Now that Spring has sprung, our thoughts turn to warmer weather, a new wardrobe, and wonderful gifts for our favorite people! Check out our curated collection below.
Laurie Heifetz
Have you left your gift shopping to the last minute? No worries! Check out the Web sites of this curated collection for additional savings.
REVISIT THE 60’S!
Love the Twiggy GOGO Boot from Accessories Council member, Luna Selene! These stunning, creme-colored boots are designed in Pittsburgh and handcrafted in Italy from ethically-sourced leather.
$400 (limited batch)
WHAT’S YOUR HAIRITAGE?
Super YouTuber Mindy McKnight’s Hairitage Bath & Body Collection is off the charts! The essential-oil infused Now & Lather Body Wash is available in Mint & Yuzu; Cedarwood; and Neroli. It’s enriched with oat kernel and gotu kola extract.
$8.94 each
https://hairitagebymindy.com/
Available exclusively at Walmart & Walmart.com
CHANGE YOUR PACKING GAME!
The Fold-N-Pack® Smart Hanger allows you to pack perfectly-folded clothes into luggage, then unfold and use the same hanger after unpacking! It’s a great way to reduce wrinkles. Available in Jet Black, Metal Gray and Rose Gold.
$19.99 each or in packs of 4, 8, 12 & 16
DON’T TOY WITH ME!
Make your young one happy! The goal of the Dinobytes Battle Arena by IMC Toys (introduced at the Toy Insider’s Sweet Suite), is to knock off your rival’s helmet. It’s for boys and girls ages 3, and is hot, hot, hot!
$24.99
Buy on Amazon or Buy at Walmart
CATCH CHAGALL!
Give the gift of the immersive Chagall, Paris experience in NYC, on through early 2024. There’s nothing like art which surrounds, as well as the light-and-sound show! Perfect for families, too.
Adult ticket prices start at $30. Youth ages 5-17 are $18. Children under the age of 5 are free. Tickets for seniors and military are discounted.
The gift shop has many one-of-a kind items!
In 2024, “Destination Cosmos: The Immersive Space Experience,” will return to Hall des Lumieres in Tribeca.
BLUE JEAN BABY!
The vintage-looking Goldie Blues™ jean collection from Maurices, features flattering, nipped-in waists and back pockets. Wear tights underneath the ripped denim for winter warmth! The jeans are available in stores or online.
$49.90, discounted now at $34.93 on the Web site
GET PIERCED!
Give the gift of piercing from nationwide experts, Banter® by Piercing Pagoda! Ear piercing is free with the purchase of piercing earrings, starting at just $20. The stylish earrings, rings and body jewelry are available for purchase in person or online. NYC stores are located in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. Check the Web site for items that can arrive before December 24!
SAFE IN YOUR OWN SKIN!
Do you have a family member who gets motion or sea sickness from boating, cruising or water sports? Or a friend who gets nauseous from morning sickness or migraines? The Reliefband® Sport is the perfect solution for these conditions! This FDA-cleared, waterproof wearable can also be used with the company’s smartwatch-compatible band. There’s even a 14-day money-back guarantee! Read about the fascinating clinical history of Reliefband® on the Web site. Spotted at the Pepcom tech media preview.
$199.99 on Amazon
Valentine’s Day 2023 Gift Guide
Image of Ben Jeffries (left) & Sam Kimmel by Laurie Heifetz.
It was standing room only at the “Why Marketers are Winning Big on TikTok” talk at Advertising Week New York last month. The annual event was held at the sparkling, new Lower East Side venue, The Market Line. Ben Jeffries, the CEO of Influencer.com, and Sam Kimmel, of Strategic Global Creator Partnerships at TikTok, participated in the “fireside chat.”
Remember the “As Seen on TV” product tag? Ben mentioned that “As Seen on TikTok” is very prevalent now. Sam said that 83% of the TikTok audience misses shopping in person. She described going to the mall with your mom, sister and best friend — “the community aspect of shopping — that went away during Covid.”
“TikTok became somewhat of a digital mall. You had the ability to discover random products. It almost felt like window shopping in the mall,'” she observed. She also said that the community aspect included commenting and sending videos to friends and family. “The joy and engagement around shopping were recreated,” she stated.
Ben said that e-commerce was happening, but live shopping was the most prevalent. Sam offered that creators have been such a critical piece in driving shopping behavior on TikTok. One of three users have bought something because a creator recommended it, she told the audience. “A lot of that comes back to core principles of TikTok, that authenticity, because we’re not that filtered, polished aspirational content. People trust creators and don’t feel they’re being hard-sold to.”
