prettywellperfect.com

Stockholm voted Europe's First Green Capital 2010

2009-09-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

The water is pristine, the streets are filled with bikes, and there's a park around every corner. No wonder Stockholm is Europe's first Green Capital for 2010. For visitors, there are sustainable hotels, green cuisine and organic fashion

Mercedeh Sanati

From Saturday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Monday, Sep. 28, 2009 02:14AM EDT

Even in Stockholm's ritzy Le Rouge restaurant, where dinner for two can set you back more than $300, asking for a bottle of water will lead to a rebuff. “Our own water is clean and just as good,” a waiter says mindfully, “and it's free.” What runs from the taps in Sweden's capital is indeed fresh and tasty – and a point of pride for locals, who rarely if ever buy bottled water. Keeping it clean enough to drink from, swim and fish in, however, requires significant effort.

Which is why, after decades of living green, clean and organic, Stockholm has been crowned the first Green Capital of Europe for 2010. It's a nod to the city's ongoing work to preserve its environment: This is a place where gas-guzzling cars are frowned upon and leafy parks and expansive bike paths are plentiful. For visitors, it doesn't take long to appreciate Stockholm's natural setting, and here you can even shop with a conscience, at hotels, fashion boutiques and restaurants that run on renewable energy and peddle everything from organic coffee and cakes to fair-made sweaters and shawls. It's one of the world's best cities for a green vacation.

You just have to make like the locals. More than 90 per cent of Stockholmers live within 300 metres of a green area. When the sun is out, so are they, soaking in as much fresh air and outdoor activity as they can. Even in winter, when daylight is scarce, walkers and cyclists are out navigating the many car-free paths along the shores of the 14 islands that make up the city.

“Battling the elements there seems easier,” says Corey Dias, a Torontonian who lived in Stockholm for three years. “The air is so fresh and Stockholmers are so sun-starved that at any opportunity, regardless of the temperature, they'll get outside.” Indeed, cafés supply woolly blankets so patrons are never too cold to sit outdoors.

But physical beauty and sunny patios didn't win Stockholm the Green Capital award. From a short list of eight finalists that included Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Oslo, Stockholm prevailed with its clean water and air, plans to reduce carbon emissions, to increase its collection of food waste to create bio-gas (mostly used as fuel in eco-friendly cars and buses) and to further develop its excellent public-transport system. Stockholm's 760 kilometres of cycling lanes, and a congestion charge that deters inner-city driving, have significantly improved air quality– a factor both locals and tourists enjoy. Even if you're only stopping in for a few days, it's impossible not to get lured by the city's eco ethos.

SUSTAINABLE HOTELS
Sweden is famously design-savvy, and its hoteliers thrive on chic green design. Guests at the Scandic Anglais hotel in central Stockholm are provided with keycards that are made of birch instead of plastic. Rooms are outfitted in natural materials (lots of wood, wool and linen) and they have low-energy light bulbs, a variety of recycling bins, and eco-labelled bathroom amenities that come in fixed containers instead of disposable ones. And, every morning, it serves up a certified organic buffet breakfast.

This is typical for Scandic, a Swedish hotel chain that developed an environmental policy in 1994 – long before most corporations jumped on the sustainability bandwagon. Fifteen years on, Scandic is one of the greenest companies in the industry. It was the first major Swedish company to serve fair-trade coffee and publishes its resource consumption and savings online. Last year, Scandic stopped selling bottled water, a move that the chain says has cut fossil carbon dioxide emissions by 160 tonnes per year.

EATING YOUR GREENS
Another establishment specializing in natural cuisine is the famed Operakällaren, a royal favourite. (Chef Stefano Catenacci presides over all banquets held at Stockholm's Royal Castle.) It was the first Michelin-starred eatery to receive Scandinavia's coveted Svanen eco-label. “To get the Svanen certification you have to comply to strict guidelines concerning waste, and electricity, water, and chemical usage,” says Claes Anerud, managing director at Nobis, the restaurant's parent company, “You also have to buy a certain percentage of ecologically farmed and locally produced products – which isn't always easy when your restaurant is in the middle of a city.”

ORGANIC FASHION
In the realm of fashion, Johanna Hofring, the serene and willowy owner of Ekovarahuset (literally, the House of Organic) is a Stockholm eco-icon. With an earthy, yet chic collection for adults and children, her tiny boutique in the old town is the go-to place for organic outfits. Hofring is quick to point out the few exceptions: zippers, some buttons, and threads. “We haven't found good alternatives for them yet.”

She has a shop in New York as well, but worries that Americans may not yet have embraced Stockholm's philosophy on clean living. “In New York, there isn't the same concern for sustainability. They seem to be in a bubble,” Hofring says. “Here, we've been aware of organic materials for years. We believe that people are better off buying a few high-quality garments that don't deplete our natural resources and that can be repaired and recycled over time.”

