An appraisal design their contents too, right down to the clothes he thought his clients’ wives should wear.) With five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a “nanny suite”, it may seem a steal except that, for all their historic importance and influence, Wright’s houses aren’t always easy to live in. “Move the table,” he told a client who complained that a leaking roof was damaging his dining suite. As William Cronon of the University of Wisconsin- Madison (Wright’s alma mater) has written: “If the cost of gambling on greatness was some leaky roofs, badly heated rooms, sagging cantilevers and unhappy clients, then Wright was more than willing to pay the price.” Certainly he himself tolerated some eccentric living arrangements. Take the way he installed a baby grand piano in his own home, the only one of his Oak Park houses open to the public, though there’s nothing to stop you from admiring the others from the street. To capitalise on the scant upstairs accommodation, he balanced its keyboard and front legs within the children’s playroom, while the rest of it bursts through the wall and is cantilevered into the void above the staircase, suspended from the ceiling by wires. An ingenious use of space but hardly, to paraphrase Irving Berlin, a fine way to treat a Steinway. For nothing less would do for Wright. “Give me the luxuries of life, and I will willingly do without the necessities,” he quipped, his aphorisms almost as noted as his architecture. “A doctor can bury his mistakes,” he would say, all too aware that no one is infallible. “An architect can only advise his client to plant vines.” flwright.org; savewright.org Vaulted ceilings at Wright’s Home and Studio Relentlessly derided for their subpar services, American carriers are finally upgrading their hitherto ordinary offerings with new investments and innovations both on the ground and aloft. And leading the way is American Airlines, which in recent years has actively courted the premium and bold-faced passenger with amenities like their exclusive roped-off Flagship check-in areas and keycard-protected lounges. Now, complementing their constantly improving long-haul services, comes an entirely new mid-haul aircraft, created especially to serve the lucrative transcontinental market. The just-launched Airbus A321T, which feels more like a spacious private jet than a hulking airliner, features commodious and comfortable fully flat seats in First and Business Class (ten private pods and 20 semi-private enclosures, respectively) and flies between the Lofty aspirations TRANSCONTINENTAL TREAT Passengers jetting across the US finally have comfort that rivals transoceanic flights east and west coasts, connecting New York’s JFK to San Francisco and Los Angeles five times daily. Premium passengers (mostly Silicon Valley and Hollywood types) benefit from tasty entrées that can be pre-ordered, a selection of wines as chosen by consultant Ken Chase and an in-flight entertainment system delivering up to 200 movies, 180 TV programmes and more than 350 audio selections via a 15.4-inch touchscreen monitor. There is also WiFi and power outlets at each seat, including in the petite economy class section in the rear of the plane, which also includes what the airliner calls Main Cabin Extra seating, offering six more inches of legroom. But regardless of which class you’re travelling on, one thing is clear from the moment you step aboard: this is a decorous, civilised and game-changing experience that is long overdue – one which is sure to have ripple effects, from sea to shining sea. aa.com FH FROM TOP: CARLO STANGA, JON MILLER/HEDRICH BLESSING/ARCAID/LAIF 28 departures-international.com CONTACT PLATINUM CARD SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS
STAY DIFFERENT WITH JUMEIRAH Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa, Mallorca Jumeirah Grand Hotel Via Veneto, Rome Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai It’s hard to imagine receiving more hospitality from Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts however we always hold something in reserve and offer exclusive benefits for Platinum Cardmembers. For more information or to make a booking, contact your Platinum Travel Service on 0845 608 0845. The promoter is Jumeirah International LLC. A limited liability company, incorporated in the United Arab Emirates with registered office at Al Sufouh Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
