As we noted in our recent report about the just-unveiled 2009 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, one of the most exclusive gifts on offer this year is a HALL Artisan Wine and Art Experience for $20,000, including a bespoke bottling from the renowned artisanal Napa Valley winemaker. If that's out of your range you can still enjoy the HALL experience this holiday season with wines from their Napa Valley Collection. The collection includes HALL's signature Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from select fruit from their five estate vineyards encompassing more than 500 acres. The flagship is the Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon, a "sumptuous wine that is the amalgam of the finest wines of the vintage." The 2006 Kathryn Hall vintage was sourced predominately from the estate's Sacrashe Vineyard and captures the "deep, dusty essence" of its hilltop site, helping to earn a 95 point rating from Wine Enthusiast.

The Kathryn Hall Cabernet has a nose of effusive, high-toned exotic fruits, truffle, blackberry jam and crushed stone minerality, with a lasting richness and dense sweet texture on the palate. The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc is notable for balanced acidity, ripe, vivid citrus flavor and a clean lingering finish, with aromas of pink grapefruit, lemon-lime, gooseberry, orange blossom and guava. The 2005 Napa Valley Merlot features Intense aromatics of cedar oak accented by scents of roasted coffee beans and a hint of violets and roses. An open, textured palate of ripe briar fruit, dusty mocha and black pepper finishes with a surge of plum and soft tannin. The 2005 HALL Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon shows rich, concentrated aromatics of currant, blackberry, and ripe cherry complemented by hints of toasty oak. Flavors of leather and nutmeg coalesce with plum and vanilla in the concentrated mid-palate and settle into a seductive, chewy finish.

Think Lenny Dykstra had the poshest pad in the Southern California community of Thousand Oaks? Not hardly. Check out this incredible home on 23 acres. The French formal home has amazing grounds that feature elaborate ornamental flower beds. Large terraces and a fountain lead to an infinity pool with a fountain. The two-level home is over 16,000 square feet of space. Around 3800 square feet of that is taken up by the master suite which includes two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a gymnasium. The gourmet kitchen is large enough to require two islands. Everything in this home is done on an elaborate and grand scale. It's rococo for the modern age, all swags and flourishes and curlicues but with a healthy dose of technology (the huge media room boasts a massive screen and motorized arm chairs). This home is listed at $29.9 million.

The list of the most expensive cities in the United States is now out, and unsurprisingly, New York has taken the top spot, with a cost of living that's double its closest follower. Of course, the financial crisis has put a bit of pressure on real estate prices and the cost of goods all over the country, but there are still some places that just cost a fortune.

New York: a two-bedroom luxury apartment (unfurnished) now costs a mere $4,300, off $200 from last year. And, there are other signs that the most expensive city is becoming less expensive, including the shuttering of Café des Artistes and the opening of our first J.C. Penney (ugh).

Los Angeles: this is where you go if you can afford only half the cost of living in New York. Unlike the most expensive city in the country, it makes sense to have a car out there, but get a nice one: you'll be spending a lot of time in it. LA has some of the longest commutes in the country.

Washington, D.C.: in this part of the country, take advantage of a 3.8 percent unemployment rate for the metro area. That's a hell of a lot better than the nationwide 9.8 percent (expected to break 10 percent early next year).

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A variety of celebrities have put their names to a Shepard Fairey print in order to support gay marriage. More than 80 celebrities including Julia Roberts, Charlie Sheen, Natalie Portman and many others have signed "Defend Equality - Love Unites" original prints with a design by Shepard Fairey. Some celebrities took a unique approach to signing. Jared Leto wrote out the language of California's Proposition 8 ballot initiative (which stipulates that marriage is only between a man and a woman) on the back of his Fairey print, burned it and put the ashes in a clear glass urn with the inscription, "Here lies within, the remains of Proposition 8, may it rest in peace." Virginia Madsen added a collage to her poster. The pieces will be sold in online auctions next month. On November 12, Shepard Fairey will take part in the official launch event at the Andaz West Hollywood hotel. VIP tickets for the event are $100.

