New York - Part One of Four

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www.thesoapbox.fm/2010/04/28/new-york-part-one-%E2%80%9Cthe-lights-will-inspire-you%E2%80%9D/


As I write I can see the two black and white photos of New York on my desk –one of the Empire State and surrounding buildings, the other my own picture of a sign at the intersection between Broadway and Wall Streets – the American Flag hanging proudly above the entrance to the Stock Exchange behind it. Should I minimize the numerous pages I have open on my laptop, I can daydream in front of my background –a colourful picture of Central Park and the Upper West Side on a sunny day, the Hudson River in the background. Clearly, I’m in an “Empire State of Mind".

The appeal of New York can be surprisingly hard to pin down when you really try to explain it, although many have attempted to. Carrie Bradshaw, of Sex and the City fame, mused “They say life’s what happens when you’re busy making other plans. But sometimes in New York, life is what happens when you’re waiting for a table.” Writer Thomas Wolfe reckoned that “One belongs to New York instantly; one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years” and both Frank Sinatra and JZ agree that “If [you] can make it there, [you’ll] make it anywhere”. They’re all right, you know. Life is at its most exciting in the Big Apple. I feel like it’s mine and that its millions of inhabitants and I all belong. To be successful in New York is to have truly made it.

In the industries of fashion, music, art and stage, New York is the centre of the cultural universe, where the best of anything in the world, some of the most interesting, exciting and talented people and 3.00am pizza delivery can all be found inside a small island – the total area of Manhattan amounting to just 58 square kilometres.

There are many companies offering tours of New York, and if you’ve never been, these could be useful. But the amazing thing about visiting the city is that sightseeing is at its best (and cheapest) when just wandering around. Unlike other cities with big, trademark attractions, the city of New York is the main attraction.

Gear up for a virtual tour over the next few weeks, as I take you through my “New York Bucket List” which includes all the attractions you have to see at least once, the food and party scene, the fashion arena and general New Yorker lifestyle. As I write, I’ll be dreaming about the city more than ever, saving for another trip and hatching a plan to live and work there.

A Taste of Canadian Class - Luxury in the Rockies

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www.thesoapbox.fm/2010/04/12/a-taste-of-canadian-class-fairmont-luxury-in-the-rockies/

The eyes of the world have recently been trained on Whistler, host of the skiing events in the Winter Olympics 2010. Just the other side of the mountain range, however, as it tips from British Columbia into Alberta, are the ski resort towns of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. The three areas are divided by the Icefields Parkway, debatably the most beautiful mountain pass in the world. Each of these small towns have no shortage of accommodation to suit every budget, and the finest five star luxury hotels in all of them happen to belong to the Fairmont Hotel Group. Styled according to appropriate mountainous themes, these hotels provide the best in ski slope luxury.

The Jasper Park Lodge is built in the style of a Canadian hunting cabin, the main structure gazing out to the turquoise Lac Beauvert (which becomes a festive ice-rink in winter months). Established in 1915, the lodge started life as a luxury tented camp and the building rose in the 1920s. Black and white photographs of Marilyn Monroe cozying up to costumed Mounties adorn the walls in the main dining room – she stayed at the lodge in 1927 while filming “River of No Return”. Other esteemed guests include King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II and an entirely different sort of royalty: Bing Crosby. After a devastating fire in the fifties, the current building was developed and since then more log cabins have been built along the lake shore. Costly boutiques, great restaurants and good service give visitors a taste of Canadian class, all year round.

Two hours drive away past the spectacular Athabasca Falls, glacier at Columbia Icefields and surreally azure Peyto Lake, the road veers off to Lake Louise. The town is tiny, and most of the action centres around the lake and the ski slopes. Famous for its colour when the sun shines, the lake becomes a teal-green turquoise with Fairmont’s Chateau Lake Louise the only accommodation set straight in front of its shores. In its current form, the creamy chateau has been in existence since 1911 and yet looks far more modern. What really shows the brand’s attention to detail; however, are the bizarre green uniforms that staff members are required to wear. The hotel is acclaimed for its restaurants and for serving the thousands of visitors who turn up at the lake every summer, hoping to see the elusive glimpse of colour, only visible when the sun peeks out from behind the clouds.

Now off the Icefields Parkway, the road from Lake Louise continues through Banff National Park until arriving at the town itself. A well-heeled student resort town whose organic bakeries, bustling bars and designer boutiques place it in the ice-cool category, Banff is the epitome of resort chic. The Fairmont Springs Hotel is set a touch away from the town – as if superiorly setting itself above it with its aura of old-money and class. The hotel’s theme is not hard to spot – the Scottish castle is true to life indeed, complete with wall-mounted tapestries, cavernous stone halls warmed by roaring wood fires and mazes of secret passages leading guests to tucked-away shops and bistros. The most formal of the three hotels, service was above reproach. The moody rainstorm pouring when we arrived set the scene perfectly, and we were more than happy to explore the hotels numerous passages. Built in 1888, the sense of solidity and history that the hotel seeps is authentic, so although luxurious the rooms are small. Eleven bars and restaurants meant that we were spoilt for choice and eventually settled for rustic fondue and Canadian reserve wine in the wood-paneled wine bar. A short taxi drive is convenient for visitors to experience some of Banff’s more vigorous night-life, and locals are a great source for recommendations.

Without these three strategically placed Fairmont spots, travelling though the Albertan Rockies would not be nearly as charming, comfortable or classy than it is. Whether one stops over at all three or merely visits for a meal, these hotels complement their majestic backdrop, becoming almost as much of an attraction as the mountains themselves.