essentials these carefully into “ensembles” to evoke visual commonality between objects visitors would not otherwise associate. barnesfoundation.org did not stop with the globally known, Michelin-starred legend, adding a local element via Philadelphia’s own beloved James Beard Award-winning chef Greg Vernick’s modern take on the oyster bar, Vernick Fish. Both celebrated chefs shared their signature creations with special guests in-flight from New York during a pre-opening NetJets + Philly Pop Down preview of the hotel. With what is now the highest hotel lobby in the nation, the split-level arrival wows, but Foster’s showcase views do not let up as guests descend to the 219 rooms and suites located on the ten floors below, all with floor-to-ceiling windows and automated blackout shades. Regular Four Seasons denizens will recognize familiar touches, such as the signature opulent bathrooms with oversized walk-in showers, but Philadelphia adds distinctive notes of its own, from the elaborate minibars stocked with local, spirit-driven cocktail kits to the upgraded Guerlain bath amenities, and most of all, through a partnership with building owner Comcast, the fastest Wi-Fi of any Four Seasons on Earth, plus the X1 Video Experience. This delivers 300-plus channels and a free on-demand library of more than 50,000 shows and movies, for entertainment unrivaled in the hospitality business. If pampering is more your style, the hotel has a fabulous spa, an infinity pool in yet another dramatic glass atrium on the 57th floor, and an oversized state-of-the-art fitness center with a 30-foot-high multimedia wall that could never get crowded. From the ground level front door to the lobby to the spa–and everywhere in between–guests are wowed with a natural firework display of greenery and colorful flowers, thanks to Jeff Leatham, perhaps the world’s premier celebrity florist and longtime artistic director at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris. Leatham, who splits his time between Los Angeles and the French capital, now adds Philadelphia to his business card and will remain the full-time overseer of the hotel’s generous floral budget. It has been four years since the original Four Seasons Philadelphia, a few blocks away, closed in anticipation of its rebirth, and travelers will be happy to know that the brand has immediately reclaimed its preeminent position in the City of Brotherly Love. fourseasons.com –Larry Olmsted THREE THINGS NOT TO MISS IN THE CITY BARNES FOUNDATION Between 1912 and 1951, Albert C. Barnes amassed one of the most important—and eclectic—art collections in the world. Masterworks by Renoir, Matisse, van Gogh, Cézanne, and Picasso are interspersed with Native American pottery, Pennsylvania Dutch furniture, ironwork, and seemingly random household items. Barnes grouped PIZZERIA BEDDIA Joe Beddia is Philadelphia’s pizza whisperer, and just when it seemed that it could not get better than being named America’s best pies by Bon Appétit, Time magazine elevated his namesake pizzeria to one of the world’s top 19 restaurants—of any kind. The pepperoni is the signature of the slightly charred, crispy pies, but whatever your taste, plan ahead as reservations can stretch months. pizzeriabeddia.com MORRIS ARBORETUM In 1887, natureobsessed Quaker siblings John and Lydia Morris transformed their 92-acre Chestnut Hill summer estate into an elaborately landscaped monument to outdoor beauty. Today the popular urban oasis belongs to the University of Pennsylvania, is the state’s official arboretum, and includes everything from hidden tunnels to the Holiday Garden Railway, a quartermile-long outdoor model train track, to the award-winning “Out on a Limb” exhibit, which takes visitors 50 feet up elevated walkways for a canopy walk through the treetops. morrisarboretum.org CHRISTIAN HORAN 16 NetJets Philadelphia International to Four Seasons: 10 miles
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