Atlantic Brand Real Estate Partnerthe sand Wheelock Street Capital closed an $85 million construction financing for 300 banyan treestheir Class A office development in West Palm Beach, Commercial Observer has learned.

Acore Capital provided the loan, while a Newmark team led by Dustin Stolly and Jordan Röschlaub arranged it.

The building sits at 300 Banyan Blvd. on the Clematis Waterfront – bordering downtown West Palm Beach – and represents the second phase of Brand Atlantic’s new development, Banyan & Olive. It follows the intestinal renovation of 111 Olive treea historic office and retail building in 111 North Olive Ave nearby.

“We are thrilled to have opened 300 Banyan. This is a project that embodies our company’s vision for the future of the office,” Andre Dance, managing partner of Brand Atlantic, said. “It will tick many boxes for tenants looking to attract and retain top talent: a beautiful building, water views, incredible amenities and a ‘Main & Main’ location in the Clematis Waterfront with all the great restaurants and shops.

Getting a construction loan for an office asset under construction these days is like catching a moonbeam in your hand, but for Acore Capital 300, Banyan ticked a lot of boxes, too.

“There is obviously a great deal of uncertainty and volatility in the market, and more particularly with regard to this type of asset. As a result, we are even more cautious and selective than usual, which makes the conclusion of ‘a somewhat counter-intuitive office contract today’, Tony Fineman, senior managing director and co-responsible for national origins for Acore, told CO. “Having said that, it was the right property on the right market with the right sponsor, and a very good fit for us.”

Plus, “we love West Palm Beach,” Fineman said. “The market has seen significant in-migration during the pandemic, and we believe it still has plenty of room to grow. In some respects, as difficult as the market as a whole is today, we did not have significant difficulties with this deal. The property is in a great location and the sponsorship is phenomenal. We are very excited about this deal.

When complete, the 12-story asset will include a seventh-floor loggia with a 2,500 square foot indoor and outdoor fitness center; a 1,500 square foot open-air lounge with reflecting pools and greenery; and a water-view deck, bar, and landscaping.

The office floors are configured to feature floor-to-ceiling glass, with panoramic water views and include more than 15,000 square feet of private shaded terraces – an important design factor for the dance.

“My philosophy is that in Florida, Texas and the Sun Belt cities, everyone wants to be outside, even when it’s really hot, but they want to be in the shade. So it was a design that evolved around that concept,” Dance said.

With the 111 Olive building already well underway and West Palm Beach being dubbed “the South Wall Street“As a destination for financial and technology companies migrating to the region, it was time for phase two to kick off with financial partner Wheelock and funding from Acore.

“They were great partners and were thrilled to close the deal,” Dance said of Team Acore. “Quite frankly, they had every opportunity to [change their minds] but we all really believed in the project and pushed it together to the finish line.

Dance said the construction loan “underscores that there is still capital in the market – even for specific offices – when it comes to the best projects and the best locations”. “Despite all the national headlines and the broader stories about recession and inflation, this reinforces our belief in the West Palm Beach office market. We are building a great project that will be very attractive to tenants.

At street level, 300 Banyan will also feature a chef-led restaurant and bar with a 4,200 square foot outdoor terrace and lounge.

Stolly described West Palm Beach as one of the “fastest growing markets in the nation,” adding that “the sponsorship team has the perfect design to capture trends in the living, working and playing demand of the area and an aesthetic that will elevate the neighborhood to new heights. .”

“Lenders follow tenants, who flock to this type of product,” Roeschlaub said. “There will be winners and losers in the battle for desktop users, and this sponsorship has a recipe for winning.”

Besides Stolly and Roeschlaub, Nick Scribani, Daniel Fromm, Chris Kramer, Daniel Matz, Daniel Morin and Holden Witkoff also arranged the financing.

Mayor of the City of West Palm Beach Keith James described the grand opening of 300 Banyan as “another big step forward for our downtown,” in a statement, while Kelly SmallridgeChairman and CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, noted that “the continued expansion of prime office space in downtown West Palm Beach provides immense economic growth and opportunity.”

The building at 111 Olive will be delivered by the end of this year, while 300 Banyan has an estimated completion date of early 2024.

Cathy Cunningham can be reached at [email protected]m

You don’t have to be a bird enthusiast to know that the name “Audubon” is synonymous with our feathered friends. What is less known is that John James Audubon was a racist slave owner. This background should keep him from having his name attached to the Seattle Birding Organization and all the other Audubon societies.

Audubon, like many historical figures, presents a complex story to modern eyes.

He was a central figure in early American natural science. His seminal work, Birds of America, contains hundreds of paintings showing over 1,000 birds, supposedly every known species in the United States at the time. These illustrations are impressive in their precision and beauty. Any library or museum lucky enough to own an original Audubon folio displays it under glass and turns a page every week or so.

But Audubon, who lived from 1785 to 1851, had a life beyond the birds. He owned black slaves. He supported white supremacy and a flavor of eugenics. He opposes abolition. And he appropriated Aboriginal artifacts.

Importantly, Audubon did not even found the Audubon Society. It was founded decades after his death and adopted his name to honor his work with birds.

Given this disturbing story, the Seattle Audubon Board of Trustees voted to drop his name. Currently, “Audubon” is simply crossed out on the band’s website. He hopes to change his name by the end of the year and welcomes suggestions at: [email protected]

Seattle Audubon held a virtual meeting Tuesday to discuss the change with members and the public. Over 100 people called. Most of those who spoke supported the decision.

“In our experience, people of color generally don’t know Audubon exists,” said Seattle Audubon Community Director Glenn Nelson. “We want to engage marginalized communities that we don’t currently embrace.”

Nearly a third of the Seattle company’s staff will soon be people of color, Nelson says, and the group is redoubling its efforts to engage with historically marginalized communities. Society cannot in good conscience ask people of color to join a group named after a slaver and cultural imperialist, let alone wear a shirt or hat named after him.

A speaker at Tuesday’s meeting was glad the organization is not getting bogged down in the “Seattle process” with the change. It is true that public and community decisions — governmental or not — sometimes take longer in Seattle. But engaging diverse stakeholders also yields better results. Seattle Audubon would do well to continue the conversation about a new name until the change is complete.

People and organizations may respect Audubon’s work with birds, but his name should not be the hallmark of birdwatching in Seattle or America.

Report a dangerous product

Fans of all things cute expressed their delight at news of the arrival of Pokemon Squishmallows.

Squishmallows have become one of the most popular collectible plush toys in North America thanks to their simplistic round design and soft material. If the past is any precedent, Pokemon Squishmallows could become the most coveted of all collections after the collaboration was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con.

The official Squishmallows tweet showed two favorites that will be included in the upcoming collection, encased in glass at the event. The bright yellow Pikachu is tall with his red cheeks, chubby arms and signature ears. Gengar has a sinister smile but still looks completely adorable and ready to cuddle.

But are there more on the way?

Cute Squishmallows leaked by Target show future Pokemon designs

While Pikachu and Gengar have been confirmed by Squishmallows, a recent leak from Target revealed that more Pokemon are coming in this surprise collaboration.

A Squishmallows insider said that Togepi and Snorlax are also transformed into cute Squishmallows. Much like Pikachu and Gengar, these other classic Pokemon will stand 14 inches tall, but taller versions are possible.

Jazwares brand manager Aaron Margolin himself called Pikachu and Gengar the “first wave” of the partnership. That means there are more waves on the way with even more Pokemon ready to get that plush treatment. It is unknown how many will actually be made and when they will be released.

“Playing to our strengths with Pokémon to bring fans this monumental new offering takes the Squishmallows brand to a whole new level of pop culture freshness,” said Gerhard Runken, Senior Vice President of Brand and Marketing at Jazwares.

When do Pokemon Squishmallows come out?

Pikachu and Gengar Squishmallows are not yet available. Even SDCC participants couldn’t buy the coveted Squishamllows. Instead, they will be sold on the Pokemon Center website and possibly other retailers.

“I can promise you… We are planning a way for everyone to get their hands on Pokémon Squishmallows,” Margolin told fans.

There’s no specific release date for Pokemon Squishmallows yet, but you can expect them to drop later this year.

The world’s largest and latest troupe of show fanatics and circus performers will bring a jaw-dropping brand of entertainment to the Impala Ballroom in Marshalltown at 7 p.m. on August 5.

The Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow (hellzapoppin.com) is an extreme sensory experience at maximum volume. Pushing the body and mind beyond the limit with unimaginable death-defying feats, the “Face Your Fears” production is part fantasy, part vaudeville, part freakshow, and all rock ‘n roll.

A Hellzapoppin performance features acrobats taking risks without safety nets or cables and stuntmen swallowing swords, eating and breathing fire, balancing, juggling, unicycling, stepping on broken glass and performing magic and illusions on hoarse rock music. It’s definitely not the circus people grew up watching. Taking a modern approach and adding a rock ‘n roll vibe, Hellzapoppin artists have performed on “Ellen”, appeared on Guinness World Records and been featured on “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!” and AMC’s “Freakshow.”

As the Hellzapoppin performers overcome fears every time they take the stage, they have made fear the central theme of the current touring production, knowing how fear has gripped the world in recent years. . Although Hellzapoppin shows are created to entertain and provide a fantastic escape, they are also meant to inspire.

Circus ringleader Bryce “The Govna” Graves is the visionary behind Hellzapoppin, designing, producing and directing the show. On tour, Graves will be accompanied by Short E. Dangerously, a three-foot-three half-man daredevil, who walks on his hands through broken glass while on fire; the seductive Willow Lauren, one of the few women in the world to swallow swords and regurgitate razor blades; magician and stage stuntman Eric Ross who performs daring feats of matter, including the ancient art of Fakir, which involves driving steel skewers into various parts of the body such as the biceps, forearm, hand and jaw with virtually no blood or pain and juggler, unicyclist and comedian Lucien Fuller.

Named after a 1930s Broadway musical that inspired a 1941 film of the same name, Hellzapoppin’s first-ever show opened for Marilyn Manson in 2009. The troupe has since toured with more than a dozen performers. rock bands and performed at major music festivals, performing thousands of shows in over 16 countries.

When Howard Schultz introduced Starbucks to the UK in 1998, he hailed it as a beachhead for expansion into Europe, where Milan baristas had once inspired the caffeine-fueled vision that had made him a billionaire.

A generation later, there are over 1,000 Starbucks stores across the UK. But Schultz is now considering whether to pull out of a market where his brand is lagging behind Costa Coffee, the rival Coca-Cola bought in 2018.

Alex Rayner, managing director of Starbucks UK, responded to news that the company was assessing “strategic options”, reassuring staff that it remained committed to the UK and was “not in a formal sales process”. Investment bank Houlihan Lokey has, however, been engaged to advise on the possibilities.

Starbucks declined to comment further, but the question mark hanging over the British company is a rare moment of uncertainty for one of America’s most successful global exports.

Last April, after a five-year absence during which he flirted with a bid for the US presidency, Schultz returned to the business he built at the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, taking his third turn as general manager.

“Love and responsibility brought me back to Starbucks,” he told analysts in May. At the same time, he warned that major changes in customer behavior during the coronavirus pandemic had put the company under “significant pressure”.

This earnings call made it clear that the UK is no longer the strategic market it once was, with Schultz barely mentioning operations outside the US and China, the two markets he founded. their hopes for growth.

The issues that need to be addressed in those markets may also explain why Starbucks might want fewer distractions elsewhere.

In the United States, some 195 Starbucks locations have voted to unionize since December in what has become the most concerted labor campaign in fast food since the 1980s.

The company has long had a reputation as one of the best places to work in the restaurant industry, with industry-leading salaries and generous benefits. But since the start of the pandemic, workers have complained that the lack of safety measures and the lack of staff made their jobs untenable.

Leaders fought hard against the fledgling union and drew the ire of federal labor officials in the process.

In China, which Schultz says will one day overtake its home market, Covid lockdowns have prevented the company from forecasting its performance for the rest of the year.

The U.S. and Chinese markets are what Starbucks has “bet its whole future on,” said Nick Setyan, restaurant industry analyst at Wedbush, who called other countries where it has a store, from Canada to Japan. , of “distraction”.

“All other markets owned by the company may disappear,” he added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they manage to sell the UK, Japan will be next.”

The UK – its biggest operation in Europe – “was an anomaly from the start”, according to a former Starbucks executive.

While other major European markets – France, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands – have always been run by licensed operating partners, Starbucks still owns around 30% of its stores in the UK. -United.

“I’m surprised they’ve kept the UK business for so long,” Setyan said, pointing out that the majority of its stores in the Emea region are licensed and not company operated. In May, Starbucks withdrew from Russia, where a franchisee ran its 130 cafes.

The UK coffee market has also become crowded in recent years. In 2017, Citigroup analysts said the industry had only “four to five years of structural growth left.” Now, with more people working from home and spending less time in city centers during the week, that saturation point may have arrived.

Over the past three years, the number of cafes in the UK has grown by 2.5%, compared to a 22% increase between 2016 and 2019, according to market research firm Allegra World Coffee Portal. Starbucks managed 9% growth between 2019 and 2022, but that was only half of its growth rate in the previous three years.

A sale now would reflect “the maturation of the market and the maturation of Starbucks’ place in that market,” said Jeffrey Young, general manager of Allegra Strategies.

“It makes sense to seek an operating partner to operate the brand, especially as the cost of doing business increases and demand slows,” he added, citing rising costs for everything from energy with milk.

A former Starbucks executive, who helped found the UK company in 1998, said its review was a “pragmatic decision” by Schultz.

“You have to give [the divisions] space to make sure they can operate locally,” he said, adding that Schultz’s biggest problem was reinventing the larger, faster-growing US operation. “He’s trying to take over the business, so the ship gets righted,” he said.

Schultz’s first move upon his return was to suspend Starbucks’ stock buyback program to fund an additional $200 million in investments in equipment, salaries and innovations that appeal to staff, such as tips. digital.

In the United States, “we have demand everywhere,” he told analysts, but he conceded this month that stores – which he saw as a “third place” where customers could shop linger over a coffee between work and home – were “not set up” for the era of working from home, mobile ordering and the consumer preference for cold beverages that now account for almost 80% of his activity.

After beating the market after the onset of the pandemic, Starbucks shares have lagged for most of the past year, putting pressure on the new old boss to show progress by the day of the awards. investors that he has scheduled for September.

He told Wall Street to expect “game-changing industry” ideas to boost productivity in US stores, as well as a “big game-changing plan” for Web 3.0 – the next iteration blockchain-based internet platform – and a platform to sell NFT digital collectibles. And he has promised to appoint a new external chief executive this fall before stepping down from executive duties in March.

But after stepping down twice before – once in 2000 and then again in 2017 – this time he plans to stay on the board. Starbucks is still in growth mode, he told Wall Street analysts: “Is the glass half full? You bet yes.

Additional reporting by Taylor Nicole Rogers in London

Urban Oasis presents the first “W Sound Suite” in Canada, Alongside three distinct cocktail and culinary venues

BETHESDA, MD., July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Sound on. W Hotels Worldwide, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 extraordinary hotel brands, today announces the opening of West of Toronto. Rising 11 stories in the vibrant and creative neighborhood of Yorkville, the hotel is a celebration of from Toronto art scene rich in history, diverse culture and legacy of non-conformity. Destined to bring new energy and sophistication to the city’s luxury hotel scene, West of Toronto offers locals a new playground and travelers an authentic and socially charged retreat.

“With its street art scene and its permanent musical heritage, Toronto is a natural fit for W Hotels,” said Benoit Racle, Vice President, Brand management, W Hotels Worldwide. “Our modest and playful interpretation of luxury is about to make West of Toronto a regular stop for those who live and work in Toronto as well as the perfect place for an out of town guest to revel in the city like a local.”

A culture shock of design

Designed by a global creative agency Sid Lee, West of Toronto is a juxtaposition of city biophilia, man-made urban grid and brutalist architecture. The contrast begins with the exterior, where the brutalist facade has been transformed by warm LED lighting that illuminates the night sky, including a glowing, opaque orange elevator to take guests to the rooftop bar and restaurant. The journey begins on the 6th floor, where the Reception desk and Living room (the W brand’s signature lobby/lounge) flows in shades of ruby, amethyst, and topaz — with curved lines and velvet furnishings reminiscent of from Toronto counterculture movement of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Other highlights of the 5,000-square-foot space include a communal foyer, a circular destination bar with cascading amber lighting, and the access to The courtyardan outdoor terrace surrounded by a three-story atrium of guest room windows – creating a voyeuristic tension between public and private.

