WMG Upper East Side 68

UPPER EAST SIDE

The Beatles Kaleidoscope Eyes

Prima Facie on Broadway

Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty

Welcome to Doodleport!

Editor & Publisher

Camillo Ferrari

Executive Editor

Debbie Silver

Art Direction

Apt. C Design

Editors at Large

Paula Koffsky, Ryan Paulick, Carly Silver, Rich Silver

General Counsel

Bruce Koffsky, Esq.

Digital Designer

Michael Carpenter

Sales Reps

Emma Chase, Carly Davis, Kristen Mangino, Jordan Paulick, Matthew Troxel

Contributors

Gary M. Almeter, Reese Cassard, A.M.Homes, Beth Kanter, Christa Kiesling, Richard Kirshenbaum, Iris Wiener

Photographers

Henry Grossman, Thandiwe Muriu

Illustrators

Bob Eckstein

Cover Illustration: Malika Favre

Cartoons

Bob Eckstein

PHOTOGRAPH BY HENRY GROSSMAN:

Luxury, oceanfront villas and suites. Secluded beaches and pools. Tranquil, award-winning spa. Waterfront dining and curated adventures.

First Impressions

How to Tell Whether Someone is Liberal or Conservative

by REESE CASSARD AND GARY M. ALMETER

IF A WOMAN is wearing Doc Martens, she’s liberal. IF A MAN is wearing Doc Martens, he’s conservative.

If the man in Doc Martens has a buzzcut, he is very conservative. If someone’s wearing a golf polo anywhere but on a golf course, they are conservative.

If someone’s wearing a barn jacket anywhere but in a barn, they are liberal.

If they’re wearing a barn jacket in a barn, they are conservative. Unless the barn is filled with rescue dogs, then it’s anyone’s guess.

If someone’s wearing Stan Smiths, they are liberal.

If someone’s ever played tennis with Stan Smith, they are conservative.

If a man lists his pronouns on social media, he is liberal.

If he lists his pronouns on dating apps, he is conservative but wants you to think he’s liberal.

If someone has erotic dreams about Anderson Cooper, they are human and shouldn’t look into it too much.

If those erotic dreams also include Andy Cohen, Don Lemon, and the rest of CNN’s drunken New Year’s Eve crew, they are probably going through a lot and should maybe talk to a professional about it.

If someone is still bemoaning cancel culture, they are conservative. Unless they’re bemoaning the cancellation of Broad City, then they’re liberal.

If a guy wears baggy corduroy pants, he is liberal but his parents are conservative.

If he wears slim-fit corduroy pants, he is conservative but his parents are liberal.

If a woman is in the top 1 percent of Taylor Swift listeners on Spotify, she is liberal.

If she is in the top 10-15 percent of Taylor Swift listeners on Spotify, she is conservative.

If she got good seats to Taylor’s tour through Ticketmaster, she’s a bot.

If someone saw Bruce Springsteen on Broadway, they are conservative but like to think they’re liberal.

If they saw Bruce Springsteen play in New Jersey before he was “Bruce Springsteen,” they are liberal but like to think they’re conservative.

If a guy drinks white wine, he’s liberal. If a girl drinks whiskey, she’s conservative.

If someone can taste the difference between a Merlot from ’78 and a Merlot from ’98, they are conservative but have a son who dropped out of college to join Antifa.

If someone can hear the difference between Beethoven and Debussy, they vote liberal but donate money to Republicans.

If a man wears dress shirts with monogrammed cuffs, he is conservative.

If a woman wears dress shirts with monogrammed cuffs, she is liberal.

If anyone wears those dress shirts that don’t have a collar, they are a cult leader.

If a man was the quarterback on his high school football team but

didn’t get any SEC scholarship offers, he used to be conservative but is liberal now. If a man was the lead role in his high school play but didn’t get into Juilliard, he used to be liberal but is conservative now.

If a man over fifty has a DON’T TREAD ON ME tattoo, he’s liberal. If a man under fifty has one, he’s a suspect in the January 6 commission.

