The last time I was in Moscow, I was there for a soccer tournament. We arrived one day before the coup d’etat against Gorbachev and left one day after the coup collapsed and Yeltsin became a household name. For the time we were there, communication home was shut down, there was little news about what was going on, and we were nervous about our own ability to leave the torn city, country and region. But, we still had soccer. The tournament continued and for the ninety minutes we were on the field everything was normal – even with tanks lining the streets.

There’s something magical about soccer, and there’s something even more magical about the global community’s love for the game. No matter what’s going on, once that whistle blows, the focus is the soccer pitch, the players and the game. On May 21, Manchester United plays Chelsea for the Champions League final in Moscow. The world will be watching and it’s reported that more than 50,000 fans will descend upon the city. If you’re one of the lucky travelers who will be attending the game, The Guardian recently put together a nice travel guide of six things to do while in the city. Be sure to check out the article here.

When looking for ultra stylish clothing and accessories by fresh designers, you have to visit Joan Shepp in Philadelphia. Located in Rittenhouse Square since 1999 in the midst of shops, boutiques and first class restaurants; Joan Shepp is far from a newcomer when it comes to fashion. Since the early 1970’s Joan Shepp has been in the business of making women of all ages look their best for all occasions.

With an oversized front window to boast the latest trends in fashion and entice passerbys, it’s hard to resist the temptation not to spend all of your money. The loft style space and modern décor lends itself to showcase clothing and handbags including Jil Sander, YSL, and Pedro Garcia in a spacious environment where each piece can easily be viewed by customers. Upstairs houses a shoe gallery by designers such as Balenciaga, Chie Mihara, Christian Louboutin and Faryl Robin just to name a few. If you are not able to visit their physical store, no need to worry because you can also shop online.

London’s Tate Museum and the ICA are coming together with Guest Hotels to create a chain of locations for artists to display their work. The group will create 5 art hotels. The BBC quotes the chairman of Guest Hotels saying, “Until now, hotels have used art as decoration. We are reversing that concept by allowing artists to use our hotels as their showcase.”

The first two hotels will open this summer in Bayswater, west London. Guest Hotels’ the Jones and the Nest will kick off the showcase. If you’re in the area be sure to check them out. If you happen to get there early, the Tate Museum and the ICA are great destinations for modern art and the like. Click Read More for additional information. (Above Pic: London’s Tate Museum)

Mosley Tribes has an array of classic and stylish sunglasses that we’re addicted to. Their latest installment, the Snowbeach Aviator, is part of their Enforcer line. And with eye-catching candy colored frames and coordinating gradient lenses, these ultra funky and fashion forward sunglasses will set you apart from the rest. The Snowbeach features VFX Lens for enhanced visibility in the brightest conditions and eye protection making them perfect for bright spring days. Currently available in yellow, green and alpine white.

From the wejetset store: Buy Today

Gadgets, gadgets and more gadgets. We love them. And with all of our gadgets come their tag along power cords, chargers and wires. Planning a trip, whether near or far, usually requires some thinking about how to accommodate these electrical companions. Today we’ve compiled a few of our favorite articles on the subject of power cords and you.

For instance, have you ever wondered what electrical adapter you would need for a particular country? What things should you consider when connecting your gadgets to various electrical systems? Lastly, is that extra power cord for your Mac too thick to pack and an overall pain to lug around? If so, check out these three articles providing tips and solutions for staying connected while traveling…

Print magazines are fighting the good fight. It seems like every time we go to the newsstand another one of our favorites has disappeared. But there’s hope. There’s Monocle and a few others that have discovered ways to co-exist and do well against the increasingly influential interwebs. Perhaps against isn’t the right word. They’ve learned to adapt and grow with the increasing influence of the web. For instance, publications like the New York Times have navigated print and web mediums well. But even still, when you consider how hard it is to survive today’s publishing world, the long running existence of established titles becomes glowingly impressive.

Esquire Magazine is celebrating its 75th anniversary in London this week. Their UK relaunch is marked by an art installation at The Hospital. Tipping their hat to earlier days, Esquire has commissioned reworks of past covers with contemporary icons. These icons include Paul Smith, Dontella Versace, D+G, Karl Lagerfeld, and a few others. If you’re in the area be sure to check it out. Click Read More for additional information and details.

Well it finally happened – after more than 20 years on the road for business I hit one of the minefields that lurk out there. No, it wasn’t clowns or airline food. Remember my earlier post about jamming your heavy bags into the overhead bin? Well even though I was traveling with one of my lighter carry-on bags, my luggage shifted just like they always say it does and when I reached to get my stuff I contorted my body like I was in the Cirque Du Soleil (without the exciting music or costumes). This was too much for my knee and the people waiting behind me getting ready to run off the plane (be kind People – I again refer you to an earlier post on Travel Etiquette). I had fallen and couldn’t get up and my emergency clapper device was 500 miles away…

Be sure to click Read More for the rest of Anne Rumpf’s weekly column focused on business travel. If you have any comments for Anne, feel free to email her here.

As we move from city to city we enjoy visiting the local Apple stores. When we visited the Ginza store in Tokyo we thought that was huge. At the time it was one of their largest retail posts. Then we visited the Manhattan stores – massive. So based on their sizing trend, we weren’t surprised to hear that the upcoming Apple Store in Boston would be the largest to date. Designed as a gigantic glass cube, the four floor structure will surely become a must see destination among visitors and locals alike.