West of Toronto has 254 rooms – including 30 suites – including two Extreme Wow (presidential) suites. Inspired by from Toronto an illustrious theater district, the bedroom beds are flanked by stage-inspired pendant lights and set in front of a sapphire velvet curtain that can be opened or closed automatically. Design touches include curved banquettes, dressing-style vanity mirrors, “record type” tables in honor of from Toronto musical heritage and nods to nature, such as abstract floral wallpaper and mushroom-shaped accent lights. As a playful nod to personal artistic interpretation, Queen Double Rooms are adorned with wall art that reads “Not everything has to mean something. Some things are right.by Canadian writer and musician Charles of Lin.

Art + Soul: the art collection and sound suite of West of Toronto

Music and creative art take center stage at West of Torontoto boast from Canada first O sound suite, the brand’s signature recording studio experience. Located next to the living room, behind a nondescript, one-way, tinted window, W Toronto W Sound Suite is equipped with professional equipment where accomplished and novice musicians, podcasters and other creatives can draw inspiration from the urban and hotel scene.

From 60s psychedelic rock to today’s hip hop, to the street art of Graffiti Alley, Toronto is known for its multidisciplinary artistic heritage. West of Toronto honors and complements this canon with a collection of original works beginning with the Monument W on Bloor Street. Created by Sid Lee, it reflects biophilia and hippie culture through the use of natural crystalline rock patterns and the bold palette of psychedelia. The journey continues with three murals by Dutch-born artist Mikael B. At the aisle level is “Below the Surface,” a fascinating interpretation of underwater volcanic eruptions; “Hidden Gem” – located on level G of the elevator – inspired by Salvador Dalí, Jackson Pollock and Peter Saul with a palette of colors and geometric shapes; and “Clear vision,” an abstract experimentation with color in meeting and event space.

Coffee. Cocktail. Culinary scene.

Lead the creative culinary load to West of Toronto is the chief executive Keith Pears, which is well known to cooking enthusiasts. His enviable resume – BC Chef of the Year, Gold Metal Plates, Bocuse d’Or National Selection, and appearing on Chopped Canada – brings a star quality to W Toronto three distinct food and drink venues, taking guests on a gradual journey from morning until late at night. It starts with PUBLIC SCHOOL, the downstairs rebel cafe, kitchen and bar buzzing with barista culture by day and new-school tonics, elixirs and low-to-non-alcoholic beverages by night. The playful, unpretentious and edgy menu is served on two levels, accented by inviting late 60s/early 70s seating in a soothing earth tone palette as well as “Toronto Gush”, a mural original made by an artist of Costa Rican origin. Alan Ganevinspired by from Toronto Graffiti Alley.

Ideal for a solo coffee, casual work lunch, after-work cocktail or late-night party, the Living room pays homage to from Toronto positions itself as the most multicultural city in the world. Featuring “Toronto Tapas” – light bites to share representing the various neighborhoods of the city – the menu includes: Barbacoa Tacos (Kensington Market); Jerk chicken skewers (Little Jamaica); and cod cheeks from Fogo Island (Little India). “Sparkling” is the theme of the Living Room beverage program, featuring champagne, rare bottles and a Perlini capping system enabling unique in-flight experiences, bubbles by the glass as well as sparkling cocktails, such as the Celery Sour and the Green Goddess Bloody Mary. .

As the sun goes down, SKYLIGHT, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant and bar, casts a spell over the city’s nightlife scene with enticing cocktails and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. Indoor-outdoor boho oasis overlooks from Toronto iconic Bloor Streetcelebrating the provocative and artistic spirit of Yorkville’s 60s hippie revolution. The Loft (for semi-private events); The den (an intimate seating area for people watching); and The Terrace (with birdcage style seats). The menu includes family-style mezze, salatas and freshly made maneesh served with tagines as well as an over-the-top seafood tower with oysters, clams, shrimp cocktail, escabeche, crudos de tuna and scallops, king crab legs, lobster and caviar. SKYLIGHT’s cocktail program is centered around vermouth and amaro with a selection of premium cocktails, seasonal spritzes and adult granitas.

Business is a pleasure

With five event spaces covering 4,679 square feet, West of Toronto is the perfect place to do business or celebrate a milestone. The industry, at 1,980 square feet, features botanically-inspired wallpaper decorated with elliptical lighting, reminiscent of floral seedlings, and can be divided into three intimate spaces. Studios 1 and 2, next to the living room, as well as Strategies 1 and 2, offer more relaxed work session settings. Before that big presentation or on the wedding day, W Toronto The 3,300 square foot FIT Gym is the perfect place to focus and rejuvenate.

“West of Toronto is a microcosm of the people, culture and history of this incredible city,” says Craig ReaumeGeneral director, West of Toronto. “From the intentional design of each room and the authentically varied menus to the music and ambience of each public space, West of Toronto offers a long-awaited alternative to the luxury hotel scene. We look forward to welcoming more and more guests.”

About W Hotels Worldwide
Born from bold culture, 24/7 from New York City, O The hotels have been redefining hospitality for more than two decades, shattering the standards of traditional luxury wherever the iconic O sign land. With nearly 60 hotels worldwide, detail-driven design, iconic Any/Whenever service and buzz, Signature Lounges create an experience that is often imitated but never equaled. Dynamic and invigorating, the brand celebrates every traveler’s desire to experience the destination through a lens that is distinctly O. For more information on O Hotels, visit www.whotels.com/theangle or follow us on Twitter, instagram and Facebook. O Hotels Worldwide is proud to be part of Marriott bonvoy^®, Marriott International’s global travel program. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott bonvoy Moments™ and unmatched benefits including free nights and Elite status recognition. To register for free or for more information about the program, visit www.marriottbonvoy.com.

About Marriott Bonvoy^®
Marriott bonvoy, Marriott International’s award-winning travel program and marketplace, gives members access to transformative and eye-opening experiences around the corner and around the world. Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 extraordinary brands delivers renowned hospitality in the world’s most memorable destinations. Members can earn points for stays at hotels and resorts, including all-inclusive resorts and premium home rentals, as well as through everyday purchases with co-branded credit cards . Members can redeem their points for experiences, including future stays, Marriott bonvoy Moments, or through partners for Marriott luxury products bonvoy Shops. With the Marriott bonvoy app, members get a level of customization and without touching experience that allows them to travel with peace of mind. To register for free or for more information about Marriott bonvoyvisit marriottbonvoy.com. To download the Marriott app, go to www.mobile-app.marriott.com. Travelers can also connect with Marriott bonvoy on Facebook, Twitterand instagram.

SOURCEMarriott International, Inc.

Bar star Glendon Hartley, 37, has two missions: to introduce drinkers to the ingredients of his family’s native Trinity and to build the largest pisco collection in North America. The former mostly takes place at Service Bar, Hartley’s popular U Street haunt, and nearby at the two-month-old St. James’s restaurant on 14th Street, where he crafted the drinks. As for grape brandy, you’ll find a collection of over 100 bottles at Causa’s Bar Amazonia, his new Peruvian venture at Shaw.

What is your obsession with pisco?

It is the purest spirit in the world. There’s no dilution, you can’t age it in a cask, you can’t flavor it during distillation. It all depends on the harvest and the microclimates of where they harvest. Pisco is floral, but it can also be salty, rich, spicy. It really is something special.

How does that play into your love of Caribbean ingredients?

This is often misunderstood – people think pisco is like tequila. I don’t think Caribbean cocktails are presented for what they really are. In the Caribbean you have so many ingredients – tamarind, hibiscus. People think the Caribbean is just pineapple and tiki cocktails. Tiki drinks are not Caribbean drinks. They’re fake Polynesian drinks, and it’s sort of cultural appropriation.

What else is important in Caribbean drinks?

In the Caribbean, everything is used, there is no waste. With herbs, the stalks and stalks have more flavor than the leaves. At the Service Bar, I use leftovers from my staff to experiment with their own cocktails. For example, you take the leftover pulp from citrus juice, boil it, and make citrus broth – it tastes so fresh, especially when refrigerated.