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?
Does Stockholm sound too virtuous to be true? It is, after all, a big city with inevitable big-city woes. You'll see litter and graffiti near the main train station. A surprising number of shoppers tote plastic bags. And even though bicycles and eco-cabs (a snazzier version of rickshaws) can be seen all around town, taxis and cars still rule the roads.

Still, Europe's Green Capital is setting a good example for cities around the world. On a sunny Saturday morning, Stockholm native Maria Booth and her husband Mark are at one of the many waterfront cafés along Kungsholms Strand with their 18-month-old daughter. Kayakers whiz past and a fisherman has thrown a line in off the dock. “Our daughter can play nearby while we have a coffee. Even if she picks up something from the ground and puts it in her mouth I'm not really fussed,” Booth says. And, she adds, tongue only half in cheek, “Stockholm's dirt is much too clean to be harmful.”

Kim Clijsters Comes Back - PWP

2009-09-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

Kim Clijsters, age 26, retired from professional tennis in 2007. During her retirement she married American basketball player Brian Lynch and gave birth to a daughter. Now eighteen months old, Jada was in attendance at Arthur Ashe Stadium when her unseeded mother became the 2009 US Open Champion. Clijsters' victory was achieved in just her third tournament back on the women's tour. Pretty well perfect - and fit.

(Photo courtesty: Josh Haner)

"Fired up? Ready to go?"

2009-09-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

This morning I watched Barrack Obama on television. He was speaking about the need for health insurance for all Americans at a rally in Minneapolis.

At the end of his speech Obama told a story of being on the campaign trail in South Carolina. He woke up in a Greenville hotel room for an early morning drive to Greenwood. He was exhausted, missing his family. and angry about a New York Times article about him. It was raining, his umbrella blew out and he got soaked while running to the car.

Obama got soaked again running from the car to the Greenwood rally and when he entered the building he saw about 20 people. He was disappointed, thinking about the 1 1/2 hour drive back to Greenville, when he heard a voice behind him ask: "Fired up?" He turned to see a small woman in her 50s, a Greenwood city council member. "Ready to go?" she asked. The woman repeated, "Fired up?" and the small group responded, "Fired up". "Ready to go?" she asked. "Ready to go". Obama started to feel better and joined in. The woman continued to lead the chant until he was fired up and ready to go.

Obama told the crowd he and his staff repeated the chant many times that day and on many days during the campaign. One person can make a difference, he said. One person had made the difference that day in Greenwood.

Then he asked: "So Minneapolis, are you fired up and ready to go?" "Yes", the crowd responded. "Fired up?" he shouted. "Fired up!", they replied. "Ready to go?" he shouted. "Ready to go!"

"Fired up?" "Fired up!" "Ready to go?" "Ready to go!"

I was laughing and tears were streaming down my face.

PWP "Spreetz" anyone?

2009-09-10T13:26:00.003-07:00

The Venetian Spritz

4 ounces Prosecco (or any sparkling wine)

Sparkling water

1.5 to 2 ounces Aperol

Orange

Lemon

1 green olive

In a rocks glass over three ice cubes pour 1) Prosecco 2) a dash of sparkling water and 3) Aperol in that order. Garnish with a slice of orange and/or a twist of lemon and one pwp green olive.

(Photo courtesy of Frances Janisch)

It ain't over till it's over: Pretty well perfect

2009-09-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

From Michael Arthur's Sketchbook: A Summer in the City

Jimi Hendrix: "A Band of Gypsies" PWP

2009-08-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

Bad weather and logistical problems caused long delays. Jimi Hendrix did not appear on the Woodstock Festival stage until Monday morning. The audience which had peaked at over 500,000 people, counted at most, 180,000, many of whom merely waited to catch a glimpse of Hendrix before leaving.

Festival MC Chip Monck introduced the band as "The Jimi Hendrix Experience", but Hendrix quickly corrected this to "Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, for short it's nothin’ but A Band Of Gypsies" and launched into a two hour set, the longest of his career.

As well as the two percussionists, the performance notably featured Larry Lee performing two songs and Lee sometimes soloing while Hendrix played rhythm in places. Most of this has been edited out of the officially released recordings, including Lee's two songs, reducing the sound to basically a three piece.

The concert was relatively free of the technical difficulties that frequently plagued Hendrix's performances, although one of his guitar strings snapped while performing "Red House". Jimi kept on playing.

The band, unfamiliar with playing large audiences and exhausted after being up all night, could not always keep up with Hendrix's pace. Regardless, the guitarist managed to deliver a memorable performance, climaxing with his highly-regarded rendition of the The Star-Spangled Banner, a solo improvisation which is now regarded as a special symbol of the 1960s era.

(Photo credit: Larry C Morris)

"Before the rains came" - Woodstock August '69

2009-08-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

"Fest goers settling in for the music. Before the rains came."

