QNE_p093

QC08282014

for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com AUGUST 28 , 2014 • buzz • The QUENS CourieR 93 victoria’s secrets VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS vschneps@queenscourier.com tweet me @vschneps A staycation to repeat A book signing party I was delighted to be invited by old friends Baysiders Judge Nick Garaufis and his lovely wife Betsy Seidman to a book signing by their old friend Richard Ravitch at their home. I was particularly interested in meeting the man who helped save New York State. When Gov. Hugh Carey was told by a group of bankers that they would no longer underwrite the city’s debt, it was Richard Ravitch who helped prevent the state from going into bankruptcy. He went on to have a spectacular public private sector career including lieutenant governor for Gov. David Paterson as he was thrust into the governor’s seat after Eliot Spitzer was forced to resign. The book is filled with insights about a life well spent, often from crisis to crisis. Now his job is mainly to tell the story of the six decades he served New York State in the public and private sectors. “So Much to Do: A Full Life of Business, Politics, and Confronting Fiscal Crises” is a fast read with fascinating insights about our government and business worlds. The book can be bought at Dolphin Bookshop in Port Washington. Dynamic $1000 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK Free Whitening included the inViSiBle WAy to Some excluSionS Apply StrAighten teeth third generation dentist 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 (l-r) Betsy Seidman, Richard Ravitch and Nick Garaufis at the book signing A calming massage at Viana Spa Viana Spa’s pool area We enjoyed facials at the spa Photos courtesy of Viana Spa Every month I go with my girlfriends to Pouran’s Spa in the North Shore Towers in Floral Park. It’s a world away feeling but so close to home. For a fast-fix recharge, I use the professional services at Christie & Co. Salon and Spa in the Bay Terrace shopping center. Now I have discovered another great escape also just miles away, this one in Westbury. It’s the recently built Viana Hotel and Spa, owned by old friends the Mindels who also own the Adria and Best Western in Bayside and the Inn at Great Neck. They know how to run hotels and now they’ve created a worldclass spa just yards from the NYCB Theatre at Westbury. So close it deserves a ride for a chance to recharge your batteries and have a pampering experience. I went with my daughter Elizabeth for a mother/daughter time together. We were welcomed by the spa director and taken to the changing room to slip out of our clothes into plush robes and slippers. She led us to a quiet, calm area for our massages and facials. The expert therapists made it memorable and I want to return for more. I liked how they had a quiet room to rest after the treatments, a way to slowly return to reality from my staycation. To cap off our time together, Elizabeth and I had a lunch in the hotel’s dining room of perfectly cooked sesamecrusted tuna and omelets. It was tempting to go downstairs for an additional service but we were told when we left they were sold out for the rest of the day. Try it and you, too, will love it. Viana Spa 3998 Brush Hollow Rd. Westbury, NY 11590 516-338-7777 www.vianahotelandspa.com


QC08282014
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