If a man is wearing an authentic horseman’s duster from J. Peterman, it’s actually three small boys trying to get into an R-rated movie.

If a woman is wearing an authentic horseman’s duster from J. Peterman, she’s liberal and she has a gun.

If your great aunt Tillie comes home for the holidays wearing flowing scarves and wailing on a harmonica, there’s a chance it’s Steven Tyler of Aerosmith impersonating your great aunt Tillie so he can crash your dinner. Either way, do not eat that butternut squash casserole they brought.

If anyone is wearing a MAGA hat, they’re just trying to get a rise out of you. Don’t fall for it. *

Reese Cassard is a copywriter in Boulder, Colorado, where he skis, hikes, and writes humor.

Gary M. Almeter lives in Baltimore and is an attorney, legal content writer, and the author of the novel Kissing the Roadkill Back to Life

IF A GUY DRINKS WHITE WINE, HE’S LIBERAL.

IF A GIRL DRINKS WHISKEY, SHE’S CONSERVATIVE.

By Iris Wiener

Prima Facie

“And the 2023 Olivier award for “Best Actress” goes to Jodie Comer for Prima Facie!” On April 2nd, Prima Facie and playwright Suzie Miller received the 2023 Olivier award for “Best New Play.” The acclaimed London production and its star, Emmy, and BAFTA award winner, Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) opens on Broadway in April for a limited 10-week engagement. This breath-taking, one-woman play directed by Justin Martin is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience in the theatre.

Ms. Comer plays Tessa Ensler, a fierce barrister who defends men accused of sexual assault. Winning is everything in the “game of law” as she delights in crafting a defense strategy to obscure the woman’s account of the rape. When Tessa is sexually assaulted by a work colleague, her world is shattered. No longer the thoroughbred barrister, she’s a broken woman, the alleged victim pleading to be believed in a court of law.

Production photos by Helen Murray

“When I was in law school, I remember thinking that there was something really amiss with the whole concept of sexual assault,” says Australian playwright Suzie Miller. “I was a defense attorney, so I believe in innocence until proven guilty and I believe that is the bedrock of a civilized society without which you have a dictatorship, so it’s very important that we have that,” says Miller. “But it was laughable to me that they kept comparing laws like an objective truth. The structure of the system has been created by generations of white, middle-class, heterosexual men. All of these cases that decide what is fair have not had women’s experience embedded in them.”

Prima Facie is the result of Miller’s excruciating awakening that the “game of law” works against a rape victim. “1-in-3 women have had a violent sexual assault and reported it to the police, and only 1 in 10 of those who have reported it are taken to court. In the United Kingdom, only 1.3 percent of them have a conviction. If you look at those stats, you realize there’s something very wrong,” says Miller. “With Prima Facie, I wanted to show the process of what someone has to go through to get to court, and even to get there and to lose. There’s no motivation to do it. Even if they are mistaken about what happened, 1.3 percent? You can’t tell me that 98.7 percent are mistaken. There’s something wrong with the way the system works.”

When Prima Facie ran in London, the production hosted a night that was solely for female lawyers and those in the law profession. Miller found herself participating in a three-hour Q&A discussion following the performance. Women shared their stories of sexual harassment, assault, and ways of being undermined in their profession. “There was a top defense barrister in the first row, and I knew that her specialty was sexual assault law,” Miller recalls. “I thought she would excellently hammer me when the time came. Instead, she said, ‘I do sexual assault cases every day of my life. I win a lot of them and get my clients off. If my goddaughter came to me and said she had been sexually assaulted, I would tell her, ‘Do not take this case to court.’ I would believe my goddaughter, but I would say, ‘You’ll never win.’ What does that tell you?”

The play is affecting change in ways that Miller never thought possible. Prima Facie inspired a group of barristers in London to set up an organization for serious examination of sexual assault law. The production was filmed and distributed as part of The National Theatre cinema series and has been screened at judges’ conferences. “Who would dream that something you write in a dark little studio on a miserable winter night, thinking that no one is ever going to watch a rape play, would get picked up and have this cumulative effect?”