Some people love surprises, some people hate them. To me it always seems to be more fun to be the person planning the surprise which is why I decided to tag along when the engagement jewelry store Robbins Brothers decided to help young bride-to-be Christin Mora enact a little friendly revenge on her fiance. Michael Knobbe, a reserve firefighter in Vernon, California had proposed by pulling up in a firetruck with a 23-foot long "marry me" sign. The proposal later appeared in a Robbins Brothers commercial. But Knobbe, who recently returned from Iraq got a big surprise last week when he thought he was heading off to a fire (at the fire station no less) only to find his fiancee and the folks from Robbins Brothers waiting on a second floor balcony with wedding rings. Perhaps the most fun part of watching the surprise was the delight the Vernon firefighters took in setting it up. A smoke machine poured fake smoke onto the balcony creating a convincing spectacle. Convincing enough to fool a very confused Knobbe who climbed up to the balcony in full firefighter gear only to be greeted with laughter, balloons and TV cameras. He took it all in good stride and seemed to appreciate the fact that his wife-to-be has a great sense of humor too. I'm predicting a very lively marriage for these two. Check out the cuteness in the video above.

It first hit the market a few weeks ago but a home belonging to Billy Joe Armstrong, the lead singer of punk-styled band Green Day just popped up on my radar thanks to a mention in the San Francisco Chronicle. The eyeliner-wearing singer has an elegant abode in the Upper Rockridge area of Oakland, California. The five-bedroom Mediterranean home was designed for Armstrong by architect Mark Becker and built in 1998.

The double lot on over half an acre includes a pool, pool house and a professional music studio. The home is very restrained, decorated with soft comfortable furnishings in warm earth tones. A well-done family home lived in by Armstrong, his wife Adrienne and their two children. Adrienne has an interest in design and decor ad the home is well-styled with some gently exotic touches. The Chronicle reports that the walls of one room are covered with a collection of fliers from Green Day's early days but alas that's not in the listing pics. This home is listed at $4.85 million.

The Luxist Awards is now underway. Submit your nominations now for "Best in Décor".

The Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, California has jumped on the Twitter bandwagon with a special contest deal. They will be running a "Tweet to Retreat" promotion throughout the month of October 2009. Followers will have their knowledge of Desert Springs tested with questions ranging from the ingredients in the Angel Kiss cocktail at Oasis Bar & Grille to the number of rooms at the hotel. Luckily you can cheat, all answers can be found on the Desert Springs website. One winner will receive a three-night stay at the resort, including dinner at Ristorante Tuscany and Mikado Japanese Steakhouse, daily breakfast at LakeView, four 60-minute spa treatments, a VIP table at Costas nightclub, and a choice of tennis or golf lessons for two. To play follow the hotel at www.twitter.com/DesertSprings, and keep an eye out for the questions which will begin October 1st and continue throughout the month. First person to respond with the correct answer each day will be entered into a drawing for the ultra-luxe prize. The winner will be notified on November 2, 2009.

Coldwell Banker has released their 2009 Coldwell Banker® Home Price Comparison Index (HPCI) and found that La Jolla, Calif., is the most expensive market. In fact there is an over $2 million gap between what they deem the most expensive and most affordable U.S. housing markets. The comparison of similar 2,200-square foot homes in 310 U.S. housing markets found that the average home price in La Jolla is $2.125 million while at the other end of the spectrum, Grayling, Mich., was the most affordable market in America, where a similarly sized home costs $112,675. California fared badly, 13 other California markets are on the most expensive list while Grayling was one of 20 Midwest communities on the most affordable list (others include Akron, Canton, Detroit and Wichita).

