On our Radar - Celebrity Solstice

Today we’re off to sunny Ft. Lauderdale to set sail on the new Celebrity Solstice ship for a two night preview cruise. We’re not generally cruisers, but we were invited by Celebrity to attend this weekend’s festivities, including the naming ceremony today and some mysterious “white party” on Saturday.

Aside from the obvious benefits of warm weather, sea air and all the free pina coladas we can drink, we’re really looking forward to exploring the ship. Especially after reading USA Today’s Gene Sloan’s initial review of the ship, “First impressions of the ship? In a word, ‘wow’!” and “The design of the ship is exquisite, with space after space that makes you gasp with surprise and amazement.”

Celebrity Solstice has an actual lawn—we’re talking real grass—on its deck where cruisers can play croquet. There’s also a glass blowing studio where you can indulge your inner artisan. What makes this ship extra special is its AquaClass Staterooms, which share the deck with the Aqua Spa. Also high up on our list is the Master Class wine bar, the specialty restaurants, including an Italian steakhouse, a pan-Asian restaurant and a creperie and Fortunes Casino.

Gene was very impressed with some of the ship’s space-saving measures that made us think Celebrity is taking a cue from Apple. Stay with us—the ship raised the beds so you can store your luggage underneath, kind of like how the first iPod had a quick wheel that later generations did away with and the new MacBook Pro has the coolest touchpad we've ever seen. (Can you tell one member of JSG just got a new laptop?)

It sounds like internet service is pretty spotty on the high seas, so we’ll report back next week!

Bobbi Brown Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick

We had our makeup done at Neiman's Bobbi Brown counter last week and were drooling over the new (and limited edition) Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick. It has a subtle and flattering combination of Candlelight, Gold, Copper, Beige, and Sand, which are perfect as a holiday highlighter on your cheeks and brow bones or used individually on your eyes.

The compact's metallic faux leather finish makes it perfect as a gift for the quickly approaching season.

Available at Bobbi Brown and major department stores for $40.

Austin Part 2

We stayed at the historic Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin. Since 1886, the Driskill has undergone periodic renovation; the latest to its guestrooms was recently completed. Our room was comfortable and classic though not spacious (we wouldn't expect a huge room at an older property anyhow). The lobby is grand and worth a visit to see the stained glass, the columns and the art, and it's a great place to stop for a cup of coffee at the 1886 Cafe and Bakery. We sat in the lobby bar for a cocktail and listened to acoustic music in the evening (music is everywhere in Austin).

One of the advantages of staying at the Driskill is its location. We walked to the original Whole Foods for breakfast, the shopping on South Congress, and the bars on Sixth Street (deciding which direction is easy: if you're under 30 take a left out of the Sixth Street door for the college set, over 30 hang a right). We could walk to dinner, and even walk down to Town Lake for some exercise (our girlfriend, Amanda, is a good influence).


If you're staying downtown, one drive that's well worth making is to the Lake Austin Spa Resort. Better yet, spend a couple of nights there on their gorgeous property. We've gushed about Lake Austin Spa in the past and our recent visit didn't disappoint. We had the new Chardonnay Wine Therapy treatment, which was 110 minutes of heaven: first a sugar scrub, followed by a butter wrap (with a fantastic scalp massage), and topped off with a Chardonnay oil massage. Afterward, we met our college girlfriends in the Aster Cafe for a healthy lunch, soaked in some rays on the back deck, and finished up in the steam room. If you're curious, check out their Girlfriend Getaways with authors, chefs, and more. Our friend, Wendy, just celebrated a special birthday there with five close friends and they had an amazing time.

Austin - Living Up to Expectations

After hearing about what an amazing city Austin is for years, we decided it was high time to go check it out for ourselves. That's exactly what we did this past weekend--it was Annie's first trip and Hope's first in several years. We started the weekend off right, we were met at the airport by friend of a friend, Rusty Irons, who rents out a home (shown below) through HomeAway.com to guests like REM and the cast of Mamma Mia (the musical, not the movie). Rusty was a bundle of positive energy who shared her favorite spots around Austin and who was a shining example of Reason #1 everyone loves the city: its residents are friendly, interesting and passionate about their city.



Reason #2, Austin has some amazing shopping. We're cutting back with the rest of you, and so far have been able to withstand the 40% off temptation sale at Neiman's over the course of back to back weekends. But once we set foot in the stores on South Congress, there was no holding back. We bought a drop-dead sexy, backless dress by Rag & Bone at By George. Our other favorite store was Maya Star (shown below) a combo jewelry store, home accents and clothing, not unlike Anthropologie, but with more carefully selected offerings. We picked up some little knick-knacky things for our new apartment and a gift for our SO. The vintage shopping was pretty key, too, though JSG was a wee bit too hungover to spend time scouring through racks.



Reason #3, The live music scene. We made it to the venerable Antone's on Saturday night, where we saw local band Nelo play. (As Hope pointed out, they should be called "Eye Candy". See below.). The boys were hot, but more importantly, excited to be on stage and sang tunes with a country-ish twang that we could definitely grove, to. Antone's is an intimate space where you can really get a feel for the band, unlike a MSG or Capital Center.



Reason #4, The food. On Rusty's recommendation, we went to El Sol y La Luna, an amazing authentic Mexican place with dirt cheap prices. We practically drank the chili con queso appetizer and seriously considered going back the next day. On the other end of the spectrum, the service at Jeffrey's was lovely and the waitress even dished about seeing Derek Jeter and Minka Kelly the week before (Minka's nearby filming Friday Night Lights.). If you go to Jeffrey's, be sure to try the Rosemary Martini. Rosemary grows all over Texas and even walking the streets of downtown, the boxes are filled with it. We couldn't help but rub our hands through it constantly. We also appreciated that the III Forks Steakhouse cooked our steaks perfectly (black and blue).


(We threw Derek in there just in case the boys in the band aren't your type.)

Check back tomorrow for more on Austin's hotels and spas!

David Babaii-Former Hotelier. Who Knew?

We fell in love with David Babaii for his natural, paraben-free WildAid products. He's also the man responsible for Angelina Jolie's July cover of Vanity Fair, you know the one--we all ran into our salons saying, "I'll have what she's having." We learned in yesterday's NY Post that David actually got his start in the hotel industry, working for the big boys--Peninsula and the Ritz. David realized he wanted to be a stylist on vacation in Paris. That type of inspiration and insight is the exact reason we love to travel as much as we do.



Read the full article, Dream Job, for more on David's life.