Every day i wake up and thank the Lord i'm Welsh

Hi All,

Well, it’s been a long old winter. Last week the temperature shot up to almost 70 degress…for a day…and now it’s back down to 35. For you Brits, that basically means that it went hotter than a British and then colder than a British winter within 24hrs!!! Crazy crazy!! At least the sun is shining and Em and I are taking a well deserved trip to Mexico in a couple of weeks. I just hope those drug lords keep their gun battles well away from our stretch of beach!!

Sorry to harp on about the cold here, but it really is a shock. I guess I arrived on the cusp of winter last year and so thought it was all exciting. The Boxing day blizzard here was fun, but now I’m simply over it. You’d have thought with all this body hair, that I’d be able to withstand a drop in temperatures, but in actual fact, I deal with it by throwing my toys out of the pram!!!

Thankfully the cold has at least brought on 2 of my favorite pastimes. Skiing and Driving.
Went on a couple of day trips to “Hunter mountain” just north of the city. Pretty fun, but too small a mountain so spend any more than a day there. Amusement was brought by a colleague drinking his way up on the bus, forgetting his ski jacket, wearing aviators, no helmet, push a guy over on his first run and then do a jump and smash up his collar bone on his second run. Fortune favors the brave hey?!
I’ve been lucky enough to take out a couple of Porsches this month. The first, a bright orange 1968 ‘911 was fun but tough. Kind of nuts to think it was 40 years old. The second was a much newer 911 Turbo. The fastest thing I’ve ever driven and makes this wooshing airplane noise when hit 4k revs. Suffice to say I felt like a kid in a toy car. Except that it wasn’t a toy!!!

Em and I drove up an hour north of the city to the Hudson valley region. Really is a beautiful part of the state, with pretty villages, restaurants, bridges etc. No doubt we put on a few kilos from the food and had a very interesting time in a place called Cold Spring – my mother would have loved it here with all the antique shops. I think we brought the average age down to about 65 and the locals were either extremely nice or extremely rude. On the nicer side was a Welsh lady called Leonora who got very excited to hear I was from just down the road from where she grew up! We spoke in our put on Welsh accents for at least 15mins!!!

Which brings me on to the subject line. March 1st is/was St David’s Day. A day for all to celebrate leeks, daffodils, rugby, sheep and anything else myself and my fellow brethren are proud of being Welsh. Or to paraphrase the great Josh “Shippo” Shipman – “It’s the only country where you can have a good meal, have sex and make a woolly jumper all from the same animal”!!!

So a Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus to all of you and I hope to hear from you soon!!
(And hopefully I’ll be seeing some of you too. A small chance I’ll be coming home in mid April)

Jamie

PS The first photo is from Burn's Night. After a few glasses of wine, i got up and did the William Wallace monologue!!
And if you hadn't worked out the second one, it's a picture of me holding a real life brain. It stank and was surprisingly heavy!!

55 West 11th St, Apt 7c
New York, NY 10011
Tel: +1 917 225 9177

Hudson Valley

Within a couple of hours drive/train of New York is the Hudson Valley. Lovely villages based along the river as it snakes up through New York state.

A lot of the villages are easily accessible by train. Or there are various routes one can drive. Here are some of my recommendations

Cold Spring
A very cosy one street village about an hour from the city. Heavy on the antiques and some interesting characters
STAY at the Pig Hill Inn – a bed and breakfast run by Vera. Prices are reasonable, location is excellent and breakfast is yum!
EAT at the the Riverview – website looks a bit naff, but the food is excellent
VISIT all the antiques stores on Main St. Particularly The Country Goose run by Leonora who’s Welsh and great fun!!

Milton
Didn’t see much in the town itself, but a great place because of where we stayed
STAY at the Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa – beautiful place on the river with cracking food, cosy rooms, a spa, gym and best of all – animals! Llamas, sheep, swans, ducks etc etc
EAT at the Artist’s Palate – a 10min drive into Poughkeepsie. Excellent new American style food

Other things to do/visit

Culinary Institute of America – one of the premier cooking schools with various onsite restaurants
FDR – Very interesting tour of the home, library and museum of FDR
Walkway over the Hudson – A purpose built footbridge giving excellent views of the river
Rhinebeck – Pretty town a couple of hours north where Chelsea Clinton got married
Storm King – Massive outdoor sculptures. Can either walk, ride a bike or take the internal bus. Take a picnic
Dia Beacon – Art gallery with some interesting exhibitions
Newburgh waterfront – Nice restaurants on the river, but little to see in the town
Dominion House B&B – Cute place to stay. Pretty reasonable price

The weather outside is frightful….

