Travel Desk
Get To Know Curtis Stone.
Originally from Melbourne, Curtis has lived in Los Angeles for eight years and is chef and owner of Maude, one of Beverly Hills’ top restaurants.
My favourite place to brunch in LA is The Oaks Gourmet because I love rolling out of bed on a Sunday and picking up one of their insanely good brekkie burritos. Oh my God I want one right now, slathered in hot sauce! The best coffee in LA can be found at Short Order, a coffee shop located within Farmers Market at The Grove. When I need some downtime, I head to The Village Idiot in West Hollywood. The vibe is fancy-free and fuss-free and suits me because they play plenty of sports on big screens! I also love Miami. I’ve been there plenty of times; I love the water – it’s so great with the beautiful beaches and it’s great for scuba diving. You can do so many different things there. You travel about 20 minutes and you’re in the swampland. Or you go the other way and find all these beautiful caves. I also love the atmosphere; there’s a very South American feel to it. And the food is delicious! I opened the 25-seat Maude because it has been a dream of mine for many years to have a tiny restaurant that I could just work with a group of talented guys on. The whole goal of it is just to create a super comfortable environment and serve incredible food. I choose to focus on one ingredient every month because California is rich with incredible fresh produce and I want to pay homage to the ingredients the farmers work so tirelessly to produce. Surprisingly, people aren’t scared of having morels and artichokes in their dessert!
Flying High
Thrillseekers in Las Vegas can now zip between two of Rio Hotel and Casino’s towers, taking in the expansive views of the famous Vegas strip as they hit speeds of 53 kilometres per hour. Opened in May 2014, Voodoo Zipline is the second zipline to start operating in Vegas this year (SlotZilla at Fremont Street Experience opened in April). There must be something in the air...
In The Neighbourhood
Once a booming maritime district, Boston’s southern waterfront was almost forgotten, until the tides turned and multimillion-dollar development plans began to revive the area with trendy hotels and chic fashion outlets. Since The Institute of Contemporary Art moved into its modern digs some years ago, it has welcomed sold-out performances and world premieres. On the food front, the swanky Empire Restaurant & Lounge serves diverse Asian fare, while the slightly more low-key Rosa Mexicano shakes up pomegranate margaritas. Then there’s Tamo, which recently christened its bistro redesign with a menu featuring food-truck-inspired dishes. When you’re done, wander to the Seaport Boston Hotel to catch one of its fully electric water taxis.
Calling All Shopaholics!
These shopping centres are so big, you’ll need a day – or three – to get through them all
Mall of America (Minnesota): This is the biggest mall in the USA. It’s so huge that it’s almost a kilometre walking distance around just one level (and there are four levels). There’s even an indoor amusement park – Nickelodeon Universe – there too.
King of Prussia Mall (Pennysylvania): There’s more retail space in this mall than in any other shopping centre in the whole of the USA. As it’s divided into two main sections (The Plaza and The Court), it’s fairly easy to navigate around – but there are still more than 400 shops to explore.
South Coast Plaza (California): With more than 250 stores, this mall is one of the highest grossing shopping centres in the USA. Why? A surplus of luxury brand shops (think Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, Gucci, Hermes, Rolex and the like) and people willing to splash some cash.
Obama’s Monumental Decision
In May this year, President Obama declared the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks (spanning nearly 500,000 acres) in New Mexico a national monument. This was his 11th national monument designation. Near Las Cruces in the south of the state, the region comprises canyons with Native American petroglyphs, petrified forests, and animal species like pronghorn antelope, peregrine falcons and mountain lions.
A Century Remembered
To commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the First World War, Cincinnati Museum Center in Ohio is hosting an art exhibit called World War I Propaganda Posters: Art That Shaped Our History. Meanwhile, the National WWI Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri will host two exhibits – Over By Christmas: August-December 1914, which highlights the first five months of the war, and On the Brink: A Month That Changed the World, which looks at the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
