·With Prada’s backing, a new African-influenced club debuts in London [HM]
·NYC’s best newcomer bars [NYO]
·Construction of Europe’s tallest building halted [BBC]
·Family Lines help speed up traffic flow at airport security [CNN]
·A pedestrian guide to sunny San Diego [Frommers]
·The best and worst of airlines in 2008 [MSNBC]
Ladies and gentlemen, this week's Curbed Network advertisers: 60 Parkway Drive · 83 Spring Street · Astor Center · Barker Block · Cabana Cachaca · Fontainebleau Hotel · dd factor · Inman Real Estate Connect · Innis & Gunn Beer · Made in Spain · nforth · Oro · Packard Square · Satori · South Beach Wine & Food Festival · Stuyvesant Town / Peter Cooper Village · The Steelworks Lofts · Tasting Table · Toren · Victoria's Secret · The View at East Coast · Viridian · Zephyr Real Estate
Join in on the fun. Details in our online media kit. Or drop us a line.
· Curbed Network Advertising [Curbed]
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It's 1:55 a.m., you're wasted, hungry, and you're not getting action tonight -- the obvious next step is to find some cheap greasy food and stuff your fat face. There are crappy pizzas and nasty burritos galore in the city, so here's a guide to the basics and some more interesting options to temporarily fill that vacant void in your soul (and leave you bloated well into the next day.) Drunken satiety mandatory; shopping for bigger jeans and sense of self-worth totally optional.]]>
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Whether it's chicken, pork or beef with our beans, rice and cheese, Mexican food hardly ever fails to please. It's the ultimate hangover food, among the most satisfying takeout, and the messiest in date cuisine. In sweaty-hot back kitchens throughout the city, some of the best Mexican food to be had in the country is being whipped up en masse. Seriously, so much was never done with a dash of cilantro and lime. For every 'hood in the city, there are a different set of favorite restaurants vying for the hearts and stomachs of the people. Picks for the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill areas of Brooklyn, after the jump.]]>
What is the weekend for if not waking up late, stuffing your face with salty breakfast meats, washing it all down with alcohol, then napping until it gets dark again? Saturday and Sunday brunches are potentially addictive -- they allow one to be social while feeling like shit and catching up on last night's debaucherous events while nursing the shakes. In order to avoid spending your weekend cash searching for the perfect hair of the dog, adhere to this list of brunches to satisfy your appetite for cheap champagne.]]>
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Don't be fooled by their less-is-more approach to covering up: the people of Miami like their fashion. For decades, South Beach has been home to uber-chic boutiques like The Webster. Now, the Design District is in on the fun, having become the assumed settling place of more obscure designers and cutting-edge shops (Tomas Maier, En Avance). And, of course, the big money spend remains in Bal Harbour, where a who's who of designers comprise a Madison Avenue in the sun. Here, then, mapped for your plastic-maxing pleasure, Miami's best shopping. Who's feeling haute, haute, haute? The map. >>
·New blog connects frugal travelers with rooms for rent [Gskip Inbox]
·Sentient now the Trump Organization’s official private jet provider [via HC]
·NYC’s travel tome haven, Idlewild starts a sale this Sunday [via NYT]
·The LA Auto Show opens today [BLA]
·San Jose’s Airport to get $1.1 million new mural [via Gadling]
·Is the transatlantic golf cruise the latest tourism trend? [Globorati]
̭Delta scraps preferred seats-for-sale program [AP]
̭3 popular US airports welcoming new runways [CNN]
̭Gambling getaways that are easy on the wallet [MSNBC]
̭Hotel deals a plenty on Priceline [CNT]
̭Dubai’s Atlantis celebrates opening with a $35 million party [Globorati]
̭Meanwhile in Mumbai, nightlife takes a hit [Gadling]
̭The five worst hotel rooms for drunk people [HC]
Earlier we covered historic bars in LA, and it's time to move on to their restaurant counterparts. After all, you've got to line your stomach before you move on to nostalgic drinking. Los Angeles restaurants that have been around for at least 80 years tend to serve the same kind of food they always have -- for better or for much, much worse -- but you're really going there for atmosphere and funny old black-and-white photos. Below are some of the more centrally located old LA restaurants, with, again, fact-checking thanks to LA Time Machines.]]>
Few things compliment a cold winter night like a good bottle of wine. And all over Boston there are standout wine shops with well-curated selections and knowledgeable staff, as well as those catering to consumers looking for odd vintages or local wines. And still others are popular simply because of a great location. After the jump, our recommendations for your own Bostonian liste de vin.]]>
