donovanhousedc.com
Lord knows, tradition has its place in DC, but not, thankfully, in Donovan House,
the hip jewel of a hotel that debuted in March 2008. This first DC venture of
the Thompson Hotels Group ratchets up the city's trendiness factor with podlike chairs, leather-wrapped beds, and cocoon spiral showers in the guest rooms and a bar and lounge up on the roof. The hotel sits on Thomas Circle and its best and most spacious standard rooms, the studio kings, overlook the circle.
Fashion-forward in design, Donovan hopes to attract a stylish clientele traveling
on business or for pleasure. All guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, flat
screen TVs, and i-Pod docking stations. The rooftop terrace and its remarkable
city views are expected to draw chic guests from the hotel and young professionals from the neighborhood. Still to come: a pool on the roof and a celebrity chef in the restaurant.

Click here to download Night+Day updates for D.C.

LAS VEGAS • CatHouse
cathouselv.com
From the faux-ostrich booths and vintage mirrors to lingerie-clad dancing
coquettes and the peep-show - like "Dressing Mirror" (an opportunity for PG-rated voyeurism), the feel of this restaurant-cum-nightclub is reminiscent of a 19th-century bordello. After shareable portions of comfort foods, such as truffled mac-and-cheese and fried chicken and watermelon, in the more sedate, but still sexy, chandelier room, head next door to the all-red "loungerie," which is louder, rowdier, and younger in its clientele.

Click here to download Night+Day updates for LAS VEGAS

NEW ORLEANS • MiLa
milaneworleans.com
Allison Vines-Rushing won fame—and a James Beard rising star award—cooking Southern food at Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar in New York City. Now she's back in her native Louisiana, along with her Mississippi-born husband Slade Rushing, still cooking Southern food but with a big-city attitude. In a modern but subdued dining room of mosaic tiled columns and deep blue banquettes, the couple serves bold Southern flavors with the delicacy and cutting-edge techniques (and manageable portions) of the best chefs from the coasts. Try the "deconstructed" oysters Rockefeller, the rotisserie chicken brined in tea, or the langoustines and braised pig cheeks spiked with pepper vinegar. New Orleanians are notoriously suspicious of outside influences, but MiLa has attracted a growing contingent of fashionable young regulars.

Click here to download Night+Day updates for NEW ORLEANS

NEW YORK • Merkato 55
merkato55.com
Ethiopian-Swedish chef Marcus Samuelsson, who made his mark with Aquavit,
turns his sights to Africa with Merkato 55, inspired by outdoor Ethiopian markets.
The spacious, multi-story interior reveals African portraits on silk screens,
soft leather banquettes, and gleaming dark wood. Samuelsson proves himself
once again with an inspired pan-African menu, which includes spiced hummus;
warm injera bread; tender venison skewers; and plump meatballs with couscous. This being the Meatpacking District, Merkato 55 straddles the culinary and cocktail worlds, and the clubby crowd comes as much for the drinking as the dining. Enjoy tipples like date-infused rum and Ding Ding (named after an African dance), made with cachaça, ginger beer, and lime, in the low-lit downstairs lounge with a stone well in the center.

Click here to download Night+Day updates for NEW YORK

SAN FRANCISCO • Chez Papa Resto
chezpapasf.com
At Chez Papa Resto—the French-owned, French-staffed, French-style bistro in Mint Plaza—it’s pastis, cigarette, Champagne and oysters, foie gras, cigarette, monkfish bouillabaisse, lavender crème brûlée, cigarette... in that order. If it sounds smoky (outside only), it is—but that's because actual French people (dressed casual-chic in skinny jeans and blazers) dine here, and the musk of their Gitanes mingling with the scent of black truffles is actually seductive. Besides having a spacious patio (both for smoking and dining) on the European-style plaza facing the historic Old Mint, Chez Papa has a sumptuous interior that's part Hotel Costes and part Casablanca—rattan dining chairs are an odd but comfortable contrast to gothic black draperies and chandeliers, and a high mirrored communal table is a gorgeous nod to French Deco design. For conversation, the acoustics are perfect; the music is Paris lounge (think Hotel Costes' DJ beats and sultry tunes by Bittersweet). A Euro-chic haunt in downtown SF, Chez Papa is ideal both for romantic dinners and gregarious gatherings.

