In This Issue:

• The Right Place. The Right Time. It Matters.
• The World’s Best Performing Arts Festivals
• New/Worthy: Night+Day’s Latest Recommendations
• Alan’s View
  • ASD Picks: Three Tricks of the Trade
  • On the Road: Mexico City and London
  • Last Word: Shift Happens

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

We’ve come a long way from candy corn and sheets with holes for eyes. In the world’s coolest cities—especially in the United States—Halloween is a world-class event. Whether you choose to dress to the hilt in gore, gags, or glamour, or watch the festivities from a perfect perch high above it all—orange and black boo-tini in hand—our writers have scooped the pumpkin for the best places to be on Oct. 31.

One could argue that every day is like Halloween in Las Vegas, but the glitziest city on earth really takes it up a notch for Halloween week. Every club, hotel, and hot spot has its own horror hoopla, so it might be hard to know witch(!) to choose, but Nightmare on 54th Street at Studio 54 in the MGM Grand seems particularly engrossing, with torture maidens, hot death warriors, and wicked nurses sure to scare off the “family fun” seekers the city’s PR machine has been booing (I mean wooing).

Everyone knows NYC’s Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village is the biggest celebration in the nation. While the people-watching never, ever gets old, the Upper West Side’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine’s Procession of the Ghouls is just too heretical to miss.

No surprise that Hollywood takes a huge fang-bite out of the horror-day with the world’s largest Halloween block party in West Hollywood, as well as the classic Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. Don’t know if I could pass up spending the night with Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Leatherface, though the potential for an overabundance of little SpongeBobs underfoot could spook us—of course they make good little vampire prey for those with the right teeth. Too many batty babies might be the perfect reason to fly over to Monster Massive, one of the largest dance events in the country.

If you are lucky enough to be in her majesty’s queendom for fright night, you can partake in what may be the most authentically scary specter of all in the UK’s most haunted building. Whose blood doesn’t curdle at the thought of Ghost Walk at the Tower of London?

This is no time to stay home with a pumpkin full of snickers. Scare-up and get out there for a nasty, naughty night. (Note: If you still prefer the good old-fashioned bed-sheet ensemble, at least go with a 600-thread count).

Happy Haunting!

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

THE WORLD’S BEST
PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVALS

Music, dance, theatre, and performance art headline the cultural calendars in all of Night+Day’s cool cities. We combed through dozens of annual performing arts festivals worldwide, and here are the best of the best:

BARCELONA • EL GREC

The Draw: The big names on the summer European circuit appear at The Grec, Barcelona’s massive culture fest.
The Scene: The festival’s name derives from its principal stage, an outdoor Greek theatre set amid the verdant surrounds of a natural park. But The Grec has grown, meaning that nearly every outdoor venue in the city rings to the sound of music on summer’s balmy nights. Pop, jazz, and rock tend to be showcased at the Poble Espanyol (poble-espanyol.com), a “model” village with traditional Spanish architecture; Latin American acts and classical dance take place at The Grec itself; and smaller acts are scattered throughout public gardens and plazas. Every year there is a surprise: In 2008, the organizers introduced “Montjuïc de Nit,” where a host of museums became musical stages and opened all night for free.
Hot Tip: Tiquet 3 is a cut-price ticket service located in the Tourist Information Office in Plaza Catalunya. Unsold tickets are available three hours before the performance at a discounted price (usually 30%).

See all 3 of the Best Performance Arts Festivals from BARCELONA

D.C. • KENNEDY CENTER PRELUDE FESTIVAL

The Draw: A kaleidoscope of quintessential DC characters mixes and mingles throughout the center on any given day, reflecting the incredibly diverse arts on tap.
The Scene: The nation’s theatre celebrates artistic diversity in all its forms for 35 days, late August to early October. Dancing under the stars and a showcase of regional talent on Millennium Stage are evergreens. The 2008 theme was “Arts Across America,” and its mind-blowing schedule offered Latin dancing, classical music, spoken-word creations, hip-hop, and jazz; as well as artists from Mos Def to DC’s own Chuck Brown, godfather of the Go-Go scene, to legendary Mississippi Delta blues pianist Pinetop Perkins, performing with Washington’s homegrown legend, the Nighthawks band.
Hot Tip: A centerpiece of the festival is the annual open house and its 30 free performances, culminating in a grand slam of dance presentations—step teams to ballet—until the audience gets down and the whole place turns in to a dance party out on the terrace overlooking the Potomac River.

