All posts tagged: GARDENS

Art Alert! Chihuly Now at the New York Botanical Garden

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

If you love gardens, sculpture, grace and beauty, head to the New York Botanical Garden on the next fine day that comes your way. Artist Dale Chihuly has installed site-specific glass sculptures there for the first time in ten years, and it’s definitely worth a visit. And we’re not just saying that because one of them bears a striking resemblance to a dandelion chandelier. Seriously, it may sound like hyperbole, but this particular exhibit is one of those don’t-miss events in the life of the city that will linger in your memory long after it’s gone.

Chic Insider Tips on the Best Luxury Hotels in Paris

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Now that the fabled Hôtel de Crillon has reopened on the Place de la Concorde after a 4-year renovation, where does it rank in the pantheon of luxury hotels in Paris? We asked our Dandelion Chandelier Paris Bureau Chief to weigh in on what the opening means for those who are planning a trip to the City of Light and curious to learn where the chic insiders from France and other cosmopolitan places are staying right now. Here’s our report.

What’s the Most Luxurious Way to Celebrate Spring?

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Isn’t spring your favorite season? Watchin’ the flowers bloomin’ up from the ground, watchin’ the snow melt down, boy, you may dig winter, boy, but spring is my joy. One of our favorite performances by the late great Al Jarreau was the artist singing “Joy Spring.” Whatever your favorite season, that song will make you feel alive to the possibilities of springtime. There are some reasonably kooky and sweet annual festivals around the world to mark the arrival of the season. For example, in Zenica, Bosnia, the Festival of Scrambled Eggs celebrates the egg as a symbol of new life. In Zurich, Sechseläuten is the opportunity to set fire to an enormous snowman (called the Böögg) to banish the winter. South Holland hosts a 12-hour-long parade that travels from Noordwijk to Haarlem; at the Flower Parade of the Bollenstreek every float is constructed of bulb flowers like hyacinths, tulips and daffodils. And in India and Nepal, at the Hindu spring festival of Holi – also known as the “festival of colors” – people of all …

Where is the Most Luxurious Romantic Place in the World?

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Paris? Venice? Hawaii? Santorini? You’ve heard of them all, and perhaps you’ve even been to them all. They’re undeniably romantic, and it would be extremely hard to declare one as clearly superior to the others – after all, determining “the most romantic place” is highly subjective, and in our experience is wholly dependent on one’s companion (the aisles of a supermarket can be intoxicating if you’re with the right person).