Abbot Kinney Blvd.Photo credit: Alex Valli

April showers seem to have cleared the way for lots of May sunshine. Feeling a bit cabin-feverish from the rainy weather? Here are some finds to check out and get you out of the house this weekend:

Henri Bendel
New York City

The Skinny: This chic department store is fabulous for stylish travel accessories and hostess gifts (as well as fun baubles and clothing for ourselves to wear on said trip!). From brightly colored scarves for the chilly airplane cabin (you can be warm, comfy, and chic-looking even when flying for 14 hours) to adorably embroidered shoe and bikini bags (I love these and gave them as bridesmaids’ gifts too) to statement-making cocktail rings (I received one as a hostess gift and it’s one of my go-to jewelry pieces), Bendel’s will make these last minute errands a snap to take care of.

–Emily

Traveler’s Bookcase
Los Angeles, CA

The Skinny: This independent travel bookshop on Third Street is a traveler’s dream. It’s a great place to pick up not only a guidebook but also destination-themed travel literature from essay collections to poems for the plane ride. They also have a cool selection of worldly maps as well as essential accessories like luggage locks and passport holders (I’ve even
spied purple passport covers there!).

–Rachel L.

Urban Chic
Bethesda, MD

The Skinny: Urban Chic (various locations) is a great find for a collection of cute, unique and designer apparel and accessories. I like to stop into Urban Chic before trips to pick up my sister and friends makeup bags, jewelry and little knick knacks on display, as well as a few key outfits. The shop is located in Bethesda Row, among tons of great restaurant and shopping stops. The convenience of the location near downtown Bethesda and the metro turns this into a bi-weekly lunch-and-shopping trip with my old college roommate. I usually keep my eyes open for the sales at Urban Chic, as the prices can be a bit steep, but the consistent variety of great finds under one roof keeps bringing me back. If you visit the Bethesda location this week, they are featuring trunk shows with designers Rebecca Minkoff and Shoshanna through Saturday- this will include complimentary “runway ready” mini makeovers from 5 PM – 7 PM). And if you travel a few miles down Wisconsin Avenue to Georgetown in DC, Urban Chic’s M Street location will be hosting the Tina Turk Brunch with the popular food blog Bitches Who Brunch, from 11 AM – 2 PM. Don’t forget to mention Bitches Who Brunch for the special 5% discount Saturday!

–Shanen

Book World by Kinokuniya
Dubai Mall, Dubai, UAE

The Skinny: Here in Abu Dhabi, it can be surprisingly challenging to find that travel title I’m seeking. Sure, there are bookstores aplenty (many, such as Magrudy’s, will even order most books in print for you – but that takes time). But for a country with a population so obsessed with travel, the guidebook sections at Abu Dhabi bookstores can be surprisingly small. So usually before a trip, I find myself embarking on a pilgrimage to the “everything under one roof” Dubai Mall, where I spend hours browsing in Book World by Kinokuniya. This Japan export’s Dubai Mall branch is enormous (68,000 square feet!), and features rows and rows (and rows and rows) of books in six different languages; here I grab my travel guides, plane reads, and usually an additional something completely unexpected. While of course my first port of call is The Purple Passport’s Kindle Library, we haven’t been everywhere in the world (yet) so Kinokuniya helps me fill the gaps in my travel collection and prepare me for that vacation! (There’s one conveniently located in NYC’s Rockefeller Center as well, for those in the Big Apple!)

–Jenn

The Vermont Butcher Block & Board Company
Burlington, VT

The Skinny: Before visiting friends and family, The Vermont Butcher Block & Board Company is my number one stop for host and hostess gifts with local flair. They carry everything Vermont—from classy to kitsch, including handmade cutting boards and utensils, wine, candles, maple syrup (as well as maple-flavored vinaigrette and mixed seasonings,) alongside tie-dyed tee-shirts and moose-themed shot glasses. While the cutting boards can be a bit pricey, other most other products (like the local wine) can run for less than $25. Plus, The Vermont Butcher Block & Board Company is located right next to Lake Champlain Chocolates on Church Street—just in case I need to load up on first class sweets for the plane ride!

–Rachel S.

