Sunset Harbor, 7:30 pm, Friday, April 5.

One of the reasons I’ve loved living in South Florida for the better part of the last seven years is the beauty in the sky–the spectrum of colors that wash across it, thanks to the sunset, sunrise, a thunder storm, cloud formations, the full moon (or just a sliver); its reflection dancing upon the water. The sky in Miami has a way of continually catching you off guard and awestruck by the beautiful, unexpected ways that it changes.

I took this picture Friday evening leaving yoga around 7:30 pm. As class was wrapping up, the light pouring in through the studio’s windows was this strange, eery grey-yellow color. It had been raining all afternoon, and the colors were a result of the sky clearing just in time for sunset. Really unbelievable colors. It’s amazing how mercurial the sunset is because within minutes, the colors change, and fade to grey, and then night.

This part of Miami Beach is known as Sunset Harbor, and I’ve often paused post-yoga to gaze out at Biscayne Bay at sunset. It’s one of my favorite neighborhoods, and it’s only getting better, as a slew of new shops and restaurants are opening every day. For the fitness fanatic, there’s Green Monkey Yoga, Fly Wheel, Hauser Bayside Pilates, SoBe Kick, and a Crossfit location–and don’t forget about every health nut’s favorite JugoFresh for expensive juices and smoothies.

You could say that the Pubbelly Group put the neighborhood on the map with its inaugural Pubbelly restaurant. It opened in 2010, and was quickly followed up by Pubbelly Sushi, Barceloneta, and most recently PB Steak. There are plenty of other foodie delights in the hood, with Sardinia, A La Folie, the just opened Lucali, and soon-to-open Panther Coffee and Ice Box locations.

For the fashionista, I love popping into the Lulu Lemon showroom for my requisite yoga uniform. And this weekend, along with my gal pal Nicole, we discovered the newly opened Sunset Clothing Co. and Frankie boutiques, both great stops for one-of-a-kind finds that cater to the beach-loving, sky-worshipping, sunset-adoring, full moon-obsessed lifestyle of Miami Beach girls.

A view of 9th Ave from the Meatpacking District.

I’d rather swoon than shop. And by that, I mean, I’d rather window shop the exquisite pieces I can’t afford than buy off the racks for things I can. Jeffrey, in New York City’s Meatpacking District, is a great place for this kind of shopping (or, swooning). With a highly curated selection of the most coveted designer apparel and accessories, this expansive store is a treasure trove of items to ooh and ahh over. From the latest Chanel, Prada, and Lanvin shoes to Céline and YSL bags, their ready-to-wear is just as impressive, if not more so. Anytime I can leisurely admire the latest Lanvin, my heart flutters. On my last visit, I fell head over heels for a hot pink Sophie Theallet gown. The beauty of Jeffrey is that it’s an approachable path to luxury with friendly, knowledgeable salespeople in an unpretentious, unencumbered setting. They edit their inventory down to the best of the best, so there’s no such thing as hunting through the racks. Should you turn your swoon into a splurge, you’ll know you found a prize here.

449 W. 14th St, New York, NY 212-206-1272

Okay, seriously, what’s better in the morning with a cup of coffee than a deliciously sweet, crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, covered in a glistening layer of sugary glaze doughnut? Nothing. Exactly. What can I say? I love doughnuts, and if you’re in Seattle, you simply must visit Top Pot, an institution of “hand-forged” doughnuts in one of five locations. Apple fritters, cake, chocolate, jelly, crème, twist, sugar, sprinkles, heaven. There’s a full menu of coffee and espresso, too. Not planning a trip to Seattle any time soon? Top Pot doughnuts are available at select locations across the country at this other Seattle institution, Starbucks.

2124 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA and various locations 206-728-1966

Image via Skypencil.com

Krista relaxing in Tiburon after a successful ride across the Golden Gate Bridge.

What’s the best way to experience the Golden Gate Bridge? Take a bike ride across it. With stunning views of the San Francisco Bay and the skyline, the picturesque towns and spectacular views of Marin County await on the other side. A 24-hour bike rental at Blazing Saddles starts at $32 per person and includes a map with self-guided tour options and a ferry ticket back to Frisco. Bonus, you’ll get your harbor tour in, too. You’ll  quickly realize that cycling is a popular activity for many Bay Area residents. Don’t worry if you can’t keep up. Take it easy and cruise the bike path through Presidio National Park across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the seaside town of Sausalito. Notice that micro-climate already warming up. Waterfront dining, art galleries, and shops abound. You can catch a ferry from here, or turn around and bike the bridge back. If you’re up for a full day, though, continue your ride along the trails to the quaint town of Tiburon. You’ll be rewarded with a delicious meal at one of the Bay Area’s most popular spots. Snag a table on the patio of Sam’s Anchor Cafe, and enjoy a leisurely lunch luxuriating in the sunshine and the views before catching your ferry back to San Francisco.

