Fittingly, when the more than $1 billion transformation of O’Hare’s Terminal 5 was announced, a $3.5 million public art plan was at the heart of it. Complete with new large-scale commissions by artists such as Nelly Agassi, Jonathan Michael Castillo, Assaf Evron, Krista Franklin, Wills Glasspiegel and The Era Footwork Crew, Jenny Kendler, Mayumi Lake, Yvette Mayorga, Cecil McDonald Jr., Ebony G. Patterson, Faheem Majeed, Huong Ngo, Chris Pappan, Cheryl Pope, Edra Soto, Leonard Suryajaya, Selina Trepp, Jina Valentine, and Bernard Williams, the installation, which represents the largest single acquisition of works by Chicago artists by the city in the last 30 years, highlights the breadth and diversity of Chicago artists and creative professionals while simultaneously providing international visitors a visually arresting and welcoming first impression of what the city of Chicago has to offer. 

In keeping with the artistic spirit of the reimagined space, Delta, which relocated its services to Terminal 5 and made a $50 million investment in its new home, followed the brief and made The Gallery at ORD featuring large-scale neon art, sculpture and large-scale mixed media works featuring local Chicago artists curated through Delta Sky Club’s art program an integral part of its premium new digs. 

In addition to the gallery, the new and improve, state-of-the-art Terminal 5 boasts a dazzling new 22,000-plus-square-foot Delta Sky Club which right of the gate joins the ranks of the largest clubs in Delta’s network alongside clubs at New York’s LaGuardia and Los Angeles’ LAX airports, as well as the airline’s only international Club at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.   

At four times the size of the previous Club in Terminal 2, the sleek new lounge space seats nearly 400 guests and offers sumptuous new perks including expanded food and beverage offerings served from two buffets, including charcuterie, seasonal salads, freshly made sandwiches, hot entrees and vegetarian selections; a full-service bar serving Delta Sky Club’s standard selection of wine, beer, and premium liquors and cocktails; and a wine bar – the only one of its kind in the Delta lounge network – featuring an overhead rack holding premium whites and reds.   

Additional amenities include four premium showers, privacy sound booths for quiet work and a family room for nursing mothers. 

Beauty plus function. Has there ever been a more perfect marriage? 

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The son of Ghanaian immigrants, Abloh, by all accounts never set out to be a pioneer. But, then again, few pioneers do. In fact, from time of his birth in Rockford, Illinois in 1980 through his completion of a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison followed by a master’s degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Abloh’s life appeared set on what can best be described as a more traditional trajectory. That is, until he met fellow Chicago-native Kanye West while completing his master’s degree in the early aughts. By 2002, thanks to reportedly skipping his final critique at the Illinois Institute of Technology in order to meet with Kanye’s business manager, West had named Abloh his creative director and so began the meteoric ascent of the man who would help turn luxury fashion on its ear. 

The creative collaboration between West and Abloh turned out to be a boon for the careers of both men. As West’s now multi-billion-dollar brand began to blossom so did Abloh’s forays into fashion and DJing. Abloh launched his first brand, Pyrex Vision, and honed his artistic vision with various projects including the launch of a retail space gallery. However, it was a notorious round of gate-crashing at the 2009 Paris Fashion Week shows, followed by Abloh joining West for an internship at the Fendi headquarters in Rome, where he first captured the attention of Louis Vuitton CEO, Michael Burke, which would set in motion a most portentous series of events for the young creative. In 2010, on the heels of their Italian internship, Virgil became the creative director of Kanye’s creative agency, DONDA, where, among a multitude of other projects, he designed some of Ye’s  most memorable album covers, along the way scoring a Grammy nomination for his work as the art director behind the album Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye. 

In 2014, Abloh debuted his Off-White collection in a revolutionary show that negotiated a harmonious marriage between streetwear and luxury fashion that shook the fashion world and won rave reviews. And by 2015, Off-White was nominated for the prestigious LVMH Prize. When Louis Vuitton found itself in need of an Artistic Director for its menswear collection in 2018, they turned to the man who had captivated their CEO during his internship at Fendi nearly a decade before and in one of the most buzzed about fashion events of the decade, Virgil Abloh became one of only two Black designers to land a leading design role at a Paris fashion house. That same year Abloh was named one of Time Magazine‘s 100 Most Influential People, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presented Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech, the first museum exhibition devoted to Abloh’s work in 2019. 

Only months before his death on November 28, 2021, LVMH acquired a majority stake in Off-White and named Abloh an executive consultant with responsibilities across the LVMH group. It was yet another monumental step forward for the Chicago native who had forged such a bold and innovative path to the highest reaches fashion. The world will never know what Abloh might have achieved or how he might have contributed to the evolution of fashion. But what we do know is that his work and his example will live on as a shining beacon of possibility and inspiration for all that come behind him. 

