Happy New Year.
Every January I sit and list my goals for the year, personal and career wise. It is interesting to look back and see where we stand today comparing to what we wrote two years ago, and if you make sure to review the goals every few weeks it will keep you on track or at least you can follow the way you look at things differently. I wish us all to reach our goals for 2009 with love and joy.
I spent the holidays and celebrated the new year in Rio, Brazil. Here are some of my Rio highlights and some resources for you or your friends if you go visit, and you should:
www.accomodationinrio.net-we rented a beautiful apartment just off the luxury shopping st. in Ipanema, we found the apartment through the above agency, which was reliable and guided us with other elements of our vacation as well:
Ipanema is a beautiful, safe area, and that is where I would reccomend to stay in Rio.
Da Silva Buffet
348 Rua barao Da Torre, Ipanema, Rio
The live in house keeper that came with the apartment took us on our first day to experience this local buffet, which became our favorite lunch spot. You only pay for what you choose to eat, based on the plate weight, and the selection includes Brazilian dishes of rice, sea food and meat as well as fantastic desserts. My favorites were the roasted beef, rice with sausage and the guyava, coconut flan.
Polis Sucus
On the corner of Rua Visconde De Piraja and Rua Maria Quiteria
Every day in the morning and after the beach, I picked up a fresh fruit shake and sandwich. My favorites were: Conji and peach juice and the grilled pineapple and steak sandwich.
Other food and beverage highlight:
-The caipirinhas-if on the beach or in a restaurant, the selection of fresh fruit you can have it made with it is great. Try one with the cashew fruit (not the nuts, but the fruit it sits on) which tastes like nothing you ever tasted.
-Alessandro and Frederico
www.alessandroefrederico.com.br
On Rua Garcia D'avila, two locations one a cafe and the other is a wood burning oven pizza, Great local and Italian food with Brazilian influences, the place attracts local elegant crowd.
Bazzar
538 Rua Barao da Torre
Beautifully designed restaurant with contemporary dishes using local ingredients.
The food is great and beautifully served.
Koni-A chain of fast food serving hand roll cones (Sushi) with salmon or tuna, easy, breezy and delish. try the dessert which is a chocolate mousse served in a waffle cone with passion fruit in the bottom-Yum! One location you can find in Rua Maria Quiteira across from the Paz park in Ipanema.
site seeing:
When in Rio, hire a driver, we had Jorge Silvestre who speaks perfect English which is rare, Jorge is reliable and knows how to locate the right people to help you avoid very long lines. Jorge will also pick you up from and to the airport.
silvestreny@hotmail.com
The Corcovado (Jesus statue)-even if not for religious reason, worth seeing for the views, just then you will have an understanding of the magnitude of Rio.
Sugar Loaf-breathtaking views
The museum of Niteroi-You can take the ferry across the river or use a driver to take you there and to the fortress (don't remember the name, ask when in the Museum). The museum was designed by Niemeyer, great architecture and views of Rio from another perspective.
The botanical gardens
Santa Tereza-The ruinz park
Metropolitan cathedral.
Shopping:
I feel like you can't come back from Rio without new Brazilian cut bathing suits and havayanas flip flops. bathing suits I bought at Blueman (www.blueman.com.br) which has great selection, however, Reserva (www.usereserva.com)with a smaller selection for men only, had very stylish ones that I liked.
The Havayana shop was on 76 Farme de Amoedo, which is also the "gay" street, a very small shop with a large selection, you can even bedazzle or accessorize your flip flops.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Happy New Year and My Rio, Brazil
Sunday, December 21, 2008
The media wants to become relevant using our fear
I am in Miami now, on my way to Rio, Brazil for a vacation. I was watching the news and talking to a friend in New York. The reporter was talking about the blizzard in New York and so I asked my friend if it is that bad and she replied-No. In the past few weeks, I've been asking myself, how much of this economic crisis is Media made? How much of this hype is created because the newspapers and TV news need to be relevant and play on our fears while selling ad space. It reminds me of one of those Hollywood movies where a made up war is directed by a Hollywood director that was hired by the government.
