NACHO FIGUERAS Polo’s leading man
PAUL RABIL
Lacrosse legend
THE RITZ-CARLTON
Sophisticated staycation
USTA RAISES THE ROOF ELLEN CRANE’S ARTISTRY IN MOTION PRIVATE SCHOOLS
in WAG Country
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W H I T E
P L A I N S
H O S P I TA L
I S
A
M E M B E R
O F
T H E
M O N T E F I O R E
H E A LT H
S Y S T E M
®ROBERTOCOIN
POIS MOI COLLECTION
CONTENTS
12 You can go home again 16 Shanghai Mickey 18 The motion of dance 22 Core principles 24 Stick man 28 White Plains fantasy 32 Wedding ways 36 Played in the shade 40 The ascent of a most communal sport 42 Color us curious... 44 Me and The Mick 46 Rockin’ out in style 50 Dream makers 54 Emotions of equine moments 56 Sports/wear 104 Heeling arts
60
COVER STORY
NACHO FIGUERAS – PRINCE OF PLAYERS
THIS PAGE Paul Rabil, professional lacrosse player. Photograph by John Rizzo.
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72 WANDERS A Brexit we can all get behind 74 WANDERS Cozy cruisin’
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80 TOP PICKS Your child’s future begins today
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90 WONDERFUL DINING Cuisines intersect at Dere Street
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School of the Holy Child – 88 holychildrye.org
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76 CHIC CHOICES Gifts and new products
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Masters School - 89 mastersny.org
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Michael’s Limousine - 35 michaelslimo.com Miller Motor Cars - 9 millermotorcars.com
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Muscoot Tavern – 93 muscoottavern.com
Support Connection – 38 supportconnection.org
Christopher Noland Salon & Beauty Spa - 6 christophernoland.com
National Multiple Sclerosis Society - 107 womenonthemove.msnyc.org
Texas de Brazil - 15 texasdebrazil.com
Custom Candle Company - 52 customcandleco.com
New York Medical College – 99 nymc.edu/foundersdinner
Eager Beaver Tree Service - 117 eagerbeavertreeservice.com
One Twenty One Restaurant – 97 121restaurant.com
Euphoria Kitchen & Bath - 34 euphoriakitchens.com
ONS – Back Cover onsmd.com
French - American School of NY - 85 fasny.org
Patio.com - 67 patio.com
Garrison Art Center - 14 garrisonartcenter.org
Pepe Infiniti – Inside Front Cover pepeinfiniti.com
107 PET PORTRAITS Love trumps all; Soul sisters
Greenwich Medical Skincare and Laser Spa - 21 greenwichmedicalspa.com
Prutting & Company Custom Builders – 31 prutting.com
108 WHEN & WHERE Upcoming events
Greenwich Polo Club - 39 greenwichpoloclub.com
92 WINE & DINE From a craggy isle, wines that endure 94 WHETTING THE APPETITE Jackie Ruby’s Lemon Zucchini Pesto with Shrimp 96 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Going for the gold 98 WEAR Recreating yourself, strand by strand 100 WELL What to do when injury strikes 102 WELL The importance of R&R – rest and recovery 106 PET OF THE MONTH Happy go lucky
112 WATCH We’re out and about
Greenwich Spanish School - 83 greenwichspanish.org
120 WIT Are you a player or a fan, in sports or in life?
Gregory Sahagian & Sons - 55 greg@gssawning.com
The American Gold Cup – 103 theamericangoldcup.com The Chapel School - 80 thechapelschool.org The Ursuline School – 81 ursulinenewrochelle.org Val’s Putnam Wines and Liquors – 119 valsputnamwines.com Westchester Medical Center- 7 westchestermedicalcenter.com Westmore Fuel – 41 westmorefuel.com
Ridgefield Playhouse - 109 ridgefieldplayhouse.org
White Plains Hospital – Inside Back Cover wphospital.org
Rippowam Cisqua School – 81 rcsny.org
Whitby School – 84 whitbyschool.org/bluesky
John Rizzo Photography – 111 johnrizzophoto.com
R&M Woodrow Jewelers - 1 woodrowjewelers.com
Royal Closet - 10 royalcloset.com
World Class Parking – 113 wcparking.com
NACHO FIGUERAS Polo’s leading man
PAUL RABIL
Lacrosse legend
THE RITZ-CARLTON
Sophisticated staycation
USTA RAISES THE ROOF ELLEN CRANE’S ARTISTRY IN MOTION PRIVATE SCHOOLS
in WAG Country
JUDGED
BEST MAGAZINE
celebrate and exhale
IN NEW YORK STATE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW
4
WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE AUGUST 2016 | WAGMAG.COM
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COVER:
Nacho Figueras See story on page 60. Photograph by Claudio Marinesco.
AUGUST 2016
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THE TALENT BEHIND THIS ISSUE
WAGGERS
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ANTHONY CARBONI
ROBIN COSTELLO
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MARY SHUSTACK
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BILL HELTZEL
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LAURA CACACE
JEREMY WAYNE
OOPS In the July WAG, we misrepresented Joseph Carr’s credentials in the Wine & Dine column (Page 92). He is the creator of Josh Cellars Wines.
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EDITOR'S LETTER GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
August — the last gasp of summer. If ever there was a time to exhale, this is it. And we have plenty of stories to help you kick back, beginning with cover guy Nacho Figueras, always delectable to watch on the polo field and now between the covers — of a book, that is. Figueras, who got his start at Greenwich Polo Club, is presenting a series of polo novels set partly in the Hudson Valley. Smart and sexy, they’re the perfect beach books. Still, Figueras — whose tastes run more to history and biography — remains a man in motion, much like Paul Rabil, the LeBron James of lacrosse (Laura’s story). For many, life, even at its most chillaxing, is about movement — or the consideration thereof. And so we focus on that, too, with articles on the rise of rugby in Fairfield County (Reece); a new book about baseball legend Mickey Mantle (Ryan); dance photographer Ellen Crane (Mary); fitness teacher Simone Gell’s unique combination of dressage and dance; the American Gold Cup’s fifth anniversary at Old Salem Farm; and the new retractable roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium — which bows at the US Open later this month. If there’s something to be said for a body in motion, however, there’s also something to be said for a body at rest — a subject that our fitness expert Giovanni Roselli and physical therapist John Connolly approach from different angles. Rest and recovery are important to any body, they say. So is good wine (Doug, our resident Dionysus, on the enduring vintages of craggy Madeira island); good food (Aleesia on Dere Street Restaurant Bar and Bakery in Newtown); and good sleep (Mary again on Hästens, the bedding company for the Goldilocks in all of us). For others, relaxation revolves around travel. Debbi embarks on the latest trend in cruises, back-to-back
Photograph by Bob Rozycki.
voyages, with an Odyssey of her own from Venice to Athens to Rome aboard the sleekly casual Azamara Journey. Other summer trips take us to the heart of childhood. Audrey considers how East and West are accommodating each other at the new Shanghai Disney Resort, where Mickey Mouse meets China’s Monkey Master. And our resident Wanderer, Jeremy, stages a Brexit of his own to the Isles of Scilly and the England of his youth. I even get into the act with a return to the Berkshires’ Red Lion Inn and a staycation at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Westchester for a story on the latter’s irresistible new wedding package: Book your wedding there and the honeymoon is on The Ritz. These are the kinds of places that allow you to let your hair down, put up your feet, pour a tall Arnold Palmer and reach for a good book, like a juicy Nacho romance — after you finish perusing August WAG, of course. Georgette Gouveia is the author of “Water Music” (Greenleaf Book Group) and “The Penalty for Holding,” which will be published next year by Less Than Three Press. They’re part of her series of novels, “The Games Men Play,” which is the name of the sports/culture blog she writes at thegamesmenplay.com. Readers may also find weekly installments of her novel “Seamless Sky” on wattpad.com.
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YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
All adulthood is a reaction to childhood and youth. You’re either trying to recapture something you lost or create something you never had. For many years, my beloved Aunt Mary and I would make a biannual off-season pilgrimage of the heart to The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Mass. We’d take in some of the many cultural and historic offerings that grace the rolling, misty Berkshires in Western Massachusetts — where, according to a guidebook, “Life breathes deep.” Sometimes, though, we’d just sit on the inn’s famous front porch and watch small-town America drift by. 12
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As the years went on, however, and my aunt became increasingly ill, our visits became less and less frequent until they stopped altogether. Then one day, I realized that with my aunt now gone it had been 10 years since I last corresponded with the inn. Time to renew an old acquaintance. But would it be too much emotionally to return to a place that once held so much joy and now mostly bittersweet memories? I decided to see if the old magic was still there, enlisting the companionship of my sister Gina — driver, navigator and foodie, possessed of a questing, uncompromising spirit — and her faithful, feisty firecracker of a Chihuahua, Fausto. Both for convenience and the sake of the new, I suggested that we take Interstate 684 to Route 22 — instead of the Taconic State Parkway, my usual route — winding our way to Millerton, home of Harney & Sons, for lunch. I had written about the Harney family and its Dutchess County-based tea company for WAG’s October 2011 “Fabulous Feasts” issue, and the return didn’t disappoint as we savored salads of smoked salmon (she) and chicken (me) in the café — accompanied by plenty of tea, of course — and then a visit to the gift shop, which had been my ulterior motive. There I purchased three teas I’m obsessed with — the Valentine’s Blend and the Choco Nut Blend, which taste like liquid chocolate; and the spicy black tea Chai. We then snaked along back roads dotted with farms — the cows resting in mud, the horses swishing their tails — as Fausto alternately slept in the back seat curled like a shrimp or tried to stand, alert to every jostle of the elevated terrain. Or perhaps he, too, was marveling at how a landscape of misty, verdant highlands a mere two hours from WAG country allows you to exhale and transports you to another state of mind. What would that mindset be as we turned the corner onto Main Street and found ourselves in front of the white, four-story inn, whose 125 rooms have been welcoming travelers since the American Revolution? It was as if 10 years were only yesterday. I fingered my aunt’s opal ring, which I had worn for the occasion. Well, Tiny, I thought, using my nickname for her, we made it. The Red Lion Inn’s front porch. Photograph by Alivia Bartlett. WAGMAG.COM
AUGUST 2016
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I found my eyes misting — must’ve been my sinuses — but my thoughts quickly turned to settling in at the Stevens House, one of the inn’s pet-friendly properties, which features a common kitchen and living space. Since we only occasionally ran into other guests and pets, it was like having the whole house to ourselves. That house was a short walk from the inn, still graced by its teapot collection and Norman Rockwell prints; its twirling rack of folk-art postcards of the inn and neighboring sites by the late Rye artist Regi Klein; its wrought-iron elevator, grand piano and life-size carousel horse; its Americana furnishings and, especially, window treatments from Country Curtains, whose flagship is on-site. (Country Curtains founders Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick rescued the inn in 1968 after it had endured a checkered midcentury and transformed it into what visitors enjoy today. Daughter Nancy is president and co-owner with her stepdaughter, Sarah Eustis, who serves as managing director.) Some things never change, I thought the next morning as I relished blueberry pancakes, bacon, English breakfast tea and a cranberry juice
spritzer at a window table for two in The Red Lion’s main dining room while Gina ate eggs and hash browns and the sun dappled the wicker furniture on the side patio. Here was true contentment. After, my sister went off to the fitness room — now in its own building — and I got a shockeroo: The gift shop is no longer called the Pink Kitty, and the great body lotion and dusting powder in the distinctive red-letter packaging had been replaced by a less spicy scent in more floral bottles. I purchased the dusting powder and inhaled, determined to summon Proustian memories that flitted and flickered. The famed black-and-white lobby cat, Simon, who has his own brand, had retired, and Leo, his gray tabby successor, was still getting used to the gig. (He was ready to jump into my purse, which I’m embarrassed to say is big enough to hold him.) “Would you stop with the Pink Kitty already,” Gina said as we made our way to The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, which, she reminded me, was not as close to the inn as I remembered it. We were a week too early for the “Splendor, Myth, and Vision: Nudes from the Prado” (through Oct. 10) — I
couldn’t resist ordering the sensuous catalog anyway — but we marveled at the new Tadao Ando-designed Clark Center, with its pavilions, retail and dining spaces, terrace and three-tiered reflecting pool — a Zen triumph. The whole trip was like that — echoes of the past, fresh experiences. On the way back to The Red Lion, we stopped in Lenox at the Chocolate Springs Café for chocolate gelato and dark chocolate mousse cake — a flip-out, as Gina would say. Thanks to her, we had a variety of culinary experiences in Lenox, including a sumptuous lunch at baronial Blantyre. Retracing our steps after our Berkshires stay, we stopped again in Millerton — this time to refuel at Irving Farm Coffee House and wander through the shops that grace its artistic Main Street. Back home, I placed the new box of Red Lion Inn dusting powder atop the old one, but first I lifted the lid and inhaled once more. Time for some new memories. For more, visit redlioninn.com. And for more on the Berkshires’ many cultural offerings — including the Tanglewood music festival, which runs through Sept. 3 — visit berkshires.org.
Riverside Crafts Fair AUGUST 20 & 21, 10 to 5 Garrison’s Landing, next door to MTA Hudson Line 1 hour North of NYC, 3 miles N. of Bear Mtn. Bridge
70+
White Forest Pottery
Tulip and Bear
Winnie Chai Jewelry
POP UP
SHOPS
Handmade goods & gifts
Riverside location Food & picnic court Free parking Admission $8. Kids free
845.424.3960 garrisonartcenter.org 14
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SHANGHAI MICKEY DISNEY AND CHINA BLEND CULTURES IN NEW RESORT BY AUDREY RONNING TOPPING
Enchanted Storybook Castle of Shanghai Disneyland.
Just when Western tourists feel they have experienced all the historical sights worth seeing in China, Shanghai comes up with a spectacular attraction that rivals the Great Wall and The Forbidden City.
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On 6/16/16 — the number six being a lucky one in Chinese culture — the Shanghai Disney Resort opened. The $5.5 billion theme park — twice the size of California’s original Disneyland — features the world’s largest Enchanted Storybook Castle representing all Disney royalty — and that’s a lot of princesses. This will give tourists and the more than 300 million Chinese who live within three hours by car of the city an unusual opportunity to spend their leisure time. President Xi Jinping himself voted in favor of the park in Communist Party meetings. The grand-opening celebration featured a Mandarin-language production of Broadway’s
top-grossing show, “The Lion King.” To make the show more recognizable in China, the producers introduced a flamboyant new character, the Monkey Master, based on China’s favorite legendary character, the mischievous White Monkey King, who has entertained Chinese readers and children for more than 1,000 years. In “The Lion King,” Monkey Master wears a red and yellow Chinese-inspired jacket with two feathers representing antennae extending from his head. He doesn’t talk or sing but, to the delight of his Chinese fans, he bursts in heroically to rescue Simba the lion cub whenever he is in mortal danger. The White Monkey King was originally a char-
acter in the Chinese folk epic “Journey to the West,” written 400 years ago by Wu Cheng-en. The novel — part myth, part fantasy — was based on an actual journey by Xuanzang, a Buddhist monk who, in the 7th century, set forth on a hazardous 10,000mile pilgrimage across the Gobi Desert and over three of the world’s highest mountain ranges to India in search of some rare Buddhist scriptures. Sixteen years later — after encounters with bandits, spirits, gods, ogres, monsters, tigers and fairies — he returned from India with the sutras, riding a white horse. On his heroic quest, Xuanzang was accompanied by three disciples — Monkey King, who acquires godlike powers, Pigsy and Sandy. The journey inspired a cycle of legends and myths, operas, plays and musicals. The Chinese “Lion King” premiered in the new 1,200-seat Walt Disney Grand Theatre, the main anchor of the park. In the audience were local officials and media celebrities, including Yao Ming, the former NBA star, and anyone who is anybody in Shanghai. There was also a large contingent of Disney executives led by Robert A. Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Co. Iger told The New York Times that the new park was “by far the most
creatively ambitious and technically advanced” the company had ever built. Localizing the musical was a focal point to create a resort that is both “authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese.” Strategically placed around the resort are iconic Chinese structures and symbols, such as The Wandering Moon Tea House in the Garden of Twelve Friends, in which 12 mosaic murals reimagine Disney characters as signs of the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese-style pavilion, decorated with brilliant roof corner eaves sweeping to the heavens to ward off evil spirits, serves exotic teas to elderly Chinese visitors, who wish to bring their pet crickets and honor the “restless creative spirits” of famous Chinese poets like Li Po. The peony, China’s national flower, and other local symbols are found everywhere. Although the food is 90 percent Asian, The Cheesecake Factory’s distinctly multicultural American fare — served in its faux ancient Egyptian décor — is the most popular. Iger deserves credit for his adroit dealings with China’s government. He persuaded officials to shut down 150 factories, clear 1,000 acres of prime land, build a new metro link and paint Disney mascots on commercial jets. The park contains six themed
lands, from the “Pirates of the Caribbean”-inspired Treasure Cove to Tomorrowland, with a massive, color-shifting canopy, and hundreds of never-before-seen attractions designed specifically for the people of China, including immersive experiences, shopping and heart-stopping rides featuring advanced technologies that Disney is launching there. Not everyone, however, finds the Magic Kingdom so magical. The Dalian Wanda Group — owned by real estate and entertainment mogul Wang Jianlin — has just opened a $3-billion theme park in Nanchang, and dozens of others are in construction across the country. Wang has contended that Disney cannot succeed as a “lone tiger” against a pack of wolves that understands Chinese consumers far better. But Iger countered: “The resort reflects Disney’s legendary storytelling along with China’s rich culture and showcases some of the most creative and innovative experiences we’ve ever created. We’re looking forward to showing it to the world and sharing it with the people of China for generations to come.” For more, visit shanghaidisneyresort.com.
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Detail of “Trainor Traverse,” Emily Pacilio of Trainor Dance performing Caitlin Trainor’s “(IN)VISIBLE.”
THE MOTION OF DANCE BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPH BY ELLEN CRANE PHOTOGRAPHY
Ellen Crane, a professional dancer turned photographer, has never let her first love go. A glance through her expansive portfolio finds it filled with dance images, her trademark technique showing the art form in a new, expressive light. It’s what has caught the attention of both the dance and art worlds, allowing Crane to continue to put her personal spin on something long important to her. This month, she returns to Gallery 66 NY in Cold Spring to showcase a series of work that focuses solely on the dance photography that stands, artfully, apart. It is Crane’s artist statement that perhaps sums it up best, “My photographic images are an exploration of movement and stasis. Although I am primarily concerned with moving subjects, I also shoot seemingly still objects that reference movement in some way. I often add a sense of motion to my subjects by keeping my shutter open for a relatively long duration or by moving my camera. Striking the right balance of kinetic energy is my goal in art and life.” And finding that balance in life has brought Crane to where she is today.
HER FIRST STEPS Born in Indiana, Crane grew up in suburban Detroit and studied dance while in high school. She graduated a year early to become a scholarship trainee with the Milwaukee Ballet and would dance professionally in several cities before landing in New York City in the early 1990s. She says it was her personality — “I was very Midwestern” — that kept her from coming to New York sooner. “I was focused on my career, but I was wary of going a little far afield.” Auditions, part-time jobs and a transition to modern dance would follow. “I was getting little gigs here and there,” she says, though something kept nagging at her. “I was like ‘Maybe I did things backwards,’” in waiting so long to hit the dance capital. All the while she was dancing, Crane says, “I had this idea in my head.” That idea was to combine her love of dance with photography, so she enrolled in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study where she created a major with a concentration in photography. Soon, her new career began to take shape. WAGMAG.COM
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“I really let dancing go,” she says, though it would actually become the focus of her photography studies. “I wanted to stay connected to dance… I was removed from it but connected somehow.” She would go on to work for noted dance photographer Lois Greenfield for seven years. Crane says she admired Greenfield’s approach, what she says was using a “dancer’s body as an element” in her work. In her own work, though, Crane sees her role differently, focusing on “the concept of dance and how I can convey the importance of dance.” It goes back to her work for a documentary photography class that found Crane following the American Repertory Ballet backstage and in performance. A shot in which she changed the shutter speed — creating a dramatic, more abstract work — earned the most praise in a class critique. “Everybody really liked that image even though it wasn’t documentary at all,” she says. Crane has continued to create dance works by using slower shutter speeds and other methods to truly explore its artistry. “I’m really interested in movement,” Crane adds. “I am really interested in someone who can really move or create an interesting shape with movement. I’m interested in how that movement evolves.” It’s not about, she says, how high they can jump or the position of their feet but about really “seeing the person.”