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London 

Strictly by the numbers, London is arguably Europe’s art capital. With a total of more than 330 art events throughout the year, 300+ art galleries and an auction turnover of nearly $2 billion in 2021, few other destinations in the world, let alone in Europe, even come close to matching London’s prominence on the global art scene.  

Numbers aside, however, London’s status as one of the world’s most important art capitals is buttressed by the fact that it is not only home to some of the buzziest contemporary artists of the day, but also attracts both top drawer artists who want to show their work as well as the serious collectors and art afficionados most interested in purchasing that work. This is all, of course, in addition to the fact that London harbors an extraordinary collection of museums as well as an impressive line-up of some of the most important art fairs in the world. 

Topping the list of London’s most notable museums is the Tate Modern. Dramatically housed in the former Bankside Power Station on the banks of the Thames, Britain’s national museum of modern and contemporary art, showcases over a hundred years of art, from modernism in the early 1900s, to exciting works created today. This includes paintings, sculptures, and more made by artists all over the world ranging from Picasso, Rothko, DalÍ, Pollock, and Warhol to Emily Kame Kngwarreye, and Jenny Holzer. Highlights of the upcoming season include a towering forest-like display of woven fiber sculptures by Polish artist Magdalena Abakonowicz and a rare survey exhibition highlighting the abstract sculptures of Prague-born Slovak artist Maria Bartuszová. 

Another showpiece on London’s museum scene is the Victoria and Albert Museum, which together with the nearby Natural History Museum and Science Museum forms part of what is known as the “Museum Quarter” in South Kensington. Always a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, the V&A is widely acclaimed as the world’s leading museum of art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects, books and archives that span over 5,000 years of human creativity.  

Beyond holding many of the UK’s national collections and housing some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewelry, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance, the V&A regularly hosts blockbuster temporary exhibitions that have become the toast of London. On the heels of recent hit shows such as displays celebrating Christian Dior, Tim Walker and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, this season’s stellar roster of displays includes Re:Imagining Musicals, a display celebrating the glittering world of musical theatre, exploring the evolution and craftmanship of iconic musicals, from Miss Saigon and My Fair Lady to modern classics SIX the Musical, and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. 

As with museums, London is also no slouch when it comes to art fairs, of which the city annually hosts many. On tap for 2023: The London Art Biennale (July 26 – 30, 2023), which presents over 300 artists from all traditions and lines of thought, emerging and established, in a celebration of contemporary art on the historic King’s Road in Chelsea; Frieze London and Frieze Masters (October 11–15, 2023), which is considered the most important contemporary art fair in London and features over 170 of the most exciting contemporary art galleries in the world; the venerable PAD London art fair (October 10–15, 2023), which takes place in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square, and showcases a mix of modern art, photography, glass and ceramics, fine art and jewelry, featuring galleries from countries across Europe, North America and Asia; and Decorex (October 8–11, 2023), Europe’s leading interior design show which returns to Olympia London for its 45th edition this year. 

Lastly, when it comes to the ultimate in artsy accommodations in London, look no further than Mayfair’s ultra-chic, 45-room, art-filled 45 Park Lane which is a self-described “potent, living canvas for an evolving collection of work by contemporary British artists.” Apart from the hotel’s current exhibition of contemporary photographer David Bailey’s iconic portraits of legendary musicians, tracing movements from jazz and early rock-and-roll to punk, Britpop, and hip-hop captured over the past six decades, Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant The Cut inside the 45 Park Lane hotel boasts 16 of Damian Hirst’s limited edition ‘Diamond Dust Psalms’ series hanging together for the first time. Talk about giving new meaning to the phrase, ‘a room with a view’. 

Berlin 

Like London, Berlin is a city rich with art. In addition to museums dating back nearly two centuries brimming with historically significant collections and artworks, Berlin also boasts an abundance of contemporary art offerings alongside a plethora of urban street art and a litany of noteworthy annual art events. 

With respect to the former, Berlin’s Museum Island, with its five museums imposingly set on Spreeinsel (Spree Island) in the heart of Berlin, is the largest museum ensemble in the world. In tandem with the modern James Simon Gallery, the five world-famous museum buildings, dating back to the time of Prussian rule in 1830, form a heady ensemble that was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1999.  

Among the works of art in the dizzyingly exciting collection are inestimable treasures ranging from the 3,000-year-old bust of Nefertiti (Neues Museum) and the Babylonian Ishtar Gate with the Processional Way (Pergamon Museum), which can be traced back to 575 BCE and the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar II, to world-renowned works such as The Monk by the Sea by Caspar David Friedrich and The Thinker by Auguste Rodin (Alte Nationalgalerie). Elsewhere in the expansive complex there’s even sculpture, jewelry, vases and coins from Greek and Etruscan art, as well as from the Roman Empire (Altes Museum). 

