The Parrish Art Museum

The Parrish Art Museum in the Hamptons is a quick two-hour drive from New York City at this time of year. It’s modern and imposing design was created in 2012 by architects Herzog & de Meuron and without even considering the art on show, the building itself is a modern masterpiece to admire.

The museum is dedicated to the permanent collection and new works by one of New York’s most enduring and influential artists’ colony’s, Eastern Long Island (aka the Hamptons). The current show “Artists Chose Artists” has artists like David Salle, Robert Wilson and Laurie Anderson select artists from the area they love.

This wonderful, airy museum with its incredible modern aesthetic is a wonderful day trip from New York City and if you feel like sticking around overnight, we recently discovered the newly opened Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton.  A fancy hotel with a great restaurant, by New York wonder chef Tom Colicchio, whose farm to table restaurant is well worth the trip.

The Parrish Art Museum. 279 Montauk Highway. Water Mill. New York. 11976. Tel: 631 283 4600

Topping Rose House. One Bridgehampton- Sag Harbor Turnpike. Bridgehampton. New York. 11932. Tel: 631 537 0870

A Weekend At The Pollock House

If you’ve never made the trip to see Jackson Pollock’s house and studio in the Hamptons, October is the perfect time.   The Pollock house is located in the Springs area of East Hampton, only 2 hours by car from Manhattan.  Set on a large, picturesque parcel of land,  you can spend a few hours walking the bucolic property, once home to Jackson Pollock and his wife Lee Krasner.

The studio where Pollack painted most of his infamous drip paintings and worked until his untimely death in 1956,  looks almost untouched since the day he stopped painting.  The floor of his studio is splattered with paint and for those familiar with his works, outlines of different pieces can be spotted.

The property is open May through October but October is open by appointment only.  With any luck, a visit this month could mean that you get to walk the vast property, the house Pollack and Krasner lived in (complete with their record and book collection), and the airy painting studio that was at the forefront of the abstract expressionist movement.

If you are looking for a getaway for the upcoming Columbus Day weekend, then we suggest booking a room at The Maidstone in East Hampton and seeing the Pollock House on Saturday.  A perfect fall weekend break from the City.

Pollock/Krasner House. 830 Springs-Fireplace Road. East Hampton. New York. 11937. Tel: 631 324 8768.  Open May–October on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
Closed Sundays–Wednesdays

The Maidstone. 207 Main Street. East Hampton. New York. 11937. Tel: 631 324 5006

A Creative Whale

Tucked away on a blustery waterside spot in Montauk, you’ll find Whalebone Creative, one of those burgeoning brands that in years to come you’ll be able to say “I went there when it was just a tiny store in Montauk”.

Owned by local surfer and graphic designer, Jessie Joeckel, the store hand prints all of its designs with great care.  Known for surfer-chic trucker hats, softer than air t-shirts and sweatshirts, Whalebone Creative has become the unofficial uniform at the beach for people in the know.

Our favorite piece this season is their camoflague hoodie, perfect for cool evenings in summer but also great under a wool coat back in the City.  Whalebone Creative have a busy online store, where if you see something you like, we suggest you snap it up quickly as their small run pieces run out in a flash.

Whalebone Creative. 65 Tuthill Road. Montauk

A Step Back In Time

It’s easy to imagine Lady Mary and the Downton Abbey set swanning around Skytop lodge back in the 1920s when it was first built.  Thankfully, not much has changed since then at this grand Poconos hotel.  One dresses for dinner (which means a jacket for men) and spends the day doing invigorating outdoor pursuits on the grounds which span 5,500 acres.

Winter brings skiing on their own mountain, tobogganing on old-fashioned red leather sleds down a huge purpose-built track, which ends with you being shot far out on to their vast iced over lake. There’s also ice skating, snow shoeing, swimming, or just relaxing in the spa.

When the snow melts there’s golf, archery, mountain biking, fishing, croquet and water sports. At just 2 hours from New York City, Skytop lodge is a whole world away.  Once there, you think of nothing but the great outdoors and when your day is done, there’s cocktails followed by dinner in the grand old dining room, before retiring to your room exhausted.