THE POWER OF DANCE It all, Crane says, gets to the heart of dance. “It takes you out of your everyday existence. It enables you to convey a certain sense of emotion.” Her goal is to convey what dance means to the dancer, “not just pure physicality but also that sense of trust, collaboration.” Instead of simply documenting what’s in front of her, her method “also allows me to create something different than what I see.” Crane finally realized that she wanted to keep her professional focus behind the lens, not on the stage, and embraced her new career path. “When I was younger I was shooting for Dance Magazine, New York magazine,” she says, among other publications. Today, “I just kind of take advantage as (work) comes about.” A move to the suburbs — she’s living in Dobbs Ferry — and a growing involvement in the local community led to Crane working with a number of organizations. She says traditional assignments from local dance schools, for example, give her the “freedom to work on the art.” “I’m still kind of getting going in the art world,” she says. But she’s become involved in ArtsWestchester through her extensive work with RiverArts, a visual and performing arts organization in lower Westchester, and does select gallery shows. She has exhibited at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Blue Door Gallery in Yonkers, The Donald Gallery in Dobbs Ferry and the Upstream Gallery in Hastings-on-Hudson, with her work also found in private collections across the country.
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Ellen Crane at Gallery 66 NY in Cold Spring. Photograph by Doug Schneider Photography.
ANOTHER SHOW Crane included three dance images in her photography exhibition at Gallery 66 NY in June and has now been called back for a showcase this month, where a full gallery will be devoted to her dance photography. “Lyrical Photography of Ellen Crane” will open with an Aug. 5 reception and continue through Aug. 28. The works in the show will feature Crane’s collaboration with Trainor Dance, led by artistic director, dancer and choreographer Caitlin Trainor. It’s a collaboration that dates back nearly a decade, says Trainor. “Our approaches to work are quite complementary,” Trainor says. “Ellen is very detailed and precise but also very spontaneous, and I am kind of brazenly physical but also very thoughtful about my artistic intentions.” Trainor sees something unique in Crane. “Much of Ellen’s work, particularly the time-lapse images, play with light and time in a way that creates a sense of motion that is unusual in still photography. It is easy for a photographer to capture the form of the dancer’s body, and for the beauty of the image to rest upon that figure. But the best dance photographers are doing much more than that, and Ellen’s work is dynamic, sometimes abstract, emotive and not literal at all.” Trainor concludes that Crane brings much to a project, not the least of which is her own experience with dance. “Using the tools of the dancer — that is, her own movement in time — Ellen creates beautifully distorted images of flowing movement and light, each with their own sense of poetry and artistry,” Trainor says. “Not only are these photos gorgeous as abstract images, but they invite dance audiences to look beyond the form of the dancer’s body and into the feeling of the dance. Very subtly, Ellen shifts the focus from the often-objectified dancer’s body and into the whoosh of movement that is the dance itself. I wish more dance audience came to know dance through her lens.” For more, visit ellencrane.com.
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CORE PRINCIPLES BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Simone Gell leads a class at The Mane Barre Studio in North Salem. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.
At The Mane Barre Studio in North Salem and the Barre at the Green in Guilford, owner/teacher Simone Gell combines her study of ballet and modern dance with 20 years of dressage training into a core-centric workout designed for riders and nonriders alike. “Ten years ago, I discovered this method of exercise that helped my riding,” says Gell, a Chappaqua resident. “I really enjoyed it and thought one day I’d like to teach it.” Through Exhale New York City, a boutique fitness studio, Gell not only received her certification, but also went deeper into her own practice.
At her summer home in Guilford, a picturesque coastal town, she taught that practice to people she knew. Such was the interest that the Barre at the Green was born three years ago. But Gell “wanted to work with the riding community” in northern Westchester County, too. She founded The Mane Barre Studio almost a year ago. The method Gell teaches — “a full-body workout targeting arms, thighs, glutes and abs through a series of small movements” — is based on one created by Lotte Berk (1913-2003), the German-born ballet dancer. Working with an osteopath in the 1950s, she designed a series of exercises that emphasized core stability and flexibility. “This method… builds strength and makes you long and lean,” Gell says. “The cornerstone is the core. I’m also a stickler for alignment.” Gell helps her students — mostly women in their 20s to 80s, about half of whom are equestrians — with their posture, which is key to daily life and any sport but particularly equestrian sports. And this is what separates Gell from other fitness
instructors: She also works with riders to adjust their alignment as they’re seated on the horse. “The focus is on creating harmony between the horse and the rider so the rider becomes one with the horse,” she says. Gell’s mother insisted that she take ballet and horseback riding, both of which gave her a certain grace. As she grew up, Gell’s interest shifted from ballet to jazz dance, and she studied at The Ailey School, the official school of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Her love for horses continued as well and led her to compete. (It was Gell’s husband who bought her first horse.) Today, however, she doesn’t ride. “Life has its ebbs and flows,” she says. Besides, she’s heavily vested in her students building on their practice. “Many of them tell me it helps them with their confidence,” she says. “They take that mental strength with them out into the world.” For more, visit themanebarrestudio.com and barreatthegreen.com.
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STICK MAN BY LAURA CACACE
As a two-time Major League Lacrosse MVP and eight-time all-star, Paul Rabil has been called the LeBron James of this trending sport, first played by the Iroquois in the Northeast as early as 1100. But the New York Lizards’ star midfielder didn’t pick up a lacrosse stick until the relatively late age of 12. “My neighbor gave me a stick at a moment in my youth sports career where I was playing basketball and soccer — both club teams — and both coaches wanted me to commit to year-round competition and I wanted to keep playing both,” he remembers. “So, I told them both ‘No’ and had a spring season open by virtue of that. And so my neighbor brought over a stick, because he was playing a spring sport called lacrosse… I’m from an area in southern Maryland (Hyattsville), so we really didn’t have lacrosse when I was growing up. It was still a very different, very new sport, but that’s how I got my start.” He began with a recreational team and continued playing other sports. “It was mainly just a sport I was playing for fun amongst other sports with my friends. And I was playing relatively late compared to, if you were to take a pro athlete that has excelled in their particular sport, they’ve usually started at an earlier age.” But in Rabil’s case, natural talent put him right on the fast-track. “I made the varsity team as a freshman (DeMatha Catholic High School). So Paul Rabil. Photograph by John Rizzo
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generally, when you’re in sports at the high school level, if you can make the varsity team your freshman year, maybe sophomore year, you’re considered more elite than the rest of your age group. So that point of recognition for myself was, like, ‘Hey, I think I can really now push this harder and make a run at playing college ball (at Johns Hopkins University) and allow myself to progress there.’” By 2008, he was playing lacrosse professionally in both the Major Lacrosse League and the National Lacrosse League. Last year, he was signed by the New York Lizards. “I spent most of my career in Boston. I was drafted to the Boston Cannons and really enjoyed it. I was traded in the off-season last year to New York and it’s been really exciting being exposed to this sports market.” Now he’s living in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn with his wife, Kelly Berger, also a professional lacrosse player with Team USA. “I think our commonality is just sports in general and understanding the mindset of an athlete… understanding in an introspective way how criti-
cal, how much pressure, how much drive you have to have as an athlete and then working through that. It’s nice to have a companion that you can talk through challenges in sports and stuff.” And those challenges come in many different shapes and sizes, whether it’s a matter of physical demands or a matter of politics within the game itself. He’s been able to power through all of them, earning himself accolade after accolade. Last year he was named MLL Finals MVP and was voted to his seventh consecutive First Team All-Pro Team. He’s a three-time MLL Offensive Player of the Year and holds the record for the most points scored in a season, 72. When asked what more he would like to accomplish, Rabil is modest. “I think you just look at legacy and continuing to build on what you’ve accomplished. But the relationships that are built along the way to accomplishing those championships and awards and then the sense of satisfaction in victory, I think is what keeps athletes, me in particular, grinding and chasing.” Which isn’t to say that all of his awards and
achievements don’t matter to him. “I’d be lying to you if I was sitting here and saying I don’t care about awards… It would be like telling any other person across any other industry — whether it’s finance, real estate, entertainment — that being their top sales person doesn’t matter. Or winning a Grammy doesn’t matter to an artist.” He balances his drive with meditation. “I have a sports psychologist that I work with regularly. I really invest in mental awareness and mental health… I find a lot of enjoyment in what I do from a media component through social (media), creating content, engaging my audience and also building businesses. I have an online instructional platform that I launched about a year ago that’s growing. I’m in events; I’m involved with events in lacrosse, like camps, clinics, tournaments; and then I’m a passive investor for a venture company that I’m a part of with my brother.” It may not sound particularly relaxing, but it’s clear that for Rabil, joy comes from the thrill of accomplishment. For more, visit paulrabil99.com.
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WHITE PLAINS FANTASY BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Photographs courtesy The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester.
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When I was a child, I read a book about a little girl who leaves home only to return moments later with a suitcase and a grownup identity to match her grownup clothes. She then proceeds to become a guest in her own home, hosted by her amused — and, as it turns out, wise — mother. I always loved that story and would, from time to time, conduct staycations in my own home in that spirit. But I also harbored a secret fantasy of checking into a hotel in my hometown. So when I had an opportunity to stay overnight at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Westchester in White Plains — in preparation for a piece about the hotel’s enhanced wedding offerings (Page 32) — I realized it was a chance to live out a dream that began in the pages of a children’s book. I arrived at the hotel precisely at 5 p.m. on June 24 with enough luggage to qualify for the starring role in a bus-and-truck company production of E.M Forster’s “A Passage to India.” There was emotional baggage besides. It was the first day of Brexit — the British exit from the European Union — putting a big, fat exclamation point on a week of challenges. I needed to exhale — fast. Fortunately, I was greeted by General Manager Jeff Dziak, who said he was able to upgrade me to one of the hotel’s 38 suites — setting the tone for a weekend of great service. Things were looking up already. “Where are you coming in from?” a bellman asked. “The other side of White Plains,” I said with a laugh, explaining the purpose of my visit. “Well, enjoy your White Plains fantasy,” he said. “I will and I think I’m going to call my story that.” He liked that idea and I liked my suite, with its bowl of flowers, cake pops and gracious welcoming note from Maureen Stella, director of sales and marketing, in the living room. Inside was a bedroom with a sitting/desk area and an invitingly crisp-white, king-size bed that flowed into a spacious bath with the deepest tub I had ever seen. I could live here, I thought. “It’s just like being Julia Roberts in ‘Pretty Woman,’ but, you know, without Richard Gere,” I told my cheery waitress at dinner in the lobby lounge. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I felt I had to earn that dinner. So I threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top and headed up to the fitness center, which was immaculate and comfortable, with every kind of Life Fitness equipment imaginable. Being clumsy and unmechanical, I opted for 20 minutes on a rather straightforward bike before hitting the five-pound free weights and finishing up with ab work on a mat as two senior citizens pedaled away on recumbent bikes. Outside, a steady stream of couples and families made their way to the adjacent indoor rooftop pool, which I checked out next. Even if you don’t swim, I thought, this would be a good place to catch up on some
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conversation or magazines while lounging about in deck chairs overlooking the cityscape. But I had no time for that. The tub in my suite was calling me and, anyway, I planned to dress for my 6:30 dinner engagement with myself. I arrived a fashionable five minutes late and seated myself at a table with my journal, in which I would furiously scribble about Brexit, revising my thoughts later on my laptop for my blog. The resourceful waitress struck the right balance between attentiveness and the space a writer requires. She steered me toward the peach gazpacho, served in a Mason jar (I could’ve had two or three it was so delish) and a red snapper entrée, whose crispy skin perfectly offset the meaty white filet. I saved a mini jalapeño corn muffin from the breadbasket to relish with a pot of decaf for dessert. Is there anything better, I wondered, than to write with a soupçon of something sweet for sustenance and the whole evening stretching out before you? “When you love what you do, you’re never at
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work,” the waitress said. True that. I would’ve been delighted to sit there all evening, but my blog entry and mani-pedi weren’t going to do themselves. Back in my suite, I refined my blog post while channel-surfing, then indulged in what I like to call “A Night of Beauty” before succumbing to the luxuriant lure of that king-size bed. I didn’t need the 7:30 a.m. wakeup call. I was already up, anticipating my favorite Saturday morning ritual — a big breakfast and the newspaper — before my 10 a.m. massage in the spa. There I was greeted warmly by Cecile Chapaveyre — the lead of salon services, whom I wrote about in the March 2014 WAG — before I placed myself in the skilled, sympathetic hands of a massage therapist. I opted for a relaxation massage with a lavender-scented body cream and hot stones. This turned out to be an intense experience, not unpleasantly so, in part because I have so much tension in my neck, shoulders and back from sitting at a computer but also because I found myself
straining, as if I had to make an effort there. It was only when I gave myself over to the experience — using the yogic concept of acknowledging passing thoughts and allowing them to float away — that I became one with the experience. All too soon it and my staycation were over. Time to return to my everyday cares. At the end of that book I read as a child, the little girl went back to being her mother’s daughter — as her mother knew she would. One of the best things about being away, if only for a night, is that it allows you to see your life from a distance, with perspective — even if that distance is but a few miles. My mind drifted back to my heavenly breakfast: As I unraveled both The Wall Street Journal and a sticky cinnamon bun, I came across an article about the newly renovated Ritz in Paris. I looked around. White Plains may not be Paris. But at the moment, reading the paper and eating that bun, I was happy. For more, visit ritzcarlton.com.
Here comes the bride. Courtesy The Ritz-Carlton New York, Westchester.
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WEDDING WAYS BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
To paraphrase “The Godfather,” The Ritz-Carlton New York, Westchester in White Plains wants to make bridal couples an offer they can’t refuse: Have your wedding here and get a “Honeymoon on Us.” Spend $25,000 and receive a three-night honeymoon at any of 55 Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts in the United States, Caribbean or Mexico. Spend $30,000 and get a five-night honeymoon, $50,000 and it’s a seven-night stay. With any of these packages — which include a $500 airfare credit — the bridal couple also receives a two-night stay in the bridal suite at The Ritz in White Plains, a couple’s massage in its spa and mimosas and fruit for up to 12 guests on the wedding day. While some couples, particularly millennials, are opting for the “mini moon” — a brief honeymoon with a big trip a year later when they’re more established — Alex Corbett says, “I feel a lot of (couples) want to go on a honeymoon and it’s such a huge chunk of their wedding budget,” anywhere from 10 to 20 percent.
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Alex Corbett, senior catering sales manager, weddings, The Ritz-Carlton New York, Westchester. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.
was engaged. The engagement ended, but Corbett says she gained new insight and empathy into the challenges of planning the big day. She also possesses a poise and a savvy — displayed over salads in the hotel’s relaxing lounge — that would put even the most nervous bride at ease. It helps that The Ritz has upgraded almost
Corbett can relate. The senior catering sales manager, weddings, at The Ritz in White Plains since November, she inaugurated the wedding program at Richard Gere’s Bedford Post Inn after a stint in journalism that included MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” But she’s also been there personally, having gone through the process when she
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11,000 feet of meeting space. There’s the expanded 2,357-square-foot gallery for cocktail receptions and new, purple-print carpet in the 6,014-square-foot ballroom that gives the expanse a softer tone. The 920-square-foot Sapphire Suite is available for rehearsal dinners, while the Design Studio has everything the bridal couple may need in planning their event, from a mock table setup to linens and tastings. “A lot of what they’re looking for is a clean, modern look,” Corbett says, right down to the Lucite chairs. As to destinations, “Hawaii is extremely popular,” she says, adding that The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Maui is “pretty special, with breathtaking beaches and to-die-for rooms.” Corbett suggests breaking up this honeymoon trip — and thus avoiding a half-day in the air — by spending part of it at The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco in fashionable Nob Hill before going on to Kapalua. And might we dream that someday these wedding packages will extend to Ritz hotels worldwide, even the historic, newly renovated Ritz Paris? Corbett smiles. “We’re keeping our options open. Let’s see what happens in 2017.” For more, visit ritzcarlton.com.
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PLAYED IN THE SHADE BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY USTA
While tennis fans watch Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic at the US Open, Daniel Zausner will be looking heavenward — and all around. As COO of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, he’s responsible for what he calls a five-year, approximately $600 million “transformation” of the center, which includes the new retractable roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium that will debut at the end of this month, along with the new Grandstand Stadium and revamped Southern Campus. For players and fans alike, this will mean more amenities and more comfort without sacrificing any intimacy with the tennis action. “Before Arthur Ashe opened in 1997, we had looked at weather reports that said the weeks before and after Labor Day were relatively dry,” Zausner says. So, no roof. Then came the periodic deluges of the 2000s and 2010s. The White Plainsbased United States Tennis Association (USTA) studied roof proposals in 2004,
’07, ’08, ’09 and ’10. But nothing seemed feasible or affordable. To understand why, says Zausner, clearly a student of history and literature, you have to look back to the 1920s and ’30s when the site — in Flushing Meadow-Corona Park, Flushing, Queens — was an ash heap that provided a backdrop for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal novel “The Great Gatsby.” (The site would later be the setting for the 1939 and ’64 World’s Fairs, with the tennis center built around the remnants of the ’64 exposition.) A roof atop the Arthur Ashe would sink the 23,771-seat stadium. But then one of the architectural firms that had made a proposal, the Detroit-based Rosetti came back with a winner — a concrete, steel and fabric structure that would envelop Arthur Ashe, leaving a 250-foot-by-250-foot opening atop that could be closed in five to 10 minutes when weather turned inclement. “The permanent structure will always have constant shade,” Zausner says, increasing the shadiness of the facility from about 20 percent to more than 75 percent. Along with a climate-control system, this will have a marked effect on a place whose convivial atmosphere has been rivaled only by its sultriness. While fans may be more comfortable, will this also benefit players who in the past have suffered from the heat? Time will tell. Certainly, they don’t have to worry about the shade affecting play. The stationary part of the roof superstructure — featuring more than 6,500 tons of steel built on eight bases made of three steel columns each — actually debuted last year. At that time, a covering on the southern and western sides of the roof alleviated shadow issues on court. Now, Zausner adds, players won’t have to worry about their schedules being upended either. Once they start a match, they’ll be able to finish it without seeing it called for rain and then having to make it up the next day and, thus, sacrifice a day off between matches. Arthur Ashe’s retractable roof isn’t the only new innovation, however. The Grandstand StadiUSTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center construction transformation update in Flushing, Queens. Photograph by Jennifer Pottheiser. WAGMAG.COM
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Construction at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens.
Exterior of Arthur Ashe Stadium during construction.
um — constructed diagonally across from the old fairground Grandstand Court — increases grandstand capacity from 6,000 to 8,000 seats in a sunken design that places fans right on top of the action, Zausner says. This stadium is informally connected to the 2,800-seat Court 17, built in 2011, by 10 courts that have been replaced with new ones and a widened allée (40 by 500 feet) that fea-
tures more greenery and retail and dining space. Once the Open — which runs Aug. 29-Sept. 11 with Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day set for Aug. 27 — finishes, the 10,103-seat Louis Armstrong stadium will be demolished, along with the old Grandstand Court. The new Louis Armstrong, also with a retractable roof and some 4,000 more seats, will debut in 2018. In the meantime, Zausner says,
a temporary stadium will be built in Parking Lot B for next year’s Open. Will he get to see any of the action? Zausner laughs. He’s one busy guy. But as long as the players and fans are happy, he’s happy. “We never sit still here,” he says. “We’re always looking to figure out what’s next.” For more, visit usopen.org.
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THE ASCENT OF A MOST COMMUNAL SPORT
Playing for the Fairfield Yankees, Hunter Boesch charges through defenders. The team won the 2016 national championship in its division. Photograph by Patrick Philpott.
BY REECE ALVAREZ
It’s no coincidence that rugby is reappearing this year in the Olympics after a 92-year absence. The sport, which plays like a cross between soccer and American football, has caught on at the same pace and intensity with which it's played, spreading across the world and, now, throughout the United States. The first North American professional rugby league, PRO Rugby, was established last year. And the sport has a particular hold on Fairfield County, with a youth program in Ridgefield, a long-respected program at Greenwich High School and a recently minted Division I women’s team at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield. “It is definitely one of the fastest growing sports right now,” said Mike Pappa, president-player of
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the Fairfield Yankees Rugby Football Club, which is part of an accomplished adult league. Established in 1975, the Yankees are among the oldest, if not the oldest, Fairfield County rugby associations and have twice won the national championship in their division, most recently this year. “It was a fringe sport when I was in high school, and it is now something I am going to do for the rest of my life,” Pappa said.