Thousands of women write to Miller weekly, sharing stories

of how they were silent about their assaults until they saw the play, and finally told their mothers and/or the police. “That’s more important to me than anything, it’s this chance for people to speak out,” says Miller, proudly. “Every now and then someone comes up to me, sometimes powerful women, and says, ‘I’m 1 in 3.’ They don’t want to talk about rape, they just want to acknowledge that they are 1 in 3. It’s not their fault and they can own that. That means a lot. It’s my response to that paradox of being a lawyer and actually being a woman.”

There are many roles of truth for Prima Facie’s Tessa, and the play aptly explores these complexities. In the court of law it’s the legal truth that presides, but when an assault victim isn’t clear about what happened and moments of affection turn violent, the truth shifts. Miller chose to explore a form of sexual assault in which a woman is assaulted by someone with whom she is close (and also happens to be a colleague at her practice.) “It is the most common version of sexual assault,” she says. “Men don’t realize that they have an obligation to check on consent. They are part of the conversation if they are having sex with a woman or any sort of sexual intimacy or relationship with a woman.” Miller recalls taking six sexual assault statements each week from young girls in her prior career. “They were horrific. Often their attackers were their boyfriends, dads, stepfathers... There were some that were a date and they would say, ‘It was my fault because I went with them.’ I always wanted to separate that involvement and the doubt, and the idea of the shame they have by trusting somebody.”

Miller considers the Supreme Court Justice hearings in

which women bravely told their stories of sexual abuse in televised, national hearings, yet were still dismissed. She wonders if the issue is getting any better. “I have to believe that we’re at least talking about it and we’re outraged,” she says.“In earlier years, I don’t know if those women would have had the chance to even speak up. The fact that they are being crucified by certain aspects of the media and politics doesn’t mean that women don’t believe them.”

Prima Facie has partnered with the School’s Consent Project, which aims to educate and empower young people in understanding what it means to give consent. “I realized after I wrote the play that it goes well beyond a legal problem,” says Miller. “It’s actually a community problem about how men and women are raised in talking about consent and choice. Hopefully, if you go back to the education system and start there, you hope that in the next fifteen years, those conversations will be less defensive. It’s about having those conversations in schools.”

Miller is hopeful that the world will see necessary change, and is proud of the fact that Prima Facie is already helping it along. “I still hope that we as a community, one-by-one, can see something, empathize, and create change,” she says. “I believe in people and the power of story and the power of creating empathy as the one way that you can stop people in their tracks. Not an argument in court, not a dinner table political stash, but actually seeing something from a different perspective, and in spite of themselves, feeling sympathetic and empathetic toward a human being.”

Prima Facie’s Impact: A Conversation with Producer James Bierman

When producer James Bierman first read Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie, he immediately wanted to bring it to the stage but hesitated over the fact that a man would be at its helm. The playwright assured him a man was the best choice, explaining, “No, if a group of women put this play on, we’ll just be written off as hysterical women shouting loudly about something; if I get you to produce and I get a guy to direct it, I am implicating men in a conversation in this piece right from the start.”

According to Bierman, being involved with Prima Facie has changed his life. “I’ve talked to Jodie [Comer] about being part of something that is so much bigger than the sum of what we do,” he says. “It has become this thing .” Bringing it to Broadway has made it even larger. “Even in liberal New York…the fact that abortion has become a conversation again in one of the most progressive countries on the earth, things that you just felt were dealt with, just shows how important these things are.”

As the show began to get underway in London, Comer asked police and DSI Clair Kelland, “If I went to a police station for real, what would happen?” She invited them to meet her at the station, where Comer was to press a buzzer and go through the experience. Bierman remembers it as being one of the most compelling and terrifying days in the show’s process. “Jodie was told to go to the desk and say, ‘I’ve been attacked.’ We walked through the whole experience of it. You realize straight away in that scenario that you’re already up against who you’re going to meet that day, what their day has been, if they have been on duty for hours…Is there a specially trained officer in that branch at that particular time? If there isn’t, you won’t get that sense of care,” recalls Bierman. “The sense of responsibility I have as a man producing this play is to not miss any opportunity I get on this journey to let this play make some change. It’s a really articulate way of making people think about it, and it’s a real problem.”