Whether you're looking for a place to watch the Sharks, Cal, Giants, 49ers, Raiders, or Warriors, San Francisco is chock-full of sports bars. So, if you didn't score tickets to the game in time, or just want to watch it with a beer in hand that doesn't cost an exorbitant amount, skip out on those expensive courtside seats and head to your local sports bar--five of which are waiting for you after the jump. Other venue suggestions can be dunked in the comments or dispatched in the tipline. Pass the beer and pretzels. It's going to be a long game.]]>
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·NY’s Museum of National History debuts new ice-skating rink [via DC]
·Finding an authentic farm vacation in various pockets of the US [Forbes]
·The search for a safe US city with 20,000 hotel rooms [AP]
·Why Chicago’s bid to play 2016 Olympic host isn’t such a long-shot [NYT]
·Newark airport employees now being trained in patience [MSNBC]
·AmEx ups tax on goods purchased overseas [CNT]
·Eli Broad to build public art museum in Los Angeles [NYT]
·Southwest Airlines to buy landing slots at LaGuardia [AP]
·A 15th century former gothic church reborn as 60-room Dutch hotel [CNN]
·Legendary surf towns no self-respecting surfer would miss [MSNBC]
·NC’s Biltmore House is home to awe-inspiring Xmas displays [USAToday]
·Renovated American History Museum reopens in Washington [AP]
Happy World Toilet Day everyone! In honor of this illustrious holiday we're honoring the best bathrooms our fine city has to offer. Everyone knows, when you gotta go, you gotta go. But it isn't that easy to find clean accommodating bathrooms when you're out and about in New York. So, to help you out next time, here are some primo bathrooms where you can make an inconspicuous emergency pit stop.]]>
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Alrighty, kids. In recent weeks we've given you the lowdown on where to score Southern BBQ and greasy diner grub in Los Angeles. But, given that the City of Angels is exceedingly body-conscious, every once in a while you might want to substitute your pork sandwich with a salad. So, if you're looking for a few good restaurants serving miraculously low-calorie (or, at least, lower-calorie) versions of the foods you love, you've come to the right place. Here's a roundup of great LA eateries for eating healthy without feeling like you've sold your soul.]]>
With vicious winds and brutal winters, Chicago is an ideal coffeeshop town. What's more, it has a huge and growing mobile workforce made up of laptop-toters who'd rather fight the gales or traffic as little as possible. So, as in most major cities, many Chicago cafes now offer free wifi net access to customers, encouraging a good long sit. And since you're here, why not a sandwich or two? Just to go with the eight lattes you drank over the course of the day. Did we mention: cupcakes? After the jump, consult our rundown for Chicago's choicest net-friendly cafes.]]>
·Gehry protégé debuts $66 million museum at Old Dominion [Globorati]
·A San Francisco hotel that encourages towel stealing [via HC]
·San Diego’s much-anticipated Setai Hotel to open December 15th [IT]
·Ryainair calendar full of bikini-clad flight attendants causes controversy [Jaunted]
·A guide to leaving gratuity all around the world [Forbes]
·Discount airlines take different approach to overcoming the economic crisis [IHT]
·The best free airport wifi around [BB]
·Thanksgiving to see fewest number of travelers in six years [CNN]
·Penthouse looking to buy Vegas casino and hotel [USAToday]
·Luxor’s Hilton Hotel gets $45 million facelift and a new spa [Globorati]
·Living like a President at DC’s Omni Hotel will cost you $440,000 [HC]
·LimoLiner launches, offers morning commuters fresh squeezed OJ [Jaunted]
As Monty Python would say, "And now for something completely different". One of the best things about living in London is that you can sample cuisines from all over the world without traveling more than a few miles. With 270 nationalities in the capital, the opportunities for gastronomic adventure are huge. So skip the steak and the sushi and saddle up for a foodie foray into the unknown with this guide to London's most exotic ethnic eateries. You owe it to your taste buds.]]>
If you take the long ride on the 7 train, past the Unisphere to the end of the line in Queens, you'll come to New York's other great Chinatown: Flushing. If you love authentic Asian food, visiting Flushing is worth the long trip; imagine a Chinatown minus the slack-jawed tourists, plus even cheaper food and booze. To many New Yorkers, Prince Street and Main Street present wall-to-wall uncharted culinary playlands. Don't limit yourself to just the restaurants. The availability of hard to find Asian goods also rewards those visiting the grocery stores and open-air markets, which have so much fresh aquatic life that at times they seem more like aquariums. Here are just a few of the great eateries that Flushing has to offer.]]>