In stark contrast to the hallowed Museum Island, many of the streets of Berlin are in and of themselves massive open-air galleries blanketed with towering, oversized murals, some of which, like the Molecule Man in the Spree and the mosaics on the outer walls of the Haus des Lehrers, predate German reunification and trace their roots back to the GDR. Of particular note is Bülowstraße in Schöneberg, home to the Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art, where a profusion of national and international urban art icons generously display their handiwork all over the street and on the ever-changing façade of the museum itself.  

There’s also the open-air gallery on the Spree, the longest section of the Wall still standing; the street art around Mehringplatz, which includes several intriguing murals by internationally renowned artists including one by Shepard Fairey (“Make Art not War”), the artist behind the iconic Hope poster for Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign; and Teufelsberg, a former US spy station that has been transformed into the largest street art gallery in Europe. 

In terms of art festivals, Berlin more than lives up to its reputation as Europe’s burgeoning new art capital courtesy of a plentitude of annual and biannual art festivals. Chief among these is the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, a biannual happening inspired by the Venice Biennale which has become one of the most important international forums for contemporary art, and Berlin Art Week, an annual platform and major collaboration between the most important institutions in the Berlin art world ranging from museums to exhibition houses, fairs, private collections, project spaces, and numerous galleries.  

Finally, for the most perfectly stylish accommodations in Berlin, look no further than the stunning luxury boutique hotel SO/ Berlin Das Stue, ensconced in the former Royal Danish Embassy and located in the middle of the embassy district – near the Landwehr Canal in direct proximity to the Berlin Zoo. In this exquisite property, art and fashion intersect flawlessly. 

The hotel’s logo and uniforms were designed by Viktor & Rolf; portraits of iconic personalities like the Klitschko brothers, Wim Wenders, Franka Potente, Naomi Campbell and Duran Duran taken by acclaimed photographer Christian Thomas line the corridors of the hotel; wire mesh animal sculptures by Milan-based artist Benedetta Mori populate the hotel’s common spaces building a bridge between the property and the neighboring zoo; and a huge crocodile sculpture crafted by multiple award-winning Parisian artist Quentin Garel presides over the reception area, welcoming each guest as they enter the hotel. All of this plus proximity to Kurfürstendamm, the most famous shopping street in Berlin and the natural beauty of the idyllic Tiergarten.  

How bad can that be? 

Miami 

In a small cache of destinations around the globe, the art most closely associated with a city is a direct reflection of the character and lifestyle of the city itself. Miami is without question such a place. 

From its clean, contemporary architecture and skyline to its varicolored, multicultural neighborhoods and iconic beaches lined with swaying palm trees, sun-drenched Miami is a city where modernity marries seamlessly with the cultural diversity that infuses every element of life in this world class destination.  

Case in point, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) which is located in Downtown Miami’s Museum Park overlooking Biscayne Bay. The critically acclaimed structure designed by Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron houses an impressive collection of 20th and 21st century art with an emphasis on works that relate to Miami’s ethnically rich community as well as Latin America, the Caribbean and the African diaspora. In addition to exploring the museum’s three floors of galleries comprised of nearly 3,000 permanent collection pieces plus additional rotating exhibits, art enthusiasts are invited to continue their exploration outdoors in the museum’s lush hanging gardens where large scale sculptures commingle with the native hammock garden. Now, if that doesn’t scream Miami, I’m not sure what does. 

Similarly, in the edgy, hipster Wynwood Arts District, a veritable treasure trove of works by groundbreaking artists can be seen throughout the neighborhood and at Wynwood Walls, an outdoor museum dedicated to street art that perhaps captures the raw creative energy of Miami better than any other space in the city. 

Meanwhile, over in the über chic Design District, the Institute of  Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA) through an energetic calendar of exhibitions and programs, and its singularly curated collection, provides an important international platform for the work of innovative local, emerging, and under-recognized artists, while The Bass Museum, located in the heart of South Beach steps away from the ocean, focuses on multidisciplinary exhibitions of international contemporary art by mid-career and established artists reflecting the spirit and international character of Miami Beach.  

Though Miami hosts numerous art events throughout the year, none can match Miami Art Week, which takes place annually each November and features over 20 art fairs (including the exclusive Art Basel, CONTEXT Art Miami and Design Miami), over 1,200 galleries and thousands of artists. Growing in popularity with each passing year, this event has become one of the most (if not the most) buzzed about annual art event in America, attracting thousands of art collectors and buyers, VIPs, art lovers and tourists from all around the world all gathered in the name of art as well as more than a few celebrity-laden fashion, music and cultural parties and galas. 

Mexico City 

Art has not perhaps always been front of mind for most when contemplating travel to Mexico City (CDMX), but the last few decades have seen the city enjoy a renaissance of sorts and art has played a major role in shaping the contemporary face of this vibrant, colorful, evermore cosmopolitan megalopolis. At the heart of the bustling city’s revivification has arguably been Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, whose Museo Soumaya is the shining star among Mexico City’s constellation of notable museums. 

Completed in 2011, the gleaming, architecturally arresting museum named for Slim’s late wife who passed away in 1999, has fast become one of the most visited museums in all of Mexico. And with good reason.  