See all 3 of the Best Performance Arts Festivals from D.C.

NEW ORLEANS • THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ and HERITAGE FESTIVAL

The Draw: Jazz Fest crams all the musical strains of New Orleans and Louisiana—from brass bands to zydeco, and gospel choirs to the Neville Brothers—into two weekends of sweaty fun.
The Scene: Some fans park themselves in the Economy Hall Tent, and soak up a solid day of traditional jazz. Others camp out before the big stages and score a good seat for the national headliners, such as Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, or the Dave Matthews Band. Experienced festers drift around the fairgrounds and discover the unexpected—perhaps a nearly unknown local jazz prodigy, a gospel group made up of a dozen trombones, or a wild, witty, and profane man from Mississippi belting out obscene ditties.
Hot Tip: Don’t bother with dinner reservations, because the Jazz Fest vendors will fill you up with food that rivals any local restaurant.

See all 3 of the Best Performance Arts Festivals from NEW ORLEANS

Discover the best performing arts festivals in other Night+Day cities

INS and OUTS:
NIGHT+DAY’S LATEST RECOMMENDATIONS

Night+Day’s Top 5 New Openings

LONDON • York & Albany
gordonramsay.com/yorkandalbany
The latest addition to the Ramsay empire features not only the expected restaurant but also 10 beautifully decorated rooms, a sleek bar, and a charming little deli. With Angela Hartnett on board, it’s guaranteed success on publicity alone, but the cuisine definitely delivers… £
Restaurant: Mon–Sat noon–3pm and 6–11pm, Sun noon–4pm and 7–10pm. Bar: Mon–Thur noon–midnight, Fri–Sat noon–1am, Sun noon–11pm.
b2 127-129 Parkway, NW1 (Camden Town), 020-7388-3344

Click here to read full review

TORONTO • Madeline’s
susur.com/madelines
When this city heard that Susur was closing its doors, fans of the chef were inconsolable. Although Susur Lee has been lured to NYC by Thompson Hotels, he hasn’t left his hometown in the lurch, offering up this new dining experience named in honor of his mum… $$
Mon–Sat 6pm–11pm. 601 King St. W (Bathurst St.), 416-603-2205

Click here to read full review

MIAMI • Loftin’s 1116 Ocean
casacasuarina.com
You can’t ask for a more stunning setting than Casa Casuarina. The one-time Versace mansion was bought in 2000 by businessperson Peter Loftin, who restored Versace’s extravagant vision. As a private club, Casa has hosted celebs such as Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and the Clintons… $$$$
Mon–Sat 7–11pm. 2 1116 Ocean Dr. (11th St.), 305-672-6604

Click here to read full review

D.C. • Adour
adour-washingtondc.com
What do former Sen. Tom Daschle, comedian Chevy Chase, and celebrity Chef Mario Batali have in common? They were all among the first to dine at Adour, the Alain Ducasse restaurant that opened in September 2008. The pre-opening buzz was intense; happily, the post-opening news is all good… $$$
Mon 6:30am–2pm, Tue–Thu 6:30am–10pm, Fri 6:30am–10:30pm,
Sat 7am–10:30pm, Sun 7am–noon.
2 St. Regis Hotel Washington, 923 16th St. NW (K St.), 202-509-8000

Click here to read full review

LOS ANGELES • The London West Hollywood
thelondonwesthollywood.com
London calling? No need to cross the pond with this re-imagining of the infamous rock-star flop, the Bel Age, which clashes modern California chic with timeless British sophistication. Architectural maverick David Collins, best known for designing Madonna’s home in London, headed the multi-million dollar articulation… $$$
1020 N. San Vicente Blvd. (Sunset Blvd.), 310-854-1111 / 866-603-3696

Click here to read full review

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, October 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 for). And needless to say, I very much welcome your comments.
Click here to send me an email

Value your frequent flyer miles
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Insist on the best room in your category when checking in
Many years ago, Mickey Drexler, then CEO of Gap Inc., taught me this now-obvious concept: Hotel pricing structures need to be kept relatively simple, which means there can be wide variety in the quality of rooms within the same price category. Mickey’s Law says…
Cut your fear in half
Travel is, by definition, a “foreign” experience, which frequently stirs concerns, if not downright fear. Much of the fear comes from headline news about crime, disease, high prices, or various inconveniences. Reports about these things are much more interesting when they are exaggerated…
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