The Intersection of Lincoln, Luxury & Hipsterdom: Mast Brothers Chocolate

The actual Mast Brothers, complete with hipster beards

You might not think that artisan chocolate made in Brooklyn would have much to do with Lincoln Motor Company, but last week, I saw how they fit together over a 24 hour period.

First, I went to the Loft Opera's production of Macbeth, at the new Mast Brothers factory in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The unheated warehouse was the setting for a faithful rendition of the tragedy, and most of the young audience sat on backless benches for the three hour performance, fueled only by the Brooklyn Brewery beer for sale, along with fine chocolate.

Lincoln's swag: bars of Mast Brothers chocolate

The gray and no hairs - i.e., people in my demographic, were mostly the VIP members, who got folding chairs with actual backs. Because theatergoers who can afford more than a $30 ticket require a few more luxuries.

The setting for Lincoln's holiday party

For much the same reason, luxury cars appeal to this demographic. But Lincoln knows its long term success depends on appealing to a younger audience as well, so it has the essence of cool, Matthew McConaughey, starring in its commercials.

And as it happened, the night after the Macbeth show, Lincoln invited me to its swanky holiday soiree, in a penthouse at Lincoln Center. You wouldn't think that this had much in common with the barebones Loft Opera. Yet, along with the canapes and top shelf open bar, heat (something I will now never take for granted) and comfortable seats, there were parting gifts: bars of Mast Brothers chocolate.

You couldn't ask for a better pairing.

Luxury Headphones - Avanti on-ear headphone review

Avanti headphones look and sound great

On my last flight, I offered to sit next to a crying baby.

Just kidding. In fact, I actually offered to switch my aisle seat to a dreaded, claustrophobic middle seat in the last row so the mom seated there could sit with her husband and infant, who were, indeed, next to me.

And, I was rewarded for this when the stewardess then moved me up to a premium economy seat so the family could be reunited

The reason I was willing to sit next to a baby was I was testing out a pair of high quality Avanti headphones. The on-ear headphones, by Moshi, are not noise-canceling, but they are super comfortable and I don’t even enjoy noise-canceling (they are called noise-isolating) - the sensory deprivation feels odd.

What the Avanti headphones do is let you relax and listen to your music, or podcast, or a video, without sticking ear buds in and giving you a true stereo sound.

Compactly packed for travel

They have also helped me when I work in my garden, recently redesigned as an outdoor office. I don’t mind some ambient noise, but my neighbor’s son sometimes blasts distracting rap music, not rally conducive to a work environment. In fact, maybe I should get him a pair.

With the money

The headphones aren’t cheap - $199 retail - but they have a luxury feel and sound and they come with a cool carrying case to protect them when traveling or just running around the city. And they fold up compactly so you don’t have to schlep a big tote to stash them in.

Garden office - headphones helpful

The headphones also look pretty cool, with a stainless steel part over the head, and either burgundy or tan ear cups.

Noise-isolating

Noise-isolating was not a term I was familiar with, but it means that sound doesn’t leak out. You know hone you are on the subway and someone next to you is blasting music though his ear buds? You can often hear it and wonder how the guy is going to hear when he is 40. But usually you don’t want to listen to someone’s second hand music. With the Avanti headphones, you won’t annoy others around you and you will enjoy high quality sound. A win-win.

Note: I received a pair of headphones for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated and opinions expressed are my own. 

Are You Pining for a Great New Handbag?

Instead of a bag in a car, a car in a bag

Good Housekeeping and SheBuysCars have partnered on a giveaway of designer handbags.

When my oldest daughter graduated from college, my husband and I wanted to get her something special. I suggested her first ‘real’ pocketbook and he balked - what a terrible gift, he said.

Reader, she loved it. We gave her carte blanche to choose a bag and she even chose me as her shopping partner. It was a great day of mother / daughter bonding, and my husband got to share her joy when she came home with what she deemed the perfect designer bag.

The Toyota Camry looks great with a designer bag

Some parents mark milestone for their kids with a car, but Hallie didn’t even learn to drive till she was 19 (we live in New York City, and for much of her life didn’t even own a car) and when she graduated, she moved back to the city to work for a couple of years. A car would have been a ridiculous gift.

And I remember when I had my first job, a crummy, low-paying servitude publishing job, but my boyfriend (now husband) and I were couch surfing before it became a thing, so we had disposable income to blow on the more essential items, like travel and expensive handbags.

Good Housekeeping and SheBuysCars understand that pocketbooks and cars go, well, hand in hand. I mean, what woman doesn’t throw her car keys into her pocketbook, and then think about where to place said bag once she gets into the car?

The environmentally friendly Prius

The Toyota Camry is a great car for a style-conscious woman who doesn’t want to spend everything on her drive (maybe she wants to have a few bucks leftover for, say, a nice spring bag?). The car isn’t cheap; fully loaded, it’s in the mid-30s, but it offers a lot of luxury bang for the buck. It features soft leather seats, heated steering wheel, and a wireless charging pad so you don’t have to clutter up your car or handbag toting a power cord.

For the eco-conscious, the new Prius has many luxury touches too, along with upgraded technology and safety features - and you still get amazing mileage. So you don't have to feel guilty taking it to the mall, where you can shop for, you guessed it, a new handbag.

See these cars and more at the New York Auto Show, which runs from today through April 3. And be sure to enter SheBuysCars’ promotion with Good Housekeeping, giving away a handbag a day the entire time. Just take a picture of your handbag in your car (or a photo of with one you love at the car show and tweet or post on Instagram with the hashtag #GHDrives.

There is no purchase necessary, and you can only win one bag.

Oh, and as for my daughter? When she started grad school, we bought her the car.

Note: this is sponsored post. Opinions expressed are my own.