Schools Consent Project

Bierman resourced the Schools Consent Project, a charity dedicated to educating and empowering young people to understand and engage with the issues surrounding consent and sexual assault. In London, barristers lead workshops in secondary schools and youth groups in which they discuss the legal definitions of consent and assault. The group is launching branches in the U.S. to coincide with Facie’s opening on Broadway and Peter Avery, the Director of Theater for the New York City Department of Education, is helping Bierman and Schools Consent Project plug into various existing organizations, schools, and networks.

Accessibility

“We’re looking at a lot of different ways we can connect with diverse audiences in our ten weeks, and accessibility is one,” says Bierman. “One amazing donor has underwritten 500 free

tickets, so we’re going to do five nights where we’ll have 100 young people from different groups across New York come to see the show for free. We’ll have workshops from the Schools Consent Project either beforehand or afterward.” The production is launching a $10 lottery. Ten tickets at $10 for each show will be spread throughout the house.

“We have three nights where we’re going to do Q&As after the show, and I’m working to see if we can get interesting people on the panels,” says Bierman, who is in conversation with people like V (Eve Ensler) and Ashley Judd. “I’m hopeful that by the end of the run, we’ll be able to galvanize and pull some activity together that will help this conversation poke through and disseminate in a lot of different directions.”

Prima Faces Project

“One of the most overwhelming things was getting loads of testimonies from people,” recalls Bierman. “I read them all because I felt that if someone could be brave enough to write, I should at least be brave enough to read it and respond. It was overwhelming to read what people go through. It broke my heart to read this repeatedly. The positive thing for me that came out of it was feeling like the show got embraced by a community of

people who went, ‘This really is our show. This is doing something for us and we’re empowered by it.’”

Bierman was traveling through Gatwick Airport when he had the spark of an idea. “There was a mural of the Queen and it was made up of lots of little photos of the Queen. I took a photo of it and I sent it to Doug Kerr, a brilliant designer who does all of my artwork.” Bierman felt that Prima Facie’s story belonged to the people who embraced the show, so he asked the people who had shared their stories to submit their photographs; within three days photos and testimonies flooded in. Doug Kerr compiled over 1,000 photos to create Prima Faces , a special piece of art on display at the theatre, at locations around New York, and online. The piece is a merging of the play and the community of voices saying in solidarity, “On the face of it something has to change.”

For tickets primafacieplay.com *

Iris Wiener is a professional entertainment writer, reporter, and theater critic. Her work as an interviewer and reviewer has been featured in more than fifteen publications, including Playbill, Newsday, TheaterMania, and OK! magazine.

KALEIDOS COPE EYES

A Day in the Life of Sgt. Pepper

The Photography of Henry Grossman

THE YEAR WAS 1967. The Beatles were hard at work on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, writing, recording, and experimenting behind closed doors at EMI’s famed Abbey Road studios. Though the album took five months to record, few of these groundbreaking sessions were photographed. However, American photographer Henry Grossman spent an evening in the studio with the band as they began work on a new song: “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”. Henry documented the entire session with his camera, taking more than 250 black and white photographs over the course of the evening. Strictly limited to 1967 hand-numbered copies, Kaleidoscope Eyes reveals the Beatles at the height of their creative powers, recording the body of work many would hail as the greatest album of all time.

HENRY

PHOTOGRAPHS

“ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STRUCK ME ABOUT THE BEATLES WAS HOW UNIQUE EACH ONE OF THEM WAS IN DIVIDUALLY, AND, YET, THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF ‘SELF’ IN THE ROOM; THE RE WAS A STRONG SENSE OF ‘US’. THERE WAS THE FEELING OF “THIS IS WHAT WE ARE DOING.”

