The Social Climber's Handbook by Molly Jong-Fast

My friend and fellow Upper East Sider Molly Jong-Fast has written a new book, The Social Climber's Handbook.

I loved it and think you guys will too.

Here we are together at one of her book launch soirees:(Note the stylin' pink highlights in Molly's hair - very punk meets prep.)

And here's my well worn copy of TSCH. It's beaten up from getting caught in a Delta lie flat seat, but it's still perfect on the inside:The Social Climber's Handbook is fiction, but if you've spent any time in and around New York you'll recognize an awful lot of the characters and settings.

There's the rich but overextended UES banker, the socially and financially ambitious wife always after the next 'it' thing, the WASPy writer trying to step out from the shadow of his old money family, the young, dumb-like-a-fox blogger babe, and so on...

There's talk of visiting shrinks that cost $500/hour, coddled children attending exclusive private schools, the cliquishness of certain charities that sound an awful lot like college sororities, and palatial apartments that cost 7 figures to decorate - the characters live in a wacky world of wealth and MJ-F gives us a peek inside.

TSCH is set in '08, and the economy is just on the brink of collapse. The financial markets are teetering, and people can sense that disaster - both personal and global - is right around the corner.

Woven into this story of privilege is a dark twist -- one of the main characters has a penchant for murder. This person doesn't want anything or anyone stand in the way of their happiness and their fabulous lifestyle, so if a problem needs to 'be taken care of', they've got just the solution...

This is all well and good, but the best part of this novel was that I laughed out loud. Many times. Molly is one funny cat - she's sharp, saucy, and frequently makes me almost spit a drink out across the table because she's said something that's so clever and on point. Add her quick wit and playful barbs to this dark satire and you've got one fun read.

The Social Climber's Handbook is available here. I recommend grabbing a copy before you head off on your July 4th long weekend holiday.

I recently sat down for a little chat with Molly at Island, a local Carnegie Hill haunt that serves Cobb salads, lobster rolls, and strong Bloody Marys.

In light of the recent rash of 'men with power and money behaving badly' stories (Weiner, Schwarzenegger, etc) I asked Molly what she thought the female equivalent of this behavior was. In her book the wealthy protagonist turns to violence/murder, but in the real world what do these type of women turn to if they want to misbehave? Molly's answer: spending and decorating -- hundreds of thousands of dollars in artwork, home renovations, draperies, carpets, antiques, gowns, jewelry, etc. Shopping and spending are the powerful, privileged woman's vices. I think she's on to something, and I'm curious to know if you guys agree. Sound off in the comments...

The Social Climber's Handbook by Molly Jong-Fast.

Chewton Glen

After our lovely stay in London last month, Chappy and I drove south (and got used to that whole car on the wrong side of the road thing) to Hampshire. We passed rolling hills and dense forest until we arrived to Chewton Glen:
Once a grand, old manor house, it's now a glorious Relais & Chateaux country retreat.

The grounds were impeccable... there were croquet lawns, well groomed plants and flowers, a pool inside a sunken garden, and best of all - tree swings!

Yay!:(Those tree swings were only meant for children, but I think as a very, very playful adult I qualify.)

There was lots of other resort-related fun to be had at Chewton Glen...

Chappy hit the courts - doesn't he look just like Federer? Well, even if he didn't look exactly like Federer I was still his enthusiastic cheerleader from the sidelines:Chewton Glen's property is right by the sea. For me it was well worth the 20 minute stroll down the trail to arrive at this doubly gorgeous view of husband + sea:The trail to the water was lined with authentic split log benches for resting, relaxing, and enjoying the view.

I thought the benches were better used for doing Urdhva Dhanurasana on top of them:After all that backbending it was time for a spa visit.

I got a facial at Linda Meredith's clinic (she does Gwyneth in London!) - phenomenally good. And Chappy hung out in the hydrotherapy baths - a giant room with plunge pools, hot tubs, jets and showers all over.

