Jerusalem is the world’s top emerging start-up hub. We use a new app to navigate its culinary scene May 2, 2017 Think of Jerusalem and one imagines ancient history, religion, and regional tensions. Not craft beer, tech incubators and model-slash-DJs. It is, I discovered, a city of surprises. In the millennia-old Church of the Holy Sepulchre half a dozen worshippers from a variety of faiths kneel and touch the slab on which, it is believed, Christ’s [...]
How the design studio behind the new London bus turned a disused silo in Cape Town into a boutique hotel May 2, 2017 Table Mountain looms over the harbour city of Cape Town, its extraordinary topography a constant reminder of the city’s precipitous place on the extremes of the African continent. The capital of the Western Cape province and the seat of South Africa’s Parliament, Cape Town was once the largest city in the country, until a gold [...]
Estée Lauder: The woman behind the brand May 2, 2017 | City Talk Estée Lauder's story could have started on the stage. Before her head was filled with visions of making women beautiful, the woman who would revolutionise the cosmetics industry wanted to be an actress. But, the business of beauty pumped through her veins. Stage Gem Estée toyed with becoming an actress, as she believed that “actresses [...]
Fitness advice: How to go on holiday without ruining your fitness regime April 28, 2017 Going on holiday is one of the major stumbling blocks for people getting fit. I’ve heard the same old excuses again and again over the years: • "I am going to ruin my diet while I am away', • "I will be drinking every day" • "I am just going to enjoy myself" • [...]
How London’s most exciting new arts venues are being built by its most profitable housebuilders April 27, 2017 A famous Churchill anecdote recalls the time the former Prime Minister was asked to cut arts funding to aid the war effort. He refused, apparently, remarking, “Then what are we fighting for?” As with most apocryphal tales, there’s a larger truth at its heart. During times of austerity and uncertainty, grants for culture and entertainment [...]
Porsche Design makes the ultimate penthouse for a supercar collector April 27, 2017 Supercars aren’t just made to be driven, they’re made to be seen. To a collector, the curved bonnet, impeccable paintwork and fine leather interior of a $200,000 Porsche is a work of art just as worthy of admiration as a $5m David Hockney painting. The trouble is, cars don’t hang on walls, but Porsche Design [...]
This self-built house by design consultant Ian Silverstein is the coolest thing we’ve ever seen, and it’s yours for £1.75m April 27, 2017 As international design consultant Ian Silverstein works on his laptop in the library, he’s having to block out the sound of furniture being hastily rearranged downstairs. For him, the odd photoshoot request is part of the privilege of owning a uniquely attractive house in a historic part of the British countryside. It’s also a confirmation [...]
Working Lunch review: Bocca di Lupo is the place to wolf down Italian small plates in the West End April 26, 2017 Bocca di Lupo 2 Archer Street, W1D WHAT? A small-plates restaurant that prides itself on regional Italian cooking, a considered wine list and a fizzy atmosphere. The bar stretching alongside an open kitchen puts the theatre in Theatreland, but the rear dining room is a more intimate, austere affair. WHERE? Jostling for attention in Soho, [...]
Fitness advice: How to avoid the health myths that can stand in the way of your new body April 24, 2017 The health world is full of quacks and pretenders, snake-oil salesmen who latch onto the latest buzz-words without understanding the science – or lack thereof – behind them. Rarely a day goes by without me picking up a client – or even a fellow trainer – spouting some half-truth they probably read on the [...]
Interiors: Fine Cell Work is a charity harnessing the sewing talents of prisoners to make exquisite embroidery April 7, 2017 Walk into any of the upscale Firmdale Hotels in London or New York and you are struck by the confidence, colour and energy of the décor. There’s pattern, texture and embroidery everywhere. And if something catches your eye, there will often be a story behind it, but maybe it isn’t one you expected. Whether it’s [...]