The Perfect Circle
Kauai’s round coastline offers visitors an ideal combination of luxury and adventure.
Stay
There is enough to do at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa to keep visitors occupied for days, with seven restaurants, four bars/lounges, one of the best spas in the country, a meandering assortment of pools and lagoons, and nightly celebrations of Hawaiian culture. Its 50 immaculately landscaped oceanfront acres on the South Shore are, quite simply, a sanctuary that many won’t want to leave. www.grandhyattkauai.com
Play
Not every activity on Kauai puts visitors in a state of relaxed bliss; outdoor adventurers can get their fix with the help of Kayak Kauai, which offers a one-day ocean excursion affectionately dubbed “the Everest of sea kayaking.” Paddling in ocean waters just offshore from the spectacular Na Pali Coast makes for a rigorous and rewarding adventure that, literally, earns its participants a diploma. www.kayakkauai.com
Dine
At The Beach House Restaurant, executive chef Todd Barrett’s creative takes on island favorites, like lemongrass and kaffir lime-crusted sea scallops or fire-roasted ahi, take advantage of Kauai’s abundant selection of fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables. Diners get to take advantage of the restaurant’s picturesque oceanfront setting in the heart of the Poipu Beach resort area. www.the-beach-house.com
Sparkling Sensations
What do Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and Brooke Shields have in common? They’re all fans of Tarina Tarantino, an inventive jewelry designer whose playful, feminine pieces are catching the eyes of ladies all over the world. With retail stores in LA and NYC, Tarantino’s future is as bright as her designs (and her hair).
What sets you apart from other jewelry designers?
I don’t design with the trends. I design whatever I feel is going to be right for the season. I design what I would love to wear.
Where do you draw your inspiration?
It can be whatever book I’m reading at the time; it can be music. I can be walking down the street and see a building, and it can inspire a piece. The line I’m doing right now was inspired by my trip to Tokyo.
What is your typical customer like?
The designs are for girls of all ages. I’ve seen three generations of women walk in together, and they all walk out with something.
Tell us about the trademark pink hair…
It’s something I always wanted to do. It’s been eight years now, and it’s just stuck. I love it, and one day if I wake up and don’t want it anymore, then I’ll change it. www.tarinatarantino.com
LOVING Las Vegas
Test your Sin City smarts.
1. How many miles of lighted neon tubing are there on the Strip and Downtown?
2. It costs $__ for a marriage license and $__ to file for divorce in Las Vegas.
3. The _____ is the tallest free-standing observation tower in the US and the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River.
4. True or False: Las Vegas has the highest number of unlisted phone numbers of any US city.
5. The _____ Hotel and Casino opened in 1906, making it Las Vegas’ first hotel and casino.
6. How many people visit Las Vegas annually?
Free in NYC
There’s nothing like summertime in New York— especially when you don’t have to pay for it.
Prospect Park
Despite the borough’s vibrant, authentic mix of cultures and thriving art and music venues, the most entertaining reason to venture into Brooklyn in the summertime may be the annual Celebrate Brooklyn! concert series, held at the impressive Prospect Park Bandshell. Concertgoers make their way through the surprisingly serene and expansive park to catch performances by an eclectic lineup that’s all over the map, including this year’s openers, the Neville Brothers. www.brooklynx.org/celebrate
Bryant Park
At different times throughout the year, this gorgeous Midtown park—right behind the historic public library—is home to an ice skating rink, craft merchants and fashion week tents. But Monday nights during July and August, thousands of New Yorkers plop themselves down on the grass for the HBO Summer Film Festival. Classic films are projected onto a giant screen from a vintage Airstream trailer; this year’s schedule includes The Sting, Casablanca and Psycho. Be warned: It’s a popular event, so make sure to arrive early, or there might not be a spot for you—not to mention your blanket and picnic basket. www.bryantpark.org
Central Park
Hobgoblins, faeries and creatures of the forest and the city alike will take to this famous park from August 6 to September 9 (every day except Monday), where Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed. Held at the Delacorte Theater, the free Shakespeare in the Park series began in 1962; in fact, many of today’s biggest stars have graced the stage, including Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Natalie Portman and Philip Seymour Hoffman. www.publictheater.org
Isn’t Summer Sweet?
