 Guilty as Charged
Serving time in the Big House has never been
more appealing, as several jailhouses around the world have been transformed
into stylish hotels. Now they’re places
to escape to rather than from.— Jill Fergus
When the imposing gray
granite building on the edge of Beacon Hill in Boston served as the Charles
Street Jail, it held infamous inmates like anarchists Nicola Sacco and
Bartolomeo Vanzetti, future mayor James Curley, and Albert DeSalvo, the Boston
Strangler. Today, it’s a National Historic Landmark and houses the 300-room Liberty Hotel (http://www.libertyhotel.com,
doubles from $250). Many of the prison’s original elements remain, including a
90-foothigh rotunda and cupola, sky-high catwalks where guards once kept watch,
and bars on some of the windows. And you have to love the whimsical names of
the public spaces — the restaurant is called the Clink, and the bar is Alibi.
Need privacy? Simply hang the “Solitary” sign.
In Basel Switzerland
the Hotel au Violon (www.au-violon.com
, doubles from $115) is perched on a small
bluff in a historic fifteenth-century building that served as the city’s prison
from 1835 to 1995. Now the structure is the home of a stylish hotel whose rooms
overlook either the inner courtyard or the Old Town
The 40 former cells and offices have been transformed into 20 spacious rooms
with polished wooden floors and Shaker-style furniture. The hotel’s restaurant,
the Brasserie (which is in the room that at one time housed the prison’s police
station), offers tasty French-bistro cuisine.
It’s hard to imagine
that the Four Seasons Hotel
Istanbul at Sultanahmet (www.fourseasons.com/istanbul, doubles from $320), housed in a
100-year-old building in the Old City and within walking distance of landmarks
like the multispired Blue Mosque, was once a grim prison. Intellectuals and
antigovernment dissenters were among the inmates when it was known as
Sultanahmet Prison, but times certainly have changed. These days, guests are
pampered with anything-goes service, spa treatments, and even afternoon tea in
what was once the prison courtyard.
Though San Antonio’s Comfort Inn Alamo/Riverwalk(http://www.comfortinnsanantonio.com,
doubles from $99) is located in the former Bexar County Jail, which dates from
1878, there is little to remind one of its storied past (save the small
etched-stone sign with the jail’s name and year hanging on one of the exterior
walls). In fact, the building, now listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, became a file-storage space in the 1960s and wasn’t converted into the
82-room hotel until 2004. Thankfully, the eerie three-story chute known as the
hanging room has been sealed from view.
Though the Malmaison Oxford (http://www.malmaison-oxford.com,
doubles from $290) is located in a nineteenth-century jail (which actually
remained in use and still held prisoners until 1996) in the university town of Oxford England,
you’ll hardly be roughing it. Beyond the castlelike facade are contemporary,
albeit smallish, rooms (many are converted cells with brick walls) outfitted
with flat-screen TVs, down bedding, and views of the courtyard where inmates
once exercised. The former Visitors’ Room is now a chic, all-black cocktail
lounge where guests can sip martinis and play snooker.
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C O O K L I K E A R E
A L C H E F
You’ve devoted full rainy Sundays to them.
You’ve tried to mimic their knife skills. You’ve traveled far and wide to try
their restaurants: They’re the TV chefs, the personalities who have inspired
you to go whole hog in your kitchen (or at least to stop storing your sweaters
in your oven), and they’ve made you think, I
can do that! And now, because they want to be with
you every step of the way (and to expand their cooking empires), they’re
developing products. For you. — Jenna Schnuer
The Chef: Paula
Deen
The Show: Food Network’s Paula’s Home
Cooking and Paula’s Party
The Product: Cleaning up after cooking Deen’s big
stick-to-your-ribs Southern food just got a little easier. Her new line of
stainless steel and copper cookware features nonstick interiors. Let the mac
and cheese bubble away. $180 for an 11-piece set. www.qvc.com
The Chef: Paul
Prudhomme
The Show: American Public Television’s Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Always Cooking!