Not only is the magnificent six-story structure home to Slim’s large, eclectic private collection of over 66,000 pieces of art, ranging from significant works by the likes of Henri Matisse, Pierre-August Renoir, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Vincent van Gogh and El Greco to works by Mexican artists such as Diego Rivera, Alfredo Ramos Martìnez, Juan Soriano and Francisco Toledo, it also houses the largest collection of sculptures by Auguste Rodin outside France as well as the world’s largest private collection of his art, alongside the world’s largest collection of pre-Hispanic and colonial era coins, among an assortment of other treasures valued at nearly $1 billion. 

That said, Mexico City’s current art boom cannot solely be attributed to Carlos Slim because art has been at the heart of life in the city for decades. Long before the Soumaya helped transform the city’s exclusive Polanco neighborhood, Frida Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera, put the city on the map as an artist’s haven. In fact, their former home, Casa Azul, in the Coyoacan district still stands today as testimony to this fact as thousands of tourists regularly flock to the space that nurtured the creative genius of its acclaimed former inhabitants. Correspondingly, the Museo Nacional de Antropología in the famed Chapultepec Park which was completed in 1964 and showcases the world’s largest collection of ancient Mexican artifacts has long been, and continues to be, a paean to Mexico’s rich artistic history. 

Likewise, the annual Zona Maco Design Fair in Mexico City, widely hailed as the most important contemporary art fair in Latin America, has played a significant role in adding to the artistic allure of the city over the last two decades. Founded in 2002 by Zélika García, Zona Maco holds four events annually at Centro Citibanamex in Mexico City:  Zona Maco México Arte Contemporáneo brings together leading and emerging national and international art galleries; Zona Maco Design, established in 2011, exhibits furniture, jewelry, textiles, limited editions and decorative objects; Zona Maco Salon created in 2014, exhibits antiques; and Zona Maco Foto which features vintage, modern and contemporary photography since 2015.  

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At the time, I fancied myself to be one of those dashing gallivants who roamed Europe exploring art, language, food and culture whilst cultivating those singular experiences and interactions that make one not simply a ‘man of the world’ but the most interesting person to invite to dinner parties to boot. I had read much about the grand tours of the bon vivants I sought to imitate throughout my youth, but nothing prepared me for the sights and emotions that swept over me when I landed in the famed La Serenissima (an apt nickname for Venice dating back to the Byzantine era that has been in use for many centuries). 

Even though visions of the majesty of the French Riviera with its unabashed luxury, sun-soaked beaches and palatial yachts danced vividly at the forefront of my memory upon my arrival, they were no match for the timeless charm of this floating city, built on a lagoon, where wondrous canals and fabled streets opened a window to the glorious history, rich cultural heritage and architectural treasures of one of the most beguiling cities in the world. 

With almost childlike fascination, I set out to explore this gem of a city. Beginning in the heart of Venice with the famed Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) and the breathtaking St. Mark’s Basilica, I continued on to the Rialto Bridge, which I would later experience in an entirely different light on a gondola ride along the magnificent Grand Canal. From there, the venerable Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute (La Salute) beckoned not only because I had seen countless pictures of it in books and magazines, but because its marvelous history and grandiose interiors demanded it.  

Next it was off to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection on the Grand Canal in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, which was the former home of the museum’s namesake, and now houses her personal art collection as well as notable temporary exhibitions and a stunning sculpture garden overlooking the Grand Canal. It is today one of the most important collections of European and North American art from the twentieth century in Italy including works by Rothko, Giacometti, Calder, Picasso, Dali, Mondrian and Pollock and an absolute must visit for anyone with a modicum of appreciation for the arts. 

Finally, after smartening myself up, I headed over to Harry’s Bar because no grand tour would be complete without a visit to the famed bar that has hosted everyone from European royalty to American royalty, including the likes of Truman Capote, Katherine Hepburn and Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton. As I joined the well-heeled crowd that regularly gathers at the popular Venetian watering hole for a cocktail, I pondered all that I had seen and imagined all that others had witnessed in this miraculous city over the centuries.  

Despite all the marvels I experienced, none stood out so much as the palaces and palazzos of Venice that I had encountered along my journey. The grandeur, the ornateness and the sheer architectural improbability of those extraordinary structures astounded me then and they still astound me today. Though many have evolved since my first visit, others remain unchanged. But all still have the same jaw-dropping appeal that left my 18-year-old self agog so many years ago. 

Take for instance, The Doge’s Palace. Built in the 14th century as the residence of the Doge, the ruler of Venice, and the seat of power for the former city state, this iconic palace is at once the city’s most famous structure and also its finest example of Venetian Gothic architecture. But while its imposing size and intricate architecture are more than sufficiently awe-inspiring, the palace interiors are a masterpiece of opulence, featuring lavish chambers, magnificent council rooms, and a stunning collection of artworks by celebrated artists such as Veronese, Tiepolo, Tintoretto and Tiziano. Of particular note is the breathtaking Golden Staircase, a symbol of the city’s once immense power and staggering wealth. 