The game stays true to mottos like, “From 6 to 60, rugby for life,” with such “old boys” rugby teams as the Connecticut Grey Rugby Football Club being quite common. “Rugby in general all over the world is a lifelong sport and I am regularly playing with 30-, 40- and 50-year-olds up into the 60s,” Pappa added. “They (the Connecticut Greys) are good players. I scrimmage them with my team and it is a match. It is a battle.” Andres Sheppard, president and player with the Greenwich Men’s Rugby Club — which he co-founded in 2015 through The Old Greenwich-Riverside Community Center (OGRCC) — has been playing the game since he was a 5-yearold in Uruguay and has observed the sport's rising popularity both at home and abroad. “In Uruguay, it is offered as early as elementary school,” he said. “It is just a sport you grow up with and you really build strong relationships with your friends and in the community through
playing. It is part of the tradition and culture there.” The culture of rugby is something that often comes up in conversation. Both Sheppard and Pappa tout the game’s distinct rules and traditions as setting it apart. “It is the only sport in the world where only the captain is allowed to speak to the referee and you have to address them as ‘sir’ at all times,” Sheppard said. “It is also the only sport in the world that mandates when the game is over, the home team must invite the opposite team for drinks and dinner. There is camaraderie, tradition, culture and a lot of history.” The game is at times referred to as “the world’s contact sport,” Pappa added, both for the physical and personal interactions it produces. While the sport’s physicality is well-known, the true nature of the violence may actually be misunderstood. “People always get a little frightened when you say rugby has no pads whatsoever,” Sheppard added. “It is just you and your body and you have to tackle these huge guys. But ironically, there are fewer injuries in rugby than there are in football.”
While football features armored athletes colliding at full speed, rugby players use a distinctly different tackling style to bring down opponents. “There is a lot of technique and strategy involved,” Sheppard said. “In rugby, you are taught from a very early age how to tackle properly without using your head, using your shoulder (instead) to tackle the person's thigh and ankles and wrapping up with both hands. They call it cheek-to-cheek.” Playing football in high school, Pappa pursued the game in college but was turned off by the “vibe” and left for the rugby team. “I loved football, but I was just ready for something entirely different,” he said. “Rugby was very communal, very social in positive ways and engaged with the community. I fell in love with the sport, the community, the international culture. I went to New Zealand right after I graduated and played rugby there for a little bit.” Traveling through New Zealand, Pappa said rugby clubhouses were his first stop whether he was looking for a friendly beer or tips on the sights to see and where to find work. “It was more of a community center than just
a basic sports location,” he said. “All age groups gather there and everyone would be around for games on all levels. The relationship between community and sport is really profound in a place like New Zealand.” Rugby also sets itself apart as a less hierarchical sport, with all players sharing the responsibility and the limelight that comes with tackling and scoring, as opposed to the highly specialized positions found in football. “On the field, everybody is expected to be able do everything,” Pappa said. “Everyone has to be onboard, and you have to be able to trust the man next to you. That level of dependence and trust really facilitates a real brotherhood. That is a word we throw around a lot in rugby. It is a brotherhood and sacrificing for your brothers is a big part of the sport. “People do lose their tempers now and again. But after the game, you are expected to shake the other player's hand and go to a social dinner and talk and realize you are playing the game for a bigger reason than yourself.” For more, visit fairfieldyankeesrugby.org and myogrcc.org.
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COLOR US CURIOUS... ABOUT THE CURRENT ADULT COLORING BOOK CRAZE BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROZYCKI
By now, you’ve seen the commercials on Cozi TV: The kids are shrieking in the background. But mom lets the stresses of the day melt away as she takes to her bed with one of the coloring books the nostalgic comfort network hawks. And there are many titles from which to choose. There are coloring books with simple butterfly and seashell patterns and those with intricate mandalas. There are books for fans of “Game of Thrones” and “Outlander” and those for would-be Monets who want to try their hands at reproducing Impressionist paintings. There are even titles that put the “adult” in adult coloring. And, of course, what would these be without the assorted colored pencils, fine-line markers and watercolor sets needed to help you create your masterworks? All of which has translated into a multimillion-dollar business that took off three years ago with Scottish artist-illustrator Johanna Basford’s “Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book,” which has sold some 2 million copies worldwide; and her best-selling follow-up, “Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book.” (Last year, sales of adult coloring books in the United States went from one million to 12 million units.) “This is a trend that has swept the country and almost caught the industry by surprise with how well it’s done,” says Tony C. Wilkinson, fine arts manager at A.I. Friedman in Port Chester. “We can’t keep up with it.” But A. I. Friedman is certainly the place to try. Billed as “the department store for creative people,” the 30,000-square-foot space has, Wilkinson says, hundreds of titles ranging from straightforward coloring books for children to abstract, op art and nature books better suited to their parents to expanding lines of bags, placemats and postcards you can color. The store, which recently conducted a coloring workshop, even has a table where you can perhaps embellish an image of Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy as they square off ever-soelegantly. No doubt, A. I. Friedman will be the place to be Aug. 2, National Coloring Book Day (“A Day to Relax and Color”), which Dover Publications inaugurated last year. Dover has long been a player in the adult color-
ing book market, from the 1970 release of “Antique Automobiles,” the first coloring book for adults, through its hot new “Creative Haven” line. Yet not everyone is happy in the secret garden and enchanted forest of purple polka-dotted butterflies and cerulean seashells. Naysaysers see the coloring book phenomenon — once the province of children and the mentally challenged — as a kind of regression, a catering to what The New Yorker dubbed “the Peter Pan market.” “As a museum educator, I would never recommend coloring books for children, no less for adults,” Wendy Woon, the Edward John Noble Foundation deputy director for education at The Museum of Modern Art, wrote recently in a piece for the New York Daily News. “They limit the inherent ability to make marks of one’s own, to imagine and express individual possibilities and unique points of view.” But Wilkinson — an artist who works in watercolor, gouache and graphite, focusing on portrait drawings — begs to differ. You don’t have to stay in the lines, he says, or use the finer, more delicate media of pencils and watercolors. You can use crayons and Cray-Pas oil pastels. “It can get wild,” Wilkinson says. And that’s OK, he adds, because adult coloring is designed to put you in touch with both your past and your transcendent nature. “We’ve all done this since we were kids,” he says. “When you’re drawing and painting, it brings you into the zone.” It’s not just harried moms who de-stress with coloring. Among Wilkinson’s adult coloring customers is a burly male banker who has his whole office doing it. What they’re doing is making synaptic connections among the brain, eye and hand that are different from those made by typing and texting, Wilkinson adds. In a digital age that is just beginning to deal with the consequences of the decline of cursive writing in schools, the adult coloring book returns us to a tactile world. “It takes time. You have to turn the page,” Wilkinson says. “And you won’t accidentally hit ‘delete.’” For more, visit aifriedman.com.
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ME AND THE MICK BY RYAN DEFFENBAUGH
Say you somehow became friends with your childhood idol. Could you ever see him or her as just a buddy, or would you spend most of your time together pinching yourself? For Tom Molito, the answer is somewhere in-between. He grew up in Yonkers idolizing Mickey Mantle, the iconic New York Yankees center fielder (1931-95), then spent the later years of Mantle’s life as a collaborator and friend. Molito, who now lives in Pound Ridge, tells stories of his time with Mantle in a new book, “Mickey Mantle: Inside and Outside the Lines” (Black Rose Writing, $15.95, 165 pages). Professional circumstances brought Molito and Mantle together when Molito’s company, Cabin Fever Video, was making a documentary in the mid-1980s about “The 500 Home Run Club” (major leaguers who hit 500 or more home runs in a career). He pitched Mantle on co-hosting the film, along with NBC sportscaster Bob Costas.
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Mantle agreed to the documentary and, through their work together, Molito befriended him. He took Mantle to events and on double dates with his wife and Mantle’s longtime business partner, Greer Johnson. But it never felt quite real, Molito says, having an American icon at the table with him. “How many people get to sit across from their childhood hero?” Molito asks. “He never ceased being Mickey Mantle. I never transformed into ‘Oh, he’s just my friend.’” Another friend, former Westchester County prosecutor Geoffrey Orlando, talked him into turning his numerous Mantle stories into a book, in which it’s clear that Molito is still a bit shocked that his life intertwined with The Mick’s. At times he sounds as though he is observing a complex relationship. At others, like he still can’t believe he is hanging with Mickey friggin’ Mantle. The book dives into Mantle’s playing days, analyzing statistics to put his Hall of Fame career in a modern context, and provides an intimate portrait of a perennial boy of autumn, claimed by cancer. Still, that Molito went from fan to confidant of Mantle’s is what allows the book to stand out. “There’s been over 50 books on Mantle, and who
‘
Mickey Mantle with Tom Molito, the author of “Mickey Mantle: Inside and Outside the Lines.” Courtesy the author
wants be 51?” Molito says. “But my book is unique in that it’s written from a fan’s perspective.” That’s not to say, however, that the book skips over the “demons” in Mantle’s life, as Molito describes them. Haunted by the early deaths of his grandfather and his father, Mutt — a gritty Oklahoma miner who would die of Hodgkin’s disease and who exhorted his son to be courageous — Mantle became an alcoholic. Molito writes that it was rare for him to be around Mantle without drinks present. In one account, an intoxicated Mantle gave a rambling speech to a group of Fortune 500 CEOs at a charity dinner. But Molito says his goal was never to write a book that would sensationalize the slugger. “My guiding light was that Mickey could read the book and not get mad at me,” he says. Besides, he believes Mantle’s final message to fans — Mickey sought treatment in 1994 and spent the final year of his life sober — better represents the ballplayer’s legacy. “There was a redemptive quality to his life,” Molito says. “He told kids, ‘Don’t be like me.' He increased awareness of organ donations. Otherwise, he would have died a great baseball player who became an alcoholic, and that would have been the end of the story.” As for his legacy on the field, Molito insists that Mantle, considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, was even better than people realize. He found in his research that Mantle actually hit the facade at the original Yankee Stadium three times, not just the two times commonly attributed to him. Either way, he’s one of the few ballplayers to do it all — run, catch and hit from both sides of the plate for power and batting average; holding World Series records for the most home runs (18), RBIs (40), extra-base hits (26), runs (42), walks (43), and total bases (123). Baseball statistics have come a long way since Mantle played, and Molito makes the argument in the book that modern measurements (such as Wins Above Replacement, comparing a player to what his successor might do) prove Mantle is one of the best players of all time. Certainly, many consider him the greatest offensive center fielder in the game. Molito also attempts to gauge just how good Mantle could have been if he had not been hobbled by injuries throughout his career. “The real drama with Mickey Mantle has always been ‘What might have been if... ” Molito says. “If he had taken care of himself, if he had stayed healthy. Most baseball experts would say he could have been the best that ever lived.” The book is available through Amazon and most local booksellers. For more, visit facebook. com/MickeyMantleInsideAndOutsideTheLines.
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ROCKIN’ OUT IN STYLE STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROZYCKI
The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester is easy to overlook. Few passersby either walking or driving give it a side-glance. Other than its marquee, it just blends in with the nondescript storefronts along that end of Westchester Avenue near the train station. But push through its glass doors and past the box office and you enter a former movie palace with bright lights and gold luster. (What’s up with all those squirrel embellishments? More on them later.) Go inside the theater and take a seat. Actually, to take in the full beauty of architect Thomas White Lamb’s grand 1926 design you have to go onstage. Step onto the hallowed black floor that supported all the greats, including Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Willie Nelson and BB King. (It will soon be graced by another great — singer-activist Joan Baez, who will play the venue for the first time in October.) Go sit on the floor, center stage. Take in the gentle sweep of the balcony embellished with niches — every fifth one containing a design — as it stretches to the side booths hovering just above the stage. The rake, the sloping section of the floor toward the stage, was once covered with multi-tiered platforms for a caterer who had owned the theater. This afternoon, it’s covered with red chairs for a Bela Fleck concert. The plenum is like a huge eye with an engaging gold iris looking down. It was created to help circulate air. The original belts that ran the cooling system, says Tom Bailey, the theater’s general manager, were made of horsehide (pre-PETA). Take it all in and marvel as did the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia: “There’s only two theaters, man … that are set up pretty groovy all around for music and for smooth stage changes, good lighting and all that — the Fillmore and The Capitol Theatre. And those are the only two in the whole country.” He liked it so much that he and the band played 18 shows there from 1970-71. (Jerry’s name lives on in the bar next door, Garcia’s, where you can grab a glass of Capitol Ale by Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. of Elmsford and maybe check out Jerry’s banjo or a statue of his hand — yes, just his hand — or black-and-white portraits of the man who departed Earth in 1995 at the age of 53.) As I sit taking in Lamb’s design work, a shout from stage left startles me. “What are you doing on my stage?”
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Dave Ockun, director of production, marches toward me with an umbrella in hand. “I’m with Tom,” I say. “Who?” “Tom Bailey,” who laughs from his seat up near the soundboard and yells, “Taze him.” Ockun is protective of “his” stage and tells me stories of bands that I’m told I can’t repeat (upon penalty of probably actually being tazed). He does say that former Westchester County resident Peter Frampton, who played June 1, was a great guy, as was Iggy Pop, who played in April. And for those crazy concert riders by performers? Let’s just say that they have mellowed over the years. When Iggy Pop requested that wine be in his dressing room, Bailey stepped in since he is a certified sommelier who personally buys all the wine for the venue. But before Bailey hit the music scene in Port Chester, he was a kid in Minnesota whose first two memorable concerts were The Cars and seeing Prince at the First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis circa 1981. Bailey was out in Palo Alto, Calif., earning a degree in symbolic systems at Stanford University, when a buddy asked him if he wanted to make a few bucks as a parking cashier at the Shoreline Amphitheatre a few miles down the road from campus. The venue
was built by concert promoter Bill Graham. The bachelor’s degree in symbolic systems would take a backseat to concert work for Bailey. He cut his teeth at the Fillmore in San Francisco before coming East and onto gigs at The Knitting Factory (at 74 Leonard St. between Church Street and Broadway in Manhattan before it moved to Brooklyn) and the Blue Note jazz club in Greenwich Village. Bailey got a call in 2010 from New York City concert promoter, filmmaker and entrepreneur Peter Shapiro asking if he wanted to be the general manager of The Capitol Theatre. Shapiro was working to convince the owner, Marvin Ravikoff, to return the space from a wedding and catering hall back into a rock 'n' roll palace. Bailey was all in. After more negotiations and a couple million dollars in renovations — including sound dampening boards covering the side walls, projectors, lights and sound system — The Cap reopened on Sept. 4, 2012 with Bob Dylan. “I’m proud of what we’ve done here,” Bailey says, adding that this year will be “our strongest year ever.” While the audience varies from show to show (Alabama Shakes fans don’t go to a Slayer concert and vice versa), “Our goal is to put on rock ’n’ roll shows,” Bailey says. The strength of the act is what drives the audi-
ence numbers as well as repeat customers, he says. While the band Mudcrutch might fly under the radar of those not in the know, it played to a sellout crowd in early June. Mudcrutch is actually the name of the band Tom Petty and his friends started in Gainesville, Fla. Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band also sold out their June gig. And the fall season is shaping up as well with Bruce Hornsby, Little Feat, Jenny Lewis and Squeeze on tap, along with South African rap-ravers Die Antwoord due on Oct. 21 with their in-your-face, caustic lyrics. Now about those squirrels that architect Lamb included in the theater design. Bailey seemingly dismissed my theory that the squirrels were a result of Lamb building a home in 1920 in the Adirondacks, where the small woodland creatures live large. Rather, Bailey points to a 455word posting in the theater’s offices, which ends by saying: “Thomas Lamb put these little critters here for your entertainment. But perhaps more importantly, they were put there to remind us of how man and nature must get along, even if it takes a little effort.” For information on upcoming concerts, thecapitoltheatre.com/calendar/.
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A Hästens bed is recognized by its trademark blue-and-white checkered pattern – and its handcrafted method of production. Photographs courtesy Hästens. 50
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Every Hästens bed is crafted by hand in the company’s factory in Köping, Sweden.
DREAM MAKERS BY MARY SHUSTACK
Sleep is something we never seem to get enough of. Who hasn’t yearned for a day off that includes sleeping in — or a lazy afternoon when a nap is the only thing on the agenda? Such thoughts certainly were in mind when WAG was invited to “Discover The Art of Sleep” at the opening of The Hästens Store Chelsea, the international company’s new Manhattan flagship. As live music added a festive touch to the serenely designed space, we gathered around craftsmen flown over from Sweden specifically to demonstrate the Hästens production methods. One craftsman, needle and thread in hand, worked on a mattress edge, while another showed the way the bed’s layers are put together, explaining that it takes a team of eight craftsmen an entire work week to produce just two customized beds. We chatted briefly with Susanne Vennerstrand, the global PR manager for Hästens, which also has a showroom in Greenwich. “This store concept is a bit new to the U.S.,” she said. “We call it a sleep spa.” The space is set up as a series of zones, each featuring different lighting and ceiling heights, in
which customers are encouraged to shop at a leisurely pace. “Trying out a bed should not be rushed,” Vennerstrand added. “It’s really a personal experience so we recommend you do take the time.” After all, she said, the benefits of sleep are being more appreciated in our ever-stressful world. “A lot more people are getting more interested,” she said. “It’s an investment, an investment in yourself, in your health.”
A FAMILY’S LEGACY And that was the theme more fully explored when we had the chance to sit down for an exclusive interview with Jan Ryde. The company’s executive chairman and fifth-generation owner of the Hästens Group has been with the family business for 28 years. A personable man with a quiet manner but charming sense of humor, he told me that the company —
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which began in 1852 Sweden as a purveyor of fine saddles before launching hand-sewn beds — is now spreading its message in 40 countries. “Sleep is so fundamentally important,” Ryde said, calling it “the reason for what we do.” Sleeping well contributes to overall health, both physical and mental, and to Ryde, that’s what drives Hästens. “We do it because we can bring value to people on the planet. We can improve the lives of so many people.” And that’s something Hästens has been doing for decades. We chuckle with Ryde about how today we think we have it harder than any generation before us. Life couldn’t have been this stressful in the good old days, right? But, as Ryde playfully reminds, the need to sleep, to refresh one’s body from whatever the day has brought, is enduring. “It’s human behavior,” he said with a smile. “We haven’t changed.” And neither has Hästens, as a quote on one of the spa’s walls explains, “The world changes around us but our focus remains the same.”
METHODS TRIED AND TRUE And that extends to the methods that produce the signature blue-and-white checked, all-natural
premium product. “There aren’t any compromises whatsoever,” Ryde said. Of course, he added, you can choose a bed quickly and cheaply — but that’s not what Hästens is all about. “It’s a lot of money,” he said. But, “we want people to understand it isn’t expensive or ‘luxury.’ It’s value for the money.” The handcrafted approach, he said, makes the difference and is “the reason, the story.” Ryde shared that the company struggled in the 1960s and ’70s, when mass-produced mattresses hit the market, wonders of new plastics, cheaper prices and, consequently, plenty of sales — but Hästens did not cave. “We kept doing our thing,” he said, with the company, then as now, continuing to work with only sustainable natural materials, including horsehair, cotton and wool, flax and northern pine. The beds, which do last for decades and might not seem to change, are, Ryde said, ever-evolving. “It’s not a high-tech product. It doesn’t look much different on the outside.” But the company’s product-development team is always at work. “We make every bed a little better every year.” And today, it seems Hästens is having a moment, attracting those caught up in the ever-grow-
Jan Ryde
ing craze for all things handmade. But, Ryde noted, Hästens has been there all along. “We’ve had it as a part of our story because we noticed the health benefits of our materials as opposed to other materials.” Even with a worldwide presence, Ryde said word of mouth is still the company’s best advertising, with him calling happy customers “ambassadors.” He proudly told of visiting the company’s Beverly Hills boutique and hearing of a customer from nearby Inglewood, Calif., who, he said he was told, had saved for “seven years to buy the entry-level bed, to buy our starter bed.” It was a story that brought not only a genuine smile to Ryde’s face but, we imagine, also one more ambassador to spread the Hästens word. For more, visit hastens.com.
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“Equine Beauty – A Study of Horses,” Small Format Edition by Raphael Macek, published by teNeues. Photograph copyright Raphael Macek. All rights reserved.
EMOTIONS OF EQUINE MOMENTS BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Is there any animal that is more anthropomorphic than the horse? For thousands of years, the horse has represented man’s freedom and energy, including the sexual aspect of those qualities. “Equine Beauty — A Study of Horses” (teNeues Publishing Group, $55, 208 pages) renders the erotic in the animal in 82 color and 40 duotone photographs of quivering nostrils, twitching ears and manes braided in knots or fallen silkily over one eye à la Veronica Lake. And oh, those peepers, with their inch-long eyelashes and dark rims mimicking kohl eyeliner.
