January 4 and 5: Shore Sales

On January 5, you can snap up great deals at Congress Hall and Star Inn in Cape May. But you can only get them ON JANUARY 5.

I know a bunch of you have taken full advantage of this sale before (some of you for a few years now). So if you want in, click in on Thursday and book away.

You can book dates between January 5 and April 5. Some exclusions apply.

Want to get a good deal at the Chelsea in AC? Book now - their sale is running today, January 5.

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 90: For a last minute trip, start dialing

It happens every year, like a prelude to Back to School shopping mad dash: "Where can I book a cheap vacation down the shore right now?"

Yes, you see the date of this post correctly. In the last two weeks, I've been flooded with requests of where to go for cheap in these last few weeks of August.

My best advice? Pick up the phone and start dialing.

Your best chance on getting a good deal late is to find a place with a cancellation. Assuming said cancellation happened recently, the hotel, motel, or B&B already got at least part of the payment for the room. They'll want to put someone in there vs. no one.

Is it labor intensive? Of course. But it's your best bet.

Another tip: be flexible. Saying you must have oceanfront in Cape May might cramp your options (not that it isn't lovely. It is).

Of COURSE, feel free to keep asking me for suggestions. I can give you tips on who to call. Just realize I'm not a miracle worker ;-)

High Roller at the Tropicana

The second part of my birthday treat last week was a stayover at the Tropicana. I was lucky enough to be booked into one of the brand new Cielo Suites - so new that the tag was still on the ironing board.

Pretty swanky. Our room had a living room, two bathrooms, and two separate rooms with king sized beds. TV in the bathroom, huge walk in shower in one. I was heavenly.

The suites also have a 24 hour concierge service and butler service. I have to say: it was pretty cool to call my parents and tell them I was staying in a high roller suite.

Tropicana added 26 of these suites, and they're part of the recent $5 million in improvements to the property.

This is a step in the right direction. Most people who have told me they've stayed at the Trop did so because they were there on a bachelor/bachelorette party and tried to cram 8 people in the cheapest room the Trop offer. That has lead to a not great reputation (and the place did go bankrupt, so there were obviously problems).

But if they keep moving in the "Cielo" direction, I think the Trop has a good chance of wiping that away. It was packed for the entire time we were there - and we stopped in a few times on nights we weren't staying there, too.

Dinner was at the Knife & Fork, which I love more than I could possibly say. You've got to read the history if you haven't.

Old Atlantic City and new. Perfect way to spend my getting older day.

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 69: The Angel by the Sea was Once One House

Best Cape May B&B story ever: In 1850, Philadelphia chemist William Weightman Sr. had a house built in Cape May. When the house was complete, he decided it was too far from the beach, so he hired farmers to move the house over the winter.

Their idea was to cut the house in two and move the house in halves. Then, when they were in the new beach spot, they'd push the two halves together.

Oops. The halves were too heavy.

So they built walls on the open sides of each building, and Weightman had two houses.

Those two houses today are the Angel by the Sea. Check it out even if you're not staying there.

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 62: Expect a Three Night Minimum

I was helping someone plan a Jersey Shore wedding, and he and his fiance decided on Fourth of July Weekend for next year. He asked me how to drive the price per person down. I didn't have a lot of options for him - that's a really pricey time of the year for anyone visiting the shore - but I did suggest he get it written into the contract that wedding guests could get around the three night minimum, which is normal for a big holiday weekend like the one we're coming up on here.

Why? Because hotels and motels want guaranteed bookings. I can't really blame them, given the demand for the Fourth of July weekend, because they'll get those three night stays.

Some exceptions I've found: the casinos (though those rooms are pricey and going fast), off-island chain motels outside of Atlantic City, Pier 4 in Somers Point (though at last check, they were almost full), and you can also check with the campgrounds along Route 9 if you're OK with camping. This is not an exhaustive list.

Your best bet? Start dialing because people are going to cancel. I helped a couple find a room at the Pier 4 for Friday, and the hotel put them on a list to book them in a room on Saturday if there were a cancellation, which they say there inevitably will be. Things happen. People get sick, have to visit family, etc. You could squeak into their cancelled room for this upcoming weekend if you can put the time in on the phone. Whether or not they're require a three night minimum for picking up a cancelled room? That's up to them.

Asbury Park Half Marathon

After following along the Boston Marathon this morning, the half doesn't seem like much, but, here we go anyway.