Where did you start?

I have always been interested in art and science. I worked my whole career in high school [at Richard Montgomery in Rockville] go to fashion school. I paid for my spot as a bartender and started learning the chemistry that goes into mixology. At that time, Founding Farmers was just getting started. A friend invited me to the orientation and I fell in love with this farm-to-table approach, learning how to make a drink from scratch. It was like a new chemistry for me. I dropped out of fashion school and became a full-time bartender.

What was your vision of the Service Bar when you opened in 2016 and how has it evolved?

My business partner, Chad Spangler, who was my bartender at Founding Farmers, we have similar opinions. The bar industry in DC at the time was trying so hard to emulate New York: dark bars with no atmosphere and squinting over a candlelit menu. We hated going to those cocktail bars because it was boring. The places we liked were the Irish pubs. They don’t care about your color or your religion. You order a pint and everyone is your best friend. We’re always serious about everything we do – we’re just not pretentious about it. If you want to know more, we’ll talk about it. But if you just want to come and have a drink with friends, that’s what bars are for.

You know a bartender’s signature drink has to be tasty when he gets it tattooed on his arm, like Glendon Hartley’s pisco punch. The versatile concoction dates back to the early 1800s, combining fresh citrus, sugar, seasonal flavors – here, raspberries – and Peruvian pisco. Hartley recommends the Caravedo brand of spirits (available at local liquor stores and online) for its “beautiful citrus aromatic notes, which add a lot of flavor to the punches.” Home bartenders can also use any Peruvian pisco, but look for the citrusy torontel variety. Hartley’s Punch is designed to be adaptable – try replacing raspberries with figs (fresh or jammed) in early fall.

For 1

Ingredients

¾ ounce fresh lemon or lime juice

1 ounce simple syrup*

4 to 6 raspberries, plus more for garnish (or 1½ ounces raspberry jam)

1½ ounces unsweetened cold green tea (jasmine works well)

2 ounces of pisco, preferably Caravedo torontel

2 dashes bitters or fresh pineapple, apple or orange juice (optional)

Instructions

In a tall glass or shaker, add lemon or lime juice and simple syrup. Mash the berries or jam and quickly stir in the liquid. Add tea and pisco. If you want a fruitier cocktail, add 2 dashes of the optional bitters or juice. Add ice and stir or shake to combine. Strain the drink into a glass over more ice. Garnish with berries.

* If you are making a larger quantity of cocktail, add the berries or jam to the simple syrup, blend in a blender, and pass the larger pieces (like seeds) through a sieve. Then skip the scrambling step.

This article appears in the July 2022 issue of The Washingtonian.

food editor

Anna Spiegel covers the restaurant and bar scene in her native DC. Before joining Washingtonian in 2010, she completed the MFA program at the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in New York and St. John, in the US Virgin Islands.

Editor’s Note: These whiskeys were provided to us as review samples by Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills. This in no case, by our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the purchase link at the bottom of this review, our site receives a small referral payment which helps support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.

San Luis Obispo, or SLO as it is often called, is an interesting city located along the central California coast. For example, SLO ban drive-through restaurants in 1986 citing pollution concerns while wanting to promote a pedestrian-friendly community in an effort to ensure people enjoy their city. This spirit seems to be alive and well in their city with a culture of food, museums and outdoor activities. And even their distilleries embody the culture of their city, like Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills.

Rod & Hammer SLO Images was founded in 2019 by Rod Cegelski and Hamish Marshall. Rod is from California and Hamish is from Australia. Their business spun off from SLO Brew, a craft brewery that Hamish took over in 2010. They distilled their first whiskey in 2012 from the brewery, but it’s unclear what happened to that distillate as all of the offerings current ones are only two years old. They use purified water from the Pacific Ocean to “capture the soul and essence of the waters that bind (them)”. California meets Australia. And in keeping with SLO’s culture, their brand reps consist of a race car driver and a surfer.

I’m looking at the base offerings of Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills. It is a bourbon, a cask strength bourbon, and a rye, all aged for a minimum of two years in new American white oak barrels. All three are distilled in Indiana, blended with water from the Pacific Ocean and bottled by Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills. In addition to these three, and which are not reviewed here, they sell a Distiller’s Reserve Rye Whiskey which uses a lower percentage of rye in its mash bill and is only aged for one year.

The distillery also has a Spirits Club and a Barrel Club. The Spirits Club is a free membership way to be invited to distillery events and a chance to purchase limited release merchandise. The Barrel Club is a $1,500 per year membership due for access to a five-gallon barrel that can be customized with wooden spirals to speed up aging. These are probably the larger spirals normally used in actual production, but they act very similar to the spirals used to age in bottle at home. The annual fee is followed by a $10 per bottle fee for spilling the liquid inside. If you want to age more than a year, it will cost you an extra $1,500. Each barrel sees around 28 bottles, bringing the total cost to around $1780, making it slightly more expensive per bottle than their normal offerings.

But how is their whisky? Read on for tasting notes and details on each of the bottlings.

Tasting Notes: Rod and Hammer’s SLO Stills’ Straight Rye Whiskey

Vital Stats: Distilled in Indiana from 95% rye. Bottled at 45% ABV. Aged a minimum of two years in new American white oak barrels. From $31.99 per bottle.

Appearance: Golden yellow in color, it forms small tears on the glass that are slow to fall.

Nose: Scent of toasted rye bread with honey. A sort of marshmallow sweetness is on the nose with some apple and subtle spice.

Palace: This has a very nice spice throughout it. It has this kind of indescribable sweetness up front, the flavor of rye crackers in the mid-palate, and a meaty finish that is just plain savory. The addition of water shifts the flavor profile towards sweeter notes with hints of caramel arriving mid-palate and making the finish a combination of vegetal and sweet.

Score: 3.5 / 5

Tasting Notes: Rod and Hammer’s SLO Stills’ Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Vital Stats: Distilled in Indiana from 55% corn, 35% rye and 10% barley. Bottled at 45% ABV. Aged a minimum of two years in new American white oak barrels. $42.99 per bottle.

Appearance: The appearance is almost identical to rye, with just the slightest hint of copper added to the color.

Nose: Smells of cotton candy, corn and a tasty vegetal note that almost reminds me of green olive.

Palace: The cotton candy on the nose really extends to the front of the palate with just a ton of sweetness at first. This transitions into fairly classic bourbon flavors of vanilla and oak in the mid-palate. The finish is quite long with a slight spice and a good feeling of warmth. Adding water really killed that for me. I get almost nothing from the front of the palace and the endgame. The mid-palate becomes a standard bourbon with the flavor of caramel and oak.

Score: 2.5 / 5

Tasting Notes: Rod and Hammer’s SLO Stills’ Cask Bourbon

Vital Stats: Distilled in Indiana from 55% corn, 35% rye and 10% barley. Bottled at 56% ABV. Aged a minimum of two years in new American white oak barrels. From $36.99 per bottle.

Appearance: It is slightly darker in color than straight bourbon, with tears on the glass taking longer to form and fall off.

Nose: I get caramel, white pepper and a note of grilled corn. The smell of corn reminds me of barbequed corn a little too long.

Palace: I have caramel and pepper on the front. This transitions to a marshmallow sweetness with some mid-palate oak and a good amount of heat from the alcohol. The finish is packed with spice and a bit of that corny flavor from the nose. Not surprisingly, the addition of water brings the flavor profile in line with pure bourbon.

Score: 2.5 / 5

Final Thoughts: In my opinion, all of these elements need a little more age. There’s nothing wrong with them, but they all drink a little hot and look a little young. The flavors don’t seem as developed and I feel they lack a depth that can be found in so many other ryes and bourbons on the market in the same price range.

WISCONSIN (CBS 58) – Dan Knippel and his brother, Fred Knippel, both helped start kidney donation in Wisconsin.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of a major milestone in the Knippel family. Dan donated a kidney to his brother on July 21, 1972. At the time, it was a risky operation with no guarantees, but this courageous decision impacted the whole family.

“Let’s go, gang,” Dan Knippel said, raising a glass of champagne.

The family has a lot to celebrate right now. It’s the 69 of Dan and his wife Joyce^e wedding anniversary.

“Thanks for sticking around, kid,” Dan told Joyce with a laugh.

But this month also marks another milestone.

“To faith, courage and love,” Dan said.

The family calls this celebration a “kidney versary.”

“Life is really something else. Every day is an adventure, I think,” Dan said.

Fortunately, Dan has an adventurous spirit. That’s what helped him make the decision to donate a kidney to his brother, Fred, whom he called Fritz.

“I came home and Joyce said ‘what are you doing’ and I said ‘I’m going to give Fritz a kidney. So, needless to say, it didn’t go too well with her,” he said with a chuckle.

Joyce agreed.

“It was very, very scary for our family,” she said. “I just thought he was crazy at the time.”

This is because back then, in 1972, kidney donation was still a revolutionary operation.

“Imagine being the one who does something no one else has done before, and you could die,” said Fred’s daughter, Stephanie Knippel.

“They only had that in weird movies like Frankenstein, okay,” Dan added.

But Dan and Fred trusted the new science.

“I said, if that’s what it takes, I’ve got two and I think you’ll tell me I can spare one. Which one, I believe you. I don’t know why I did , but I believed it. But needless to say, it worked. And here I am, after 50 years,” he said.

It wasn’t the family’s first transplant. Fred had obtained a kidney from his sister, Pat, in 1968.

“I still remember that part of my dad saying on his 37th birthday that he was publicly thanking God,” Fred’s daughter Karen Lepak said.

But this kidney was not a perfect match and ultimately failed. Fred therefore had to turn to a completely new technology.

“He went on dialysis, my mom said, when they were unpacking the machines at the hospital,” Lepak said.

But it turned out that Dan’s kidney was a perfect match. Lepak and Stephanie Knippel were young then, but they remember their father’s illness and surgery.

“Ever since we were little, he was sick,” Stephanie said.

“After receiving Uncle Dan’s kidney, his second transplant, he was brought back to life,” Karen said. “He felt good. He did things. They bought a house.”

Fred was lucky enough to walk his daughter down the aisle and meet his granddaughter.

“It’s really a story of courage, hope, faith and courage,” Lepak said.

In some ways, the transplant affected the whole family.

“What they’ve done helps other people, and it’s helped other people, and it’s still helping other people, and it’s a magical thing to be able to help people,” Stephanie said.

Fred Knippel died of a stroke in 1985, but Dan’s kidney was still strong and that’s how his daughters remember him.

“He was tough as nails, he didn’t take a puff from anybody. Either you liked him or you didn’t like him,” Lepak said with a smile.

Fred Knippel also helped found the Wisconsin chapter of the Kidney Foundation.

“Fritz was a pioneer in getting people to volunteer to be donors,” Dan said.

The whole family now encourages others to think about being organ donors. And while it was a scary choice to make at the time, Dan said it was still the right one.

“You’re probably going to ask me, would I do it again? I said, no doubt. But then I would have told my wife a little in advance what I’m going to do,” he said. he says with a laugh.

For more information on the Kidney Foundation, click here.

And if you’d like to nominate an everyday hero, message Natalie at [email protected]

When Salt Lake County Library system officials began planning what would become the new Granite Library in South Salt Lake, library spokeswoman Sara Neal said, the architect and librarians posed a question to the community:

“What kind of library do you need? »

“Really, each branch is designed to take what the community around it needs,” Neal said. The location – at 3300 south and 500 east, on the site of the former Granite High School – is central to many people in South Salt Lake, and there was “obviously a community needs to have this as a space community.”

This community space, slated to open Friday, July 15, is a 33,000 square foot building that incorporates high-tech book sorting equipment, sustainable energy and water features, references to the history made when the space was a high school, and collections of new and archived books from two now-closed library branches.

A focal point for students

The Granite Library, one of 18 in the Salt Lake County Library System, covers territory that was once served by the small branch of the Calvin S. Smith Library at 3300 South – which opened in 1943 and closed last year – and the Columbus branch at 500 East, which was closed in 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the closure of the Columbus branch, Neal said. Other system branches, housed in stand-alone buildings, were able to provide some services in fall 2020 – but the Columbus Community Center, in which the Columbus branch was housed, remained closed. The county permanently closed the branch a year ahead of schedule, Neal said.

The Columbus branch, located at 2350 S. 500 East in central South Salt Lake, served a large immigrant population living in nearby apartment complexes. (South Salt Lake’s population is 24% Hispanic and 10% Asian, according to the latest U.S. Census data.)

Every day, after school hours, computers in the Columbus Library were used by children doing homework or playing games. Many of these students did not have internet access at home during the pandemic.

The new Granite Library sits at the center of the massive Granite School District, which stretches from Magna to Holladay. School populations on the west side of the district have exploded, while schools on the east side are stabilizing after years of decline, district officials said in May. The district plans to redraw the boundaries of its elementary and secondary schools, but any decision would not take effect until fall 2023 at the earliest, a district spokesperson said.

Among Granite’s towering new white shelves are a children’s area, a dedicated teen area, and individual study and meeting rooms. “A lot of people use the library for meetings, whether it’s business meetings or study sessions, interviews,” Neal said. “Any kind of thing can happen to the library.”

The new Granite branch will feature books from the Columbus and Smith collections — but the majority of the books there will be new and have never been in circulation before, Neal said. A library of this size, she said, typically contains between 85,000 and 100,000 books.

Preserving Granite’s History

The combination of old and new books is just one example of the Granite branch merging past and present.

The exterior of the building features a concrete wall that follows the high school’s original brick line, Neal noted. The bricks of the original school were donated to elders when the school was demolished in 2017.

Also outside the building: An iris sculpture created by artist Day Christensen, whose great-grandmother was a Granite student, Neal said.

The former Granite High — which opened in 1907 and closed in 2009 — has produced notable alumni, including former U.S. Senator Frank Moss (whose Federal Courthouse on Salt Lake City’s Main Street name), animation pioneer and retired Pixar president Ed Catmull. , and several big names in professional football: Ed Christensen in the 1930s, Golden Richards and Gordon Jolley in the 70s, and Rick Parros in the 80s.

Granite alums might recognize some of the touches inside the new library. A line of study rooms, leading to a large assembly hall, is named “Farmer’s Way” – a nod to the school’s mascot. The lyrics to Granite High’s fight song are featured on the glass doors, along with images of the school band and basketball and cheering teams from different decades of Granite High’s history. school. And in a large assembly hall, the floor was saved from the school gymnasium.

The library installed a glass display case from the school’s alumni association, displaying school badges and historical artifacts.

The high school seal has also been preserved and is prominently displayed on a library wall. It was already on the floor and “apparently if you stepped on it you had to get a toothbrush and clean it because no one was allowed to step on the seal,” Neal said.

What’s new at the library

The library will have a new automated sorting belt, which helps librarians sort books more quickly.

“The books are RFID tagged so it’s easier to track them, so a book will continue here and it’s actually sorted into the correct section [bin] of the library he needs to get in,” Neal said. For a county library system that moves about 9 tons of materials a day, across three different delivery trucks, this kind of automated sorting is a bonus, she said.

Familiar business resources — copying, faxing, printing — will be available, Neal said, “for people who don’t necessarily have Wi-Fi or a computer at home.”

A space dedicated to creators is planned to house 3D printing services, robotics, virtual reality technology, full access to Adobe Creative Suite, a laser cutter, sublimation prints and sewing and sewing machines. embroider. Such items, Neal said, are “super useful to have, but they can be prohibitively expensive.”

An audiovisual room – equipped with a green screen room and recording equipment for video, podcasts and music – can be booked online.

Outside, the library has an amphitheater, which can be used for library or community programs, Neal said. The library will also be the only one in the system to have an outdoor play area, she said. And the sidewalk is equipped to accommodate several food trucks. The new library is a LEED Gold facility, participating in a program of the US Green Building Council (a private, non-profit organization) that champions sustainable building practices.

Among the library’s sustainable practices: rooftop solar panels and water-bearing landscaping – with sections of fake grass, clumps of tall grass that are only cut a few times a year, and wild strawberries that hold the water and feed the birds.

“Not all water that comes onto the property goes into storm water,” Neal said. “He is actually contained on the property. It can just seep into the ground and be effective that way.

The granite branch of the Salt Lake County Library at 3331 S. 500 East, South Salt Lake, will host a grand opening, Friday, July 15, from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, featuring speeches from Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson and others. After that, the day will include crafts, games and activities for children and adults. The event is free.

A new company specializing in “wearable art” founded by a native of Bahrain has launched a new collection of watches and bracelets designed and manufactured in France and made in Switzerland. Watches and bracelets are intricately adorned with precious and exotic materials, extravagant designs and monumental themes encompassing ancient cultures through futuristic motifs.

This collection of watches, called “Celebration of Time”, is the first release of Qannati Objet d’Art, founded in 2018 by Mahmood Qannati, described as a “global entrepreneur passionate about history, endowed with a keen sense of art and a love of fine workmanship.” The brand itself is inspired by the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia.

The collection was unveiled at an event in Paris on July 5.

Beneath a sapphire crystal dome, each of the six watches presents a unique, miniature, highly crafted and sculpted three-dimensional “universe” that tells a story through a combination of precious stones and exotic materials. They are each equipped with a Sellita SW100 automatic movement, but it does not matter how these parts are powered. These watches are designed from the outside in, which is the opposite of how traditional watches are produced, where the movement often dictates the exterior design of a watch. Moreover, these timepieces are not marketed to traditional watch enthusiasts, but rather to those whom Mahmood Qannati describes as “an elite international clientele who appreciate the exceptional craftsmanship of timeless, meticulously designed and always unique”.

The cases and dials were made by the GecoH Regence group in Switzerland and the straps were handcrafted by the Atelier du Bracelet Parisien workshop.

The collection of six Quantum watches is themed: Jurassic Quantum, Adam & Eve Quantum, Gladiators Quantum, Al-Fallah (“prayer and worship” in Arabic) Quantum, The Monaco Quantum and Space Conquest Quantum.

The attention paid to the design and craftsmanship of the six “eternity” bracelets is on a par with the timepieces. They all have their own themes that represent “a chapter in the greater spectrum of Time, from the beginning of the Universe to the conquest of space”, said Mahmood Qannati. The themes are titled: Jurassic, Gladiators, First Civilization, Pearl of the Gulf, Monaco and Space Conquest.

A The 13th coin, Alpha, will remain in Qannati’s private collection.

“Each masterpiece represents a chapter in human history, from the dawn of time immemorial, to the first spark of life on earth, and the possibilities the future holds,” said Mahmood. Qannati. “We believe in exclusivity, that’s why every masterpiece is unique, because every life experience is unique.”

The inauguration ceremony of this exciting $550 million development took place today, Friday July 8at 10:00 a.m.and introduced the Governor of Nevada Steve Sisolak, Clark County Chairman of the Board of Commissioners James B. Gibson and Lieutenant Governor Lisa Cano Burkhead as speakers, alongside developers Guillaume Shopoff and David Daneshforooz, CEO of Dream Hotel Group Jay Stein and chief operating officer Michael Lindenbaumand Senior Vice President of McCarthy Building Companies Ross Edwards.

With increasing visitor numbers and more business relocations in recent history, Vegas is experiencing unprecedented growth and record wealth creation. The new Dream Las Vegas Hotel and Casino is expected to generate significant tax revenue and create 4,000 new direct and indirect construction jobs, while providing growing residential and commercial communities with a new reason to visit Vegas.

“The development of Dream Las Vegas is a great investment in our local economy – to boost tourism and create thousands of new jobs,” the Nevada state governor said. Steve Sisolak. “I’m thrilled to see the resort come to life in 2024, offering even more first-class amenities and services, and extending our state’s long history as a leader in hospitality and tourism.”

“The great thing about this development is that it helps us complete an important part of the boulevard that we have all seen underdeveloped for so many years,” added Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson. “Finally, we have the opportunity to complete all the little things that have happened and that is huge for us. The economic value of this project far exceeds the $550 million investment. This is a Las Vegas Boulevard development reset to complete the work that needs to be done, and Dream is leading this reset. The result is something we will all be proud of.”

“This project represents a new kind of hotel experience in Las Vegas, offering tourists and locals a unique boutique hotel option on the Las Vegas Strip. the south end of the Strip, while providing countless jobs and income to local government,” explained the President and CEO of Shopoff Realty Investments. Guillaume Shopoff.

“As a native of VegasI am thrilled to be working alongside an amazing team and partners to achieve this important milestone in the development of Dream Las Vegas,” said Contour Founder and CEO David Daneshforooz. “Dream Hotel Group will bring new life to this end of the Strip with its curated food, beverage and entertainment offerings. »

“At Dream, we are all proud to play a part in creating what will be one of the most spectacular new additions to Vegas“said the CEO of Dream Hotel Group Jay Stein. “Vegas is a destination just like our Dream Hotels brand, marked by a young, vibrant energy and a vibrant culture and entertainment scene like nowhere else in the world. Working with innovative developers Shopoff and Contour, our goal is to create an experience-driven property that exceeds expectations, combining cutting-edge design, progressive programming and world-class hospitality with dining and nightlife. unmatched. We’re not just building another hotel, we’re building an experience that we hope will contribute substantially to the future of Vegas. Following the successful launch of Dream Hollywood, California in 2017, I have every confidence that Dream Las Vegas will be our new West Coast star and a vital addition to our growing portfolio.”

Steve HillCEO/President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority added, “We are thrilled that Dream Las Vegas will soon join the spectacular Vegas skyline. We greatly appreciate the investment and vision of Shopoff Realty Investments, Contour and Dream Hotel Group in bringing a new ‘Only Vegas’ hotel, casino and entertainment experience to our millions of visitors.”

Scheduled to open in late 2024, Dream Las Vegas offers 531 beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites, and seven original dining and nightlife options, including a pool and day club on the third level, two bar and lounge concepts on the gaming floor, lobby bar, artisan coffee shop, and gelateria on the ground floor, plus a sports club, boutique nightclub, signature restaurant, and 24-hour restaurant on the third floor stage. The lifestyle hotel will also offer 12,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 5,000 square foot ballroom and 90-seat live entertainment theater, casino and hall. 20,000 square foot playground, a fitness center by TechnoGym and over-parking on site. Casino and gaming operations will be led by Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E). Located along South Las Vegas Blvd., the hotel’s presence will support the local community and the 32 million tourists who visit Vegas every year, adding another facet to the south end of the Strip.

McCarthy Building Companies is the design-build contractor for the project. Senior Vice President Ross Edwards said: “We are proud to be part of this exciting design-build hotel and casino project on the Las Vegas Strip. This project will reflect the talent of approximately 1,200 construction professionals who will work on-site to bring the Dream Las Vegas brand to I can assure you that our industry is filled with excitement to help build a new Vegas benchmark and will do so in a work environment that is safe, welcoming, inclusive and empowering for all. »

The 20-story luxury hotel tower will feature a diverse mix of spectacular venues spread vertically across the rooftops and terraces composing the hotel’s design. The undulating contemporary design will feature a glass and lustrous metal facade, with stylistic details such as rounded corners, spacious double-height terraces, oversized windows and a unique aerodynamic character influenced by its context. When complete, Dream Las Vegas and its distinctly iconic architecture will introduce a refreshing new lifestyle-focused hotel experience and an innovative and welcome addition to the Vegas skyline.

Located at 5051 S. Las Vegas Blvd., across from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Bali Hai Golf Club, Dream Las Vegas will be one of the first hotel properties seen from the iconic Welcome to Vegas sign. Adjacent to the private aviation terminal at Harry Reid International Airport, two blocks from the new Allegiant Stadium (home of the NFL Las Vegas Raiders) and near the T-Mobile Arena (home of the NHL Vegas Golden Knights and Countless entertainment events including the Country Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, iHeartRadio Music Festival and Strait to Vegas, a concert residency by the country music star George Strait), Dream Las Vegas is well situated to capitalize on the southward expansion of new Vegas developments, as well as the many hotels and casinos along the Las Vegas Strip.

With 15 hotels open today and 25 new sites in various stages of development around the world, Dream Hotel Group remains one of the fastest growing independent hotel companies in the world. The grand opening of Dream Las Vegas marks another exciting milestone in the continued growth and evolution of the company and its portfolio of lifestyle brands.

About Dream Hotels

Born in 2004, Dream Hotels are individually curated properties that together form a unique narrative. The brand is based on a design philosophy that is both surreal and contemporary chic. Situated in United States and overseas, the design of each property is informed by its local environment and brought to dream status by a group of world-renowned architects and interior designers. The result is a stay experience well suited to the discerning traveler seeking comfort in a truly cosmopolitan atmosphere. For more information about Dream Hotels, visit www.dreamhotels.com and follow @dreamhotels on Instagram.

About Dream Hotel Group

Dream Hotel Group is a hotel brand and management company with a rich 30-year history of managing properties in some of the most competitive hotel environments in the world. Home to its Dream Hotels, Unscripted Hotels, The Chatwal and new By Dream Hotel Group brands, Dream Hotel Group encompasses three business segments: Proprietary Brands, Hotel Management, and Restaurants and Nightlife. The company is committed to the philosophy that forward-thinking design, service and customer experiences should be available in all market segments. Dream Hotel Group is committed to providing travelers with an authentic connection to the destination of their choice through a truly original approach. With 15 hotels open today and 25 new sites in various stages of development around the world, Dream Hotel Group remains one of the fastest growing independent hotel companies in the world. For more information, visit www.dreamhotelgroup.com and follow @dreamhotelgroup on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About the outline

Contour is a privately held opportunistic real estate company that develops, owns and operates properties across United States. For more information, visit www.contourre.com or call (800) 964-8110.

About Shopoff Realty Investments

Shopoff Realty Investments is a Irvine, Californiareal estate company with a 30-year history of value-added and opportunistic investing across United States. The company is primarily focused on proactively generating appreciation through the repositioning of income-generating commercial properties and land asset law. The 30-year history includes operating as Asset Recovery Fund, Eastbridge Partners and Shopoff Realty Investments (formerly known as The Shopoff Group). For more information, visit www.shopoff.com or call (844) 4-SHOPOFF.

Disclosures
This is not an offer to buy or sell securities. Such an offer may only be made through the offering memorandum to qualified purchasers. Any investment in Shopoff Realty Investments programs involves substantial risk and is only suitable for investors who do not require cash and who can afford the loss of their entire investment. There can be no assurance that any strategy will be successful in achieving its investment objectives. The performance of this asset is not indicative of the future results of other assets. ¹Performance has varied over this period, with some offers generating losses. Securities offered by Shopoff Securities, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC, 18565 Jamboree Road, Suite 200, Irvine, California 92612, (844) 4-SHOPOFF.

Media Contact
Katie FontanaDream Hotel Group, [email protected]
Corynne GordonShopoff Real Estate Investments, [email protected]

SOURCE Dream Las Vegas

If you never thought a cooking pan could achieve Instagram cult status, you haven’t come across the original Our Place Always Pan. Praised by Oprah Winfrey, Cameron Diaz, Paris Hilton and more, the Los Angeles-based kitchenware brand’s $145 nonstick tool comes in eight lovely colors, has sold out multiple times since its launch in 2019 and scores 4.6 out of 5 stars with over 26,310 reviews on the brand’s website.

So it was only natural that we put Our Place’s latest offering, the new limited edition Always Cast Iron Pan, to the test to see if it lived up to the charm of its older sibling.

For those intimidated by cast iron cooking, it’s time to get over it: cast iron is ultra-durable, naturally nonstick, retains its heat wonderfully, and improves over time. And while your grandmother’s cast iron skillet probably needed to be seasoned with oil after use, today’s versions are pre-seasoned and ready to use right out of the box.

Going a step further, the Our Place version is made of matte black enameled cast iron, which means no seasoning is required and, unlike regular cast iron, can be used to cook acidic foods, such as base stews. of tomatoes. It can also scratch, so metal utensils should be avoided. And since you don’t build up seasoning over time, you’ll need to use a healthy dose of oil, butter, or another type of cooking fat when cooking.

Our Place boasts that the skillet can be used as a frying pan, skillet, sauté pan, griddle, roaster, baker, braiser and more – but that’s no different than other cast iron skillets, which are compatible with all stovetops. (we used ours on an induction hob). And, like the other versions, it can be used seamlessly from stovetop to oven (sear your steak on the stovetop, then move it to the oven to finish it off), and is capable of reaching temperatures up to 500 degrees, allowing you to stick it under the grill, as well.

Unlike most cast iron pans we’ve seen, this version comes with an oven-safe glass lid (up to 425 degrees), which comes in handy when you want to add steam, for example, a stir-fry vegetables. I have to admit I was nervous about breaking the thing up and didn’t use it for my cooking tests, but I could see it useful for something like paella.

The pan includes two silicone handles – one for the 6-inch handle and one for the opposite smaller assist handle (love them!), as well as a wooden spatula and a nifty built-in spoon rest and sponge all natural for cleaning.

But it’s a brand built on aesthetics. Considered “heirloom quality”, the pans feature a glossy exterior and, unlike the basic black of most cast iron varieties, come in six lovely shades: a dusty pink, pale oatmeal, muted green, a dusty grey-blue, charcoal and a soft purple. .

Construction, warmth, performance and – oof – weight

Now, one thing to know about cast iron is that it is heavy. The Always Pan version weighs 6.9 pounds and measures 9 ½ inches in diameter. This may surprise fans of the original 3-pound ceramic version. But the enamel coating ensures a nice smooth surface (best for even heat distribution) with no visible rips, pits or scratches. The 6-inch handle is pretty standard and comfortable enough to hold, but you really need to use the auxiliary handle if possible to lift the pan without difficulty.

But how did it work, you ask? We put the Always Cast Iron skillet through the same battery of tests used to determine the best cast iron skillets of 2022. We measured the time it took to heat the oil, the even distribution of heat throughout the skillet , the comfort of handling. and how easy it was to pour oil into a mason jar. We’ve also used it to fry eggs, sear steak, and bake cornbread.

Cast iron is famous for retaining heat, but not all pans heat evenly. We used an infrared thermometer gun to measure all areas of the pan and found inconsistent results, with the center of the pan measuring hottest and the right side hotter than the left. It was slower to heat oil than any of the cast iron pans we’ve tested previously and the Always doesn’t include pour spouts, which come in handy when trying to remove oil or grease from the pan. . We noticed splashing when we tried pouring oil from the Always into a mason jar.

As far as the kitchen is concerned, however, our dishes turned out to be very good. Our butter fried eggs came out nice and crispy around the edges and flipped easily, leaving only a tiny trace when we removed them from the pan. Our rib eye, seared in a tablespoon of cooking oil, crisped up beautifully and didn’t fight a fight when we flipped it a few times and removed it from the pan. And our cornbread browned evenly and came off the pan easily. It left a few crumbs stuck to the pan, but nothing that couldn’t be easily removed with a stiff bristle brush.

Speaking of which, the cleaning, overall, was easy. Contrary to popular myth, cast iron pans can be hand washed with a little dish soap as needed and a stiff bristle brush or abrasive sponge will help remove bits of food or grease stuck to the bottom. Just be sure to dry the pan completely when you’re done to avoid any rust buildup, although the enamel coating helps with that too.

Finally, no specific warranty is listed on the website, but the brand does note that it offers free exchanges or returns up to 30 days after the item has been shipped to your home.

Without a doubt, the Always Cast Iron Skillet looks great. The colors are soft and just plain lovely – there’s good reason they’re so Instagram-worthy. It’s just very nice to look at, while being efficient and easy to maintain.

But it’s also expensive. If you’re just looking for a great cast iron skillet that’s a total workhorse, you better pick up the $49.95 Lodge Chef Collection 12-inch Skillet, the winner of our cast iron skillet tests. melting. At a third of the price of the Always model, it beat out most of its more expensive competitors, has a comfortable elongated handle that makes it less heavy, includes two pour spouts and comes with a lifetime warranty.

But if you’re one of those rabid fans of the original Always Pan nonstick skillet, looking to add a colorful cast iron version to your collection, and swear by Oprah’s favorite things, you won’t be. sorry if you opt for Our Place’s foray into cast iron.

OnePlus Nord 2T review: Design and aesthetics

The curious thing about the new Nord 2T is that it reminds me of the original OnePlus One with a sandstone finish on the back and the iconic alert slider. I missed those from a mid-range OnePlus phone and I’m glad the brand brought back the classic elements that made OnePlus devices different from other smartphones. To me, the Nord 2T feels like stepping back in time, but it’s a smart thing to do in 2022.

