There might be finer or quirkier places to stay, but nowhere in New York City quite has the bohemian street credit of The Hotel Chelsea, which has re-opened after a four-year renovation.
The hotel probably peaked as a creative hub in the 1960s and the 1970s, when the likes of Patti Smith (pictured below), Jimi Hendrix, Robert Mapplethorpe, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Madonna and a heap more resided at the Chelsea, on 23rd street Manhattan.
Jack Kerouac could often be found there when not on the road. Decades earlier Dylan Thomas drank himself into a stupor in his room, and earlier than that Thomas Wolfe wrote You Can’t Go Home Again within the confines of the hotel’s grungy walls. Leonard Cohen wrote “I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel…you were talking so brave and so sweet,” in memory of Joplin, forever entwining the two.
The hotel is now a upmarket trip down memory lane, refurbished with new coats of paint and expensive art. The Spanish restaurant has been retained, but upgraded. The rooms are glamorous, featuring restored marble fireplaces, Marshall speakers and retro couches. There’s a spa, a gym and, obviously, a bar. It’s shabby elegance has gone, replaced by a nostalgic elegance.
Colour is splashed throughout, reflecting the building’s colourful history.
Circa Hotel & Casino is a new behemoth property in Sin City, geared entirely towards rabid American sports fans.
The first new casino-resort to open in downtown Vegas since 1980, Circa now sits head and shoulders above its ageing predecessors — both physically and metaphorically — boasting an amphitheatre-style pool dubbed ‘Stadium Swim’, an enormous sports bar (which is, in fact, Nevada’s largest indoor bar spanning 50 metres) and a three-story indoor betting stadium (yes, you read that correctly). This is the hottest ticket in town for America’s sun-seekers and sports lovers. Just be sure to bring a fat wallet for the booze and betting tables.
YouTube superstar couple, Johnny and Iz Harris are no strangers to visiting unique properties around the world, so when given the opportunity to renovate and design their own forest retreat just outside their home in Washington DC they grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Taking a historic and dilapidated church from the late 1800s, the couple completely transformed the former place of worship into the ultimate entertaining pad with enough room for an entire family. Some properties are just built to be most enjoyed during winter and the Shenandoah Church House is one of those, with its roaring indoor fireplace and outdoor seven-seater hot tub.
You’re not told where you are you are staying until after you book (all we know is that they’re within a few hours drive of Toronto) and when you do arrive, the shimmering mirrored walls of the cabins give the impression they are camouflaged.
There’s forest bathing and hiking but if it’s us, we’re hanging out in the cabin…invisible to the rest of the world.
get lost’s man on the ground Roberto Serrini is no stranger to being out and about in a foreign city after dark, so he’s a good judge when it comes to this sort of thing.
The Western Market is a food hall which has only been open for about a year. Set in the colourfully named Foggy Bottom neighbourhood, this is no ordinary food hall.
Here, there’s dozens of vendors but ONLY top of the line culinary experiences.
Think lobster rolls, Bandoola bowls, burgers…you know, all the good stuff.
Ever thought you would make a great undercover agent?
If you’ve got an everyday job like an accountant or a nurse but have watched a lot of spy movies and have secretly always fancied yourself as a 007 type of operator, then this might be for you.
get lost sent our man on the ground Roberto Serrini (undercover, of course) to the International Spy Museum in Washington DC recently, to see if he’d make the grade.
At get lost we don’t spend a lot of time in tents. But if it meant trying a variety of expertly curated scotches and accompanying cigars, we probably would.
Meet Safari Tent: a two hour, private scotch and cigar tasting experience where you chill out in finely-decorated luxury tents, each with comfy old-man armchairs, rich wood floors, oriental rugs, wood plank ceilings and other rustic touches.
The tent is a pop-up in Rhode Island from Preserve, who do lots of cool shit like this, and the tastings themselves come from legendary brands Laphroaig and Cobina.
As well as this, there’s some charcuterie, chocolate and roasted nuts to go with. You’ll truly feel like royalty….in a tent.
Mexico City is emerging as a destination for architecturally stunning hotels, and Downtown Hotel is no different. It’s a boutique hotel of thoughtful design that looks like it could be both the perfect place to unwind, or wind-up – whatever you’re feeling
The seemingly strange bedfellows of 17th century colonialist opulence and historically simplistic Mexican minimalism work together beautifully, like a champion Mexican wrestling tag-team.
The rooftop bar and pool is to die for, an oasis of calm in a bustling city that is anything but. The hotel is located in trendy La Condesa, an upmarket jungle of bistros and art galleries.
The human race is obsessed with drones at the moment, and for good reason: they’re fricking awesome.
The DJI Mavic 3 has just been released, and drone experts (doctors of the drone, droneis considered the best that exists. Seriously, this thing is super cool.
Previous versions of the Mavic have been the gold standard for drones for a few years, and there’s a hype around this one that appears to be justified, judging from the footage below.
You can fly these for up to 46 minutes, which is 15 longer than any previous Mavic. There’s a couple of cameras in there, for different uses, but it’s the 5k video quality that you come for – we’re talking crystal clear here.
It’s got a price tag to match the hype but with Black Friday coming up, you might be able to find a deal somewhere…and even if you don’t it’s worth it.
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