COOL HUNTING

Paris and Milan may get all the Euro credit, but with gorgeous architecture from Gothic to Modernisme, scores of sleek furniture and interior design shops, and a mind-bending array of fashion boutiques, Barcelona is surely the sleeper style capital of the continent. Refinery29 paid a recent visit and compiled a list of the best of El Born.

RqueR
Talk about pride: Conxa Jufresa's shop stocks almost exclusively Spanish designers, many of them Catalan. Her handpicked roster includes new notables like Syvilla, Sita Murt, David Valls, Viviana Uribe, Madre Mia, Juan Pedro Lopez, and Victorio & Lucchino. If you're looking for local talent, this is the place to come.
Carrer del Rec 75
tel. +34 93 315 23 91

Mercado
Much more than your run-of-the-mill high-streetwear shop, Victor Zabrockis's boutique and gallery (pictured below left) carries an unparalleled selection of designer books, urban art, chic homewares and impossible-to-find-elsewhere T-shirts—all tied together with an Amazonian canoe centerpiece.
Plaza Comercial 3
tel. +34 93 268 86 31

Ague del Carmen
Started in 2000 by friends Rona Milián and Carmen Bautista, Agua del Carmen features lots of wools and wovens, '60s patterns, and retro-styled skirts in a sober palette of wine, moss, and peach. This is what Carol Brady might have worn if she hit the wacky-tobaccy. A nice play on eveningwear fills out the mostly-casual collection. (Pictured right.)
Carrer Bonaire 5
tel. +34 93 268 77 99

Iguapop Shop and Gallery This U-shaped whitebox space combines an up-to-the-minute urban art gallery on one side, and a streetwear shop on the other. The gallery is one of the focal points of BCN's bursting street-art scene; dig on the exhibition catalog—it would turn Deitch green. (Pictured below left.)
Carrer Comerç, 15
tel. +34 93 268 77 99

Petra
Duck into this deep-blue frontage and you will find a modded-up menu of neo-Basque fare. The gnocchi with crab sauce is sublime, and the unctuous pink gazpacho—with a ball of cucumber sorbet in the center—will drive you back for the rest of your stay.
Carrer Sombrerers 13
tel. +34 93 319 99 99

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TAGS: Barcelona (9), Fashion (309), Food (170), Refinery29 (31), Shopping (154), Travel (132),

At long last Luxe has introduced guides for European cities. With the same first-person, opinionated approach and unique perspective that we loved in their Asian editions, the guides for Paris, Madrid, and Istanbul are perfect companions for sophisticated travelers. Packed with information on over 300 bars, restaurants, clubs, spas and cultural activities, each entry bears the publishing editor's personal stamp of approval. Knowing you probably have little interest in visiting the same ubiquitous chain stores available at home, Luxe guides focus on artisans and shops producing one-of-a kind innovative designs. Forgoing graphics, photos, and other filler, the streamlined concertina-format books are the perfect size to fit into a shirt pocket and are updated as often as twice a year, so they are always current. $9 each from Luxe.

TAGS: Guides (8), Istanbul (3), Madrid (2), Paris (14), Travel (132),

High-quality materials combined with the cultural cache that come from knowing you are using the same notebook which once held the musings of Van Gogh, Picasso, and Ernest Hemingway have made Moleskine the preferred notebooks of artists and thinkers for the past two centuries. With the launch of the new City Notebook, Moleskine is giving travelers the opportunity to write their own guides.

Featuring a map of the greater area as well as smaller detail maps, a metro map and station index, a filing system for food, people, and places, 48 adhesive labels for personalizing, detachable sheets for quick messages, and tri-color ribbon bookmarks the City Notebook is a way to explore a place you're just getting to know or to catalog a place you already love. Our favorite feature is the stick-on translucent overlays which make it easy to trace your own path along the maps or to design a custon walking tour. Held secure by the standard elastic closure and sewn bindings, sturdy construction makes Moleskine notebooks steadfast travel companions—not to mention that the classic nondescript black cover doesn't scream "tourist."

Launching this October in London the City Notebooks will be available for Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Prague, Rome, and Vienna, with books for Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, New York and San Francisco slated for 2007.

TAGS: Books (132), Customizable (15), Travel (132),

The recent changes in airline security restrictions have made transporting toiletries harder than ever. Pitotubes offer a leak-free solution with their elegant and refillable travel bottles that can withstand the changing pressures and airport luggage handling procedures at their most brutal. The pump travel bottles use high-tech materials and construction, making them airless and durable to assure that they will not leak or explode in your luggage. Made from the finest quality PETG recyclable plastic available, the sleek clear design provides easy content assessment in the event of a security inspection. Created by a former flight attendant after years of hearing complaints of ruined clothing and luggage, Pitotubes come in a variety of sizes and include helpful stickers for labeling. $50 for a set of six bottles, stickers for labeling, and a mesh zippered bag from Flight 001.

TAGS: Design (710), Innovation (6), Luggage (2), Travel (132),

On the surface, the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo Soho bears a striking resemblance to its New York and London counterparts. But beneath the ever-expanding roster of boutiques, the sidewalk cafes, and the trendy eateries, beats a distinctively South American heart, one that has turned this area into the destination for both cutting-edge designers and traditional artisans.

