TGIF! Sorry for the radio silence this past week. I was enjoying a much-needed extended vacay in Nashville and Miami with friends. I'd never been to Nashville, and was surprised by how cool the city is- we stayed near 12 South in an Air B&B. We went to see Andrew Jackson's Hermitage home and explored the neighboring town of Belle Meade. It was a great time, although if I never hear "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" again it'd be too soon. Before Nashville, I was in Oklahoma City celebrating Christmas with my family, and two of my closest girlfriends and I did a staycation at 21C Museum Hotel:
I first heard about the hotel while having drinks with my New York friend Gaby, who is a home decor editor at My Domaine. She also knows everything about the latest and greatest restaurants and hotels, no matter where they are located. She mentioned that 21C hotels had recently opened an Oklahoma City location and that it had been getting lots of good press. The hotel sits inside an old Ford Motors assembly plant in downtown OKC originally designed in 1916 by Albert Kahn. The hotel building includes a 14,000 square foot exhibition and event space that is partially dedicated to displaying 21st century art, like this collection of baskets by Pepe Lopez with all our favorite labels:
{Pepe Lopez (Venezuelan), Guapisimas, Acrylic on 47 traditional Venezuelan baskets, 2004}
The art-filled lobby:
{Chen Lei (Chinese), The Big Kiss, 2007, Mixed Media}
So when Gabs mentioned to me that my hometown city was getting lots of great publicity for a new, chic hotel, I knew I had to check it out. We arrived the day after Christmas on the 26th, and were greeted curbside at valet by the cutest girl ever, Jace. She took our bags and showed us up to our room and just made us feel so special our entire stay. The rooms include high ceilings, large, expansive windows, and comfy, modern furnishings:
Many of the rooms also include vibrant artworks created by Laura Lee Brown herself, the co-owner (along with Steve Wilson) of 21C hotels. The bathrooms feature standing washbasins with pretty stone and Malin+Goetz bath products:
In addition to a fab hotel stay, we also went to dinner at Mary Eddy's restaurant, which is housed in the hotel. I loved the decor, especially the turquoise banquettes with alternating fabric and leather upholstery:
Toasting with a glass of prosecco:
Enjoying Mary Eddy's "toolbox" cheese and charcuterie plate for an appetizer:
The pickled mushrooms were the best part. For my entree, I had the 'shrooms pizza and my girlfriends had the rigatoni and the farm greens salad. The pizza was UNREAL- they cook their pies on a stone hearth oven and you can taste the difference. We enjoyed a few more proseccos and then headed out for the night.
{SuttonBeresCuller, American, You Always Leave Me Wanting More, 2015, Aluminum, enamel, LED light bulbs, electronics, flooring}
Thanks to so many new, cool establishments like this special boutique hotel, OKC should no longer be called just a " fly-over state." :)
A big thank you to the 21C Museum Hotel team for such a relaxing, incredible stay! If you live in OKC or are traveling there soon- this gem is not to be missed!
21C also has hotel locations in Bentonville, Cincinnati, Louisville, Durham, Lexington and in Nashville coming this spring.