Brooklyn Edible Social Club

They say they first step in any recovery is admitting the situation at hand. So, let’s all take a deep breath in, exhale, and say it together: the last few years have been pretty tough. Enough has been said about the global economic crisis to leave that thought there. The next step in recovery is usually acceptance, and part of acceptance is learning to focus on the positives, and the future. Give yourself a nice warm mental hug because you have much more confidence in your strength and resourcefulness than you did 5 years ago. That’s the best thing about hard times, that the focus shifts to resourcefulness, and yes, that means creativity. Whether restauranteurs in need of lower overhead, or lovers of food with a shrinking budget for the luxury of eating out, in the world of food this creativity funneled itself into the boom of the supper club.

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Beating That December “Circus” Feeling at Salzburg’s Winterfest

Kind of like how at the root of homeopathic medicine is the idea that you can treat an ailment by making the body think it’s even sicker with the same symptoms — simplified as “treat like with like” — if all the stress and chaos of the holiday season kicking off this first weekend of December already has you reaching for the blanket and hot water bottle, may we suggest a different style of treatment? After all, when traditional medicine fails, there’s no better time to open your mind to alternative remedies.

Why not try combating the circus that descends around this time every year with a homeopathic-style approach and head straight to Salzburg for Winterfest, the festival of Nouveau Cirque?

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Grizzly Ghouls From Every Tomb, Are Closing In To Seal Your Doom

At the beginning of the month, cycling through a park, I came across a flash mob doing a silent rendition of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The movements — and in particular the “raised-monster-hand twist” move — have become so ubiquitous, that it took me about 5 seconds to recognize what they were doing. If that. Now that’s what I call a case for Collective Memory! And maybe even Meme Theory…

With 7 days to go until All Hallows’ Eve, and even fewer until the best parties this coming weekend, you could sit at home with a copy of this cocktail recipe list (you’ve never seen a Martini like an Eyeball-tini!), find the Thriller video on YouTube, and channel some sort of zombie-Tom Cruise from Cocktail – OR — you can just make that the pre-party and head out to some of the more interesting Halloween parties White Line Hotels destination cities have to offer.

In London? Maybe you’ve found yourself strolling down Mare Street and seen the Last Tuesday Society Shop. If you have, then you already know why any Halloween party they’re throwing is probably pretty awesome. Their Danse Macabre is this coming Friday. The dress code: “the beautiful and the damned”. The Venue: a forgotten Art Deco picture palace in Elephant and Castle. Need more persuading? Check out the video on their shop’s website.

In New York? Spend at least one Halloween in your life at the famous vortex of artistic death and destruction that is the Hotel Chelsea. Once again this year you can pull up your bar stool next to the ghosts of Dylan Thomas and Nancy Spungen at the Chelsea Room for a $10 cover charge (and an open bar until 10pm). What night? Halloween itself, of course — the 31st.

In Vienna? Not so into going out drinking and dancing all night? Craving something frightfully refined? Then book for the Halloween dinner at Palais Esterházy. Enjoy a themed buffet dinner alongside music and readings.

Anything but frightening, at White Line Hotels picks Townhall Hotel & Apartments, The Greenwich Hotel, and Hollmann Beletage you can lay your head down in peace.

Music, Arts, and Political Discourse at Elevate Festival

You’ve heard of music and arts festivals before, I’m sure. Throw in some political discourse on top and you have the unique blend of a very individual festival, indeed: the Elevate Festival. Starting today in Graz, Elevate achieves it’s special mix by combining discussions, workshops, lectures, and film screenings with a program of contemporary music performers and DJs. If you’re not sold on it yet, how often do you get to go to something inside Graz’s historic Schlossberg? After taking an elevator literally down inside the hill, you’ll spend your festival time in a series of caves and tunnels inside the rock.

This year’s line-up of performing artists is so extensive, you need to read it for yourself, but expect an eclectic program that ranges from evenings of house, to avant pop, to psychedelic noise rock. The diversity offered at Elevate is made possible by extending the usual 3-day festival program to 6 days, and utilizing several venues means that on some days, you’ll have 4 simultaneous concerts to pick from. Just remember when you’re dancing to the last DJ’s set at 6am, the program of talks and films probably kicks off at 10am…to party through, or to power-nap, that is the question…

You’ve probably got everything planned already if you’re traveling to Graz for Elevate Festival this year, but how do you immerse yourself in the arts in Graz during the rest of the year? Easy – at White Line Hotels edit Schlossberghotel the art is so close, you’re sleeping in the same room with it.

Are you Frieze-ing?

You know it, I know it, but still no one says it very often: art fairs are terrible places to see art. The atmosphere is always…oh how best to say it…something like being on one of those black rubber people-mover conveyor belts designed to shuffle gawking masses past valuable items of interest and a pre-designated speed. Sounds fun, right? But, should it even be fun? I mean, art fairs are trade fairs, after all, and their purpose is for doing business. If sometimes that business can be done after hours at a party or bar too, all the better, but business is still the word of the day. And sales.

London’s Frieze Art Fair still hasn’t changed those final keywords of what the event is all about, but it has succeeded in presenting itself as just one part of a larger yearly cultural event through sidelines such as the TV-broadcasted Frieze Film, educational programs aimed at younger children, an off-site music program, and of course the on-site artists commissions and the Emdash Award (previously the Cartier Award). Past their own attempts to increase the scope of Frieze, the city’s galleries and artists don’t pass up the opportunity to make the most of the energy the fair brings in, and Frieze weekend sees some of London’s best exhibitions, and parties. Truth be told, unless you’re an industry professional, you don’t even have to step foot in Regent’s Park to get the most out of what the Frieze Art Fair has to offer.

If the business side of the art game leaves you cold or, shall we say “Frieze-ing”, here’s my top 5 off-site picks for the Frieze Art Fair. And guess what? For the first, you don’t even have to be in London.

LuckyPDF TV Ok, so this one is a half-cheat, because you can also go see the Peckham collective on set at the Frieze Art Fair, but you can also watch them live from your computer screen, anywhere in the world, from now until sunday at 4pm (London time). www.luckypdf.com

No Neutral Ground at the German Embassy (22 Belgrave Square) is something you might look over at first glance, but is worth the effort for Melanie Manchot’s Perfect Mountain. Here the German-born, London-based photographer has asked tourists atop an alpine glacier to don traditional costume, and pose in front of a backdrop of the mountain they are standing on. The next time a holiday seems surreal, remember Perfect Mountain. This one goes a bit longer — it’s on until October 20th.

Wilhelm Sasnal opens for Frieze weekend at the Whitechapel Gallery. Mixing a bit of art history with a bit of internet found imagery (think Roy Orbison meets Georges Seurat, and then a few more characters), even if the work isn’t so much your thing, the Whitechapel’s always worth checking out.

Sarah Lucas‘ Artist in Bed at St John Hotel (1 Leicester Square) has the easiest opening hours of anything this weekend: 7am until midnight (i.e., if  you miss this, you’re just lazy). The sculptures are installed in the bar, and there’s a good chance you’ll be somewhere near there at some point, so stop by for a drink and a viddy.

The Evening Before the Morning After: on the subject of bars, did you hear the one about the alcoholic artist? No, me neither… Mario Garcia Torres invited a selection of artists to send him their ideas for cocktails, recipe included, to be mixed at Bistrotheque on the 14th from 8pm. Consider it a homage to Gilbert & George, and critical commentary on the culture and expectation of artists and alcohol, and just a fantastic opportunity to imbibe some of the most creative cocktails you’ve seen.

Where else can you spend the evening before the morning after? White Line Hotels edit Town Hall Hotel and Apartments of course — whether for Viajante, or just for the cocktail bar.