Arrive Magazine - July/August, 2009

OBSCENELY INEXPENSIVE.

AKA balances the style and service of an intimate hotel with the space and comfort of an elegantly appointed luxury apartment. Specializing in stays of a week or more, AKA stands for exclusive midtown locations; signature design; and superb business, fitness and spa services.

HP MINI 2140: Don’t let this netbook’s conservative silver casing fool you—its Intel Atom processor knows how to party. For example, the 160 GB hard drive is plenty big enough for a cache of MP3s, and the 10.1-inch LED screen is bright enough for some eye-popping movies. If you upgrade to the optional 80 GB solid-state hard drive and the longer-lasting six-cell battery, the computer can run 10 hours before needing more juice. And the full-sized keyboard (and VGA webcam) is great for instant messaging (or taking chem class notes in a pinch). $499; hp.com

DISTINCTIVE FLEXIBLE STAY RESIDENCES SPACIOUS MIDTOWN SUITES WITH FULL KITCHENS AT CONVENTIONAL HOTEL PRICES

First Class contributors include Heather Johnson, Roger Morris, Larry Olmsted, Lauren Proper, John Patrick Pullen, Hashim Rahman and Shannon McKenna Schmidt