La Martina
This 100-year-old supplier for Argentina's polo teams has created a casual line for those who prefer wearing horses to riding them. Polos and classic T-shirts with limited-edition crests hang from the ceilings and line the worn wooden shelves, while casual khakis and jeans are draped throughout.
Costa Rica 4677
tel. +54 1 4311 5963

Anahi M
Born and raised in the leather-making industry, Anahi M has direct contacts to the main tanneries in Argentina and it shows in the quality of the leathers she uses for her bags and other accessories. The suede fanny pack (yes, a fanny pack!) is surprisingly chic, as is the wristlet adorned with a chunky buckle in shades from rich brown to hot orange.
Costa Rica 4604
tel. +54 1 4834 6005

Felix
On the hunt for some golf-inspired preppy clothes tinged with a bit of South American flair? Try Felix, possibly the one-stop shop for indulging the inner Upper East Sider in every guy, with gingham shorts, wonderful patterned shirts, and boat shoes.
Godoy Cruz 1645
tel. +54 1 4833 5262

Casa Cruz
You'll know it by the huge bronze doors outside (not by the sign, because there isn't one). This cavernous restaurant is also one of the cities chicest, the place for beautiful people and equally beautiful food. The changing menu is as eclectic as the crowd and has its hits and misses, but you're here for more than just the food.
Uriarte 1658
tel. +54 4833 1112

Olsen
A good option for lunch, dinner, drinks, or a Sunday brunch, Olsen brings a bit of Scandinavia to Argentina. The décor makes use of pale wood and minimalist features, while the menu focuses on fish, including Nordic classics like smoked salmon and herring. As for drinks, vodka is the only way to go.
Gorriti 5870
tel. +54 1 4776-7677

TAGS: Buenos Aires (3), Refinery29 (31), Restaurants (25), Shopping (154), Travel (132),

Imagine whiling away the afternoon at your lakeside camp in the northern Adirondacks when suddenly you get a hankering for crème brûlée. With a simple phone call, an innovative service based out of Lake Placid can deliver just about anything over land and water. It's called Camp Concierge and it's the brainchild of two young Adirondacker women who understand that escaping the city doesn't have to mean going without the conveniences and services of modern life. They deliver anything from spa treatments to restaurant reservations and will even stock pantries and kitchens before you arrive. "The whole idea," co-founder Brooks Reynolds told the Lake Placid News, "is that our clients make one phone call and we take care of it all."

TAGS: New York (174), Outdoors (51), Travel (132),

From the stylized Hokusai-like waves on the website to the store's clean white interior that offsets a rotating collection of well-curated goods, Arrive Miami's attention to detail and commitment to serving this generation's travel-minded set is clear. Like Base, Arrive is a retail rarity in Miami; the not quite one year-old boutique features labels like Y-3, Loeffler Randall, Evisu, Cloak, Earnest Sewn, Nicole Farhi, LA Atelier, Red Monkey, Grey Ant, Cazal, Bell & Ross, and Rogues Gallery, among others. As the line-up suggests, Arrive's approach to fashion reflects a tempered philosophy seen in statements like "Exclusivity will be treated as a necessity and not a privilege" and "Fashion is merely an extension of self-expression; treat it with an open mind but never take it too seriously."

Arrive Miami
100 16th Street
Miami Beach, FL 33139 map
tel. 01 305 604 5818

TAGS: Miami (18), Shopping (154), Stores (19), Travel (132),

On vacation you want to try the local cuisine, but what is the local cuisine? In Barcelona that problem is solved at Origen 99.9%, a restaurant and retail shop with three locations that specializes in “la cocina Catalana” or the Catalan cooking. Many of the dishes, such as the traditional "Little Octopuses With Chocolate" and a leek and almond soup made from a medieval recipe, are ones you may not find elsewhere.

Several times a year Origen 99.9% publishes a menu-magazine (in Spanish and English) that can also be downloaded and includes recipes, photographs of each dish and stories behind your meal. Articles in the current edition cover everything from pumpkin sausage to hollow "air doughnuts" and the history of the first cafes in Spain.

After dining head to the shop next door and pick out a little something to bring to home with you. Chocolates, jam, honey, olive oil, and wine are just a sampling of the specialties available. Origen 99.9% is the tastiest cultural education you are likely to encounter.

by Amy Sherman

TAGS: Barcelona (9), Food (170), Magazines (93), Restaurants (25), Travel (132),

For the thrill of skydiving without the height, SkyVenture is a vertical wind tunnel that safely and realistically simulates the experience of jumping out of a plane. Developed for training purposes, the tunnels feature wall-to-wall airflow that makes it easy for visitors to do flips and acrobatics while "flying." One enthusiast, writing in Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools newsletter, said she had "one of the most fun experiences of my life at a skydiving skills camp at SkyVenture." With locations throughout the U.S., in London, Abu Dhabi, and Malaysia, as well as with 15 other worldwide sites in the works, thrill-seeking acrophobics can start planning.

TAGS: Sports (58), Travel (132),