I must sincerely apologize. No excuses for being too busy at work or not getting internet access!! It’s been a 3 month hiatus and I’ve had enough of people stopping me in the street asking when my next update is coming. So here it is...

Autumn (or “Fall” as they like to call it in this part of the world) has been a fun season. In my 2010 ranking of Seasons, I’d say it comes second behind Spring but ahead of Summer (too hot) and Winter (too cold).

September really was lovely and if you’re planning a trip out here, then come then. Em and I took a drive in a cracking replica of a 1957 Porsche Spyder – the same car that James Dean sadly met his demise in. His car was nicknamed “The Little B@stard” which was fitting for the current driver!!

I was supposed to head out to Asia with work, but frustratingly it got cancelled last minute. Instead we took a well deserved trip out to California. Got soaked in San Francisco and saw my alma mater – UC Berkeley (or the California Golden Bears) get crushed by Stanfurd. Then we spent a few days wine-tasting, eating and riding bikes in Napa – Em was a great sport when our leisurely bike ride turned into a 3hr slog and a race against the wind and our bladders to get home!! And then Thanksgiving in LA and a few days in San Diego where the one hit wonder “The Polar Bear song” got invented – if you’d like the lyrics or a rendition, I’m sure one will be up on YouTube soon!!

Soccer has gone well but is annoyingly taking a break until March. We’re sitting in second position having won 7 out of our 10 games. I took a nice crack on my ankle in training a few weeks ago so have been out for a bit. This, from the same guy who, 2 weeks earlier, kicked the ball at my meat and 2 veg - i think he has it in for me!

Channukah and Xmas has now been and gone. Some fun presents and parties – plus a cracking Xmas dinner made me feel like I wasn’t missing home too much. Hope everyone else had a good time

I was lucky enough this weekend to take out my all time favourite car – the BMW Z8, made famous by Pierce Brosnan in “The World Is Not Enough”
Such a great drive and a real classic of its time. However, this is what brings me to present day – New York and the whole of the east coast has been engulfed by a snow storm. It really is a sight to see and felt like I was on a ski slope rather than a city. So sadly, the Z8 went back to the shop, doing an average of 5mph and with the hazards on – I aquaplaned a couple of times and was a nervous wreck driving the 2 miles!! 24hrs later and the sun is shining without a cloud in the sky – look up outside the window and you would have no idea that on the ground are abandoned cars and people struggling their way to and from home

Well, that’s my sign off for 2010. A great year all round and looking forward to seeing and keeping in touch with as many of you as I can

As always, don’t hesitate to call, write or email

Jamie

55 West 11th St, Apt 7c
New York, NY 10011
Tel: +1 917 225 9177

California....here we come....

Oh California. We’ve had a mixed relationship where I leave you for months on end for my mistress on the East Coast. But you’ll always be my one true love!!

FLY into San Francisco with various different carriers. Last time I flew Delta with no complaints. Easiest is to get a flight that lands you early evening so you can get settled. And if you’re planning on heading down the coast, I’d recommend starting in San Francisco. That way, you’re driving on the right (correct) side of the road to get the better view

DRIVE as you need. If you’re just staying in San Francisco then a car is irrelevant as it’s small and parking is tough and expensive. But if you go up to Napa, down the coast or spend any time in LA or San Diego, then a car is a must. Renting from SFO is easy, from a central location. My advice is to pre-book without paying in advance. And then see if you can negotiate a better car with the rental agencies. I’ve used Thrifty twice with no complaints. If renting from LAX, my favorite to use is Midway cars. They have Mercedes C300s for $75 a day. And be aware. The extra costs always come from insurance (check your credit card – you’re probably covered) and gas/petrol (don’t accept what they’re offering – get gas from a station)

SAN FRANCISCO
STAY somewhere trendy like The Clift. Great location just off Union Sq and we managed to get a deal for $140 per night

EAT/DRINK as a locavore, farm to table style. Check out the Ferry building on Embarcadero. And Chez Panisse in Berkeley (but book well ahead) Didn't get to the Mission this time but up-and-coming restaurants abound, worth a look.

