Top 10 List: Urban Apres-Ski, Rebecca’s ‘A Market,’ The Sneaker Veep!

As we get closer to the finish line (4 vaccines about to be approved, all 90% effective), I have to keep reminding myself that we’re still in the midst of a pandemic marathon, not a sprint! 

That said, I remain highly optimistic about 2021

Not only about a new cycle of growth and progress but I’m also picking up a more creative vibe and, at least in NYC, people are way more friendly and open and grateful than I’ve found in a long time.

Scroll down for this week’s Top 10 List.
1. Loving the trend to urban “apres-ski” dining!

Wayan kicked-off the urban apres-ski trend in NYC this week with an extraordinary Indo-Chalet prix-fixe dinner.

Rodrigo Padilla and I snagged a reservation for the inaugural seating. The food was amazing, the staff was fantastic and we were thrilled to be attended to personally by Chef Cedric Vongerichten (video below).

  • And a big shout out to my friend, Kathy Sattler, for reframing wintry, cold, outdoor dining as something fabulous if we only look at it thru the lens of ‘apres-ski’. It was indeed frigid this week but the Indo-Chalets were warm and cozy and since we had dressed “apres-ski appropriately,” it was a stellar night.
Two other nifty, wintry hotspots to check out if you’re in NYC:

i) City Winery’s Domes directly overlooking the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. My every-other-Friday lunch crew and I have a reservation here on December 18th.

ii) The Greens Cabins atop Pier 17 at the Seaport (see below), just opened for reservations. All 28 cabins are booked out through December.

  • I’m impressed that their cocktail program is by Dante (just recognized as one of the best bars in the world). The food menu also looks solid.
  • The cabins hold up to 8 people and offer spectacular views of the East River.
  • I’m waitlisted. Hopefully will be able to report back on this experience soon.
Dallas is on their a-game when it comes to Holiday-themed bars
  • Three temporary bars are opening November 23 including the wildly popular Miracle PopUp, which is hosted in more than 100 bars worldwide.
  • Miracle, which previously took place at HIDE in Deep Ellum (see pics above), is moving to a larger 5000-square-foot space featuring seasonally-themed rooms, including The Grinch, a Nightmare Before Christmas, and a room inspired by Holidays in New York City. (Source: Eater)
Wintry fast food gear (Source: KXAN)

Just in time for Christmas (and ugly sweater zoom parties), iconic Texas fast-food chain Whataburger has unveiled its holly jolly 2020 Christmas sweater.

Advent calendars are hot – especially the boozy ones.
  • Advent wine calendars are among Aldi’s most popular items. In 2019, they sold 500% more wine Advent calendars than they did in 2018. This year they’ve implemented a ticketing system to deal with the rush. (Source: CNN Business)
  • Walmart is selling a wine Advent calendar for the first time, priced at $69.98. Another first-time offering is a Crown Royal Whisky tasting calendar for $39.98.
  • Costco unveiled its wine calendar in September and it’s already sold out.

Wisconsin themed advent calendars, full of sweet and salty treats, are available with an optional private Zoom meeting with Santa Claus. The 24-day calendar is already sold out. (Source: TMJ4)

Austin retailer, Hearth & Soul (below), worked with Flatfork Studio to create their Antarctica wonderland windows that provide a penguin Advent calendar.

  • The store window features 25 penguins and an iceberg. Each day of Advent the store will offer a different giveaway. (Source: Austin360)
2. Meet the owner: REBECCA COLE, ‘A Market,’ NOMO HOTEL, SOHO

I’ve written about Rebecca Cole previously. I’m a huge fan of her work designing, installing, and maintaining gardens in hotels around NYC (most recently The Rockaway Hotel and as I found out this weekend, the NoMo on Crosby Street in Soho).

  • When Rebecca called to ask if I could join her for lunch at the NoMo to “see what she’s been up to,” I had no idea what a treat was in store for me.
  • Rebecca has branched out (pun intended) and opened a beautiful store/market filled with plants and gifts and home accessories.