Jim Thoms

"I have to be there" - PWP

2009-08-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

"In May of 1969, my friends and I, from Youngstown, Ohio, learned that Jimi Hendrix was to perform in a festival in NY. I asked my father if we could stay at my Aunt's house in Buffalo before driving to Woodstock. He agreed. However, watching the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite on Aug 14th, there was a NY State Trooper telling the audience that the rains had created a huge mud hole and that many roads were closed. That was all my father needed to hear. He said I could not go and I was watching the TV thinking "I have to be there". So we left anyway...."

Lewis Nuzzle

A Moment of Muddy Grace

2009-08-07T23:35:00.001-07:00

Joe Cocker was the first officially scheduled act at the Woodstock Festival's final day, Sunday, August 17, 1969 . He went on stage at about 2.00 pm. Though Cocker was in the music business for quite a while he was hardly known. But after his triumphal success at Woodstock the man with the soulful voice became famous everywhere. Especially well received was the Beatles' cover song "With a Little Help from My Friends" which was already the second performance after Richie Havens' version on the first day. Cocker's backup band at that time was the superb Grease Band - a formation that lasted only two years. Shortly after Cocker's 1-hr gig a heavy thunderstorm washed over the festival and everything was brought to a stop for several hours.

(Photo courtesy: Don Hogan Charles)

Country Music Workshop @ the White House

2009-07-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

Michelle Obama invited 120 middle and high school students from Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia to the White House for a country music and song writing workshop yesterday. Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss led the workshop and later performed for the students, the President, Mrs. Obama and their family and friends.

The performance and workshop was the second in a music series Mrs. Obama launched last month to encourage arts and arts education. Pretty well perfect.

(photo credit: HuffingtonPost.com)

Simple Salads for Summer: PWP

2009-07-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

FRESH AND FRESHER Clockwise, from top left: tuna, egg, green beans; carrots, blueberries, sunflower seeds; croutons, tomatoes, mozzarella; walnuts, blue cheese, raspberries; couscous, oranges, honey; strawberries, tomatoes, Parmesan.

(photo credit: Francesco Tonelli)

Willie K was PWP @ Kauai's block party

2009-07-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Jimi Hendrix, Gabby Pahinui, Andres Segovia, Eddie Van Halen, Luciano Pavarotti, Janis Joplin, Bob Marley, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, and Willie Nelson - does this sound like the world's most eclectic get together? Nah, they're just a few of the influences that rumble through Willie K's heart-stopping performances. Whether he is playing acoustic solo guitar or ripping it up with his electric band, Willie knows how to capture an audience. His shows are energetic, polished, witty, recklessly technical, and always played straight from the heart.

Saturday night Willie performed for over two hours under the stars at the Sheraton Kauai ho'olaule'a, Poipu Kauai's annual block party. Pretty well perfect.

(Photo courtesy of the Locktefeld Agency)

PWP Road Trip

2009-07-18T19:50:00.001-07:00

Kauai's multimedia sculptor Wayne Zebzda is exhibiting his Road Trip, artworks containing found objects from the Department of Transportation Hawaii, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center today through August 22, 2009.

(photo courtesy of Wayne Zebzda)

The pwp art critic !

2009-07-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

I am a mosaic artist currently working on a number of mosaic stepping stones. A neighborhood peacock turned up recently, hung out for a couple of days, and was quite entertaining. I realize this is an 'assumption', but it seemed to me that his discriminating eye took an admiring shine to one of my works (there are about 25 others in the yard right now) by his constancy at viewing it. Anyway, subject to interpretation which in turn could negate its pwp status, I am submitting this was the one that was pwp for him and, "everyone is an art critic on this island!".

The Arc is Bending: PWP

2009-06-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Tehran Iran June 16, 2009 Getty Images

"Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."

Martin Luther King
1967

Jazz Studio @ the White House

2009-06-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Michelle Obama invited 150 high school jazz students to the White House yesterday afternoon. Wynton Marsalis, who constantly teaches on the road, led the Jazz Studio workshop and followed with a short PWP concert.

(Photo credit: Stephen Crowley)

Tofino Food and Wine Festival 2009

2009-06-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

The Tofino Food and Wine Festival began in 2003. It was an idea formed between two foodies who worked in the food and wine industry, at a restaurant set amidst the beautiful Tofino Botanical Gardens. Last weekend it celebrated its 7th annual, called "Grazing in the Gardens," and the weather gloriously cooperated.
This happy marriage of food and wine could not be celebrated in a more gorgeous setting as these lush gardens, amidst the fabulous driftwood sculptures and best of all - fun, friendly people enjoying themselves immensely. A place where "fresh" takes on a special poignancy, imbibing everything with its unique westcoast character. A pwp event that should not be missed.
http://www.tofinofoodandwinefestival.com/ [artwork: Hayden Harvey]

Round Sunglasses for Summer: PWP

2009-06-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: Tony Cenicola

Unique Theatre in Yaffo, Israel

2009-06-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

Nalaga'at Theatre
A theatre in Yaffo in Israel that claims to be the only one of its kind in the world because all the actors and even the staff at the theatre and the theatre's restaurant (which is unlit and you have to order and eat in the dark) are fully or mostly blind and fully or mostly deaf. The theatre is called 'Nalaga'at' which is Hebrew for "please touch."