The Asbury Park Half Marathon has two options: a three loop course, or an out and back course from the boardwalk to Sea Girt and back. The out and back course goes over the Belmar draw bridge. If the bridge is up, you're stuck until it goes back down, and that time counts toward your official time.

But what the heck. Opted for the out and back course anyway.

Thank goodness it didn't rain but the wind was terrible. I could hear it howling when I woke up that morning (the wind ended up being so bad that I had windburn marks around where my watch was). I went out a little faster than I hoped, but held my pace. The wind wasn't *too* bad going out. After the Sea Girt turn around, though, it smacked you, and I leaned into it the rest of the way to the finish line. The only reprieve was in the last stretch where our course merged with the three loop course - it wasn't on the boardwalk, so there was some wind buffer, but not much.

I managed to hold up that fast pace through the second half of the run, and even pushed to run negative splits (meaning I ran the next mile faster than the one before). I finished with official time of 1:54:20. That's 140th overall out of 630; 13th out of 74 in my age bracket; and 58th woman overall out of 404.

I'll be honest: the time shocked me, not just because of the wind, but because it's not far from my half marathon PR of 1:53:06, which was the last race I ran before my hip injury pushed me out of competitive racing (and that wasn't even a great race, but another story for another time). I don't feel anywhere close to being in the same shape, and I haven't been training like a maniac, so the time is still a kick.

AND I managed to unpin and re-pin my bib mid race. Because the weather was so crazy, I had no idea what to wear. I stood outside of the hotel in three different outfits before going with to-the-knee tights, light tank and light running jacket. I ditched the jacket at mile three, but my bib was pinned to it, so I unpinned it from the jacket and re-pinned it to my bib while running. I kept the jacket, too, which I really appreciated given how much my body temperature dropped after the race.

Thank you to the volunteers who opened the straw and punched it into the juice box for me. My hands were frozen and swollen, and I couldn't even get the cap of a water bottle off let alone accomplish that complex task.

I only have one complaint, which lead to two problems: packet pickup was extremely unorganized. I was given two shirts but no wrist band that let me into the post-race shindig. Since there was no water station at the end of the race, I couldn't get any and relied on those volunteers who took pity on me and gave me water (the juice box was from a company handing out samples). I understand if you want to limit the crowds, but isn't my bib, medal and sweat soaked body enough?

Anyway. Now, for what you've really been waiting for: the food.

The first stop was Langosta Lounge for edamame, then Dauphin Grille for drinks with friends. Dinner was PASTA at Stella Marina, and post race meal came in at Tim McLoones.

Yes, Tim McLoone's. Wonderbar was not open, and even though the waitress standing outside waiting to be let in swore they'd be open at noon, she said no one was inside. Not good if you want to order a burger pronto, so we crossed the street and figured we'd look at the menu.

Turned out to be a good call. I went with the burger stuffed with blue cheese, and the dude did the burger with pork roll on either side of the meat. We both went for the fried pickles, which were incredibly. I also went for two bloody marys, which meant a nice big nap on the drive home.

I stayed at Hotel Tides, which fit the bill in terms of price and proximity to the race. Had a nice room, too. Only problem was the location of that room: 203, right up the (open) stairs from the lobby, which was loud. I came back from dinner after 11pm and the music was still on, and people at the bar. I had to sleep with the TV on to get past the noise, which I never do. If I stay there again, I'd try to get a room away from that stairwell.

Another observation. Take look at my race bib:

The race was sponsored by Wawa. Combined with seeing "pork roll" on a menu, I have to wonder if South Jersey culture is slowing creeping up the NJ coast. Those are very South Jersey things, and I was surprised to see both in Asbury Park.

Next up? Broad Street. It'll be nice to just take the subway to the start for this one.

One Day Sale at the Virginia

A bunch of you jumped on the one day Congress Hall/Virginia sale last year. This year, it looks like the deals are happening at the Virginia.

Here's what you'll get if you book on 1/11/11:

$82 weekday/$109 weekend for stays January 11 to February 28.
$82 weekday/$129-169 weekend for stays March 1 to March 31
$109 weekday/$169 weekend for stays April 1 to April 14.

There are some blackout dates in there, namely those over MLK and Valentine's Day weekends: January 15, January 16, February 19, February 20.

The promo code is 24H.