SHOP around Union Sq for your standards and Chestnut and Filmore for your boutiques

DO the obvious. Get yourself somehow across Golden Gate bridge and up into the hills for a great view of the bridge and the city. Ride a cable car down to Fisherman’s wharf, check out Ghirardelli Sq and then do the “dusk” tour of Alcatraz for some interesting extras

NAPA
STAY somewhere cute. We stayed at Hotel Luca. Tripadvisor raves. We thought it was good, but a little overpriced. Cute and cosy and in a nice spot near some good restaurants in Yountville

EAT/DRINK at some of the best restaurants per square mile the world has to offer. We went to Ubuntu (Vegetarian), Bottega (Italian) and Solage (American) that were all very impressive. Plus you have Bouchon, French Laundry etc etc. You’ll be leaving with a full stomach and an empty wallet! For lunch, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen is worthwhile, resto is owned by same guys as Mustard's.

DO go to vineyards, vineyards and more vineyards. We liked Cliff Lede. Also checked out Cakebread which was rather commercial in comparison. Opus One leads the way with some of the most famous California wine. V.Sattui has a market in the vineyard which is rare. On a nice day, friends recommended a picnic there. Not much else to do. Oh, except maybe yoga at Ubuntu and a massage. We got from the very reasonably priced Lavender Hill. And if the weather is good, rent bicycles and go for a ride and a picnic. If there is time, take a spin to Sonoma and check out the vineyards and food there as well.

CARMEL
STAY in the Carmel Valley Ranch. Gorgeous golf course style ranch just above Carmel

EAT/DRINK in the town. Can’t remember any specific places

DO the 17 mile drive and stop along the way, especially at Pebble Beach. Check out the Monterey Bay aquarium


LA
STAY in Santa Monica. Welcome resbite from the busy-ness of LA. We like the Fairmont Miramar

EAT/DRINK all over. Koi is pretty fancy and not overly expensive and serves good Asian fusion. Colin Farrell was falling out of there last time I visited. Katsuya is another option for good Asian. Lunch at Cecconi's and the Ivy will ensure a celeb sighting. Toast is packed for brunch but worth the wait and great boutiques around while you wait. Similarly for Blue Plate in Santa Monica. Fig in the Fairmont Miramar has gotten rave reviews for their local innovative cuisine. People rave about Sprinkles, for cupcakes. Haven't taste tested yet. For a drink, stop at Chateau Marmont. It's featured in Sofia Coppola's latest movie

SHOP on Rodeo drive, Robertson Blvd, Santa Monica etc etc. Plenty of shopping to be done here. Worth a drive up to the Malibu country mart for some true SoCal shopping. Kitson, James Perse, Tory Burch, Intermix, RL to name a few....Nobu tucked away at the edge of this shopping mall. Woody Harrelson spotted there a couple months ago...

DO lots or nothing at all. Time goes quickly in LA. Various theme parks such as Disney, Universal Studios etc. Hollywood is fun to see the theater and hand-prints. Beaches are nice. Santa Monica pier. Venice for muscle beach and medicinal marijuana. If you're into art, LA has one of the most inspiring contemporary art scenes in the world. Make stops at Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). There are three locations with a smaller gallery in West Hollywood at the Pacific Design Center. If you want a quick fix of culture, this spot is a 30 minute visit, FREE admission and close to shopping on Robertson. The LA Country Museum of Art (LACMA) and Getty are notable and worth trips.