The backstory:

  • The new GM took over the hotel just as restaurants were shutdown and only outdoor dining was allowed.
  • He asked Rebecca (who he knew from her work at the Soho James Hotel and the Dog Park at the Soho Grand) to work her magic on the hotel’s patio and the entryway tunnel (which has subsequently become a top spot for Instagrammers and influencers in NYC, pics below).
  • When interior dining was permitted again a few months later, Rebecca lushed up the atrium and lobby with massive tropicals.
  • It was during this installation that the collaboration of a market on the landing of the atrium restaurant was hatched.
  • And since the restaurant would be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner a self-checkout solution for the market was ideal.
  • Based on my visit this past Sunday, the hotel is one of the most lively places I’ve been to in NYC.
  • It attracts a young, international, and very stylish crowd.
  • I also noticed a constant stream of guests checking in/out of the hotel.
  • The restaurant was at full 25% capacity both in the atrium and lobby dining areas.
  • I will definitely be back. A really great vibe.
  • If you go, make sure you check out Rebecca’s store.
  • And remember, it’s self-checkout – you pay via QR code on your phone.
3. Pizza – and pasta – are crushing it (while salad-y Sweetgreen cuts its staff by 20%)

Prince St. Pizza of Nolita (pic below, bottom left) always has a line at least 20 deep. After testing several pop-ups in LA, they just opened a permanent location in West Hollywood. I don’t get why Prince St. is so popular. I find it mediocre at best but I’m clearly in the minority. When it comes to pizza, I’m a big fan of the pies Marc Forgione makes at Peasant.

But I do get that pizza (and pasta) have never been more popular:

  • Papa John’s reported an uptick of 24% in quarterly same-store sales. (Source: The Takeout)
  • Italian pasta exports also increased by 30% in the first six months of the year. Source: The Economist)
4. GALLERY JAUNTs are back

Galleries and museums are reopening around the country (except in CA). I am so grateful – seeing art in person lifts my spirits. The highlight this weekend has to be the Donald Judd show at Zwirner. It’s on a par with Marfa and way better than the Judd retrospective at MoMA.

Other must-sees:
Futura 2000 @ Eric Firestone Gallery, 40 Great Jones St.
Martin Puryear at Matthew Marks
5. More Drive-thru Experiences than you can shake a stick at!

All around the country, car-centric entertainment is front and center. Here are 5 events worth checking out.

i) Lexus hosts its first-ever Culinary Cinema Event: drive-in movies and gourmet food (Source: LACar)

Each night was sold out, attracting over 100 cars at $25 per person which included admission to the film along with a three-course meal inspired by the feature film being shown, a complimentary gift bag, and pre-movie trivia.

ii) Dallas Symphony takes shows on the road with its 16-foot mobile concert truck (Source: Dallas Culture Map)

Concert pianists Susan Zhang and Nick Luby founded The Concert Truck in 2016 as a mobile concert stage that could take classical chamber music directly to communities.

  • The truck won Most Original Idea in Social Enterprise in the 2018 Johns Hopkins University Business Plan Competition. 
iii) ‘Elf on the Shelf’ drive-thru experience in Pomona (Source: abc7)

The ‘Elf On A Shelf’ experience is an original story created by Emmy Award winner David Korins combined with original music by Emmy Award nominee Curtis Moore and lighting by Broadway’s David Weiner.

Based on videos I’ve seen on YouTube, Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey may need to be jazzed up. It’s a little hokey. Tickets start at $24.95. Nov 11, 2020 thru Jan 3, 2021.

iv) drive-thru dinosaur exhibit, Chandler,AZ (SOURCE: ALL ABOUT ARIZONA NEWS)

Arizona is the first stop for Dinosaur Drive-Thru, a traveling pop-up drive-thru attraction featuring 60 life-sized static and animatronic dinosaur statues. Opened November 11, runs thru Nov. 29.