The Product: Chef Paul’s been cooking ever since he was a
wee one in his mama’s kitchen. And the Louisiana
native still loves mixing up a good seasoning blend for his fans. He says his latest
two, Fajita Magic and Barbecue Magic, will “blow you away.” $3 each.
shop.chefpaul.com
The Chef: Alton
Brown
The Show: Food Network’s Good Eats and Iron Chef America
The Product: Considering Brown’s science-behind- the-cooking
approach, the lab-equipment looks of his Plunger and Plunger Jr. multiuse measuring
tools make total sense. $14 for the set. www.altonbrown.com
The Chef: Ming
Tsai
The Show: American Public Television’s Simply Ming
The Product: It’s tea for you (and whatever you choose to
tea up) with Ming’s Tea Rubs. There are fi ve different blends, including the salmon-friendly
Asian BBQ Tea Rub and the perk-up-chicken Citrus Tea Rub. $6 each. www.mingspantry.com
The Chef: Bobby
Flay
The Show: Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay and Iron Chef America
The Product: Flay’s known for his big flavors, and, if he
has his way, you’ll be known for them too. His new line of eight sauces and
rubs includes Habanero Mango Hot Sauce ($6), 16 Spice Poultry Rub ($7), Mesa Grill Steak Sauce
($10), and more. http://www.bobbyflay.com
The Chef: Todd
English
The Show: American Public Television’s Food Trip with Todd English
The Product: English’s strong bone structure and cooking
skills are helping move plenty of product on the Home
Shopping Network. Though he’s set to introduce his own line of earth-friendly
pots in late February, right now he’s putting his muscle behind GreenPan with Thermolon
Technology. $140 for a seven-piece set. kitchen-dining.hsn.com
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G O S H O P P I N G
Sole Power
It’s time to yield to your shoe obsession. (Or, at the
very least, to visit one of these unforgettable shoe salons to see what all the
fuss is about.)— Becca Hensley
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Just for Men: Bespoke Shoes Gentlemen, do you balk at all this Jimmy Choo
gibberish? Does the idea of a closet like Imelda Marcos’s, overflowing with
footwear, daze and confuse you? Is your only motivation for buying new shoes
the need that comes after your dog chews up your old ones? Well, we’ve got news
for you. While women might spend outrageous amounts of money on uncomfortable,
trendy shoes that probably won’t be in style next year, the few pairs you buy
can age like a great scotch, last forever (we repeat: forever), and be so
comfortable (you lucky devil) you’ll swear you’re wearing slippers. Why?
Because they’re made to measure — just for your feet, your build, and your body
weight. The shoes are handsewn, so you’ll pay a pretty penny for the privilege —
$1,200 and up — but aficionados say once you go bespoke, you’ll never go back
to the rack.
Best bets: Carréducker, www.carreducker.com
Anello and Davide, www.handmadeshoes.co.uk
Vogel, www.vogelboots.com Il Riccio di Rossi
Michele, www.ilriccio.it John Lobb Ltd., www.johnlobbltd.co.uk James Taylor and Sons, www.taylormadeshoes .co.uk |
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Botticelli Limited
Experience, Amsterdam Use plasma screens and a control panel to customize your own “trainers”
at this futuristic interactive flagship boutique for women, children, and men.
You can choose the color, material, and form, and then see your creation in
3-D. Leidsestraat 61, 011-31-20- 528960, www.botticellilimited.com
Otto Tootsi Plohound, New York City So many styles, so little time. Clubby, funky,
and immense, this store is the sort where nobody leaves with just one box. Cure
your craving with platform shoes, boots, kitten heels, bowling shoes, and Mary Janes.