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Despite our city's hilly reputation and countless postcards depicting gorged streetcars laboring up hills like a Clydesdale on a rope tow, there are bicyclists in this city. But reducing your carbon footprint or jumping on the trend comes at a cost. For riders without an intimate knowledge of the streets, traversing this city can be hellish. You might easily end up immobilized, staring up a steep grade with lactic acid eagerly fulminating in your limbs. However, those in the know can use the aptly named Wiggle to avoid unwanted anaerobic exercise. Following the old Sans Souci Valley, the Wiggle begins its squirm in the Duboce Triangle and writhes its way through Lower Haight to the Panhandle, connecting the Mission and Castro to Upper Haight, Richmond, and Sunset sans exertion.]]>
·Bush introducing new plan to help ease holiday travel [via CNN]
·Delta/Northwest alliance to spawn new international flights [AP]
·The best spots for satisfying a marine life fix in the U.S. [MSNBC]
·Guests win, hotels lose in the new economy [NYT]
·Shopping traditional Hispanic devotional art in New Mexico [NG]
·Five lesser known destinations ripe with prime skiing [USAToday]
·Shanghai welcomes Yoko Ono’s first solo exhibit in China [Shanghaiist]
·Liftopia: like expedia for ski resort lift tickets [via Jaunted]
·Meanwhile in Montana, Big Sky vs. Big Mountain [AP]
·Melbourne gets a new Gordon Ramsay-run eatery [HC]
·4th annual Millionaire Fair returns to world’s most expensive city [Globorati]
·A slew of last minute, Thanksgiving getaways [MSNBC]
The Paris terrace comes in many different flavors. Some are hipster havens, while others are built for le bronzage. The cafés collected here are some of our favorite hidden treasures -- leafy otherworldly spots in which to lose your afternoon.]]>
[photo: Le Blagueur à Paris]]]>
The mystery of the disappearing Silver Lake gay bars continues, but rest assured, there are still a few cool places left to serve as an antidote to the lacquered attitude of central WeHo. And there's much to recommend Silver Lake to the adventurous bargoer -- cheap drinks! Scruffy guys! Indie rock! Bondage gear! Here's a rundown of a few remaining bastions of the other LA gay scene.]]>
·The new face of Cuban tourism [AP]
·New Yorkers team up to save the city's legendary Tin Pan Alley [USAToday]
·Chiapas, Mexico on the cheap [NYT]
·Also in Mexico, a former ghost town is reborn as artists’ haven [LAT]
·10 of the world’s biggest eyesores [MSNBC]
·Celebrating 'world toilet day’ (November 19th) [CNT]
·Atlanta airport terminal expansion to be put on hold [AP]
·Also in ATL: 130 ancient Egyptian objects are now on view [CNN]
·The top Aussie travel excursions [MSNBC]
·UN’s new ‘Sistine Chapel’ causes controversy in Spain [Spiegel]
·Air France’s pilot strike and its effect on prospective travelers [Gadling]
Here the y are, this week's Curbed Network advertisers: 60 Parkway Drive · 525 Collection · Astor Center · Barker Block · Cabana Cachaca · Fontainebleau Hotel · dd factor · Inman Real Estate Connect · Innis & Gunn Beer · Made in Spain · Oro · Packard Square · Satori · South Beach Wine & Food Festival · Stuyvesant Town / Peter Cooper Village · The Steelworks Lofts · Tasting Table · Toren · The View at East Coast · Viridian · Zephyr Real Estate
Join in on the fun. Details in our online media kit. Or drop us a line.
· Curbed Network Advertising [Curbed]
]]>
Breakfast for lunch or dinner is nothing new. Sometimes you want pancakes at 3 p.m. or 3 a.m. Regardless of what your favorite breakfast food is, you can get it -- and much more -- at one of the following eateries, most any day, most all the time.]]>
There's something so wonderfully simple and satisfying about shabu shabu. The thin, quick-cooking meats and fresh vegetables, the savory dipping sauces, and the soup or porridge that results in the end. It's said that shabu shabu originated in the 13th century, when Genghis Khan was looking for an efficient way to feed his troops. By gathering large groups around one big pot of boiling water and giving them thinly sliced pieces of meat, his forces were able to cook for themselves and eat quickly. It wasn't until it was introduced to 20th-century Japan that the modern-day cuisine caught on and quickly spread across Asia, and eventually to the West. Kushi, also deliciously simple, is sort of like Japanese kabob: meats and vegetables skewered and grilled or fried. The following Los Angeles restaurants are where to go for shabu shabu, whether you like it Japanese or Korean style, and some even offer tasty tidbits on skewers alongside their brews.]]>
From South Beach to the Design District, 2008 has been a year of important restaurant openings in Miami, a city that has slowly but surely boosted its culinary cred in the past decade. This year saw an explosion of steakhouses (Gotham Steak at Fontainebleau (opening 11/21), Bourbon Steak, STK, Meat Market and Kobe Club) as well as some smaller, quirkier more out of the way gems (Red Light, Michael's Genuine). To be sure, alongside institutions like Joe's Stonecrab, Casa Tua, Macaluso's, and The Forge, Miami's got a brand new feedbag. Here now, 10 of the city's best new restaurants. Click through for the full, glorious map.
