Time Out New York: Time Warner Center

Higher Malling
By Melissa Meisel
Issue 436: Feb. 5-12, 2004

It's a dirty word in these parts: mall. Nevertheless, the long-awaited paean to commerce that is the Time Warner Center aims to give New York shoppers their own version of Short Hills (yes, we have the Manhattan Mall, but this is a larger, more advanced retail beast).

At noon on Thursday 5, the Shops at Columbus Circle will welcome cold-weary consumers into 40 upscale stores under one massive roof on the Upper West Side. Inside the palatial space, which has a 150-foot-high atrium ceiling and snow-white Italian-marble floors, is fancy-pants men's designer Joseph Abboud's first New York City flagship and glossy outposts of AX Armani Exchange, Samsung, Hugo Boss, Sephora, Montmartre, Eileen Fisher, Borders and Bose. Upscale eyewear retailer Solstice will stock haute brands like Oliver Peoples and Paul Smith only at its Time Warner Center location, and Cole Haan will devote a whole floor of their depot dedicated solely to women - a first for the company.

The retail conglomerate took pains to distinguish itself from suburban malls. Time Warner tapped French purveyor of chichi bath and body products L'Occitane, which also has a boutique here, to provide toiletries for all the rest rooms in the building. British shirtmaker Thomas Pink will dress select staff members of the center's posh Mandarin Oriental Hotel in its signature shirts, showcasing the dapper button-downs available at the label's new Time Warner outpost.

Culinary connoisseurs waiting on reservations at one of the center's five celebrity-chef-helmed restaurants can mine Williams-Sonoma's gigantic emporium for top-shelf kitchen supplies and dishware, or troll the concourse-level Whole Foods supermarket for gourmet ingredients.

While frequenters of Nolita and the Meatpacking District may scoff at the Shops' mainstream retail offerings, one of the TWC's biggest selling points can't be denied: indoor shopping sprees.

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New Times: Las Olas Art Festival

NEW TIMES BROWARD-PALM BEACH, FLA.
NIGHT & DAY SECTION
Jan. 6, 2006
BOULEVARD OF ART
Las Olas is converted into an open-air gallery
By Melissa Meisel

It’s a cultural happening so prolific that event organizers have to splice it into two seasonal segments. The Las Olas Art Fair transforms Fort Lauderdale’s tony downtown district into a pavilion rife with collectibles every January and again every March. The first installment happens along Las Olas Boulevard, from SE 6th Avenue to SE 11th Avenue, this Saturday and Sunday.

The outdoor, upscale arts jubilee, now in its 18th year, is a local tradition that draws thousands of visitors to the street. You can find paintings, sculptures, photography, jewelry, and more at this open-air art fair. Roads are blocked off from traffic so meanderers can leisurely wander throughout the spread of mini art galleries set out under tents, chat with exhibiting artists, and browse wares available for purchase, from $15 watercolors to $20,000 sculptures. Food, drinks and live music are also on tap to make it easier for you to open your wallet all weekend.

The Las Olas Art Fair is a juried occasion, which means that there will be a selective array of works on display. In fact, out of more than 1,000 applications, approximately 250 artists are chosen by producers Howard Alan Events Ltd. to participate in the opus. Highlighted artists on the roster for the 2006 Las Olas Art Fair include Boynton Beach’s own Rayma Isaacs, who creates multi-dimensional, sculptural pieces on board and canvas; David Chapple, whose paintings of automobiles merited him the Passion of Motoring Award at the MeadowBrook Concours d’ Elegance in 2005; Kristen DeSantis, a figure illustrator who works in metal; and Julio Garcia, a world traveler who produces figurative-abstract creations. Jan. 7-8, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Free, 954-472-3755. http://www.artfestival.com/ Downtown Fort Lauderdale, Las Olas Blvd and SE 6th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, 954-290-9328.

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New Times: Finesse Mitchell

NEW TIMES BROWARD-PALM BEACH, FLA.
NIGHT & DAY SECTION
Aug. 8, 2005
A TOUCH OF FINESSE
SNL's Mitchell works the comedy crowd

When not wrangling over designer handbags with Paris Hilton -- in character as the rambunctious Starkisha, of course -- Saturday Night Live comedian Finesse Mitchell performs at laugh lounges around the U.S., drawing throngs of people with his signature blend of Southern flavor and urban humor.

The Atlanta-bred University of Miami alum has been gracing the club circuit since 1995 and is touted for his humorous celebrity impressions of 50 Cent, O.J. Simpson, Donovan McNabb, and Morgan Freeman, to name a few. Part of the SNL squad since 2003 and a regular guest on BET's Comic View, Mitchell is well-versed in live entertainment as the operator of Comedy Novas Inc.

Mitchell will "finesse" the stage at the New York Comedy Club (8221 Glades Rd., Boca Raton) on Friday at 9 p.m. and Saturday at 8 and 10:15 p.m. The show, hosted by Ramon and featuring Oscar Collazos, costs $15 to $20. Call 561-470-6887, or visit www.nyccboca.com.
-- Melissa Meisel

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