Category Archives: Reisen

The Broad – The World’s Coolest Museum?

images the-broad_photo-by-iwan-baan_4911_custom-d8f6606ba939a799a9b4bde69c9f8dea84069a9b-s800-c85Traveling up through the middle of The Broad in the round, glass elevator you can peek inside what’s known as “the vault”— an entire floor storing the Broads’ collection of more than 2,000 paintings, photos and sculptures.

On the top floor of this new Los Angeles landmark, diffused natural light pours in through skylights. There’s work here from Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, Keith Haring, Cindy Sherman and Chris Burden. There’s an entire room for Takashi Murakami.

kusamaThis is the gift to the world made possible by Eli and Edythe Broad. Forbes estimates Eli Broad is worth $7.4 billion. He made his fortune building suburban tract homes, and also running an insurance company. He and his wife bought their first artwork — a van Gogh drawing — and then quickly switched to collecting contemporary art. He says they liked buying works with social or political meaning. And along the way, they’ve gotten to know the artists personally.
Called The Broad (pronounced brode) and housed in a $140 million, three-story building by Diller, Scofidio and Renfro, it enshrines the collection of some 2,000 works. There are 2 main stars: The building itself and the Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room, a mirror-lined chamber housing a dazzling and seemingly endless LED light display,  Just beautiful to put it mildly.

Torchy Tacos – Possibly the Best Mexican Food in the USA

roadside-buildingsChioco Design recently completed a new taco restaurant that pays homage to the colorful roadside buildings popular throughout the 1950s. While many restaurants aim to make their establishment appear completely modern, this diner combines retro elements with contemporary designs for a nostalgia-inducing experience.

DSC_0057The new branch of Torchy’s Tacos is located in Austin, Texas, and it sits on the old site of 1970s burger chain Fran’s Hamburgers. The new building boasts a retro exterior that is inspired by the roadside buildings and colorful signage popular during the 1950s. The restaurant’s unique zig-zag profile and distinctive red columns make the establishment eye-catching and inviting to those passing by. As a result, the combination of contemporary features and 1950s-inspired designs provides a whole new dining experience for guests.

CdSsT7iVAAAA-HFThe Taco’s ar so good that US-President Barack Obama couldn’t resist stopping by torches last week when he was in town for this years SXSW Festival. Do you need any more convincing to visit the coolest town west of New York City and wast of Los Angeles?

Vogue 100: A Century of Style – National Portrait Gallery

UnknownFashion may be fickle, but the fashion photographer’s lens is also a mirror. ‘Vogue 100: A Century of Style’ is as much a reflection of a hundred years of our history as it is a celebration of the original glossy.

BRITISHVOGUE100EXHIBITIONBorn in 1916 during WWI, when shipping the US magazine became impossible, British Vogue has always been more than a fashion mag. And this exhibition is so much more than a collection of pretty models in pretty clothes – JG Ballard and Aldous Huxley have both written for Vogue. A pre-fatwa Salmon Rushdie has shared an issue with John Galliano, years before the latter’s fall from grace. Both Queen Elizabeth and her boozy mum have appeared. And, of course, most of the century’s best photographers have shot for its pages.

vogue_3432347bIn this thoughtfully arranged show, at the National Portrait Museum in London it’s the little details that make the difference – from the cocktail style menu of credits in the 1930s room to the wall of seemingly disparate portraits of actress Helena Bonham Carter, milliner Stephen Jones and model Ben Grimes-Viort – united by a colour scheme of feathery pink. A side room shows a series of slides from the ’40s to the ’90s; as though you’re in the cutting room, you watch images go from picture to page.

Patisserie Du Bonheur – Berlin beats Paris

dubinheureI challenge anyone o find me a better Patisserie than Berlin’s Du Bonheur in beautiful Paris. This is a task that is almost impossible. Take the Cannelé, possibly the best sweet ever invented. This is everything a Cannelé should be and more and event beats the Cannel at London’s the Wolseley. The outside made up of a maximum caramelized, crunchy, sticky surface. And the inside, solid custard, flecked with black vanilla seeds, yielding. It’s a creme caramel you can hold in your hand, improved by texture, beveled edges, sharp ridges – pockets of bliss.
stilinberlin-du-bonheur-2-905x603Du Bonheur on Brunnenstr. 39 in ever so trendy Mitte for sure is worth the plain ticket to Berlin – By the way: The macarons are almost as good as the ones produced by Pierre Hermé

Manifesto By Julian Rosefeldt – With a Little Help By Cate Blanchett

13_Julian_Rosefeldt_Manifesto-1024x960Julian Rosefeldt’s new thirteen-channel work Manifesto questions the role of the artist in society today. Australian actor, Cate Blanchett, performs the manifestos as a series of striking monologues.

2-format43The installation in the amazing Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin – a part of the Nationalgalerie –  draws on the writings of Futurists, Dadaists, Fluxus artists, Situtationists and Dogma 95, and the musings of individual artists, architects, dancers and filmmakers. Passing the philosophies of Claes Oldenburg, Yvonne Rainer, Kazimir Malevich, André Breton, Elaine Sturtevant, Sol LeWitt, Jim Jarmusch, and other influencers through his lens, Rosefeldt has edited and reassembled a collage of artists’ manifestos. This is probably the most powerful exhibition TrendEngel has seen in years. Mind-blowing and life altering. Honestly.

Distrikt Coffee Berlin – Everything You Want And More

12295365_1017090265000006_5232327131167293387_nDistrikt Coffee is how every coffee shop should be. Not only is the coffee good but the food… just beyond this world and not only the breakfast – but especially the breakfast. A real competitor to the Wolseley in London but with the trendy flair of Berlin Mitte – close to Rosenthaler Platz. IMG_7526The indeed wonderfully fluffy plate of pancakes has the perfect balance – a nice touch of salt in the batter, with the freshness of yoghurt pairing well with the crunchy caramelized nuts, tart compote and the airy cakes – and best of all the lemon-lime butter is a dream come true. I wish I could go to Districk Coffee every day.11096690_891352840907083_8224581741470880600_n

Japanese Green Tea Is the New Coffee

348sMore and more people are switching to Japanese green tea and are giving coffee a miss. The trendiest one is matcha. Matcha is the powdered Japanese green tea used in the famous Japanese tea ceremony. It has a very ancient history since it was brought from China by the Zen monk Eisai. Matcha is obtained by stone-grinding a tea called tencha to produce a powder. Matcha Latte anyone?

In the cool neighborhoods of Berlin and London you can see green tea shops opening up left and right. One we really like is Mamecha in Berlin Mitte. Check it out.japan-in-berlin-japanfestival-2015-Mamecha-IMG_9208

Crosstown Doughnuts – The Revelation

crosstown-doughnuts2Cupcakes is so yesterday – now it’s all about the doughnuts. Forget Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts. The new gold standard is Crosstown Dougnuts. The London Donut-chain is baking some amazing sxxx.crosstowndougnuts-11

Their dough is a unique hybrid recipe created by combining sourdough (levain) and fresh bakers’ yeast. They make a variety of these sourdough doughnuts, some of which are filled, glazed or mixed with Belgian chocolate. Seriously, yum.crosstown-Doughnuts-2

Favourites include the chilli Belgian chocolate square doughnut – just sourdough with a chilli chocolate mousse injected, topped with a white chocolate glaze – the sea salt caramel with banana cream on a light chocolate sourdough, and the crème brûlée with velvety Tongan vanilla custard. However – the best one is probably the sea salt caramel and banana doughnut. crosstowndougnuts-18