I wish us all a wonderful 09 with improved global economy, better consciousness and awareness and a lot of great laughs. Amen.
Let's go back a month. I was in Miami for Art Basel, This is my third Art Basel and I think the one I enjoyed the most. The highlights:
Design Miami in the Design district- a show presenting different brands and designers Swarovski,Zaha Hadid, Audi, etc. The venue, was beautifully designed and created for this purpose and will travel for other exhibits.
Naomi Campbell's photo exhibit-the producers created an outdoor area, under a bridge in the design district. The exhibit walls were covered with moss, and the constructed wood floor was cut to accommodate a fish pond-quite the investment and a nice touch.
The Mondrian Hotel-designed by Marcel Wonders, the ground floor is like a design Alice in Wonderland, gold bell chandeliers, bars covered with a lit installation of shower curtains, cabanas made of xxl scale arches of artificial hedges (30 feet high or something like that) even a vending machine featuring Jean Paul Gaultier designs, gold hand cuffs and designer mints. Marilyn Manson was there for dinner and the bar scene was hot.
The convention center-Although not so packed, I think the right crowd was there without the filler crowd. I connected with the selection of art much more than I did in past years. The VIP lounges were very invested, The Ruinart table chandelier was wonderful and the Zaha Hadid "light fixture" is beautiful, I want one for my apartment! (I think they quoted me above hundred thousand euro. not this year.
During Art Basel, My company, Shiraz, catered parties for Holly Hunt (celebrating 25 years in business), a dinner party for Audi on a yacht, a boutique re opening for Louis Vuitton in Boca Raton, and more (15 in total), in New we produced an editor event for I can't believe its not butter (decorated with muffin topieries made our of the product), holidays parties for Apollo Real Estate and
Givaudan and many more, here are some of those images:
Sunday, November 23, 2008
A quickie in Dallas-Ft. Worth and the newly renovated Fountainebleau hotel
I travelled to Dallas for a quick visit and got to enjoy a very interesting restaurant in Ft. Worth, which is about 35 minuted drive from Dallas. The area in Ft. Worth is called the Stock Yards and the restaurant is called the Lonesome Dove. The restaurant's interiors look like an old western saloon and some of the guests were wearing big cowboy hats, yeehah! The chef, Tim Love, apparently won an Iron chef match and the food was great.
www.lonsomedovebistro.com
For gay outing, the Round Up, which is a gay bar/club was highly entertaining, I had such a smile on my face the whole time and even learned how to "Two step" by a handsome cowboy. Again, looks like a western saloon, starts with country music and goes down and dirty with current music.
www.roundupsaloon.com
And last for that trip was White Rock Park, where in a perfect fall afternoon was my dream location for a quiet charming read. It is right by Lakewood in Dallas and worth the trip.
I'm enjoying Karim Rashid's book: design yourself (published by Harpers Collins) Besides being a fan of his work, Karim's philosophy is inspiring and already helped me in finding design solutions with a project I'm working on. The book is styled in an unconventional way that makes it prefect for New York ADDies.
I'm in Miami, working on Art Basel events. I'm going to spend ten days and go back to New York 
after Art Basel. Last night, I went to see the newly renovated Fountain Bleau Hotel and its gorgeous new interiors and pool side areas, as well as the stunning new club, LIV. The crowd was beautiful, the girls were floating down the steps in stunning gowns but then getting my car, when leaving, from the valet took 30 minuted, oh well.
Restoration Hardware have great down feather slippers, which they call foot duvet. For home, great as self indulgence after a long day at work. The slippers are $20 and come in different earthy tones.Thse foot duvets can be a great holiday gift.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Fall theater, Stacy London and some new product I discovered
I am very pleased with the election results and was very not pleased with the results of proposition 8. It is inevitable that as in many other countries around the world, the United States will recognize gay marriages. All the funds that are channeled to support this cause or fighting against it could have been so useful in so many other ways in this challenged economy and perhaps the Mormon Church should consider using them to aid their supporters rather than fighting this so vigorously.
