Swing Into Summer
 There’s nothing quite as dreamy as a hammock swinging from a pair of palm trees to relax the mind and soothe the senses. This one is waiting for you at Jumby Bay, a Rosewood resort located on a 300-acre private island off the coast of Antigua, accessible only by boat. After your visit, consider creating an island paradise in your own backyard with the perfect luxury hammock.
-- William Kissel
This “Couples” hammock by Nicamaka, $155, will entice the two of you to kick back and relax. (866) 377-1224, nicamaka.com. Find other great hammocks at The Hammock Company, (800) 398-6004, hammock-company.com; Seaside Hammocks, (561)547-6265, seasidehammocks.com; and Hatteras Hammocks, (800) 643-3522, hatterashammocks.com.
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BOOKS
Reading List
Load your carry-on, or your Kindle, with a few good reads. -- Lori Stacy
 BE TANTALIZED: For takes on a quintessential American meal, pick up Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries & Shakes (Clarkson Potter; by Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson).
BE INTRIGUED: Frequent CL contributor Mark Seal weaves a moving tale about naturalist Joan Root and her mysterious and tragic death in Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa (Random House).
BE INFORMED: In My Remarkable Journey (Weinstein Books; written with Cal Fussman), Larry King gives in-depth treatment to events in his life.
BE INSPIRED: Check out Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy (Portfolio) by Isadore Sharp, founder, chairman, and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
BE ENTERTAINED: Dune Road (Viking) by Jane Green centers around a famously reclusive novelist and the secret he has kept hidden for years.
BE A FAN: Get to know controversial Yankees owner George Steinbrenner in George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire (Wiley) by Peter Golenbock.
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 TRAVEL
Retro Vacations
Sun on your skin, 4th of July parades with the flag-festooned kids waving from the town firetruck, the rippling dip of a canoe paddle, a drive-in under the stars: The pleasures of summers past still exist. Even better, some have been upgraded to cater to your adult tastes.
-- Ken McAlpine
CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS. No place speaks old-school summer better than the Cape. Catch hometown 4th of July parades and fireworks in Hyannis, Orleans, and pretty much everywhere else; see a ballgame (the Cape is home to one of the best developmental baseball leagues in the country); and catch a flick with your sweetie at the Wellfleet Drive-In Theatre. capecodchamber.org
CANOE BAY, WISCONSIN. It’s summer camp for professed adults. Canoe and kayak on a private lake two hours east of Minneapolis and tramp through the woods, though the hike might be a chef-led foraging expedition. Stay in luxurious cottages, enjoy massages, and compare notes with your fellow campers over a multicourse tasting menu in the mess hall. canoebay.com
MISSION BEACH, CALIFORNIA. For the kids (and you), San Diego’s Mission Beach can’t be beat. Ride the 1925 Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster and the FlowRider artificial wave at Belmont Park, pedal along the beachfront strand, surf in the Pacific, kayak in Mission Bay, and relive it all beside a crackling beach bonfire. sandiego.org
SHUSWAP LAKE, BRITISH COLUMBIA. Drift like Tom Sawyer; live like a king. Waterway Houseboats rents houseboats with king-size beds, barbecues, wireless Internet, and hot tubs. Your job is to swim, sunbathe, fish, and explore the nooks and crannies of more than 600 miles of shoreline on this pristine lake midway between Calgary and Vancouver. waterwayhouseboats.com
MACKINAC ISLAND, MICHIGAN. Ferry across Lake Huron and step back in time. Hear bicycle bells and clip-clopping horse carriages -- cars were banned on the island in 1898, though you can rent your own carriage to explore the island. Savor the sweet waft of fudge on Main Street, and enjoy high tea, croquet, and dressy dinners at the elegant Grand Hotel. mackinacisland.org
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DESIGN
Through The Looking Glass
 Want to really celebrate summer in style? Commission a one-of-a-kind conservatory.
