SATC Countdown, Choosing a Hotel

We're attending an advanced screening of Sex and the City on Wednesday night thanks to Coty Prestige and Sarah Jessica Parker's new frangrance, SJP NYC.  To make it a true girls' night out, we invited a couple of our besties to join us to make our own foursome.  Next the usual planning ensued: what to wear, where to eat, and where to stay.

We chose the Carlton Hotel, a Preferred Hotel and Resort, in the Madison Square Park district of Midtown.  The Carlton has a long history, known early last century as the Seville Hotel.  The lobby is grand:

It has been updated but keeps its Beaux Art charm, from the rediscovered Tiffany skylight (below) which had been painted over to camouflage the hotel from WWII air raids to the vintage bar that Frank Sinatra frequented when he was in town.

The rooms are stylish and comfortable:

Check back soon for a review of our stay at the Carlton.

Memorial Day Travel Idea #1: Sex and the City Trips

Can you believe it's May? Neither can we. Especially because that means Memorial Day Weekend is less than four weeks away. All this week we'll be featuring fun girls' getaway ideas to celebrate the unofficial kick off of summer.

With Sex and the City 2 opening on May 27, we suggest heading to New York City to catch a showing and experiencing the SATC lifestyle for yourself. Whenever Hope is in town, she stays at The Muse, right in the heart of Times Square.

The hotel is offering a Sex and the City themed package--updated for the sequel. Included is:

• A personal driver to visit the girls’ haunts like Jimmy Choo, Magonlia Bakery, The Pleasure Chest, and even the steps of Carrie’s brownstone to snap pics.
• “Sex and the City” inspired cocktails at the hotel's NIOS restuarant, which include Carrie’s Manolo Martini, Charlotte’s Upper East Sidecar, Samantha’s Kinky Caipirinha, Miranda’s Power Suit Punch, and Mr. Big’s flight of Napa Cabernet Savignons
• A DVD of the original Sex and the City: The Movie
• Breakfast in bed--you must order a side of Applewood smoked bacon.
  
• A map to “tour Morocco” in NYC with locations inspired by the new film including Café Mogador and Revitali Hookah Lounge.

Rates start at $429 per night.

When you're in town, stop by the Ted Gibson salon for the Sex and the City 2 special. When you and three friends book blowouts, you get 15% off, a free glass of champers and a discount on Ted Gibson Hair Styling Sheets, which are ideal for your carry on. Be sure to mention the special when booking. The offer is good from May 14 through 29.

Watch the Sex and the City 2 preview.

Memorial Day Travel Idea #1: Sex and the City Trips
Memorial Day Travel Idea #2: Chicagoland Baseball
Memorial Day Travel Idea #3: Atlantis in the Bahamas
Memorial Day Travel Idea #4: Charleston, SC 
Memorial Day Travel Idea #5: Dominican Republic 
Memorial Day Travel Idea #6: San Diego and Santa Barbara 
Memorial Day Travel Idea #7: Ritz Carlton in Cancun

Sex and the City Book: The Carrie Diaries

Last fall we told you about the Sex and the City Book: The Carrie Diaries, which are all about Carrie in high school. A big thanks to the New York Post for giving us an exclusive sneak peek in between the pages. The pages they shared are all about her early boyfriends with a mention of a cruise to Alaska with her dad and her sisters and reveal an introspective, young Carrie. Can't wait to read more!

The Carrie Diaries is available on Amazon.

Update: Read our review of The Carrie Diaries.

Sex and the City 2: Extended Trailer

The new Sex and the City Trailer was released. The biggest surprise? Carrie runs into Aidan in Morocco--oops, we mean Abu Dhabi, which Morocco plays on screen.

Watch the first Sex and the City trailer.

Sex and the City Trailer

Our favorite part of the new Sex and the City sequul trailer? When Carrie says, "Sometimes you just have to get away with the girls!" We couldn't agree more, SJP!

And where do the girls go? In case you missed our earlier posts, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda are headed to Morocco (though it may be pretending to be Dubai).

We can hardly wait until May 28 to catch the flick!

Enjoy!

