Get ready for the weekend with a healthy dose of travel inspiration from NotVentures. To find out more about each destination, click on its individual image.
Finally taking a vacation in LA this week ~ when the opportunity came up to pop across town to try out The Redbury in Hollywood, it seemed like the perfect chance to even further escape my “normal” life. Checking in to room #415 ~ i stepped into the red red building perched at Hollywood and Vine, into their red red hallways adorned with larger than life hollywood glam photos filling walls along the way… and into a fully stocked apt of sorts. To call it a hotel room doesn’t even do it justice. With a kitchen (stove, fridge, dishes, the works) ~ and Katsuya and Cleo room service ready at the touch of an iPhone App ~ a washer/dryer as well as a record player stocked with records… it’s hard to find an excuse to leave this little escape when sitting on the patio staring out at Hollywood. It is a boho-chic home away from home ~ complete with that vintage store scent. “Curated by renowned photographer Matthew Rolston and Founder and CEO, Sam Nazarian ~ The Redbury features 57 thoughtfully appointed guest flats designed to provide a relaxed and entertaining environment. Each spacious room offers a home-like atmosphere to accommodate stays of a day, a week, or as long as required.” And it couldn’t be more true… ready to take a peek into my room at The Redbury and some of the fun details? To the next page!
P.s. i’m smitten with their graphic design/branding details!
Happy Friday from NotVentures! This week’s roundup features so many beautiful places including South Korea, the Galapagos, Scottish Highlands and more. To find out more about each destination, click on its individual image.
So, you’ve seen my stunning full moon views tonight ~ and in the past, Jackson came to the Mondrian SoHo’s staycation and showed us the ipad/room service magic that was breakfast. Well needing a hotel for a night, i decided to try out the Morgan’s Global Card, one of the perks being a “complimentary night at all of our new hotel openings around the world “… and amazingly, even on an expensive and rather full night, calling the number on the back of the card, somehow a room was procured (even the night before)… and upon arrival, even upgraded into a penthouse level suite. I must say i’m impressed. The heinous stress of a last minute booking in the chaos of NY hotels being transformed into a seemless and painfree experience filled with surprises was perfect. But anyhow, back to the view! And the iPad! And the food! Having forgotten to have breakfast before my flight, and not really having food on JetBlue, i was famished by the time i got in around 8pm… and drawn out to the patio with the iPad, room service was ordered with a few quick taps between being mesmerized by the view… it arrived incredibly fast! (Or i just lost track of time out there, but i swear, it was faster than the time i picked - which was essentially ASAP.) So take a peek at MY version of experiencing the views, precariously balancing the iPad on the corner of the railing 25 stories up, breakfast/dinner in a fried egg burger/salad, and a look around the adorable room ~ all on the next page!
Tonight has been absolutely stunning. The full moon is GORGEOUS. And while i wasn’t able to see the eclipse from here ~ coming in to NY and across the bridge at sunset ~ arriving at the Mondrian SoHo, whisked up to the 25th floor (P1 in the elevator!) and into a room with views all around ~ and a patio i stepped out on to that just took my breath away. To watch the sunset, the moon rise, and the glow and sparkle spread across the city was the perfect moment that made the previous hours of internet free middle seat existence melt away. So stunning, and i can’t stop staring at it out the windows even now as i write this… take a peek on the next page!
Happy Friday from NotVentures! Gear up for the weekend with this roundup of travel inspiration. To find out more about each destination, click on the individual images.
It’s been a little while since i’ve looked out a window, scrambled to find my camera, and just felt insanely inspired for one of these Operation Window Seat posts ~ but today was STUNNING. And there’s always something about falling asleep in one place (this time Pittsburgh) only to awaken somewhere about an hour out of LA to an absolutely BREATH TAKING sunset.
While i’m uncertain whether it’s the influence of the engineering/prototyping madness of the weekend i just spent at CMU with Toyota’s Ideas For Good adventure (sneak peek part I is here)… the unmistakeable sparkle of the city as we came in today kept feeling more like a giant circuit board… don’t the warehouse lighting patterns make them look like little chips? Also SO many brightly lit baseball fields! Even flowers of them jumping out between the glowing grid of the city… So anyhow, take a peek at more pics while i wake up here in LA and sift through so much more to share with you.
Get ready for the weekend with a few highlights from NotVentures. To find out more about each destination, click on its individual image.
It’s like gorgeously mesmerizing artwork, no? Now imagine it constantly moving… I was too shaky to make a video of it for you, but believe me, it was mesmerizingly trippy and beautiful… amongst a strange 2 days. Not sure where to start ~ but i think i was mostly horizontal for about 48 hours on that Mercedes-Benz sailboat trip… and for those of you who got curious and have been asking if things were ok once they saw the posts on Mike Horn’s blog from the adventure… i get why you were worried now! Anyhow ~ after a super rough ~48 hours… which ended up being some massive mix of hibernation/seasickness for most on board (except of course for our fearless adventurer hosts!) Don’t worry, it all ends with some gloriously gorgeous shots as we sail under the Golden Gate at sunrise… a dozen or so hours later than expected (and of course, far more pics of that later). And right after that, i hopped back on the road and cruised back down to LA! So having left LA saturday morning, reached SF by Monday dawn, and back by late afternoon ~ what a whirlwind to say the least… so on where to start ~ how about what’s still stuck in my head tonight? Some delirious views of how i saw the world while drifting in and out of so many trippy dreams and inspiring conversations… and LOTS of water? Rolling in and out of sleep ~ being picked up by massive waves that would suddenly DROP the whole boat (and you along with it) creating the strangest sensation of gravity-free dreaming, only to catch you again? (Yea, brain trying to rationalize scattered series of those ended up interesting in dreams…) So, ready to see the crazy part? To the next page!
It’s a little absurd that it takes Mercedes-Benz inviting me to a German press trip that starts with a night in the Shangri-La in Santa Monica… to take my camera out and get some new perspectives on a place blocks from where i spent the first 5 years of my life… and minutes from my current house. But it also seemed too perfect not to show you some fun car shots too! So i wandered out after dinner across to the park and to one of the bridges that goes over PCH tonight, and i forgot how absolutely mesmerizing it is staring out at the views and the cars zooming past you in both directions. Take a peek on the next page…
How will you be spending this long weekend? Plan your next getaway with some inspiration from NotVentures. Why not discover a lake fully of jellyfish, secret surf spots or wine country? To find out more about each destination, click on its individual image.
StndAIR! Yes, André Balazs and the Standard Hotels now have their own sea plane! And will even give you a ride from the New York City to East Hampton on peek weekends (perfect for hopping over from the Standard New York to Sunset Beach)… or you can charter it for anywhere in a 300 mile radius. Adorably red, “Willa” certainly can’t be missed! This 8 passenger Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian aircraft, staffed by two pilots, officially takes flight tomorrow, but we’ve got some fun sneak peeks at the sketches behind her and her first flight! And in full Standard style, “The cheeky flight experience will include André Balazs Rosé, Swedish Fish, StnAir Branded Water and a Standard flight greeter at departure and arrival.” (Mmmmmm Rosé and Swedish Fish.)
And of course they take the experience even further with their StndAIR Flight Board: “Travelers can ‘compete’ to charter flights at more affordable rates provided they recruit friends to fill the 8 seats on the plane, or take their chances with others seeking the same destination. The first person to book receives the lowest price and there’s a sliding price scale that gradually increases as more participants sign up for that flight. The first to fill a flight gets the confirmed charter.” So… what are you waiting for? Let’s get a group of 8 together and go! Take a peek at StndAIR’s inaugural flight on the next page!
A beautiful roundup of travel inspiration from NotVentures including escapes that take you underground, wave chasing or where the wild things are. To find out more about each destination, click on its individual image.
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Ok, so i just spent a week with a 2011 MercedesAMG C63 in my garage (yes, the BRIGHT mars red one)… and i forgot how much i LOVE driving. Sadly just had Mercedes come pick it up a few minutes ago… So, that combined with being asked to share some of my travel dreams for these Amex Membership Rewards posts… i had to show you the Mercedes AMG Driving Academy Winter Sporting classes… in Arjeplog, just 80km from the Arctic circle! The pictures are just stunning ~ definitely dreaming about doing these some day ~ though i can’t decide how i’d ever pick between driving and photographing! See it all on the next page!
One can’t deny that delicious room service is a fantastic luxury to wake up to in a hotel. Well, with our new Tasteologie features, i sent our editor, Jackson, to the newly opened Mondrian SoHo in New York for their press staycation… and we found they do breakfast deliciously! You can take a peek at the sketches and initial looks at the Mondrian Soho in our previous post. One feature takes a look into breakfast in the green garden like space of their Imperial No. Nine restaurant… the second feature takes you inside the room - and the in-room first gen iPad, on which you can do everything, including order breakfast! Delicious and gorgeous, check them out here.
