Virtual Vacation: Great Smoky Mountains

Dave and I have elected to spend our Christmas vacation at home again this year, and while I welcome the opportunity to indulge in a bit of a "staycation," I can't help but wish we were sitting around a slightly more festive environment -- like, say, a cozy cabin nestled in the mountains.Now I'll be the first to admit that I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a girl who likes to "rough it

Vacation Recap: Scotland, Part 4

{Holyrood Abbey}[Note: This is a continuation of the recap of my recent trip to the United Kingdom. To view Part 1, click HERE. To view Part 2, click HERE. To view Part 3, click HERE.]Day 9, cont.: After driving through Glen Coe, Dave and I made one final stop before heading into Edinburgh at Stirling Castle. Strategically situated atop an extinct volcano along the narrowest part of the United

Vacation Recap: Scotland, Part 3

{Inverness, Scotland}[Note: This is a continuation of the recap of my recent trip to the United Kingdom. To view Part 1, click HERE. To view Part 2, click HERE.]Day 7. After a nearly a week in London, we caught a plane to Inverness, the unofficial capital of the Highlands. That evening, we were able to take full advantage of the long Scottish summer days and walk around the city. Situated on the

Vacation Recap: England, Part 2

[Note: This post is a continuation of the recap of my recent trip to the United Kingdom. To view part 1, go HERE.]Day 4. After a rainy, dreary Saturday, we awoke to a beautiful Sunday morning so we decided to head out of London for the second time to enjoy the gorgeous weather at Hampton Court in Richmond. Hampton Court was originally the private home of Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century

Vacation Recap: England, Part 1

I've finally managed to sort through the hundreds of photos I took of our recent trip and I thought I'd share some of my favorites here on the blog. I recognize that sharing the web-equivalent of a lengthy slide show of family vacation photos isn't exactly exciting stuff -- or really what this blog is about. But bear with me and I'll try and keep things lively and, in the interest of not boring

30-second recap

Parliament Square, LondonI'm still playing catch up at work (and sleep), so I haven't managed to sift through all the photos yet...or have some developed. [Annoyingly enough, my camera battery died on the second to last day and I had to resort to a disposable camera (and yes, they still make those).] Until I can get around to a full-fledged, proper post, here's a sneak peak:Leeds Castle, County

Odi et Amo goes Globetrotting

As I wrap up my real vacation in Scotland today, we're going to wrap up our virtual travels with some serious globetrotting. If you're not completely jet lagged at this point, grab your passports and join me as I recap some of my own favorite vacations (alas, all virtual save for trip to Edinburgh):BarbadosCapriPalm SpringsMexicoEdinburghAnd, of course, thanks again to the three lovely bloggers (

The Decorista goes to Los Cabos

Today our travels take us far to the southwest, to Los Cabos, Mexico, along the Baja penninsula. Our guide today is the lovely Ashlina, from the blog The Decorista. This wildly stylish blogger will be sharing some of her own secrets to vacation bliss. Pack your swimsuits and plenty of suntan lotion -- it's gonna be a great trip!* * *Hello all of you lovely readers of Odi et Amo! It's Ashlina here

Aesthetic Oiseau goes to South Carolina

Today our virtual travels take us farther south down the eastern seaboard to St Johns, South Carolina, to a home designed by the incomparable Phoebe Howard. Our tour guide today is Daniela from the DC-based blog Aesthetic Oiseau. If you're looking for inspiration for a modern interpretation of chinoiserie or incredibly stylish chinoiserie finds at a good price, Daniela is your girl. In fact, I

The Zhush goes to the Hamptons

I thought while I was away on vacation that it would be appropriate to ask a few of my favorite bloggers to come over to Odi et Amo and guest blog about their favorite vacation homes (real or imagined). Today Sue from The Zhush will be kicking things off with a fantasy guest home in The Hamptons courtesy of one of my all-time favorite designers Steven Gambrel. It's got to be just about the most

Wanderlust

Elle DecorToday Dave and I will be getting on a plane for London. After fretting about the volcano and the British Airways strike messing with my best laid plans, I'm relieved, happy and a little bit shocked to have everything still a "go" just a few short hours from our departure -- even if the BA strike did result in our flight getting cancelled (we managed to get on a Continental flight).

Virtual Vacation: Edinburgh

Work has been incredibly hectic for me as we rush to close on an acquisition in a matter of weeks (instead of the months that we should have had). For all the craziness though, one upside to being overextended at the office is that, when things finally do settle down, you feel incredibly entitled to make the most of it and go on vacation. Dave and I are booked to take a much-deserved (for us both

Virtual Vacation: Mexico

As much of the country settles in for a bitterly cold weekend, I can't help but daydream a bit about being somewhere (anywhere!) else. Some place warm, sunny, beautiful and near the water is just the ticket to chasing away the winter blues. Besides, after limping my way through my first week back after a 10 day vacation, I'll admit that I (quite unjustifiably) feel that I'm due for another break

Christmas in New York City - Art Galleries & Theatre

Christmas in New York City - Galleries & Theatre

This Christmas visit to New York I was fortunate to see the Musical, South Pacific at the Lincoln Center, and two Art Galleries; Georgia O'Keeffe at The Whitney Museum of Modern Art and Kandinsky at the Guggenheim Museum. I love theatre in New York.  There is something very special about getting dressed up and the excitement of the opening strains from the Orchestra.It was a toss up between the new play 'A Little Night Music', the latest revival of Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning musical with Angela Lansbury and  Catherine Zeta-Jones, or the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'South Pacific' at the Lincoln Center. I am happy to say that I saw South Pacific and it was as good as the concierge at my Hotel said it was. There was something soothing about hearing songs that I have grown up with and are so familiar. The theme song "Some Enchanted Evening," stayed with me for several days. Here is the YouTube version of 'Some Enchanted Evening' you can listen to.