Multiple Locations, 415-202-8888

The Stravinsky Fountain

One of my favorite things to do when I travel, especially when I travel alone, especially when I travel through Europe, is to visit the world’s great museums, and The Centre Georges Pompidou is one of my absolute favorites. Home to a permanent collection of some of the most impressive contemporary and modern works, the museum’s unusual architecture is also a draw. Completed in 1977, the skeleton of the building is exposed and made up of colorfully painted pipes. The place Georges-Pompidou is also a popular gathering place with a sculpture by Alexander Calder at the entrance of the museum and the nearby Stravinsky Fountain. When I visited, there was a Calder retrospective on display. I was also in search of works by Henri Matisse, as I was told by my landlord that I was living in a building that he once occupied. My search came to fruition in the permanent collection of the Pompidou where I discovered paintings during his time in Paris in 1913, one of a view of the Seine from his flat. I went home that afternoon and stood on the quai Saint-Michel and gazed at the Seine through Matisse’s eyes.

place Georges-Pompidou, Paris, France, 75004 +33 01 44 78 12 33

A view of the Seine as painted by Matisse from his flat on quai Saint-Michel, 1913.

A view of the Seine from quai Saint-Michel today.

There’s something about the name and the vintage neon sign out front. Think of all the great country music songs that could be inspired by The Loveless Cafe on Highway 100 in Nashville. In fact, if you’re here on a Wednesday night, inside the Loveless Barn, Music City Roots presents a weekly live concert and radio show featuring some of Nashville’s best local talent. But the real draw is the biscuits, a recipe that apparently hasn’t changed since 1951, and for good reason. The small, soft, buttery biscuits are something akin to heaven on earth, served with an assortment of fresh jams, jellies, and honey. If it’s down home country cooking you’re after, then you’ve come to the right place. Think, country ham, barbecue, fried chicken, and veggie platters. The Loveless is such a popular spot, that it’s not unheard of to wait up to three hours for a table. And people do it. Pass your time at the country store or while away the hours on the rocking chairs out front. Just come with an appetite for plenty of hot buttered biscuits.

8400 Tennessee Hwy 100, Nashville, TN 615-646-9700

So, I went to Ultra Music Festival this weekend. It was the 15th anniversary. Here’s a few pictures and highlights.

Day 1

Shayne & Eunique ready for the festival

Swedish House Mafia. And a pretty light painting of Axwell.

Friday night was all about Swedish House Mafia closing out the Main Stage. I would love to say that the girl in the picture on someone’s shoulders is me, but I don’t know how that’s possible, considering I’m pretty sure I took this picture. Although, I did scale a few different shoulders during their set. SHM is my favorite and they put on an amazing show–probably my favorite of the entire festival. I loved being in the middle of the crush with the enormous set and light show enveloping you.

Day 2

Live Stage and downtown Miami

Knife Party.

Deadmau5. That poor little mau5 is dead.

The more fireworks and explosions the better.

Saturday, we hopped between the Main Stage and Ultra Worldwide. We caught a little Knife Party–one of my favorite kinds of parties–including the end of their set where babes in gold writhed on the DJ booth as plumes of fire shot into the air. Then, it was Dirty South and Laidback Luke at Ultra Worldwide. Finally, we headed back to the Main Stage to catch the end of Kaskade’s set. Deadmau5 went onto close out the night, and I fulfilled a lifelong dream of watching someone DJ wearing a giant mouse head. Really, though, the mau5 put on an incredible, hypnotic set.

Day 3

#Selfie

One of my assignments for Société Perrier during Miami Music Week is to gather the 15 best #selfies of the week. They feel creepily like sexting the internet, but apparently they’re a thing. I guess I’m just accustomed to sending my “selfies” to one person at a time. Anyhow, I got in on the action and so did my festival partners in crime, Eunique and Galena. If you’d like your #selfie considered for the Société Perrier blog, feel free to email me directly at shayne@shaynebenowitz.com, send them to me on Twitter/Instagram @ShayneBenowitz, or Tweet/Instagram them with #selfie and #SPxMMW.

Kaskade fills in for Calvin Harris.