Happy Chappy splashing in the hydrotherapy bath:
And chilling in the outdoor hottub:We also spent a fair amount of time just resting, reading, and hanging out in our toile and grey room. Isn't it pretty?:

I took many an afternoon nap curled up on that velvet sofa:The giant bathroom - comes in handy when the couple traveling together are a combined 12+ ft tall:
Our room's balcony - the perfect spot to take in a little late day sun before heading off to cocktails:The hotel's restaurant extends out into their solarium. It's a bright, airy space and was a perfect spot for our celebratory dinner. Chappy enjoyed the atmosphere:And I enjoyed the Whiksey Sour:We both enjoyed one another's company, and the restaurant gave us a special treat for dessert for our special occasion - chocolaty fabulous, totally festive: I was so excited to be at Chewton Glen celebrating 5 years of marriage to my best guy that I felt the need to take a trip down their slide yelling, 'YIPPIE!!!':Chewton Glen.

Monty Monday - Tasti D-Lite

One recent sweltering New York afternoon Monty and I split a small vanilla Tasti D-Lite.

I ate the first half and he waited patiently knowing he was in for a special treat:AHHHHHHH - ICE CREAM!!!!!!!:Someone got a little overzealous in the middle of their ice cream eating and knocked the container clear off the step. Oops:Here he is down one step, but remaining persistent in his quest for softserve:Good to the last drop!:

Post-Game Party Report

I'm a little behind posting this post-game party report because I've been a bit cranky/tired with this herniated disc in my neck. It's annoying, but life goes on -- and I continue to go out and have fun.

I went to the re-opening of de Grisogono's Madison Avenue boutique. Their store was badly damaged in a fire last year, but now it's gleaming, new, and filled with drool-worthy jewels - it was excellent browsing. Here I am with my friends Denise DeLuca and Amy Hoadley at de Grisogono:
We went to the Doubles Summer Dance (...and dance we did!). Doubles is in the basement of the Sherry-Netherland hotel and is all red, graphic patterns, and stripes. It's a private club so I don't think you're supposed to take photos, but Chappy looked so dapper here on the staircase that I couldn't resist:
I visited the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum. It seemed like it was me and a bunch of schoolchildren and tourists, but I'm not sure why more NYers aren't visiting - I thought it was very cool. They've got the giant aircraft carrier to wander around in, military planes on the deck to gawk at, and the Concorde:There's also a Cold War era submarine called The Growler that you can tour through. This is a shot of their tight living quarters on board. You have to squeeze through those little portholes so skip the sub if you're claustrophobic:

I saw the 'Bye Bye Kitty!!!' exhibit at the Japan Society. It was modern, provocative, and excellent. Here's a snap of Makoto Aida's giant work, 'Ash Color Mountains':
And I got my Philharmonic fix twice - once for a Young NYers for the Philharmonic event and a second time with Bookish NYC for Shostakovitch and Schoenberg. (Also, thank goodness my seats are on the left side of the hall since my head isn't keen on turning right these days):More post-game to follow shortly...

Public Art in Midtown

I spent yesterday afternoon in midtown - lots of hustle, bustle, and business suits going on there. I joined their fast pace and popped from appointment to appointment, but I couldn't help slowing down to take a look at these fantastic public art pieces in the neighborhood...

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei used the Pulitzer Fountain (right by Central Park in front of The Plaza Hotel) for his installation: 'Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads':I was particularly interested in the 800 pound bronze 'sheep' sculpture since 'sheep' is my Chinese zodiac year -- there is a handy flyer next to the artwork where you can look up your sign. They say sheep are said to be quiet (umm, this one not so much), calm (I'm workin' on it in yoga), and that they like to focus their energy on enjoying cultural/artistic things (bingo!).

Monty, appropriately enough, was born during the year of the dog (center):His Chinese zodiac reads: He is a listener, always available to lend an ear or a shoulder to a friend in need. This is spot-on, and I'm glad they didn't mention anything about talking, singing, or yodeling because Monty hasn't learned those skills yet.

My next stop took me a further east to the Villard Mansion, now part of The New York Palace Hotel on Madison/50th.