Here's the link: http://www.nalagaat.org.il/home.php

Led Zeppelin and Yoga - PWP?

2009-05-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

He Rocks, They Flock: The Yoga King

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/fashion/21fitness.html?_r=1&hp

Pete Seeger Celebrates his 90th Birthday:PWP

2009-05-04T18:31:00.001-07:00

Pete Seeger celebrated his 90th birthday with a concert benefiting Clearwater, the preservation charity he founded, at Madison Square Garden, NYC. More than 40 performers gathered to pay tribute to Mr. Seeger. PWP

(Photo credit: Chad Batka)

pretty well perfect photography of waves

2009-04-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.clarklittlephotography.com/

Check out this impressive photography of Hawaii's infinitely fascinating waves.
Clark Little lives on the Northshore of Oahu and has captured with his camera the beauty that often only surfers are usually privy to, 'inside the tube'. It is a pwp perspective.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Maira Kalman: PWP

2009-04-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

When asked how it felt to be the only woman on the court, US Supreme Court Justice Bader Ginsburg answered, "Lonely."

(Artwork courtesy of Maira Kalman)

Wine on Tap:PWP

2009-04-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Wine, stored in kegs and served through a method similar to a draft-beer line has successfully taken hold in restaurants in Los Angeles and San Francisco and in wine bars in Napa and Atlanta.

Sang Yoon (pictured above) is the chef and owner of two Father's Office restaurants in LA and is a believer in the keg and tap method. As an owner he came to realize how wasteful wine by the glass becomes and pricing soon reflected that waste. Most places today end up serving cheap wine with big markups for glass pours which equals bad value for consumers.

Why can't we serve good wine out of a keg like we do with beer? He wondered. Mr. Yoon found five-gallon stainless steel soda kegs and persuaded wineries to fill them. He then custom-designed coolers for the wine kegs. Whites are kept at 46 degrees and reds at 55 degrees.

Nitrogen gas is used to push the wine from the keg to tap and occupies the empty space in the keg, preventing oxidation, and keeps the wine fresh for months.

There are no packaging costs, no bottles, no corks, no capsules, and kegs are recycled.

Wine by the tap: Delicious wine for less. Pretty well perfect.

(Photo credit: Kevin Scanlon)

Only on Kauai: PWP

2009-04-14T14:26:00.001-07:00

Polihale on the beautiful island of Kauai is one of the most spectacular spots on earth: Fifteen miles of uninterrupted white sand beach.

The dirt access road to Polihale State Park was washed out during December's heavy rains. In February the State of Hawaii determined the funds to repair the lone access road to its park were unavailable. That's when surfers, fishermen, kayak excursion operators, construction contractors, civil engineers and state park employees came together and worked on a plan to reopen the road to Polihale.

The Polihale Road repair work is the largest volunteer effort ever in the State of Hawaii. The road will re-open by the end of April. Only on Kauai.

Pretty well perfect.

(Photo credit: Jim McQueen)

Aretha Hat for Spring:PWP

2009-03-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

Luke Song, 36, owner of Detroit's Mr. Song Millinery and the hat's creator, has more than 5,000 orders for the spring version of the Aretha Hat.

Mr. Song's phone has been ringing off the hook since Aretha Franklin wore his original creation in winter grey at Barrack Obama's inauguration ceremony. He now projects his $1 million millinery operation to grow six-fold. Pretty well perfect.

(photo credit: Fabrizio Costantini)

Multitasking: PWP?

2009-03-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

Neuroscientists Sandra Aamoott and Sam Wang recently concluded:

Research on working memory training raises the possibility that the fast-paced modern world, despite its annoyances (or even because of them) may be improving our reasoning ability. Maybe even multitasking - not the most efficient way to work - is good for your brain because of the mental challenge. Something to think about when you're contemplating retirement on a deserted island.

(Artwork: Felix Stockwell)

Fonda and Beethoven: PWP

2009-03-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

Jane Fonda is appearing on the Broadway stage for the first time in 46 years, starring in "33 Variations", a new drama written and directed by Moises Kaufman with music by Beethoven.

(photo credit: Sara Krulwich)

Zipsters:PWP

2009-03-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

There are currently 275,000 zipsters in the US, Canada and London sharing 5500 Zipcars in thirteen cities and numerous university campuses across North America.