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And to more cheerful subjects, My friend Mario Burrel visited from L.A, Mario used to be a member of the cast on Rent and enjoys theater much. Together we went to see Billy Elliott. The show is fantastic, great music, choreography, set, and cast. This show is a must see
In the beginning of this month I was involved in two events: a dinner party for 120 guests for an organization called outstanding in the field. This organization produces dinner parties around the world and bringing in local farmers and local produce together with local star chefs creates a net work to support local produce businesses. The dinner party took place in 620 loft and garden with notable guest like star chef Mario Batali and Tom Collichio, the event was sponsored by Absolut.
The second event was a holiday gift fair, an event to present new holiday gift options to editors. The event was hosted by Stacy London and featured some great items like scent diffusers by Enfusia, a car that drives on your wall by F.A.O.Schwarz and many more.
Need Brunch Location?
By walking around looking for a place to have brunch a few weekends ago, I found a charming spot, called Lunetta, the dishes are well thought of to the details, the outcome is delish and the atmosphere is very nice.
Lunetta
920 Broadway
New York, NY 10010
Digg! src="http://digg.com/img/badges/100x20-digg-button.gif" width=100>
Sunday, November 2, 2008
How I love Halloween and getting ready for election night
Dressing up for Halloween and hanging out with my friends, the experiences, the laughs, the pictures, it all makes me feel so fortunate about my life. The experience makes me appreciate my freedom, my ability to live life as I want it, at every moment. I started dressing in costume with my friends Marc and Michael three years ago, we were naughty school girls, then geisha and now disco divas. This Halloween started with the getting ready in my office with MAC Pro make up artists making us look pretty, then dinner at Elmo (http://www.elmorestaurant.com/), a subway ride to a private party on Central Park West (we couldn't find the Limo, really) and a limo ride with a major stop and photo shoot in Times Square. Highly reccomended, mucho liberating.
I'm very excited and also nervous about the election on Tuesday. I believe that Obama has the awareness and ability to change things in this country, which is much needed. A lot of my friends are having Election night parties. Here is my suggetions for Tuesday:
Hill Country - A Texas barbecue and live music restaurant, the enviromet is designed to look like a western barbecue joint and the food is authentic. fun experience!
36 hours in Toronto-I went to visit my friend Peter Fentum in Toronto for a short weekend. The flight takes 55 minutes and while landing you can see the city's skyline. Toronto is quite a charming city, very different areas, very clean and handsome. I recommend to take the ferry to Toronto Island which is a park on an island across from the city. The ferry ride allows you to see the city's skyline, the island has a very pretty small beach on the lake.
Recent music I listen to includes the British singers Adele and Duffy. Adele's debut album "19" is sexy and romantic and features the hit "Chasing Pavements". Duffy's "Rockferry" is romantic as well, reminds me a bit of Dusty Springfield and the 60's era and is great for having as background music when entertaining.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
We are all aware of the dismal economic situation. One truly cannot avoid the headlines. One way I read into all this is the call to slow down. I feel like the universe is calling us to re-evaluate our priorities, and to remember what’s real and important in this life. My friend who works for Martha Stewart told me that in these hard times Americans tend to get back to basics and spend time at home, cooking, with the family. As an optimistic and spiritual person, I find this process to have, in the end, a positive effect: slowing down will allow us to have the capacity to be more aware, in all the major areas of our lives.
At a time of reflection and atonment in the world, we also find ourselves at that very special and holy time in the Jew calendar, Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the day of atonement, and the holiest of the Jewish Holidays.The traditions calls for praying, & begging for forgiveness for our actions, while fasting for 24 hours. The holiday starts the eve of Yom Kippur (this Wednesday) with a meal (Hello, "Jewish" everything starts and ends with food) and ends the evening with a meal when we break the fast after sunset on Thursday. In Hebrew, people greet you with Gmar Chatima Tova, which means may you be written in the book of good, however, you can always wish your friends an easy fast or a good holiday.
