Mammoth goes upscale

It’s official: Mammoth Mountain is no longer just for ski bums and other outdoors enthusiasts. With the new Westin Monache Resort, visitors to Mammoth Lakes, Calif., can stay in a full-service, branded, upscale resort with bell staff, concierge, even a ski valet who’ll take care of their skis. Of course, they will pay accordingly at this 230-room condo-hotel; regular winter rates start at $299 midweek and more than $400 on weekends. That includes a nice location, in the Village at Mammoth just above the express gondola. (888) 627-8154, www.westin.com.

-- Jane Engle

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Arty Beijing

Add another must-see site to the list in rapidly modernizing Beijing. The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (above) opened in the Chinese capital last month in a Bauhaus-style former factory in the culturally hot 798 District in northeastern Beijing. The museum, founded by Belgian art collectors Guy and Myriam Ullens, has 1,500 works by contemporary Chinese artists in three exhibition halls. Opening exhibitions include “ ’85 New Wave: The Birth of Chinese Contemporary Art,” a survey of works created from 1985 to 1990, a seminal period in modern Chinese art. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays. Admission is about $4. Info: www.ucca.org.cn (click on the “EN” link for English).

-- Vani Rangachar

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The power tent

Outdoor purists, prepare to be disgusted: Eureka!, maker of camping, military and party tents, has introduced a line of tents wired for electricity. The N!ergy tent is sold with a rechargeable battery power pack that supplies the tent with up to 18 hours of electricity to run fans, lights, DVD players, hair dryers, laptop computers and other gadgets. The greater the wattage, the fewer hours the power pack lasts. We tested the N!ergy 9 by plugging in a fan, a light and a small DVD player -- everything needed for a comfortable night in the outdoors -- and the pack lasted about eight hours. It can recharge from a cigarette lighter or a home outlet. Inside, the tent is wired with three 12-volt outlets. This is either an ingenious invention or a sign that we really need to reevaluate our priorities. Price: $160 for the 9-foot-by-9-foot,10-inch model, plus $60 for the power pack. Info: www.eurekatent.com.

-- Hugo Martin

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Room at the top

The opulent Carlyle Hotel houses a rarefied mix of New York’s power elite, who either reside in one of the apartments or stay over in the exclusive suites, at prices beyond belief. Recently, the Carlyle converted one of the residences into the Empire Suite (above), which at 2,600 square feet is about the size of a typical three-bedroom house. Of course, the typical house doesn’t come with walls upholstered in cashmere or a collection of original artworks curated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The collection includes “New York at Night” by Berenice Abbott, an extraordinary 1932 photo taken from the top of the Empire State Building just before dawn. All this for a mere -- gulp -- $15,000 per night, not including tax and gratuity. (888) 767-3966 or www.rosewoodhotels.com.

-- Chris Erskine