Zipcar.com offers a pretty well perfect alternative to traditional car rental and car ownership. Online applications cost $25 with annual dues starting at $50. Your zipcard arrives in the mail in a couple of days and voila - you're a zipster.

Go online, find your desired Zipcar location and decide which available cars appeal to you: Honda Civic - $13/hr, Mini-Cooper - $15/hr, BMW - $17/hr - and reserve. Daily rates available. Gas and insurance included: PWP.

Once you locate your Zipcar, waive your zipcard in front of the reader inside the windshield and the car unlocks. The key is in plain sight in the car. Return your Zipcar to the same location at the time agreed upon, litter-free.

(photo courtesy of www.zipcar.com)

2009-03-09T16:14:00.001-07:00

SitOrSquat is a free program for iPhones and Blackberrys that locates public restrooms. It even includes user reviews and connects to Google Maps to offer directions. PWP

(logo courtesy of http://www.sitorsquat.com/)

A Southern Manhattan: PWP

2009-02-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

The Farmhouse serves a pretty well perfect Southern Manhattan made from peach whiskey and red wine, then topped with confit grapes. The acclaimed restaurant is located at the Inn at Serenbe near Palmetto Georgia, a get-away destination for Atlantans.

Owner and Chef Nick Melvin makes daily trips to his 25-acre organic Serenbe Farms to hand-pick local produce for that night's table while determining upcoming menus, showcasing the country's growing farm-to-table movement.

PWP

(Photo credit: Erik S Lesser)

YSL Proceeds will fund AIDS research foundation: PWP

2009-02-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

The library of YSL's Parisian apartment - Photo: Christie's

YSL Auction - Grand Palais - February 23, 2009 Photo: Jacques Brinon

Billed as the sale of the century, the 733-piece Yves Saint Laurent auction netted $484 million, which will be used to create a new foundation for AIDS research and to fund the Berge/Saint Laurent foundation which honours the late designer's work.

Yves Saint Laurent, who is widely credited with modernizing women's wardrobes by popularizing ladies' pants, and his partner Pierre Berge started collecting works of art to fill the bare walls of their apartment on Rue de Babylone in Paris four decades ago.

PWP

Two Rare Bronze Fountainheads: $36 million

2009-02-26T20:10:00.000-08:00

Final Day of the Saint Laurent auction in Paris:

Two rare bronze fountainheads - one of a rat shown above and one of a rabbit - which disappeared from China nearly 150 years ago and demanded back by Beijing, sold for $18 million each on the third and final day of the Christie's auction of the Yves Saint Laurent private collection.

The bronze fountainheads were part of a celebrated water fountain at the Imperial Summer Palace outside Beijing and disappeared from the Imperial compound near the end of the Second Opium War in 1860. They were looted along with the ten others, each fountainhead representing an animal of the Chinese zodiac, after the palace was burned down by French and British forces, and China insisted they belonged in a museum.

However Pierre Berge refused to return the two fountainheads to China, insisting he acquired them legally. At the weekend Mr. Berge stated he would agree to give them back if Beijing gave Tibet its freedom and improved its record on human rights.

PWP

Eileen Gray's "Dragons" Armchair circa 1917 - PWP

2009-02-25T16:34:00.001-08:00

Eileen Gray's "Dragons" armchair, circa 1917, sold for $28 million on Day 2 of Christie's Yves Saint Laurent private collection auction at the Grand Palais, Paris.

This photo of the chair and its description are from Christie's website:

In the form of unfurling petals, upholtsered in brown leather, the frame in sculpted wood, lacquered brownish orange and silver and modelled as the serpentine, intertwined bodies of two dragons, their eyes in black lacquer on a white cloud, their bodies decorated in low relief with stylised clouds.

A pretty well perfect description for a $28 million armchair.

Yves Saint Laurent's Matisse: PWP

2009-02-24T14:28:00.000-08:00

The first of six auctions of the private collection of Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge has begun. Yesterday's sale of their art collection brought in $264 million, led by this Matisse, a colorful painting from 1911 of a vase of cowslips on a carpet, which sold for $40.9 million, double its estimate. (Christie's pulled a Picasso when bids stopped at $26 million.)

Thousands of visitors lined up for hours over the weekend to view the collection at the Grand Palais in Paris.

French designer Yves Saint Laurent passed away last June at 71.

(Photo credit: Francois Lenoir)

Leonard Cohen @ the Beacon: PWP

2009-02-20T18:47:00.001-08:00

Leonard Cohen performed his first U.S. concert in fifteen years at the Beacon Theatre last night. He closed the first half of the concert, which lasted almost three hours and featured over two dozen songs, with "Anthem". Its pretty well perfect chorus:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

(photo credit: Nicholas Roberts)

THE IT FLOP - THE FITFLOP - PWP

2009-02-19T17:53:00.000-08:00

Saskatoon's Marcia Kilgore, founder of the spa chain Bliss, has another hit: The Fitflop. Originally designed to reduce cellulite, the "it" flop, the Fitflop, has also been found by wearers to correct posture, alleviate back pain and increase mobility.