Looking at four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath homes in the United States, thirty percent of the markets show this type of home to be below $200,000, while half of the markets surveyed showed an average price for this type of home to be less than $300,000 meaning there are deals out there. The cumulative average sales price of the four-bedroom homes surveyed in the 310 U.S. markets (including one in Puerto Rico) covered in the Coldwell Banker HPCI is $363,460.

The mention of La Jolla gave me a chance to check in on one of my favorite estates which happens to be in the seaside town. The Razor was once listed at $39 million, it was $32 million when I covered it in April and is now down to $28 million.

For the rates Venetian gondoliers charge you might expect a massage and a 3-course meal during your cruise of the canals. With the introduction of the Voga Voyage at Loews Coronado Bay Resort Gondola Company, you can at least check the massage off the list.

Your vessel for the journey among the Coronado Cays will be a softly wrapped, sun-warmed massage table. In turn, that table will ride upon an authentic 33-foot gondola that launches from the resort's private marina and then embarks on an hour-long cruise of Mediterranean-like waterways. Forty minutes of that will be occupied by masseurs tending to your physical needs, which includes the laying on of sunscreen before the more serious application of massaging hands. The last ten minutes of the trip will be given to sight-seeing, if you're in any mood for that, while you and your chère company feast on the gondola's supply of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.

Booking the $499 Voga Voyage also gets you a free night at the resort and its amenities, spread out on a secluded, 15-acre peninsula. And having saved on airfare to the Italian province, you just might have enough left over for the 3-course meal. It's certainly not what Iago meant when he mentioned "creating the beast with two backs," but this ride has a far less drama and a much happier ending...

The 7,000-square-foot Ocean Spa & Fitness has just reopened at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, and now provides a relaxing dose of eco-friendliness to go with its revamped facilities and salty air. Plus One Health Management oversaw the redesign and manages the spa, which means you're probably in good hands -- the same company has spent 13 years creating such oases for Merrill Lynch, Trump, and Google.

The greenness comes courtesy of the gym rebuilt with Ecoresin panels made from 40-percent post-industrial recycled resin, Armstrong sustainable ceiling tiles, Mondo recycled rubber floors, and Shaw carpet with Cradle to Cradle Certification. Even the furnishings do their part, coming from reclaimed wood.

As for the spa itself, the treatments have also gone into the revamp shop and come out more verdure. Essential oils from Red Flower are certified organic and come in numerous scents, from Indian jasmine to Icelandic moonflower. Skincare is provided by Pevonia Botanica, all of whose products are paraben- and chemical-free. Our favorite is the Beachcomber, with heated tiger clam shells used to knead away any ill you might have brought in with you. It's the best use of a clam since, well, chowder.

The extensive spa menu is filled out with the usual suspects: manicures, pedicures, a full-service hair salon with cutting, coloring and styling services, dry saunas, and eucalyptus steam rooms. But if you're committed to things of iron and muscles of steel, the gym's cardio equipment comes from Technogym, networked Expresso bikes allow for side-by-side "racing," and the group fitness studio is a playpen for adults that offers all of the c'est necessaire twisty-bendy classes.

And you don't need to be a hotel guest to take advantage; locals can join sign up for memberships, with terms as short as three months. Once you do, you'll get discounts on spa services and restaurant visits, and you can avail yourself of the guests-and-members-only pool deck whenever you wish. Put that all together -- a masseur's hands, poolside cocktails, and ocean air -- and it doesn't get more environmentally friendly than that, does it?



[Source: Loews]

Porsche just debuted the Panamera Gran Turismo to the North American public for the first time as part of Monterey Peninsula's Classic Car Week running through Sunday that includes the Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, the Monterey Historics and the famed Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The Panamera celebration also involves the 36th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races where Porsche is the featured marque this year. This has special meaning to all those race drivers, teams, and fans of Porsche as one of the most famous vintage racing events in the world honors the most successful racing brand of all time. Porsche is also bringing to the event a number of significant and rare historic race cars, the Formula One and Two cars among them. On Wednesday a fleet of Panameras made its way into the Monterey peninsula and were prepped until sunrise. This video showcases the fleet being delivered and is followed by a first drive of the Panamera 4S on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Concierge service is rewarding, but common; let's face it, Best Western has concierges. Butler service, on the other hand -- the round-the-clock ask-and-it's-done white-glove kind, that's still something special. The Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Holistic Retreat & Spa in Los Cabos, Baja California has just added butlers to its list of amenities, and they're free... well, whenever you book an ocean view suite.