One of the ways it does so is by allowing non-members with a reservation to take part in the fun, too.  We took them up on the offer, making one for 9:00 pm on a Tuesday — not our first choice, but the best we could do within M & H’s restrictions.  Non-member reservations must be made for times before 11:00pm, and in practice they’re limited to the early part of the week.  Fair enough.

We weren’t surprised to arrive at the address to find an unmarked door, in keeping with the spirit of a prohibition-era speakeasy and useful for weeding out random walk-ins. Once inside, we encountered a relaxed vibe and fittingly moody décor: dark chocolate leather sofas to lounge on, low lights, and candles aplenty.  Though there are bars on three floors, non-members are only allowed into the main bar known, unsurprisingly, as The Ground Floor.  The upstairs Red Room (purportedly serving such luxuries as handcut wedges of ice) and The Basement Bar (allegedly housing “The Cave” for ultimate privacy) were both off limits.  Boo.

Luckily, though our bar choices were few, the drinking pleasures were many.  Milk & Honey bartenders won’t mix any juices they haven’t made themselves on site that very afternoon, so the cocktails incorporating freshly squeezed lemons, limes, oranges, and apples are head-spinningly flavorful (though if you’ve got your heart set on, say, a vodka cranberry, you’re out of luck — that’s one of the juices they don’t squeeze).  Food is mostly just around to complement these stellar drinks, but we found it to be good quality in its own right.  The menu breaks down into “Fancy Snacks” like scallops and salt marsh lamb chops and “Saloon Food” like sausages and french fries.

Egalitarianism aside, this is definitely a playground for the sleek and chic.  There are quaint house rules (e.g. “Gentlemen will not introduce themselves to ladies,” “No name-dropping,” and “No hooting or hollering”), which generally support an air of sophistication, but mostly seem in place for the sake of irony.  Breaking the rules hasn’t been this tempting at least since junior high!

Read more about Milk & Honey in Our London Guide

Milk & Honey
61 Poland Street
Soho, London
(44) 020-7065-6840
Website
Map

Click here for our full-form mobile travel guide, The Purple Passport to London

Rachel Levin contributed to this post

Photo courtesy of sgmerle on Flickr

LOS ANGELES, USA- Maybe you forgot Mother’s Day (oops!). Or maybe there is someone special that you want to treat to a night of modern luxury, Beverly Hills style.

Your solution:

Unitl May 31, 2012, Thompson Beverly Hills is offering a King Suite ($399) or King Premium Room ($309), VIP welcome amenity, and….a complimentary daytime pool cabana (!!) at their rooftop pool. They say it’s a Mother’s Day special, but who says that only moms deserve to be treated?!

Here is what we say about Thompson Beverly Hills in our Los Angeles Guide:

“Sexy, glam boutique. All black leather, glossy paneling, and edgy chrome, this is a hot rod of a hotel, and scenesters love it. Rooms feature interesting decor–some have quirky features like mirrors creeping from the wall onto the ceiling. Bathrooms can be small, but linens by Sferra and bath products by Kiehl’s up the luxury factor. The rooftop pool is ultra trendy with the under-30 set, so make sure you have your elbows out if you want a sun lounger (more). “

As an added bonus, note that by night, hotel guests get exclusive access to the otherwise members only poolside lounge, ABH, where they can rub elbows with “pretty (and pretty famous) young things luxuriating in private cabanas while sipping lavish cocktails beside the Swarovski-encrusted pool (more).”

And if you can stand to tear yourself away from all this scene-y bliss, be sure to hit the shops of Rodeo Drive and browse at Barneys, grab lunch with “the industry” movers and shakers on the patio at Spago (or try those garlic noodles at Crustacean instead), and come dinnertime, satisfy that carnivorous side with a perfect steak at the famous Mastro’s, all within walking distance of The Thompson.

Book the deal with Thompson Beverly Hills directly, here.

The Thompson Beverly Hills
9360 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA
(1) 310-273-1400
Website
Map

Click here for our full-form mobile travel guide, The Purple Passport to Los Angeles

Subscribe to Diary of The Purple Passport » Deals by Email (Note: by clicking here, you will only be subscribing to the Tempting Tuesdays distribution. If you want to receive all Diary entries, enter your email address on the top of our homepage.)