  • Admission is $40-$80, per vehicle, up to eight people per car.
  • There are add-ons, such as a souvenir photo for $20 and a gift bag for an additional $35.
  • The entire experience lasts 30-45 minutes.
v) Night of Lights OC, winter wonderland drive-thru experience (Source: Average Socialite)

Starts December 3rd and runs thru January 3rd. Early Bird tickets are sold out.

The clearly defined mile-long course features:

  • Over one million lights
  • Themed holiday scenery and characters including Santa
  • Animated light shows and tunnels synchronized to music through a car radio or smartphone
  • Christmas tree lighting spectacular
  • Pre-ordered in-car holiday food treats including hot cocoa, Mom’s Bake Shoppe cookies, tamales, Holiday ‘Family 4 Pack’ meals.
6. NEW FAVORITE PODCAST: BAD FRIENDS WITH BOBBY LEE & ANDREW SANTINO

These guys are crazy funny. Their podcast is inappropriate in a million different ways. But their humor cracks me up. You’ll either love it or hate it – there’s no middle ground with these two. This recent episode (below) particularly tickled my funny bone. They routinely get over 350K viewers so I’m not alone in my love of these guys.

  • Bobby Lee is a Korean-American actor, comedian and podcaster, best known for being a cast member on MADtv and for his roles in the films Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and Pineapple Express.
  • Andrew Santino is an American stand-up comedian, actor and podcaster known for television series and films such as Sin City Saints, and I’m Dying Up Here. He got on my radar through Joe Rogan.
Dave Chappelle also just did a standup gig in Austin, TX. All 3 shows sold out in a nanosecond.
  • Tickets were $200 per person
  • Masks had to be worn at all times during the shows
  • Attendees were required to take a COVID-19 rapid test and anyone that tested positive was asked to leave and issued a refund.
  • And Chappelle did a drop-in on Joe Rogan’s podcast afterward.
7. New leases in Manhattan climb 33% as young renters return to the city (Source: CNBC)

Downtown is especially hopping. I can vouch for that – my neck of the woods is teeming with 20-to-30 somethings. I love it, it’s added a great new energy and vibe to the neighborhood. Hopefully, we won’t get shut down again before the end of the year.

8. KAMALA HARRIS, the sneaker veep, loves her chucks! And who can blame her?

As high-profile and influential as Kamala Harris is, she will undoubtedly inspire more women to go the sneaker route. Nothing signals empowerment or “woman on the move” more than a pair of cool sneakers. I predict this will become a major trend!!

  • As a sneaker wearer myself (VANS), I can absolutely see women start to seriously question why they’re still wearing boring pumps or teetering around in heels when they see the Veep move around so freely and youthfully in her Chucks.
9. #MULLETMONDAY (Source: Outsider)

Mullets continue to pop up on my radar. Most recently on Rihanna and Miley Cyrus (she has what’s called the “modern mullet”). But we have to credit Billy Ray Cyrus (and his longtime #MulletMonday posts) and most especially, Netflix’s “Tiger King” for giving the hairstyle its latest, and biggest, boost.

10. People are getting mega Creative when it comes to masking up!

I saw the butterfly-masked gent below at the MET this past week but he had nothing on NYC performance artist, Jonothon Lyons, who is sporting not only a rat mask but an entire rat outfit for the viewing delight of NYC subway riders. I wish I would have seen this in person. WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW – IT’S FABULOUS.

And that’s a wrap

Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Fingers crossed we don’t get shut down before Thursday. I don’t think the restaurants could handle being stuck with thousands of dollars of turkey fixings.

My priority this coming week is to research how to get on the vaccine priority list. Based on my age, I should be in Group 2 after the healthcare and frontline workers. Hopefully, Cuomo will come to his senses and allow the people of NY State to get the vaccine at the same time the rest of the country does. His hissy fit with Trump is absurd.

In the meantime, here’s to a good week everyone – stay safe, stay well. And a great Turkey Day to one and all!

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