PHOTOGRAPHS BY HENRY GROSSMAN: © GROSSMAN ENTERPRISES LLC. All rights reserved

PHOTOGRAPHS BY HENRY GROSSMAN: © GROSSMAN ENTERPRISES LLC. All rights reserved

Photographer, HENRY GROSSMAN began his freelance career shooting assignments and covers for Life Magazine, The New York Times, Time magazine, Newsweek, Paris-Match and others. The range and diversity of his subjects included prominent political figures (the three Kennedy brothers, Richard Nixon, Nelson Mandela) to painters, sculptors and writers (Alexander Calder, Kurt Vonnegut, Vladimir Nabokov) and, especially performing artists (Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Martha Graham, Rudolph Nureyev, Leonard Bernstein, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Leontyne Price, Jimi Hendrix, Barbra Streisand, Thelonious Monk.) On November 23, 1963, Henry’s portraits of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson were featured on the front page of the New York Times ’ announcement of the assassination of the president.

The breadth of Henry’s time and work with the Beatles — having documented them in both professional and personal realms— marks his singular place in history as one of, if not the most, prolific and comprehensive photographers of the Beatles.

Only a few years older than the Beatles themselves, and bringing his background in classical music and journalism into their shared experiences, he developed an immediate and unique rapport with them. In addition to covering their 1964 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show , Henry joined them at several different locations while filming the movie Help! . He also was with them in Wales during their legendary personal meeting with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Considered a trusted friend, Henry enjoyed unprecedented access and was invited into the Beatles’ homes to spend time with them, photographing them informally with their friends and families. *

PHOTOGRAPHS BY HENRY GROSSMAN:

THE FIRST TEN DAYS AFTER A SHOOTING AT YOUR DAUGHTER’S SCHOOL

OR, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU ARE EXPECTING THE INEVITABLE

by Beth Kanter

DAY 2.

You clutch your daughter much in the way one who is about to fall holds on to the edge of a cliff. Soon you will send her back to school, to the scene of the crime. You will have to let go of her again and again and again.

DAY 3.

You feel acutely aware in your gut, in your brain, and in your heart that you are “lucky” compared to others who have been pushed onto this path. You contemplate the notion of luck. You swirl the word around in your mouth. It tastes wrong and is hard to digest. You imagine it boring holes in your belly much the way the carpenter bees attempt to make holes in the old pergola outside your kitchen window. They do not understand the sealant recently applied to protect the wood is keeping them out. You identify with the bees and the pressure-treated wood.

DAY 4.

Your appetite becomes strange. You consume things that seem momentarily appealing like a vegan cheeseburger, personal pizza, lox on pocketless pita bread, or runny eggs. Your taste for them is intense in the moment and then fleeting. You settle on room temperature Fresca and pretzel nuggets because they will not make you more nauseous than you already are all the time.

DAY 5.

Words that never left a mark suddenly grow sharp edges that leave bruises when you casually bump into them. That date is still a moving target. Just send over a few bullet points to start. I like that he is someone who shoots from the hip. We were just shooting the breeze. She spent most of the day trying to troubleshoot that problem. We sure dodged a bullet with that one. It’ll be tough but we need to stick to our guns. Don’t jump the gun. Let’s give it a shot. She is the one calling the shots. It’s a long shot. It’s worth a shot. It’s a shot in the dark. (You hear shots everywhere.)

DAY 6.

Phrases you reach for to explain your experience also grow fangs. The news is triggering. We all seem to be sniping at each other. My nervous system is shot. (More shots.)

DAY 7.

You take up counting at night when you can’t sleep. First backwards from 200, the number of bullet holes the selfdescribed “AR-15 aficionado” forced into the heart of your

daughter’s high school. Then backwards from 800, the number of rounds of ammunition found in the shooter’s sniper nest. (You pause to note that nest once was a pretty word.) Then backwards from the growing number of shootings this year, a number higher than the number of days so far in the year.

DAY 8.

You’re still awake. So you try again, this time counting forward to 3 million children, the number of young people in this country traumatized by gun violence each year. You definitely are awake when the sun rises. You are surprised that the sun has decided to come up again. You are not surprised when you hear about more gun violence. Horrified, furious, sickened, depressed, outraged, terrified, yes, but not surprised. You wonder how anyone can be surprised by it anymore.

DAY 9.