Photo courtesy of Long Bar

LONDON, UK – The backs of the mod Phillipe Starck bar stools at Long Bar in the Sanderson are adorned with images of shadowed eyes — a quirky continuation of the “see and be seen” theme that runs throughout the hotel.  In the guest rooms, glass walls and sheer white curtains separate the bathroom from the bedroom, leaving little space to hide.  You have to be comfortable (really comfortable) with your companion to stay here.

At the light, white, airy Long Bar, a mix of A-list (or wanna be A-list) locals and tourists willingly put themselves on display:  party types, hotel residents, hip young Londoners, and business suits treating their “secretaries” to an evening cocktail.  Really, in the age of Facebook and YouTube, who needs privacy?

I have to say I’m not averse to indulging in the eye candy here on occasion.  The sprawling 80-foot-long, glowing onyx bar really is a sight to see.  It’s hard to imagine all that extensive space could get filled, but on weekend nights and during happy hour, it can get excessively crowded, loud, and hard to get a drink.  In such instances, I prefer to escape to the outside terrace, which offers soothing running water amid a garden of plants.  During summer, however, the crowds spill out here, too.

Cocktails, like the crowds, change seasonally and are first rate.  You might refresh with a Citron Martini (Belvedere citrus vodka stirred with limoncello, elderflower cordial and lemon zest) during April showers or warm up with a Nut Cracker (Four Roses Bourbon stirred with fresh rhubarb, toffee and nuts cordial and apple juice) in the chill of winter.  There’s a yummy bar menu, too, featuring burgers as well as charcuterie and mezze sharing plates.

Though the spirit is “see and be seen,” this isn’t a formal scene.  A cute top and designer jeans seems to be the uniform.  On the other hand, it’s a bit of a fickle scene: for some the bar is an end in itself, but more often than not it’s merely the starting point for an evening of bar-hopping in nearby Soho.  Enchanting though it may be, Long Bar is never as long as the night itself.

Read more about Long Bar in our London Guide

Long Bar
50 Berners St.
Fitzrovia, London, UK
(44) 020-7300-5587
Website
Map

Click here for our full-form mobile travel guide, The Purple Passport to London

Rachel Levin contributed to this post

The carefully curated selection of venues runs the gamut from regal hotels swathed in Toile du Jouy to funky inns tucked away on narrow medieval streets; from chandeliered haute cuisine hot spots to tried-and-true neighborhood bistros; from classic couture flagships to edgy, hipster-approved boutiques; from world class exhibitions of antiquities and Old Masters to genre-bending modern art; and from gilded drinking salons where the upper crust sip with decorum to hopping boîtes where the model set preen and party. Organized by neighborhood for easy navigation, The Purple Passport to Paris also includes helpful maps and city-orienting info about transportation, customs, and seasonal highlights.

For a bit of Paris travel inspiration, see our 45 second video here:

Also, see our other Kindle books here: The Purple Passport to London, The Purple Passport to Los Angeles, and The Purple Passport to Palm Beach. Be sure to sign-up for our monthly newsletter in the upper right corner of our homepage to learn when new titles launch for your Kindle or Kindle App.

Eau Spa at The Ritz Carlton Palm Beach

Mother’s Day is right around the corner- have you made plans with Mom yet? If you missed Danielle’s post earlier this week, Tempting Tuesday: A Sunny Brunch with Mom, you can catch up on some of our favorite brunch picks around the LA-area, for some West Coast Mother’s Day brunch inspiration.

BLD
Los Angeles, CA

The Skinny: BLD stands for “Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner”–in other words, three square meals a day. But if you dine at this neighborhood New American comfort food spot at the brunch hour (the breakfast menu is served daily until 3:00pm), chances are that’s the only meal you’ll need all day long! The egg dishes are to die for, from wild mushroom frittatas to braised pork benedicts, but a good number of the folks who pack in on weekends opt for the sweet main attraction: ricotta blueberry pancakes.

— Rachel

Tré
New York, NY

The Skinny: Being that brunch is my favorite meal of the week, I love how it’s also such a big thing in New York City. The options are seemingly endless and, a lot of times, I choose a spot for its coffee, its cuisine, and/or its convenience. But Tré has it all; plus affordability and charm. This tiny Lower East Side venue serves a $19.95 3-hour brunch complete with unlimited champagne, mimosas and belinis alongside one of their tasty Italian-inspired plates. My favorite is the fritatta you see above prepared with broccoli rabe, Parmigiano, and sausage.