Another of the most prestigious late Gothic palaces in Venice, the Ca’ d’Oro (House of Gold), dates back to the 15th century and, like the famous staircase at The Doge’s Palace, evidenced its opulence not only by its resplendent façade overlooking the Grand Canal but also its exterior walls which were once covered in gold leaf that has sadly faded away. Today, the restored palace houses the collection of Baron Giorgio Franchetti (Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro) which includes furniture, paintings, medals, tapestries, bronzes and sculptures – most notably important works by Tiziano, Andrea Mantegna, Francesco Guardi and Flemish masters Jan Van Eyck and Anthony Van Dyck – as well as an inner courtyard  distinguished by an impressive floor composed of ancient marble mosaics installed by the Baron himself to evoke the aura of early Christian cathedrals. 

Other notable art-filled Venetian palazzos include: The Gallerie dell’Accademia, home to the largest and most important collection of Venetian art in the world, where masterpieces by renowned artists such as Canaletto, Tiziano, Giorgione and Bellini line the 37 halls of the museum, providing an excellent opportunity to immerse oneself in the city’s artistic heritage; the expansive 17th century marble palace, Ca’ Pesaro, noted for its Baroque façade, dazzling décor and magnificent frescoes, which is currently home to the International Gallery of Modern Art showcasing a vast collection of nineteenth and twentieth century master works by the likes of Klimt, Chagall, Kandinsky, Klee and Miró; Ca’ Rezzonico, another Baroque palace which was the former residence of both Pope Clement XIII (Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico) and legendary songwriter Cole Porter which is now the Museum of the 18th Century Venice, boasting a rich collection of art, furnishings, and period costumes that offer a unique glimpse into the lavish lifestyles of Venetian nobility during the 18th century; and the Palazzo Grassi an elegant palace designed in the neoclassical style and perched along the Grand Canal which presently showcases the extensive contemporary art collection of French billionaire François Pinault through a constant succession of temporary exhibitions. 

For those who crave the lived experience of one of these sumptuous palazzos, Venice offers an abundance of outstanding options that offer no less grand an experience than any noble who might have resided in Venice would have expected more than two centuries ago. In fact, The Gritti Palace, the undisputed grande dame of Venetian hotels, dates back to 15th century when it served as the private residence of the Doge of Venice, Andrea Gritti, and later other noble families before becoming a private hotel in the late 19th century. Today the hotel remains evocative of its aristocratic roots in no small part due to its sweeping collection of priceless art, exceptional collection of restaurants and bars such as the exclusive Club del Doge and the über chic Bar Longhi, and opulently appointed rooms complete with rare antique furnishing, Murano glass chandeliers, and luxurious Rubelli Group fabrics. 

Likewise, the elegant and historic 5-star Hotel Danieli, also boasts a profoundly noble pedigree. Comprised of three interconnecting palaces that date back to the 14th, 19th and 20th centuries (one of which was home to the noble Dandolo family which produced four family members who would serve as Doge of Venice), this extraordinary property counts lushly furnished rooms with lagoon views, an array of modern amenities complemented with restored designs by the likes of Pierre Yves Rochon and Jacques Garcia and the celebrated Restaurant Terrazza Danieli rooftop which offers spectacular views of the most notable landmarks of Venice among its many emblematic attractions. 

Newer to the scene is the acclaimed Hotel Cipriani. First opening its doors in 1956, the Belmond Hotel Cipriani may not share the same connection to the heritage of the city as some of the more historic properties in Venice, but it is no less patrician in its demeanor or offerings. Moreover, the property is a more spacious affair featuring generously proportioned rooms characterized by contemporary sophistication and superlative facilities and services, including lush gardens abundant with roses and hydrangeas, the only Olympic-sized pool in central Venice, a Michelin-starred restaurant (Oro), a world-renowned spa, a tennis court and the vaunted Cip’s Club, a distinctive and exclusive venue on the Venice Lagoon offering first-rate views of San Marco square from across the water and an equally top-notch menu in one of the most romantic settings in all of Venice. Meanwhile, for those desperate for a classic palazzo experience, Hotel Cipriani also offers exquisitely appointed suites complete with original artworks, luxurious Fortuny and Rubelli fabrics and elegant marble bathrooms in the 15th Century Palazzo Vendramin, an annex separated from the main property by a floral path. 

Lastly, the Aman Venice may be one of the newest properties to pop up in Venice, having only opened a decade ago in 2013, but anyone who knows the Aman brand also knows that the Aman has a keen knack for understanding luxury and environment. Set in Palazzo Papadopoli, one of the city’s eight monumental palazzos on the Grand Canal, the 24-room Aman Venice meshes history and modernity seamlessly to offer guests the best of La Serenissima. While the property’s rooms feature works by a number of Italy’s greatest artists – including 16th-century architect Sansovino and 18th-century painter Tiepolo, authentic silk wall coverings, Murano chandeliers, wood paneling, chinoiserie and painted ceilings, restrained contemporary furnishings by Jean-Michel Gathy’s tame the grandiosity of the surroundings to create an air of relaxed, effortless elegance. A serene side garden and ideal location just past the Rialto Bridge only add to the allure of Venice’s newest gem. 