ART:
I spent my Saturday afternoon walking through the Chelsea Galleries and was able to view and appreciate the following exhibitions:
Vik Muniz at Sikkema Jenkins on West 22nd Street: While I am a big fan of Mr. Muniz work, and I get the ingenuity of perfectly replicating the back of master paintings, I must admit I was not taken by the show (http://www.sikkemajenkinsco.com).
David Lachapelle at Tony Shafrazi Gallery on West 26th Street: Not a disappointment, but I didn't experience the same excitement I had with David's last show. It is a great visual experience as always (http://www.tonyshafrazigallery.com).
Robert Morris at Sonnabend, West 22nd Street: This is one on my "must stop by" galleries. Morris’ show titled “Twilights Mirrors Meteorites" as well as others on exhibition are visually intriguing (http://www.artnet.com).
FALL SHOPING:
A very talented stylist once told me that he gets all of his cashmere at J.Crew, and so I followed his advice and went to explore the cashmere sweaters and knits at J.Crew. The selection was great, with fashion forward colors, and great pricing for the quality.
RESTAURANTS:
My friend Rob Warner introduced me to this charming upscale Mexican restaurant in Chelsea. It is called Crema and is located at 111 West 17th Street between 6th and 7th Ave. The food was great and it was accompanied with very attentive service. There are three dishes that I tried and would recommend (Yes, call me fatso, or in Spanish, gordo!): Bean and cheese casserole (First course), fish empanadas, and carne asada tacos. The tacos and the casserole were fantastic.
CLUBS:
I went out dancing with my friends on Saturday at Mr. Black. The new location at 27 West 24Th (between 5th-6th Ave) reminds me of the old New York, 10 years ago when I moved to the city. The party was fun, crowed and complete with great music. I definitely recommend it!
UPCOMING:
This coming weekend starts the New York Food and Wine Festival. Imported from Miami, and produced by Southern Wine and Spirits’ Lee Schrager, this event should be very interesting for food geeks like me. They will be hosting events like “Chelsea Market After Dark Hosted by Food Networks own Bobby Flay”, “Wine and Dine NYC”, “Times Talks Featuring Alice Waters and Gerry Marzorati, A New Talk: Food”, “Meatpacking Uncorked” and much, much more! (http://www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com)
Go out there or stay in, and enjoy every moment of this precious life and the people you share it with!
Love,
Shai
Monday, September 22, 2008
Autumn is here. The weather is changing. Here are a few recommendations to keep your Fall filled with fun and excitement.
Enjoy,
Shai
Stop by the LA CARMINA Gothic Lolita Fashion Exhibit at F.I.T. – good for Halloween ideas!!
http://fitnyc.edu/aspx/Content.aspx?menu=FutureGlobal:Museum:Exhibitions
One time only, on Monday September 29th stop by Bryant Park to experience the sound of Brazilian American pianist Luis Simas. An eclectic performer, Simas displays his Brazilian influence in the American jazz, ragtime, and stride genres.
Fall can be the best time to venture out to the Hamptons when it is not so busy and the weather is very crisp. In doing so stop by Maison 24, a new design store in Bridgehampton. The boutique includes a mix fashion, furniture, art, jewelry, home décor items making an impact on their clientele introducing them to their perfectly chosen selection of products. http://www.maison24.com/
White Patchouli, which mixes the latter with various white florals and is in stores this September exclusively at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth.
Prada’s Infusion d’omme is a men’s fragrance with a subtle scent perfect for the contemporary man. The many notes of this fragrance include neroli from Tunisia, iris palida, vetiver, cedar, and incense.
I hope as you enter into a beautiful fall season that you enjoy the sights, scents, and sounds in our fine city.
Love,
Shai
Shai Terner, Shiraz Florida - AOL VideoShai Terner, Shiraz Florida Video on AOL Video - DayBreak visits the X-Games and speaks with Shai Terner, President of Shiraz Florida.