We met up Sunday and headed to the Mega Structure to catch Kaskade filling in for the big baby Calvin Harris who apparently couldn’t figure out how to book a flight to get him to Ultra on time. (Sorry, Calvin, love ya, you put on a great show, but that was your bad, dude.) Avicii went on, which gets me excited.

Snoop Lion!

But the draw of Snoop Dogg (and his newfound Rastafarian alter ego Snoop Lion) on the Live Stage was enough to tear us away. He played all the classics and we went crazy dancing and singing along. He closed his set to “Young, Wild, & Free.” It was probably the most fun we had the entire festival.

We made our way back to the Mega Structure for Tiësto and then Calvy came on for a mini set. He opened with “Bounce” and closed with “Sweet Nothing.” His set was great and I guess it was enough to make up for his tardiness. Finally, David Guetta closed out the night and did not disappoint. He played a lot of new stuff, and his mix of Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven” made me lose my mind. He also played one of my favorites “Titanium” and closed with a rendition of “Without You” that felt very peace, love, harmony, and house music.

Finally, someone did a mix of Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop,” which was really cool, but we can’t for the life of us remember who it was!

Shayne, Eunique, Stephanie, & Galena. Ultra Friends 4 Life!

A view of The Standard High Line from the High Line.

After New Years Eve, birthdays are my favorite holidays to celebrate. For mine last weekend, I decided to live out a long held fantasy of residing in a luxe hotel in New York City’s Meatpacking District, more specifically The Standard High Line. I’ve had a fascination with that hotel ever since it was erected straddling the newly minted High Line. Both developments seemed to have breathed new life into the neighborhood that I’d made so many memories in back when I lived in the city. The High Line is an elevated railroad track built in 1847 that was repurposed in 2009 as a pedestrian park running from 30th St to Gansevoort St above 10th Ave. Its views of the Hudson River and West Chelsea tie together even more of what I love in New York.

Room with a view… of the Empire State Building… & DVF!

I checked into The Standard and when I opened the door to my corner room, I was greeted with floor to ceiling sweeping views from uptown to the Hudson with the Empire State Building, Chelsea Piers, and the DVF flagship store in plain sight. The room is decidedly sexy with an enormous tub, complete with bubble bath, and a large glass window opening up to the bedroom (and the rest of Manhattan), as opposed to a shower curtain. Your reflection catches you unexpectedly with mirrors and glass placed cleverly in in the white and cream room with warm wooden accents.

Living in the 10014 for a long weekend was definitely my speed. I loved waking up and grabbing a coffee at Pastis before running across the street to Hotel Gannsevoort for a core fusion barre class at Exhale Spa. The proximity of Chelsea Market and the West Village made getting around a breeze, not to mention the ridiculous amount of shopping at your fingertips. I managed to drop a lot of cash in very little time–something I have a talent for. And we haven’t even talked about the nightlife and dining playground that Meatpacking is known for. Yes, I was in heaven.

Broadway

Scene Partners: “Brick, you really seem preoccupied with all this mendacity talk.”

One of the things I miss most about living in New York is going to the theater. I make a point to see at least one show every time I go back. This time, it was Cat On A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams. There were two big draws for me. First of all, I love a good family drama, in the vein of Eugene O’Neill, Harold Pinter, and, well, Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie are a couple of my favorite plays, but somehow I’d never really seen or read Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Now was the time, especially since my old friend from high school Benjamin Walker was starring as Brick opposite Scarlett Johansson. I’ve followed Ben’s career from the time I played Fastrada to his Pippin in high school to catching him in shows at Juilliard and in his stand up routines on the Upper West Side. I even went to see him star recently in the movie Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter in 3D. In high school, he was one of those kids you just knew was going to make it, and, well, he did.

The play was amazing. Williams writing soars. It’s a play that you want to go back to and read and underline lines because the dialogue is so provocative. Today, it still feels ahead of its time even though it was written in 1955. I went with one of my best friends from college who I actually moved to New York with, Ted, and chatting at intermission, we dubbed it a “psycho-sexual drama.” And really, what’s more entertaining than a psycho-sexual, multi-generational family drama? Not much.

Also, the best way to enjoy a night on Broadway is with pre-dinner and post-drinks. We enjoyed Bar Centrale on Restaurant Row for pre- and The Tippler back in Meatpacking for post-.

Barbuto

Barbuto Birthday Party. Top Row: Isauro, Rebecca, Matt, Ted, Matt. Bottom Row: Colin, Jason, Rachel, Shayne, Brett.