 

  
South Pacific at Lincoln Center 

The Guggenheim Museum had a wonderful exhibit of the work of the Russian artist, Vasily Kandinsky, who was a pioneer of Abstract Art and broke new ground in painting in the first decades of the twentieth century. The Guggenheim designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was opened in 1959 and, rightly so, is claimed to be one of his most famous masterpieces. The spiraling design of the interior makes this museum one of the best venue's I have ever been in to view an art exhibit. As you walk up the spiral ramps you can view the pieces of artwork as a whole. Magnificent!!!

 

    

The view from the roof top of the Guggenheim across the reservoir & jogging trail of Central Park.

  
I want this townhouse!

 

These are two of my favourite pieces by Kandinsky from the exhibit. 
You can view the exhibit on line here.

After the exhibit we got directions to a local's favourite restaurant on E. 73rd Street where I had a most memorable lunch of Arugula salad topped with sliced roasted artichokes and topped off with large, (very large) paper fine slices of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Yummm!!

Via Quadronno on E. 73rd Street. (left)
A Beautiful piece of street sculpture outside the restaurant. (right)

The walk back to the Hotel was in typical New York style down streets lined with beautiful townhouses all decorated for the holiday season, past apartments with uniformed concierges, among the locals walking their dogs, across streets with bumper to bumper honking taxis, and a short jaunt through Central Park.

   
Townhouses decorated for Christmas on E 73rd Street

   
Fifth Avenue

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart.

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Ano y Felicidad.

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Ano y Felicidad.

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas

From the bottom of my heart.

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Designer firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

Christmas in New York City - The Shop Windows

Christmas in New York City - The Shop Windows

This year I am fortunate to be spending some 'Christmas time' in New York, which for me is one of the prettiest times of year in this city.  There is so much to see and to do here at any time of year, but especially more so at Christmas.  The displays in the store windows are magnificent, the Christmas lights are bigger and better than anywhere, the concerts, shows and theatre are at their best, the restaurants are overflowing, and the stores are filled with shoppers looking for just the right gifts, and everywhere the city is filled with good cheer. Enjoy the pictures.

The ceiling at Macy's.

Swarovski Crystals

 
Louis Vuitton at Macy's

I loved the awnings at Lord & Taylor which were totally covered in green boughs and thousands of twinkle lights.

Kiki de Montparnasse in SoHo for the ultimate in Christmas lingerie.

Stella McCartney in the Meatpacking District 

 
Brooks Brothers at Lincoln Center featured a Tie Tree for the discerning gentleman.

 
Colombus Circle

 
Cole Haan Rockefeller Center

Anthropologie Rockefeller Center had fun and unusual window displays, like this one of the pink Cadillac in the snow bank.

 
The Gap

My pictures below of the windows at Bergdorf really don’t do the beautiful displays the justice they deserve. They were so much better than the photos. There were so many people standing in front of the windows, that it was hard to get a full shot, and then the battery went dead on my camera and I had to take the rest of the photos on my iPhone at a much lower resolution.  It is really hard to describe the amount of people in New York, unless you have been there at Christmas time.  When I returned to Vancouver it felt like a sleepy little Hamlet in comparison.

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York 

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

 
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue New York

The striking glass structure of the Apple Store is iconic.  You enter through the glass doors into a glass cube and a spiral glass staircase leads to the service floor below ground.  I had my new iPhone with me and took it out to show it where it was born.  I am sure that there are going to be a lot of Happy little iPhones under the Christmas tree this year.

 
Glass Roof Apple Store

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here were are as in olden days,
happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Patricia Gray is an award winning Interior Designer in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who blogs about "WHAT'S HOT"
in the world of Interior Design: New and Emerging Trends, Contemporary Design, Modern Architecture and Travel,
as well as how your surroundings can enhance the world around you.
© Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™ 2009

Trip Recap: Miami

North BayDave and I just got back from our long weekend in South Florida, where we had a wonderful, relaxing time. I apologize for not posting while we were away (I had the best of intentions, I promise!) but somehow the days managed to get away from me. But in a place this beautiful, can you really blame me?Outside our hotel roomWe stayed at The Standard, which is located right on North Bay (

Viva Miami!

Tonight Dave and I are off to Miami for a four-day weekend. The first three nights will be spent at The Standard, where I plan to take full advantage of its many spa amenities as well as its salt water pool. On Friday, I'll be dragging Dave to Miami's fabulous design district for a bit of serious art and decor sight seeing. We'll also be meeting up with Dave's brother and his wife (who live in

Virtual Vacation: Palm Springs

After a long weekend of packing, moving and (slowly but surely) unpacking, I'm ready for another vacation. Since I won't be taking one for a while, I thought I'd indulge in a little virtual vacation today, courtesy of the New York Times and its recent feature on the Palm Springs' home of Kansas-based designer David Jimenez. While I've never been to Palm Springs myself, I've always imagined it to

Vacation Part Two: Ireland

The last five days of our trip was spent in Ireland, and we definitely took a slower, more leisurely pace through the Emerald Isle than we had in our six days in London. After arriving in Galway following a painfully early flight from London-Luton (not an airport I'd recommend, by the way, as it's about an hour's trip by tube, train and then shuttle from central London) we collapsed at our hotel

Vacation Part 1: London

So I've finally narrowed down my pictures to a manageable number and I thought I'd divide them up between our time in the greater London area and our time in Ireland. We arrived at London Heathrow at 9:30 in the morning after a long overnight flight from Houston. We spent the first day in a state of somnamublance, managing to rouse ourselves after a long afternoon nap just in time for dinner at