Esteemed pastry chef and chocolatier Jacques Torres on his New York summer.
Jacques Torres has a long list of New York City-based projects and accomplishments, including three acclaimed chocolate stores/factories in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Although he is from France, Torres considers the Big Apple home.
What makes New York City so special during the summer?
Everyone is more relaxed during the summer. It’s not just about business, it’s about family, enjoying time, and all that. In the summer, you can almost live like you are in the south of France, or in California. It’s hot and the beaches are not too far. I take the ferry and I go out to my boat—and it’s amazing to me that in a city of this size you can you can do things like that.
Describe your perfect summer day in the Big Apple.
I love getting up in the morning on the weekend and finding a café or a place where I can have brunch outside. After that, around noon, I can go to the beach or to the park. I love Central Park in the summer— everybody’s running, you see a lot of families there. Everybody tries to have fun, and it’s basically one of the wonderful things about NYC.
Nite Bites
Out late? Head to these spots for nocturnal nourishment.
MR. LUCKY 24/7
Las Vegas
No one needs to know why you ended up there at 5am, but this is one of the surest bets in a town with very few of them. Retro décor and reasonably priced fare (including the consciencecleansing chicken soup) make Mr. Lucky’s 24/7 the hippest eatery at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Recently re-opened, it wears its hipster heart on its sleeve with a very un-diner-like variety of vegetarian offerings. www.hardrockhotel.com
CAFÉ ORLIN
New York
A mainstay of the Big Apple’s vibrant East Village neighborhood—where it’s quite easy to find yourself out in the wee hours, not knowing where all the time went—Café Orlin features an eclectic menu of Middle Eastern dishes, seafood and excellent breakfast plates. Couples, solo diners and locals of all types come for the budget-friendly cuisine served in an unpretentious yet very cosmopolitan setting. 212-777-1447
FRED 62
Los Angeles
Celebrities with late-night appetites head to this Los Feliz neighborhood landmark offering a dining experience that comes with a super-sized helping of funky, retro-kitsch décor and an extensive and clever, pun-filled menu (Thai Cobb Salad; The Tower of Babel sandwich). It’s diner food with an LA twist, so don’t spill your Soba noodles when the film crew sits down at the next booth. www.fred62.com
COOL IT
Breeze through the lazy, hazy summer days with these tasty new cocktail recipes.
BEEFEATER ICED BRAMBLE
1 ½ parts Beefeater Gin
½ part fresh lemon juice
2 tsp simple syrup
1 tsp blackberry liqueur
3 blackberries
Blend add all ingredients in a blender with crushed ice. Garnish with blackberries.
MALIBU BEACH BUM
1 ½ parts Malibu Pineapple Rum
1 part pineapple juice
1 part pomegranate juice
Juice of 1 lime
Slice of pineapple
Blend pineapple with ice, combine and serve in a rocks glass. Garnish with an umbrella.
Time
While digital’s good for your gadgets and appliances, there’s nothing like one of these analog watches to add a little class to your wardrobe.
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Spies & Sleuths
In Washington, DC, there is more to see than meets the eye—make your next mission one of these three activities.
SPIES OF WASHINGTON
Walking Tours
A retired Air Force intelligence officer and Vietnam veteran, Carol Bessette, leads a series of walking tours highlighting some of the more covert aspects of the city’s history. The areas around Capitol Hill, Georgetown, the National Cathedral and the White House have their own tours, each of which shows a side of the capital that exists in the shadows surrounding the policymaking and military planning that takes place throughout the city. Walks last approximately 2½ hours, and reservations are not necessary. www.spiesofwashingtontour.com
MANDARIN ORIENTAL
Safari Sleuths Package
Through October 31, the exceptional Mandarin Oriental hotel is offering kids a chance to go on a zoological scavenger hunt through the hotel and the National Zoo’s brand-new Asia Trail, which includes six acres of waterfalls, rocky outcrops and bamboo groves—not to mention giant pandas, clouded leopards and sloth bears (oh my!). “Safari sleuths” will be given a plush giant panda toy, Zoo trading cards, a safari hat and a camera. www.mandarinoriental.com
INTERNATIONAL
SPY Museum
Operation Spy Experience Fans of intrigue and espionage no longer have to watch silently from their couches as Jack Bauer gets to the bottom of another security breach on “24.” Now, they can get in on the action at the International Spy Museum’s brand-new, interactive Operation Spy experience. The list of highpressure situations includes overseeing video surveillance, cracking a safe and conducting a lie detector test. As members of a team, visitors’ actions will help determine the ending and the team’s score. www.spymuseum.org
WHAT GRAVITY?
A new flight of fancy is turning folks with a taste for adventure on their heads, in what is most certainly one of Sin City’s most unique attractions. Since 2004, when the Las Vegas-based Zero Gravity Corporation received a long-awaited FAA approval, 2,500 members of the general public have tried this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The 90- minute controlled ascent and descent of G-Force- One allows fliers to experience Martian, Lunar and zero gravity. On-board coaches teach the lucky “astronauts” how to maximize their enjoyment, whether it’s flipping like a gymnast, careening across the padded cabin as a human cannonball (as Martha Stewart is reported to have done on her flight) or simply flying like superman. The whopping $3,500 (plus tax) price tag includes a flight suit, complimentary merchandise, awards, a post-event party, photos and a DVD of the flight. www.gozerog.com
Dance Moves
The hula was born amid the beauty of a very special place: the island of Molokai.
Thought there were only four Hawaiian Islands to explore? Think again. There are actually eight main islands, one of which is Molokai, known as “The Most Hawaiian Island” (40% of its inhabitants are of Hawaiian descent) and “The Friendly Isle.” Molokai is easily accessible from Maui via ferry (www.molokaiferry.com). The fifth largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, it’s an enchanting place of sublime beauty. No stoplights, no buildings taller than a palm tree, few visitors and a magnificent countryside all set the scene for a visit to an unspoiled paradise.
Though it is close in proximity to other islands, Molokai’s inhabitants and their culture have existed for centuries in relative isolation, and are completely in tune with the elements of the Earth. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Molokai is also the birthplace of the most Hawaiian of art forms, one that finds inspiration in the environment: the hula.
According to legend, the goddess Laka gave birth to the dance at a sacred place in Kaana, and traveled from island to island sharing the dance with other Hawaiians. The history of hula dancing is as complex as the movements that make up its dancers’ vocabulary. From the sacred and traditional styles (hula kahiko) that survived Hawaii’s missionary period to the modern, westernized version (hula auana) commonly seen in Elvis Presley movies and hotel lobbies, the fluid motions of its practitioners are a graceful ode to the beautiful place where they first appeared.
DO YA HULA?
The ancient hula is much more than a dance; for its students, it is a way of life that demands a major commitment of time and spiritual energy (like learning kung-fu or capoeira). But that shouldn’t mean the rest of us can’t get down at the luau. Here are some simple hula auana-style interpretive motions so you can join in the fun. Keep in mind that the hula is a combination of storytelling (mainly with your hands), graceful hip-swaying and short footsteps (with the beat).
FISHING
Sway right and left. Raise right arm as if to throw spear.
BEAUTIFUL DAY
Sway right and left, raising arms slowly outward and upward toward sun.
VAMP
To right: Moving arms slowly to right, take short step to right then slide left foot up beside right. Repeat. Shift weight gracefully to left as arms move gradually left. To left: Short step to left. Right slides up beside. Repeat. Keep knees bent slightly at all times.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY GERONNA LYTE
Backyard Blockbusters
Anyone can throw a blockbuster screening party with the latest in backyard home theater technology— and it won’t cost as much as you think.
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SONY VPL-VW50 HD PROJECTOR No one will be shouting “focus!” at the projectionist— high-contrast, sharp images in stunning colors come from this surprisingly lightweight (read: portable) unit. $5,000, www.sonystyle.com |
| SUNBRITETV 46-INCH HDTV Want something permanent for the poolside bar? This 46-inch HDTV is waterproof; protects against dirt, insects and scratches; and operates in temperatures of -24 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. $4,995, www.sunbritetv.com |
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ROCKUSTICS |