While reading about the Boston store we came across this interesting statistic posted by Gizmodo. “According to a store employee, it’s a good thing Boylston Street is so big: Apple estimates 1,500-2000 customers per hour will visit, which is more than 10 times the 160 per hour that the average store gets.” We’ve rarely seen an empty Apple store. In fact they’re usually packed with enthusiasts. So imagine what 1500 – 2000 customers per hour will look like… The Boston store is opening later this month. Be sure to check it out.

There’s a micro media storm brewing for train travel. As air-carriers struggle to satisfy passengers, the idea of taking the train is becoming more and more popular. We used to think it was just us who were enthusiastic about trains, but in the last week we’ve seen two of our friends take trains across the country, analysts are reporting record train use and this Saturday is National Train Day. When you place some of these observations upon the landscape of a troubled travel industry, this could be the beginning of a significant shift for travelers.

While the air line industry responds to issues of efficiency and the environment, travelers are moving toward new modes of transportation. Today, we’ve compiled headlines that consider some of these issues. Click Read More for today’s headlines.

Beautiful weather, appetizing food, intoxicating nightlife and high end luxury shopping – there are few reasons not to visit Miami. Add to the list beautifully designed hotels and Miami becomes even harder to resist. One of the more recent additions to Miami’s South Beach is the Gansevoort South Hotel. With their successful venture in New York’s Meatpacking District, expanding the locations of Gansevoort Hotel was inescapable.

Gansevoort South Hotel has 334 guestrooms, ranging from 334 sq ft to 3600 sq ft, with breath taking views of the ocean, bay and skyline. Each room has a minimalist and modern design aesthetic with luxurious and ultra soft bedding, high speed Wi-Fi, LCD flat screens, iPod friendly stereo and oversized bathrooms. While the interior holds its own in style and sophistication, the 112 foot rooftop swimming pool, bar and lounge completes the package for the ultimate Miami experience.

Good art entices its audience. Great art entices and allows its audience to take a familiar topic and think of it from a different perspective. Modern artist Ranjani Shettar does just that. She utilizes her artistic abilities to explore the amazing world of nature and science through the use of varied materials like sawdust, wood, metal and PVC tubing.

Shettar’s newest sculpture, Sun-Sneezers Blow Light Bubbles, explores the concept of people sneezing when exposed to bright light or the sun. View her collection of sculptural installations at The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston until July 13th. Click Read More for additional information.

As the world’s attention shifts to China many travelers will descend upon Beijing for this summer’s 2008 Olympics. Planning a trip to China isn’t easy. Hunting reasonably priced tickets and vacant hotels is becoming more and more difficult by the day. We hear room-rates for stays between August 8th – 28th are astronomical. Then, there’s the overall planning – places to see and things to do run abundant in Beijing. So, with all of this preparation it’s easy to forget key health issues that are important to consider while planning your trip.

This week’s Travel Health outlines things to keep in mind when you’re planning a trip to Beijing. Click Read More for health tips.

Shanghai has a new hotel named URBN. It’s not your typical place to stay. This hotel is carbon neutral and eco-friendly. Built entirely from local and recycled materials, the aesthetically pleasing structure provides a great example of where modern design & hospitality can meet environmental foresight.

The hotel’s innovation doesn’t end with its construction. It expands to their daily operations, too. With Shanghai being one of China’s most populated cities, everyday activities raise its carbon impact to extreme levels. In response, URBN strives to raise environmental awareness with its chain of hotels. For example, Hotel Chatter reports, “now that the hotel is up and running, any energy used – and that even includes the commuting done by staff – will be calculated and neutralized through buying carbon credits.” These credits will be invested in Clean Energy development and other energy efficient projects in China. Click Read More for additional information.

It’s an all out invasion and we couldn’t be more excited. The increased sightings of Mini Coopers, Smart Cars and Priuses suggest a shift in America’s aversion to small cars. With more attention devoted to urban efficiency, green issues and the price of gas, it’s good to see the car market taking steps in the right direction.

Today Wired reports, “Rumors that BMW is bringing back the Isetta appear to be true, and the latest word out of Munich is the modern take on the old classic will be an electric vehicle that’s coming to America. BMW brass are reportedly poised to sign off on the project in order to meet California’s zero emissions vehicle mandate, which requires automakers to build 7,500 emissions-free cars by 2014. Company CEO Norbert Reithofer tells Britain’s Autocar that BMW ‘would be obliged to sell a zero emissions vehicle under the U.S. regulations’ and a electric vehicle was ‘the most likely answer.’” We’re looking forward to seeing what is developed and who they partner with to bring this to fruition.

Alife jumps the pond and opens a new flagship store in Tokyo. Located within the fashion district of Harajuku, it adds to the long list of Tokyo’s distinctive retail destinations. In a short 10 years Alife built a strong brand. Their clean lines, great use of color and timeless creative direction anchored them among the rapidly changing landscape of fashion and streetwear. This recent expansion demonstrates the increasing growth and influence of the Alife brand.

Their minimal sensibilities have translated well within the new retail space. Opting for substance over flash, the store’s clean aesthetic points the consumer to the products with very little distraction. We’re excited for the store’s opening and look forward to the continuing expansion of the brand. Visit Alife next time you’re in Tokyo. Click Read More for additional information and photos.