Contemporary Art at Le Méridien Chambers

Even the public bathrooms host video artwork in this highly cultural, downtown Minneapolis hotel

Some boutique hotels seem to add artwork to the lobby as an afterthought for sheer novelty. Real estate magnate Ralph Burnet (of Coldwell Banker Burnet), however, has been merging artwork and service for a unique experience since 2006, when he founded Chambers, a 60-room hotel in Minneapolis that features selections from his private art collection but also rotates through new works. Since then, it was …

DIY Boards at Biarritz’s Blank Surf Shack

Shape your own stick in the thriving French seaside town

by Jorge Grimberg Known by many surfers as the “French California,” Biarritz is just a 20 minute drive from Spain along France’s Basque coast. The city boasts truly world-class surfing, is home to the European headquarters of majorsurf labels including Quicksilver and Billabong, and plays host to the Quiksilver/Roxy Jam surf tournament each yearso it’s not surprising that surfers flock there in search of the …

Word of Mouth: Astoria, Oregon

Freshly caught tuna and salmon, an auto body shop turned café and more rustic charm in this river town by the sea

by Jenny Miller The Oregon Coast enclave of Astoria, Oregon is not exactly a beach town. Though it’s just a few miles from the state’s austere, breathtaking stretches of sand, this former canning and maritime hub of about 10,000 people is perched on a hill at the spot where the mighty Columbia River flows into the Pacific Ocean. So technically, it’s a river town. The …