SKYTOP LODGE. 1 Skytop Lodge Road.  Skytop, PA. 18357 Tel: 800 345 7759

Ski While Dreaming Of Genie

With a slew of three-day weekends ahead of us, it’s a perfect time to escape for a weekend skiing.  One of the absolute best kept secrets is Plattekill mountain in the Catskills.  An easy three hour drive from the City, Plattekill offers trails for the beginner to the advanced, but without any of the mad lines and crowds found at many other New York area slopes.  What makes it even better is that you get to stay at the marvellous Roxbury Motel, just a few minutes away from the mountain.

To stay at the Roxbury Motel is to step in to your dreams from childhood.  Most of the rooms have their own distinct super imaginative over the top theme. We love the “Genie Room” whose huge pink and gold bathroom comes with its own japanese soaking tub, the “Amadeus Bride”, a romantic two-floor suite filled with elegant mirrors and an enormous Austrian glass chandelier and for anyone with a sweet tooth, “Mary Anne’s Coconut Cream Pie” a room which makes you feel like you are literally inside of a giant pie.  Don’t worry, there are simple non-themed rooms too if you’re not feeling adventurous, but we love the themed rooms as they just force you to feel happy with their entertaining details.

The motel isn’t like some old Poconos themed hotel from days gone by, its impeccably clean with shinning new bathrooms and an extensive and yummy breakfast served in the breakfast room each morning.  The motel is on countless “best of” lists each year and for good reason.

The Roxbury has a wonderful spa aptly named “the shimmer spa” with a decadent hot tub, sauna and steam room. Massage therapists are also on hand to get your muscles back to life after a hard day skiing.  Right next door to the motel is The Public, a happening après ski bar and restaurant, so you can drink and hang out without the hassle of driving home.

The mountain has a fresh 5 1/2 inches of snow this week and the Roxbury Motel has a few rooms left if the mood takes you this weekend.

Platekill Ski. 469 Plattekill Mountain Road. Roxbury. New York. 12474. Tel: 607 326 3500

The Roxbury Motel. 2258 Country Highway 41. Roxbury. New York. 12474. Tel: 607 326 7200

As The Crow Flies

Last summer a restaurant at an old motel in Montauk reopened as the new happening spot, The Crows Nest.  It attracted a sophisticated crowd of Manhattanites looking to do some excellent people watching and eat some good food. Owned by Sean McPherson, Montauk surfer and one of the partners in New York’s Bowery Hotel, The Jane and The Maritime, naturally it quickly attracted the in crowd.

The motel rooms themselves have now had a complete over hall and are some of the nicest rooms to stay in Montauk.  Decorated in a cool bohemian chic style, with John Robshaw bedding, super luxurious bathrooms and a big flat screen television, the comfort level is high. Each room also has its own outside deck with table and chairs, many with a view down to the water.

Set on an inlet lake, the property is peacefully picturesque.  Paddle boards are available to gently exercise on the water front as are a fleet of big white bikes to ride free of charge.  Ditch Plains beach is a relaxing five minute ride away, making for a truly authentic beach experience.

There’s no dj here, just cool music and drinks in an eclectic, beautiful designed restaurant with a relaxing view.  The outside spaces are equally fun, with a groovy little bar down by the water chock full of loungers and sprinkled with fairy lights.

The fire pits offer up free marshmallows for toasting in silver ice buckets and a circle of cushy white cushioned chairs.  A terrific place for a drink after leaving the beach, dinner or a few days get a way from the City, The Crows Nest Inn is a lovely little gem.

The Crows Nest Inn. 4 Old West Lake Drive, Montauk, New York. 11954. Tel: 631 668 2077

 

Winter Blues

Charlotte Simone’s Winter Popsicles

Grab a Cardigan

Beau Coops Boots

Wendy Nichol’s Of The Moment Bags

Chris Ofili At The New Museum

Zero: Countdown To Tomorrow At the Guggenheim

Nick Cave’s Two Amazing Chelsea Shows

Art At Lincoln Centre

We LIKE It First – Heather Taylor, Houseware Designer

We LIKE It First – Alyson Eastman

WE LIKE IT FIRST – Meghan Farrell, Jewelry Designer