“Creators, or influencers, were often thought of as a media tactic, and it was the last step of your campaign,” she continued. “Now the brands develop products with the creators.” A striking example is Addison Rae, who went on to have her own top-selling line at Sephora.
And what does the future hold? Sam stated, “Research shows that the creator economy is going to be valued at over $100 billion next year.”
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Advertising Week Iconic Brand Mascot:
Image by Laurie Heifetz
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Advertising Week Logo: Image by Laurie Heifetz
Are celebs just like you and me when it comes to pandemic travel? We caught up with a few you may know — and others you may not have heard of — to hear their travel tales.
Jacques Torres, celebrity pastry chef
I went to Bandon, a city between Toulon and Marseilles in Provence for five weeks in 2021. I grew up there. It’s famous for wine. I went to the beach. I enjoy the south of France for wineries and tastings. I felt safe traveling because this is a house I own.
Photo Courtesy of Facebook
Ben Johns, pro-pickleball player
No international travel. We go all around the US for tournaments. We don’t vacation. We just play pickleball. Even in 2021, there were full crowds. In July of last year, I played pickleball in Hawaii. October 2021, Las Vegas. I did go to Ecuador, but not too recently. I own a pickleball vacation company called Pickleball Getaways.
NOTE: Johns and his business partner, pro-pickleball player, Dekel Bar, have led trips to destinations including Riviera Maya, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Richmond, British Columbia.
Photo Courtesy of Facebook
Collin Johns, pro-pickleball player
A lot of times the pickleball tournaments are in locations where there are vacations. The PPA Masters November 2021 in La Quinta, California was like a hotel. It’s a nice area — essentially like a vacation. I go on all of the same tours as Ben. In the height of Covid-19, they were shut down for a couple of months, and there were travel restrictions.
Photo by Laurie Heifetz
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, artist
I did a trip from Barcelona to New York. We were in lockdown in Barcelona in the middle of the pandemic when no one was flying — May of 2020. I did an homage piece next to the Queens Museum to a Latino doctor who passed away. That flight was bizarre. It was a huge plane with two passengers. There was no food in the airport. The reason why the plane was larger was that it was used for cargo. It was filled with cars on the bottom floor!
Photo by Laurie Heifetz
Jet Tila, celebrity chef (“Food Network”)
I took my family to Hawaii in the height of Omicron, November/December of 2021. We were on the island of Oahu, which I love. We based ourselves at the Disney Resort, but we’d take day excursions. One callout excursion families need to know is Kamoauli, a 100-year old wooden canoe from Tonga staffed with teachers and native experts who tell the history. Basically, you’re whale watching, while they’re preparing native foods and teaching native history. It’s like a luau in a boat!
Photo by Laurie Heifetz
Photo by Pat Lambert
Deana Martin, singer-actor
My trip to Toronto last year was fantastic! I had light drinks — “sippy-poos,” as my dad would say — on the plane because you didn’t have to have your mask on. I did a debut of the documentary, “Dean Martin, King of Cool,” and won the IItalian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) Excellence Award. It was one of those experiences where you go to this party and this press conference. We had excellent meals in Toronto.
Interviewed in NYC at: “Taste of the Upper West Side”; “Live with Kelly & Ryan”; “The Hug” statue unveiling for me2music.org’s “Monumental Moments” at Lincoln Center; CAMP’s flagship store Visit California media event; and Frank Sinatra’s birthday party at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant.
The interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.
Do you ever wish you could be whisked away on a fast, ferry ride to a rooftop lounge with magnificent, Manhattan and Hudson River views? Well, wish no more! The RoofTop at Exchange Place in Jersey City is just your place. The seven-minute NY Waterway ride from the Brookfield Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan is followed by a quick walk to the spirited venue. The whole evening is an experience like no other!
I was greeted at the door and taken to the rooftop by elevator where another host welcomed me. I felt like I walked into a fun party with lots of different groups. The DJ was spinning lively pop, hip-hop and Top 40. The views of the Manhattan skyline and beyond were exquisite. Seeing the Statue of Liberty was an added plus!
What about the food? The official word: “The menu is inspired by regional American cuisine with strong Mid-Atlantic-New Jersey roots, showcasing local farms and artisanal products.”
Check out the summer signature cocktails. The green tea Long Island is made with vodka, gin, white rum, Amaro Nonino Quintessia, green tea lemonade and lemon simple syrup. The sexy Sicilian spritzer features Aperol, Prosecco and blood-orange soda. Mocktails are available on request.
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Spicy Tuna: Photo Courtesy of RoofTop at Exchange Place
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Sicilian Spritz: Photo by Laurie Heifetz
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View from the Deck: Photo by Laurie Heifetz
Lead Photo and Instagram reels by Laurie Heifetz: @thetravelprose