Friday, February 4, 2011

TaDA!!!!














A few selected photos here of what I've been up to all these months....  each one reminds me of my travels and the different styles of lounges I've been able to work in. Good memories.
All photographs taken by Anson Smart. 
Please let me know what you think. Missed you guys!
xxoR

Edinburgh, Scotland

I heart Scotland.
I heart not knowing what people are saying even though they are speaking the same language.
I heart old men wearing kilts in the dead of winter.


We were so happy to discover that this hotel was right in the middle of the old town in Edinburgh. We arrived when there was still some light, so we were able to see some of the quaint town on the drive from the airport.
The hotel lobby was super traditional and cozy with lots of dark wood and tartan plaid and fireplace, so I got in the Scottish mood. We were greeted by an awesome General Manager who made us feel like VIP, which was great because we were getting quite tired after being on the road for a couple weeks already.
We were given a tour of the "Club Floor", which is where our lounge was located. And incidentally, that floor had just undergone a complete renovation. It was the nicest decor I experienced in any of the hotels over the four months, so I was feeling like a good little inspired stylist. It was also completely the opposite of the rest of the hotel.... lots of cool colors, super modern. But still comfortable. Turns out our rooms are on these nice, modern floors, too, so I am really happy. BTW, I am so spoiled by the amazing hotel bathrooms I've had!


Our meals were REALLY GOOD in Scotland. My favorite was a fish pie at a local's pub/restaurant called The Shore which was located on the (shore) waterfront , but I also liked our desert the last night which was called sticky toffee pudding. It was kind of like a super-moist ginger cake covered with caramel. Did I mention I've been going to the gym 5 or 6 days a week? Need it, since we basically eat like we're on vacation on this job.

The shoot days were short because it's the heart of winter and the light exists only from 9:30am until 4pm, so we had two days to shoot what we would normally do in one. The Club Lounge was difficult to shoot for structural reasons, but the hotel closed the lounge to guests so we were able to move furniture around and completely destroy it while we worked.... it made life much easier not having to work around the guests.

After our last shoot day, I had to take some things out to be shipped. It was nice to walk around in the daytime, and I stumbled upon some important-looking landmarks. There's the castle at the top of the hill!



As a thank-you, the client and Art Director treated us to massages at the hotel's fancy spa. It was hilarious meeting my team in the spa, where we were all wearing white spa robes and listening to waterfall music and sipping herbal tea. Totally the opposite of our usual m.o.!

This is our last location and although I am ready to go home and nest a bit, I will miss my crew! We formed a nice bond and worked really well together. I am sad our travels to Thailand and Malaysia are cancelled next month, but it has been a great adventure. I am very lucky and grateful to have had this job.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, Turkey                           
                           

It took nearly the entire day to get to Istanbul, and when we arrived, we were so happy to see SUN!
The hotel was amazingly furnished in the most tasteful modern style I had experienced yet in these hotels. It really brought a breath of fresh air into my styling mojo, and inspired my work days to be in such a beautiful place. The lounge we were photographing was on the 28th floor overlooking the Sea of Marma and zillions of huge cargo ships awaiting their next assignment.

The first shoot day we worked with four models. The models were super DIVAS, and totally obsessed with smoking. When we start a shoot day, we always have the models go through wardrobe with us at the beginning of the day. I dress them for the Creative Director and client, and they give me feedback. We explained the process to the models and let them know it was time to do this. One said "I need to smoke first". I said "Oh, maybe you can go in five minutes? The client and Art Director are right here (polite introductions were made) and ready for us now". Model: "I don't care, I'm going"..... and she walked out of the room!!!!!  If this had happened in NYC (or in front of the photographer), she would have been eating dust on her way home. Somehow, she remained ......and tortured me throughout the day with her attititude. We were able to wrangle in the other models a little better, but they were still constantly nagging for smoke breaks. For example, the photographer was in the middle of photographing the four as a group and the mega-diva turned to him mid-shot and said "Will you be much longer, I need to smoke"? Can you believe it?
I talked to the producer who replied "Yeah, I think she's getting older and is depressed".

We set up our wardrobe in the photo assistant's room since it was closest to the lounge. We explained to everybody that we needed to be mindful of this. At one point, I walked into the room. Of course, the models were all smoking there (non-smoking hotel, btw), and they had their feet (with shoes) on the sheets and had eaten two hundred dollars worth of mini-bar. HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa hahaha..... it was CRAZY.
I think they gave me a gray hair.

The second shoot day, I was glad to be rid of them and we got some nice shots for my book.

We had a day off in Istanbul! Lucky.
My first priority, of course, was to see the Grand Bazaar, the huge and legendary market. I had a great time meeting some vendors and bargaining for lovely kilim pillow covers. I also found the hamam towels I had been longing for, and I met the nicest family who has made them for five generations. The father was so proud of the business and explained that although he is a doctor, he and his family maintian their textile business because they love it so much. He also happened to have designed some costumes for the film Troy using their hand-woven fabrics. It was awesome chatting up the locals, who were so generous with their stories and their tea.



Second priority: eat good food.
Here's our typical Turkish brunch. I could eat this every day.
A selection of goat and sheep milk cheses, butter, tahini, crushed walnut and grape seed syrup, cucumber, fresh pita, honey, olives, tomato.


check out this fresh pita bread!
this pomegranate juice was pressed in front of us


Third priority: See some culture, go to legendary Blue Mosque.
I went inside and later learned I was supposed to cover my head. Woops. and duh.
The Mosque was so amazing, the inside was decorated with millions of tiny hand-painted blue and white tile. There was a six-spout fountain in the middle of the courtyard where men sat and washed their feet.



I would definitely love to come back here. The vibrant Taxim neighborhood was my favorite to walk around in and to have dinner.

Monday, January 31, 2011

Milan, Italy

Milan, Italy
Oh, Italia!!!!! How do I love thee, let me count the ways!

I was so excited to wake up and leave for Milan. Milan was one of the first places I had ever been in past trip to Italy, and has a warm place in my heart, so I was excited to return. I was a little scared to practice my Italian language skills, but the flight attendants speaking Italiano were enough to get me primed.  It has been four years since my last visit, so I am rusty but ready to jump in. I'm looking less like a leper now that the eyes are calming down, so it's perfect timing.
We arrived at the hotel and discovered that our hotel wasn’t close to the airport, it was IN THE AIRPORT. DundunDUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.
Is this a cruel joke somebody is playing on me?
They are going to send me to Italy and then make me stay in an airport ......after three and a half months of living in them!?
It is funny now, but man, I was pissed. Call me a diva for saying so, but really .... isn't anybody's favorite part about Italy walking around aimlessly finding treasures? So to find out this was not a possibility for me was very disappointing. Good news, though..... once we found the hotel, we discovered that it was a new and impressive 60s-style modern pod architecture building with a lovely view of the Alps..... well, beyond the parking lot, anyway. My room was really nice, and it was large so I was comfortable. 


The crew and I created a pact to take the train into Milano every night for dinner, to copensate for our crappy location and get something out of being in Italy. FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!
Our first night at Tratoria Milanese was the best. Classic, rustic Italian food in all the best ways.





We had a day off in Milan, too, so the girls and I decided to go find some culture and some shopping.
We went to the Castello, the Duomo and one the most beautiful parks in Italy.




Milano Castello Videos here:
castle moat:


I stumbled upon a great art exhibit, which happened to be one of my favorite photographers and one of my favorite subjects. I was totally in heaven.


Working in the Milan hotel was easy as everybody was excited to have us, and they went out of their way to help us. I had flowers ordered for the shoot from Armani Fiori, and it was actually the real Italian Armani........ pretty cool.

But still.... we needed more food.
Have you ever had a three course spagetti tasting (limona, carbonara, tonno) ? Because I have!


Great coincidence, my cousin Steve and his girlfriend, Ana just happened to be in Milan the same time we were! I met them with a bunch of their very sweet friends at a famous Neopolitan-style pizzeria for dinner. We had a great time chatting away and catching up. Steve and Ana are doing GREAT traveling around Europe, and they really cracked me up with stories of their nanny adventures.