For reasons you cannot explain, you try naming all of the kids on Eight is Enough. It takes you two nights to remember that David is the name of the oldest brother and by night three you can name them off like rapid fire. (Another jagged edged phrase to add to your collection. How many more words now can wound you?) Mary, Joanie, Nancy, Susan, Elizabeth, David, Tommy, Nicholas. You guess that there is meaning in this but are too tired to figure it out.

DAY 10.

You cry and scream and howl. Into your pillow. In the shower. In your head in the middle of the night as you sing the Eight is Enough theme song like a lullaby. As you walk the dog. On the phone to your partner in the middle of the day. At the newspaper, which has abruptly stopped reporting about the shooting at your school because it has moved on to another or on to other stories entirely. At the people who do nothing. At the voters who stay home. At the Senate and Congress. At the Court. At the talking heads. At the alerts on your phone. At the understanding that nothing has or will change yet everything in your world, in your child’s world, has changed forever. *

Beth Kanter’s words have appeared in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Idle Ink, Bright Flash Literary Review, Roi Fainéant Press, The Writer, and the Chicago Tribune

Beth won a James Kirkwood Literary Prize for her novel-inprogress, Paved With Gold. This essay was originally published on identitytheory.com

DAY 1. You realize the long, high-pitched wail coming from your dog’s mouth is not a sign of distress. She’s simply mimicking the sound you are making as you watch the news unfold that a man deliberately shot hundreds of rounds of ammunition into your daughter’s school at close range.

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART’S SPRING 2023 COSTUME INSTITUTE EXHIBITION

WITHapproximately 150 works, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty explores the designer’s stylistic language through the aesthetic themes that recurred across his 65-year career. Drawing on the theory of art and aesthetics expressed by William Hogarth as the “line of beauty,” the exhibition is anchored by two lines: the “straight line” and the “serpentine line,” which delineate, respectively, Lagerfeld’s modernist and historicist tendencies.

These lines explore different stylistic representations of themes that the designer returned to again and again, spreading in a rhizome-like configuration with intersecting moments— or “explosions”—that exemplify points of convergence. The exhibition will conclude with the “satirical line,” a section that focuses on Lagerfeld’s ironic, playful, and whimsical predilections expressed through visual puns that reflect the designer’s razor-sharp wit.

Approximately 150 garments will be on view, spanning the designer’s career as the creative director of Chloé, Fendi, Chanel, and his eponymous label, Karl Lagerfeld, as well as his time at Balmain and Patou. Most of the pieces on display will be accompanied by Lagerfeld’s sketches, which underscore his complex creative process and the collaborative relationships with his premières.

Presented at The Met Fifth Avenue in the Tisch Gallery

Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty will be on view from May 5 - July 16, 2023.

#MetKarlLagerfeld @metcostumeinstitute

KARL LAGERFELD

BEAUTY

RUNWAY IMAGE OF ENSEMBLE KARL LAGERFELD (FRENCH, BORN GERMANY, 1933–2019)

FOR HOUSE OF CHANEL (FRENCH, FOUNDED 1910), FALL/WINTER 1986-87. COURTESY CHANEL. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

Emblematic Creative Director for the CHANEL Fashion House from 1983 until his passing in February 2019, Karl Lagerfeld was an extraordinary creative individual who reinvented the brand’s codes, first imagined by Gabrielle Chanel, through his inspiration and collections for the House.

Creating “a better future with enlarged elements of the past,” according to Goethe’s phrase which he liked to quote, Karl Lagerfeld extended the spectrum of CHANEL’s stylistic vocabulary, crossing the House’s identifying elements with his own aesthetic universe. Drawing from his vast array of cultural references, his designs were notably inspired by two of his favorite eras, Modernism and the 18th century.

The sumptuously refined silhouettes and accessories of his collections never ceased to exalt the exceptional know-how of CHANEL’s ateliers and Maisons d’art, which he nourished with continual inspiration. Karl Lagerfeld’s unrivaled gift was perfectly articulated in his final CHANEL Métiers d’art collection, named “Paris-New York,” presented in December 2018 at the Temple of Dendur at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Garments, accessories, catwalk sets and scenography, advertising and editorial photos, film books: as the first Creative Director of a luxury brand to think of fashion design in all its facets and as a whole, Karl Lagerfeld forged his own myth. He placed himself alongside Gabrielle Chanel as the second founder of CHANEL Fashion, leaving a strong and coherent legacy that is now reinterpreted by Virginie Viard, who spent more than thirty years at his side.