Holiday Gift Ideas - Sex and the City Flats

We’ve been bringing you lots of tidbits about the upcoming Sex and the City movie. Now, we stumbled upon these great new Sex and the City-inspired flats. They are dressy enough to wear out and comfy enough to make your feet happy. Wear them out all day, or even tuck them in your purse for later on in the night when your heels just won’t do anymore. These ballet flats are fun, stylish and perfect for traveling!

There are six different colors to pick from at $64.99 each. Four of the styles are modeled after each of Sex and the City’s leading ladies – Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda. Two additional choices are available in black satin or hot pink. Carrie's, (above), is reminiscent of her infamous tutu and love of giant flowers, while Samantha's (below) is a sexy metallic snakeskin. These make great holiday gifts for your girlfriends.



You can order these “After Party Shoes” at the HBO Shop in New York City, or online at hbo.com/store. We say that these shoes don’t have to wait until the party is over. The hard part is picking which pair we like best!

More on Sex and the City in Morocco

Thanks to Cindy Adams of the New York Post who continues to give us dish on the Sex and the City shoot in Morocco. She's now reporting that our original instincts were on target, and Sarah Jessica Parker is staying at the newly refurbished La Mamounia. (If SJP was there for Thanksgiving, she would have had the opportunity to party with the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Orlando Bloom, Salma Hayek and Gwyneth Paltrow who were in town to celebrate the grand opening of La Mamounia.) Co-stars Kristen Davis and Kim Catrall are at the luxe Amanjena, according to Cindy. And Cynthia Nixon? She's at the Es Saadi.

According to Cindy, filming is at the soon-to-open Mandarin Oriental Marrakech. Cindy's write up contains a plot spoiler, so only click thru if you want to know what happens in the Sex and the City movie.

Read on for more about the opening of La Mamounia.

Sex and the City Book

We couldn't help but wonder: Why on Sex and the City does Carrie never mention her parents? Think about it, in the show we met Charlotte's brother, attended Miranda's mother's funeral and heard tales about Samantha's teenage days working at the Dairy Queen. Even in the movie, on Carrie's wedding day , there's zero mention as to who is going to walk her down the aisle or a visit from a sympathetic mom, sister of cousin when Big ditches her at the altar.



Well, all our questions may be answered in The Carrie Diaries, a new book by Candace Bushnell set during Carrie's teenage years, reports People.com. The book comes out on April 27, 2010, Sex and the City 2 hits theaters on May 28. That helps explains the photos of the 80's flashbacks from the set.

Read an excerpt from the Sex and the City Book: The Carrie Diaries.

Sex and the City Morocco Hotel

Thanks to the New York Post's Cindy Adams we now know that our speculation that Sex and the City 2 was being filmed at La Mamounia in Morocco was a little off base. In fact the ladies (or at least Carrie and Miranda as the leaked photos show) stay at the Amanjena Resort, part of the luxurious Aman Resorts. Annie just got back from her honeymoon at the Amanayra in Turks & Caicos so can attest first hand as to the hotel line's over the top luxuriousness.



The ladies are wearing long skirts and conservative tops in a nod to Moroccan customs: Bare skin is frowned upon in the Muslim country. We're happy to see Pat Field raised to the wardrobe challenge!

Cynthia Nixon on the Sex and the City Set

We recently came across this photo of Cynthia Nixon on the Sex and the City set. We're pretty certain that this is from a flashback scene. Fortunately, we were too young to have ever dressed like a Working Girl 1980s warrior with a mushroom haircut, ill-fitting power suit, white stockings and white sneakers. Makes us grateful for Ally McBeal and Heather Locklear's Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place for pioneering the short, tight skirt suit!

Read what other rumors we're starting about the Sex and the City sequel.

Sex and the City in Morocco

We've heard a few rumors that Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda are headed to Morocco for the Sex and the City movie sequel. According to one website, the movie was set to be filmed in Dubai, but the producers were refused permission. We hope that Morocco actually gets to play itself in the film, unlike Malibu/Mexico in the first one.



We're guessing that the ladies will stay at La Mamounia in Marrakech, which is scheduled to re-open on September 29 after an extensive 3-year renovation. If they do, they would be in good company; celebs from Nicole Kidman, the Rolling Stones, Kate Winslet and the late Yves Saint Laurent have all laid their heads down at the ultra-swank resort. Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much with James Stewart and Doris Day was filmed at the resort as was Marlene Dietrich's Morocco.

