Hôtel Americano

Located in the heart of the Chelsea Riviera between the High Line and the Hudson River lies Hôtel Americano (~$325/night). Keeping life’s choices simple, three room types are offered. All include the feel of an urban ryokan with wooden platform beds, warm lighting, and luxurious natural materials, some with soaking tubs and hanging fireplaces. Be sure to order room service via in-suite ipad. Whether you chose breakfast or tacos your meal is served up in their signature bento boxes.

Revolights

Tron Lightcycles may not be invented yet, though for those of you who can't wait Revolights ($200 *Valentines Day Special) will light up your bike like a machine from the future. Powered by USB rechargeable batteries; two thin rings of LEDs are mounted to each side of the wheel and illuminate the front or rear of the wheel by utilizing magnets and an accelerometer. Visibility ahead and by others is increased for much needed safety while racing your fixie in the night. 

Bellow the Boat Charts

Laser cutting has been used to make three dimensional topographic maps for quite some time now, but Bellow the Boat charts ($140+) are something unique. Starting with a bathymetric chart (the underwater equivalent of a topographic map), the depth contours are laser-cut into sheets of Baltic birch and assembled to create a powerful visual depth. Select layers are hand-colored, major byways are etched into the land, and then the whole thing's framed in a custom solid-wood frame and encased with a sheet of ultra-transparent Plexiglas. Way more interesting than a topographic map, the wood charts reveal what you cannot see and did not know existed. Represent that favorite aquatic destination.

Wythe Hotel

It is no surprise that there are countless good places to stay in New York City. However, that does not mean that a select few cease to stand above the others. This is one of those places. The Wythe Hotel (~$325/night) is ideally situated in Williamsburg, Brooklyn overlooking the waterfront. What was once a factory constructed in 1901 is now a premier 72 room hotel. No place captures the essence of its surrounding area quite like the Wythe. In room amenities include radiant heat concrete floors throughout, in room surround sound from your mp3 or computer, furniture and light fixtures made in Brooklyn, a seasonal mini bar, and 13' high original timber ceilings... just to list a few. One of your most notable moments at the Wythe will certainly be atop its amazing roof top bar and patio, affording stunning views of Manhattan across the river. 

Lapka - Personal Environment Monitor

Designed in Moscow and distributed in the US, Lapka ($220) is a minimal and beautiful group of instruments designed to measure and play with hidden qualities of your environment. Lapka can determine radiation levels, check humidity, temperature, EMF and even check if your food is organic. All the information is housed in an app that displays the results in way any user can understand by saying "This is acceptable." You can bet there will be more sensors to come from the micro tech firm in the near future.   

Pax Vaporizer By Ploom

Conventional, sleek and portable. Surprisingly we are not talking about the new iPhone 5 but its equivalent in the loose leaf vaporizing world. PAX ($250) is a revolutionary model of Vaporizer that is small enough to fit in your pocket and  heats up within 30 seconds. The worlds smallest vaporizer is at the cutting edge of smoking technology; powered by a small lithium battery PAX is rechargeable and comes with an AC wall charging kit. Also included is a small cleaning kit, user guide and removable mouthpiece. 

Recon Instruments Mod Live

Mod Live ($400) is a type of heads-up display created by Recon Instruments designed to enrich the alpine experience. The unit fits into compatible goggles giving the user access to a host of information at the blink of an eye. The small display provides clear widescreen graphics when you want them, and keeps them just out-of-sight when you don't. Speed, vertical descent, jump airtime, navigation, buddy locating, number of descents, and distance are all delivered using built-in precision GPS and an integrated suite of sensors. Ingenious optics on the tiny display ensure that your eye does not need to refocus to read information- it's the same as looking at a fourteen inch screen from a distance of five feet. The unit also boasts smart phone connectivity to allow you to control your epic pow playlist and do other smart phone stuff, but hopefully you don't care to much about that on your mountain excursions. Gone are the days of soggy maps and fumbling with your gloves or touch screens. A host of compatible goggles are already available from Smith, Oakley, Scott, and more. Stay tuned- Recon is already applying this same tech to base jumping for the squirrel suit junkies.      

   

Back Off

Many admire this shoe, few know who makes it or where to get it. Most often seen on Black Milk models, it has a wedge heel and leather upper with silver banding on the bottom platform. The Back Off Boot ($180) is a product of designer Jeffery Campbell. The boot sports a five inch heel and a 2 inch sole. Back Off comes in several different leathers standard and now even more crazy patterns sold exclusively on the Black Milk site.

Allen Edmonds Long Branch

Cold weather is beginning to set in and that ​means it's time to break out the boots. This pair comes from Allen Edmonds. The Long Branch ($350) model captures their brand quite well. Stemming form the company's popular Dalton boot, the Long Branch incorporates a more purposeful Vibram sole making it a true boot. The greatest thing about Allen Edmonds is their commitment to craft- ALL of their shoes are still hand made in the USA. Furthermore, when you've really beat the shoes up after years of use you can send them back to be completely rebuilt for a small price. This boot may be just as happy in the boardroom as the workshop. Sustainability, meet Tradition.

Braven 625s & 650

Small speakers equal small sound... Not the case with the rugged Braven 625s ($180) and the hi-fi 650 ($190). Both units support bluetooth audio playback and handsfree calling through bluetooth or 3.5mm connection. You can even charge your mobile devices through a built in USB connection. The 625s is built with a shock resistant case, 16 hour battery life, detachable flashlight, and water-resistant carrying case for those adventurous outdoor type.  The 650 is equipped with slightly different HD drivers and 20 hours of battery life for the more exquisite music lover.  Each boost dual 3W amplifiers; one for two small subwoofers and the other for two main mid/high drivers to fill the room, or forest with life like sound.

GoPro Hero3 Black Edition

The best gets better; the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition ($399) is 30% thinner, 20% lighter, 2X Faster and packed with the features that will help you capture your epic adventures. The new WiFi enabled unit shoots vido at a whopping 2.7kp at 30fps and 1440p at 48fps. Feel like shooting video Phantom Flex style? The Hero3 also shoots 1080 at 60fps, 960p at 100fps, and 720p at 120fps. The Black Edition is able to shoot 12MB photos at 30fps while boosting low light performance. An updated, 6-element aspherical lens improves sharpness, distortion, and provides the ability to shoot ultra wide. Better audio, underwater shooting, and a complimentary wifi remote... No wonder this little beat is already backordered by a month. Two other models are also available, the White Edition ($199) and Silver Edition ($299) along with a slew of new accessories.

4kp 12fps / 2.7kp 30fps / WiFi / 12MP (30fps) / WiFi Remote