The OnePlus Nord 2T reminds me of the original sandstone finish of the OnePlus One, although it’s a glass back and not quite the same. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Either way, the phone is very attractive and my review unit came in “Gray Shadow”. Instead of a grippy texture, the new phone uses smooth glass on the back. Otherwise, the rest of the phone is pretty standard for a mid-range smartphone in 2022. The Nord 2T has a plastic frame on the sides, Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back, and a large camera module on one side.

Although I found it comfortable and easy to manage, it’s not exactly a size that suits all users. Someone coming from a small phone might find the Nord 2T’s 6.43-inch screen huge. A transition to this big-screen phone might be a challenge for some. There’s a USB-C port at the bottom but no headphone jack – something that’s becoming increasingly common on smartphones at all price points.

OnePlus Nord 2T review: Display and speakers

On the front, there’s a 6.43-inch 1080p display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The screen is flat, rather than curved at the sides, and a punch-hole 32MP selfie camera is cut out at the top to the left. The screen is exactly the same as the one we saw on the Nord 2, but it’s not bad. The screen (it’s an AMOLED panel, after all) is crisp enough to make your apps, photos, videos, and websites appear and look even crisper and easier on the eye. However, it would have been great to see a slightly improved display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

OnePlus Nord 2T gets a 6.43-inch 1080p display with a 90Hz refresh rate. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

One thing I would really like to point out is the sound coming from the speakers. Although the Nord 2T uses stereo speakers (a down-firing speaker on one side and its earpiece on the other), the audio quality isn’t on the same level as you would find on Samsung’s Galaxy A series phones. The speakers are decent for listening to casual music but lack depth and richness.

OnePlus Nord 2T review: Performance and battery

The Nord 2T uses a MediaTek Dimensity 1300 processor, which is a step up from the Dimensity 1200 that powered the Nord 2. It comes with either 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage or 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, depending the model. The Dimensity 1300 feels noticeably faster and will run apps and games smoothly on the device. There were no dizzying improvements in our testing.

During day-to-day use, launching apps and playing games like Oceanhorn and Sonic 2, browsing Chrome and switching between apps, the Nord 2T felt as fast as any smartphone that I have been using for the past few months. It handled graphics-intensive games like Genshin Impact, but that’s also where you could find a performance difference between the Nord 2T and the OnePlus 10 Pro.

The phone offers capable performance for the price. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

The phone comes with OxygenOS 12.1 based on Android 12, and the company promises two major Android updates and three years of security updates. I like the OnePlus version of Android. The interface is clean and the current incarnation of OxygenOS can be heavily customized, something enthusiasts have come to expect from a OnePlus phone.

Battery life is good, a full day on a single charge. The main selling point of the OnePlus Nord 2T is support for 80W SuperVOOC wired charging – and that includes the charger in the box. I was able to fill the Nord 2T’s 4500mAh battery from zero to 65% in just under half an hour. I consider fast charging to be an important feature to consider when buying a new smartphone.

In addition to betting on 80W charging for the Nord 2T, the device also supports 5G, making it upgradable. However, the phone does not have an official IP rating for dust and water resistance.

The OnePlus Nord 2T has a 50MP primary camera. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

OnePlus Nord 2T review: Camera

You don’t get the premium camera performance of the OnePlus 10 Pro here, but unless you’re a pro user, you won’t notice the difference or necessarily need a phone that offers outstanding mobile photography experience. The Nord 2T has a triple camera system on the back: a 50MP main, an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP monochrome sensor for black and white shots. The main camera captures very good photos in bright light but in low light the camera starts to suffer. OIS is a lifesaver but autofocus isn’t great, which I observed in my tests.

An example of a camera shot outdoors with the OnePlus Nord 2T’s ultra-wide mode. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
An example of the camera taken outdoors with the OnePlus Nord 2T. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Another sample camera taken with the OnePlus Nord 2T. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The main camera performs well outdoors and in a well-lit environment. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

The 8MP ultra-wide camera is pretty average but can produce some really good wide-angle shots depending on the subject and the bright light. Meanwhile, selfies taken using the 32MP front camera were bright and attractive, although lacking in fine detail. The video capture capability is quite good. The Nord 2T can shoot up to 4K at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps.

OnePlus Nord 2T review: should you buy it?

The Nord 2T isn’t reinventing how a mid-range smartphone should be in 2022, and that’s fine. That said, there’s a lot to like about the Nord 2T and what it brings to the table. It’s fast, the software is snappy and sleek, the screen is good, the battery life is great, and the cameras are reliable. Sure, the Nord 2T isn’t an exciting phone, but not all phones have to be made to feel special. I think OnePlus has nailed a good all-rounder. That’s the point.

When Shawn Frayne was just 10 years old in Orlando, Florida, his dad took him to see back to the future 2, who charted the course of his lifelong passion for advancing hologram technology. He was fascinated by the holographic shark in the film and dreamed of one day making much more polished, attractive and realistic holograms. When Shawn was 14, his father helped him create a hologram animation studio in his bedroom and he made his first animated hologram. From then on, Shawn never stopped experimenting and perfecting his techniques. He enrolled at MIT, which offered the most advanced undergraduate studies related to holograms, because the then dean of MIT had a strong belief in the future of the field.

Fast forward to early June 2022 when Shawn’s hardware and software company, Looking Glass Factory, launched the world’s largest holographic display – the Looking Glass 65″, 4 times larger than any other visible 3D holographic display of the group. I was one of the first to see it and was amazed at how such a flat screen could convey so much depth and 3D perspective. All of the company’s systems allow large groups of people to see up to 100 different perspectives of realistic 3D content at the same time Holograms appear to float off the screen with realism and depth, and it’s experienced without headphones, eye tracking or glasses 3D.

The secret to Looking Glass Factory’s technology lies in proprietary hardware and software-generated optics that convey subtle shadows and light, similar to what the French painter Monet did when painting Rouen Cathedral under so many conditions. different lighting, and Leonardo da Vinci tried captured in his paintings. Shawn quoted the latter as saying, “the crowning glory of painting stems from light and shadow. The essence of good painting, and the key to making an object look three-dimensional, is to do the shading well,” and that is why Leonardo spent more time studying and writing about shading than about any other artistic subject.

Target users of Looking Glass hardware and software include individuals and businesses. The 65″ model is ideal for experiential marketing, 3D storytelling, engineering, design, medical and scientific visualization, R&D, and art, photography, and filmmaking. Springbok Entertainment just released a movie Zanzibar: trouble in paradise, the very first holographic film or documentary, in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. According to Brandon Zamel, CEO of Springbok Entertainment, “The massive increase in holographic size gives 3D storytellers the perfect canvas to push the boundaries of immersive experiences. It’s the start of a new way to experience cinema. But the technology isn’t just for movies.Users can use almost any 3D content, including the new capture capabilities of phones such as the iPhone X, 11 and 12, to create holograms using software and creation tools from Looking Glass Factory.These holograms can then be displayed on any size mirror;including the 7.9” Desktop Portrait model.

Looking Glass’ media player, HoloPlay Studio, easily views, edits and syncs holographic media and direct integrations are available for Unity, Unreal and Blender 3D authoring software and tools.

There are plenty of examples that prove the Looking Glass holograms are ready for prime time. I recently visited Louis Vuitton and Nike’s “Dream Now” exhibit in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which used about 50 different holograms to display 3D sneakers. Using non-contact gesture recognition technology, visitors could zoom and rotate 3D collectible shoe images. The screens were also used in numerous experiential marketing activations with key brands at the Cannes Lions Festival. Other examples of brand marketing applications that we can expect to see more include outdoor advertising, retail facilities, trade shows and events, theme parks, and digital art galleries. Another indication is the diversity of heavy hitters, tech-savvy board members like Sabrina Kieffer, former SVP at Vimeo and COO of Skillshare, and Brenda Freeman, formerly at Turner Broadcasting, DreamWorks, National Geographic, Magic Leap and Arteza.

As always, I love discovering new media formats that reduce customer friction and deliver great immersive experiences. As this is just the beginning of the wide-scale adoption of holograms, it’s up to brands and their agencies to start exploring the opportunities that are only limited by our imaginations.