Read an interview with the Didie Picquot, General Manager of La Mamounia.

As for Kim Catrall being spotted in a wedding dress last week outside the Plaza? We can only hope Samantha pulls a Big and jilts her groom!

UPDATE: Find out which Moroccan hotel Sex and the City is actually being filmed at.

SATC--We Loved It!

The clothes, the locations, the friendships--we LOVED the Sex and the City movie. Everyone in our NYC audience seemed to agree and even clapped at the end. No spoilers here--we'll just say the ending of the movie satisfied us FAR more than the ending of the show.

And--love how the Carrie and the gang go an all-girls' getaway when one of them needs some cheering up. Sun, sand and margaritas are a foolproof remedy for all of life's ills.

Clues from the Sex and the City Soundtrack

We’ve read a lot about the fashion and the locations of the upcoming SATC movie—and here we are, excited about the soundtrack. We are still clinging to one of our New Year’s Resolutions to do a better job of making more playlists. Obviously we’re lazy since the resolution about taking the stairs all the time fell by the wayside month ago, so that’s part of the reason we love soundtracks—they’re a ready made mix cd.

The soundtrack to the movie is released May 27—three days before the movie and…well, we’re not crazy about the original songs. Fergie’s Labels or Love has a fun sampling of the SATC theme song and will stick in your head if you’re not careful kinda like all of Fergie’s greatest hits (Glamorous anyone?). J. Hud’s All Dressed in Your Love leaves a lot to be desired, especially coming from a former Dreamgirl.

We are eternal suckers for a good remix, so we love India.aire’s Heart of the Matter and the Bird and the Bee cover or How Deep is Your Love.

POTENTIAL PLOT SPOILER...
For those looking for a clue to the plot lines: Auld Lang Syne is number 10 on the playlist. Should we look for a big New Year’s Eve ending a la When Harry Met Sally? The penultimate song is Al Green’s How Do You Mend A Broken Heart and the final song…Walk This Way by Run DMC. Hmmm…Does Carrie end up single?

If you’re still with us—it’s more fun to look at SJP’s, Cynthia Nixon's and Kristin Davis’ playlists on iTunes. Kim Catrall is conspicuously absent once again. SJP’s is a somewhat predictable mix of Guns N' Roses, Sade, and Janet Jackson. Cynthia Nixon threw us with her country selections Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Loretta Lyn while Kristin Davis surprisingly leans towards soul and hip hop with Kayne, Earth Wind and Fire and Natalie Cole. Now we’re inspired to make our Summer ’08 playlist!
(Picture from Amazon)

Sex and the City Trips

Here's a SATC-theme trip we would like to sign up for: The Ritz Carlton Naples Florida has put together a "Manolos and Mimosas" themed trip available 5/31-7/31.

Included is:
Two nights in a suite
A mani, pedi and Anastasia-trained expert eyebrow tweeze and an hour long beauty consultation
A massage
The DVD set of season six of SATC
$200 credit per person at the Signature Shop (we're not so sure about this one--does that mean Ritz Carlton logoed robes and polos?)
Dinner for four at The Grill
A limo ride with cosmos to the movie theater and 4 tix to see the SATC movie
Various other goodies

Rates start at $4,999. (To reserve a room, click here.) That's a heck of a lot better than the $24,000 SATC tour we told you about last month, but ladies, our offer still stands. We'll take any JSG readers on a SATC tour of NYC for the price of a cosmo--or two!

UPDATE: We just bought our tix for the 7:30 pm showing on May 29th!!! Care to join? We'll bring the popcorn!

We like Sex and the City, but...

We think it's pretty crazy to spend $24,000 per person to spend four days in NYC living like Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. That's what Destination on Location is charging SATC wannabes for a four day tour of NYC. Highlights include Sak's, Barney's and the Patricia Field store and restaurants Balthazar and Pastis. You can also chose optional activities based on which character you most identify with--Charlotte's will go to Tiffany's; Samantha's will go to sex shops. One woman from Singapore has already signed up.

Ladies--save your money! Last time we checked, it was free to go to Barney's and Saks and it IS possible to walk in and get a table at Pastis. If you need company, call us! We'll meet you and all it will cost you is a cosmo!

Sex and the City Tour Goes for $24,000