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The horses are bridled, saddled and stabled — lining up like beauty contestants waiting for the question that will determine who gets the crown. They romp, roam, rear and run free. They are shaggy elders and peach-fuzz foals. At times, they even sit upright like a good dog. And they’re all captured by one man — photographer Raphael Macek, who turns 35 Aug. 11 and grew up in a family of animal lovers in Brazil. (His father was a horse breeder and veterinarian.) As Brazil’s Olympic equestrian team writes in the book’s foreword, “A photo by Raphael Macek shows far more than just a beautiful, perfectly lit horse in a breathtaking landscape. Through his images, Raphael conveys the emotions of a unique moment in time expertly captured by his camera and reflecting the full breadth of his admiration and love for these wonderful animals that are part of our lives.” For more, visit teneues.com.
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Football uniform, left, circa 1920, wool and cotton duck, USA, museum purchase; Geoffrey Beene, “football jersey” dress, right, Fall 1967, silk and sequins, USA, museum purchase.
SPORTS / WEAR UNIFORM’S INFLUENCE ON FASHION BY MARY SHUSTACK | PHOTOGRAPHS © THE MUSEUM AT FIT
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The dress, with a number emblazoned on its chest and telltale stripes on its sleeves, immediately calls to mind the classic football jersey. To the contemporary eye, it’s simply one of the many fashions featured in “Uniformity,” an exhibition that continues through Nov. 19 at The Museum at FIT in Manhattan. But at the time of its 1967 creation, it was quite daring, says Emma McClendon, assistant curator of costume at the museum and organizer of the exhibition. “It was incredible at the time Geoffrey Beene did it,” she says, noting the American designer’s “very literal” translation of the sports jersey into a full-length creation in silk and sequins was groundbreaking. The mixing of the decidedly masculine lines of the football uniform with a woman’s silhouette certainly stirred things up. As McClendon says, “It was incredibly subversive.” But today, McClendon agrees, such examples of athletic gear influencing everyday wear barely raise an eyebrow, which is part of the message of the exhibition that explores how uniforms — military, work, school and sports — have influenced the world of fashion. The show — a collection of more than 70 objects from the museum’s holdings that fills its Fashion & Textile History Gallery — is a lively walk through time, taking the visitor, for example, from vintage sailor uniforms to a 1992 Jean Paul Gaultier sailor-influenced ensemble. It further explores the uniform-fashion connection through Chanel’s 2015 Parisian waiter-inspired “Brasserie Gabrielle” ensemble and a 1998 Comme des Garçons wool ensemble that pays homage to the U.S. Army’s World War I service uniform. Along the way, we meet nurses and flight attendants, fast-food workers and mechanics, pilots, schoolgirls, chauffeurs, maids and more. It is on the sportswear, though, that — in deference to this issue’s theme — we focus, easy enough as the worlds of sport and fashion seem to overlap more and more. Need evidence? Look no further than the prevalence of yoga wear as street fashion or baseball caps or letterman-influenced jackets that serve as statements of allegiance to brand rather than team. Of the historical connection, McClendon says, “I think that there’s been a lot of influence from sports uniforms, particularly as we get into the 20th century and later into the 20th century.” Sports uniforms, she notes, were first designed to help band a team together, both psychologically — as in a team approach — and in a practical sense,
Uniforms are all about looking appropriate in any given cultural moment. — Emma McClendon
easily identifying allies versus foes. Uniforms also, McClendon adds, help spectators to follow along. When it comes to fashion, it’s the uniforms’ bold lines, bright colors and sleek designs, she says, that offer the strongest influences. “From an aesthetic standpoint, that’s really where we see a fashion response to uniforms.” “Uniformity” showcases a wealth of examples, including sports and sports-influenced fashions ranging from a man’s circa-1925 wool track uniform to a 1979 Yankees cap in navy cotton. There are competitive cycling jerseys from the 1970s and a 2015 ensemble by Stella Jean that incorporates a football T-shirt. An eye-catcher is definitely Tom Ford’s 1995 version of a ski jacket designed for Gucci, a sleek salmon-pink design that would be equally at home on a shopping excursion along Madison Avenue as it would on the slopes. McClendon points to the heyday of the sports-uniform influence as the 1990s, what she calls “the age of logo mania and branding.” Sports uniforms provided an easy way to turn a ready-made style into a brand ambassador, as clearly demonstrated by a circa-1993 Vivienne Westwood cap. In the company’s signature tartan, the jaunty hat, as exhibition text says, served not only as a walking advertisement for the brand but also identified the wearer as “a member of the Westwood team.”
It’s a fascinating combination, as McClendon explains of the two elements blurring to create a new aesthetic. “Uniforms are all about achieving standardization… whereas fashion is really more about personal style and creativity. It really seems like they are butting heads.” But digging deeper unearths some common ground. “Uniforms are all about looking appropriate in any given cultural moment,” she notes, something many fashions also facilitate. And like fashion, uniforms adapt: “We think of uniforms as being stagnant, but uniforms change.” With active attire broadening thanks to advances in materials and our embracing a “more casual phase of dressing,” McClendon says the crossover will likely continue. “We see all these things started out as active wear, use-driven, performance-driven” outfits suddenly being worn — and considered appropriate — for a trip to the store or a movie matinee. But as the influence continues, McClendon notes, there is always going to be a little competition, as on the playing field. “This push-pull between the athletic wear and fashion is ongoing.” For more, visit fitnyc.edu/museum. WAGMAG.COM
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WEAR
LOVE GAME MARION BARTOLI BLENDS TENNIS AND FASHION BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY FILA
Marion Bartoli’s love for tennis knows no bounds, but in this case, she needn’t worry about a penalty. The former Wimbledon champ recently collaborated with sports manufacturing company FILA to launch Love FILA by Marion Bartoli, a limited-edition tennis collection that features court-ready clothing, including dresses, blazers, skirts, skorts, pants, tank tops and bomber jackets. MB Trophee Dress,58 $200. WAGMAG.COM
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“I truly put all of my past experiences and who I am into this collection,” Bartoli has said. “I want every woman who wears Love FILA to feel strong and beautiful.” Bartoli, a Frenchwoman of Corsican descent, began playing tennis at age 5, going on to a successful career propelled by her intensity and unusual two-handed forehand. In addition to her 2013 Wimbledon women’s singles win — making her only the sixth player in the Open Era to take the championship without dropping a set — she earned eight Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles titles as well as a career-high ranking of seventh on the tour. But in addition to her love for tennis, Bartoli has always been interested in fashion, sketching clothes early on. Following her retirement in 2013, she saw the opportunity for a new venture. Bartoli enrolled as a full-time student at Central Saint Martins, a prestigious art and design school in London, and has since created clothing, footwear and handbags, along with an eponymous jewelry line.
And while she no longer plays tennis, she is still active in the sport, offering her insights as a TV commentator. Love FILA is personal to Bartoli, drawing inspiration from her biography, incorporating characteristics of her birthplace, Paris; FILA’s Italian origins; and England, the site of her greatest athletic triumph. “To have my name next to the FILA name is incredible and I am grateful for this amazing opportunity,” she has said. “We bring out the best in each other and our shared passion for sport and style is evident in the line.” All of the line’s pieces, actually two collections, incorporate a dynasty green that enable them to be mixed and matched. The Court Central Collection is attention-grabbing, featuring a palette of turquoise, tangerine and bubble-gum pink, along with graphic prints and the Italian-themed Court Central Collection dress, a watercolor design by Bartoli herself ($220). The six-piece, all-white Trophee Collection is delicate, with subtle details, including mesh inserts
MB Court Central Tank, $150, and MB Court Central Tight, $180.
and a flouncy, feminine hem. But all of the pieces — which debuted at the French Open (Court Central) and Wimbledon (Trophee) — offer style, on and off the court. For more, visit fila.com.
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PRINCE OF PLAYERS Nacho Figueras remains polo’s premier ambassador BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Adolfo Cambiaso, Facundo Pieres and Mariano Aguerre may be even better polo players. But no one embodies the romance, the elegance — the machismo, if you will — of the sport the way the man known simply as “Nacho” does. Little wonder that the media have described Nacho Figueras as “the David Beckham of polo.”
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Nacho Figueras. Photograph by Claudio Marinesco. Courtesy Forever/Grand Central Publishing.
At the end of the day, the only reason I’m doing this is to promote the game of polo. — Nacho Figueras
This is due in part to his work as spokesmodel for Ralph Lauren’s Polo clothing and fragrance campaigns. Like Beckham, Figueras is an athlete, a man in motion, who nonetheless has a preternatural gift for the still camera — the ability to hold its unwavering, skeptical, even brutal gaze and draw you in. That takes more than cheekbones wider than the pampas of his beloved, native Argentina — for which he serves as a goodwill ambassador. It takes a particular kind of intelligence and talent. But Figueras — who played for Greenwich Polo Club’s White Birch team early in his career — would say he looks the part, because he is the part. Indeed, posing for last summer’s edition of the luxe British publication The Gentleman’s Journal, he eschewed makeup and styling and wore only his own clothes. “I don’t feel that I’m a model at all, because I’m not,” he told Harper’s Bazaar. “I’m a professional polo player that endorses a clothing company. “At the end of the day,” he reminded The Gentleman’s Journal, “the only reason I’m doing this is to promote the game of polo.” It’s also the reason he’s presenting a new series of romances, “The Polo Season” (Forever/Grand Central Publishing). Figueras and wife Delfina Blaquier — a photographer and landscape architect who is also his partner in breeding horses in Argentina and appears with him in Ralph Lauren
Romance fragrance ads — met with Hudson Valley writer Jessica Whitman to explore the thunderous nature, tony atmosphere and Spanish inflections of the sport. The result is a trio of perfect beach books — breezy romances revolving around the troubled Del Campo dynasty of sexy polo stars, set amid the horse farms of upstate New York and the heady glamour of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla. They’re flavored with sharply drawn characters; snappy one-liners (“There’s no portion control when it comes to their accessories,” one observer says of the well-heeled Wellington crowd); and surprisingly rueful insights into the nature of celebrity. “He knew he should be grateful,” Whitman writes of Alejandro Del Campo, the male protagonist in the first book, “High Season.” “But sometimes the unrelenting scrutiny could feel less like love and more like ownership. As if they were entitled to just about everything he had to give — not just an autograph or a quick selfie, but his heart, his soul….” For his part, Figueras — whose tastes run more to histories and biographies — is happy to democratize a sport born of the ancient Persian cavalry that declined among the general public in this country during the Great Depression. It is a sport, however, that’s in the Argentine blood and soul. “In my native Argentina, everyone has a chance to go to polo matches and see how thrilling they are,” Figueras, who grew up on a farm outside Buenos Aires, writes in the introduction to “High Season.” “I first learned to ride a horse when I was four years old and started playing the sport of polo by the time I was nine….I fell in love with the beauty of horses and idolized the strength and bravery of the best players.” He turned pro in 1994 while still a teenager, playing in France, Spain and the American South before captaining Peter Brant’s White Birch team. In 1999, Figueras met Bruce Weber, who photographed Ralph Lauren’s campaigns, in the Hamptons. A year later, he posed for his first RL ad and has been at it ever since. As Jeffrey Slonim observes on Town & Country’s website, “Lauren, so adept at conjuring up an almost-too-perfect fantasy of a certain way of life, seems to have found the flesh-and-blood embodiment of his rugged (there’s that word again), alpha male ideal.” If Figueras is an alpha male, he’s one who speaks softly and likes to go barefoot, a family man with compassion for others. (“High Season”
Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras competes in the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic on Governors Island, May 30, 2009 in New York City. Photograph courtesy shutterstock.com.
is dedicated “To my wonderful wife, Delfi — for giving me Hilario, Aurora, Artemio and Alba. You are all the best things that ever happened to me.”) “I’m a lucky guy, I’ve had a great life, I have a great family,” he told Harper’s Bazaar. “I’m very blessed that way, so I believe in giving back a lot.” He’s been involved with the Philadelphia-based Chamounix Equestrian Center’s Work to Ride program, which trains inner-city youths in horsemanship and polo while fostering their academic education. Figueras is also an ambassador for Sentebale, founded by his friend Prince Harry and Prince Seesio of Lesotho in honor of their late mothers — Princess Diana and Queen Mamohato — to help the one in four children there who are
HIV-infected survive and thrive. The goal is for Sentebale to reach five sub-Saharan countries by 2020. WAG had the pleasure of watching Figueras and Prince Harry square off in the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup match in 2013 at Greenwich Polo Club. It was a memorable day, one that saw the prince score the winning goal in a thrilling match. It was also an occasion in which the chemistry between Figueras and the prince — whom he describes as a fierce competitor at work and play — was clearly evident. But then, there always seems to be a charitable component to Figueras’ play as he travels the world with his family and his Black Watch team,
spreading the polo gospel. Recently, he took part in the ninth annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, which he founded to bring polo to the people. It takes place, he has noted, not in Greenwich or the Hamptons but in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, in the shadow of that icon to the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” These are words from Emma Lazarus’ poem, “The New Colossus,” inscribed on the base of Lady Liberty. “To be able to play polo with the Statue of Liberty waving at you and the New York City skyline in the background… it’s a very rare feeling,” he told Harper’s Bazaar. “You’re playing polo and you look up and you’re just like, ‘Wow.’” For more, visit nachofigueraspresents.com
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AN ISLAND GETAWAY BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
A 7.1-acre estate in Darien
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If you’re shopping for a house that offers a permanent vacation, you need go no farther than one of Darien’s largest waterfront properties — a 7.1-acre island estate that looks south to the Long Island Sound and north to the Goodwives River and Rings End Bridge.
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With its family, billiards and AstroTurf playrooms, its heated, in-ground, salt-water pool/spa/ outdoor shower and its dock affording space for kayaks and paddleboards, this home will never lack for recreational possibilities. But the 8,332-square-foot contemporary colonial — which has five en suite bedrooms with water views and eight baths overall — has some intriguing historical and environmental ties. Though built in 2009, the house contains glass, metal and ceramic artifacts that are remnants of the island’s mercantile past. And though it is surrounded by manicured lawns, gardens (including an extensive vegetable garden) and fruit trees, an adjacent 3.2 acres is a coastal meadow preserved by the Darien Land Trust. Bald eagles, blue herons, great egrets, turkeys, minks, foxes and other animals are all at play here. And you can catch striped bass and bluefish off the new dock, which offers boat access to the channel and the moorings in the harbor. (The old one, the remains of which were around as late as the 1990s, was used for transporting hay by barge in the horse-andbuggy days.) The house combines such state-of-the-art features as geothermal and radiant heat, insulated windows and sprinkler, alarm and audio systems with charming traditional touches, including 12foot ceilings, limestone fireplaces and 10 sets of French doors that open onto a flagstone terrace. All for a mere $17.5 million. But then, what price serenity? For more, contact Kim Huffard at 203-8586033, 203-655-8234 or khuffard@williampitt. com.
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End o f S e a s o n Cle a ra n c e
Greenwich • Ridgefield • Stamford • Westport • Mount Kisco • Scarsdale Southampton • King of Prussia • Rockville • Tysons Corner • Boca Raton
428 West Putnam Drive, Greenwich greenwichpatio.com
NOT YOUR MAMA’S COUTURE WEAR
BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY JULIA ROZENFELD
Fashion knows no age. Think Skyler Berman, Suri Cruise, North West and the Beckham brood, who’ve been fashion-forward since their diaper days. Luckily, Hollywood isn’t the only place to find kiddie couture. LOL Kids Armonk brings the latest looks to fashionistas and fashionistos at home in WAG country. “The boutique is basically a very curated collection of the latest trends in high-end European fashion,” owner Julia Rozenfeld says. “People tell me that when you walk in, it’s like walking into the equivalent of Neiman Marcus for kids, in terms of the selection.” LOL Kids Armonk — along with Little Rags and Riches, the online store — is a luxury children’s boutique, with merchandise ranging from newborn swimsuits and onesies to children’s playclothes, tweens’ school clothes, outerwear, toys, gifts and tutus, in a selection of youthful colors, fabrics, styles and prints. “It’s a kid’s emporium,” Rozenfeld says. “It’s a one-stop
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shop for kids up to age 14.” The Russian-born Rozenfeld, mom to an 11-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter, took over the boutique about three years ago after helping her son fight leukemia for several years. Serendipitously, the previous owner approached Rozenfeld and asked whether she knew anyone who might be interested in maintaining the business. And with that, she agreed to do so herself. Rozenfeld entered the retail market — her third career — with no prior experience, but as a seasoned musician, she was passionate about art of all sorts. “Fashion is an art,” she says. “It’s just as much of a
Owner Julia Rozenfeld’s 4-year-old daughter models a selection of styles featured at LOL Kids Armonk.
visual art as sculpture and painting.” Rozenfeld, a pianist, began playing at age 3 and performing concerts by age 6, eventually going on to graduate from Juilliard in Manhattan. “Lincoln Center was my playground,” she says with a chuckle. Following her music career, she spent 15 years working in investment banking on Wall Street. And now, she’s turned to retail, with some light photography on the side, her daughter serving as the subject in much of her work. LOL Kids Armonk showcases Rozenfeld’s taste for European, retro-style children’s fashion. The store carries exclusive brands that aren’t easy to find in the United States, including Belle Chiara, Chloé Kids, Jean Bourget, Kenzo, Manuela de Juan, MiMiSol, Monnalisa, Petit Bateau and Silvian Heach Kids. The current best seller, she adds, is Tutu Du Monde, an Australian company known for its majestic, princess-like tutu dresses. “It’s a store that was started for photographers, by photographers, to create tutu dresses for their photo shoots,” she says. “They create couture-quality tutu dresses with handmade beading.” The whimsical dresses have been a hit for kids’ birthday parties, special occasions and simply dress-up play. “There was a little girl in the boutique over two weeks ago, and she put on a princess dress by Tutu Du Monde, and her mother said to me, ‘Look at her posture! She’s not flat anymore.’ It’s not just about fashion. It really warms my heart to see these little girls being transformed into princesses.” And one of Rozenfeld’s favorite parts of the business is simply connecting with her customers. “It gave me the opportunity to meet these wonderful families from all over,” she says. “We get birthday party pictures, Christmas pictures and all sorts of pictures from all of our customers. It’s great to see people enjoying the clothes and really appreciating the sense of aesthetic that I’m trying to have.” LOL Kids Armonk is at 384 Main St. For more, call 914-219-5232 or visit lolkidsarmonk.com or littleragsandriches.com.
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FINE BY DESIGN BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY D’ERRICO JEWELERS
D’Errico Jewelers is like a fine watch whose mechanisms are contained in a transparent case. While many jewelers do on-site repairs and custom-made work, D’Errico puts creation — and recreation — front and center, enabling you to watch, often while you wait. It’s a concept carried out even to its distinctive log cabin home on Central Avenue in Greenburgh. “We wanted to build something that looked handmade,” says Sal D’Errico, who co-owns the business with his brother, Richie. “So, we built a jewelry box.” The store, which has a satellite in Mount Kisco, is known for its custom work. “If you can hallucinate it, we can bring it to life,” Sal D’Errico says. “Anything can be made.” Clients provide a concept — whether in the form of a necklace, bracelet, ring or earrings, — and the design team translates it into a drawing within 10 to 15 minutes. If approved, the drawing is then digitally converted into a three-dimensional design. For rings specifically, the digital version is sent to a 3-D printer, which prints a wax model, allowing clients to inspect the ring prior to its final approval. This service is particularly popular for sizing wedding bands to fit engagement rings.
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A custom ring is detailed by an on-site jeweler at D’Errico Jewelers’ Greenburgh location.
“The word ‘custom,’ is not more expensive,” D’Errico says. “Because it’s done here, by us.” The project then goes to the processing room, where it is turned into precious metal, such as rose, white or yellow gold; platinum; or silver. The jeweler then files, cleans and details the metal before it’s pre-polished. Then the gemologist handpicks the stones and gives the materials to the stone-setter, who delicately places the stones. The piece is given a final polish, which may include a special finish, and the project is inspected one last time. “And then you take home your one of a kind,” D’Errico says. The store also repairs pieces while you wait. “Say you’re getting out of the car, your necklace gets caught and three of its stones come off. But it goes with your outfit and you want to want to wear it today,” D’Errico says. “You don’t want to wear it in three weeks, you want to wear it tonight. So, you come in with it and we repair whatever is broken, while you wait.” And if that’s not convenient enough, D’Errico also does ear piercing and one-on-one appraisals that are certified by the Gemological Institute of America.