The august palaces and palazzos of Venice are a love letter to the city’s heady history and enduring love affair with art and beauty. Whether you choose to simply admire their facades from a gondola, explore their opulent interiors and centuries old treasure troves of art, or luxuriate in their grandeur as a hotel guest, these architectural wonders promise to not only seduce you but transport you to a bygone era where beauty and art soared beyond what seemed possible or probable and became legendary. Even for bon vivants and gallivants who believe they have seen it all, these living relics of days gone by still continue to enchant, which is a testament to the timeless appeal of the floating city on the lagoon where history, art, ingenuity and opulence converge like no other place in the world.

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Happy Holidays to all my wonderful friends and followers & best wishes for a bright and brilliant 2014!

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In the days before LA Gay Pride, there’s excitement and anxiety in the air as those final pounds are shed, barely-there ensembles are chosen, parade floats are completed and WeHo gears up for one of its biggest, most colorful annual celebrations. During the LA Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, a strip of West Hollywood explodes in a rainbow of colors, costumes and characters, and it draws more than 500,000 people each year. No matter how you play it, that can make your plans a little complicated. Here’s our guide to the LA Gay Pride Parade—how to survive with your dignity intact while still wringing every ounce of fun out of the rainbow of fest activities—and the best restaurants in West Hollywoodand best gay bars and clubs to boot.

1

Take a cab

Let’s begin with the practical, shall we? On Parade day, parking in West Hollywood is a particularly unwieldy affair. Streets are blocked off, traffic is murderous and frustration levels are high. Rather than risk starting your Pride Sunday on a sour note (or even worse, being towed for parking in the wrong place), just take a cab, order Uber, hop on a bus, or—now that we have it—take the subway to Hollywood and Highland and make your way from there. Prevent aggravation on the front end, eliminate the risk of drinking and driving on the back end. It’s not novel, but it is a win-win. (If you do insist on driving, however, check the Pride site for recommended places to park.)

2

Arrive early

It’s generally true in life and it’s certainly true on Parade Sunday that the early bird gets the best seat in the house. Though there is some dispute about the best place for viewing the parade, there is little disagreement that the most popular vantage point is right in the heart of WeHo, within a few blocks of the intersection of San Vicente and Santa Monica Boulevards. A swarm of go-to bars in this three-block radius open early on Pride Sunday, so unless you want to stand and be jostled for hours, grab a seat at one of them when the doors open, order a cocktail and settle in to watch the Parade go by.

3

Let Sunday trump Saturday

If you’re purchasing a ticket to the festival, Sunday is always the more popular of the two nights, as it’s the culmination of the weekend. That is not to say that both nights aren’t worth the $20 price of admission—we only suggest that for the budget-conscious, Sunday definitely offers the most bang for your buck. Unless, of course, you’re a huge Ciara fan—in which case you should by all means purchase a ticket for Saturday when she will be headlining on the main stage.

4

Plan an escape and rendezvous points

Plan ahead, stay ahead. Parade day can quickly turn into an overwhelming mass of humanity in which friends are often lost, found and then lost again. With that in mind, it’s always a good idea to set up a rendezvous spot with your posse in one of the quieter corners of the ‘hood. East of La Cienaga on Santa Monica Blvd, popular watering holes likeHamburger Mary’s tend to still be packed, but they’re also just far enough away from the fray that they make great meeting spots. And if you want to avoid the crowd altogether and watch the parade in a more relaxed setting, Café La Boheme is once again hosting its annual Pride Block Party on the quieter side of WeHo—complete with an upscale brunch buffet, live DJ and the inimitable, wickedly talented Jimmy James as its host.

5

Spend Saturday night at Wonderland

Mega event promoters Tom Whitman and Masterbeat join forces for Saturday’s hottest ticket at Universal Studios. After 9pm, the park is closed to the general public and rides are open exclusively to Wonderland ticket holders until 1am. Meanwhile, from 10pm until 4am, one of Universal’s giant soundstages becomes a mega club presided over by some of the top international DJs on the planet. There will be parties at bars all over WeHo on Saturday night as well, but none is bigger or more over the top than this one.

6

Take a dip at SpLAsh

Better to end with a crescendo than start with a thud. Ease into Pride weekend with an afternoon of frolicking, flirting and fun at yet another Tom Whitman/Masterbeat co-production—an all-new edition of SpLAsh. Billed as “LA’s biggest pool party and T Dance” SpLAsh 2013 will be held at a private, $65 million estate in Bel Air, and will offer the perfect opportunity to show your pride while mixing and mingling in an idyllic setting away from hubbub of boystown.