Click here to download Night+Day updates for SAN FRANCISCO

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 AWARDS RELEASED

The urbanista experience couldn't exist but for the creativity and talents of many people and organizations who inspire us and provide the goods that are the city mosaic. In honor of all who have played a role in making each Night+Day city one of the world's coolest, Pulse Guides gives recognition in the form of its Urbie Award to one individual whose contribution is exemplary. Congratulations to the two most recent recipients:

Toronto - Piers Handling has transformed staid and respectable Toronto into a sexy and desirable city—not just in the eyes of the numerous travelers and tourists who come to the largest city in Canada, but to the residents whose traditionally cautious nature has made it such a conservative metropolis for the past 20 years. With his effortless grace and presence as the artistic director of the Toronto International Film Festival, Handling has transformed a small regional event into a world-renowned festival. Read more.

Sydney - Jørn Utzon. The most distinctive architectural feature in Australia is undoubtedly the Sydney Opera House and, since its creation, it has changed the way the world views this city. The building, with its famous curving, white-sailed roof, was the result of a design competition in the 1950s, aimed at giving Sydney a centerpiece for the performing arts. No one realized just how iconic it would eventually become. The renowned Danish architect, Jørn Utzon, is the creator behind this landmark, and a man credited with changing the way Australians think about architecture and design. Read more.

Click here to see all Urbie Award winners

ALAN'S VIEW

As publisher and executive editor of the Night+Day series, I certainly influence our selections and recommendations. I've spent a lifetime in travel and I check out every city we write about. But our guidebooks reflect a collaborative effort involving local writer(s) 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 for). And needless to say, I very much welcome your comments.
Click here to send me an email

ASD Picks: Three Essential Web Sites

I travel so often (140 days per year), and my schedule and needs change so frequently that using a travel agent has become financially impossible—for the travel agent. Thank God (or Al Gore) for the internet! My three favorite and most-used web sites are not earth-shattering discoveries, just essentials for nailing a trip.
Expedia.com is my go-to site for a clear picture of hotel prices. I can see if I’m hitting a high-season period, get a pretty good indicator of a hotel’s lowest prices, and test out dates to see if a particular day or combination of days yields special rates….
Kayak.com does for me with flights what Expedia does for hotels. I find their search and list capabilities to be superior to any other airline search site….
Seatguru.com epitomizes the Night+Day philosophy of getting something better for the same price. Seatguru.com points me to the right airplane seats to look for...
Read more about these sites

On the Road: New York, L.A. and St. Martin

New York Check into a minimalist cool room at the Hotel on Rivington and you feel like you walked onto the set of West Side Story, thanks to the tenement scene outside your window. Read more

L.A. The Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire hotel is approaching perfection. With the help of a major overhaul and installation of Wolfgang Puck's CUT steak house, the hotel now combines a sophisticated buzz with its top class service... Read more

St. Martin Can't not mention a short holiday we had on the French side of Dutch Sint Maarten, if for no other reason than that we got to stay at Villa Le Reve—one of the most beautiful and perfectly decorated homes we've ever seen. You, too, can enjoy the 5-bedroom beachside, tennis courted and staffed enclave for a mere $60,000 per week (Christmas is more). But no matter where you stay on the island, check out the locals' favorite band, Youth Waves (recently opened a concert for Shaggy). Their reggae, R&B and soca sounds should be on CD soon.

Last Word: On Being Sixty

Speaking of toasts, I celebrated my sixtieth birthday recently. It was a cause for reflection on how—despite my belief that it is the psychographic, not demographic that matters—my travel life may be slowly changing.
Read More