Following Hurricane Sandy's devastation of the East Coast in October, images of ravaged waterfront areas remain fresh in most New Yorkers' minds. To kickstart the conversation in the hard-hit Rockaways neighborhood, MoMA PS1, the boundary-pushing art museum in Long Island City, Queens, has erected a large geodesic dome close to the former boardwalk in which it hopes to address sustainability and confront the ecological challenges the area faces.
Opening this Friday, the temporary cultural and educational center (a partnership with Volkswagen) will host a series of lectures, conversations, art exhibits, video screenings, and community events. A complete calendar is still in the works, but talks in April will focus on architecture and the environment.
It’s all part of EXPO 1: New York, organized by Klaus Biesenbach, the museum director and curator-at-large of MoMA. In addition to the Rockaways dome, the far-reaching project includes an exhibit of Ansel Adam's nature photography, a cinema series, and a group show of emerging New York artists. But the showpiece is "Dark Optimism," which runs from May 12 to September 2 at MoMA PS1. Bringing together works by 35 contemporary artists, the exhibit tackles the idea that even though the world is on the cusp of disaster, there’s a bright future ahead.
Brooke Porter is an associate editor at Travel + Leisure.
The quirky new Wildsam Field Guide series will help put a decidedly hip spin on your next trip. There’s nary a photo; instead, you might find a personal essay by Rosanne Cash or an interview with a local letterpress printer (both in the Nashville edition). Hand-illustrated maps are organized by theme—adventure, music, history, food—and the “Bests” section is hyper-focused: one museum, one yoga studio. As creator Taylor Bruce puts it, “I don’t want three places to get a burger. I just want to know the favorite.” The Austin, Texas, edition is out this month—just in time for SXSW—to be followed soon by San Francisco, New Orleans, Seattle, and, of course, Brooklyn. $16.95 each.
Brooke Porter is an associate editor at Travel + Leisure.
Most 12-year-olds save their money to buy video games or remote-control helicopters. But Michael Clinton wasn't most 12-year-olds. His piggy bank funded a month-long visit to see family in Ireland—and so began his love affair with travel. Today, the president, marketing, and publishing director of Hearst Magazines has visited more than 120 countries. He's climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, camped in the mountains of Bhutan, and has plans to run a marathon on every continent (he has Africa, Asia, and Antarctica to go).
Clinton shares these experiences—and many others—in his new collection of essays, The Globetrotter Diaries (Gliteratti Inc.; $30). We asked the fanatical adventurer about what drives his desire to travel, where he's going next, and more.
Q: Travel + Leisure's editor Nancy Novogrod considers you one of the world's greatest travelers. What makes you so passionate about crisscrossing the globe?
A: Why is someone passionate about food? Or about art? Or about collecting art? When we are lucky enough to find something that fulfills us, brings us joy, or keeps us wanting more, then we need to pursue it. It is core to our individuality. Travel does that for me. What better way to discover more of yourself, by experiencing the world, its wonders and its people?
Anthony Melchiorri has come a long way since working as the director of front office operations for New York's iconic Plaza Hotel. Now, more than 20 years and a fair share of hotel management jobs later, the Brooklyn-born hospitality expert has taken on the role of "hotel fixer" for the Travel Channel's Hotel Impossible. And After Anthony, a one-hour special looking back on Season One, airs February 4 at 10 p.m.Here, Melchiorri reflects on the properties he visited, describes his perfect hotel room, and more.
Ask Chinese designer Han Feng what she loves most about her hometown, and she doesn’t hesitate: the art scene. One of her top stops is James Cohan Gallery, in the French Concession. “He’s brought international talent, such as Italy’s Francesco Clemente and New York video artist Bill Viola, to China for the first time,” she says. Feng reveals a few other favorites below.
Eat
“In the morning, I often head to the intersection of Changle and Xiangyang North Roads for a hearty meal fresh off the outdoor stoves: pan-fried breads; Chinese churros; steamed buns with different fillings.”
“The classic Shanghainese cuisine at Fu 1039($$), in the Changning neighborhood, is simply amazing. They serve delicious pork stew in a two-layer ceramic pot filled with water so the meat stays tender.”
“Hidden in a tiny basement, Old Jesse(41 Tianping Rd.; 86-21/6282-9260; $$) is the place to try home-style cooking. I always recommend the fried scallion codfish.”
Dubai may be the land of futuristic towers and the world’s largest mall, but you wouldn’t know that from the images on Gulfography.com, a new website dedicated to emerging photographers—many of them women—from the Middle East’s gulf region. The founders, filmmaker Shammi Samano and UAW native Asma Al Kendi, are currently planning on taking photos offline for the first time, at a gallery in San Francisco. Exhibits in the Middle East and Europe—and, they hope, a book collection—are also still to come.