7

Go east

Spread your pride around. West Hollywood may be the nucleus of all of the action during Pride weekend, but the celebration’s tentacles stretch well beyond the borders of West Hollywood. The Eastside will be particularly abuzz during Pride and you would do yourself a disservice not to avail yourself of all it has to offer. Venture over to MixTape at Akbar on Friday night or get your party on with Mario Diaz at a special Pride edition of BRUTUS atFaultline.

8

Drink! (water)

It is such a simple tip, but one that is seemingly forgotten every year as ambulances drag away one poor sod after another, long before the party has kicked into high gear. If you hydrate before and during the weekend, you won’t have to worry about being one of them this year. It’s hot, people! A little sunscreen wouldn’t hurt either.

9

Connect and reflect

Make some time to do at least one thing that doesn’t have to do with a party, a cocktail or scantily-clad go-go boys. Whether it’s attending one of the weekend’s many fundraisers or spending time at the festival itself, do something that connects you with the reason that Pride came into being in the first place. It will only inspire you to celebrate that much harder.

10

Take Monday off

It’s the only logical thing to do. No one will believe you when you call in hungover—er, sick—so why even bother with the charade? Cash in a vacation day and dive headlong into Pride Sunday with the full knowledge that you’ve got an entire day to recuperate and relive the magic of the weekend.

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Yes, it’s true that Beverly Hills has its fair share of grande dame hotels. And yes, it is equally true that each of those hotels come complete with storied histories embroidered with tales of scandalous celebrity romances, lavish soirees and all sorts of shenanigans of the rich and famous. Likewise, at some point in time, each of the hotels that now rank among the top tier of Beverly Hills’ most tony addresses has also been crowned the fairest address of them all in Beverly Hills. All of that is a given.

But, though aging and change happen in Beverly Hills in a much different way (and rate) than they do in most other parts of the world, the fact remains that time marches on, bringing with it a slate of new faces and hotspots. And there is no brighter star in the 90210 at the moment than The Thompson, a boutique hotel with a discernible hipster edge that sets it apart from its more traditionally elegant neighbors.

Ornate and precious are not at all the descriptors that spring to mind when you step into the lobby of The Thompson. Instead, adjectives like sleek, modern and contemporary provide the most accurate introduction to The Thompson experience. But then again, what else might one expect from a hotel group with a manifesto (not a corporate philosophy, mind you) that states the following:

More precisely, our inspirations are those distinct personalities we wish we’d known, and raised a glass with, from Julie Christie to Steve McQueen, Michael Caine (in Alfie mode) to Marcello Mastroianni, Grace Kelly to Alfred Hitchcock, Pablo Picasso to Jean-Luc Godard. Edie Sedgwick to Chet Baker. “Let’s get lost,” indeed. If they were real, we’d welcome in The Royal Tenenbaums and The Big Lebowski.  We’d go to Paris for absinthe to fuel Dorothy Parker’s Round Table, or to the desert for peyote to bedazzle Bill Burroughs’ Beats. We’d be on the bus with Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters. Further! Mick Jagger, circa 1973? Sure, bloke. Bobby Kennedy? Enter, Mister President.

They had me at Julie Christie.

But they really won me over when I arrived at the hotel and found that I had been upgraded to one of the property’s recently renovated penthouse suites, where floor-to-ceiling windows peer out over the sprawl of Los Angeles and a minimalist, muted décor creates an effortlessly inviting environment for the discerning urban professional who demands more of hotel than a place to rest a travel-weary head.

My suite functioned not only as my temporary accommodation but also as a home away from home and a proper workspace thanks to both a full kitchen and dining area that easily doubled as a conference space. Beyond that, the vibe of the Thompson is such that it is the penultimate meeting place. Take a meeting in your suite, meet a client for lunch at the stellar Caulfield’s (and do try the Lobster Club) or take advantage of the rooftop bar, which is exclusively reserved for hotel guests and offers some of the best views in Beverly Hills. And then, in between it all, slip up to the pool, order a cocktail and savor the best that one of America’s most buzzed-about zip codes has to offer.

Whatever you do, try The Thompson, because as the hotel’s manifesto clearly states, they “are not your grandfather’s notion of hotel.” In fact, they are something infinitely more appealing.

Find out more about The Thompson Beverly Hills at thompsonhotels.com.

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Judging from the bustling scene that generally greets guests who pull up to valet at The Redbury on any given night, it would be hard to imagine that this paparazzi-ready backdrop had ever been anything but. However, it wasn’t so long ago that the structure that now houses The Redbury was a casualty of the economic downturn, languishing in the shadows of Hollywood’s iconic Capitol Records building. Originally conceived as a condominium complex, the building was stuck in real estate purgatory—unfinished and unsaleable—until it was reborn thanks to the joint vision of sbe founder and CEO Sam Nazarian and visual auteur Matthew Rolston.

