GlobalSpa
03-Dec-2022
The electric energy of some the most buzzing cities in the US create a revitalizing wellness journey for you and your loved ones. From enjoying a picnic in the parks to using a paddleboat, urban delights in nature settings leave you with delightful memories lasting a lifetime.
NEW YORK
Central Park
The most panoramic green space in New York City, Central Park deserves millions of hashtag mentions. Lined with thousands of trees pumping oxygen into the air, the iconic space is filled with sunshine and birdsong, making the glinting glass and steel skyscrapers disappear into the horizon. Spend a few restful hours here, birdwatch, read a book, or make your way to the Great Lawn in Central Park. Farther downtown, along a picturesque stretch of elevated railway, the High Line in Manhattan is a popular pedestrian park with casual cafés.
Oriental Connect
The classical Chinese garden at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center offers a zen experience to balance your chi in elegant Oriental landscapes. Walk along bamboo forest paths lined with gurgling waterfalls, a Koi-pond; spend time among the mountainous rocks that inspired the poetry and paintings of Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist monks. Soak up Chinese calligraphy, and a variety of Ghongshi scholar’s rocks including a stunning 15-foot formation towering over the central courtyard.
The New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden, a part of Staten Island Botanical Garden, makes history, architecture, visual and performing arts, and education come alive, all in one place.
Museum Alert
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) is the most Instagrammed museum in the US, collating 5000 years of art from around the world. The Museum forms a living canvas for iconic artworks spanning cultures and centuries through a mandala lab, and an evolving display menu.
Governors Island
Governors Island, a 172-acre island in the heart of New York Harbor, is accessible by frequent hourly ferries. Visitors here may uncover a world of breath-taking sculptures, installations, performances and artistic legacies of colonialism. Alternatively they can enjoy a luxurious day at the spa to get their chakras going.
SANTA FE
Art Connect
A relaxed pace of life amidst Pueblo-style architecture is in the air in the capital of New Mexico. Santa Fe’s deep-rooted Native American heritage and stunning desert landscape makes it one of the world’s top art destinations. Explore local handicrafts and other interesting pieces around the traditional plaza, fringed by the stunning Palace of Governors and Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. Enjoy 500 years of art at the oldest museum in the state, New Mexico Museum of Art; and the New Mexico Museum of History. The Museum of International Folk Art is home to the largest collection of folk art from around the world.
The art journey continues with the House of Eternal Return where the Meow Wolf art collective showcases stunning installations in a 20000 sq. ft industrial neighbourhood. Experience 70 distinct, interconnected spaces bringing in mystical, forest tree houses, a tiny Old West ranch powered by hamsters, luminous caves, space-age corridors, xylophones, laser harps, and more. Making this your personal adventure.
Urban Therapies
Santa Fe’s close proximities to the foothills makes it perfect for hiking trails and mountain biking. Alternately, you could walk through the Botanical Garden, and sip on some of the best beers, from micro-breweries. The desert scenery, adobe-style houses and darling red rock formations simply give this city a mystic air. Add to that are some of the best crop of spa menus at Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort, La Posada de Santa Fe, Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi and La Fonda on the Plaza.
CHICAGO
Culture Calls
Nourish your chi in Chi-town, as Chicago is popularly called. This unique city offers over 26 beaches, 580 parks and 42 kms of lakefront, together with a vibrant and thriving LGBTQ culture. Also savour the Art Deco architecture, 7,300 restaurants including ethnic eateries, and over 65 craft breweries along the buzzing Lake Michigan waterfront.
A High Point
Stand atop The Ledge, a glass platform on the Skydeck at Willis Tower, or the 360 Chicago Observation Deck on North Michigan Avenue, where the TILT experience leans you out 300 meters above Michigan Avenue. Later, stroll along the Chicago Riverwalk, take an architecture cruise on Chicago River, visit Lincoln Park Zoo, or pedal along the Lakefront Trail.
The Art Institute
Chicago’s Art Institute is home to artifacts spanning 5,000 BC to present times. Enjoy studying over 300,000 artworks – with the largest Impressionist collection outside of Paris, including works by Van Gogh, Monet and Seurat. You can even immerse yourself in a podcast-style audio or use the digital, tool JourneyMaker to configure a personalized tour for your family.
Music Makers
Chicago also offers some of the best in music. Enjoy eclectic musical line ups at The Hideout and blues lovers will find their groove at Rosa’s Lounge - billed the best blues club in Chicago by New York Times – or at Concord Music Hall. You will also love the local entertainment at “the Riv” and Green Mill Cocktail Lounge Riviera Theatre.
All while architecture spells a sheer symphony in the restored Art Deco buildings, vintage shops and restored historic homes that set the city vibe.
Delicious
Organic and fresh farm fare at restaurants, like The Bristol, enjoy a cult following. But the Chicago-style deep dish pizza and some good ribeye is a must on every foodie’s list. Try Lou Malnati’s - the buttery crust and superbly crafted ingredients win hands down here. Classic steakhouses in Chicago celebrate cattle ranches with prime angus beef and classy cocktails (Gibsons with its dry-aged beef is the only US restaurant with its own USDA Certified Angus Beef program)
Therapy Trail
Make the most of retail therapy at Woodfield Mall with luxury picks available at the upscale Arlington Heights.
Then pamper yourself through ancient Ottoman, Roman and Greek restorative therapies at AIRE Ancient Baths in River West. The Allyu Spa in River North offers treasured reflexology and chakra healing. Rejuvenate at this spa, designed in the shape of the ancient sacred South American symbol, the chakana, around a pyrite crystal, representing the balance between spirit, body, intellect, and emotions.
For beer soaks and ancient Greek halotherapy, make your way to Piva Beer Spa in Noble Square.