There's a bunch of fine print about this sale, and I had problems last year booking for weekends in March, but I know some of you grabbed this for Easter weekend. So if you try, report back on how it went. And if you have a problem booking this, call the hotel, not me :-)

Winter Wonderland

Oh, how fun that was. I spent the weekend in Cape May for a mini winter getaway. I stayed at Congress Hall, which is doing a bunch of "Winter Wonderland" themed events through December, including running a kiddie sized train around the grand lawn. I almost paid $3 to ride, but by Sunday, which is when I thought about actually doing it, the wind was so bad that the train didn't appear to be running. This photo is of the tree in the Congress Hall lobby. It's nothing compared to the 40 foot tree outside! Tip: if you want a great room, as for a corner room. I was in 432, and got to watch the sun rise from bed. It was stunning.

This is really odd, but I had some terrible service this weekend in Cape May. Exceptions: Congress Hall (of course); the Ebbitt Room, which was offering a $60, four course tasting menu, which is a STEAL there; and the bar at Elaine's Dinner Theatre. I went there to meet a friend and was surprised to find a fabulous old wooden bar inside that you could go to even if you weren't going to the dinner theatre show. This is absolutely going to be added to my must-visit bar list.

The other thing I took care of this weekend was Christmas shopping. I am now done. But check out what I saw while going out to Flying Fish Studios:

This has GOT to be from Fun City, the old amusement pier in Sea Isle City. Of course I forgot to write down the name of the store, which is right next to Flying Fish. So, my Cape May and West Cape May people, what's the name of this place? I MUST find out how they got their hands on this

Cape May VIP - Worth it?

The Cape May County Chamber of Commerce announced that it's starting a "Cape May VIP" card program.

The premise is simple: You buy the card, and get discounts at Cape May spots.

I don't know if I'd recommend it just. Twenty bucks seems a little steep considering how few businesses are signed up. Unless you absolutely positively go to some of these places, I'm not sure it's worth it.

This could change as they add more businesses to their roster. Would you use this card enough to make back your $20?

Speaking of discounts - the "New Jersey Resident" program is still working, though you can only get it at the Chelsea in Atlantic City at this moment (Beach Shack is closed for the year). So if you're planning to stay at the Chelsea and you have an NJ Driver's License, make sure to get your 30% off and $30 per day resort card.

Photo Day

The text of the book is one read through away from being done, so today I'm working on the photos: sorting, editing, captioning. Here's a selection that haven't made it on the blog yet. Enjoy.

Half Marathon Weekend (without the half marathon)

If you're going to bail out of a half marathon because of heat and injury, there's no better place to do so than down the shore. Or up the shore. I'm not sure what I'm saying about getting to the Asbury Park/Ocean Grove area just yet. Because there was no "down" about the driving.

I stayed at my dad's place in Wayne, Pa. on Friday then drove across to the shore (maybe, though it sounds odd) and landed in Long Branch right at 8:30a.m. Place was jammed, and HOT. I'd driven to Long Branch in a sun dress and sweat shirt, but the sweat shirt came right off.

Even though I knew I wasn't going to run, I still picked up my race packet at the expo. I wanted to put my head down and cry when I picked up the actual packet and the volunteer wished me good luck. A muffin and coffee from Turning Point Cafe helped with that.

Then it was to Ocean Grove, where I stayed at the Majestic, a lovely hotel I booked through bedandbreakfast.com. My dad and step-mom had stayed there last year. I dug it then, and I dig it now. I was allowed to book just one night through bedandbreakfast.com, which was key since I only wanted to stay one night. Site - and hotel - highly recommended.

I spent most of the day on the beach. I know it was hot and muggy at home, but it was a PERFECT beach day. PERFECT. Plus, since it was pre-season, there weren't many tourists, you didn't need a beach tag, and people brought their dogs. It was lovely, even if the water was frigid. Spray on sun block is a single girl's best friend - no doubt. NO BURN! I did walk down to the Asbury Beach to see how crowded it was. The answer, of course, is plenty. I stopped at the Beach Bar, which overlooks the beach and had free music, for a beer. Perfect cap to a beach day.

Then that night, I headed to a fundraiser at the Watermark in Asbury that was timed with the Kentucky Derby. Hence the hat.

I deserve some props for this - I wore that hat the entire night. Why? Well, it was sort of fun, and I had awful hat hair underneath!

Then it was off to dinner at Trinity and the Pope, a brand new cajun creole restaurant in downtown Asbury Park. SO GOOD. Crazy busy (it was, after all, opening night), but very good. I highly recommend it.

