*notcot - 12.10.09 , 17:24 -

Ace Hotel Pop Up in Isetan, Tokyo

popup.jpg On unexpected popups i wish i could teleport over to, this news was too fun not to share when it just showed up in my email! Photos by Hiroyasu Masaki (punkfloyd).

Ace Hotel and Japanese retailer Isetan Shinjuku are curating a pop-up shop for the holidays. Ace Hotel is in Seattle, Portland, Palm Springs, and New York. Culture, collaborations, and a design aesthetic that mixes uncluttered comfort with a bohemian vibe are Ace’s trademark—informed by each city’s sense of place. It’s a gathering place for neighbors and guests alike. We at Ace love Japan, and we’re excited to be able to come to Tokyo and bring all of our recent product collaborations to the heart of Shinjuku.
Isetan will be showcasing gifts from Ace that give you a sense of the hotels and their cities. Products include collaborations with Pendleton Woolen Mills, artist Evan Hecox, Generic Man, Dean Markley, Fjallraven of Sweden, Mackintosh, Coto, Le Labo, Wings & Horns, Project No. 8, Pearl Plus, and many others. Products from Rudy’s Barbershops will also be available for the first time in Japan. Come find something Wednesday Dec 2-Friday Dec 25.

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*notcot - 11.19.09 , 21:38 -

Ace Hotel Palm Springs

psace0.jpg The Ace Hotels practically radiate visual inspiration at every turn… but at the Ace Hotel Palm Springs add being at the foot of the mountains in Palm Springs with that crisp desert sky at night as you float in the pool and hot tub ~ only to run out and press the “Make Fire” button on one of the many fire places surrounded by adorably designed chairs as you look up at the Stan Bitters ceramics ~ or wander to the bar where what appears to be the coolest sunglass wearing stuffed bear you will ever see is perched behind the bottles ~ challenging the coolness of the coyote of a mascot above the reception whose silhouette is all around the hotel… and the THINK signage in the lobby “compliments of IBM corporation” is just priceless. OH! And there are yurts too… with beautiful domed skylights colored with geometric gel patterns… and hammocks too! So as you can see, there was too much besides my room, that i couldn’t help but share with you… so MANY pictures on the next page. I hope you enjoy them as much as i do!

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*notcot - 11.17.09 , 17:11 -

The Integratron

integratron0.jpg While in Palm Springs at the Ace, i was told that i HAD to go see the Integratron. How good a word is that? I didn’t even know what it meant, but was instantly intrigued. So, while on super secret brainstorm adventure in Palm Springs this weekend, we jumped in the car, took off an hour into the desert not quite sure what to expect… although we did know that it had something to do with amazingness, alien abductions, domes, a sound bath, and something about our neurons getting massaged. Dome + sunset + desert = gorgeous pics.

So while i’m still on my thing about circles lately ~ and concentric circles from directly below… the architecture of the Integratron blew my mind to wander around in… and honestly, i think there must be something wrong with me, because the Sound bath (you lay on the mats in the dome, and they “play 9 quartz crystal singing bowls live, each one keyed to the energy centers or chakras of the body, where sound is nutrition for the nervous system.” and it’s on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 2009 Hot List) ~ i couldn’t lay through the whole thing, it made me feel like i wanted to scream and dissonant sounds vibrating through my head just started to hurt. BUT that being said, it was pretty amazing the way they resonated around the space… really staring at the architecture and lighting as the sunset around us was far more fascinating to me. So take a peek at the random pics on the next page… LOVE the colors in the desert sunsets…

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*notcot - 11.13.09 , 19:58 -

Ace Hotel Palm Springs Room 214

acepalmsprings0.jpg Don’t mock. It’s friday night. I know. It’s friday the 13th even! And honestly, as many events and people are convening in LA for a combination of art events, MOCA anniversary, and so much more this weekend ~ after that endless travelfest the last month and a non stop week since i touched back down ~ i couldn’t help myself when a few fun folks said “Ok!” to having our own top secret brainstorm session where we’d clear the weekend and meet up in Palm Springs. So after a delicious (intellectually and nourishingly) breakfast meeting at Chateau Marmont, i hopped back in the car and drove east… running super low on sleep and high on ideas, i stumbled into the Ace Hotel Palm Springs, and into Room 214 with only my laptop/camera bag and purse… and have been sucked into photoshopping and before i wander back out to feed myself and see whats going on with the wedding folks right outside… i just had to share this little oasis with you. Stepping in, life slowed down, mind felt clearer, body felt calmer. And the welcome card tells me “Life is not about surviving the storm, but learning to dance in the rain.” Wise words to live by ~ so let’s dance? I have a feeling there will be much more to share this weekend… the Ace family always does manage to get me so inspired with their attention to details, great design, and just awesome experiences…

