A Caymanian Escape
Jan 27th
Two weeks ago, I took a short jaunt to the Cayman Islands to escape for a long weekend before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I went with my friend from college, Beth, and met her in New York City Wednesday night for dinner before our early-morning flight from JFK International Airport.
Unfortunately, not all trips will be without a hitch or two, and our first came on Thursday morning when our flight was delayed by several hours. A broken bathroom prevented our Cayman Airways flight from departing, and instead of arriving in the Caymans by 1 p.m. that afternoon, we arrived at our resort by 5 p.m. A bit of a bummer, as we lost a day of sun and relaxation, but we more than made up for it on Friday and Saturday.
To properly whisk ourselves away to the spirit of the islands, we booked massages at the resort spa for Friday morning. We were staying at the Westin Causarina Resort & Spa, and we spent the remainder of that day lounging on the beach and by the pool, enjoying a leisurely outdoor lunch and jet skiing. That evening, we wandered Seven Mile Beach for a dinner spot and found Luca, an Italian restaurant in the Caribbean Club.
My favorite activity of the trip was our Saturday catamaran excursion to swim with stingrays and snorkel. The water was choppy, and it was an incredibly windy day, but our morning journey was still peaceful and unique. It was a bit hard not to be initially frightened by the giant stingrays, but they were gentle and tickled as they swam past. They were also deceptively heavy. With the tour taking up a large chunk of the day, we again spent the remainder of the afternoon lounging and relaxing before setting off again down Seven Mile Beach in search of dinner. We chose Decker’s, a more laid-back choice from Luca.
Sunday meant it was time to pack up and head home, but not before we indulged in a gorgeous Sunday brunch at the Westin’s Ferdinand’s. I’ve never seen such an impressive spread, and I highly recommend this meal to any Cayman Islands visitor.
As I headed back to New York City, I prepared myself for the cold, damp weather I would be met with, prepared to tackle it with my renewed and sunny disposition.
— Kimberly Krol, managing editor
Early Drawings
Jan 26th
Last night my mom and I attended an opening art gallery reception at The College of New Jersey. My mom has been an art department faculty member at TCNJ, formerly Trenton State College, for many years. I remember playing with Barbie dolls in her office on my days off from elementary school. Now, I appreciate spending time with her at more “grown-up” functions. The opening reception was to celebrate the gallery’s current exhibit, Raymond Pettibon: Early Drawings. The exhibit features more than 40 never-before-exhibited works from the artist. The drawings were primarily done in ink, with some watercolor. Pettibon tackles a variety of themes in his work, each relating to American culture: aggression, youth, politics, sports, transportation, love, celebrity, punk rock and religion. Most of the pieces include text, borrowed from literature or written by Pettibon, to reflect these themes. My mom and I laughed out loud at several pieces and were moved by others, signs of a good show. Open to the public, the show runs through Feb. 29. If you are in the Ewing area, I highly recommend visiting the show.
After perusing the drawings and a short video by Pettibon, my mom and I stayed for the awards portion of the reception. Three art students were given awards for their outstanding work. Faculty voted on these works and purchased one to keep in the department’s permanent collection.
I always feel inspired after attending gallery shows, museums and performances. While my mother is the most artistically inclined member of my family, I, at the very least, feel inspired to seek out future art shows.
— Katie Skrzek, advertising and editorial coordinator, eFlyer USA editor
Farewell, Negotiator
Jan 25th
Priceline recently announced that it was killing off the William Shatner “Negotiator” character. In a final act of heroism (and promotion), the Negotiator urges people off a bus, right before it teeters off a bridge, crashing to the ground below, seemingly killing the Negotiator. The point of the ad is to shift the focus of the company from the “name-your-price” bidding system to a non-bid-based business.
The bidding system is very popular, as it can save consumers a lot of money. Unfortunately, the system is also wrought with problems. The bidding system does not allow the consumer any options when bidding on a room. You get whatever room the hotel has set aside. In addition, too often the consumer is treated like a second-rate guest at the hotels.
The hotels’ stand is that they set aside “generic rooms;” therefore, if you wanted two beds and not one big bed, it is really up to them. Additionally, they claim that since the rooms were secured through a third-party source, they are not responsible; nor can they change the rooms (to your requests).
In all fairness to the hotels, I have had great luck with getting excellent prices, and my room requests granted, although at times it has taken a lot of smooth talking. Still, when using a company like Priceline, sometimes the risk isn’t worth the reward.
I can see both sides of the issue, but I think there is an easy solution. Reveal the type of room up for bidding. Certainly this can’t be that hard. I know there would be a few specifics to iron out, but the basic system already works. Priceline should tweak the system, not eliminate it.
— John Wroblewski, distribution specialist
What to Do?
Jan 24th
I promised a friend visiting from Spain I would show him around this past Saturday. It was the same day that winter decided to visit us. I have no issue with snow; in fact, I love it. It did pose some challenges for me, such as what to do for sightseeing in New York City when it snows? Also, what to do with a Spaniard who is accustomed to 60-degree winters and definitely wasn’t prepared for the snow?
I knew we wouldn’t embark on a walking tour. I really wanted to capture the magic that is New York City, so I brought New York City to him. We met at 104th Street and Fifth Avenue at the Museum of the City of New York. I love this museum for many reasons. I am not a very good museum-goer myself, but this museum has a specific focus and always has amazing exhibits that capture the city’s life, architecture and history.
After a walk through a few exhibits, I showed my friend a hidden gem of Central Park. Across the street from the museum, you find black iron gates. Through the gates is what I like to call a park within a park. It feels like a different world and is truly magical. I highly recommend taking the time to head to the north section of the park and find the iron gates on your next visit to the city.
Following the museum, we took a taxi to 86th Street and Fifth Avenue to dine at Café Sabarsky. Sadly, the line was too long. Since my friend likes hotels as much as I do, we splurged and spent the rest of the day at The Carlyle, wining and dining at the gorgeous Carlyle Restaurant. It was a winter’s day not to be forgotten anytime soon!
— Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher
