CultureJunkie

Merry Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving

I've had an inordinate amount of traffic to this post from 2 years ago, so I thought I'd repost the picture again today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Holidays Gone to the Dogs

Pulling an All Nighter

Lulu's attempt at burning the midnight oil:

On a related note, I'm curious about what kind of programming was on TV tonight about Ellen DeGeneres and her new French Bulldog.

Between 8:40pm and 12:10am I received about 15 different site visits from people who had typed some variation of "What is Ellen DeGeneres' French Bulldog's name?" into Google.

I can only guess that there was some kind of contest, and viewers turned to their trusty Google to find the answer.

Visitors were probably dismayed to see that my site didn't have the answer (it showed up in search results thanks to my Ellen post and my numerous posts about Lulu)...until now: ContactMusic reports that her new addition is named Pig.

So what do I win?

SoHo Grand Hotel

I love visiting SoHo when in New York (the shopping is amazing!) so this time around I decided to stay right in the neighborhood, at the SoHo Grand. Included in the Tablet Hotels guide for its personality and attention to detail, the SoHo Grand is a great little boutique hotel with a lot to offer:

• A swank lounge and cocktail area at the Grand Bar (note to the owner: lowering the bright lights in the bar area would do wonders for the ambience!)
• Outdoor dining and lounging space in The Yard
• Complimentary iPods loaded up with the music currently heard throughout the hotel (for the duration of your stay) and Bose SoundDock Stations
• Complementary bikes for cruising the streets of NY
• Goldfish to keep you company in your room (I enjoyed this feature at the Hotel Monaco in Chicago once)

The hotel has very sleek decor (think Hudson or the W), but with an architectural design that remains true to its gritty neighborhood surroundings: lots of cast iron, molded concrete, mesh wire glass, low lighting.

The rooms are very comfortable (larger than those at the other spots, in my opinion) with fully stocked mini bars, flat panel televisions, WiFi, and a small library of CDs (the hotel's signature sounds). Check out the bathroom wallpaper, which is reminiscent of the Partridge Family birds:

One disc in particular, Ursadelica, is one of my new faves. Featuring DJ Ursula 1000 (a/k/a Alex Gimeno), the house DJ at the Grand Bar & Lounge, it is an eclectic mix of (and I quote, because I couldn't possibly make this up) "jazzy breaks, mod freakbeats, latin movers, boogaloo groovers, psychedelic soul shakers and bouncy electric disco stompers." I LOVE it.

Pets are not only welcome, they are pampered with their own beds, room service menu, daycare, grooming, and walking services. We even saw a couple of pooches enjoying quality time with their owners in the Grand Bar and Lounge!

Marley & Me

Anyone who is a dog owner - or simply a dog lover - should read Marley & Me by John Grogan (and the companion web site). It's a heartwarming story about a man and his dog...or more accurately, a family that includes a dog whose personality and presence are larger than life.

Grogan astutely and comically captures moments that every dog owner will recognize, from shedding and slobbering to unbridled energy and unwavering love. Some of the phrases he used to describe his beloved Yellow Lab could have easily been written for my silly Lulu:

"desperately happy"

"seemingly warped behavior"

with "the attention span of algae and volitility of nitroglycerin"

"darting left-and-right, sniffing, panting, peeing - coughing like a chain smoker as he strained against the leash"

...and the inclination to "love life with a passion not often seen in this world."

As you can see from these excerpts, Grogan is a clever writer and he tells an engaging story about life with Marley; but more valuable than his walks down memory lane are the life lessons he learned from Marley which he shares with his readers:

Never slow down, never look back, live each day with adolescent verve and spunk and curiousity and playfulness. If you think you're still a young pup, then maybe you are, no matter what the calendar says.

It's such a great quote, and with it all the other qualities dogs possess that we humans so often lose sight of: living in the moment, following your heart, finding joy in the simple things, loyalty and devotion.

Here's to the dogs!

Inoda + Sveje Speakers

The CoolHunter points out some award-winning wireless speakers from Italian design studio Inoda + Sveje. They're pretty sleek, and connect with any audio device - computer, stereo, tv, MP3 - but my favorite part is the model in their photo shoot:

Blue Hills Reservation

We took advantage of the beautiful 60-degree day here in Boston by piling the dogs into the car and heading out to the Blue Hills Reservation.

Just 8 miles south of the city, the Blue Hills provide urban dwellers with over seven thousand acres of wooded areas and open parks to explore, including 125 miles of trails. According to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the area got its name from early European settlers that noticed a bluish hue on the slopes while sailing along the coast, but was originally inhabited by Native Americans who called themselves "Massachusett" - or, "people of the great hills."

It is said that visitors may witness a range of flora and fauna in the Blue Hills, including coyotes, turkey vultures and the rare and endangered timber rattlesnake.

But on this day we only saw one crazy French Bulldog and her exhausted English pal:

   

Doggie Dining

Say what you want about the French...but I love Paris. Besides the exquisite dining, fabulous shopping, and beautiful architecture there's its famous dog culture. I'm talking, of course, about the many stores and eateries at which our four-legged friends are not only welcome, but often the guests of honor.

Years ago, I read the story of the Café le Bouledogue Brasserie, on rue Rambuteau. While owned by humans Didier Delor and Jean-Pierre Rubine, this establishment is run by the dogs: in particular, two French bulldogs named Titi and Nelson. On any given day, the boys welcome about 15 other Frenchies and their owners for some traditional French food and conversation.

Last week, I read about a new dog-friendly patisserie: Mon Bon Chien. But this one doesn't sell human food - it sells cat-shaped bacon biscuits and bone-shaped foie gras cookies, among other specialties. It's run by an award-winning American pastry chef, Harriet Sternstein, who moved to Paris with her dog Sophie-Marie to combine her two favorite things: pastries and pets.

Indeed, accomodating pets is a way of life in France. The Hotel Palais de Versaille, provides canine guests with their own beds and a room-service menu. At the glitzier Four Seasons-George V Hotel and the Hotel Meurice, pets receive rubber mice and bones, as well as blankets embroidered with dog names. And let's not forget the Hotel Lancaster's faux ostrich-skin designer dog bed (just $112 a night!).

Sadly, the States aren't nearly as welcoming when it comes to pets-in-public-places. My Lulu's dining options are usually relegated to a few outdoor patios or her own home (which is probably for the best, given her manners!). But I was still happy to see Starwood Resorts recent rollout of pet services in their W and Westin hotels, including toys, treats, beds, wee wee pads, and walks. One of these days I'll have to get Lu to Paris for a dinner date with Titi and Nelson :)

Jeanne Balsam

Some time ago, I came across the work of Jeanne Balsam, an New Jersey-based artist with a penchant for drawing animals - bulldogs and terriers in particular. I, of course, was drawn to her portraits of Frenchies...and to date have purchased two pieces of her work: a replica of Toulous-Letrac's "Jane Avril Dancing" that cleverly adds a black Frenchie to the foreground, and my Christmas cards this year, which depict a Frenchie snowman.

Holding degrees in both Fine Arts and Psychoanalysis, Jeanne has run her own therapy practice as well as started an animal rescue league before returning to her art full time. And animals are still close to her heart: she donates 10% of all portrait income to her favorite animal charities.