Hey City Zen!

Recently, I was in Maui for a conference and stayed at the Grand Wailea Resort. This is supposed to be one of the most luxurious hotels in Hawaii. I thought that there was something wrong with me for not enjoying the resort, for feeling overwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, the views are gorgeous, and the kids loved the beach and the crazy activity pool. But I am just too snob to enjoy a place like this. Today, while reading the Men's fashion spring 2006 NYTimes supplement I found the words to capture what I felt then, something Coco Chanel once said: "Luxury is not the opposite of poverty but the opposite of vulgarity". This is why I felt at this hotel the way I feel at the Cheesecake factory in the supposedly upscale malls throughout America.

BTW: I just thought of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's Vulgaria from another time.