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*notcot - 10.29.09 , 02:21 -

Dom Perignon at Hotel de Crillon

crillon0.jpg Between Oxford and Stockholm, there was a last minute irresistible reason to change plans and detour through Paris to have dinner as a guest of Dom Perignon in Versailles! In the style and room that Louis XIV dined… ok, quite honestly, for something that “once in a lifetime” feeling, how could you turn down such an opportunity? So that meant hopping on a train to London in the morning, then Eurostarring it over to Paris, and then into the infamous Hotel de Crillon (according to wikipedia, it’s one of the oldest luxury hotels in the WORLD), where a matte black Dom Perignon bag filled with matte black goodness and lots of history and background information on the world of Dom awaited me on the desk to dive into in the few hours i had to prepared before for dinner. So before we get into Versailles… here’s a peek at design details of Hotel de Crillon and the lovely packaging of the Dom Perignon materials! (As you’ll see, they LOVE stacks of cards/imagery on gorgeous paper in various sizes… even with gilded edges…)

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*notcot - 10.10.09 , 08:40 -

Fire at the Broad Summit 09

fire1.jpg Just a quick peek at last nights festivities ~ i’m currently at the Broad Summit at the Boon Hotel up in the Russian River Valley ~ what is it? “So. You may be wondering what this party is all about. In short, The Broad Summit was an idea hatched over Margaritas at SxSW. Maggie has “organize a retreat” on her life list, Aubrey is a party planner, Laura Mayes is a conference organizer, and Helen Jane supplies wine and cheese for the entire Internet. We talked about how fun it would be to have our blogger friends in one place for the weekend. Tipsily laid plans don’t often come to much, but we’re an unusually efficient group.” Basically its like a blogger/tech ladies summer camp (fall camp?) of sorts, but with wine, massages, bonfires, pajama parties, hot tubs, and fun sponsors! So, yes, i’m totally at a tech conference north of SF… and the bonfire was so pretty, had to share a few quick pics with you! (More random pics keep popping up over on my twitter) ~ so first take a peek at the awesome fire, and the surroundings on the next page!

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*notcot - 09.23.09 , 02:00 -

Veuve Clicquot Harvest 2009

vcharvestmain.jpg Veuve Clicquot was generous enough to bring me to Reims again this year to join their intimate harvest festivities (read: honored they let me come do a day of manual labor with their friends/family). I kid you not. I spent half a day in the beautiful hot champagne region sun from the break of dawn fighting jetlag clipping grapes and working my way through the rows while chatting with friends old and new. So there you have it, my excuse for why posts slowed down and got so quiet. Also minimal wifi. But really, it turns out that the best way to slow me down is tire me out! Because i certainly had no problem running around, drinking late, and still posting before bed on the last trip…

So on the next page you can take a look at my experience from sunrise to learning how to pick grapes, to wine breaks (at 9am!), to crating the grapes away, to seeing them pressed… all the missing steps from last year… it’s fascinating really to see what happens between the fresh grapes and the bottling to spend time in les crayeres. And we were back at the Verzy country estate which has some of the finest grapes behind it ~ the grapes we picked will be in the 2019 Veuve Clicquot La Grand Dame if we’re lucky, so far they are saying it is a phenomenal harvest! And if nothing else, they’ve at lease guaranteed that i will have to purchase a bottle (or case!) just to see where my grapes went! So see the process first hand on the next page!

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*notcot - 09.22.09 , 14:56 -

Hazlitt’s London - Teresa Cornelys

cornelys0main.jpg I’m sitting at that desk, in that chair, as i write to you… I don’t even know where to begin, as you know, i’ve been a bit quiet the last few days as i was whisked off from LA to Paris and driven to Reims as soon as i touched down to go meet up with Veuve Clicquot for the start of the harvest. Which means, packed to the gills schedules, lots of champagne, a day of manual labor picking grapes, incredible experiences with friends new and old, and so many photographs to share with you! So with hundreds of photos awaiting, running on minimal sleep and having just hopped a train over to London from Paris ~ i find myself trying to catch up in the stunning Hazlitt’s in Soho. I’m going to walk you through things a bit haphazardly, but know there are MANY posts in progress to come! So first take a look at where i’ve landed to spend the day writing/photoshopping/processing my thoughts to share with you!

