hemi culture
STAY
HomespunNew
EnglandCharm
506ONTHERIVER INN
,
WOODSTOCK, VERMONT
BACKSTORY
In 1956, a local
family built five small cabins
along the Ottauquechee River to take
advantage of a tourism boom in Ver-
mont. The inn later became a budget
roadside motel, and last February, a
small luxury hotel groupwith proper-
ties in Kenya, Tanzania and Germany
reopened the six-acre resort as a
high-end retreat. If you’re wondering
whatanEastAfricanhospitalitychain is
doing insmall-townNewEngland, look
no further thanownerAarenMacksoud,
whowasborn righthere inWoodstock.
DESIGNNOTES
Thehotel spares
no expense in laying on the
homespun charm: coffee tables made
from old milk crates, doors adorned
with antique mailbox numbers, and
accoutrements like vintage type-
writers and cash registers. Outside,
Adirondack chairs dot the sloping
lawn leading down to the riverbank.
Ifyou’reyearning forsomethinga little
moremodern, headdownstairs,where
the hotel just opened a brand-new
indoor pool and sauna.
SIGNATUREDRINK
TheVermont
themealsocropsupon thedrinks
menu at the 506Bistro &Bar. Several
of the cocktails include SaplingMaple
Liqueur, which is distilled a little over
an hour south of here, in Brattleboro.
These include theVTini, avodkamartini
with lemon juice and bacon, and the
MapleLumberJack,whichcontainsJack
Daniel’s and apple cider and is served
(of course) in amason jar.
BrutallyChicDigs inHipKoreatown
THELINEHOTEL
, LOSANGELES
BACKSTORY
Built in 1964, this
exquisite example of Brutalist archi-
tecture inLA’sKoreatownhas been runby
numerous hotel brands, including Hyatt,
when itwas the siteof lateYankeesowner
George Steinbrenner’s infamous elevator
brawl with two Dodgers fans during the
1981World Series. Decades later, after a
fewmore incarnations, the propertywas
acquired by the Sydell Group—also behind
NewYork’sNoMadHotel—whichrenovated
it and in2014 rechristened it TheLine.
DESIGNNOTES
Acclaimed Venice
Beach designer Sean Knibb favors
industrial style throughout the 388-room
property. “Concrete” wallpaper—made
from photographs of the building’s actual
exterior walls—ingeniously evokes the
structure’sarchitecture,while theplatform
beds, writing desks and other furnishings
combine for an invitingmidcenturymini-
malism. This stripped-back aesthetic also
emphasizes the floor-to-ceiling windows
and, in the north-facing rooms, the views
of theHollywood sign.
BESTPLACETOHANGOUT
It’s no
coincidence that Commissary, the
onsite restaurant and bar, is located in a
lushgreenhouse,as itsmenusfocusonfresh
produce, likegrilledmelonandgreencurry
eggplant. The verdure extends outside to
the intimate hotel pool, where citrus trees
provide privacy. Decidedly less sunny,
though no less inviting, is the new Break
Room86, an ’80s-themedkaraokebar and
dance club—entered, in true speakeasy
fashion, througha retrovendingmachine.
HOT DISH
Commissary’s lighter
fare is undeniably tasty. But this is
Koreatown, after all, so you’re going to be
craving braised beef ssam, spicy chicken
wings and kimchee everything. The lobby
restaurantPot, byKorean-American celeb-
rity chef Roy Choi (owner of the iconic
Korean taco truck Kogi), features all that
gluttonous goodness andmore. The laid-
back eatery is named for its scrumptious
pots of either pork neck or marinated rib
eye, which serve two and arewarmed by
inductionburners encased in the tables.
