Hamburgers and hot dogs can send shivers down the spine of any fashionista. But celebrity party planner Colin Cowie says that outdoor entertaining can be posh and painless with just a few simple steps.

The key, Cowie says, "is treating the outdoors like the indoors." Think of your property as a room. The grass is the floor. The trees and flowers are the wallpaper.

Survey The Grounds Read More

It wasn't held in a field in the middle of Tennessee.  But there was an area dedicated to pork beer from Brooklyn Brewery and plenty of live music for the first ever Great GoogaMooga fest held in Prospect Park last weekend.  

Dubbed an "amusement park of food and drink," the festival, organized by Superfly (the madmen behind Bonnaroo), combined the best local chefs, craft beers and wines from around the world, and live music.  Unlike their other events, the music took second stage to the food.

General admission tickets were free and sold out immediately (though available for purchase on craigslist).  ExtraMooga, VIP tickets, could be bought on the day of the fest for $250.  A steep price, but it included unlimited beer, wine, specialty cocktails, and food. Read More

With so many hotel spas in the world, it is difficult to choose where to reserve your next treatment. When looking for the best spas, however, there are a few that stand out in my mind. Below is a selection of my recommended best spas of the world. With there being so many great choices, I'll list a few of my favorites today and follow up with part two shortly. Whether you are interested in a deep tissue massage or acupressure, these spas will be sure to exceed your expectations.

Jumeirah Carlton Tower

The Peak Health Club & Spa at Jumeirah Carlton Tower in London has been receiving critical acclaim since 2008 from the likes of Conde Nast Traveler. Besides the state of the art health club and pool, The Peak also offers the most pampering of treatments including detox wraps and body peals. This spa uses inspiration from Thai, Swedish, and aromatherapy techniques. Read More

It may seem like a challenge to find relaxation in the city that never sleeps. But rest assured with these four picks, you will find yourself having a luxurious and peaceful experience in the big city. Offering treatments from reflexology to deep tissue massages, the following hotels have my vote for the best hotel spas in New York City.

Trump Hotel Central Park

The 6,000 square foot Trump Spa offers state-of-the-art steam rooms and saunas. Rejuvenation can be achieved through facials, body scrubs and body wraps, which are all part of the detoxifying process. Take advantage of their celebrity skin specialist, Sonya Dakar, who consults to make specific skin treatments and regimens. Read More

If you're coming to Washington D.C. for a business trip, or to host a meeting, see my top picks below for the best luxury hotels the nation's capital has to offer. Whether you're looking for comfort, location, or just a good place to conduct meetings, these hotels have got you covered! 

The Jefferson
Known for its history and also its brand new renovations, The Jefferson is located in the heart of Washington. With large meeting rooms and intimate boardrooms, this hotel shows the way to conduct business is with history on your side. It showcases a book room with leather bound books as well as the Jefferson cabinet -- a great venue for smaller meetings offering several intimate rooms perfect for a board meeting.

The Hay-Adams 
The Hay-Adams provides elegant meeting space and event venues along with award-winning service and catering. Their fantastic rooftop restaurant can also be reserved for private meetings or parties, which offers stunning views of the White House across Lafayette Square. Read More

Traveling in London is about to get hectic with the onslaught of tourists making their way to witness the 2012 Summer Olympic games. That being said, this could not be a more exciting time to host a meeting at one of their luxury hotels -- experience all of the excitement as London prepares for the Olympics while you get down to business! While making your business travel arrangements, I recommend the following hotels for spacious, invigorating, and inspiring meetings.

Andaz Liverpool Street

Located in the financial district, the Andaz offers all of the amenities needed to make your business stay as welcoming as possible. With a 24-hour business center, complimentary WiFi, restaurants and bars, and a Private Events and Dining planning team, the Andaz is able to handle the single traveling businessman, as well as a large group. Printing, faxing, photocopying, and all secretarial services are also available at your discretion. For inquiries, please contact the Andaz hotel services here. Read More

At the beginning of last night's "Mad Men" episode, Megan Draper comes up with a big idea. After whipping up a bowl of spaghetti for Sally, who doesn't like fish, Don's new wife has a thought: She's making the spaghetti as her mom did before her, and her grandmother did before that. The scene could go back to the years of the cavemen, she says excitedly, or be adapted for a family scene on the moon.

This could work for the Heinz ad campaign, she thinks. And Don agrees. Multiple generations passing down a simple family ritual. It's a pretty picture. But all is not as it seems.

Sally's mother is nowhere to be found. Megan's mother is terribly unhappy. And Peggy's mother is horrified by a daughter who is about to embark on a life of sin. Read More

When Nora Delf, a sophomore at Bard High School Early College in New York City, doesn't like a T-shirt, she'll cut it. If a necklace seems like it needs an extra something, she'll swap a few charms from another piece of jewelry.

"I don't hesitate to fix something myself if it isn't working," the 16-year-old said, peering into her closet. "Maybe I like what a T-shirt says on it, but it's too big. So I think, 'How can I make it more flattering?'"

Delf's recent buys? A Boy Scouts tee and $10 Timberland boots she found at a thrift store in Brooklyn. "I've kind of worn the boots every day since." Read More

Things are changing faster than ever.

Technology is transforming every aspect of how we communicate and now more than ever; change is really the only constant. But with so many new technologies and ways to connect, it's easier to lose sight of the fact that we are still all human at the core, and all with the same basic needs.

Business has always been about these human needs, and it has always been social. Relationships were, and will continue to be, at the center of every successful business. Read More

On a quest to see what all the hype was about Copenhagen, I took an impromptu long weekend to check out the latest food crazes and trendiest cocktail lounges. (Living in Europe allows for such excursions.)  Silly me, thinking I could get into Noma at the last minute just because I was dining alone on a holiday weekend. For those of you who don't know, it's arguably the top restaurant in the world.  Their Web site allows you to sign up in case a table becomes available, as do many of the other top restaurants in Copenhagen.  But, unfortunately, I never made it off the waitlist.

Despite the lack of a reservation, I still hoped I could find a spot at Noma's bar.  Nope.  It didn't exist, at least for eating purposes. Fortunately, they were gracious enough to recommend Fiskebaren  -- aka Kodbyens Fiskebar -- in the meatpacking district.  

But the smells made it clear that it was fish, and not beef, being packed.  Unlike the meatpacking district in New York City, you won't find a bunch of tourists here.  Even though I wasn't a local, I managed to walk in and grab a seat at the bar.  Oysters were outrageously expensive, and since I'd had my fill at $1 happy hours back home, I passed on that option.  Instead, I broadened my horizons with the lumpfish roe with smoked cheese, a cucumber gelee and pea shoots. Read More