Another Watergate era is coming to a close. But this one has nothing to do with politics. Before Monica Lewinsky took refuge there, before Ronald Reagan’s kitchen cabinet set up house, and yes, before The Break-Ins that made “Watergate” shorthand for scandal, the six-building complex along the Potomac River was known for having its own Safeway. Senators, cabinet secretaries and celebrities have long been drawn by the Watergate’s four swimming pools, gourmet cuisine, and beautiful views. But many stayed for the banal luxury of puttering downstairs in a pair of slippers to fetch groceries. Read full article > >

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Watergate’s decline accelerated by grocer’s exit

The renowned British members-only club opens its doors to Miami surf and sun by John Ortved Despite sandy beaches and tropical influence, when it comes to social life, Miami isn’t known as the warmest of places. Inundated with velvet ropes, crowded clubs, big cars and bigger jewelry, the Florida metropolis recently received an attractive antidote with the arrival of the Soho Beach House . Situated just a short distance north of the South Beach strip on Miami Beach, Soho Beach House—complete with Cowshed Spa —hopes to bring the brand’s mix of exclusive intimacy to a scene weary of its anti-poseur atmosphere. Soho House has always been, first and foremost, about its clientele. The establishment itself is difficult to pigeonhole—it’s a members-only club, just like its fellow Houses in L.A., New York, London and Berlin ; it’s also a boutique hotel, providing 50 rooms to paying guests who get to act like members; it’s an accessible spa, offering anyone massages, blowouts and pedicures, using their exclusive Cowshed products; it’s a beach club, with beds and full service on its own strip of sand; and it’s a restaurant, Cecconi’s, offering pricey but well-prepared Venetian delicacies. The Beach House successfully blurs the boundaries between Miami old and new. With designer Martin Brudnizki (who redid London’s Club at The Ivy ), they’ve taken over the space formerly occupied by one of Miami’s great Art Deco hotels, The Sovereign, gutting the interiors and building a second tower, but leaving behind the lobby detailing and flooring, as well as its classic fa

The lead singer of the north London-based pop band Ou Est Le Swimming Pool dies during a music festival in Belgium, the Foreign Office confirms.

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UK singer dies at Belgium festival