“There’s one thing that you definitely will never get here, and that’s a ‘No,’” D’Errico says. “Nobody is allowed to say ‘No,’ ever.” The company began in a bedroom in the D’Erricos’ childhood home, blossoming from a simple metal ring that Richie configured from a spoon in Lehman High School’s jewelry shop class. “It was my brother and me,” Sal D’Errico says. “We started out in a bedroom. From there, we bought a one-family house and set up shop in the garage, with a studio as the first showroom.” In 1988, the brothers opened their first store in the Bronx, which remained there for 10 years. They then decided to relocate, purchasing a plot of land on which they built their log cabin. “It was a really big deal. We were either going to make it, or we weren’t, and it turned out to be a really nice thing,” D’Errico says. “It was a big move to come up here. It’s 20 years ago now, but sometimes when I pull up to it, I still can’t believe it.” D’Errico Jewelers is at 509 Central Park Ave. in Greenburgh and 159 Main St. in Mount Kisco. For more, call 914-722-1940 or 914-864-2688.
D’Errico Jewelers is a family-owned business that is run by, from left, brothers Sal and Richie D’Errico.
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WANDERS
A BREXIT WE CAN ALL GET BEHIND
Brexit? I’m all for it. I don’t mean Britain exiting Europe, of course. That’s an entirely separate matter, which I won’t get into here. What I’m talking about are the Isles of Scilly, that sea-sprayed, sun-kissed archipelago of 55 tiny islands, where Britain almost literally exits Europe. Though only 28 miles off shore, seemingly cast adrift in the Atlantic, the Scilly Isles are about as far away from Europe — or, for that matter, mainland Britain, at least in the mind — as you can get. If you need a change from Cornwall, or you’ve OD’d on Devon, or you just need to get away — I mean, really get away from it all — the Scillies could well be for you.
BY JEREMY WAYNE
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Ask any Englishman or woman over the age of 40 what they know about Scilly, as the islands are collectively known, and they’ll immediately call to mind Harold Wilson, the pipe-smoking British prime minister of the 1960s, who famously had a vacation home on St. Mary’s, one of Scilly’s only five inhabited islands. Owned by the Duchy of Cornwall (which is to say Prince Charles) and
with its strong political connection, this area of outstanding natural beauty might have easily become a British Hyannis Port or a Kennebunkport, teeming with day-trippers and full of shops selling macramé and candles but, happily, this was destined not to be. Maybe it was simply the hassle of getting to Scilly — six hours by train from London to Penzance,
Low tide on Scilly. Courtesy Visit Isles of Scilly.
followed by a punishing three-hour ferry ride out to the islands. Or maybe it was the fact that it was difficult to associate the dour, left-wing premier, Wilson, with anything approaching a good time. But ironically, the things which kept people away, like its remoteness and lack of sophistication, are suddenly the very things which been-there-done-that 21st century vacationers are now coming to Scilly in search of. Plus, it has a timeless, rather wistful beauty. First things first, and getting here is now easy as pie: You can fly in from London via Exeter or Newquay in under two hours, or hop across from Penzance on a scheduled Twin Otter or Islander. It’s a thrilling experience as you climb over Land’s End and bank low over the Atlantic coast, to touch down only 15 minutes later on St. Mary’s, the Scil-
lonian “capital.” Instantly, a sense of an England unchanged in 50 years steals upon you. There are few people, fewer cars and zero crime. The sky, a bleary, baby blue with scudding clouds, has you rushing for your watercolors. At Hugh Town, the only sizable settlement on the island, there are a couple of banks, a post office and an ATM machine. Never mind “Gentle on My Mind,” the pace here is so slow it’s virtually stopped. Think cream teas with scones, red telephone boxes and Miss Marple — without the murder, of course. Travel between the islands is by small boat, no hop longer than 10 or 15 minutes. On car-free Tresco, where you get around on foot or by bicycle, little remains of the 12th-century priory founded by Benedictine monks. Still, visitors today come for its fabulous Abbey Gardens. Burmese honeysuckle, Chinese paper plants and Mexican yuccas all flourish in this astonishing microclimate, where spring comes early and summer seems never entirely to fade. Average mean temperatures on Scilly — 48 degrees Fahrenheit in January — are higher than on the French Riviera.
The other islands hold myriad delights, not least for children, which makes Scilly perfect for a family holiday. On St. Martin’s, we found miles of blinding white-sand beaches, with coves and inlets to explore and spent hours collecting shells in a Scillonian, “Sanibel stoop.” Indeed, Scilly’s sand is so fine, it used to be exported to the mainland as blotting paper. Walking the Troy Town maze on St. Agnes, or taking a boat trip — Virginia Woolf-style — out to the lighthouse at Bishop Rock, is redolent of a simpler, innocent England, gone but perhaps not forgotten. Are you a birdwatcher? If so, you’ll love Bryher for its sanderlings, redwings and stonechats. The islands have something for everyone, and I love them all, for their washed-out, pastel colors, for their peace and quiet and for their subtle way of soothing the spirit, as effective as any upscale, sprauncy resort. And, it should be noted, at a fraction of the cost. So by all means bring binoculars, but leave the Dolce & Gabbana and the glad rags at home. If you’re Scilly-bound, the most elaborate items you’ll need in your backpack are swim shorts and a bucket and spade. Oh, and a good book — several of them, in fact. Scilly could make Brexiteers of us all. For more, visit visitislesofscilly.com.
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COZY CRUISIN’ BY DEBBI K. AND WILLIAM D. KICKHAM PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES.
Azamara Club Cruises offers a Goldilocks moment in cruising — just right for those who want a luxury line with only 670 passengers, delectable food and posh amenities — as we discovered during our 23 days of back-to-back cruising from Venice to Athens to Rome aboard the Azamara Journey. While many other ships depart midday, forsaking all sightseeing fun, Azamara affords you more time in port with many bespoke “AzaMazing Evenings.” You might visit Mdina Cathedral in Malta, for a superb concert of choir singers or enjoy a pianist at an outdoor venue in Chania, Greece. There’s also plenty to savor onboard. Both the Azamara Journey and the Azamara Quest were recently completely refurbished, yielding contemporary décor, state-of-the-art spas and spa suites, expanded dining offerings and up-tothe-minute technology. The Journey’s living room and dining room enable you to send
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“postcards” via interactive tabletops. You can do this while relishing first-class fare prepared by chef Iwan Pennings and his team, whether its kebabs and ratatouille on the Patio Grill, a simple panini at lunch or prime rib in the Discoveries dining room. (Pennings also creates gluten-free, low-sodium, low-carb, low-fat and low-cal menus, along with everything in between. Later, in the fitness center, you can work out with weights, treadmills and machines — so you can depart shipshape — and not in the shape of a ship. As for the entertainment, we would’ve gladly paid to see the Carnegie Hall-caliber performances Azamara showcases, backed by its talented seven-piece orchestra. But we didn’t have to, of course. Part of what makes Azamara stand out is that the line makes everything so easy. You pay one price upfront and
everything is included. (Upgrades are available.) And you don’t need a ball gown or tuxedo. It’s country club casual, particularly for the “White Nights” outdoor party on the pool deck, where just about all the passengers dance the night away with new friends. Azamara offers first-class hotels to bookend your cruise. However, due to full capacities, we booked our own hotel rooms. Our pre-cruise hotel in Venice was the Hilton Molino Stucky, an excellent choice that’s right on the dock in Giudecca. It offers world-class service, great din-
ing (we enjoyed the excellent Club Lounge and the restaurant’s signature Nutella crepes), and a quick, free water shuttle service to Piazza San Marco for Italian shopping and sightseeing. Similarly, post-cruise, we loved the Sheraton Roma Hotel & Conference Center, which attracts guests from countries far and wide and boasts a terrific Club Floor with delicious food and beverage presentations, great breakfasts included, a luxurious fitness center and a free 20-minute shuttle to the center of Rome. Now that’s amore. With all this, it’s no wonder that extended sail-
ings are popular on Azamara — particularly backto-back bookings, a new trend. Tore Berset of Norway was celebrating his 51st sailing on Azamara in only five years. His travel companion, Lee Ewert of Canada, said that the two consistently schedule back-to-back bookings: “This is my fourth Azamara cruise in six months. Cruising changed my life.” For more, visit azamaraclubcruises.com. Contact Debbi K. Kickham at GorgeousGlobetrotter. com and MarketingAuthor.com. William D. Kickham is a personal-injury attorney who can be reached through attorneywdkickham.com.
chic CHOICES GIFTS AND NEW PRODUCTS IDEAL FOR ANY OCCASION COMPILED BY MARY SHUSTACK
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SIT DOWN AND COOL OFF Featured at luxury resorts around the world, the Chaise from Ledge Lounger allows you to lounge in — not just by — the pool. This contemporary take on pool furniture offers a truly relaxing escape with sleek seating ($659; or $749 for the deep-water model) available in more than 10 colors and created to be resistant to sun, harsh weather conditions and pool chemicals. Related accessories also available. For more, visit ledgeloungers.com. Photographs courtesy Ledge Lounger.
SINK IN Danbury-headquartered Ethan Allen helps you kick back at home, whether you’re relaxing with weekend guests or simply delving into a good book. Sink into serene seating with options ranging from the Atlanta Chair (left, from $999; here, $1,749 as shown in Audrina Fuchsia fabric), featuring a cushion handcrafted in the company’s North American workshops, to the Millbrook Chaise (above, here, in Boone Ivory fabric, $2,069), which the company describes as “One part English garden. One part West Indies lanai.” For more, visit ethanallen.com. Photographs courtesy Ethan Allen.
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1. GAME ON
Whether it’s all-out game night or just a cozy gathering, opt for a most stylish version of one of the oldest board games around. The luxury backgammon board from VIVE combines quality craftsmanship with modern design, the 18-inch game set within a case that holds a modern playing field with a plush black velvet finish. Complete with instructions, dice, playing cups and chips, this dark-grey version ($225) is carried by HIPCHIK Home in Armonk, featured in WAG’s July 2014 issue. For more, visit HIPCHIK Home on Facebook. Photographs by Bob Rozycki.
2. WALK IT OFF
Don’t want to be cooped up in a windowless gym? Then the Outdoor Strider ($599.95), an exercise machine that provides a low-impact workout in the great outdoors, might be a fitting option. Set up the sturdy steel-framed unit in your preferred location, from patio to deck to any other flat, hard surface, and get started. And when the weather changes, you can bring it back indoors for year-round use. For more, visit hammacher.com. Photograph courtesy Hammacher Schlemmer.
3. JUST SAY SPAHHH…
For your staycation splurge or an indulgent hostess gift, turn to the pampering products from Panier des Sens. These natural creations from Provence take you out of the everyday, with the Mediterranean Freshness range of hand creams, beauty mists, shower gels and more ($6.50 to $22) particularly catching our attention. It’s said that, “the fresh and sensory formulas offer the treasures of the sea, warmed by a French Riviera fragrance.” All we know is it all sounds divine. For more, visit panierdessens.us. Photograph courtesy Panier des Sens.
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4. MIX IT UP
Whip up a post-workout smoothie or protein shake with ease in the Wolf Gourmet High Performance Blender ($599.95). Ideal for those who appreciate high-powered workouts, this product offers a 2.4-peak-horsepower motor that propels the blades to speeds of more than 210 mph. Bringing professional performance to your kitchen, the 64-ounce-capacity blender further fuels a healthy approach by chopping vegetables, grinding grains, creating nut butters and more. For more, visit williams-sonoma.com. Photograph courtesy SubZero-Wolf.
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Bill Andruss, Joseph Barbieri & Leslie McElwreath present
ROUND HILL MANOR | $49,895,000 | WEB ID: 0068133 Round Hill Manor, one of the last great estates of Greenwich, is sited on the crest of a magnificent plateau overlooking more than 40 high, open acres with panoramic views of Long Island Sound. Constructed in 1916, the Neo-Jacobean manor has recently undergone a total restoration and renovation. Exceptional quality, character and scale offer a timelessness that is without equal. Spacious rooms, exquisite detailing, lovely paneling, elegant flooring and original leaded windows are showcased in this an unparalleled estate. Bill Andruss | 203.912.8990 Joseph Barbieri | 203.940.2025 Leslie McElwreath | 917.539.3654
GREENWICH BROKERAGE | 203.869.4343
roundhillmanor.com
One Pickwick Plaza | Greenwich, CT 06830
sothebyshomes.com/greenwich
Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Real estate agents affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Equal Housing Opportunity.
YOUR CHILD’S FUTURE BEGINS TODAY
TOP PICKS
Grab hold of those No. 2 pencils and spiral notebooks for the top private schools in WAG country
FACT: Private schools typically have smaller enrollments and class sizes than public schools, according to NCES. ARCHBISHOP STEPINAC HIGH SCHOOL 950 Mamaroneck Ave. White Plains, N.Y. 10605 914-946-4800 • stepinac.org Top administrator: Thomas Collins
CONVENT OF THE SACRED HEART 1177 King St., Greenwich, Conn. 06831 203-531-6500 • cshgreenwich.org Top administrator: Pamela Juan Hayes DARROW SCHOOL 110 Darrow Road, New Lebanon, N.Y. 12125 518-794-6000 • darrowschool.org Top administrator: Simon Holzapfel
BRUNSWICK SCHOOL 100 Maher Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06830 203-625-5800 • brunswickschool.org Top administrator: Thomas Philip THE CHAPEL SCHOOL 172 White Plains Road, Bronxville, N.Y. 10708 914-337-3202 • thechapelschool.org Top administrator: James Dhyne CHRISTIAN HERITAGE SCHOOL 575 White Plains Road Trumbull, Conn. 06611 203-261-6230 • kingsmen.org Top administrator: Brian Modarelli
EAGLE HILL SCHOOL 45 Glenville Road, Greenwich, Conn. 06831 203-622-9240 • eaglehillschool.org Top administrator: Marjorie E. Castro School of the Holy Child
FAIRFIELD COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL 1073 N. Benson Road Fairfield, Conn. 06824 203-254-4200 • fairfieldprep.org Top administrator: Thomas M. Simisky
FAIRFIELD COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 2790 Bronson Road, Fairfield, Conn. 06824 203-259-2723 • fairfieldcountryday.org Top administrator: John R. Munro Jr.
FORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, N.Y. 10458 718-367-7500 • fordhamprep.org Top administrator: Joseph Petriello
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Caring and Nurturing Environment ~ Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum Widely-Acclaimed Kindergarten Readiness ~ 14 Students:1 Teacher/1 Aide Spanish and Music Programs ~ Extra-curricular Offerings Flexible Engaging CARE Program
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Accepting Applications for 2017-2018. Call for Personal Tour.
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SMALL CLASS SIZES Grades K-5 (18 Students Max); Grades 6-8 (16 Students Max) EXCELLENT FINE ARTS PROGRAMS (Band, Choirs, Drama, Art) SPANISH PROGRAM Grades K-8 ~ INCLUSIVE ATHLETICS PROGRAM Grades 1-8 SMART TECHNOLOGY Grades K-8 ~ SCIENCE & COMPUTER LABS Grades 6-8 Intense Writing and Accelerated Math Grades 6-8 Flexible CARE Program 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE in a SAFE and NURTURING CHRISTIAN ENVIRONMENT 172 White Plains Road, Bronxville, NY 80
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Discover a place where children love to learn. Experience small classes taught by exceptional faculty. RCS is a coeducational, independent country day Come explore the magic of RCS.
school for students in PreKindergarten through Grade Nine.
Curious?
Contact Philip Cox in Admissions at (914) 244-1204 or cox@rcsny.org
RCS is a coeducational, independent country day school for students in PreKindergarten through Grade Nine.
www.rcsny.org
THE URSULINE SCHOOL 1354 North Avenue | New Rochelle, New York | 914.636.3950 | www.ursulinenewrochelle.org
Educate Inspire Empower
OPEN HOUSE | Saturday, October 29, 2016 | 12:30pm - 3:30pm WAGMAG.COM
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FACT: According to CAPE, in the 2011-2012 academic year, there were 30,861 private schools in the country, which is nearly one-fourth of all U.S. schools. THE FORMAN SCHOOL 12 Norfolk Road, Litchfield, Conn. 06759 860-567-8712 • formanschool.org Top administrator: Adam K. Man FRENCH-AMERICAN SCHOOL OF NEW YORK 85 Palmer Ave., Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583 914-250-0521 • fasny.org Top administrator: Joël Peinado
GERMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEW YORK 50 Partridge Road White Plains, N.Y. 10605 914-948-6513 • gisny.org Top administrator: Ulrich Weghoff GERMAN SCHOOL OF CONNECTICUT Rippowam Middle School 381 High Ridge Road Stamford, Conn. 06905 203-548-0438 • germanschoolct.org Top administer: Renate Ludanyi GREEN MEADOW WALDORF SCHOOL 307 Hungry Hollow Road Chestnut Ridge, N.Y. 10977 845-356-2514 • gmws.org Top administrator: Bill Pernice
GREENS FARMS ACADEMY 35 Beachside Ave. Greens Farms, Conn. 06838 203-256-0717 • gfacademy.org Top administrator: Janet Hartwell GREENWICH ACADEMY 200 N. Maple Ave. Greenwich, Conn. 06830 203-625-8900 • greenwichacademy.org Top administrator: Molly H. King GREENWICH CATHOLIC SCHOOL 471 North St., Greenwich, Conn. 06830 203-869-4000 • gcsct.org Top administrator: Patrice Kopas GREENWICH COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 401 Old Church Road Greenwich, Conn. 06830 203-863-5600 • gcdc.net Top administrator: Adam Rohdie GREENWICH SPANISH SCHOOL 6 Riverside Ave., No. 109 Riverside, Conn. 06878 203-698-1500 • greenwichspanish.org Top administrator: Rosario J. Brooks, founder and director
Greenwich Spanish School
THE GUNNERY 99 Green Hill Road Washington, Conn. 06793 860-868-7334 • gunnery.org Top administrator: Peter W.E. Becker HACKLEY SCHOOL 293 Benedict Ave., Tarrytown, N.Y. 10591 914-366-2600 • hackleyschool.org Top administrator: Michael C. Wirtz
THE HARVEY SCHOOL 260 Jay St., Katonah, N.Y. 10536 914-232-3161 • harveyschool.org Top administrator: William Knauer IMMACULATE HIGH SCHOOL 73 Southern Blvd., Danbury, Conn. 06810 203-744-1510 • immaculatehs.org Top administrator: Mary Maloney
At Soundview Prep, we’ll find your child’s road to success. Families choose Soundview Preparatory School because of its rigorous college preparatory curriculum, its strong music and art program, and its uniquely personalized learning community (grades 6 -12) that fosters self-confidence and individuality. To speak to our Director of Admissions, call (914) 962-2780.
Soundview Preparatory School 370 Underhill Avenue, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 914 962-2780 • soundviewprep.org
October Open Houses: Sunday, October 16 • 1 - 3 pm Sunday, October 30 • 1 - 3 pm APPLICATIONS STILL BEING ACCEPTED FOR FALL 2016
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Solving the challenges we face today; building the collaborative spaces of tomorrow.
Kaeyer, Garment + Davidson Architects, PC 285 Main Street, Mount Kisco, New York 10549 914.666.5900 kgdarchitects.com
The T Green G nwich h Spa anish h School
6 Riversiide Aven nue, Riv verside, CT 0687 78
Aca ademic Pre eschool Pro ograms: fu ull and half-day programs s for pre-K an nd K children
from m September to June to start children n on the path to being biliingual at the e optimal age e. No p prior knowled dge of Spanish needed. Programs P de esigned to giive your child dren an edge e:
Sup perior pre e-K and K education & flue ency in a second llanguage e Tue esday/Thurrsday & Sa aturday Pro ograms: deesigned to heelp children maintain and d conttinue learning g in Spanish h with the goal of develop ping bi-litera ate children. S Successive prog grams run fro om September thru May for f children from f Kinderg garten throu ugh grade 5.
Sum mmer Programs: fun, creative programs to introduce childdren to anothher languagee.
Activ vities include e arts, crafts s, music, dan nce, outdoor and culturall activities – all in Spanis sh! Prog grams for kid ds 3-5 and 6-10 run contin nuously from m early June e to mid-Augu ust.
Visit www.G Greenwich hSpanish h.org for schedule s es and prrograms o or contac ct: Rosario J. Broo oks, Direc ctor Christiine Bodin ne, Head Teacher 98-1500 (203) 69 info@Greenwic chSpanis sh.org WAGMAG.COM
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FACT: According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), there are 1,166 public and private elementary and secondary education schools in the state of Connecticut and 4,903 in New York state.