SAN DIEGO
STAY somewhere. We stayed in an apartment building, so no real help here. But La Jolla is a pretty nice part of town

EAT/DRINK Mexican food. So close to the border, you’ll find the best Mexican food here

SHOP if you have to. Was really unimpressed with what was on offer

DO go to Sea World. Fantastic (albeit expensive) animal park. The famous Zoo is pretty impressive too. Walk along the beaches of La Jolla and check out the seals on their semi-private beach. Check out Torrey Pines for hiking and/or the golf course. There's the Hotel del Coronado, opened in 1888 and a historic landmark. A spot for many American presidents, worth a trip for lunch or a tea. North of San Diego, you'll find quaint towns of Del Mar, Encinitas, Solana Beach and non other than Cardiff by the Sea. Del Mar is the swankiest with cute boutiques and beautiful beachs for people and dogs. Encinitas hails for its crafts and design shops. Solana Beach is hippy central and a funky spot.

Please don't let the summer end...

…there is no way it has been 3 months – it has literally flown by. Although still sunny, I had to wear this thing called a jumper last night. What’s that all about?!

I really honestly tried to limit the number of trips and actually enjoy the city…so there were only a handful in the couple of months. I did, as most New Yorkers do, and went to the Hamptons – fun trip, but very over-rated in my book. The exact opposite for me was Chicago. One of my new favourite cities. Clean, great architecture, easy to get around, good food, weather etc etc – highly recommended. Oh, and I managed to squeeze a trip in to Vegas…we had 2 great Hangover moments – the first, when one of the guys turned up with a “man-bag” – that wasn’t seen again for the remainder of the trip. And the second, when I could have sworn that I left the club before we moved from vodka to champagne, only to see a picture of myself drinking from the bottle!!!

I’ve been having fun with the car club. Oli came to visit and we took out a 1988 Ferrari 328 – Magnum PI style!!! All I was missing was the wig, moustache and white trousers!

Magnum PI

There have been lots of fun events. Good ol’ Keane came to town and Tom Chaplin, (still off the drugs and food), but passionate as ever outside in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. Outdoor movies – I caught classics such as The Holy Grail and the Hangover. And food. Why is it the New Yorkers love their food so much? They talk about it more than we do the weather! But fair to say, I ate my way through the city this summer and without some serious running and football, I’d be the size of an Elephant. And don’t get me started about cupcakes…

Thanks to all of you who sent cards, presents or messages for my birthday. Sadly, my birthday ended on Monday night after a 4 day marathon!! From drinks on Thursday where I ended up doing rum shots and eating a dodgy pie, to dinner with some of my good mates here on Saturday night and then tickets to the US open on Monday night. But credit, where credit’s due and Emily came up nothing short of amazing, with her scavenger hunt around New York. It took me to the Met, a boutique, some shops and finally, the Ace hotel where we had a “staycation” (her word, not mine!) on Sunday night!

Hit reality with a serious bang on Tuesday – not only did I have to go back to work, but I had to wear a suit and tie for the first time since May. I refused to shave though – think I’ll keep my beard going til Christmas!

Facebook pics 1

Facebook pics 2

Back home ever so briefly next week for Yom Kippur, so will try and catch up with as many of you as possible.

In the meantime, don’t hesitate to email, write or call

Jamie

55 West 11th St, Apt 7c
New York, NY 10011
Tel: +1 646 269 3323
BB Pin: 2559be92

NYC Hotels List

Midtown/Village/Gramercy/Flatiron
- Ace Hotel
- Gramercy Park Hotel
- Eventi Hotel
- W Union Square
- Marcel Hotel

Soho
- 60 Thompson
- Crosby Street Hotel
- Soho Grand
- Trump Soho
- Mercer Hotel

Lower East Side
- Thompson Lower East Side
- Hotel on Rivington
- Bowery Hotel

Meatpacking
- Standard Hotel
- Gansevoort Hotel
- The Jane

Tribeca
- Tribeca Grand
- Smyth
- The James

Manhattan User Guide Hotels recommended hotels under $200

NYC Shopping List

Uptown
- Columbus Circle
- FAO Schwartz
- Uggs

Midtown
- Fifth Avenue
- Department Stores (Henri Bendels, Bloomingdales, Macys, Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys)
- Abercrombie

Downtown
- Union Square
- Soho
- Vintage stores (Stanton and Rivington, Bedford St (Williamsburg))