While traveling, I'm either too slow to take my camera out of my bag to capture that perfect moment, or too nervous to flash such a pricey piece of equipment in public.
Enter the Cloak Bag, the world's first shoot-through camera bag. The bag's unique bottom zipper design allows photographers to snap away without removing their SLR cameras from the bag, which saves time and also affords photographers a bit more discretion when taking photos in unfamiliar locals where thieves may target tourists. For $49, it's a steal to have that peace of mind.
FamilyGetaway.com, a new website for value-seeking families, just launched and is offering travel packages at up to 65 percent off retail prices at places like the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa in Koloa, Hawaii, Highmark Steamboat Springs in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa.
Owned by the same company as LuxuryLink.com, FamilyGetaway.com operates in a similar manner as the popular luxury travel website by offering two purchase options:
-Auction: Those with flexible travel dates can submit bids on the package of their choice, assuring the website’s best values.
-Buy Now: For those with less flexibility, there is the Buy Now option that still offers steep discounts (often up to 50 percent off!).
RBC Coffee, which opened last month in Tribeca, is quickly becoming
one of New York's favorite coffee spots (it's barely been open for a
month and it's already nominated for a 2010 Time Out NY EatOut Award!).
And with good reason: these people are serious about coffee. The
passionate baristas here pull awe-inducing
shots of espresso from their super hi-tech Slayer machine. While many focus on
the $18,000 price tag of this machine (this is the only one on the East
Coast), it's what comes out of the machine that makes it so incredible.
The Slayer's variable pressure brewing, or "pressure profiling" allows
baristas complete control over every aspect of the brewing process in
order to create impeccable texture and flavor.
Whether you're happily single or madly in love, there appears to be a bartender in each corner of the country ready to lubricate your weekend's activities (with alcohol, of course!). Take a sip of the "Skinny Dip" Cocktail in Denver, knock back a vile of Love Potion #299 in New York, or fit in a few MO'Kisses in Boston. Keep reading to find out what's in each of these love-inducing drinks, and more.
Hankering for something hot and sweet this bitter-cold February? If you're in New York, you're in luck. Monday marked the beginning of the 28-day long Hot Chocolate Festival at The City Bakery, which is renowned for its viscous cups of cocoa topped with giant, creamy homemade marshmallows.
This year's new flavor is Moulin Chocolate Rouge—a blend of pomegranate, espresso, dark chocolate and lemon. Read more about how City Bakery owner, Maury Rubin, comes up with these inventive cocoa flavors in Time Out NYhere. Check out the other 27 delicious flavors. (And yes, those are strands of marshmallows you see below.)
The Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa opened today off of Florida's West Coast, outside of Tampa. The West Indies-inspired beachside resort features 250 suites with full kitchens. Clearwater guests will also be able to enjoy themselves at an eco-friendly spa, a 24-hour gym, and an eighth floor pool deck with 20 air-conditioned poolside cabanas, in addition to a pool and hot tub on the 16th floor Sky Terrace.
With all the Olympic buzz going on now, it might be easy to forget there are plenty of other events happening in Canada this winter. On the other end of the country, Toronto's Gladstone Hotel just kicked off their annual alternative design event Come Up To My Room. Starting yesterday, art installations took over the hotel's second floor gallery space and 14 public spaces and will be there until this Sunday, January 24.
Be honest. You've probably broken your New Year's Resolution to eat healthier by now. (I know I have. The sticky toffee pudding at Brooklyn's Beast tapas restaurant is just that good.)
To get back on track, the best thing to do is get thee to a health spa, like the Copperhood spa, just 120-miles northwest of New York City in the Catskill Mountains. An ideal place to recover from the chaos—and over-indulgence—of the holiday season, it's specially tailored health and wellness programs will also help you detox and get a move on your New Year's resolution to lose weight and feel fab.
The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival kicked off earlier this week, and is now in full swing. Located below the icy desolation of Siberia, in China's Heilongjiang province, this month-long festival features massive snow sculptures and ice structures illuminated by lights frozen inside blocks of ice. Check out images of some of these wintry masterpieces from past festivals below.
Lyndsey Matthews is the online editorial intern for Travel + Leisure.
Planning a roadtrip to Dollywood next year? While you're in the kitschy wonderland of Pigeon Forge in eastern Tennessee, be sure to add the brand-new Titanic Museum to your must-see list. The three-deck replica of the ill-fated ship will guarantee an educational (albeit ridiculous) experience in addition to riding the roller-coasters at the buxom blonde's theme park.