KING SCHOOL 1450 Newfield Ave. Stamford, Conn. 06905 203-322-3496 • kingschoolct.org Top administrator: Tom Main KOLBE CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL 33 Calhoun Place, Bridgeport, Conn. 06604 203-355-2554 • kolbecaths.org Top administrator: Jo-Anne Jakab
The Masters School
IONA PREPARATORY SCHOOL Lower School, grades K-8 173 Stratton Road, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10804 914-633-7744 Upper School, grades 9-12 255 Wilmot Road, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10804 914-632-0714 ionaprep.org Top administrator: Thomas R. Leto
JOHN F. KENNEDY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 54 Route 138, Somers, N.Y. 10589 914-232-5061 • kennedycatholic.org Top administrator: Mark G. Vaillancourt THE KARAFIN SCHOOL 40-1 Radio Circle Drive Mount Kisco, N.Y. 10549 914-666-9211 • karafinschool.com Top administrator: Renee L. Donow
LÉMAN MANHATTAN PREPARATORY SCHOOL Lower School 41 Broad St., New York, N.Y. 10004 Upper School 1 Morris St., New York, N.Y. 10004 212-232-0266 • lemanmanhattan.org Top administrator: Drew Alexander MAPLEBROOK SCHOOL 5142 Route 22, Amenia, N.Y. 12501 845-373-9511 • maplebrookschool.org Top administrator: Donna Konkolics
MARIA REGINA HIGH SCHOOL 500 W. Hartsdale Ave., Hartsdale, N.Y. 10530 914-761-3300 • mariaregina.org Top administrator: Valerie Reidy THE MASTERS SCHOOL 49 Clinton Ave., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522 914-479-6400 • mastersny.org Top administrator: Laura Danforth MILLBROOK SCHOOL 131 Millbrook School Road Millbrook, N.Y. 12545 845-677-8261 • millbrook.org Top administrator: Drew Casertano THE MONTFORT ACADEMY 125 E. Birch St., Mount Vernon, N.Y. 10552 914-669-7090 • themontfortacademy.org Top administrator: David Petrillo NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL 635 Frogtown Road New Canaan, Conn. 06840 203-972-0771 • countryschool.net Top administrator: Robert Macrae
Blue Sky Thinking
OPEN HOUSE: NOV 6 • JAN 22 International Baccalaureate • Montessori (early years) | 18 months – Grade 8 | whitbyschool.org/bluesky 84
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OPEN HOUSE DATES: Saturday, November 5, 2016, 10am Saturday, January 21, 2017, 10am
French-American School of New York Growing Global Citizens
Accepting non-French speakers: • In Nursery, Pre-K and Kindergarten: Bilingual immersion • In High school: IB Diploma Programme taught in English Bilingual Co-ed School • Nursery (3 years old) through Grade 12 Campuses in Scarsdale, Larchmont, Mamaroneck
www.fasny.org • (914) 250-0401 Coffee & Conversation | PreK-Grade 12, Tuesdays, 9:45 a.m. Meet Head of School & Director of Admission | Tour Campus
Discover the academic difference. Exceptional Faculty
. Academic Excellence . Personalized Approach . Community
Engage in our PreK-Grade 12 challenging academic program rooted in a personalized approach to teaching and learning. King graduates succeed in the top colleges and universities.
www.kingschoolct.org A co-ed college preparatory school educating PreK-Grade 12 students from 30 towns ... Darien | Greenwich | New Canaan Norwalk | Pound Ridge | Stamford
(203) 322-3496 Ext. 350 • 1450 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT
Knowledge for the Journey
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FACT: According to the Council for American Private Education, there were 5,268,000 preschool to grade 12 students in the 2011-2012 academic year, attending private school. This is equivalent to 10 percent of all students in the U.S.
NORD ANGLIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, NEW YORK 44 E. Second St., New York, N.Y. 10003 212-600-2010 • nordangliaeducation.com Top administrator: Suzanne Hunt, head of early years; Gemma McIntosh, head of lower primary; Sarah Donnelly, head of middle school; and Katherine Clare, head of upper primary NOTRE DAME CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 220 Jefferson St., Fairfield, Conn. 06825 203-372-6521 • notredame.org Top administrator: William Sangiovanni OAKWOOD FRIENDS SCHOOL 22 Spackenkill Road Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 12603 845-243-2340 • oakwoodfriends.org Top administrator: Chad Cianfrani REGIS HIGH SCHOOL 55 E. 84 St., New York, N.Y. 10028 212-288-1100 • regis.org Top administrator: James Croghan
RIDGEFIELD ACADEMY 223 W. Mountain Road Ridgefield, Conn. 06877 203-894-1800 • ridgefieldacademy.org Top administrator: James P. Heus
RYE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 3 Cedar St., Rye, N.Y. 10580 914-967-1417 • ryecountryday.org Top administrator: Scott A. Nelson SACRED HEART HIGH SCHOOL 34 Convent Ave., Yonkers, N.Y. 10703 914-965-3114 • sacredhearths.org Top administrator: Maurice Moreau SAINT BARNABAS HIGH SCHOOL 425 E. 240th St., Bronx, N.Y. 10470 718-325-8800 • stbarnabashigh.com Top administrator: Joan Faraone
RIPPOWAM CISQUA SCHOOL Lower Campus 325 W. Patent Road, Mount Kisco, N.Y. 10549 914-244-1200 Upper Campus 439 Canititoe St., Bedford, N.Y. 10506 914-244-1250 Top administrator: Colm MacMahon RUDOLPH STEINER SCHOOL Lower School Early Childhood (2s-K) and Elementary School (1-6) 15 E. 79 St., New York, N.Y. 10075 212-535-2130 • steiner.edu Upper School 15 E. 78 St., New York, N.Y. 10075 212-879-1101 • steiner.edu
SAINT JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL 2320 Huntington Turnpike Trumbull, Conn. 06611 203-378-9378 • sjcadets.org Top administrator: Willian J. Fitzgerald SAINT LUKE’S SCHOOL 377 N. Wilton Road New Canaan, Conn. 06840 203-966-5612 • stlukesct.org Top administrator: Mark Davis SALESIAN HIGH SCHOOL 148 E. Main St., New Rochelle, N.Y. 10801 914-632-0248 • salesianhigh.org Top administrator: John Serio
Rippowam Cisqua School
For more information on our admission reception, please visit brunswickschool.org/admissions/
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DISCOVER your talents, your friends, your success at The Harvey School
Small School… Big Opportunities… Endless Possibilities. 260 Jay Street • Katonah, NY 10536 • 914.232.3161 admissions@harveyschool.org • www.harveyschool.org A coeducational college preparatory school enrolling students in grades 6–12 for day and in grades 9–12 for five-day boarding.
COME VISIT US AT OUR ADMISSIONS OPEN HOUSE:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 AT 9 A.M. WAGMAG.COM
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FACT: According to NCES, there are 19 private, nonprofit and six private, for-profit postsecondary schools in Connecticut and 180 private, nonprofit and 44 private, for-profit secondary schools in New York state.
Whitby School
SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD 2225 Westchester Ave., Rye, N.Y. 10580 914-967-6476 • holdchildrye.org Top administrator: Melissa Dan SOLOMON SCHECHTER SCHOOL OF WESTCHESTER Lower School (K-5) 30 Dellwood Road, White Plains, N.Y. 10605 914-948-3111 Upper School (6-12) 555 W. Hartsdale Ave., Hartsdale, N.Y. 10530 914-948-8333 schechterwestchester.org Top administrator: Michael Kay
SOUNDVIEW PREPARATORY SCHOOL 370 Underhill Ave. Yorktown Heights, N.Y. 10598 914-962-2780 • soundviewprep.com Top administrator: W. Glyn Hearn THE SPENCE SCHOOL Lower School 56 E. 93 St., New York, N.Y. 10128 Middle and Upper School 22 E. 91 St., New York, N.Y. 10128 212-289-5940 • spenceschool.org Top administrator: Bodie Brizendine
THE STANWICH SCHOOL 257 Stanwich Road, Greenwich, Conn. 06830 203-542-0032 • stanwichschool.org Top administrator: Charles Sachs
Windward Manhattan 202 W. 97 St., New York, N.Y. 10025 914-949-6968 • thewindwardschool.org Top administrator: John J. Russell
THE STORM KING SCHOOL 314 Mountain Road Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y. 12520 845-534-7892 • sks.org Top administrator: Jonathan W.R. Lamb
THORNTON-DONOVAN SCHOOL 100 Overlook Circle New Rochelle, N.Y. 10804 914-632-8836 • td.edu Top administrator: Douglas E. Fleming Jr.
THE URSULINE SCHOOL 1354 North Ave., New Rochelle, N.Y. 10804 914-636-3950 • ursulinenewrochelle.org Top administrator: Eileen F. Davidson
TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 926 Newfield Ave., Stamford, Conn. 06905 203-322-3401 • trinitycatholic.org Top administrator: Joseph Gerics
WESTCHESTER HEBREW HIGH SCHOOL 856 Orienta Ave., Mamaroneck, N.Y. 10543 914-698-0806 • whhsny.org Top administrator: Rabbi Jeffrey Beer
WHITBY SCHOOL 969 Lake Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06831 203-869-8464 • whitbyschool.org Top administrator: Bryan Nixon
THE WINDWARD SCHOOL Westchester Lower School 13 Windward Ave., White Plains, N.Y. 10605 Westchester Middle School 40 W. Red Oak Lane White Plains, N.Y. 10604
WOOSTER SCHOOL 91 Miry Brook Road, Danbury, Conn. 06810 203-830-3900 • woosterschool.org Top administrator: Matt Byrnes
School of the Holy Child An all-girls, Catholic, independent school for grades 5 through 12
Open House: Saturday, October 1 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Learn how Holy Child students find joy in learning, attain academic excellence and are prepared to attend the nation’s most selective universities, including Columbia University, Georgetown University , Harvard, MIT, and more. www.holychildrye.org | (914) 967-5622 88
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THERE’S MORE TO A MASTERS MIND The Masters School is a premier co-ed day and boarding school for grades 5-12 that enriches students’ minds, preparing them for success in college, career and life. All Masters students benefit from the boarding school advantage, including an active, 24/7 campus with 60% of faculty in residence and convenient access to opportunities in New York City. • Heritage of Educational Excellence since 1877 • Challenging Curriculum with 17 AP Courses • New 75,000 sq ft. Athletic & Arts Center
• Picturesque 96-acre Campus • Globally Diverse Student Body • Vibrant Arts & 37 Athletic Teams
OPEN HOUSE
12 NOON GRADES 5-8, OCT 15 | GRADES 9-12, OCT 29 To RSVP, contact (914) 479-6420 or admission@mastersny.org.
49 Clinton Avenue | Dobbs Ferry, NY | mastersny.org
WONDERFUL DINING
S E N I S I U C T C E S R E T IN AT E R DE T E E R T S Y AN D STOR
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1. Grilled asparagus with a crisp poached egg 2. Sticky toffee pudding 3. Smoked bacon, tomato and cheese fritters
In the 1st century A.D., a 226-mile trail dubbed Dere Street stretched across the landscape of what we know today as Scotland, linking the Roman camps that dotted the northern terrain. In the spirit of that ancient intersection of British and Roman cultures, Newtown’s Dere Street Restaurant offers customers the best of both cuisines. Opened earlier this year, Dere Street serves Italian and British fare from its location at the corner of Main and West streets, just across from the historic Newtown flagpole. The 19th-century building that plays host to the new restaurant is itself a notable landmark, one of the oldest structures in town that recently underwent a restoration to its former glory. With decorative brackets below the building’s canopy and outdoor street lamps reminiscent of those seen lining roadways years ago,
the facade is New England nostalgic. But while the exterior may be evocative of days gone by, the interior is completely contemporary, decorated with a modern European mindset. Bright blue accents sprinkle the serene dining area and bar, while a dividing partition is adorned with sleek photos of smiling faces and action shots. We head to the eatery on a beautiful Saturday evening, hoping to arrive early enough to grab a
seat outdoors and enjoy the wonderful weather. No such luck — the patio was already full — but we grab a seat by the window inside the brightly lit, casual-chic dining room, which is already bustling. I choose the Thistly Cross Elderflower Cider, a house favorite, while my guest chooses an Old Golden Hen, a lighter ale. For those inclined toward a cocktail, the eatery also hosts an impressive gin menu. The restaurant does retain a single brand of vodka that will “gladly, but sadly” be substituted if you so desire, though owner David Cooper would much rather educate his customers on the “superiority” of gin. As we sip our drinks and mull over the menu, we’re presented with a basket filled with an assortment of breads that were baked at Dere Street Bakery, Cooper’s bakeshop just behind the restaurant. Alongside the warm, flaky dough, we’re served a small plate with dollops of butter and a bowl of olive oil for dipping. We begin with an appetizer of grilled asparagus, topped with a crisp poached egg and drizzled in a lemon butter sauce. The egg is certainly the star of the dish, with its crunchy exterior a pleasant contrast to a creamy yolk, which makes for a satisfying gooey glaze over the crispy asparagus. Our second appetizer is a plate of tomato and cheese fritters garnished with greens and thin slivers of cheese, with smoked bacon incorporated into the flaky coating. Moving on to my main dish, I select one of the daily specials, a thick piece of striped bass lying on a bed of moist polenta, smothered with a vegetarian ratatouille. My guest went with the hearty, bone-in pork cutlet, which sat atop a creamy polenta and was covered in salsa picante and green beans. The pork cutlet was a standout for both of us, cooked to perfection with just the right amount of spice. Prepared by British chef Iain Sampson, winner of the Best Chef in Wales award in 2010, the plates are artfully presented, aimed to appeal not just to the taste buds but also the eyes. For dessert, I go with the popular Sticky Toffee Pudding. Though somewhat rich for my guest, a sentiment I consider blasphemous, I find the chilled and creamy vanilla ice cream covering the warm, fluffy pudding a delightful and delicious contrast. As our night comes to a close and we look back at the striking exterior lit in the darkness of evening, I’m certain that Dere Street is a path I’ll come across again in the future. For more, visit derestreetrestaurant.com.
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WINE & DINE
FROM A CRAGGY ISLE, WINES THAT ENDURE STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG PAULDING
I just returned from the island of Madeira — due west of Casablanca, Morocco, in the Atlantic but claimed by Portugal in 1420 when it was a naval power. It is a place like no other I have seen. Madeira pulsed out of the ocean during dramatic volcanic activity. The terrain is steep and craggy, with scores of recently built tunnels connecting each side of a sharp, mountainous shoulder of black basalt. And there is little shellfish locally due to lack 92
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Luis D’Oliveira, executive director of Pereira D’Oliveira (Vinhos) Lda,, shown with a few of the exceptional vintages he shared with us.
of a shallow continental shelf. Shipping wines by sailing vessel back in the day hurt the wines, as cargo areas were below deck and could reach very unpleasant temperatures. But when one cask of Madeira wine was returned unsold to the island after several crossings of the equator, the winemaker realized the wine had improved significantly. Winemakers began to ship wines just to improve them, but that got expensive and logistically difficult. One producer developed the Canteiro method, in which winefilled casks were kept in attics, where some of the cask evaporates, concentrating the remainder of the cask. The other method, Estufagem, heats vats to accomplish a similar accelerated aging process. These wines will slowly morph while in the barrel but once bottled they remain stable and unchanging for decades or longer. Blake Murdock of The Rare Wine Co., an important Madeira importing company in the U.S., told me, “Everything bad that can be done to the wine already has been done. These wines will last for a long time unopened. Even opened, they can last for a couple of years.” This is a perfect wine for restaurant sales or for the home taster who wants to have a glass of wine and recap it for future use. The winemak-
er of Justino’s Madeira, Dina Luis, led us through a tasting, which included vintage Madeira wines from 1978, ’64, ‘54, ’40 and ’34. She told me, “I once forgot and left a bottle of Justino’s Madeira in the trunk of my car for over a month. The daytime temperatures were north of 90 degrees. Who knows what it was in my trunk. When I discovered it, I opened it with a friend and it was fine.” Essentially, Madeira has five white grapes and one red one. And there are four main styles of flavor, mostly determined by the grape. Sercial makes for a dry fortified wine. Terrantez makes for an off-dry style. Verdelho makes for medium-dry; Boal, medium-rich, leaning toward sweeter; and Malvasia or Malmsey, a rich or sweeter style still. The red grape, Tinta Negra, makes wine all over the dry/sweetness spectrum. The high acidity level of all these wines can easily support all degrees of sweetness. Humberto Jardim of Henriques & Henriques winery told me, “Madeira has a higher acidity than any of the other fortified wines.” Their Henriques & Henriques 50-year-old Madeira prevailed in a blind-tasting of Portuguese-fortified wine. Super highlights of our tasting with Jardim included an H&H 1898 and an 1894 wine. There wasn’t even a distant hint of tiredness in this wine, produced before my grandfather was born. Madeira also makes some unfortified still wines in white and red that will balance out any dinner party. Ivo Couto, winemaker for H.M. Borges, said, “The quality of grape and wine production were vastly improved 25 years ago on our island. We are just starting to harvest the wines from grapes grown then. Going forward all of Madeira wines will be better.” There are essentially seven producers on the island that have survived the centuries and consolidated power and winery holdings. In the early 1700s two-thirds of all the wine that came to America was from Madeira. All of our Founding Fathers knew, owned and enjoyed these wines. In 1776, the signing of the Declaration of Independence was toasted by the signers with Madeira wine. So that’s it. All you need to know is here. But now you must immerse yourself in flavor. Find an impressive store with a good selection. The price-to-value experience will impress you. Pick up a few styles and brands of Madeira and enjoy them. Have them all opened at once so you can compare tastes. These wines will last well longer than they’re likely to remain in the bottle. Sip and enjoy. Write me at doug@dougpaulding.com.
E R OA R I N
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One of New York States Top 15
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Stop in and experience the charm of this historic eatery, a neighborhood favorite since the Roaring ‘20s! Enjoy our cozy tavern where it’s always lively and cheerful or relax on our patio overlooking our horseshoe and bocce ball courts. Live music on Saturdays and some Fridays On Sundays, enjoy outdoor live music from 4 to 8:30 Happy Hour Daily from 4-6 and again from 9-11 on Thurs, Fri and Saturday nights.
105 Somerstown Turnpike, Katonah, NY (Corner of Rt. 100 and Rt. 35) www.muscoottavern.com 914 • 232 • 2800
WHETTING THE APPETITE
LEMON ZUCCHINI PESTO WITH SHRIMP
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound medium cleaned shrimp •
BY JACQUELINE RUBY PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROZYCKI
8 ounces angel hair pasta • ½ pint cherry tomatoes • 1 small zucchini •
When August rolls around, everyone’s so busy squeezing every drop out of summer with vacation, the US Open and other sports that there’s no time to cook. This recipe is light and quite simple to make. Of course, August is prime time for tomatoes, so I incorporated them into the recipe as well.
1 cup fresh mint • 1 tablespoon basil • 1/3 cup toasted almonds • (put nuts in a hot pan for about 1 minute) 1 garlic clove • Zest of 1 lemon • Juice of 2 lemons • ½ teaspoon sea salt ¼ teaspoon • fresh ground pepper
For more, contact the Saucy Realtor at jacquelineruby@hotmail.com
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½ cup olive oil • ½ cup grated • Parmesan cheese
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DIRECTIONS: • Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper.
• Sauté shrimp in pan on medium heat and cook 3 minutes on each side, then set shrimp aside. • Add tomatoes to pan and sauté until skin gets soft — set aside.
• In a food processor, purée zucchini, mint, basil, nuts, garlic, grated zest and juice of 2 lemons plus ½ teaspoon sea salt. • Add olive oil with the machine running. • Stir in ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• Cook pasta according to directions and drain. • Pour pesto sauce over pasta, add tomatoes and shrimp and toss. Serves 4.
rties a p e t a Priv r dining outdoo r lunch, open fo r and dinne runch b Sunday -10 12
(914) 218-8156 251 LEXINGTON AVE., MOUNT KISCO, NY
WWW.251LEX.COM
MONDAY - Martini Mondays TUESDAY - “Why not Tuesdays” (1/2 priced bottles of wine) WEDNESDAY - Dollar Oyster Night THURSDAYS - Supper Club SUNDAY - brunch with bottomless mimosas & marys
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
GOING FOR THE GOLD
American Gold Cup. Photograph by The Book LLC.
BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
In its 46 years, the American Gold Cup has called Tampa, Fla., Moreland Hills, Ohio, and Devon, Pa., home. But, organizers say, none of those sites can match the popularity of Old Salem Farm in North Salem — celebrating its fifth anniversary as the show jumping event’s venue Sept. 14-18.
