THE HORIZON HOTEL

Just came back from an incredible weekend in Palm Springs. We stayed at the Horizon Hotel, a recently restored luxury boutique hotel built in the 1950's. It is a modernist marvel, and we defintiely enjoyed a few hours poolside soaking up the sun and the gorgeous views. Whether in the crisp AM light or during the painterly dusk, the hotel was stunning. 

As part of the new "Take a Trip" series in the next few weeks, I will feature Palm Springs and new bright & bold inspiration from recent weekend trips. 

PALM SPRINGS WEEKEND

A Palm Springs weekend was just what the doctor ordered, a welcome respite before I started my new job! We took off on Friday AM for two days in Palm Springs, and the 90 degree weather, swaying palm trees and poolside lounging made for a perfect weekend.

TAKE A TRIP: PALM SPRINGS

The Horizon Hotel in Palm Springs is one of those hidden gems I want to keep secret, but somehow it's full every upcoming weekend so it's obviously not quite a hidden gem. It's the second time I got to stay at the modern resort, and it exceeded my expectations. Free continental breakfast delivered to your private patio, a 21 and over atmosphere that is quiet and relaxing, super comfortable king beds, and private rooms overlooking a gorgeous pool make for the perfect retreat.

According to the website, "With iconic, mid-century modern architecture and a rich Hollywood history, The Horizon Hotel offers a perfect boutique-hotel experience just minutes from downtown Palm Springs. Built in 1952 by renowned architect William F. Cody, The Horizon Hotel has been meticulously restored to its original splendor using Cody’s blueprints and a stash of vintage photographs taken by the great Julius Shulman." It's definitely my favorite home away from home.

MADAGASCAR IBOOK: SNEAK PEEK

Wow, 300mb and 300+ pages of interactive multimedia goodness. My brother's Madagascar iBook has officially launched, and I hope you will buy the book and dive into the big, bright, and bold experience. iBooks have really gotten fancy, and this multimedia book has a video, zooming chapters, maps, photos and big pull quotes in addition to riveting true travel stories. The book is organized into chapters by different regions and diverse experiences. 

According to Kris, "The Big Red Island is a place of color-changing chameleons and lemurs that will scamper down trunks of tall ravinala trees to eat bananas out of your hand. There is magic there at dawn: when the sun rises out of the golden sea, and when Indri sing at first light, and in the way that rain clouds drift over the cliffs of the great escarpment. The nature, the culture, the richness of the land -- it's all a part of the mosaic that is Madagascar. Experience the magic of Madagascar in your living room, and pitch in to help save the Big Red Island: literally a place like no other. I’m all the more excited because for the first time ever, my Travelogue is appearing as an iBooks Store exclusive.

Capturing that quintessential essence of unfamiliar lands has always been hard: since the age of Great Explorers, travelers have sought to convey what it is like to actually find yourself ‘Out There’. Trust me: it’s harder than we make it seem to be! But now, at long last, technology has caught up with the challenge of bring you there. iBooks allow for the integration of rich multimedia content (photos, audio, video) into a truly interactive story-telling experience. This is the way I’ve always wanted to publish my books: accompanied by contextual photography, presenting the world in three dimensions.

Go Ahead! Take a journey with me to the edge of the world. Discover a new kind of travel literature, where the stories are just the beginning and every picture is worth a thousand words. Discover Madagascar. And help save it."

 Learn more about the book and travels here.

MONEY FOR MADAGASCAR

I am super excited to present a special project I have been collaborating on with my brother. My brother is a world traveler, author, and photographer and he has partnered up with Money for Madagascar to donate 100% of the proceeds from selling his new iBook. The iBook is AWESOME (well, that's my slightly biased opinion, as I served as the font advisor, cover designer and map illustrator) but I really do think he did an incredible job presenting such a fascinating country. Be sure to download the book here and read more about it on his website. It's only $4.99, half the price of a green juice in San Francisco!

According to the author: It is said that the world has never been so well known or so easily within reach, but merely saying ‘Madagascar’, pronouncing its syllables, always makes it sound so far away and unreachable, like some lost world in a dream — an ethereal land given substance only by the stories we are told of it. The nature, the culture, the richness of the land: they are all part of the magical mosaic that is Madagascar. Like most of Africa, it is poor, yet even in its hunger it is hopeful, rather than desperate. Punished by cyclones, failed by its leaders, it remains optimistic. I write about the rainforests and deserts and markets and fêtes, the sapphire trade and conservation, but it’s the Malagasy people who set the Big Red Island apart. Though they own little, their hospitality is unparalleled. Their ways remain timeless. They speak their truth quietly. Plainly. And they have hope. All those kinds of things are hard to describe, maybe impossible: the contrasts, the contradictions, incongruities, juxtaposition — unless you’ve actually been there. Unless you’ve gone upcountry. 

This book brings you there. Combining hundreds of color photographs with an immersive multimedia experience, it provides rich visual context to these travel stories. So go ahead! Take a journey with me to the edge of the world. Discover a new kind of travel literature, where the stories are just the beginning and every picture is worth a thousand words. Discover Madagascar. And help save it.

Buy this book and help to support development projects in Madagascar. Kris Pierscieniak, author of ‘Madagascar: The Land Amidst Moving Waters’ will kindly donate to the charity Money for Madagascar (MfM). all proceeds from the worldwide sale of this iBook for the first 90-days that it is on sale. Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries. MfM sends money to small-scale Malagasy-led initiatives which tackle the country’s serious educational, social, economic and environmental challenges. To purchase, click here.