Slept in on Sunday then hit the beach in Asbury Park for the rest of the day. It was colder because of a stiffer sea breeze, but still nice. Great crowd, too.

I was sad to come home. It was such a great trip in such a different place than where I usually go. Hearing the trains while you're on the beach, is such a different experience, as is that drive home to Pa. (had to pick up the dog) instead of up the Atlantic City Expressway.

Do I wish I could have run the half marathon? Of course I do. But if I had to do something else for the weekend, this was exactly what I needed.

Wildwood in the New Yorker

Did anyone else notice this? Wildwood got a nice of a spotlight in the January 11, 2010 issue of the New Yorker. William Eggleston's "Untitled (Motel, Wildwood, New Jersey)" ran on page 18. You can see that picture here (I won't copy and put it on this page because that's stealing, yo).

The picture's on display at Cheim & Read in New York.

So, my Wildwood people, what motel is it? I know that the motels get a bad wrap for being old and creaky, but not all of them, and they were quite an innovation at their time. And this motel looks beautiful in the picture.

**UPDATE** Wow, that was fast. As you can see in the comments, Patrick Whipkey IDed it as the Singapore Motel in Wildwood Crest. Thanks, Patrick!

Nail this Sale

If you plan to make a spring trip to Cape May, Cape Resorts is running a heck of a deal for January 7 to April 8 visits. But you can only book it on January 7, starting at 12:01 am.

Here are the deals:

The Virginia: $82 Sunday through Thursday, $109 Friday and Saturday
Congress Hall: $78 Sunday through Thursday, $99 Friday and Saturday
The Star: $71 Sunday through Thursday, $89 Friday and Saturday

Promo code is 24H.

To give you an idea to the scale of the sale: If you went online right now to book a stay at the Virginia for the weekend of April 16, you're going to pay $269 a night.

So mark your calendar for this one, folks, if a spring shore stay is on your mind.

**NOTE: I checked pricing for Ocean Drive Marathon weekend, and Congress Hall is requiring a two-night stay that weekend. FAIL.

UPDATE: It's 12:05am. I tried to book a room for March 27 at the Star Inn, and I'm getting this message: "We apologize. Your requested rate is not available on the dates you selected." I just tried it again for Congress Hall on March 12. Same thing. Did these rooms really sell out in FIVE MINUTES? What the heck? The only reason I'm up this late is because my grandmother died today, and I'm catching up on the emails I missed. I got an email sent at 12:04 reminding me of the sale, so I figured I should check that off my to-do list. Sorry if your kids are watching, but WTF?

Recommended: Bedandbreakfast.com

On May 2, I'm running the New Jersey Marathon. Rather than driving to Long Branch the morning of the race, I decided to stay overnight so I can sleep in a little later and be refreshed.

Who am I kidding? I'm going to be a nervous wreck and probably stare at the ceiling most of the night.

Problem is, the obvious hotel options are sold out, and I didn't want to pay north of $250 a night with a two night minimum stay required.

I put Asbury Park into kayak.com, which scours other travel websites for best prices, and it popped up options via bedandbreakfast.com. I scored a night in a nice Ocean Grove B&B for $100, one night stay only (no, I'm not going to tell you where, stalker).

So if you're looking for a B&B stay, give this resource a shot. I did a search through Cape May via the site, and it was spot on with options, prices and details. It's a great resource.

More on the Chelsea

Why did the Chelsea associate itself with this? I mean, really. It's not even a GOOD rap video. The cash at the end? Ugh.

Dusk Opening and Chelsea Update

On Friday night, I went to the pre-opening party for Dusk, a new club at Caesars in Atlantic City.

Nice place, especially considering it's in the space of what was once a Planet Hollywood. But I can't say it's radically different from what you'll find at other clubs in Atlantic City, which include:

1. Stripper poles (though I'm not sure you'll always find a Philadelphia gossip columnist pole dancing, as I did on Friday).
2. Girls in push up bras and short black dresses working bottle service.
3. Loud, fun mixes of music (a LOT of Michael Jackson).
4. Fancy drinks.
5. Cool light set ups. The main dance floor felt like a circus tent, which was nifty.

Dusk also has a separate room called Dawn, which was chiller and more relaxed. It was also a way for smokers to get onto the boardwalk without having to technically leave the club.