A conservatory isn’t a room to decorate so much as an environment to create. It is an inviting gallery to fill with your passions and pursuits, whatever they may be,” say the founders of Tanglewood Conservatories, Alan Stein and Nancy Virts.
The company’s production teams are heirs to a 300-year-old craft and woodworking tradition, and show great respect for the elegant traditions of 19th-century English-glass architecture. “We’re rare because we do modern interpretations of classic conservatories,” says Stein, “and we use design elements like those that made the originals so beautiful.”
Custom creations can take a year to produce, with primary construction in Maryland and craftspeople traveling the globe to oversee on-site installation. “Each Tanglewood piece of artistry is as rare and interesting as its inhabitants. The final product is a unique statement about who they are,” says Stein. From $100,000 to more than $1 million. (800) 229-2925, tanglewoodconservatories.com
-- Janet Thomas
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GREAT FINDS
 Back to Comfort
Here’s the perfect summer tote that’s a breeze to carry. The Healthy Back Bag’s sleek shape contours to the natural curve of the spine, distributing weight along the entire length of the back. Several pockets keep things organized, and AmeriBag’s collection includes microfiber, distressed nylon, and -- our favorite -- upscale leather. (888) 758-1636, ameribag.com -- J.T.
EYE SPY
Does your sunglass frame fit your face? Why not let an ILORI personal style consultant help? The fashionable eyewear chain, which stocks such brands as Persol, Oliver Peoples, Tom Ford, and Prada, offers personal guides to whisk you through its pop-art boutiques and help you create an optical wardrobe to suit your face, body, coloring, and lifestyle. (212)226-8276, iloristyle.com -- W.K.
Pack and Pedal
You don’t need to be a professional cyclist to appreciate the versatility of the Lapierre Passport, a full-size suspension mountain bike that compactly folds into its own durable travel bag. The Passport assembles in about five minutes and, when not in use, stores in a specially made travel case that, together, weighs less than 40 pounds. Available at bike shops nationwide. About $2,650. www.carryyourdreams.com -- W.K.
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DINING/NIGHTLIFE
Clockwise from left: Chicago’s L2O and (inset) peekytoe crab with avocado, Kaffir lime, lemon oil; Bedford; Marc Forgione’s prosciutto-wrapped figs with a rosemary-ginger reduction
Great Eats
NEW AND NOTABLE EATERIES ARE SPRINGING UP IN THE BIG CITIES. HERE’S A LOOK AT SOME DELECTABLE DINING DESTINATIONS.
-- NICOLE ALPER
Chicago
At Chicago’s tapas restaurant MERCAT A LA PLANXA, inside The Blackstone hotel, Chicago native and Philadelphia-based chef Jose Garces wows guests with exotic dishes such as braised rabbit agnolotti. “La Mesa de Jose,” or Jose’s table, is a requisite chef-selected extravaganza. (312) 765-0524, mercatchicago.com
Chef Laurent Gras’ L2O is an edible altar to the sea featuring the likes of peekytoe crab with avocado, Kaffir lime, and lemon oil and sashimi-sliced Shimaaji with red miso, radishes, and soy salt. A Tatami Room offers extra privacy and an extravagant tasting menu. (773) 868-0002, l2orestaurant.com
Houston
Houston Heights is abuzz with the hit restaurant BEDFORD, where diners can sit on the wraparound porch on a warm spring evening feasting on duck foie gras with apple cider gelée. (713) 880-1001, bedfordrestaurant.com
New York City
Co-owned by Alex Gonzalez, drummer for Maná (Latin America’s equivalent of the Rolling Stones), DE SANTOS is luring the who’s who of the music scene. Be sure to reserve a table in the large outdoor courtyard. (212) 206-9229, desantos.com.mx
With a warm, loft-like interior lined with antiques, Tribeca’s New American restaurant MARC FORGIONE serves dishes such as prosciutto-wrapped figs with a rosemary-ginger reduction and peach upside-down cake alongside sweet corn ice cream. (212) 941-9401, marcforgione.com
Seasonal is the mantra at the West Village’s BRAEBURN, chef Brian Bistrong’s woodsy bôite featuring delicious American bistro cuisine. Pork lovers will hungrily devour the rack with potato prune gratin. (212) 255-0696, braeburnrestaurant.com
With a gleaming eggshell-white interior, BAR BLANC is a favorite for West Village locals. Slide into one of the leather banquettes and feast on slow-roasted all-natural chicken breast with parsnip, Comte gnocchi, leg-meat confit, and black truffle. (212) 255-2330, barblanc.com
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WATCHES
Summer Time
 TIME TRIALS
Although Ducati is known for its sleek, supercharged Italian motorcycles, the company’s new line of signature watches are also built with speed enthusiasts in mind. The new CW0020 stainless-steel women’s watch features a racy ruby-encrusted bezel and a genuine crocodile leather strap stitched in a manner similar to riders’ gloves. $2,150. (800) 587-5165, ducati.com -- W.K.