Eventually, you and your buddies, wherever you are in the world, are going to be denied entry to a club, bar, or pub. You might be dressed the wrong way, you might just be two guys who are not flanked by eight women for the sake of the M/F ratio, or you might have just caught the less than intelligent doorman on the wrong night. It seems everyone in Sydney has a horrible bouncer story; violence seems to be the only alternative when it comes to telling someone politely to leave. Here are a few of the best places in Sydney to get manhandled by belligerent steroid enthusiasts.]]>
·A walking tour of Chelsea’s best art exhibits currently on view [NYT]
·An elegant German spot chock-full of nude bodies [CNN]
·10 reasons to take a trip to New Zealand [Frommers]
·Europe ‘officially’ in recession [IHT]
·Fashion High Teas at Paris’ Hotel Le Bristol [Globorati]
·How to: create your own Obama tour [MSNBC]
·An unexpected place to find respite from a rainy day in NYC [NYT]
·Switzerland’s Park Weggis spawns a cooler, younger sister hotel [Globorati]
·W Hotel adds products from and shopping with Jonathan Adler to services [HC]
·The top 25 travel gadgets of 2008 [Gadling]
This is a tour of breaking one's oyster virginity in San Francisco, from the Mission to the Bay, five-star to dive, champagne to Chimay. There's no rules when it comes to our slippery friends, only that they be very cold, very shucked, and very presentable. With this array of oyster opportunities, you can spring for the fancy or turn up late and as wrecked as you want to be. They don't judge, and neither will the barkeeps. An accompanying adult beverage is almost mandatory for indulging; being overdone up, in SF anyway, is so not.]]>
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Everybody likes Italian food, and London has no shortage of offerings for everything from Michelin-starred haute Italian cuisine to casual pasta restaurants. We figure if you're going to spend your pounds to eat in the most expensive dining city in the world, you may as well splurge on one of the following top establishments scattered around the city.]]>
·Art Gallery of Ontario reopens with new Frank Gehry addition [Globorati]
·The Chatwal Hotel is one step closer to opening in Times Square [HC]
·All you need to know about new airline Azul [Jaunted]
·Delta to add 15 new international routes next spring [AP]
·Revisiting Ian Flemings’ Jamaica stomping grounds [IHT]
·The top new eco-friendly hotels in the U.S. [MSNBC]
·NYC’s lavish new Empire hotel [Luxist]
·Post-soviet nightlife in Moscow [CNN]
·What Obama’s administration may mean for the travel industry [Frommers]
·10 things about Dublin that may surprise you [Gadling]
·Israel to spend $6 million on new bike routes [Globorati]
·Dubai hotels offer guests sex etiquette guide [HC]
Like most Little Italy neighborhoods in major metropoli, Boston's North End is plagued by tourists, mediocre restaurants, and inflated prices. However, the North End also has a good number of standout authentic establishments -- and it's one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Boston proper for an afternoon stroll. We toured the 'hood last month and got the goods. All restaurants, whether surprisingly authentic or terribly average, are focused on turning tables and getting folks out. Don't expect dessert or coffee to be offered, and don't be surprised if they fervently refill your wine glass with each pass of the table. Nevertheless, there are genuine diamonds in this rough.]]>
So you've been in Paris for a while and you can't stand the thought of another shallot or piece of jambon, and really, really need to bite into a juicy burger. Perhaps you're tired of watered down French cocktails and need a serious dry martini (with gin, goddammit!) to get you through another day of sightseeing. Or maybe that vicious wine hangover can only be cured with two eggs sunny side up, home fries, and a bottomless cup of coffee. You can get your American food fix in Paris, no problem, at these locations.]]>
We have yet to meet a Southerner who doesn't at one point or another complain about an oppressive lack of Southern BBQ in Los Angeles. Even more dangerous is the usual follow-up, wherein said Southerner tries to convince us that we should leave the safe confines of urban existence in order to forage for authentic ribs and brisket. Don't believe the lie. From outdoor stands that are just rows of split barrel grills to joints specializing in the regional flavors of Texas, Missouri, and Memphis, LA has more than its fair share of Red State cuisine. Another myth invented to remove you from the warm embrace of the city, successfully busted.]]>