I've grown attached to my brown suede pair: Pretty well perfect.

(Photo courtesy of fitflop.multipy.com)

The Beacon is Back - PWP

2009-02-12T09:33:00.001-08:00

Manhattan's Beacon Theatre reopens after seven months of restoration with a celebratory concert by Paul Simon.

Located on Broadway at West 74th Street since 1929, the 2829-seat Beacon Theatre is familiar to generations of New Yorkers as a film and vaudeville venue and in recent decades as the Carnegie Hall of city rock rooms.
(Photo credit: Fred R Conrad)

A Lone Gondolier on Venice's Grand Canal

2009-02-10T16:12:00.001-08:00

On the busiest days of the Carnevale, the annual 10-day pre-Lent celebration, the city's narrow streets are clogged with tourists. Strict water traffic regulations keep the canals peaceful - Pretty well perfect.

(Photo credit: Chris Bickford)

2009-02-07T14:50:00.001-08:00

PWP Coconut Hot Chocolate

2009-02-07T14:09:00.001-08:00

Melissa Clark's recipe for Coconut Hot Chocolate:
2 TB unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 15oz can coconut milk, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, a pinch of kosher salt, 1 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped (about 1/4 cup), 1 ts vanilla extract, meringue topping optional.

Whisk cocoa in 1/3 cup boiling water. In a saucepan combine coconut milk, brown sugar and salt. Simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Whisk in hot cocoa and chocolate until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Serve with topping if you like. Makes two servings.

Melissa Clark's recipe for Meringue Topping:
1 lg egg white, 3 TB superfine sugar

In a bowl of an electric mixer beat egg white on medium speed until it begins to foam, about 1 minute. Add sugar tablespoon by tablespoon as mixer is running. Continue to beat until egg white stiffens to soft peaks and is shiny, 5 minutes. Dollop onto hot chocolate.

Pretty well perfect.

(Photo credit: Andrew Scrivani)

Vernacular Architecture, Kauai Style: PWP

2009-02-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

This two-room driftwood structure was recently created on one of Kauai's spectacular westside beaches, locally known as Second Ditch Beach. A December storm supplied the building materials. Pretty well perfect.

(Photo credit: Lori Decker)

PWP: Portland's Hub for Artists, Designers

2009-02-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

Portland's Northeast Alberta Street is now lined with colorful galleries and boutiques where visitors can browse for street art, shop for a handmade felt hat, overhaul a bicycle with used parts and get acupunture treatments at a tea shop.

Much of the district's commercial revival can be traced to Roslyn Hill, a civic-minded landlord who began purchasing the street's vacant buildings and aging auto shops in the early 1990s and renting them to gallery operators and designers. Ms. Hill had a couple rules: No metal bars on windows and no locked doors during business hours.

By 1997 galleries were sponsoring monthly art walks and the momentum hasn't stopped. One of the best times to stroll Northeast Alberta Street is on a Sunday when 20-somethings walk their dogs, cyclists meet in cafes and a woman sells tamales from a cooler.

Sunday is also a good day to visit the street's indie fashion boutiques and graphic design studios. Shop owners are usually around and happy to chat, giving Northeast Alberta Street the air of a working artists' colony.
(Photo credit: Basil Childers)

PWP: Cheap-and-Chic Airport Hotels

2009-02-03T15:57:00.001-08:00

In Amsterdam, the six-month old 230-room citizenM Hotel at Schipol International Airport is emblematic of the cheap-and-chic airport hotels opening worldwide. citizenM offers rooms with king-sized beds, good showers and free wi-fi internet starting at 69 Euros a night. The hotel provides the 24-hour canteenM, an art-filled library, a self check-in service and is directly linked to the airport's arrival and departure terminals. Pretty well perfect.

(Photo courtesy of www.citizenmamsterdamairport.com)

The Breath of Fire: Pretty Well Perfect

2009-02-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

Most of us don't know how to breathe properly. We take shallow breaths as if we are afraid of what breath does.

I was first taught Long Deep Breathing by breathing in to the count of four, feeling the breath expand my ribcage. At the end of the fourth count, taking a sip more and holding for four counts. Then exhaling over another count of four and when you think you have all the air out, huffing more out.

Long Deep Breathing is a great way to relax and is also pwp for any lung-related problems.

The Breath of Fire is a cleansing and energizing breath, powered by abdominal contractions. The Breath of Fire will entirely charge the nervous system, causing the glands to secrete and purify the blood.

