An alternative to Crate and Barrel’s Dubois mirror

Posted on May 21, 2013 by onechicklette

You may remember that I posted about the evil Crate and Barrel Dubois mirror.

To reiterate, Dubois mirrors are notoriously difficult to hang and some don’t even match-up with respect to size and hanging mechanism.

I recently got a catalog from Art.com (catalog? How retro!) and noticed their gold bevel mirror. Although they lack the distressed look of the Dubois mirror, they are much less expensive than Crate and Barrel’s Dubois mirror.

From the web site and catalog, I couldn’t tell if the hanging mechanism is an improvement or not so I emailed customer service. They kindly let me know that hanging wire and hardware are included with the mirror.

Sweet!

I need this poster
Why didn’t I think of this?

About these ads

Can you stand the rain?

Posted on May 20, 2013 by onechicklette

Not the New Edition song. The forecast!

The forecast calls for a full week of bad hair in NYC.

I can’t help but feel that the bad weather has been following me.

Hope you have a great week, whatever the weather.

Business travel = not glamorous
I went to Toronto

Business travel isn’t always glamorous

Posted on May 17, 2013 by onechicklette

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I enjoy my trips to Los Angeles. I have favorite hotels, restaurants and people to see.

Sometimes the trips don’t go quite as planned though. Case in point: this most recent trip.

The weather was mostly terrible. The exception was Saturday. I flew out a day early to see a college friend and her family.

My favorite hotel, Andaz WeHo was priced above my daily limit for LA so I stayed at a new-to-me hotel, a Kimpton property.

I checked into the Hotel Wilshire Sunday afternoon. Continue reading →

I fell in love (with a hotel)

Posted on May 16, 2013 by onechicklette

How hotels can make guests want to return over and over again.

When a guest checks in and implies that they’re having a bad day, upgrade their room.
Be popular with celebrities so other guests get a star sighting or two during their stay. But greet every guest – celebrity and civilian – with the same warmth and professionalism.
Don’t charge for wireless.
Offer good hair dryers.
Have a cute little cafe on a terrace near a sun-splashed pool.
…and a gym with a pool view offering beverages, headphones and working equipment.
When you hear that a guest [politely] logged a noise complaint in the middle of the night, comp the $45 room service breakfast when she checks out even though she didn’t bring it up. Tell her you picked the suite you gave her for its quiet and that you’re sorry for what happened.

The Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills did all of things and more. A front desk employee named Kris bowled me over with his kindness. Thanks, Kris!

After the awful experience I had at my original LA hotel this trip, the Four Seasons made my trip end on a happy note–all for only $30 per night more than the Ant Hotel.*

Enjoy a few pics I took during my too brief stay at the gorgeous Four Seasons.

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*I get a corporate rate through my company.

Some LA celeb sightings
Five things I would do if I owned a hotel

Is New York Magazine running out of cover ideas?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by onechicklette

Here’s Elle Fanning’s cover in February.

Via Huffpost.com and NYMag.com

And here’s Jeff Koons’ cover in May.

Via Complex.com and NYMag.com

Twitter Spotlight: Pat Kiernan

Posted on May 15, 2013 by onechicklette

Pat Kiernan is a news anchor for NY1. Each morning, he updates viewers with news of the day, culled from various newspapers and delivered in his own unique style

Don’t miss his Sh*t Pat Kiernan Says video.

If you don’t live in the New York Metropolitan area, you’ve been missing out, but don’t fret: Pat’s new show Crowd Rules kicked off this week on CNBC.

All photos via Tim Hill

OneChicklette: Your favorite qualities in a love interest

@patkiernan: Friendship, honesty, passion, persistence.

OneChicklette: Your chief characteristic (one word) Continue reading →

I bought it: MICHAEL Michael Kors Gideon Sandal

Posted on May 14, 2013 by onechicklette

I needed a new pair of heels for an event.

Yes, I do know the difference between “need” and “want.” The event in question actually had “stiletto” in its title and the invitation made it clear I’d feel dumb if I wore wedges.

I bought these:

Via Zappos.com

I was nervous because – hello! – ankles. But the straps of the sandals made me feel somewhat secure.

Guess what? These shoes are actually pretty comfortable. Like any shoes, my feet hurt after a few hours and my bum ankle is never pain-free. But in the grand scheme of things, I got just what I needed from the Gideon sandal.

I like ‘em enough to buy them in black.

Note: the toe box is narrow so I went up a half-size.

I bought new bras.
I love my Kate Spade Suzette coat.

Mom is going to see Fifty Shades the Musical

Posted on May 14, 2013 by onechicklette

It happened on Mother’s Day.

“I’m going to see Fifty Shades!” Mom announced with great excitement while she, my father and I had lunch at Pellegrino’s.

“What…I mean…movie isn’t made…bad…blergh…” I stammered in response.

Dad might have thrown down his napkin in disgust at this point. He doesn’t know exactly what Fifty Shades entails; only that he’s disgusted.

Almost simultaneously, Dad and I both blurted “let’s talk about something else.”

I gave my attention to the antipasto.

When I got home, I googled. I realized that my mom and her friends are going to see “Fifty Shades the Musical” at the Scranton Cultural Center. Honestly, I forgot it existed.