There are plenty of reasons to raise a pint to the Irish. Saint Patrick, the Blarney Stone, James Joyce, Dylan Thomas, U2. One of the greatest occurred in 1759 when young Arthur Guinness founded a brewery at legendary St. James’s Gate, crafted a hearty, distinctive stout, and won a place in our hearts forever. Celebrate the 250th anniversary of that first delicious keg with Neiman Marcus’ exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime gift, advertised in this year’s Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. For $250,000, the good, actually, make that awesome, folks at RiRa Pubs will design a fully functional, traditional Irish pub and build it in your home in 2009. It will be crafted from historic Irish architectural elements and authentic Guinness artifacts. There’s also a VIP trip for two to Dublin with first class airfare, luxury accommodations, and insider access to the magic still being made at the historic St. James’s Gate brewery (all members of your party must be at least 21 years of age). Plus fresh Guinness Stout for your pub. For an entire year.Side note: the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book has evolved into the ultimate wish book. The most expensive items ever offered was an unfinished Boeing Business Jet for more than $35 million. But not all of the gifts in the book are costly. A substantial number of gifts cost less than $100. Since its inception, Neiman Marcus has commissioned leading artists to design the cover of the Christmas Book, with the art ranging from abstract to surreal to humorous. Cover artists have included such legends as Saul Steinberg, Ben Shahn, Robert Indiana and Al Hirschfeld. Fashion models whose careers were boosted by early appearances in the Christmas Book include Cindy Crawford, Heidi Klum, Morgan Fairchild, Andie MacDowell and Cybil Shepherd. Each year, a highly anticipated luxury automobile is showcased in the Christmas Book, and the tradition has become quite a phenomenon. Beginning with the BMW Z2 roadster in 1995, the cars have sold out each and every year, often in the first 24 hours of availability. In 2000, Ford telephone lines in Dearborn, Michigan, handling the sale of the Neiman Marcus Limited Edition Ford Thunderbird, were jammed as callers flooded the automaker with orders; the new “birds” sold out in two hours. Today, the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is distributed to over one million homes worldwide and is available online at www.neimanmarcus.com.) So a toast! To calling 1.877.9NM.GIFT for more information, detailed terms and conditions, and to order! Sláinte!
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October 10, 2008Estate of the Day: Laguna Beach
