Untapped went on a Père Lachaise adventure, beginning at the Philippe Starck-designed hotel and bar, Mama Shelter in the 20th arrondisement, situated across from music venue La Fleche D'or. It has some of the best cocktails in town and with rooms running at around 110 euros per night, it's my top recommendation for hotels in Paris.
When my mother came to visit Paris, I booked a hotel for her near the row of Japanese restaurants on Rue Saint-Anne and within a week, she and I had sampled nearly every restaurant. This is our "Best of Rue-Saint Anne" list.
A coffee emergency leads to the discovery of a great coffee shop in Paris.
Untapped New York took a trip to the Empire Diner, a month after it closed. Brooklyn-based writer Amanda Chatel and our photographer for this post reports that it looked "sad and desolate. The boarded up windows made it feel cold and lonely. The liveliness and energy was gone."
The Dîner en Blanc (White Dinner) did not disappoint this year, with the Carrousel du Louvre as the top-secret location. Approximately 12,000 people descended on the museum courtyard just before 9:30pm.
Fittingly, in the back of Café L'Imprévu (French for, the Unforeseen) at the corner of Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle and Rue d'Hauteville is a vintage Grammont public telephone. Further research unveils a hidden connection between America and France during the roaring 20s.
Not with P-Diddy, but just as fabulous? Dîner en Blanc or The White Party, is an invite-only secret dinner party that descends upon a different and very public monument each year.
Right here in New York, a church on 20th st. and 6th ave. has served as religious institution, night club (2 incarnations: Limelight and later, Avalon), weekend market and now, a forthcoming retail location.
A neighborhood infinitely more nuanced than its namesake, Sunset Park repeatedly defies expectation. Once hailed as the "New Williamsburg," Sunset Park residents have fought to keep industry in as a means to keep gentrification out. A widely diverse area where the term "minority" is misleading, upwards of 75% of the population is Hispanic or Chinese, with a rich history of Irish, Polish and Norwegian immigration dating back to the 1800s.
This little faux-dive has a deserved cult following. We call it “Secret Burger” because it’s hidden inside the lobby of the posh Le Parker Meridien hotel.