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

The morning I woke up for the airport, I was thinking about movies filmed in Austria like The Sound of Music and Amadeus. I soon realized I was having a freaky allergic reaction to something. My eyes were very very swollen, top and bottom lids. I looked like the Elephant Woman, with fuchsia-colored saucers around my eyes. This has happened to me before, so I didn't think it would be a big deal. I took a Benadryl and hustled to get to the airport, but I was embarrassed by people double-taking my eyes, so hid them behind my glasses (which I normally only wear on the computer). I met up with the Art Director and our boss at the airport and we’re ready to go.
We transferred early morning in Dublin and I got to walk across the tarmac…. So technically, I’ve set foot on one of the Mother Lands!
After the first leg of the flight, they eye thing became quite dramatic. The flight attendants supplied plastic bags filled with ice, which I held up to my eyes the entire flight. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO lucky for me, I was seated right next to an English-speaking physician! He agreed it is an allergic reaction. He was super nice and able to talk me off the ledge, as I was beginning to worry about vision, etc. He gave me advice and made me feel better. Basically his answer … it’s back to the allergist for me (memories of childhood!) to find out what is giving me such severe reactions.
Salzburg I’m sure was lovely upon arrival but I was so freaked out about my eyes that I don’t even remember the drive to the pharmacy. I got some drugs, chugged them and went to bed at 7pm.
The next day, my situation looked about 50% better, but my eye area really hurt. Hid them behind the glasses again and went to work…. woh, woh…. Not a great start to this shoot.  The club lounge here was beautiful…. It seems the client has saved the best for last. From the lounge, there was a view of the city's white castle which is from the year 1030 and sits on top of a hill. It is one of those sites that reminds me how rediculously new America still is.

We went for an afternoon walk after scouting. Salzburg it is super quaint and idyllic. It is nestled around a pretty river with many bridges and houses built into the rocky mountainside. There are green, rolling hills, a white castle atop one of them, Mozart’s house is there, etc….. pretty amazing. I don’t speak a lick of German, but manage to find some food. After work, the crew wanted to go find Austrian beer and grub. I ordered traditional goulash and a “dumpling”, which is basically the hugest matzoh ball I’ve ever seen. It looked like a little brain and tasted amazing!

Dumpling (please note the scale to the mug):
Goulash. The real deal:

Apple Strudel in the home of apple strudel!:

By the end of day three, my eye is getting better and people aren’t staring anymore, so I am pumped and starting to dream of gnocci……. these trips are turning out to be workworkwork and then.... dinner. So dinner time is the reward and often the only time we get to see a bit of the towns we're working in. And this also means my blog is turning out to be a food blog!
Quaint little Bavarian restaurant (please note, the preztles hanging there):


Friday, January 28, 2011

Brooklyn, Home Sweet Home

Brooklyn
Back home for ten days, I spent loads of time with Melanie and David, and was so lucky to ring in the new year with friends. Ryan and I did some work on the house and it’s feeling great. Tom gave us an old battleship flag, which we hung up in the “living room”.  Photo from brunch day w/Alice, Dan, their baby, Carl & Livea:
YAY! I'll be home in Brooklyn until Jan 10th, then off to Europe and Turkey.

Prescott, AZ

Prescott, AZ


Straight from Argentina to Arizona to meet Ryan and his parents for the Christmas holiday. I am so happy to be reunited with Ryan, and it is nice to be back in the states,too.... if only because I don’t have to try so hard with communication anymore. I realize I had been exhausted just from constantly having to think about how to say “A glass of water, please”, or “Where is the bathroom”? Ha, ha.
My journey has been a long one, about twenty four hours (Mendoza to Chile, Chile to Dallas, Dallas to Phoenix, PHX shuttle to Prescott!)…. BUT I am lucky as the job flew me there, so the trip was more economical. When we arrive at Tom and Llynda’s house, we were so happy to see them and their new pup, Willie. We jump straight into Christmas-mode and I love it.

I was so impressed by their house, which they spent years planning and building. The house is nestled in the rocks and has an incredible view over a valley. We spent the next week eating, relaxing, eating, going for walks, relaxing, cooking, and celebrating. Christmas morning, we had a feast and then went for a hike up a nearby bute where the guys looked for pottery shards.


It was a great Christmas!