Alyssa teaches The Breath of Fire in the attached 3-minute PWP video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcO27kWmZP8&NR=1

The Rock Laureate: PWP

2009-01-31T16:44:00.000-08:00

Bruce Springsteen performs a 12-minute set during the Super Bowl half-time show tomorrow, releases an album entitled "Working on a Dream" on Tuesday and kicks off a world-wide tour in April.

59 and rockin' - pretty well perfect.

(Photo credit: Tony Cenicola)

PWP: And the Pursuit of Happiness: At Last.

2009-01-30T10:13:00.000-08:00

Maira Kalman, an American illustrator, author, artist and designer, published this drawing today. The drawing is part of a series inspired by her trip to Washington DC to attend the Presidential Inauguration.

To view Maira's entire "The Inauguration. At Last" series, go to her "And the Pursuit of Happiness" blog:

http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/the-inauguration-at-last/

Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black & White Night

2009-01-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

On September 30, 1987 a black-and-white television special was recorded at the Ambassador Hotel's Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles featuring Roy Orbison and his friends Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Tom Waite, James Burton....the pwp list goes on and on.

The television special consisted of many of Orbison's hits. The dueling guitar solos in "Oh Pretty Woman" performed by Bruce Springsteen and James Burton are pretty well perfect. Re-released as part of a CD bearing the same title, the song won the 1991 Grammy award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Roy Orbison and Friends, Black & White Night has been used by PBS to assist in fundraising and has proved to be the single most successful fundraiser in PBS history.

An HD DVD of Roy Orbison and Friends, Black & White Night is now available.

PWP: Winter Sunrise from Vancouver's Cypress Mountain

2009-01-24T10:49:00.000-08:00

This PWP photograph of downtown Vancouver Canada was taken from Cypress Mountain at 6:30 am yesterday. Vancouver will host the 2010 Winter Olympics and we can now imagine visitors' joy while taking in its many beautiful vistas.

Dining at Le Cinq - PWP

2009-01-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

Dining at Le Cinq, located at Paris's historic Four Seasons George V Hotel, is a pretty well perfect culinary experience.

PWP: The Presidential Shaka

2009-01-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

President Obama greeted members of the marching band from his alma mater, Punohou School, Honolulu, with a smile and a shaka as they passed his inaugural parade reviewing stand yesterday.

Happy man. Happy day. PWP.
(Photo credit: Jack Gruber)

The Audacity of Hope - PWP

2009-01-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

"I am because of love and education and lots of hope."

Barack Obama

(Photo credit: Damon Winter)

The first time I ever heard of who Martin Luther King was, was from Mom

2009-01-19T23:15:00.000-08:00

I remember walking home from school when I was about 10 or 11 years old and I walked in the front door of our Front Street home (orange shag carpet and all). Mom was sitting in a chair pulled right up to the front of the black and white tv which was in a beige box with upholstery fabric on the bottom in a chris-cross pattern, quite the "modern" television.

She was crying her eyes out.

I ran to her and asked her what was the matter and she could barely get the words out. She was watching the assassination of Martin Luther King. I sat down on the floor in front of her and she told me who he was, in child terms. "He was a good man trying to do good things for the world and he stood up for what he believed in (mom was very big on that) and because of that, some bad person had killed him."
I asked all sorts of questions, what were the good things and why would somebody shoot him?

This was my first lesson in inequality I believe. It was the first time I can remember being exposed to prejudice. I remember feeling in awe of my mother, thinking of how she wanted everything to always be fair. Now as a mother of four, I get the fairness part, but at the time was realizing that the world was a much bigger place and fairness had to exist outside our home as well. I was amazed that she had this real emotion for someone who was on "tv", and I understood that this was "real", not just a tv show. (Remember I am old, and tv was still very new to us.)

Every Martin Luther King day, I think of that time with her and the lessons she taught me, and not only on that one day. (photo courtesy of www.clipartguide.com)

Janet Harvey
January 19, 2009, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

A Natural Local Boy: Barack Obama - PWP

2009-01-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

"I define locals, for the record, as those of us who have been here for a few generations and plan to stay. So my definition does not include Barack Obama. He was not local. At least to me he wasn’t.

He wasn’t until I saw that photograph of him body surfing a break-neck barrel from last August. He had that local-boy reach of the arm as he glided down a huge summer swell, the grace of his relaxed face, proud, turned into the tidal force of current, the way only a local boy can take a real wave and make it his very own ride, sleek and easy. A natural local boy. "

Lois-Ann Yamanaka is the author of, most recently, “Behold the Many.”

(Photo credit: Alex Brandon)

PWP Lumahai Beach Kauai

2009-01-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

Lumahai Beach is where Mitzi Gaynor washed that man right out of her hair in "South Pacific" and where Barb Remmen ditched her flip flops last week.

We often find Lumahai Beach deserted because of its unmarked access path down through a cliffside lauhala grove. That first glimpse through lauhala branches of the sea at Lumahai Beach takes our breath away - every time: PWP.