Dusk opens to the public this weekend, and I hope it does well. It's placement on the boardwalk will help (though you can only enter through Caesars). The Borgata has nice clubs, but if you're staying on the Boardwalk, it's a pain to get over to the marina area.

Like my last visit to Atlantic City, I stayed at the Chelsea. Despite booking a room in the annex (the less pricey side), we were upgraded to a room in the tower side (the nicer side). On Saturday, Bill and I hit the pool area.

I still think it's a cool idea -- this day time club called the Cabana Club by a pool -- but the waitress service was yet again awful. We felt like we were bothering our waitress by asking for anything, and it took some time to flag her down for service, and to pay our bill. I could have also done without the snotty attitude from the gentleman working the pool area. Yes, I get that the demand for seats by the pool is high, but there's no reason to treat me like an idiot for not getting to the pool at 10am. Really, kid? I know it's busy but there's no harm in asking. And thank you for telling me I'd never get a seat so why bother putting us on the waiting list...when a lot of people did get seated after I asked to be put on said list.

This is all very puzzling, especially considering the great service you'll get at their other property, Cape May's Congress Hall. The lobby at the Chelsea was also chaotic mid-day -- a lot of frazzled nerves on both the sides of patrons and employees.

Bill and I were just fine lying out on the couch area outside of the pool on Saturday, but those service issues have put the Cabana Club on the "avoid" list until September, when hopefully the attitudes will drop down. I still get the feeling that the Chelsea is trying to find its place in the Atlantic City scene. Let's hope they're just working out some kinks and this isn't a sign of a bigger issue.

P.S. Yes, this was there on Friday. Did anyone care? Not really. Just part of the crowd.

Cape May Day

I know this post is late -- a week late -- but I lost the little do hickey that lets me upload photos from my camera to my computer. How did I lose it? By cleaning my desk, so it wasn't on the desk but tucked away somewhere that would make sense to an organizer but not to me.

Anyway...I was in Cape May last Thursday and Friday for work, and got the chance to check out the new Sea Spa at Congress Hall. How fun and sunny does this look?



I only had time for a half hour massage, but it was nice. Last Thursday was also the 20th anniversary of the Virginia (yes, owned by the same company). Here's a picture of owner Curtis Bashaw making a speech before the crowd that tucked itself into the lobby:



I've never stayed at the Virginia, but it's where my dad and step mom stayed when they got married in Cape May, and their plan is return every year on their anniversary.

I *did* however, much to the jealousy of local foodies, have dinner in the Ebbitt Room, the restaurant at the Virginia. Why would foodies be jealous? Because I sampled the new menu of the new chef, Lucas Manteca, former of Sea Salt in Stone Harbor. This was big news in the local food scene. To me? I'm no foodie know what tastes good, and the dinner was wonderful.

Too bad the weather stunk last week, but I did grab these shots of Cape May in the mist after dinner:





And then there's this:



I was feeling restless after dinner, so I checked out "Are You Smarter Than a Bartender?" at Cabanas -- it's a version of quizzo.

Cabanas is the bar downstairs of Martini Beach, one of the pieces featured in that New York Times piece I wrote about upscale bars. It was a rowdy crowd for a Thursday night, and I'd guess the average age to be 23 or 24. I spent most of the night chatting to a nice young man, 22 years old, who came out that night to play wingman for his friend. His girlfriend is 20 and couldn't come to the bar. I ended up giving him some career counseling, and while we were talking about where else he could work that summer, the body shots started not far from where we sat. And, no, that's not me. Come on now.

It was a fun night, but I was sluggish the next day. Not 22 anymore, I guess ;-) We'll see how I hold up at the opening of Dusk tomorrow night.

Want to Know What the Chelsea Looks Like?

As I do every holiday season, I watched White Christmas while wrapping holiday presents this weekend (yes, I shop early...that's because I have to help everyone else in my family right about now).

When I got to the scene that starts at about 3:00 in this clip that I saw The Chelsea, the boutique hotel that opened up in AC this summer.

Well, obviously not the Chelsea, but the theme of the Chelsea -- that retro cool slick feel that they're going for with the same colors, shapes and decor. The white built-in book cases are almost identical.

At least that's what I think (and I have been writing about design for the last few months). I've heard people compare it to a lot of different pop culture items, and I struggled to think of an apt comparison myself. I think this is the closest I've gotten.