Luxury Spa, Luxury Gym: Lodge at Woodloch

The Lodge at Woodloch's gym; a playground for adults

Whether you are an avid exerciser, or just looking to dip your toe into starting a fitness program, the Lodge at Woodloch offers an array of exercise classes, plus a state of the art gym, so you can work out on your spa getaway.
The gym had all the toys I love; bosu balls, stability balls, box steps, free weights and weigh benches, plus a few goodies - hula hoops, a barre for stretching, and a priceless view when you use the cardio machines.

Look at those trees outside the gym

Woodloch is set in the Poconos, and the wooded backdrop is quite an inspiration. Plus, if you grow bored with the exercise equipment, you can bike, paddle a kayak, run outside, hike. There are yoga classes and guided meditations.

My husband and I took a spin class, which was pretty much like any other spin class in a gym; not SoulCycle, but also not music at a bone-crunching volume. We also took a weight class with an energetic young instructor, who challenged us to push our limits. I wanted to take a bosu class, but three exercise classes in one day exceeds almost every limit, and I really wanted to take a cooking demo.

Two days was hardly enough to scratch the surface of Woodloch, but if you are there for a few more days, you can take advantage of more exercise classes and that great gym. The gym also had soft towels, headphones, and a bowl of fruit and nuts outside if your workout left you a little worn out.

Fit in DC: Hotel Palomar

Too cold to run outside in DC? Use the Hotel Palomar fitness center

Kimpton Hotels offer a variety of ways to keep fit, with free bicycles and large fitness centers.

We recently stayed at the Hotel Palomar, in Washington, DC, during the polar vortex. Those bicycles were hidden away (though we saw many hardy Washingtonians cycling around the city on Capital Bikeshare bikes, the bicycle sharing system) and the outdoor pool was hidden under an impermeable layer of ice.

Lots of exercise 'toys' at the Hotel Palomar

But the Dupont Circle luxury boutique hotel has an equally luxe fitness center, with plenty of floor space to spread out mats, stability balls and bosu balls, plus free weights and cardio machines.

There were also hula hoops, weight benches and strength machines.

I liked the extra touches; bananas and apples for a post-workout snack, headphones for those who forgot their own, and soft towels.

Note: we received a special media rate for our Hotel Palomar stay. Opinions are my own.

History, Luxury - and a Modern gym

The Dearborn Inn, on Ford Motor Company property, is not your typical Marriott, though it is owned by the chain. The hotel is across the street from company headquarters and is convenient for visiting the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village and the Automotive Hall of Fame.

The historic inn has several outbuildings with rooms, along with rooms in the main part of the hotel, where you'll also find a bar, the lobby with a fireplace and a restaurant. The fitness center is also in the main building, and if you are staying in winter, you may want to make sure your room is not in one of the outlying buildings.  I had an icy sprint, in shorts, to the gym.

But the gym offers new cardio and strength equipment, along with little touches like headphones and a stack of magazines.

There is also a seasonal outdoor pool if that's how you get your workout. But no polar bear events for me - just that short wintry run was enough.

Brooklyn Heights Luxury Gym: Equinox

Many NYC gyms with Brooklyn branches treat their outer-borough siblings as poor relations. Not so Equinox, which has a luxury gym in Brooklyn Heights.

The 5 story fitness emporium includes a spa, a juice bar, coat check and kids' club.

The impeccably clean locker rooms have Kiehl's products, beautiful tile and large, soft towels.

There are also early morning, mid-day and evening classes, with a Pilates studio, spin room and yoga studio.

I was impressed with the number of weight benches, free wights and bosu balls scattered throughout, with trainers who actually returned equipment so you could easily find what you needed.

My only gripe with Equinox is that the cardio equiment only has a few overhead monitors, instead of individual screens. If you like to channel hop, you are limited by the choices, which on the day I exercised, were CNN, CNN and soaps. Doesn't anyone watch here E!?

But the gym also has great music pumping through, so you can remove your ear plugs and be more social.

Royal Family: the New New York Palace

While the world awaits the royal baby in London, The New York Palace has unveiled its newly renovated Royal Suite.

This palatial suite, larger than most NYC apartments, and costing more per night than most starting salaries - per year! - is how the top 1% of the 1% of the 1% live.

I got to experience this luxury for a few hours on a sweltering NYC summer night. Perched high above Madison Avenue, the subway a distant memory, I drank in all the details (plus super cold white wine).

The 3600 square foot suite has three bedrooms, three and a half baths, a dining room, living room, and sitting rooms, all on the 45th floor. There is a pantry where your staff can serve meals; we had canapes, cheese and our unfulfilled dreams.

The antique barber chair in one of the bathrooms is a great touch.

For an evening, we were all royalty.

Ritzy Schvitz - Sweating at the Ritz-Carlton

Exercise can take place in a park, a cramped basement or a sun-drenched, temperature-controlled fitness center. Guess which one the luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel in White Plains, NY has?

The tricked out gym has everything you could ask for: state-of-the-art cardio equipment, with individual TVs and headphones, a variety of hand weights, stability balls, bosu balls and box steps, and weight machines.

There are also exercise mats, weight benches and medicine balls. And if you don't know how to use the equipment, the hotel has trainers (for a fee). I saw a woman being trained by a very competent, encouraging trainer.

I was about to exercise when my 15 year old daughter came from the pool next door.  She and her friends couldn't swim without adult supervision, so I grabbed an apple and a fruit-infused water and hydrated before working out, lounging by the pool while they swam.

Then I hit the weights.

The Ritz fitness center (Ritz Fitz?) has a wall of mirrors so you can watch your form, but you may want to orient yourself the other direction.  That way you can see outside and feel on top of the world while you sweat away.

Leave that cramped basement work out space for another day.