Archive for January 24, 2013

If You’re Going to San Francisco…

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…Be sure to prepare by booking a fabulous hotel room (we’re currently loving the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf) and turning on some tunes about the city! And if you’re not headed west anytime soon, don’t despair. Simply pour a glass of Napa Valley wine, fill your bathtub with hot water (steam looks like fog, right?) and let these tracks transport you to the City by the Bay.

Hyatt Fisherman's Wharf

Photo courtesy of Lonely Planet

San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) by Scott McKenzie

Lights by Journey

San Francisco by Steve Tannen

(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding

San Francisco Nights by Eric Burdon and The Animals

I Left My Heart in San Francisco by Tony Bennett

The Science of a Magnificent Museum

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In Boston, we’re spoiled with one of the country’s best science museums—a fact that we were reminded of when writing about the Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge. We are, of course, talking about the Museum of Science which has featured some of the most sought-after national exhibits (upcoming shows include an interactive shipwreck treasure display and a rare collection of ancient Dead Sea scrolls).

This inspired us to do a little scientific research of our own, looking for some of the best museums and exhibits outside of our fine city. If you call any of these areas home, or plan to be in the neighborhood, it couldn’t hurt to experiment with a trip to one of these top-notch museums.

Museum Collage

Photos courtesy of The Center of Science and Industry, San Francisco Exploratorium, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and Pacific Science Center

Clockwise from top left:

Center of Science and Industry (Columbus, OH): Head to this award-winning museum for the interactive Adventure in the Valley of the Unknown; you’ll walk through an island temple replica solving mysteries and learning about ancient culture.

San Francisco Exploratorium (San Francisco, CA): This world-class science center is currently in the process of changing location, which presents San Francisco visitors the interesting opportunity to check out museum-organized outdoor street parties and pop-up events in the meantime. Check out the schedules.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Washington D.C.): We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the National Museum of Natural history. Upcoming exhibits highlight a rare collection of Orchids from Latin America and eye-opening, deep-sea photography.

Pacific Science Center (Seattle, WA): With a full IMAX theater and rotating shows, currently including Imaginate—teaching visitors how to stimulate innovation through science and knowledge—this northwestern science center rounds out our list in a truly progressive fashion.

Win $1,000 Credit Toward a Dream Getaway!

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Official Rules for SniqueAway “Pin. Dream. Win.” Contest

No Purchase Necessary.  A Purchase will not Increase Your Chances of Winning.

1. Eligibility:  The “Pin. Dream. Win.” Contest (the “Contest”) is open only to legal residents of the United States who are at least eighteen (18) years old.  Employees of Smarter Travel Media LLC, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible to enter.

2. Sponsor:  The Contest is sponsored by SniqueAway, 500 Rutherford Ave., Charlestown, MA 02129 (the “Sponsor”). The Contest is not sponsored by, endorsed by, administered by, or associated with Pinterest.

3. Agreement to Official Rules:  By entering the Contest, you indicate your full and unconditional agreement to, and acceptance of, (a) these Official Rules and (b) Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding.  Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

4. Entry Period:  The Contest begins on January 22, 2013 at 12:01 AM ET and ends at 11:59 PM ET on February 5, 2013.  Entries submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible. Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the Contest (the “Contest Period”).

5. How to Enter: In order to enter, you must login to the SniqueAway site. If you are not already a member, you must enter your email address at www.sniqueaway.com/login. By entering your email address, you are agreeing the site Terms of Use and agreeing to receiving emails from SniqueAway. In order to participate in the “Pin. Dream. Win.” Contest you must have or create a Pinterest account. To sign up for Pinterest, go to http://www.pinterest.com and select the button “Join Pinterest” at the top of the page. Once you are a member, create a Pinterest board (the “Board”) following Pinterest’s instructions and title your board “SniqueAway on a Honeymoon”.  In order to be eligible for the Contest, you must pin at least 5 images from www.SniqueAway.com and include a hashtag of “#love2sniqueaway” in the pin’s description section. Next, email the URL link to your board to pinterest@sniqueaway.com. All emails must be received by 11:59 PM ET on February 5, 2013 to be eligible. You may update your board daily and include images from any source related to your dream honeymoon provided such changes and updates are made prior to the end of the Contest Period. Boards that follow these restrictions will be judged according to the judging criteria and the prize will be awarded to the winning board.

Each participant may enter as many boards as they wish during the Contest Period.

The Board should be created and entered by one individual and no additional “pinners” should be added. In the event of a dispute as to any entry, the authorized account holder of the Pinterest account used to create the board will be deemed to be the entrant. The potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder..

6. Judging:  Prize winner will be determined by a panel of judges based on creativity, uniqueness, and engagement (the “Judging Criteria”). Judging is final and binding with respect to all the matters related to the Contest. The judging panel will be comprised of members of SniqueAway’s marketing team. No information regarding entries or judging will be disclosed to any third party not involved in the conduct of the Contest.