Brooke Porter is an Associate Editor at Travel + Leisure.
The capital of Azerbaijan has long been a stomping ground for oil-industry tycoons. And with a surge of glam hotels hitting the scene, it’s hoping to become the next destination for the Vuitton set. Here, five notable newcomers.
Fairmont Baku
Opening date: Early 2013
Number of rooms: 318
What you’ll love: Multiplex cinema; designer stores; four restaurants; 18-room spa from Espa.
You know you’re in Baku when you…spy the undulating-flame-shaped building, which pays tribute to the country’s nickname, the Land of the Fire.
The details:fairmont.com. Rate not available at press time.
A few weeks ago, Dominique Crenn of San Francisco’s Atelier Crenn became the first female chef in the U.S. to earn two Michelin stars. She certainly gets points for creativity: The France native substitutes her own 13-line poem for the restaurant’s longer tasting menu—one course per line. (The five-course menu is equally artistic, with dishes called “The Sea’ and “Walk in a Forest.”) This weekend, Crenn will be teaching a master class at the Omnivore World Tour, taking place Nov. 9–11 in San Francisco. Here, she dishes on her big win, her restaurant bucket list, and more.
Q: How does it feel to be the first woman in the U.S. to earn two Michelin stars? A:I’m from France and grew up with Michelin and respect it in a different way. It feels great for my team because we’re pushing for excellence every day, trying to bring the best experience to our customers, from the food to the wine to the service. I also think it’s inspiring for young women. Women can kick ass, too!
A lawyer for 40-plus years, Larry Lederman never planned to have a second career. But his love of trees led him to pick up a camera—and a new calling. His photography book, Magnificent Trees of the New York Botanical Garden (Monacelli Press; $50), hits shelves in time for prime leaf peeping—and it’s no surprise that his top spot for taking in foliage is the garden’s Native Forest, where maples and hickories turn surreal autumnal shades. T+L asked him for a few more favorites.
Aspen, Colorado Don’t Miss: A bike ride along the aspen-tree-lined Castle Creek Road, which winds 12.5 miles to a historic silver-mining town.
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec Don’t Miss: The annual Symphony of Colors (through Oct. 14), for free outdoor concerts, organized hikes, and ziplining amid neon orange sugar maples.
Suzhou, China Don’t Miss: The 13-acre Humble Administrator’s Garden, which has fewer evergreens than the city’s other traditional gardens, making it ideal for fall visits.
Photo by Larry Lederman / Courtesy of The Monacelli Press
It all started with a website, where photographer Todd Selby posted shots of his friends in their homes. Next came a project with Louis Vuitton, a spin-off book, and, most recently, a column in The New York Times T Magazine. It’s this latest development—scrapbook-y pages of playful illustrations, hand-written notes, and photographs of people in the food world—in which Selby seems to have found his calling. It even inspired his second book, Edible Selby, out this month. Here’s an inside look:
How did you end up focusing on food-related spaces? My first book, The Selby is In Your Place, did well, and I started thinking about what I wanted to do next. My passion has always been food and cooking and eating and restaurants and chefs, and I thought I could figure out a way to approach the food world in a new way.
How would you describe the book? It has a feeling of a photo book meets a cookbook, but more than anything it’s a travel guide. You can look through it and get fun ideas for places to visit.
How did you discover the places? The best stuff in the book was very much word of mouth. I talked to chef Ignacio Mattos at New York’s Il Buco Alimentari, and he knew all these people who were connected to Chez Panisse. From them I met this guy who told me about this fisherman who told me about the guy who does Japanese catering.
What was one of your favorite finds? Hartwood in Tulum. The chef ended up being on the cover. I would call this a chef’s fantasy. It was so DIY—just the him and his wife creating the ultimate chef’s table, piled high with vegetables from the jungle.
What was your most memorable meal from the road? This old man has a restaurant on a cliff in Mallorca, and he makes paella over a fire. You can only get there by boat. Actually, you can also hike down to it, but the chicer way is to take a boat. He’s had it since the 70’s. One of the people there said Halle Berry and Tom Hanks had recently visited, so it’s not a secret anymore.
What about back home in New York? I’m an investor with Mission Chinese, and I’m obsessed with the catfish soup. It has pink peppercorn, so it’s a bit numbing; I just get into this zone where I’m eating it and I’m sweating, and it’s just incredible. I also love the bakery Four and Twenty Blackbirds in Brooklyn. The sad thing is I’ve seen what they put in the pies. With pastry it’s better to never know. I got the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year; if you’re not on the waiting list right now then forget it.
Brooke Porter is an Associate Editor at Travel + Leisure
Brooke Porter is an Associate Editor at Travel + Leisure