WEEKENDER
Inspired by the legendary summer getaway, Baume & Mercier’s Hampton watches conjure up images of beach parties on the ocean shore. This year the iconic watch celebrates its 15th birthday with designs that will take you from the city to the coast in style. Slip on the handsome, oversized Hampton Magnum XXL, with a black rubber strap and antiglare sapphire crystal, and call it a week. $4,990. baume-etmercier.com -- L.S.
FLY BY NIGHT
In 1942, the Italian Officine Fontana created a number of easily readable watch designs for that country’s U-boat officers to wear in battle. The watches were never made, but the original sketches were preserved for more than 60 years and used to create designs for the U-Boat and Welder watch brands by Italo Fontana. The stainless-steel Welder 3201 men’s watch features distinctive large orange numbers and is water resistant to a depth of nearly 300 feet. $880. Through Eighty Eight, LLC. (305) 576-1396, welderamerica.com -- W.K.
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DINING/NIGHTLIFE
POINT OF VIEW
 NEW YORK. By day, the PRIVATE ROOF CLUB AND GARDEN at the GRAMERCY PARK HOTEL is a refined and intimate hideaway for breakfast or lunch. By night, the pulse quickens and the space morphs into an exclusive in-the-know spot for dinner or drinks. See the concierge, and you’ll be “keyed up” to paradise, Ian Schrager-style. (212) 920-3300, gramercyparkhotel.com -- J.T.
MIAMI. See the sea, and the Miami skyline, from CLUB 50, atop the new VICEROY MIAMI hotel, the centerpiece of the 10-acre, bayfront Icon Brickell project in the heart of Miami’s urban center. Kelly Wearstler missed no detail when designing the bar, which lures late-night loungers with its private pool deck, 12-foot daybeds, and an English-style garden. (866) 781-9923, viceroymiami.com -- L.S.
MADRID. Check in to the ME MADRID, a hip luxury hotel in the heart of bustling Madrid. Then hit THE PENTHOUSE, created by brothers Scott and Rande Gerber (the latter is Cindy Crawford’s other half), and its sleek rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the famous Plaza Santa Ana. New direct service from Dallas/Fort Worth to Madrid on American Airlines helps you make the scene sooner. (888) 956- 3542, memadrid.com -- Luis Guillermo de la Corte
LOS ANGELES. Downtown L.A. gets hipper by the day. For proof, pay a visit to André Balazs’ second effort in his line of Standard hotels, THE STANDARD, DOWNTOWN LA. Take a ride to the top floor and check out the ROOFTOP BAR. You might miss the Los Angeles skyline once you get a glimpse of your surroundings: A red AstroTurf deck, vibrating waterbeds, and even outdoor movie nights make this haunt anything but standard. (213) 892-8080, standardhotels.com -- L.S.
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