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·Airport security lines longer but flights more frequently on time [USAToday]
·Queen Elizabeth II (the ocean liner) to become floating Dubai hotel [Times]
·What Obama’s tour of the White House may have looked like [DB]
·British Airways expands inexpensive sister airline, OpenSkies [NYT]
·Norway best for women, Yemen worst, new study says [Spiegel]
·America’s 50 best hotels according to Forbes [via MSNBC]
·Hawaiian themed Inaugural Ball totally sold out [AP]
·Newly restored Chinese emperor’s lavish quarters open to public in 2009 [CNN]
·The best trans-American trips by train [MSNBC]
·Barcelona gets in on bike-sharing game [NYT]
·Airlines to maybe cut more flights [USAToday]
·Stockholm eateries that are sure to hit the spot [CNT]
Cuban culture is more than prevalent all over Miami -- it's practically dominant. The city has the largest Cuban population outside of Cuba, and from the music to the food to the boxy shirts, whatever you find in Cuba, you can find in Miami. (Excepting overt communism and lots of classic American muscle cars.) Any less than book-length guide to Cuban Miami will only scratch the surface, but here are a few suggestions for novices looking to go Cubano in the Gateway to the Americas. Pork, black beans, and more salsa than you can handle, after the jump.]]>
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Though the predominant pizza aesthetic in Chicago is the traditional deep dish, the city's general pizza fixation is both broad and deep. There are likely innumerable ways to eat pizza in this town, but just for the sake of celebrating diversity, we've discovered nine other ways of classifying a Windy City pie. Deep dish, stuffed, kosher, illegal, and -- God forbid -- New York style, all after the jump.]]>
So you're in the City of Light, and all the guidebooks are suggesting the typical Sacre Coeur-Eiffel Tower-Seine walks and views. But you've got a date with (1) a Parisian or (2) a really cool person who you really want to impress. Try our recommendations for a romantic experience in this most romantic of cities that nevertheless doesn't reek of cliché.]]>
·Neighborhood block-specific dirt for cities from SF and LA to DC [via Thrillist]
·To appease guests hotels across the U.S. are upping the tech ante [NYT]
·Embracing Berlin’s ‘we’re poor, but sexy’ motto [AP]
·TSA introduces ‘family lanes’ at airports around the country [CNN]
·Airlines offer promotions for ski slope-bound passengers [Frommers]
·What New Yorkers can learn from rural France [IHT]
·German scientists envision the hotel rooms of the future [HC]
·Diane Von Furstenberg moonlighting as a travel blogger [via NYO]
·KLM and Air France launch social network dubbed Bluenity [Gadling]
·21 spots at which to sin in Sin City [HH]
·Cambodians celebrate their annual Water and Moon Festival [Jaunted]
·Chicago’s Oak Park hosted mass dog marriage this past wkend [via Merge]
Most people know that if you throw a rock in the Mission District, you will probably hit a coffee house. Java-fueled addictions are taken seriously in this town, and there are those that say, "If you aren't getting your drug of choice from someone with tattoos and piercings, you aren't really trying." Fortunately, the dichotomy of wanting the grunge of a greasy spoon and still getting your espresso made from something that wouldn't scare the health inspectors has created a sellers' market in the coffee business. So if you follow the required formula, as every establishment in the Mission does, you will soon have a loyal following. In no particular order, here are your dealers of choice (and yes, they all have free wifi).]]>
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Europe's churches are so immersed in history, bloodshed, and opulence that visiting isn't only about indulging one's faith. Many of Berlin's churches are nearly identical, thanks to the German Empress and Queen of Prussia, Auguste-Victoria, whom Berliners lovingly referred to as the church zealot. Her devotion resulted in a boom in church-building during the late 19th century, especially in places of prominence. But one of the repercussions of World War II was irreparable damage to many of the city's churches. Some were rebuilt, but others were eventually destroyed and turned into parks or empty lots. One was blown up simply to make room for the Wall, a tribute to another kind of God.]]>
A final note: Karl Friedrich Schinkel is an important name in the world of architectonics. His contribution to the manifestation of the heavenly bodies, if not a little wanting in quantity, is notable for its neoclassic authority.]]>