French artist Julien Marinetti has commandeered the mansion's courtyard for his monumental 'Doggy John' sculpture:A close-up of the 1500 lbs of brass, lacquer, and cuteness of this extra large French Bulldog:Doggy John's view - keeping an eye on St. Patrick's Cathedral:
Finally I strolled up Park Avenue and happened upon the biggest teddy bear I've ever seen...

Urs Fischer's 23-foot-tall, 35,000 lb bronze artwork 'Untitled (Lamp/Bear)' sits, well more like slumps, in the plaza in front of the Seagram Building.

From the right:From the left:From afar:That lamp on Teddy's head actually lights up too. I love this piece - it's bright, playful, and fun - but the $6.8 million(!) it sold for at auction last month is a bit out of my price range.

Do you dig these pieces - yes/no/sorta? And tell me some of your public art faves in and around NYC...

Preppy Pick - Wimberly Bee Cuff

I am powerless to resist -

a.) a small critter motif, and
b.) a Napoleonic bee.

...so when my girl Summer is a Verb forwarded me Wimberly Inc.'s site and I found a bracelet that combined both a.) and b.) with plenty of style, I knew I had to have it.

Check it -- Wimberly's Cream Bee Cuff Bracelet:*Squeeeeeee* *Love it!*

The cuff is enamel, and that enameling comes in tons of color choices - I chose cream to keep it neutral - and both the bee and the inside lining are gold. The metal has a little bit of give, so if you've got tiny wrists like me you can squeeze it and shape the cuff to make it tighter.

Here it is on my wrist, a fun and relevant (since Melissa means Honeybee) addition to my normally bare forearm:
I occasionally wear a watch on my left wrist, so I thought about adding this cuff to my right wrist instead:But I fear it's looking too busy over there between the sailor's bracelet, the Lapland bracelet, and the Turkish evil eye bracelet. (None of those other 3 bracelets ever come off until they're cut off - usually at the end of summer.)

What say you-- do you agree that the bee is better on the left wrist where it can buzz on its own?

And for those of you not seduced by bees, Wimberly's site has a ton of other cute critters in bright colors to browse through. I've got my eye on a few pieces...


1. Coral Dragonfly Cuff Bracelet:
2. Pink Bangle Charm Bracelet, with little Turtles:
3. Chocolate Brown Horseshoe EXTRA WIDE Cuff Bracelet:
4. Black Enamel Octopus Belt Buckle:Dig my choices? Got some other favorites of your own?

Have a browse around Wimberly's site and let me know what critters and colors you fancy.

Wimberly Inc.

Monty Monday - Pool Float

There was a heat wave in the Northeast last week. It was humid and hot, and there was no better place to cool off than in our CT pool. I dove in, grabbed a raft, and floated around enjoying the cool water.

Monty was intrigued by this -- and also very warm from the 90 degree day. He walked the perimeter of the pool sniffing, panting, and investigating. He stuck his snout in the water and then glared straight at me.

So, I did what I thought was right in this situation... I gave the little man a pool raft of his very own:And Monty took to the open seas of our CT pool like a duck to water.

The pool's pumps gradually pushed him to the other side of the deep end. He looked a little apprehensive over there, but was still plenty happy to chill:
Soon he relaxed and got the hang of it -- here he is soaking up the sun and enjoying the lovely landscaping of the garden:He even figured out a way to let a little water into the raft so that he could dip down into it when needed to cool off his belly:Eventually he got bored and lonely being all by himself. So Monty waited till the moment was just right and the rafts were just close enough, and BAM - Monty leapt/splashed/crashed over onto my pool float.

He snuggled down by my feet and made himself right at home:M & m lounging on pool rafts together = an absolutely perfect way to spend a balmy afternoon.

Post-Game Party Report

Alas, I'm not so big on parties and action in the blog this week because this was my view mid-week:Look familiar? That's because it's the good old recovery room at HSS. I had my 2nd epidural steroid injection in my cervical spine for this SUPER ANNOYING herniated disc pain last week.

I looked showercap chic, and I accessorized the whole ensemble by having my bedding and icepacks drape around my face like a scarf just so:There was lots of taking medicine, relaxing, and recovering afterward -- hopefully that means more pain-free days of parties, music, and art next week....