Huge thanks to Mr and Mrs Smith, they’ve helped me find a few hotels i may not have found on my own, and as my first stop, i’m blown away. Hazlitt’s in Soho. There is something incredible about being surrounded by walls of old books and paintings, georgian period furniture… and nice speedy wifi, bluray players and flat panels hidden behind mirrors… coupled with a huge bath tub and a thrown like wooden toilet… and motorized shades and skylights… its fascinatingly comforting to step in from the midst of Soho and into another time period, but equipped with all the tech-infused modern amenities i couldn’t survive without. Firstly, i’m just going to show you what you’ll find inside my room (honestly, i’m so tired and have so much to do, i’m hiding out for a little while, so i’ll go shoot and share some of the other amazing shared spaces later!) ~ but for a quick background… “Hazlitt’s was created in 1986 from three unspoiled 18th century townhouses, built in 1718… the hotel takes its name from William Hazlitt, perhaps the greatest of all English essayists and critics…” He both lived and died here in the 1800s when it was a boarding house, and all of the bedrooms here are named after people who lived in or has some connection with these buildings… my room is named after Mrs. Teresa Cornelys ~ a viennese opera singer and lover of Casanova, with whom she even has a child! So while i get back to catching up, take a peek at the stunning suite ~ and i’m just so inspired and excited by all of the walls of books and clawfooted fixtures around the property!

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*notcot - 08.27.09 , 18:05 -

Mandarina Duck Drop

drop0.jpg I have a thing for polycarbonate suitcases… something about that sleek pod of light perfectly packedness that gets scuffed up so nicely… while i have my carry-on silver hideo wakamatsu and a check-in black zero halliburton polycarb… i’m still totally lusting over this Mandarina Duck DROP! (Despite the overly flashy website that i just sat and screenshotted far too much of to share with you and spare you the experience) It still remains to be seen what the interior breakdown and details are like (and packaging?) but the exterior is looking quite sleek… and some of the sayings on their pics are worth a giggle (“design victim”… wouldn’t it be nicer to say “design indulgences” or something more positive?)… take a peek at some details and screenshots on the next page!

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*notcot - 08.09.09 , 15:00 -

The Standard + Quiksilver Party

standardla00.jpg So far you’ve seen the close ups of the Standard + Quiksilver Boardshorts and vending machine ~ the packaging/experience/etc… but as i was photoshopping my way through my pictures, there were SO many more filled with fun absurdities, design details, quintessential LA… everything from the vintage incredible hulk wallpapered gym bathroom with green tinted mirror… to the number to call for encouragement… to the kids that perk up and pose in the pool… to the bikini girl with her red chanel bag traipsing through the downtown LA parking lot… to the red bed pods… to the tubs of flip flops which couldn’t make a matching pair unless you had two left feet… to the huge twister board… and the photobooth with vintage mannequins… and so much more i couldn’t bare not to share with you! So take a peek at this stunning LA saturday up at the roof of The Standard Downtown LA launch party scene with Quiksilver!

p.s.
on unphotographed things… it was hilarious that beyond water guns and beach balls there were even cupcakes and jello shots circulating… good times…

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*notcot - 07.21.09 , 06:29 -

Blink 182 Reunion - F&F Show

ablink0.jpg So you’ve seen the craziness that is Travis drumming over the audience as he’s floating/rotating around… well for another peek at the Blink 182 Reunion Tour friends + family show ~ the visuals were stunning. Some really really incredible animations were going on behind them in a fascinating array of round screens and stripes of light that i couldn’t possibly capture and enjoy all at once. So, you’ll have to catch them on tour for the full experience, but i have a few sneak peeks to whet your appetite.

