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THE RIGHT PLACE. THE RIGHT TIME. IT MATTERS.
NIGHT+DAY’s Absolutely-Don’t-Miss Upcoming Events
During these three months there are
17 don’t-miss events (as rated by NIGHT+DAY writers and editors) in the world’s coolest cities. Click below for details. And start packing!
NIGHT+DAY’S TOP 5 EVENTS
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Ins and Outs
It doesn’t get better than this:
the 50 latest NIGHT+DAY recommendations
for each of the world’s coolest cities, including
a closures list for venues that have appeared in NIGHT+DAY guides.
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In This Issue:
At the Top: It’s Spring Down Under
 In San Francisco, Night+Day headquarters, as well as in most of the world’s coolest cities right now, we’re hunkering in for a long winter, starting with early rains. But in Australia, it’s spring, which for Australians and partygoers worldwide means just one thing:
the Melbourne Cup (melbournecup.com), the country’s famed thoroughbred horse race. Held since 1861, the event is a major holiday in Melbourne, and much of the country flocks to the southeast metropolis to get in on the action. Although the races are slightly less famous than London’s Royal Ascot, the Melbies can put on a hat and a party along with the best of them. Note that while the biggest race is on Tuesday, November 3, the fashion show (and the fun) peaks at the Crown Oaks Day races on Thursday, November 5.
Take along Night+Day Sydney (with more than 75 pages devoted to Melbourne) to help you find the perfect hotel, the hottest restaurants and nightlife, and the best places to shop. Be sure to do some wine tasting in the Yarra Valley, just 40 miles east of the city.
If you have time, a short flight (1½ hours) will put you in Sydney, Australia’s cultural capital. Check out Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi Beach (sculpturebythesea.com), one of the best annual art events, which runs through the third Sunday in November.
Throw in Ayers Rock (stay at Latitude 131) and Lizard Island, and you’ll have the perfect Australia vacation. Trust us: This is a sure bet.
THE WORLD’S BEST Museums
These can’t-miss museums offer an array of attractions designed to mesmerize art addicts and curious gallery-goers alike. Distinguished by their modern art masterpieces, architectural triumphs, oddball collections, or undeniable cool factor, these are the best-in-class museums in the world’s hottest cities.
AMSTERDAM • RIJSKMUSEUM • BEST ART MUSEUMS
 The Draw: The massive collection of Golden Age paintings includes such masterpieces as Vermeer’s The Kitchen Maid and Rembrandt’s The Jewish Bride and The Night Watch.
The Scene: The imposing building, designed by Pierre Cuypers and completed in 1885, houses one of the world’s most significant collections of paintings and creates the perfect atmosphere for Old-World culture.
Hot Tip: Come on a weekday to avoid the crowd, opt for the informative audio tour, and jump the line by purchasing an entrance ticket in advance on the museum’s website.
LOS ANGELES • GETTY VILLA • BEST COOL MUSEUMS
 The Draw: The Getty has one of the world’s greatest collections of ancient art, some 44,000 pieces, covering Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities—all in a blow-your-mind beautiful setting.
The Scene: Since the Getty Villa hands out a limited number of tickets, you find yourself wandering through the main building, the long fountain courtyard, and the herb garden without bumping into masses of people. The audio for the self-guided tour means you can do so while in your own world.
Hot Tip: Plan your visit around a performance in the Getty Villa amphitheater. And note: Same-day tickets are sometimes available on the website.
NEW YORK • COOPER-HEWITT, NATIONAL DESIGN MUSEUM
BEST UNUSUAL MUSEUMS
 The Draw: This New York member of the Smithsonian is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design.
The Scene: The museum is divided into four areas: Product Design and Decorative Arts; Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design; Textiles; and Wall Coverings. In addition to 60,000 books, you’ll also find blueprints for crucial works of architecture, decorative arts, gardens, and interiors.
Hot Tip: Don’t miss rare Michelangelo drawings or furniture design sketches by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Discover the Best Museums in other Night+Day cities.