Saturday night it was time to celebrate the b-day, and on Ted’s recommendation, we booked a private dining room at Jonathan Waxman’s Barbuto for the party. Ten of us, including my little brother Brett, friends I’ve know for years, and their lovers, gathered to gorge on a four course family style dinner. We enjoyed an incredible charcuterie spread with melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto, along with a citrus salad and kale salad, followed by a pasta course with gnocchi and a broccoli rabe and sausage dish, leading to the main course of roasted chicken, pork, and a seafood stew. Then, we decided we’d have our cake and eat it too as a surprise red velvet birthday cake appeared, along with the Barbuto dessert, chocolate mousse.

Birthday girl, birthday cake at Barbuto.

With belly’s bulging, we marched back to The Standard, and went straight to the top–the 18th floor that is, and the Top of the Standard cocktail lounge. The setting is sumptuous with 360 degree views of the skyline, and we sipped Champagne, sampled the cocktails, and chit chatted inside the curvaceous, honey-hued room. Before long, it was time to kick the energy up a notch, and we headed across the hall to the dance club Le Bain. We explored the stairwell covered in glitter and mural art leading to an upstairs rooftop. We even popped outside for a minute to take in the views al fresco with snow flurries in our eyes. Then, it was time to head back to the club and dance until we couldn’t dance anymore.

Barclays

Raving with SHM – London to NYC!

As a little extra icing on the cake, I’d bought tickets to Monday night’s Swedish House Mafia show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. My friend Meredith from Key West who now lives in Jersey joined me for the occasion. Exiting the subway, the stadium makes quite the statement as it fills your sightline with giant blue glowing letters. I jokingly warned Meredith that we had the worst seats in the house, and it was no exaggeration as we ascended the steep precipice to the last row in the corner of the stadium.

Going to see DJs at clubs in Miami, you’re not exactly exposed to the teenage fans of EDM that you see at an arena show (who knew?) and it was definitely funny to talk to girls who were literally half our age trying to buy beer in line ahead of us scantily clad in neon. Having taught school in New York to kids who were 10 years younger than me 10 years ago, it kind of made me feel like I was at the show with my former students. Nevertheless, SHM brought the house down with a high energy performance, a killer light show, and a rowdy crowd. With our bird’s eye perspective, it was amazing to see the entire stadium bouncing around from the floor to the rafters. There really was no one not dancing!

Brunch at The Standard Grill with Rebekah, Shayne, & Ted.

With a visit to the MoMA and brunch at The Standard Grill thrown in for good measure, I really couldn’t ask for anything more of my birthday weekend. Every time I visit New York, I feel like I could move back in a heartbeat. For now, though, I’m more than content with my little piece of paradise in Miami. I’ll just continue to find an excuse to get back to the city for regular visits–I’m thinking at least twice a year.

What started as a pop-up sensation last spring is now a permanent fixture in Miami’s cocktail landscape. The Broken Shaker is back and it’s here to stay. Along with it came the renovation of the historic Indian Creek Hotel and the launch of the Freehand–making hostels chic again. Walk through the hotel lobby–complete with a summer camp-style activity board–and into the lush veranda outside outfitted with eclectic patio furniture and old school board games. The chill, idyllic setting is certainly the draw, but so is the cocktail menu. Created by the mixology masters at Bar Lab, a cocktail consulting duo responsible for half of Miami’s cocktail menus, the selections change regularly and patrons are encouraged to strike a conversation with their barman in order to create a made to order concoction. For me, it’s the perfect midweek spot to catch up with the girls. Just don’t be surprised if you spy college kids and hipster types climbing into their bunk beds through an unshaded window or scampering across the patio in a towel for a moonlit cannonball into the pool.

2727 Indian Creek Drive, Miami Beach, FL 305-531-2727

There may be other cozy French brasseries in New York, but as far as I’m concerned Pastis will always reign supreme, or at the very least, hold a special place in my heart. Whether it’s a mid-afternoon Champagne indulgence (I love their La Vie en Rose Champagne cocktail), a festive Sunday brunch, or a celebratory late dinner, I’ve had too many good memories at Pastis for its charm to ever fade. Located in the ever-trendy and high energy Meatpacking District, there’s almost always a scene here. I like to describe their onion soup gratinée as the best I’ve ever had, and you can’t go wrong with other classic bistro fare like the croque-monsieur or the steak frites. If it’s indulgence you’re after, opt for the raw seafood tower. And one more Kir Royale certainly isn’t going to kill anyone.

9 Ninth Ave, New York, NY 212-929-4844