This was a really fun test of the 5D MKII ~ The roof of the LA Forum is beautiful! And it was such a trip to see it so empty, and be able to actually wander around and take pics throughout the show… HUGE thanks to, Mark for the invite. Anyhow, go see the pics on the next page ~

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*notcot - , 04:31 -

Blink 182 Reunion - Flying Travis

travis0.jpg It’s kind of surreal how everything comes around ~ loved Blink 182 as a kid ~ and it turns out Mark Hoppus is a fan of NOTCOT ~ and when he invited me to their friends and family show tonight before they kick off the big reunion tour, i couldn’t say no! And it was awesome! 1) it was totally amazing to go to such an intimate show 2) i got to play with my big camera in a concert! 3) when they had travis AND his drum kit literally flying around over the stage at impossible angles while he played a hell of a drum solo… it was just stunning. So first things first, check out the pics of Travis’ flying solo, and a snippet of a video of it too on the next page. Totally mind blowing…

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*notcot - 07.10.09 , 17:18 -

A Social Media Conversation: London Hotels

londonhotelsmain.jpg Social Media as your new *living* search engine? You read all the rumors, you hear all the rants on how irrelevant + trivial these fleeting status updates are… And honestly, i’m still learning how/why to use these services MY way…

I’ve found that twitter and facebook have been my new go-to after obsessive internet searches when doing research… and these have spurred some incredible conversations and quick sources of great information! BUT, it’s always so 1-to-many (versus 1-1 or many-to-many) and hosted in a way where all participants can’t see the results. (i.e. i tweet a question and followers/repliers can’t see all the other responses ~ and on facebook i have a status question and only those following it can see the evolving conversation)

End result? A post so i dont lose this fun conversation, and the valuable information that came up with it… So, if you’re looking for where to stay in London during Design Week 09? (Sept 19-27) ~ well i was looking into Soho and/or Shoreditch, and here’s what i’ve learned (on the next page!)

p.s.
if you want to join the conversation - follow notcot on twitter and friend me facebook

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*notcot - 06.08.09 , 08:24 -

Beaching in CT

beach0.jpg I’m not sure how much you’ve noticed, or how much you follow, but its been a crazy few months ~ a lot of big behind the scenes transitions happened here at NOTCOT, and in a nutshell i’m more on my own than ever running the network at the moment, and i’ve been traveling a bit and chatting with a lot of fun folks as i try to figure out where to take things next! The group of NOTCOT sites has grown more than i could have ever dreamed over the last few quick years! SO, for those who ARE playing close attention ~ yes the style of content here on NOTCOT.com has been bouncing around a bit as i figure things out, and mostly i’m sticking to writing about what inspires and amuses me, which for the moment while exploring NYC has been a bit more on the luxe/event side of things, and bouncing between hotels and friends, i haven’t had the time/space to do those product review/photoshoots as much as usual, but no worries, i hear there are a pile of packages waiting in LA for that, so back to more regularly schedule programming soon? I’ll be heading back to LA Weds!

Part of my figuring things out personally means running around and exploring and reminding myself what it is that really drive and inspires me, and re-evaluating what’s out there, and what awesomness we should be finding, making, sharing here on the NOTCOT sites! So, on mixing things up ~ i jumped out of the many meetings and super-city feeling running around in NYC and joined an old high school friend at his friend’s beach house in Milford, CT this weekend ~ and after so much city, i think private beach relaxing with a bunch of fun new drama/theatre folks was *just* what i needed to get things in perspective. So take a peek, at my weekend reset ~ i’ll be in NY a few more days, than back to catch up and design + beach overdosing LA style soon…

p.s.
THANK YOU so much for supporting me, and the sites the last few years ~ it’s been so much fun! And so incredibly inspiring to meet and chat with many of you ~ seeing the incredible things you readers make is really so fun to wake up to every day!

p.p.s.
The full moon over the water this weekend was just AMAZING. See the pics next page…

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*notcot - 05.30.09 , 21:23 -

Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic

vcmain.jpg It was a gorgeous day in NY to take the VIP ferry out to Governor’s Island for my first official polo match/picnic. Granted this was no ordinary day in the park ~ since there was much buzz with Prince Harry playing, Marc Jacobs and Madonna wandering around, and never ending Veuve Clicquot flowing at the second annual Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic. The views were absolutely stunning ~ the manhattan skyline peeking out from behind the game, endless smatterings Pantone 137c between the lush green grass and perfectly clouded blue skies, and amusing people watching with lots of “daring hats” as requested. Take a peek at the experience on the next page…

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