Latest news with #charm
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
HGTV ranks this Florida city among US's best in southern charm. Have you been to it?
Need ideas for your next weekend trip? HGTV released its list of the "40 Most Charming Small-Town Downtowns in America," featuring one in Florida. The home improvement and real estate network explored the history, culture, attractions and beauty that make small-town downtowns across America charming. "Nothing charms like a small downtown that beckons visitors with historic architecture and boutique shops or local culture and tree-lined streets," the HGTV article said, adding that the writers specifically sought downtowns inviting visitors. Only one Florida town appeared on HGTV's list — Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. "Situated in the northeast corner of Florida, Amelia Island is bursting with charm and a distinct character all its own," HGTV writes. "It's also home to Fernandina Beach and its delightful 50-block historic district that has something for everyone, particularly along Centre Street where you'll find antique shops, eclectic boutiques and local favorites like indie bookstore, the Book Loft." HGTV also highlights the Hoyt House Bed & Breakfast, where visitors can unwind and dine at Lagniappe, where the chef puts a French spin on Southern cuisine. The story suggests travelers feast at Down Under while watching the sunset and looking for manatees and dolphins from the oversized deck. HGTV clearly knows what it's talking about — travel magazine Travel + Leisure referred to the town last year as "a delightful blend of Southern charm, centuries-old historical sites, and, as its name suggests, picture-perfect stretches of sand and sea." "Fernandina Beach was once a stomping ground for swashbuckling pirates, Prohibition-era bootleggers, and a host of other interesting characters. Today, it's a quirky, relaxing, family-friendly escape full of great food, unique stories, and plenty of activities to enjoy," the outlet writes. HGTV narrowed its list of the best small-town downtowns across America down to 40 destinations. Here is where they are: Athens, Georgia Mystic, Connecticut Fernandina Beach, Florida Middleburg, Virginia Concord, North Carolina Dahlonega, Georgia Cape Charles, Virginia Conway, South Carolina Pacific Grove, California Greenville, South Carolina Charlottesville, Virginia Breckenridge, Colorado Wickford, Rhode Island Bar Harbor, Maine Bastrop, Texas Lewes, Delaware Taos, New Mexico Galena, Illinois Marquette, Michigan Lewiston, New York Abilene, Kansas Ketchum, Idaho St. Michaels, Maryland Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Virginia City, Nevada Lake Placid, New York Bend, Oregon Williams, Arizona Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Covington, Kentucky Medora, North Dakota Deadwood, South Dakota Solvang, California Montpelier, Vermont Park City, Utah Livingston, Montana York, Pennsylvania Franklin, Tennessee Portsmouth, New Hampshire Fish Creek, Wisconsin Contributing: Ginnie Sandoval, Salem Statesman Journal This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: HGTV: Fernandina Beach, Florida, on most charming downtowns list
Times
17-06-2025
- Times
The Lowell hotel review: an Upper East Side pad offering elegance from a bygone era
If you remember the TV series Mad Men — about a fictional advertising firm in New York in the 1960s — it portrayed, among other things, a time of sophisticated charm. And there's a reminiscence of that sentiment at the Lowell, on quiet East 63rd Street. It's intimate, personal and charming. Rooms hark back to a less frenetic age. Step outside and you're only a short walk away from restaurants, stores, museums and galleries. Amenities include a sophisticated guests-only lounge, as well as a bar and restaurant, both of which attract a glamorous local crowd. Service is pleasantly old-school, with guests treated like returning friends. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue Score 9/10The 74 rooms and suites are thoughtfully decorated and channel a chic, timeless quality — fresh-cut flowers on an antique dresser, for example — which is not to say they lack the modern essentials of air conditioning, an oversize TV, minibar and the like. Some have terraces, mini-kitchens and even real log fires that can be lit during the cooler months for which there is a small additional charge. Bathrooms are a decent size, decorated in marble, some with a large tub (with a TV at the end so you don't miss your favourite show while soaking) and a separate shower. Frette robes are changed for the summer and winter seasons. Views differ depending on which side of the building you're on, with some rooms offering great vistas of Manhattan's skyscrapers. Score 8/10Majorelle offers French fine dining and attracts a sophisticated crowd of locals. A two-course prix fixe menu might include grilled octopus with smoked harissa, followed by salmon with peas and mint. Afternoon tea of assorted sweets and savouries — perhaps mini lobster rolls followed by puffed pistachio choux buns — is served here too, in collaboration with Dior Maison (the home furnishing arm of the French fashion house). Jacques Bar next door is equally refined and a nice spot to ease into the weekend — the Vesper martini, for example, is deliciously refreshing after a long day. Breakfast is taken upstairs in the Pembroke Room and features an à la carte choice of dishes such as buttermilk pancakes with mixed berries and three-egg omelettes. • Read our full guide to New York• More great hotels in New York Score 8/10There is a small gym with modern Italian equipment including treadmills and elliptical machines, although as a visitor it would be hard to turn down the opportunity to run in nearby Central Park. The guests-only Club Room has an old-world gentlemen's club vibe and is a lovely spot in which to settle down with a book and a drink, or plan sightseeing excursions. Score 9/10The hotel is on East 63rd Street, which is a block and a half away from Central Park and one block from Park Avenue. A local would describe it as being at the bottom of the Upper East Side neighbourhood, which is a pretty upscale mix of residential and retail. By Manhattan standards it's quiet and reserved, and things such as shops and restaurants are walkable, as are several museums and galleries. The nearest subway station (Lexington Avenue and 63rd St) is two blocks away. Price Room-only doubles from £1,020Restaurant Two-course set menu £107Family-friendly NAccessible Y Will Hide was a guest of the Lowell hotel ( • Best boutique hotels in New York• Best affordable hotels in New York
The Guardian
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Bob Trevino Likes It review – Barbie Ferreira lovebombs us all in quirk-fuelled comedy
This low-budget, low-key comedy-drama is a little saccharine at times, especially in the final stretch, but it's hard to fully resist its charm offensive. It wages an aggressive lovebombing campaign led by very likable lead Barbie Ferreira who shines as put-upon but good-hearted Lily, a home-help assistant first met bawling her eyes out when a misaddressed text reveals that the guy she's been dating has cheated on her. Instead of following her (natural) first instinct to chew him out, she just chokes down her anger and texts 'no problem!' in response to his feeble apology. Soon, it becomes clear that this is poor Lily's usual modus operandi, especially when it comes to her louse of a father, Bob Trevino (French Stewart), who drags her along on his dates in order to make himself look more parental and nurturing than he actually is. When one such date goes badly, Bob shuns Lily, going so far as to effectively ban her from visiting the trailer park where he lives. (The story unfolds around the Kentucky-Indiana border, and precisely evokes the midwestern vibe without either patronising or pandering to the region.) While trying to reach him through Facebook, Lily ends up befriending an entirely different Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo), a construction industry manager who at first is just being polite but who comes to enjoy chatting with lonely Lily via the app messaging platform; this Bob Trevino 'likes' some of her corny memes and posts, hence the title. The two develop a genuine but strictly platonic friendship that moves eventually to the real world, somewhat to the baffled bemusement of Bob's wife Jeanie (Rachel Bay Jones). Writer-director Tracie Laymon lays on the message thickly about the value of chosen family members as opposed to allegiance to the cruddy ones you get stuck with at birth. Therefore it's no surprise this has gone around the festival circuit pleasing crowds and winning audience awards. With quirky plot details, a patina of authenticity evoked by its handheld cinematography, and likable peripheral characters like Lily's feisty wheelchair-using employer Daphne (Lauren 'Lolo' Spencer), it is pure catnip for festival audiences. To knock its sentimental failings would be like kicking a puppy – and there are actual puppies in the film just to ensure it snags the heartstrings. Resistance is futile. Bob Trevino Likes It is on digital platforms from 23 May.