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The proof is in the statistics — participation by riders and horses, up 34 percent; sponsorships, up 65 percent; prize money, up 63 percent; VIP table sales, up 40 percent; general admission, up 33 percent; and number of vendors, up 31 percent. These speak not only to the pastoral beauty of Old Salem Farm, but to the prestige of an event that is one of only seven that comprise the East Coast division of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping North American League. The competition will include five Longines FEI Rankings events, culminating in the $220,000 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping New York, in which the top riders will compete for the American Gold Cup. The others are the $86,000 American Gold Cup Qualifier, the $86,000 Fidelity Investments Classic, the $35,000 Welcome Stake and the $35,000 Derby. Past participants have included two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward, who is also on the U.S. Olympic equestrian team bound for Rio; Jessica
Springsteen, who won the cup in 2014; and Georgina Bloomberg. The cup displays the names of 12 U.S. Olympians, six of them gold medalists, along with two Pan American Games gold medalists and six World Cup champions. This history makes the Gold Cup one of America’s toughest show jumping tests, organizers say, a proving ground for champions and a launch pad for many of the sport’s future show jumping stars. But you don’t have to know a paddock from a pasture — as we like to say at WAG — to enjoy a variety of luxe retail and food venues, presenting everything from purses to Porsches, a casual family day in the bleachers or the hillside or a stylish turn in the bilevel VIP Hospitality pavilion. The American Gold Cup offers all of this — and more. But if you should miss it, it will be shown on NBCSN. For tickets and more, visit theamericangoldcup.com.
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RECREATING YOURSELF, STRAND BY STRAND BY BRIAN TOOHEY PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROZYCKI
Among the many wonders of being human and the one I appreciate most, is our ability to recreate ourselves. We often hear of people starting over after a great loss or dissatisfaction with the way things are. I believe when we demonstrate the courage to change, unseen forces come to our aid — perhaps because we are becoming what we were always meant to be. We can then focus more on selfcare, which translates into more confidence in how we appear to others and ourselves. 98
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Let’s start by thinking of our hair as fabric. I learned about the care of fabric from Bill Blass. I was cutting his hair in his dressing room when I noticed a large clothing steamer. He told me that he had all his clothing steamed and pressed at home as he believed that the chemicals used in the dry cleaning process damaged the fabric. Like fabric, chemicals can also damage hair. But unlike fabric, hair can be restored and recreated. Jen Lang, my model for this story, was also my model for the May issue. Jen is a gifted musician, now studying violin. I thought we would cut her now- longer hair into the perfect style for playing the violin. Jen has an exuberant personality — lots of enthusiasm — so I created a haircut that would spin beautifully as she does. In fact, I am calling this new style, “the Spin.” After sculpting the new shape, I used the balayage technique — a French approach to applying color softly — to add brightness and a L’Oréal glaze for the ultimate shine. I then gave Jen a full Olaplex treatment to rebuild the bonds in her hair. What a transformation: Her hair is now in wonderful condition, much like hair that’s never been chemically treated. Another great recommendation to remove chorine and restore your hair’s natural luster is to use a vitamin C showerhead. There are several brands available on the market. Also consider using a Mason Pearson hairbrush. Its bristles not only feel good while you brush vigorously, they exfoliate and stimulate your scalp to release your body’s own healing oils. And the stimulation also adds immediate volume to your hair. After her haircut, Jen asked if we could do an eyelash tint. The Warren Tricomi Salon’s makeup artist, Jennifer Kovacs, looked in Jen’s eyes and suggested a brow tint and a brow shaping. This just confirmed for me why Jennifer’s talents are always in demand. Tamara Palumbo, also a makeup artist at the salon, offered to fit Jen in for a makeup application. I knew Jen’s makeup would have the perfect look — just enough glow without being too obvious. It seems the stars were all perfectly aligned in the salon. I use Fluidissime while blow-drying for a smooth feel and shine and, at the shoot, just a light mist of Warren Tricomi’s Flexible Spray. The spray allows for versatility that so the style can move yet holds its shape. We are fortunate to be in a time in the hair industry when there are products that are truly revolutionary. Despite the effects of chemicals and, the natural elements, we can, with their help, recreate the beauty of our natural hair. As I always say, remember to treat your hair with love and it will never leave you. Visit Brian at Warren Tricomi Salon, 1 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich. To book an appointment with him, call 212-262-8899.
A DISTINGUISHED MEDICAL COLLEGE RIGHT IN YOUR COMMUNITY
JOIN US IN
Founder’s Dinner
MORE THAN 150 YEARS
SEPTEMBER 18 DoubleTree Hilton Tarrytown
g n ti a r b e l e C HONORING: DR. DAVID E. ASPRINIO Alfred DelBello Distinguished Service Award MR. RONALD F. POE Jackson E. Spears Community Service Award SPECIAL FACULTY RECOGNITION DR. MARIO A. INCHIOSA JR. for 50 years of service DR. KATHRYN E. MCGOLDRICK upon her retirement
A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF FUNDS RAISED WILL SUPPORT STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
For sponsorship and ticket information visit www.nymc.edu/foundersdinner or call 914-594-4550
WELL
WHAT TO DO WHEN INJURY STRIKES BY JOHN CONNOLLY
Despite names like tennis elbow, swimmer’s shoulder and jumper’s knee, bursitis and tendinitis are conditions that strike average Joes as well as serious athletes. They’re the most common types of repetitive-motion injuries — caused by running, throwing a baseball and swinging a golf club as well as less glamorous pursuits like doing housework — putting a strain on soft tissues and resulting in pain and inflammation. Repetitive-motion injuries represent more than half of all the athletic-related injuries that send Americans to the doctor each year. 100
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Though they are both inflammatory conditions, (hence the “itis” in their names), tendinitis affects a tendon, a type of soft tissue that primarily connects muscles to bone or its covering (called a sheath). Bursitis affects bursae, which are small, fluid-filled sacs that typically protect bony prominences, muscles and tendons from friction and/or compression. Tendinitis and bursitis are often caused by the biomechanical dysfunction of the body. For example, someone with a scapular (shoulder blade) dysfunction would be vulnerable to tendinitis of the rotator cuff or bursitis in the bursa of the shoulder joint. Runners with poor biomechanical patterns may be susceptible to tendinitis in the ankle or bursitis in the hip. Some people develop both tendinitis and bursitis at once The standard advice for treating tendinitis and/or bursitis is rest. You must do two things if you want to get rid of these kinds of injuries. One, stop performing the motion that’s causing the damage to your tissues. And two, give those tissues time to heal. But for many people — pro athletes as well as your garden-variety active types — “rest” can be a four-letter word. Happily, rest isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. Someone with bursitis or tendinitis can exercise — if he or she does so correctly. A credentialed exercise professional or physical therapist like myself can often recommend exercises that can help correct the condition. The best exercises are those that will correct any biomechanical dysfunction without aggravating the condition. Thus, someone with shoulder tendinitis or bursitis should be able to run or bike for a cardiovascular workout but should probably avoid swimming. On the other hand, a runner with Achilles’ tendinitis would benefit from swimming (or biking). To help correct biomechanical problems in a shoulder, hip or other areas, a physical therapist would likely recommend specific exercises to strengthen weak stabilizing muscles in the injured area and to stretch muscle groups that may be tight. Looking ahead, a physical therapist can offer specific advice regarding getting back to one’s regular routine — without repeating the original injury. Until an individual has eliminated his or her pain and corrected any biomechanical faults, I typically advise against resuming the activity that contributed to the condition in the first place. This gives the body the opportunity to heal. Additionally, adding a “maintenance routine” of small, single-joint exercises that target small stabilizing muscles, performed once or twice a week in conjunction with a patient’s regular workouts, is beneficial. By targeting these areas, we can improve a patient’s biomechanics and ensure that they’re moving correctly during other modes of exercise.
THE FIRST DOCTOR SAID DEPRESSION. THE SECOND SAID STROKE. THE THIRD SAID ALZHEIMER’S. NO ONE SAID FTD. Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) is the most common cause of dementia for people under 60, affecting more than 50,000 in the U.S. alone. Onset strikes earlier in life—when few anticipate dementia—and accurate diagnosis can take years. Families lose active parents and breadwinners without knowing what’s stealing away the person they love. And when a diagnosis is made, there are no effective treatments. Help to change that reality today. www.theAFTD.org/learnmore
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WORK IT OUT, THEN REST Exercise will only create results if we recover and rest enough between workouts. When someone doesn’t recover adequately, performance and health suffer. If we looked at their insides, we might see high levels of inflammation and/or connective tissues that aren’t healing. We might see that their happy neurotransmitters are going down and their catabolic hormones, such as cortisol, are going up. You often hear the term “overtraining,” but in reality what could very well be happening is “under-recovering.” Signs you are under-recovering could include sore muscles, depression, anxiety, poor sleep, too much sleep, loss of appetite, insatiable appetite, overall pain and a poor immune response to illness.
WELL
SLEEP MATTERS
Giovanni Roselli. Photograph courtesy Nike.
THE IMPORTANCE OF R&R – REST AND RECOVERY BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI
Many of us plan our summer vacations for months in hopes of a little relaxation. Yet, everyday rest and recovery are the least planned and underutilized ways to enhance performance and quality of life. Let’s understand how sleep and recovery are important to our overall health: REST AND RECOVERY Rest is simply a combination of sleep and time spent not active. How you sleep and spend this time is critical. Recovery, however, refers to techniques and actions taken to maximize your body’s repair. These include hydration, nutrition, posture, heat, ice, stretching and foam-rolling. Muscles recover the quickest because they receive direct blood flow. Tendons, ligaments and bones receive indirect blood flow and therefore can take longer to recover and are more susceptible to injury. Think about how many people we 102
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know — they may even be ourselves — who have torn tendons and ligaments, a rotator cuff in the shoulder or a meniscus in the knee.
SYMPATHETIC VS. PARASYMPATHETIC Sympathetic activities — often referred to as “fight or flight” — and parasympathetic activities — often referred to as “rest and digest” — are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system. Depression, craving carbohydates, a reduced metabolism, poor blood sugar management and difficulty sleeping are just a few consequences when sympathetic activities dominate our lives. Relaxing and energizing activities are parasympathetic in nature. Aromatherapy, meditation, Pilates, yoga and tai chi help to lower stress, improve oxygenation and stimulate recovery. They’ve been around for thousands of years because they work. Spa treatments, baths and sauna time can facilitate lymph circulation and recovery.
“People just don’t realize how important sleep is, and what the health consequences are of not getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis,” says Dr. Carl Hunt, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “Sleep is just as important for overall health as diet and exercise.” A 2005 study, with a nationally representative sample of about 10,000 adults, found that people between the ages of 32 and 49 who sleep fewer than seven hours each night and/or stay awake past midnight are significantly more likely to be obese. Studies also suggest that people who sleep fewer than six hours per night gain almost twice as much weight over a six-year period as people who sleep seven to eight hours per night. In another study, healthy men in their 20s were only allowed four hours of sleep for six straight nights. At the end of this, the young men had the insulin sensitivity of a 70-year-old prediabetic. With lack of sleep, daily life can suffer as well, with mood, cognition and memory problems taking their toll. Going 24 hours without sleep is similar to performing with a blood alcohol level of 0.10 percent. Good luck navigating your day while “intoxicated” from minimal sleep. In comparison, quality sleep improves memory formation and recall.
TAKE THE TIME Don’t neglect your time-out. Making the time to recover and repair will ensure your physical performance, mental alertness and overall quality of life are the best they can be. Reach Giovanni on twitter @GiovanniRoselli and his website, GiovanniRoselli. com.
The American Gold Cup at Old Salem Farm September 14 - 18, 2016 • Face Painting •Boutique Shopping •Pony Rides •Dining •Live Music VIP tables and Tickets On Sale Now www..eAmericanGoldCup.com
190 June Rd North Salem, NY 10560
HEELING ARTS BY LAURA CACACE
Cristina Losapio, owner and creator of Trail Dog Inc. in Croton-onHudson, didn’t grow up with dogs. She and her family had cats.
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“Later, when I was in, probably, in sixth or seventh grade, we had a Brittany Spaniel, Patches. But growing up, my whole life, we had cats. So funny… I was always around animals, but later in life I had dogs.” Luckily, going to her grandparents’ house allowed her to cultivate her love for felines and canines alike. Now, she has three dogs of her own — Paige, Windham (a certified therapy dog), and Phoebe, all beautiful Golden Retrievers. “We normally start the day and/or end the day with a trail walk. Walking is so therapeutic. Being on the trails makes me feel grounded and alive.”
Wind
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Her love for dogs, nature and exercise led her to create Trail Dog Inc. “I started in April of 2006 with just pet-sitting for a family and after that it was just from one person to the next, and then… I started with Phoebe in this class in Stamford, Conn. called Bandilane Canine Center. We practiced good manners in puppy class and just got involved in all this fun stuff, like agility. And, after that, I got Windham and my next dog and I realized there was more to it.” A keen observer of the world around her, Losapio — daughter of WAG adviser Bill Losapio and a Valhalla resident — noticed that dog owners tended to reward not just
good behavior but a whole state of being. “If your dog is in an excited state of mind, but you’re still (giving) them (treats), they’re going to think, ‘Oh, this is how I’m supposed to be.’ So I took the classes with Phoebe, which I absolutely loved, took the classes with Windham and Paige, but then I just wanted to know more.” And knowing more meant observing humans and their dogs. “I noticed that if the human was with a dog, and they saw another dog and they got nervous, then all of a sudden they’d wrap the leash like this,” Losapio says, tightening her grip, “and the dog would start to react more. I wanted to get into understanding how the humans were affecting the dog through nonverbal communication. So, I just started doing more research about how we as humans affect our dogs so much. Everything goes into it… They’re affected by your whole world.” All of that knowledge, as well as the 300 hours she needed to become a certified professional dog trainer and her volunteer work with the SPCA of Westchester in Briarcliff Manor have informed Losapio’s successful dog business. Not only does she walk and train dogs, but she also babysits and boards them, helping the animals with any behavioral issues and the owners with a greater
understanding of their relationships to their pets to create a harmonious household. “When I work with families, it’s really important that I observe and see the dynamic of what’s going on, and make sure that we get everybody in agreement. Because if one family member is doing one thing and another’s doing another, and you have three or four kids, it’s not going to work if they don’t work together.” Losapio can even be found taking pets to the vet when an owner can’t make it. But first, she observes her two-legged clients through the prism of her own dogs. “I love meeting the owners, going on a walk with the owner and my dogs to see how they flow and then we’ll do that a couple of times, I’ll get the owner to know my dogs. I want the humans to feel comfortable, and whatever issues we have to work out, I work with the dog. It just takes a lot of patience.” Patience that Losapio has in spades. An average training consult is about $250, and for new “walking clients,” there is a $50 one-time consult fee. For more, including information on Trail Dog Inc.’s “Walk the Walk” class in Croton-on-Hudson and surrounding areas, email traildoginc@yahoo.com.
From front to back: Paige, Windham and Phoebe. Photographs courtesy Cristina Losapio.
Spectacular at
SPACES
Stepping Stones
Museum for Children
Host an Event to Remember We know about inspiration. We know how to dazzle the senses. And with just a little bit of Stepping Stones magic, we’ll take your vision and make it a reality.
• Mingle among festive galleries and hands-on exhibits • Open air tent for seated dinners, dancing or entertainment G • Multimedia Gallery with 35 x 12 foot projection screen NOW BOOKIN for a wide range of events, banquets and performances • Performance stage and seating for smaller gatherings TS • Outdoor garden for cocktail receptions PRIVATE EVEN
2016/2017
10% OFF
your rental if booked by 12/31/16
For a personal tour and consultation, call 203 899 0606, ext. 227 visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/rentals Mathews Park, 303 West Avenue • Norwalk, Connecticut • Exit 14N or 15S off I-95 • steppingstonesmuseum.org
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HAPPY GO LUCKY
PET OF THE MONTH
PHOTO BY BOB ROZYCKI
Bobo, a shaggy Terrier who was rescued from a high-kill shelter, is a dog for your active side and a pooch for your contemplative nature as well. Like most Terriers, this 2-year-old is a fun, spunky guy with lots of personality. He’s always smiling and happy to meet people, but would probably do better with older children as he doesn’t like to be startled or tugged on. Bobo has so much love to give and would thrive in a high-energy household. But he also needs some space from time to time. Don’t we all? To meet Bobo, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor. Founded in 1883, the SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is not affiliated with the ASPCA. The SPCA is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. To learn more, call 914-941-2896 or visit spca914.org.
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LOVE TRUMPS ALL
SOUL SISTERS
Hairstylist Emily Thomann sent us this photo and note about her new addition. “On April 10, my boyfriend, Steve, and I picked up our new puppy. After six months of living together, we decided it was time for a new addition. A friend of mine suggested we start with fostering and introduced us to SNARR (Special Needs Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation) Northeast in White Plains. After we picked up a tiny puppy named Conroe, we completely fell in love. We immediately became ‘foster failures.’ That’s because four months later, we still live happily in Bedford Hills with this 7-month-old Boxer/Shepherd mix, whom we renamed Brody.”
Cynthia Rubin, president and CEO of the YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester in White Plains, submitted this adorable photo from her friends. Writes Cynthia: “God works in mysterious ways. (Cortlandt Manor residents) Lou and Lori Oneto adopted their first daughter, Lilly, thinking she might be their only child. There were other plans in the stars and along came Leah – Lilly’s soulmate. They are inseparable and prove that it doesn’t matter if you have four legs or two: You can truly be sisters.”
11th Annual
Join the National MS Society at our
LUNCHEON to increase awareness about multiple sclerosis and raise funds for research and programs and services for people affected by MS. Wednesday, September 14, 2016 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Tarrytown 455 South Broadway, Tarrytown, NY Ticket proceeds benefit the New York City – Southern New York Chapter of the National MS Society www.womenonthemove.msnyc.org
THANK YOU TO OUR LOCAL PRESENTING SPONSOR
MEDIA SPONSOR
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THROUGH DEC.17 Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art presents “WORD,” a juried exhibition that highlights regional
WHEN & WHERE
artists who prominently feature a word, or words, in their work. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, 1701 Main St., Peekskill; 914-
THROUGH AUG. 28
788-0100, hvcca.org
Fifth Biennial “Foot Print” Exhibition — A juried print show limited to works that measure 12 by 12
THROUGH DEC.31
inches, one square foot. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays,
Star Parties — Wednesdays from 8 to 10 p.m. (weath-
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and
er permitting) the Rolnick Observatory is open for
noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, The Center for Contempo-
star-gazing. Westport Astronomical Society, 2 Bay-
rary Printmaking, 299 West Ave., Norwalk; 203-899-
berry Lane, 203-227-0925, was-ct.org
7999, contemprints.org
AUG. 2 TO AUG. 26
THROUGH SEPT. 19
Jazz Forum Arts presents “Mark Morganelli & the
“Vaults of Heaven: Visions of Byzantium” — A pho-
Jazz Forum All-Stars,” who will perform standards
tographic exhibit featuring eight large-scale works
by Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and
by Turkish photographer Ahmet Ertug focusing on
more. 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Horan’s Landing Park,
the splendor of Byzantine sacred art, preserved in
9 River St., Sleepy Hollow; 914-631-1000, jazzfo-
early Christian churches in both Constantinople and
rumarts.org
FIFTH BIENNIAL 'FOOT PRINT' EXHIBITION THROUGH AUG. 28 THE CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY PRINTMAKING
the Cappadocia region of Turkey. The Bellarmine Museum at Fairfield University, 1073 N. Benson Road, Fairfield; 203-254-4000, fairfield.edu/lifeatfairfield/
AUG. 2 TO SEPT. 9
Greenburgh Public Library presents a “Northern
artsminds/bellarmine
Lights and Deep Space Photography Exhibition,”
THROUGH SEPT. 24
featuring work by Scott Nammacher, a Westchester-based amateur astrophotographer. Daily, 300
“Rescue Me” — A collaborative animal-themed ex-
Tarrytown Road, Elmsford; 914-420-6252, green-
hibit with the Humane Society of Westchester. 9 a.m.
burghlibrary.org
to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, transFORM Gallery, 20 Jones St., New Rochelle; 914-500-1000, transformgallery.com
AUG. 3 Katonah Museum of Art presents “Caramoor@KMA: Ethos Percussion Group,” an outdoor performance
THROUGH SEPT. 30
by a percussion quartet that offers an energetic pot-
“Coney Island: Visions from the Boardwalk” — In-
pourri of musical genres from around the globe. Part
spired by Coney Island, Gail Ingis-Claus depicts this
of ArtsWestchester’s Arts & Craft Beer Fest. Doors
landmark through a collection of 25 works. Wednes-
open at 5:30 p.m. Concert begins at 6:30. 134 Jay St.,
days through Sundays, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion
Katonah; 914-232-9555, katonahmuseum.org
TAB BENOIT AUG. 14 THE WAREHOUSE AT FTC
Museum, 295 West Ave., Norwalk; 203-838-9799, lockwoodmathewsmansion.com
AUG. 3 “Life Animated” — From Academy Award-winning
THROUGH OCT. 15
director Roger Ross Williams, the documentary tells
“Hickory, Ash & Reed: Traditional Baskets, Con-
the story of Owen Suskind, an autistic young man
temporary Makers” — A showcase of the works by
who discovered a way to communicate by immersing
Jonathan Kline, Stephen Zeh, Lois Russell, Kari Lon-
himself in the world of classic Disney-animated films.
ning and Marion Hildebrandt, contrasted with historic
7: 30 p.m., Avon Theatre, 272 Bedford St., Stamford;
baskets from the society’s permanent collection. 10
203-967-3660, avontheatre.org
a.m. to 4 p.m., The Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road; 203-762-7257, wiltonhistorical.org
AUG. 4 THROUGH AUG. 28 Red Circle PhotoArts presents its second annual
BEN CLARK AND THE LONG SHADOWS AUG. 17 HUDSON PARK BANDSHELL
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AUGUST 2016
80 East Ridge • Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877
203.438.5795 • RIDGEFIELDPLAYHOUSE.ORG
THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE for movies and the performing arts
Non-profit 501 (c) (3)
Kenny Rogers - Final World Tour The Gambler’s Last Deal with Special Guest Linda Davis
Saturday, September 17, 2016 Gala and Silent Auction at 5:30pm | Performance and Live Auction at 8pm
august
september
14 Diamond Rio
11 From NBC’s The Voice
Joshua Davis
Special guest Lines West
19 Johnny Winter
All Star Band
& D.A. Foster and The Shaboo All Stars
22 Kevin Costner
and Modern West
14 Eric Hutchinson 16 The Smithereens 21 Scotland’s Celtic soul brothers
The Proclaimers Special Guest Jenny O.