Be sure to shop the store’s own label and save by scooping up deals during the
end-of-the-season sales. 137 Fifth
Avenue, (212) 460-8650
The Signet Bureau, Melbourne Swoon over the ornate, handcrafted, design-forward shoes of
Preston Zly. Mostly leather, and adorned with bits of straw, crystal, or metal,
these creations belie the mass-market, trendy approach to footwear. Made by
artists, the flawlessly cobbled shoes are unique and infinitely wearable. Try
the artsy Gertrude Street
location. 165 Gertrude Street,
011-9417-2176
Morgan Miller, Miami Beach Inspired by a childhood trip to Capri, where she bought
made-to-order sandals on the beach, Miller reinterprets her experience with
this Miami shoe
shop. A contemporary symphony in white, the salon is stimulation for inventive
production: Clients craft their own shoes, choosing the straps, a base, and an
accessory, and wait just 30 minutes for their personal masterpiece. The
Aventura Mall, 19757 Biscayne
Boulevard, (305) 932-3451, http://www.morganmillershoes.com
Stefi Talman, Zurich Like little sculptures for the feet, Talman’s Swissinfused designs
incorporate the tenets of architecture with contemporary styling and bright
colors. Made for women, the irresistible footwear, from ankle boots to pumps,
exudes elegance. Oberdorfstrasse 13, 011-41-44-252-81-10, www.stefitalman.ch
Bob Ellis Shoes, Charleston Looking for a Manolo Blahnik in size 3.5 AAAA? Then head to Bob
Ellis Shoes, the South’s most famous shoe hall and a Charleston landmark for over 50 years. It
specializes in hard-to-find sizes (from 3.5 to 12 and AAAA to B widths for
women, and from 6.5 to 15 for men) and is touted for its superior customer
service. 332 King Street,
(843) 722-2515, www.bobellisshoes.com
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S T A Y O N T
O P O F T H I N G S
Today’s Reminder: Get Organized
One
of the biggest problems in today’s high-tech world is how to streamline the way we keep notes and reminders. Many of us rotate
between sticky notes pasted to office walls and various online organization
programs, computer calendars, and so on. The result? We often end up forgetting
the things we wanted to remind ourselves about because everything is, quite
simply, scattered. Determined to put an end to the craziness, we decided to
test out some of the latest to-do and reminder services — and give the
old-fashioned, low-tech system of just a plain ol’ notebook another go — to
determine which method really is the best. — J.S.
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Product
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How It Works
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Success Rate
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Where to Get It
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Moleskine
Large Ruled
Notebook
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Write down reminders, keep book with you, and look at
it.
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It didn’t end our sticky-note dependence, but at least we
had a place to keep them all. Best part: A notebook doesn’t force you to
enter the information in a particular way — so we weren’t limited in what we
could use it for. But on the day we left the notebook at home … oy.
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Most stationery stores and bookstores, including Strand
Book Store (www.strandbooksaa.com).
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Jott
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Call the free service and leave yourself a reminder,
and it will automatically send you a text message and an e-mail.
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Pretty good. We still ended up adding the reminders to
our calendar or in our notebook, but when we were standing in the supermarket
remembering that we really, really had to pay a bill the next day, we were
glad the reminder was just a cell-phone call away.
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www.jott.com
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Gootodo
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E-mail your to-dos to the web-based service. It creates
a single to-do list that includes just the tasks for the day at hand, thus
reducing to-do clutter. Gootodo.com is part of a program that helps users
increase productivity and reduce “information anxiety.”
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We liked the idea of a pared-down to-do list, but it
felt a bit limiting. And while it could work for people who fight against
clutter, we (sadly) thrive on some clutter.
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Sign up for a free 30-day trial at www.gootodo com. After the free trial, the
service is $3 a month.
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Memo to
Me
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Enter to-dos and other things you need to be reminded
of into the web-based service. Then, when the time is right, it sends a reminder
to your e-mail or, if you upgrade to the platinum edition, to your pager or
mobile phone.
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We suppose it’s handy, but in the end we can’t see it replacing
our computer calendar, which also has a reminder service. And it’s web-based,
whereas with Jott you can call anytime, from anywhere — such as from the
supermarket when you remember that bill.
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www.memotome.com
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Final verdict: There
wasn’t any one product or service that met all our needs, so, in the end, we’re
going to keep on keeping on with a combo system — though we did manage to
whittle our system down to just three elements: a Moleskine notebook, Jott, and
the computer calendar. Not bad, if you ask us.
On
an extra-organized note:
If we really wanted to go overboard
(and we do, we do!), we’d add in the SmartShopper Voice-Activated Grocery List.
