Weekly Roundup: The Stars And The Constellations Know Your Name Edition
Seven years ago, the Omphoy resort appeared on Palm Beach as a single enigmatic white-and-obsidian square, squatting like a landed spaceship, opaque and brutal. Five years ago, I went there for the first time. It's been a rough half-decade for both of us since then. My readers will be perhaps too familiar with my catalogue of injuries, trials, tribulations, and despair, but the Omphoy fared hardly any better. Built from the shell of the Palm Beach Hilton at a cost of $724,000 per room, the Omphoy couldn't break even on $500 a night and it eventually went into receivership. Late in 2011, it was sold for $42M to a Palm Beach real-estate hobbyist. In the years that followed, the Omphoy fell into a bit of disrepair, but it's now been fixed up and rebranded as the Kimpton Tideline. My trip there in March of 2015 gave me some hope that they were squaring it away, and when I returned a few days ago I was pleased to see that the hotel looks just as good as it did five years ago. Maybe a little better. I'd like to think that the hotel's best days are ahead of it. I'd also like to think the same thing about myself.
Alright, let's cover The Week That Was.
Brother Bark considers the plight of showrooms that are too good for their customers before taking a look at the fact that some cars aren't good enough for this market.
For Road&Track, I focused on unstable cars and even more unstable drivers.
At TTAC, I lamented Porsche's lack of joie de vivre and took a poke at a not-so-great deal on new Accords.
Those of you who are R&T subscribers should keep a keen eye out for the cover of next month's magazine. You'll recognize the fellow on it, I think!