(Photo credit: Lori Decker)

Mind, Body and Organic Martinis in Miami - PWP

2009-01-16T18:59:00.000-08:00

I can avoid everything except temptation.
Oscar Wilde

Hilarious PWP piece by Maureen Dowd:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/travel/18canyon.html?hp

(Photo credit: Alex Quesada for the New York Times)

Romantic Paris for a PWP Valentine's anyone?

2009-01-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

Webster's Dictionary:
ro-mance' n. 1, a tale or novel of extraordinary, not real or familiar life 2, a fiction or falsehood. 3, a love affair
ro-man'tic adj. 1, fanciful; fabulous; pert. to romance. 2, given to sentimental or amorous feelings. 3, in art and literature, imaginative and free from classical rule.

Why does Paris have such a reputation for romance? This photo might provide a real clue.

Cunningham's Keepers - PWP

2009-01-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

Bill Cunningham is a keeper:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/01/04/fashion/20090104-street-feature/index.html

PWP

Bee Wareness Ecosculpture: PWP

2008-12-28T11:30:00.001-08:00

The City of Burnaby has partnered with Burnaby Mountain Secondary School to develop an ecosculpture program. Phase One of the 2008 program is a group of three bee sculptures. The Living Bees were welded by a commissioned artist and planted by BMSS students and City of Burnaby staff. Because bees represent the direct link to sustainable horticulture and environment, developing "bee wareness" is a pretty well perfect idea. (Photo credit: Joan Parsonson)

Hello: New York Times follows prettywellperfect.com -PWP!!

2008-12-26T15:14:00.000-08:00

Hey pwp bloggers,

Check out Lori's pwp post for November 7, 2008 . It was ahead of the NY Times by over a month!

How uber-trend setting is that?? I would say pwp is where it is at. Yeah, baby. Mele Kalikimaka
from Gabriola!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/us/politics/25obama.html?_r=1

Merry Christmas from Allerton Garden - 80 degrees and sunny - PWP

2008-12-23T17:37:00.000-08:00

This beautiful December morning we toured the Allerton Garden, set in a secluded valley opening to the sea on the south coast of Kauai. One of five gardens and three preserves that comprise the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Allerton Garden is a garden of art. The Allertons created a tropical paradise in a series of garden rooms. Each room artfully integrates color and texture of plants with landscape features, stonework and sculpture, all within the sight or sound of water. Pretty well perfect, indeed.

(Photo credit: Lori Decker)

Kauai's Na Pali by Air - PWP

2008-12-03T23:12:00.001-08:00

The spectacular Na Pali on the island on Kauai can be viewed by air, sea or while hiking the infamous 11-mile Kalalau Trail. A limited number of over-night hiking permits are issued annually, so plan ahead. Pretty well perfect, any which way. (Photo credit: Lara Morris)

President-Elect Barack Obama - Hawaii Boy - PWP

2008-11-07T09:25:00.001-08:00

Barack Obama recently displayed his body surfing form at Sandy Beach on the north shore of Oahu. President-Elect Obama, born and raised in Hawaii, is a brilliant, thoughtful man filled with the aloha spirit: a pretty well perfect choice - at last. (photo credit: Alex Brandon, Associated Press)

Lunch @ Auberge du Soleil

2008-10-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

Auberge du Soleil has been a culinary destination in Napa Valley for over 20 years. Our extended lunch was pretty well perfect that day in October - Delicious food, superb wine, perfect weather, spectacular views and contagious laughter among friends.

Paris: Joie de Vivre

2008-10-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

Multimedia from NYTimes.com:

On the Street | Joie de Vivre
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/10/17/style/street-interactive/index.html

Bill Cunningham reports from Paris on the resurgence of color.

Ready to Launch

2008-09-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

Pretty Well Perfect (PWP) was created by three amigos, originally from "the hub city “, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. This delightfully captivating concept came into being after a pretty well perfect day on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.

What made that day so perfect? The friendship, the fresh air, the spectacular Na Pali Kauai, the whales, the waves, the wind, the sunset, the green flash…. It was a magical combination of people, places, and things.

Over Hayden mango martinis in Stevenson’s Library at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, an idea was percolating: How could we provide a place where we could share the joie de vivre moments, great and small, with others? While singing and dancing to Roy Orbison’s Black and White Concert it came to us: prettywellperfect.com

The pretty well perfect dinner party

2008-08-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

This pretty well perfect party occurred at "The Holts" with the elements of
participation, inspiration, tasty treats (sushi for the vegetarian crowd)
and most of all***good company***who share a sense of humour ***

A beautiful bouquet from an old cellmate

2008-08-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

Here is an August bouquet of dahlias and sunflowers from Veronica's garden.
What a gorgeous gift! PWP because of her passion for her beautiful garden, her dedication to it when her back and hands are sore, and the delight in sharing its bounty.