Arco de la Victoria in Madrid, Image via Wikipedia
By Contributing Editor Philippe Perisse de Montchenu, Fashion Reporter and Consultant
TRIP TIPS – FROM MADRID TO NYC
April started pretty well for me.
First, I had to go to Madrid for work on Thursday and Friday, March 29th and 30th. Of course, I stayed over for the entire week! Then, for my week off, I flew directly flew from Madrid to NYC.
So for you sophisticated globetrotters, here are some good tips for trendy hotels, restaurants to discover, and finally shops or brands to visit. I’m sure you will easilly find all the classic tourist stuff to do … but some places need to be told in order to be found.
For a Madrid getaway...
Where to sleep ?
ROOM MATE HOTEL: ÓSCAR
Óscar is like your cool friend from Mardid who lets you crash in his guest room. Óscar is Cosmopolitan, Nocturnal, Modern and Friendly. He enjoys his urban surroundings and the glamour of his famous cocktail bars. He is an actor and ready for anything. When it comes to travel, he prefers to go the farthest possible. And he really wants you to be his best buddy.
Lying in the heart of the very gay Chueca District, this totally renovated rationalist-style building is located in one of the city center’s funkiest squares--Plaza de Vasquez de Mella--next to Gran Via and not far from the Prado, the Thyssen, or the Reina Sofia. An idyllic location, perfectly balanced between the diurnal cultural activities and the night extravagancias of Chueca.
Even if you don’t stay in the hotel, you have to go get a drink on the rooftop--lounge, swimming pool, and bar--one of the best experience you can share with a date or a bunch of friends in Madrid. The View over the city is just stunning.
This cool place has been designed by the brilliant Spanish decorator Tomàs Alìa (www.tomasalia.com). He created very avant-garde spaces that bring light, curves, colors, large format images, graffiti, and vintages items together. An experience that will defiantly not let you be indifferent.
ÓSCAR
Plaza Vázquez de Mella, 12
28004 Madrid, Espagne
+34 917 011 173
www.room-matehotels.com
What to eat ? BOTIN
I’m sure you’ll agree with me, the main challenge when you travel is finding a very authentic restaurant: A place where all your senses can feel the DNA of a culture.
So when you are in Madrid, after a nice aperitif with lots of cervesas and lots of pinchos (local finger food) the best thing to do is get a reservation at Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records.
The service is really good, and the waiters are passionate and very patient. They love spending time with you and explaining all the subtleties of the menu.
Founded in 1725, Botin is still serving the same specialty--a delicious and juicy grilled sulking pig. And for a very reasonable price (around 40€) you can get one of the most memorable evenings ever.
Botin
Calle de los Cuchilleros, 17
28005 Madrid, Espagne
+34 913664217
www.botin.es
What to shop ? UTERQÜE
You must know Zara, Pull and Bear, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, and Stradivarius. But maybe you didn’t know that they are all part of the same group--INDITAX. It’s of the most powerful fashion companies in the world, and surely the first actor of the Spanish economy.
The last brand they have launched is UTERQÜE--all the best know-how of Inditext at a very good value. A bit more expensive than Massimo Dutti and Zara, it offers a much more interesting selection and much better designs. Originally thought as an accessory line for women, it now proposes women’s wear and accessories for men.
If the brand is young and very dynamic (lots of openings per year!), it is still not distributed all over the world, which makes it a very exclusive and attractive destination for shopping. Colors, style … everything is perfectly balanced, both fashion and sophisticated. Next time you are in Spain, don’t miss it !!
www.uterque.es
For an Escapade in NYC
Where to sleep? The STANDARD Hotel
Just like the Ace Hotel, the Standard is one of the new generation of boutique hotels with a very strong artistic direction. From the floor to the walls--or even the elevator--everything is designed to be an artistic experience. For example, if you pay attention to the floor of the restaurant, you’ll realize that it is made of coins--thousands of pennies in a resin. From architecture to tableware, everything is finely studied to seduce, surprise, and please you.
If you've walked on the high line park in New York City, you may have seen this great hotel with its very large windows. The myth says that if you stay long enough on the high lines you could see guests of the hotel enjoying the large bay windows’ views, while they are having sex.
To tell the truth, I had other stuff to do than verify the myth. But this place is simply The Hotel to book if you are going to NYC. The design is just so great--like being trapped in a time loop--with all the design arranged in a very avant-garde style. Each piece is like the most exquisite design from the 60’s--materials and shapes that are just fabulous: Vintage has never looked that contemporary and modern at the same time.
The Standard Grill restaurant is just so good and the terrace fantastic. The view over the Hudson on one side and the city on the other is unique. The Best rooms are the corner rooms. They benefit from a double exposure thanks to two bay windows. If they are twice more expensive, the view is worth it!
The Standard, New York Hotel
848 Washington Street
New York, NY 10014
United States
+1 (212) 645-4646
Where to eat ? ABC Kitchen
As my best friend always says about NYC, money flies!
So it is very important to know where you can get grand cuisine at a very good price. And thank God !! someone has invented a prefixed menu! And at this prestigious address, you can enjoy one at $25.00!!!!! Yes just $25! Including an exquisite starter, an orgasmatique entree, and an ecstatic desert! Of course, if you take a glass of wine or two, you quickly double your check! But still, you can enjoy one of the best lunches or dinners I ever had for a small amount of money.
ABC Kitchen is one of the creations of the famous french Chef Jean-Georges. His team is passionately committed to offering the freshest organic and local ingredients possible.
ABC Kitchen presents a changing menu that is locally sourced and globally artistic in a fresh and articulate space.
ABC Kitchen has recently been voted the best new restauant in town, and its Sunday desert received the distinction of the most decadent desert of New York City!
ABC Kitchen
88088 Broadway
Manhattan, NY 10003, États-Unis
+1 (212) 475-5829
What to shop? KATE SPADE
I’ll be quick. Kate spade fashion is like a sunbeam in spring. It is inspiring, refreshing, colorful, and warm. I loved the 1950’s cut, very easy fitting. I loved the bags and jewelry. I’ve rarely discovered such a witty- and pretty- and vintage-inspired but still very modern brand.
And now with all the international brands that you can shop anywhere in the world, I think it is really good to be able to shop stuff you cannot find everywhere else--stuff that is kind of authentic--and Kate Spade is so much what you want to find on a shopping trip to New York.
I would recommend the flagship store in Soho where she expresses all her wonders. So if you are tired of sad fashion, and if you want to switch to fabulous fashion, go ahead. She is your girl on Broome street!
Kate Spade
454 Broome Street
New York, NY 10013
United States
+1 (212) 274-1991
+1 (212) 274-1994
Philippe Périssé de Montchenu lives in Paris where he works as a brand consultant and fashion reporter. Having experience as an assistant artistic director, supply chain manager, collection coordinator, and export manager, he is presently pursuing a post-graduate degree at the Institut Francais de la Mode.