7. Notification and Requirements of Potential Winner: Sponsor will email the potential winner at the email address used to enter the Contest with instructions on how to claim the prize. The winner must be a member of SniqueAway or create a SniqueAway account in order to be awarded the prize. If a potential winner does not respond and comply with the instructions in the email within seven (7) days after Sponsor sent the email, he/she will forfeit the prize and Sponsor may award the prize to an alternate entrant.  Only three (3) alternate entrants will be contacted.  Except where prohibited, a potential winner may be required to complete and return an affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release.

8. Prize: One winner will be awarded the $1,000 SniqueAway credit provided by SniqueAway.  A winner is responsible for paying any applicable income taxes and any and all other costs and expenses not listed above.  Any prize details not specified above will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.  A prize may not be transferred and must be accepted as awarded.  You may not request cash or a substitute prize.

9. General Conditions:  In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, or other technical problem, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules; or (b) award the according to the Judging Criteria from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment.  Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner.  Any attempt by any person to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.  Failure by Sponsor to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.  Proof of sending any communication to Sponsor by mail shall not be deemed proof of receipt of that communication by Sponsor.  In the event of a dispute as to the owner of any entry, the entry will be deemed to have been made by the authorized account holder of the Pinterest board used to enter will be deemed to be the participant.  An entrant may be required to provide proof that he/she is the authorized account holder of the Pinterest board that was selected.  The Contest is subject to all applicable laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.

10. Release and Limitations of Liability:  By participating in the Contest, you agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, Pinterest, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (b) technical errors related to computers, servers, providers, or telephone, or network lines; (c) any errors on the Pinterest platform that may prevent an entrant from entering or receiving direct messages; (d) printing errors; (e) lost, late, postage-due, misdirected, or undeliverable mail; (f) errors in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (g) injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize.  You further agree that in any cause of action, the Released Parties’ liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest, and in no event shall the Released Parties be liable for attorney’s fees.  You waive the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

11. Disputes:  You agree that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, your rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

12. Results:  To request a winners list, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to “Pin. Dream. Win” Contest c/o SniqueAway, 500 Rutherford Avenue, Charlestown, MA 02129.  Requests must be received by February 19, 2013.

Let Them Eat (Nut)Cake!

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Photo courtesyof http://www.thomas-langens.de

Switzerland is famous for its delicacies: Chocolate, cheese, fondue (OK, that’s just more cheese). The Swiss also love something they call “nusstorte,” or nut cake. This caramel-soaked walnut-filled treasure originated in the Engadine valley (though walnuts don’t grow there–strange), which is where the Hotel Paradies happens to be located.

Making nusstorte is relatively simple. You probably have the ingredients in your pantry right now. All you need is the recipe …

… And here’s the recipe, courtesy of Epicuious. So get baking! (Yes, it’s in metric, but the it is a Swiss dessert after all.)

For the pastry:

  • 350 g flour
  • 200 g butter
  • 200 g sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, beaten

For the filling

  • 200 g sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 250 g walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 150 ml heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Put all the ingredients for the pastry in a food processor and pulse until homogeneous.
With the dough prepare 2 balls (2/3 and 1/3 respectively of the dough) and keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Put the sugar, water and honey in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil and let it continue to boil until it becomes a dark golden color. Stir from time to time.

Add the nuts and the cream until and stir the walnuts until well coated. Remove the saucepan from the heat and. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (355 F) Grease a 30 cm tin. (or a 28″ springform pan)

Roll out the larger ball between two sheets of cling film to a 34 cm circle and use it to line the tin of 30 cm square. Press the edges of the pastry against the side of the tin.

Scrape the filling onto the pastry. Level the top as well as you can, but don’t apply too much pressure, or you may tear the pastry and the filling will leak out. Fold the excess pastry inwards over the filling.

Roll the second piece of pastry to a neat 29 cm circle. Moisten the edges of the pastry base in the tin with the egg white and position the second pastry circle on top of this. Use a fork to crimp and seal the edges Mix the reserved egg yolk with 2 tablespoon cream and brush the cover. Prick with a fork in several places. If you like, you can score a plaid pattern onto the surface with the fork.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool until lukewarm in the tin, then loosen the sides, release the clip and carefully transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely.

Fashion Finds for the Traveling Pooch

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Traveling with four-legged friends doesn’t have to be ruff, err rough. Many hotels—like the Eventi, a Kimpton Hotel, in New York City—now offer an array of pet-friendly perks. And thanks to these fashionable accessories, your pooch can tour the countryside or city streets in style.

Photos courtesy of Ralph Lauren, Pup Life and Isabella Cane

Ralph Lauren Cashmere Skull Dog Sweater: This cozy sweater not only keeps your pup toasty but also proves that he/she is bad to the bone.

Redhound Prep School Dog Totes: These waxed canvas totes are designed to easily and adorably transport (wo)man’s best friend.

Isabella Cane Collars/Leashes: Stay connected thanks to these fashionable and functional accessories.