A test run proved fun (and helpful). Tell it what you need to buy, and when you’re
ready to shop, press print — out pops a list divided up by supermarket
department. Dandy. Why didn’t someone think of this earlier? $150. www.sharperimage.com
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J O I N T H E P A R T Y
So, New Year’s Eve Didn’t Live Up to Your Expectations?
Then consider celebrating again. Only this
time make it lunar-style. On February 7, the Chinese New Year begins, welcoming
the Year of the Rat. — B.H.
The Chinese New Year, Explained
Who celebrates? This is the most important holiday
in China
and among populations of Chinese people living elsewhere. Reunions are common,
and people take time off from work to prepare for the festivities.
How long does
the party last? Fifteen
days (though celebrations often begin before the official date), ending with a
lantern festival when the moon is brightest.
What to wear? Red. It symbolizes fire and is said
to have the power to expel bad luck. People write poems on red paper and give
children “lucky money” in red envelopes.
What to expect
from the Year of the Rat? This is a good year to socialize and to entertain — the rat
loves a pack. People who are firm about their goals and aspirations can expect
a fortuitous year. In spite of an unpredictable economic climate, the Year of
the Rat is an excellent time to start a business, to invest, or to buy
property.
What about
people born in the Year of the Rat? These lucky rodents are said to be charming, charismatic,
and practical. They tend to be leaders, conquerors, and pioneers. Famous ones:
Hugh Grant, Sean Penn, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
New York City Events begin early with the famous flower market in Columbus Park on Mulberry Street, where hundreds of flower
vendors sell fresh flowers for people to put in their homes (a Chinese New Year
tradition). Stop by restaurants such as the Golden Unicorn on East Broadway and
Catherine Street
for special menu offerings. www.explorechinatown.com
Sydney, Australia
More than 600,000 people
are expected to crowd the streets of Sydney
in honor of the Year of the Rat. The citywide celebration includes 40-plus
exhibitions, shows, and festivities. Don’t miss the Dragon Boat races in Darling Harbour on February 16 and 17. www.sydneychinesenewyear.com.au
Hong Kong The city explodes in a dazzling display of color and frenetic
energy all month long. Toast the holiday with a Nine Dragon cocktail in the
lobby of the InterContinental Hong Kong, and
scream along with all the other spectators as the multicolored dragon dances by
during the famous parade. Stay until the last day to be wowed by a fireworks
display. http://www.discoverhongkong.com
San Jose, California Eat your way through the Chinese New Year at Sino Restaurant &
Lounge, where chef Chris Yeo offers a monthlong select menu with a contemporary
interpretation of traditional dishes. In past years, guests have gobbled up
kabocha squash cappuccino and seared scallops with edamame and chile-cilantro
vinaigrette, among other delights. www.sinorestaurant.com
Honolulu Kick off the new year with an open house at the Chinese Chamber of
Commerce. Food vendors offer Chinese favorites including Jai (vegetarian monk’s
food), Gin Doi (a Chinese doughnut), Gau (New Year’s pudding), and Jook (rice
soup). Ethnic dance troupes, local musical groups, and martial artists provide
entertainment. www.chinatownhi.com
San Francisco Don’t miss the annual Lunar New Year parade (February 23), where
Miss Chinatown USA
and her attendants ride on elaborate floats amid costumed characters and a
201-foot golden dragon. True aficionados won’t want to miss the pageant
beforehand, which features contestants from across the United States. www.chineseparade.com
What animal are you?
It’s easy: Just find the year you were born on the list below; the
animal it corresponds to is your sign. (All you boars, you’ll notice we
just finished up your year.) Rat: 1900 1912 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 2020 Ox: 1901 1913 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009 2021 Tiger: 1902 1914 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 2022 Rabbit: 1903 1915 1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 2023 Dragon: 1904 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 2012 2024 Snake: 1905 1917 1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 2013 2025 Horse: 1906 1918 1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 2014 2026 Sheep: 1907 1919 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 2015 2027 Monkey: 1908 1920 1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016 2028 Rooster: 1909 1921 1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 2017 2029 Dog: 1910 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 2018 2030 Boar: 1911 1923 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 2019 2031
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