Your attendant clocks in the moment you arrive and tends to the minutiae of any resort stay like dinner reservations, spa appointment, and dry cleaning. Yet the role of steward entails more than that: he will unpack your luggage, run your bubble bath, coordinate in-suite dining, plan an entire day trip and make sure your bed is turned down and your shoes are shined when you return. If there are enough of you for a cocktail party, he can arrange that as well. And anything else in between, so we're told.

Although Pueblo Bonito says "no request is too large or too small," there is one thing you can't ask your butler to do: take care of your children -- the Los Cabos property has been designed exclusively for adults. With your own butler, though, it will give you chance to be kids. Arthur would be proud...

The real estate sell off from the Real Housewives television shows continues. We are back in the O.C. for a look at the home of Tamra Barney, one of the stars of "The Real Housewives of Orange County." The Real Estalker reveals that Tamra Barney and her husband Simon recently put their Ladera Ranch, California home back on the market. They first listed the five-bedroom home last November. The Real Estalker also took a peek over at Redfin where the home is listed as a short sale. According to property records the pair paid $1,320,500 for the home in 2005. They are set for a loss as they are only asking $1,149,000 for it now.

For your money you get the standard Tuscan-style inland Orange County home, beige on the outside, dark wood and tile on the inside. The backyard is rather nice with a saltwater pool, spa with a waterfall, a built-in grill, bar, fireplace and firepit. The kitchen features a large granite-topped island with barstool plus a separate breakfast table. Dispensing with the usual flatscreen television over the fireplace, the family room has a large television built in to a wood cabinet. The living room and dining room are separated by a half wall which keeps the dining room from being too narrow. I don't watch the show so I don't know if this is how her home usually appears but it looks staged and ready for sale to me.

UPDATE: This home is no longer on the market.
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RM Auctions has just announced the consignment of a highly-desirable 1955 Aston Martin DB3S racer (above) to its Sports & Classics of Monterey auction event on August 13th - 15th in California. One of just 20 customer DB3Ss built and one of three examples ordered new by Australia's celebrated "Kangaroo Stable" racing team, the 1955 DB3S, chassis number DB3S/104, boasts an unbroken chain of ownership through to the present and an impressive racing history spanning from 1956 through to its last known event in 1997. It's estimated at $1.75 million - $2.25 million, making it one of the world's most expensive Aston Martins.

Painted in the famed Aston Martin racing color of Almond Green metallic with a yellow flash on the bonnet, the car was also driven by racing legends like Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby. "The Aston Martin DB3S in particular is rarely available to the market and when it is, traditionally only changes hands privately," notes RM President Ian Kelleher, "so it is exceptional to find one with such important provenance to be offered for sale publicly." The Aston will be auctioned off along with the $3 million 1952 Jaguar C-Type that The Classicist wrote about last month.

Classic cars owned by Rat Pack-ers Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra will be auctioned off in Carmel, CA on August 14 during Bonhams' annual Collectors' Automobilia and Motorcars sale at the Quail Lodge Resort and Golf Club. Sinatra's car is a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, estimated at $275,000 - $325,000, and Martin's is a beautiful 1962 Ghia L6.4 coupe (above), one of only 26 made by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Ghia, estimated at $185,000 - $225,000. Both cars have bespoke touches; Sinatra's Caddy features an original set of magnetic shot glasses and a cigarette case in the glove box, while Martin's Ghia comes with set of custom fitted calfskin luggage matching the tan leather upholstery.

[via Duncan Quinn]