Rather than break up the condos to create more standard-sized hotel rooms, Nazarian and Rolston opted to keep the rooms (which are referred to as ‘flats”) at the original sizes of the condos, which means the smallest flats (Flat A) are 750 square feet, the one-bedroom mid-size flats (Flat B – The Hollywood Premiere Flats) are 850 square feet and the four Redbury Signature Suites (Flat C) have two bedrooms spread over an exceptionally generous 1,020 square feet.

To put that into perspective, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently launched an initiative to build new apartments in Manhattan that would average 275 to 300 square feet, just a little more than a third the size of the smallest room at the hippest destination in Hollywood. Needless to say, the flats at the Redbury are supersize by comparison. But the size of the rooms is perhaps the only area in which the Redbury seems “supersized” in any way—and that is a very good thing.

As a boutique hotel with just 57 rooms, the hallmark of The Redbury is service, and the experience of the hotel is intimate from the very first encounter. Rather than a massive check-in desk in the lobby, there is a simple, discreet area on the second floor where guests are welcomed and shown to their perfectly appointed rooms, in which Mr. Rolston’s flair for visual stimulation is in full bloom.

In every room, vintage rock ‘n’ roll posters and Persian rugs abut brightly colored walls and boldly patterned furnishings. Meanwhile, amenities like full European-style kitchens with oversize work islands, washer/dryers, floor-to-ceiling windows, vintage vinyl record collections with record players and private balconies and patios, which would be rare finds in other properties, are standard fare for each room at The Redbury. Put simply, this is a hotel that represents the ultimate in livability, which probably explains why when guests arrive, they tend to stay a while, and repeat customers are the norm rather than exception.

Complementing all of the above are uniquely sbe guest favors like preferential (translation: VIP) access to the brand’s signature Los Angeles assets, including Bazaar by José Andrés, XIV by Michael Mina, Katsuya, The Abbey and the Ciel Spa at SLS. All that aside (and that’s a lot to put aside mind you), I am of the opinion that the greatest treasures The Redbury has to offer are right on its premises rather than beyond them.

The Glade, the hotel’s lush courtyard area with its Moorish accents, is a brilliant place to enjoy cocktails in the heart of Hollywood. Bordered by the dimly lit, sturdily masculine Library Bar, The Glade is perfectly happening (meaning not annoyingly crowded) on evenings and weekends, and it has just that hint of exclusivity that gives it a great buzz. Meanwhile, Cleo, the Redbury’s premier dining experience, is perhaps the breakout star of the property.

With Cleo, chef Daniel Elmaleh has created one of the best new restaurants in Los Angeles. Now, I readily admit that I make that call with prejudice, because I am a huge fan of Mediterranean cuisine. But I would challenge you to sample the mezzes (small plates), the raw bar, the homemade Laffa flatbreads or any of the dishes prepared in the restaurant’s signature stone oven and not have a transcendent epicurean moment. Start with the Brussel Sprouts—and trust me when I say these are not your mother’s brussel sprouts. Fried crispy with capers, parsley and almonds, drizzled with red wine vinaigrette, this is the best starter I’ve discovered in ages.

Then, on the Mezze menu, try the dips—the Babaganoush, the Lebaneh with Feta and the Cucumbers with Yogurt—which are served with warm pita bread, the “Cigars” stuffed with Merguez sausage and the lamb, chicken and beef kebabs. All are simple but amazing in flavor. Next move on to a flatbread like the artichoke with crushed potato, wilted Arugula and aged mozzarella, or the Merguez with caramelized onions and peppers and smoked mozzarella. And then maybe sample a salad (the chopped salad is an excellent choice), but by all means try one of the dishes prepared in the stone oven—a tagine of beef cheek, mussels or fish perhaps. For what it’s worth, I recently ordered the lamb and it was just a beautiful, perfectly balanced dish—definitely the highlight of the night.

For guests of The Redbury, there is a 24-hour in-flat dining menu that has been created by Chef Elmaleh. Now if that, along with all the other bells and whistles The Redbury has to offer, doesn’t make you feel at home in Hollywood, I’m not quite sure what will.

Find out more about The Redbury experience at theredbury.com.

Update: The Redbury Hotel has closed.

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The hottest gay cruising spots to meet men might surprise you. From hardware stores to back alleys, here’s where to find a gay hook-up.

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Will it be Meryl or Viola? Clooney or Dujardin? What will the hot color of the evening be and who will wear it best? Find out the answers to these questions and so many more today as MoxieQ goes to the Oscars! Along with my fellow MoxieQ TasteMakers and tweeps from around the planet, I’ll be tweeting live from Hollywood about all things Oscars starting at 5PM EST and it’s going to be epic! Here’s your invitation, to the hottest Oscar party online tonight.

Follow @MoxieQ and #MoxieQOscarBash on Twitter for all the dish…the good, the bad and, especially the ugly. Don’t be shy. Join the conversation and let us hear your thoughts about the Oscars. We’ll be on all night! See you there!

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