23 An Evening with TOTO 24 Kenny Wayne Shepherd
23 The Hit Broadway Play
Say Goodnight Gracie Alan Safier stars as George Burns
26 The Bangles 28 Al Di Meola Elegant Gypsy Meets Romantic Warrior Electrictour 2016
31 Capitol Steps “What to Expect When You’re Electing”
september 7 Les Brers
Butch Trucks together with Jaimoe longtime members of the Allman Brothers Band.
10 Bernie Williams & Friends Charity Softball Game and Concert Underwritten by The Donofrio Family
24 Comedian Janeane Garofalo 29 Comedian D.L. Hughley
october 1
An evening of spirit with
2
Leon Russell
6
Dar Williams
James Van Praagh
Return to MORTAL CITY The 20th Anniversary Tour
exhibit, “Points of View from the Circle 2016,” which highlights the work of fine art photographers based in the metro area. 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, The Upstream Gallery, 8 Main St., Hastings-on-Hudson; 914-674-8548, upstreamgallery.com
AUG. 5 TO 7 The White Plains Performing Arts Center presents “In the Heights,” a Tony Award-winning musical by “Hamilton’s” Lin-Manuel Miranda. The story follows a vibrant community, in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood, that is on the brink of change and full of hope. A production of Stage 2, a WPPAC program that gives college/graduate students and community performers the opportunity to work in a professional theater setting. Dates and times vary. 11 City Place, White Plains; 914-328-1600, wppac.com
AUG. 13 “Fly In” — To celebrate the 115th anniversary of Gustave Whitehead’s flight in 1901 at Turney’s Farm in Fairfield, the Fairfield Museum and History Center stage aerial demonstrations of remote-controlled
'FRESHLY FUNK BY LAUREN SKELLY' AUG. 26 — OCT. 21
aircraft and drones. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 370 Beach
CLAY ART CENTER
will display a replica of Whitehead’s No. 21 “Flyer” and
Road; 203-259-1598, fairfieldhistory.org
AUG. 13
AUG. 17
AUG. 22
The Ives Concert Park hosts the 15th annual West-
New Rochelle Council on the Arts presents Ben
The American country band American West, front-
side Reggae Festival, featuring performances by
Clark and the Long Shadows. A singer-songwriter
ed by Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Cost-
Third World, (a group of “reggae ambassadors”),
leads his folk-alternative band in a live performance
ner, returns to Ridgefield Playhouse. Show starts
Bunny Wailer (the Jamaican singer-songwriter who
of country, rock and acoustic music. Part of the Emil
at 8 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge
was an original member of The Wailers) and Mys-
Paolucci Summer Sounds Concert Series and the
Road; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org
tic Bowie. 2 p.m., 43 Lake Ave. Extension, Danbury,
Music in the Air program. 7 to 9 p.m., Hudson Park
ivesconcertpark.com
Bandshell, 1 Hudson Park Road, New Rochelle; 914235-9027, newrochellearts.org
AUG. 13
AUG. 23 to SEPT. 10 “What the Butler Saw” — Fallen trousers, a little blackmail and a lot of sexual innuendo abound
“Shakespeare on the Green” — Ridgefield Play-
AUG. 19 to AUG. 21
house brings the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festi-
The Bridgewater Country Fair celebrates its 65th
tions. Times vary, The Westport Country Play-
val to town with the family-friendly production of “So
year, opening Friday with the Fireman’s Parade. Then
house, 25 Powers Court; 203-227-4147, westport-
Please You.” The conservatory company has created
the weekend is filled with food, games, rides, music,
playhouse.org
a “tragical-comical, comical-tragical” tale of Dennis
livestock, pig racing and more. 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and
the servant, one of Shakespeare’s (almost) silent he-
8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Bridgewater
roes from “As You Like It.” Call to reserve free tickets.
Fair Grounds, 100 Main St.; bridgewaterfair.com
AUG. 26 TO OCT. 21 Clay Art Center presents “Freshly Funk by Lauren
Noon, Ridgefield Playhouse; 80 East Ridge Road; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org
in this anarchic romp of hysterically silly propor-
AUG. 20
Skelly,” a solo exhibit of an emerging artist, whose abstract sculptural works explore landscape, color
AUG.14
The New Rochelle Public Library presents the Calpulli
and texture. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fri-
Mexican Dance Company — Members of the company
days and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, 40 Beech St.,
Tab Benoit — Fiery guitar-playing from a roots stylist
will be joined by students to celebrate the dance tradi-
Port Chester; 914-937-2047, clayartcenter.org
who is part of Louisiana folklore. 7 p.m., The Warehouse
tions of Mexico’s diverse cultural history. Part of the Music
at FTC, 70 Sanford St., Fairfield; 203-259-1036, fair-
in the Air program. 1 p.m., New Rochelle Public Library, 1
Presented by ArtsWestchester and the Cultural Alli-
fieldtheatre.org
Library Plaza; 914-632-7878, nrpl.org
ance of Fairfield County.
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AUGUST 2016
ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT! GUEREWOL FESTIVAL IN NIGER OCT. 3-15, 2016 Travel with us in small group photo tours to Ethiopia, Kenya and Niger. Just getting back to photography? Our clients come from all skill levels, including beginners. Lessons are tailored to help you progress, no matter how much experience you may have. Working in the field, learn photojournalism, portrait photography, location lighting, editing and workflow with new topics daily and personal one-on-one instruction. Updated 2016-2017 itineraries, dates, testimonials and tour fees are posted online at www.johnrizzophoto.com
in ne of 2W r Alive016 Art fo r W G ra n s Soldoundedt Projeiers ct
“OUR TRIP WAS ONE OF THE MOST INTENSE, ASTONISHING AND INCREDIBLE TRAVEL EXPERIENCES I’VE EVER HAD. THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE WAS MAGICAL. I CAN’T WAIT TO JOIN JOHN ON ANOTHER TRIP.” Annie Chester, Los Angeles
The Guerewol is an annual courtship ritual competition among the Wodaabe Fula people of Niger. Young men dressed in elaborate ornamentation and made up in traditional face painting gather in lines to dance and sing, each vying for the attentions of single young women. The Guerewol occurs each year as the traditionally nomadic Wodaabe cattle herders gather at the southern edge of the Sahara before dispersing south on their dry season pastures. The actual dance event is called the Yaake, while other less well-known elements, such as bartering over dowry, competitions or camel races among suitors make up the week-long festival.
This festival is a colorful and unforgettable spectacle. Our camp will be set among them, giving us the opportunity to photograph their daily life, watching the care of their animals (zebu and cows), their preparations for the festival, and intimate tribal life.
John Rizzo Photography | 405 Tarrytown Rd. Suite 1302, White Plains, NY 10607 | (646) 221-6186 worldwide mobile | www.johnrizzophoto.com
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OPEN DOOR DOUBLEHEADER
The Open Door Foundation board hosted its 10th annual patron party and house tour that benefited Open Door Family Medical Centers. The tour, which took 135 visitors through private homes in Pleasantville, kicked off with a cocktail party at a private home in Briarcliff Manor that honored longtime volunteers and patrons Sharon and Andrew Saunders. A tour of the homes ended with a luncheon at Mount Kisco Country Club.
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Photographs by Lynda Shenkman Curtis. 1. Sharon Saunders, Jim Burnett and Barbara Gilbert 2. Nancy Duran, Laura Warner, Amanda Carcaterra, Liz Weinstein and Kristina Georges 3. Kathryn O’Rourke and Jen, Lindsay and Patrick Waterhouse 4. Dan Townsend, LaVern and Dodd Kittsley and Carolyn Townsend 5. Marion Coughlin, Leslie Ashton, Julia Wike and LaVern Kittsley 6. Kat Saunders, Jill Hayes and Andrea Benza 7. Tammie Gonseth, Jan Wagner and Shannon Wangeman 8. Cheryl and Michael Barrett and Kate and Alan Sanzenbacher 9. Julie Hanson and Beth Loffredo 10. Lindsay Farrell and Anna Filardi 11. Jinx Chapman 12. Norma Burnett, Mary Jo Bramson, Rebecca Beaton and Carol Ann Killian 13. Phyllis Neider and Laura Mogil
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BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE
Hospice of Westchester (HOW), which has provided end-of-life care for more than 24 years, hosted its sixth annual “Celebration of Life Memorial Butterfly Release” at the Wainwright House in Rye. Hundreds of families, friends and community members joined HOW for two remembrance ceremonies, each concluding with the release of Monarch butterflies that honored the memories of loved ones who have passed away. 4
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1. The Alcazar Family 2. Karen Morrison Dreher, Bruce Page and Kim Gordan 3. Krystle John 4. Tom and Peggy LoCastro, Mary K. Spengler and Mark Fialk 5. The Raffel Family
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WORLD CLASS PARKING PROUDLY SERVING WESTCHESTER, ROCKLAND, AND FAIRFIELD COUNTIES FOR OVER 20 YEARS.
wcparking.com dcheitel@aol.com 914-683-1992
“PRIVATE HOME PARTY SPECIALISTS” Call us for your next home event. We provide valet parking services to Bar Mitzvahs, weddings, memorial services, private home parties and more. “We make your parking issues a non-issue.” WAGMAG.COM
AUGUST 2016
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PLAYING FOR PHELPS
More than 90 golfers participated in Phelps Memorial Hospital’s 13th annual golf classic held at Sleepy Hollow Country Club. Afterward, the golfers and their guests enjoyed dinner at sunset. Proceeds totaling more than $125,000 went to facility improvements at Phelps to enhance patient comfort and care.
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1. Melissa and Bill Melvin 2. Howard Dean, Dan Blum, Rich Sinni and Glen Taylor 3. Paul Mazzilli 4. Jim Casey
FORE!
On a picture-perfect day, ONS Foundation for Clinical Research & Education Inc. hosted its eighth annual golf outing, “Linking Knowledge to Motion,” at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich. The event, held with Greenwich Hospital, included a day on the links, lunch, a cocktail reception, a silent auction and dinner. Proceeds from the event support ONSF’s research, education and community outreach programs. 5
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HOSPICE FUNDRAISER
Bronxville residents Katherine and Gray Calvert opened their Bronxville property to more than 200 friends and supporters for Jansen Hospice and Palliative Care’s annual spring benefit. The cocktail party raised more than $70,000 for Jansen’s end-of-life care and services. 7. Jennie and Walker Jacob, Katherine and Gray Calvert, and Mark and Emily Liggitt
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5. Paul M. Sethi 6. Putting practice
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It was a day of inspiration as WAG Publisher and Creative Director Dee DelBello was among those honored by the Women’s Enterprise Development Center. The other honorees at WEDC’s annual Luncheon and Marketplace – held June 23 at Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown – were Lily Lopez, senior vice president of Citi Community Development; and Dr. Joan Fallon, founder and CEO of Curemark. The keynote speaker was Carla Harris, vice chairman, wealth management, managing director and senior client adviser at Morgan Stanley and chair, National Women’s Business Council. Photographs by J. Anthony Miranda Photography.
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EMPOWERED WOMEN
1. Andrea Stewart-Cousins 2. Carla Harris 3. Diana Scott-Sho 4. Carolyn Mandelker 5. Joan Fallon, Anne Janiak and Lisa Salvadorini 6. Barbara VanBergen 7. Toni Anne Rufeh, Paul Bagnato and Rich Bagnato 8. Lucille Geraci-Miranda and Nancy Kessler 9. Veronica Bazan and Lily Lopez
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LIGHTNING FAST
Congratulations to the 8U Yorktown Lightning, representing the Yorktown Athletic Club, who won the New Castle Memorial Day tournament with a 2-0 victory over the Tuckahoe Tigers. The championship game was their fifth straight win. The team was coached by Tom Masillo and assistant coach Mike Ornstein in the tournament. 10. Back Row: Coaches Tom Massillo, Mike Ornstein and Pete Carrucci Front Row: Glen Capshaw, Justin Sarvaideo, Thomas Jensen, Kurtis Maher, Alex Ornstein, Liram Biberaj, Gavin Green, Liam O’Connor, Dylan Katz, Luca Massillo and Gio Carrucci
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Photograph by Mike Dardano.
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40 AND FABULOUS
The Fairfield County Business Journal honored young professionals at its 12th annual “40 Under 40: Awards event, held June 21 at the Dolce Norwalk. The ceremony was emceed by Fox 61 meteorologist Matt Scott and featured a keynote speech by Nate Checketts, CEO of Rhone. More than 300 guests attended the event, which included a cocktail reception.
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Photographs by Bob Rozycki. 1. The 2016 40 Under 40 award winners. 2. Melissa Mahon 3. Krista Farrell, Laura Zap, Lynne Stevison, Laura Hutcheon and Hazel Scudder 4. Marcia O’Kane 5. Nate and Dayna Checketts 6. Eric and Maria Higgins 7. Christine Rios, Jamie Somohano, and Jessica Schaefer 8. Keith Varian and Karlina O’Donnell 9. Sarah Saven, Leena Rothman, Allison Rosenbaum and Lara Sullivan 10. William and Zach Gross and Devon Breen 11. Lucia and Harry Rilling 12. Paula and Frank Lenge 13. Elly and John Popolizio 14. Mark Ligas and Don Gibson
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AUGUST 2016
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A CUBAN NIGHT
Greenwich Hospital hosted more than 400 guests at its “Under the Stars” gala, held at the Riverside Yacht Club. Summer nights in Havana inspired the Cuban-theme of this year’s benefit. Guests dressed to fit the theme. Ladies wore flowers in their hair and gentlemen donned fedoras. Guests enjoyed mojitos and Latin-inspired hors d’oeuvres while bidding on silent auction offerings such as sports tickets, fashion items, trips and a variety of children’s packages. All proceeds went to support the hospital’s Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
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1. Ben, Dana and Greg Rogers 2. Demetris and Janet Delos and Jenni and Eric Salinas 3. Stephanie Trotta and Brooke Shepard 4. Tony and Rozanne Capasso 5. Carolyn and Norman Roth 6. Melanie Tsangaroulis and Kristen Forlini 7. Joan Arcoleo and Mina Bloom 8. Nick, Julia, Maureen, Neil and Mia Bonanno
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BOOK ’EM
It was all about kids and reading when the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival held a fundraiser at Crabtree’s Kittle House. The fourth annual book festival, with more than 90 authors and illustrators, will take place in September at Bell Middle School in Chappaqua. This “Sparkle for a Cause” event raised money for gift cards that will enable children in need to buy books at the festival. Photographs by Ronni Diamondstein and Leo Erazo. 9. Jennifer Mebes Flagg and Rene Artale 10. Juliet Zymeck and Kristin Lore 11. Brendan Preston, Johanna Kline, Bitsy Maraynes and Ronni Diamondstein 12. Jack and Kate Petrillo and Lea Barth
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Fam Own ily Sinc ed e 195 7
International Wines, Spirits and Beers Free Wine Tastings on Friday and Saturday Daily Sales and Specials Corporate and Client Gifting Programs Event Planning Services
Classes, Seminars and Tutorials Private In-Home Tastings and Classes Free Delivery Service (inquire) Wine Cellar and Collecting Consultation We Buy Your Older Wines and Spirits
203-869-2299 125 West Putnam Ave. Greenwich CT, 06830 (Next to Stop & Shop) ValsPutnamWines.com | ValsPutnamWines@hotmail.com
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ARE YOU A PLAYER OR A FAN, IN SPORTS OR IN LIFE?*
Jenne Britell
Samantha Britell
Paul Ficalora
Abdu Greenidge
Kurt Kannemeyer
Cristina Madry
Irene Moshouris
Tony Russo
Toni Ann Rufeh
Martin Weemaels
“I’M A PLAYER, AND I’M A FAN. MY GRANDKIDS ARE BIG FANS OF THE METS, SO I’M A METS FAN, TOO.” – Jenne Britell,
chairman, United Rentals Inc., Santa Fe, N.M., resident
“I’M A PLAYER AND A FAN. I’M A BIG MET FAN. I LIKE CURTIS GRANDERSON.” – Samantha Britell,
agency owner/stylist, Worth New York, Brooklyn resident
“I’M A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. I’M NOT A FAN IN A FANATIC SENSE BUT I WILL SAY, ‘GO, YANKS’, OR ‘GO, JETS’ AND, IF THE GIANTS ARE PLAYING, 'GO, GIANTS.' I’M A NEW YORK FAN. THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE. ON SATURDAYS, YOU’LL FIND ME ON THE GOLF COURSE AND ALSO BIKING AND HIKING.” – Paul Ficalora,
“I’M A FAN OF SPORTS AND A PLAYER IN LIFE. UNFORTUNATELY, I’M A FAN OF THE KNICKS, BUT I ALSO ROOT FOR THE METS.” – Abdu Greenidge, store manager, Wells Fargo, Nanuet resident
“OH, DEFINITELY A FAN IN SPORTS AND A PLAYER IN LIFE. WHY ENJOY LIFE FROM THE SIDELINES WHEN YOU WERE MEANT TO THRIVE AND CATCH THE WAVE?” – Kurt Kannemeyer,
Ossining resident
“I FEEL I’M BOTH, BUT I’M DEFINITELY MORE OF A FAN. I ROOT FOR WHOEVER MY HUSBAND’S ROOTING FOR.”
“I’M A PLAYER. I’M ALL IN NO MATTER WHAT THE SITUATION.” – Irene Moshouris,
senior vice president and treasurer, United Rentals Inc., New York City resident
“I’M A PLAYER IN LIFE (LAUGHS) AND A SPECTATOR NOW IN SPORTS.” – Tony Russo,
proprietor, Aries Fine Wines & Spirits, Irvington resident
“I AM A PLAYER AS WELL AS A FAN. A PLAYER MOTIVATES, INSPIRES AND TAKES CARE OF AN AUDIENCE. A FAN LOOKS UP TO TAKE PART AND EXPECTS VALUE IN WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING. IT’S FUN TO SUPPORT OTHERS DOING WHAT THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.” – Toni Ann Rufeh,
owner Rufeh Associates, board member, WEDC, and co-chair of WEDC annual Luncheon and Marketplace, Armonk resident
“BOTH. I LIKE TO PLAY AS PART OF LIFE, AND I ENJOY THE FUN MOMENTS THAT COME WITH IT. I HAVE TWO KIDS, SO EVERYTHING’S GOOD.”
– Cristina Madry,
director, legal affairs, United Rentals Inc., Fairfield resident
property and casualty insurance broker, The John M. Glover Agency, Irvington resident
*Asked at the WEDC (Women’s Enterprise Development Center) annual Luncheon and Marketplace at Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown and at a White Plains Rotary Club luncheon at the Crowne Plaza White Plains Downtown.
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– Martin Weemaels, business banker, Wells Fargo, White Plains resident