INS and OUTS
(NIGHT+DAY’S Latest Recommendations)
DC • THE JEFFERSON • Timeless Hotel
jeffersondc.com
An extensive, two-year renovation completed in August 2009 kept a bit of the best of the hotel’s former self—its Beaux Arts architecture, its displays of original documents signed by Thomas Jefferson—but otherwise transformed the property. Jefferson’s spirit reigns: Toile drapes in the guest rooms reflect designs in textiles that Jefferson brought home from France; 18th-century maps hanging in Quill, the bar, trace Jefferson’s journeys through Europe’s wine regions.
full review
$$$$ 1200 16th St. NW (M St.), 202-448-2300
LAS VEGAS • HOTEL 32 • Modern Hotel
hotel32lasvegas.com
The new hotel within a hotel, located on the top floor of the Monte Carlo, has a private porte cochere, an express elevator, and in-suite check-in, so you’ll never have to mix with the hoi polloi if you don’t want to. Rooms range from studios to two-bedroom palaces and include all the latest high-tech gizmos, from BluRay DVD players to iHome docking stations. full review
$$ 3770 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Rue de Monte Carlo), 877-576-3232
SAN FRANCISCO • FLOUR + WATER • Italian Restaurant
flourandwater.com
Simple, elemental food, much of it cooked in a wood-burning oven that reaches 900 degrees, is at the heart of Flour + Water’s menu. Pizza in particular is what makes this place a destination. Don’t look for pies tricked out with fancy ingredients. There are only four on offer, each thin-crusted and lightly topped, cooked for a maximum of two minutes. full review
Daily 5:30pm–midnight.
$$ 2401 Harrison St. (20th St.), 415-826-7000
TORONTO • SAMOVAR • Lounge
samovarroom.com
Located on the top floor of the historic Winchester Hotel in Cabbagetown, Samovar is the third Russian bar opened by local Rumen Dimitroff (who also launched Pravda and owns Rasputin Vodka Bar). Samovar benefits from its Old-World roots—the original long mahogany bar is a perfect centerpiece for the fashionable to belly up and enjoy vodka, absinthe, Champagne, and caviar.
full review
Thu–Sat 7pm–2am.
51 Winchester St. (Parliament St.), 416-925-4555
SYDNEY • THE POND • International Restaurant and Bar
findthepond.com.au
Sydney’s dining scene has welcomed a whole new breed—the “pop-up” restaurant. These underground dining experiences are run by people who host dinner parties for strangers in their own homes. The popular trend has now gone mainstream with The Pond, the latest offering from the folk behind iconic beer brand Pure Blonde. full review
Wed–Sun noon–1am.
$$ 32 Burton St. (Langley St.)
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.
ALAN’S VIEW, November 2009
 As 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 guidebooks 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). As always, I very much welcome your comments.
Click here to send me an email
ASD Picks: Three “Even I Was Surprised” Travel Lessons
With all the research, planning, and traveling I do, I don’t expect to encounter many surprises. But the old adage, “never assume,” is true. Allow me to share recent experiences that offered these three lessons.
1. You really can get ripped off at foreign exchange windows.
I usually prepare in advance for my cash needs in foreign countries, but recently in Paris I needed to exchange dollars for euros. The results shattered my assumption that there were only minor differences among currency exchange bureaus. An exchange on Rue du Rivoli offered me 280 euros for $500 cash, which seemed low to me, so I went back to the hotel to find a better service and rate. Read more
2. You are not entitled to a room upgrade at W Hotels, whatever your
Gold Preferred status may promise.
Ten stays at Starwood hotels earn you Gold Preferred status, which means, among other things, that “you’re entitled to an automatic room upgrade at check-in when one is available.” Until recently, I believed it was just a coincidence that for each of my last six stays at W hotels, no upgraded rooms were in fact available. But now I know better—it is simply false advertising.
I checked into W Union Square Hotel in New York not long ago. As the hotel desk clerk was checking me in, I asked if I had indeed received an upgrade. He assured me that I had been upgraded to a very nice Mega room. I thought I had booked a Mega room, but since it was late, my confirmation was on my computer, and his tone was so reassuring, I didn’t bother to check. When I got to the room I confirmed my suspicion. Read more
3. You really are being taped.
How many times have you made a phone call to customer service and heard the line, “Your call may be monitored to ensure quality service”? You probably assumed that meant random or occasional monitoring, right? Read more
Last Word: Thanks a Lot
Hitting close to home for those of us in publishing, the New York Times just announced layoffs of 100 of its newsroom staff, and we’re going to face 2010 without Gourmet magazine, among many other good publications. For many of us this is going to be a Thanksgiving in which we have to dig deep to reach what we’re thankful for—things like family, friends, and, hopefully, health (but not health care). It is going to be a season when we master our skills at looking at the world as a glass that’s half full, and put aside those dashed Obama-inspired hopes for world peace and a quick economic recovery. It’s unlikely that anyone is better off today than a year ago, unless you happen to be working for Goldman Sachs. Read more
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