It's that time of year again when I get to leave cold and dreary New York City and head down to sunny Miami to hang out with, well, everyone I normally hang out with in New York. You know who you are!
This year's lineup at the hotel is pretty spectacular, so let me fill you in without further ado.
This past summer, I had the pleasure of meeting Luis Pons, a designer and architect whose focus is hospitality. It started with a martini and ended with me hobbling back to The Standard Spa, Miami Beach. Somewhere in the middle of all that imbibing, we forged a plan to build a boat; the boat of which our childhood dreams were made. We called it Paper Dreams. This 30-foot boat is made of bamboo, wood, steel and canvas, and it celebrates the essential element that defines...WATER. The boat will be on display, day and night, from December 2nd through the 8th. Come by and check it out. Just don't try to get on it because, well ... I said so.
When New York comes to town, it's only expected that its cool factor comes with it. This year, that factor is All Day Everyday's Newsstand. If you don't remember, this Brooklyn newsstand is found underground at the Metropolitan/Lorimer station in Brooklyn and reimagines the newsstand of yesteryear for today. This week, ADE is bringing their stand down for five days, Wednesday - Saturday, and will feature the coolest 'zines, books and records for sale. In addition, they have a line up of events for Glenn O'Brien, Jose Parla, 8Ball Zines and Ryan McGinness. The Newsstand is open daily from 11am - 11pm in The Lido Lounge.
Speaking of Ryan McGinness... (WAIT! Have you seen the glow in the dark table he made for us for SpinStandard in Downtown LA???) Okay, back to Ryan. He's releasing his latest book called Sketchbook Selections, and the only way we knew how to celebrate was with a good ol' fashioned game of Win, Lose or Draw! If you're in town, and you want to come by, make sure to RSVP. The book will be available for sale and Ryan will be there to sign it for you. If you miss the party, you can always pick up the book at The Shop at the hotel and online at Shop The Standard. But only after Tuesday.
For our second Basel in a row, our roving Rock 'n' Roll karaoke club, Chez Andre, is coming back to town to make sure you get as little sleep as possible. After countless stops in Los Angeles and New York, this year's club has found its home at Rec Room Wednesday through Friday. Worried about the bar? Don't be. Absolut has provided more vodka than a Russian can shake his caviar at (if you know what I mean.) So start practicing belting out your favorite hits in the shower because from what I know already, the competition is going to be fierce. Doors open at 11pm.
And on the subject of Monsieur Saraiva, our creative partner and resident night owl is shacking up in Room 40 with Jean Pigozzi to present his Artist of the Day series. He'll be débuting three new posters evolving from his now infamous, and globally omnipresent, Rock ’n’ Roll fantasy concert series. The works — depicting Damien Hirst, Maruizio Cattelan and Takashi Murakami — will be plastered all over the city by his guerrilla army. If you can snag an invite to one of his three nightly cocktail parties, you’ll have a chance to buy one for yourself.
Lastly (and I know you were waiting for this) it wouldn't be Art Basel without Art Production Fund's Works On Whatever Artist Towels. This season's towels were designed by Ryan McGinley and Yayoi Kusama. Don't even get me started. I placed my order months ago! If you're staying at the hotel, they'll be at the pool all week. If you're not staying at the hotel, I hope to see you at one of the many countless invite-only events for our friends from Tumblr, Creative Time, Herzog and de Meuron and others.
I think that's it for now. Don't forget to book your treatment at The Spa, and reservations for The Lido Grill are always recommended.
Make art. Not Love. (Or is it war?) I forget.
xoxo
Stan
