The White House Was One Petty Congressman Away From Becoming Versailles

Plus, The New Paris Hotel Where You Can Sleep Under the Stars

Manage newsletters View in browser The entire world in your inbox. Hello all—   Over the past few weeks, I've been giddily rifling through William Seale's two-volume history of the White House. You can just open up to any presidency and it's filled with long-forgotten juicy stories that in all honesty make our present era seem tame by comparison. While I'd seen random blog posts over the years about almost-built White Houses, reading Seale I got a taste of the richness of the tale of First Lady Caroline Harrison's attempt at a White House expansion—and just how close it came to happening! I think you'll all enjoy the feature I posted on all the drama, with assistance from the Harrison Historical Site in Indianapolis and the Library of Congress. My hope is that this historical background will add new depth to your next visit to D.C.   This week we also have a gripping, but troubling read from Clive Irving on just what exactly went wrong at Boeing that led to the 737 MAX failure. Clive's insight and reporting is unequivocal—the root of the company's misdeeds can be traced to the cult of Jack Welch, the legendary head of GE.   Finally, for all the Greek mythology nerds out there, don't miss Peter Fiennes' piece on the ways you can still experience ancient Greece in the country today— perfect for you.    Enjoy!   —William O'Connor, Travel Editor The White House Was One Petty Congressman Away From Becoming Versailles For decades, most White House occupants thought it was a glorified dump. One First Lady nearly succeeded in turning it into a palace. The New Paris Hotel Where You Can Sleep Under the Stars Housed in one of the city's storied government buildings, Madame Rêve will have its guests looking up more than the average Paris hotel. How Boeing Was Set on the Path to Disaster by the Cult of Jack Welch The once-great company was gutted by a series of bosses who put making money ahead of making airplanes–and 346 people died. Now a new book adds to the list of damning indictments. These Places from Greek Mythology Still Exist—and You Can Visit It is thrilling to be able to visit the places where the Greek myths emerged, from the kingdom of Mycenae to the village where Zeus and Prometheus cut a deal. Protect Your Smallest Treasures With the Away Hard-Shelled Mini Scouting Report: With travel restrictions lifting, feelings of wanderlust are likely to surface. When you are ready to hit the road, you'll need some luggage sturdy enough to keep up with your flyer miles. That's where the Away luggage comes in.   Why is it that tiny versions of normally big things are always so damn cute?   Take the Away Mini, back in stock for the holiday season. It doesn't have a handle, wheels, or a removable battery, but it does have the classic polycarbonate shell of a big Away suitcase, just in a smaller package.   The Mini is designed to help organize and protect your small belongings, like toiletries, headphones, jewelry, whathaveyou. It comes in 16 (!) different colors and is honestly the perfect companion to any suitcase, Away or otherwise. The interior mesh pocket and elastic strap can help secure things like razors, pens, serums, and more. It even has an exterior D ring so you can attach your keys so they don't end up in the bowels of your larger bag. At under 7" tall, this is a great alternative to the soft sides of a packing cube, in case you need some extra bump-proof protection.    Away creates thoughtful travel essentials to ensure your journey is stress-free, and that you have a designated space for every little thing you'll need on the way there and back. The team is made up of passionate travelers stationed all over the world, and the pieces they create are direct-to-consumer, made from the same quality materials as premium luggage.   — Scouted by Jillian Lucas SHOP AT AWAY >>> "While recording what would become their last studio album in 1969, the Beatles did a final one-off show on the roof of Apple Corps headquarters in London. That now-iconic performance, however, came close to being filmed in the ruins of a Roman theater in North Africa." —historian Candida Moss gives us the tale of how a magnificent site in Libya's current troubled state might mean more to the world if the Beatles had performed there. OMG I Want This House!      December is here, which means it's time to start figuring out where you will be summering in 2022. We're assuming that, like us, this means you are currently stressed about which new Hamptons property you will be acquiring. (Oh, the life we live in our dreams…) If that's the case, may we introduce you to The Up Studio-designed Harbor Hideaway, the architectural Helen that is sure to start the next Hamptons bidding war. (After all, winning the new love of your real estate portfolio's life tastes so much sweeter when there's competition.)   Sag Harbor was originally a whaling village. Though the industry has been banned in the U.S. and the original whalers probably wouldn't recognize their old neighborhood, we won't judge if, like us and the fair lad pictured here, you are trying to catch yourself a whale of a more modern species in order to afford this $4.5 mil Long Island prize.   Contemporary, but right at home in the local landscape. The Harbor House is sure to be the 2022 summer envy of all your very tasteful neighbors.    Don't miss previous OMG, I Want to Rent This House posts, which spotlight the most spectacular and unique homes that you can actually stay in.  Check out the full archives.  Travel to France's Most Over-the-Top Private Home   It's a palace with one of the greatest tales in French history—a minister overshadowing his king only to be pulled down to nothing. That's the long and short of Nicolas Fouqet, King Louis XIV, and the fabulous Vaux-le-Vicomte, a chateau south of Paris that is the subject of a delightful new coffee table book from Flammarion, Vaux le Vicomte: A Private Invitation. The book is the latest selection for our series on gorgeous new travel related coffee table books, Just Booked. Despite its thrilling backstory and its central role in the development of French style—the architect (Le Vau), decorator (Le Brun), and landscape designer (Le Notre) all went on to design Versailles—Vaux-le-Vicomte doesn't have the same grip on the popular tourist imagination as other French chateaux.    This new tome, with text from Guillaume Picon and photographs by Bruno Ehrs, will hopefully change that. The rooms captured are sumptuous and the vistas arresting—few rooms have ever competed with the oval Grand Salon looking out over Le Notre's Baroque gardens. What is amazing is that the house is still in private hands, those of the de Vogüé family.   Check out our previous selections for our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books, Just Booked. 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