— Danielle

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr Hotel
Abu Dhabi

The Skinny: Here in the United Arab Emirates, the big weekly brunch day is Friday, not Sunday. In fact, our weekend is celebrated on Friday and Saturday, since Friday is the day of religious observance and prayer. Abu Dhabi’s blow out Friday brunch is hosted by The Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, where the hotel’s various restaurants (think international restaurant CuiScene and Italian favorite Frankie’s) open up for an enormous buffet feast. The meal doesn’t come cheap, though, at 249 AED (67 USD) for a bubbly free meal, 299 AED (81 USD) for a buffet with bubbly, and 498 AED (138 USD) for those who opt for the French bubbly option. I, however, would forgo all of the fanfare and opt to dine on a different morning (Sunday, perhaps?); CuiScene offers a full (and I mean full) breakfast buffet on Saturday through Thursday from 6:30am to 10:30am for about 25 USD. And the restaurant features a lovely terrace to boot. Luxury for less.

— Jenn

Café Deluxe
Washington DC

The Skinny: With a lack of quality food options on Wisconsin Ave. between the National Cathedral and Tenleytown, Café Deluxe has established itself as a consistently good place to grab any meal of the day. Their weekend brunch options are more classic American brunch fare than Cactus Cantina next door. They include staples like pancakes, omelettes, Crab Benedict and bagels on the menu, always enhanced by their well-concocted Bloody Marys and mimosas. Be prepared for a little bit of a wait during brunch, as it’s a popular neighborhood spot for locals and families to do their weekend alfresco dining. I should note that brunch is not the only meal I’ve enjoyed at this cafe- their lunch and dinner options offers something for everyone’s taste and includes favorite comfort foods like meatloaf, gruyere mac & cheese and chicken pot pie. A final tip: No reservations are accepted here, so if you’re planning to stop by for weekend brunch on Mother’s Day, the restaurant will be opening early at 9 AM, so get there early to beat the crowds!

— Shanen

Norma’s
Le Parker Meridien, New York

The Skinny: One of the most famous brunches in New York, Norma’s is really quite delicious. I love coming here on non-weekend days (the weekend wait can be brutal if you eat during peak hours), but even on the weekends, it is still pretty amazing. Chocolate hazlenut crepes with fruit, flat-as-a-pancake crabcakes, lobster and asparagus omelettes, the list goes on! Trust me, take your mom here (if not on Mother’s day itself, then for a belated Mother’s day to avoid the inevitable wait), and she will know you really appreciate her!

— Emily

Photo of Jean Georges

NEW YORK, USA- As the weather heats up here in Abu Dhabi (we’re already at above 110F on May 9!), I can’t help but start the countdown to my August trip to New York City. Even though New York will be hot and sticky then too, it’ll be considerably cooler than Abu Dhabi. And though I love the Lebanese and Indian restaurants that are my staple here, I can’t wait to break out of the current rut and eat at some of my favorite restaurants in New York.

My excitement and anticipation only intensified this week as I put together our Foursquare list of almost 200 top New York City restaurants, all of which have been tested and enthusiastically approved by a member of our team. One might say this is the ultimate list of the very best New York City eating establishments. Do you agree?

Of course, I love the classics (not much beats the sophisticated prix fixe lunch at Jean Georges), but I also look forward to indulging in inventive bites like the Japanese fried chicken and fresh homemade tofu at EN Japanese Brasserie and the stool-top tapas with a Batali twist at Casa Mono. My carnivorous cravings will be satisfied with the Shake Shack burger or, better yet, a big Peter Luger steak served “black and blue.” For dessert, I’ll go with my old standby favorite, the banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery.

For a few more months, I will have to “settle” for shawarmas, chicken tikka, and the like (it’s not really settling, as the Lebanese and Indan food in Abu Dhabi is fantastic), but I will be looking longingly at that Foursquare list to help me plan my stateside eating adventures. In other words, I can’t wait to cool down and chow down!