Fit For a Rockstar

It's been far too long since my first {Un}Real Estate post and I am just itching to share some more ridiculous real estate eye candy with you, so without further ado I present a NYC penthouse fit for a rock-star.  Literally...

Bon Jovi's NYC Penthouse

7,452 sq. ft. duplex ~ 5 bedrooms ~ 5.5 baths

Floor-to-ceiling windows ~ 360 degree views

Located in SoHo

All for $42 million!  Not exactly affordable, but for a millionaire who could handle that splurge, it would be money well spent.

Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a home like this?!?!  Talk about the perfect setting for a Bed of Roses.  If I lived here, nobody could tell me not to go home!  But although I try to keep the faith that one day we'll win the Powerball {like this lucky NJ man!}, for now I guess we'll hold on to what we got while livin' on a prayer for that winning lotto ticket and a penthouse with these views!  ;)  {Can you tell I'm a big Bon Jovi fan?!}

Thanks for stopping by to drool over {Un}Real Estate with me!

* All photos above from www.zillowblog.com *

Escape to Lenox

A couple weekends ago we escaped to "The Blatnyre" in Lenox, Massachusetts.  We arrived on a Friday night to this beautiful sight:

Upon check-in, we found some treats in our room:

We didn't have much planned for the weekend (except relaxation) but we ended up having a great time!  We enjoyed a gourmet homemade breakfast each morning we were there.  From the whole wheat lemon poppy pancakes to the egg white omelettes -- everything was delicious!  There was hot chocolate, tea and coffee aplenty, plus a small fruit salad and biscuits served with homemade jams!  Delish!

On Saturday afternoon, we took a horse drawn carriage ride through the snow:

Check out this scenery!

The grounds were as blissfully quiet as they were beautiful. After our sleigh ride, we decided to get energetic and go snow shoeing!  It was my first time, and it was not as hard as I expected it to be.  Though my left shoe did fall off twice in one hour and I did temporarily lose my hat in the snow...

We warmed up by one of the fireplaces in the mansion before heading back outdoors to take a few spins on the tennis courts homemade ice rink!

And because no ice skating experience is complete without delicious hot chocolate and HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS (!!!!!, with banana bread!!!!!) we indulged...

The Blantyre offered a complimentary wine tasting to guests on Saturday evening, after which we received a tour of their wine cellar.  Wooo weee!!!  What a collection.  Their collection makes ours look like a few bottles in a cabinet.  Oh, wait...  ;)  After the tour, we listened to some piano music in the Music Room Lounge and then enjoyed a fantastic Chateaubriand dinner pour deux in the formal dining room.

On Sunday, we spent some time at the spa, which was very cozy and relaxing.  After getting our massage on, we headed out to visit The Normal Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.

And to cap the day off right, since it was past lunch time and getting verrrrry cooooooold, I had to enjoy one of these from a local bakery shop:

All in all, it was a great weekend and the perfect mix of fun and relaxation.  If you ever get the chance, I'd highly recommend spending some time at The Blantyre!

Alas, Monday eventually came and it was back to reality.  But our mini escape definitely made heading back to the office easier.  :)

*All photos are the property of This Is Life At Our Home*

Caribbean Escape (Almost)

Yesterday morning we awoke at 5am, sleepily got ourselves together, and headed to JFK airport.  We arrived in record time - no traffic at all and we were checked in, through security and at our gate more than 2 hours before our flight was scheduled to depart.  As we sat and waited, in came a flight from Fort Lauderdale, out went another flight to Fort Lauderdale, and as 8:40am approached (our scheduled boarding time), we were oh-so-excited for our long-awaited Caribbean escape to Turks & Caicos.

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We've had this trip booked for about 5 months, but I've been dreaming of visiting the islands of Turks & Caicos for about 3 years now!  For the past couple winters, each time the winter chill really sets in, my frantic flight searching begins... which is usually followed by cursing and pouting as I realize I've (yet again) waited too long and the flights are way too expensive.  Well, not this year!  This year, thanks to a bunch of expiring frequent flyer points, Shep and I booked our Turks & Caicos flights back in May!  At the time, I thought it was crazy.  We are not the type of couple to plan so far in advance!  (We didn't even book our honeymoon flights until 2 months before our wedding!)  But our points were expiring, so we went ahead and randomly picked some dates and as the summer came to a close, I was so glad we did.

Until...

Despite our advanced planning, thanks to Hurricane Sandy the only Caribbean escape in our lives right now is the soap from Bath & Body Works.  :(  Which, by the way, if you haven't tried it, smells wonderful!

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The good news is that we were able to reschedule our trip.  And, of course we're happy to be safe rather than sorry.  Luck is just not on my side when it comes to vacations!!!  A few years ago we went to Aruba, and although Aruba is practically never affected by hurricanes, one hit when we were there.  The whole hotel panicked and closed up the restaurants and pool for a day.  Then, in January 2010 an awful NY winter derailed our flight plans to Barbados, not once, but twice.  We eventually made it.... in March.  ;)

We've waited this long to visit Turks & Caicos.... we're willing to wait another few weeks, and I'm sure the wait will be well worth it!  We just hope that Hurricane Sandy calms down soon!

In the grand scheme of things, our rescheduled trip is only a minor inconvenience.  Luckily, our travel dates are flexible.  There were several people on our flight headed to weddings, including a best man of a wedding!  I feel so terrible for anyone whose wedding had to be cancelled, rescheduled, or held without loved ones in attendance due to the hurricane.  That would really stink.  :(

Did anyone else out there in blog-land suffer from rescheduled or cancelled vacation plans due to the hurricane?