Plus it was an excuse to post part of White Christmas on the blog. I love the movie -- I even wrote about it in a grad school paper -- but it's completely ridiculous. I mean, they do the Minstrel number with a full orchestra and, when the song's over, it's a meager three man band in a barn. It's also full of gratuitous leg shots. Look for them next time you watch the film -- casually leaning against a crate; stretching before the next dance number; even painted on background signs.

Anyway, I hope to head back to The Chelsea soon. I visitied when it had just opened, and I've heard it's picked up steam since. Plus, my friends have given Chelsea Prime, the hotel's steak house, rave reviews. One even said the filet was the best piece of meat he'd ever had. So here's hoping.

Speaking of nightlife, want to vote for what in AC you think is the best? Then fill out the Atlantic City Weekly survey asking just that.

**UPDATE**Forgot to mention this: I'll be at this free Atlantic City event on Wednesday night. I've been to plenty eWomenNetwork events closer to home, but this is only my second down the shore. Should be fun!

Want to Check out the Chelsea?

So I was helping a bridesmaid plan an Atlantic City bachelorhood party and told her about how you can compare room prices and book rooms through that link on the left hand side of this page that says "Going to AC?"

I decided to take a look and see what they're charging these days, and now is a good time to grab a steal: The Chelsea, which I wrote about before, is charging $169 for a room tonight. $169! Great deal courtesy of a 15% off booking discount.

So if you're looking for a last minute getaway, check it out.

The Chelsea

I wrote a "Slant" a.k.a. op/ed piece for this week's Philadelphia City Paper about Atlantic City, using The Chelsea, a new boutique hotel, as the hinge for my opinion. You can read that op/ed here.

I want The Chelsea to succeed. I think it can succeed -- Lord knows I love Congress Hall in Cape May, which was renovated by the same group.

And yet........I have my doubts.

You can read about most of them in the op/ed. It's not a slight to Curtis Bashaw and The Chelsea team, but more a concern about the state of the city in a spiraling economy.

Then there's The Chelsea itself. I stayed there Tuesday night, and it was cooler than I thought it would be. They did such a good job making the whole place retro, and that's my thing. I like going to a hotel that doesn't have a casino. I like not having to walk through smoke to get to my room.

And yet........I don't think the building is ready for customers. They're already behind schedule but decided to open up anyway without the bars, restaurants, or spas being ready. The rooms didn't have any information about the hotel -- nothing about room service, which I really wanted this morning. The elevators were slow, and even then, contractors were more than ready to kvetch about the construction process to staying guests (many of whom were grumpy). I checked in right after a couple checked out and asked for a credit or partial refund.

These are the growing pains of a new hotel, but the place is so frantic and so unfinished that I wish they'd waited another two weeks or even month to open. Yes, they would have lost the cusp of the summer season, and, yes, they would have lost the money from everyone who's stayed so far (they were sold out), but I bet a lot of people who stayed last night will not come back.

It's a fun place, and I think it will do well, but it's just a bit too early.

Here's some pictures. They really did a wonderful job. I just wish they'd held back a few weeks to fling open the front doors.

(If you are going to stay at The Chelsea, I hear the first restaurant will open Thursday night, and I'm going to swing by on Saturday night after my book signing in Avalon 6-8pm at Pale Moon Boutique. Of course I will report back...)

One of my favorite parts...private beach with cabana boy service:



The lobby:





A room. The details in the furniture and decor really make it a swell room. Couldn't you see a Mad Men-esque photo shoot here?







Another one of those little touches that make the difference: look at everything in this kit. It makes up, in part, for not having a hotel gift shop or bar. The retro candies! The quality gin! You can even buy yourself an "intimacy kit," which has exactly what you think it would have:



This is part of "The 5th Floor," what will be the nightlife center. Again, looks super cool and I can't wait to try it:



And outdoor couches by the pool:



So my take? It's a beautiful, fun renovation of what used to be two so so hotels. If I were a magazine art director, I'd be setting up fashion shoots there pronto. But if you're going to go, wait a month. It should be in full swing this fall.

Since there was no wining and dining at The Chelsea last night, my evening involved drinks at the Hilton's Dizzy Dolphin (it's a ship! with a bar!) followed by an immaculate dinner at the Knife & Fork Inn -- which could explain why I craved room service and possibly a Bloody Mary this morning. Ah, well. Bagel and coffee from Adam Good Deli at the Tropicana was probably a healthier bet.

I have lots of pictures from today's hermit crab beauty pageant...will post tomorrow.