CHANEL is pleased to support this exhibition, which sheds light on the work of a designer of genius who marked the history of fashion and changed the destiny of the House forever.

OPPOSITE:

SKETCH OF ENSEMBLE, HOUSE OF CHANEL (FRENCH, FOUNDED 1910), KARL LAGERFELD (FRENCH, BORN GERMANY, 1933–2019), SPRING/SUMMER 2019; COURTESY CHANEL. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

RUNWAY IMAGE OF ENSEMBLE

KARL LAGERFELD (FRENCH, BORN GERMANY, 1933–2019) FOR HOUSE OF CHANEL (FRENCH, FOUNDED 1910), SPRING/SUMMER 2019. COURTESY CHANEL. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

Over the course of his 54-year tenure at Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld played a vital role in shaping the history of the Roman house, as well as becoming a beloved member of the Fendi family.

“The bond between Karl Lagerfeld and Fendi is fashion’s longest love story,” said Silvia Venturini Fendi, its artistic director of menswear and accessories. Hired in 1964 by the five Fendi sisters – over five decades Karl transformed the family’s house into a playground of creativity, powered by his extraordinary and boundless imagination. It is that same vision that is celebrated throughout the exhibition, which traces his stylistic vocabulary and explores the unique working methodology that inspired such freedom. *

L-R:

SKETCH OF “PURPLE FIELD” DRESS KARL LAGERFELD (FRENCH, BORN GERMANY, 1933–2019) FOR FENDI (ITALIAN, FOUNDED 1925), FALL/WINTER 2017–18 HAUTE FOURRURE. COURTESY FENDI. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

SKETCH OF DRESS

KARL LAGERFELD (FRENCH, BORN GERMANY, 1933–2019) FOR HOUSE OF CHANEL (FRENCH, FOUNDED 1910), SPRING/SUMMER 1995 HAUTE COUTURE. COURTESY CHANEL. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

GOODBYE TO THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

BY A.M. HOMES

Meet me by the Fish’r King.”

“Where?”

“Near the deli that closed, it’s near the place we used to go.”

“The first place or the second place?”

“It depends how you define it. What will you be wearing?” he asks.

“It’s not that kind of meeting,” she says. “If you’re not on one corner you’ll be on the other. Even from across the street, I’ll see you. It’s not like I don’t know who you are.”

“I’ll have an umbrella,” he says. “These days I always have an umbrella, I like to be prepared. And I’ve discovered it has many uses—almost like one of those utility tools, like a pocket-knife.”

Two days pass.

“So here we are,” he says. “Imagine that, me bumping into you, here on this corner where in the past we spent so much time waiting for the lights to change.”

“You didn’t bump into me, we made a time to meet so I could give you your mail. Why do you need to turn a fact into fiction?”

He shrugs. “Polite conversation?”

“And by the way, why this corner and not the usual?”

“Oh,” he says, knowing exactly what she is talking about. “I don’t go there anymore.” His tone implies that whatever happened there was so bad that he hasn’t shaken it off.

“What do you mean you don’t go there anymore, that was your place, you went there every day, it was like a religious event—” She could go on but he cuts her off.

“I got into a fight with the guy.”

“A fight? You don’t fight with anyone. What was it about?”

“Who was next in line.”

“And like that you just stopped going?”

“I did,” he says proudly. “He let someone cut the line. So I stopped going. I wanted to show myself that I can be definitive, that I can stick to something.” A moment passes. “You seem upset.”

“It’s a little frightening,” she says. “The idea of you, a little . . . hamantaschen, getting into a fight.” She pauses. “I’m sorry if that sounded anti-Semitic.”

“When one Jew insults another it’s not antisemitism, it’s self-hatred.”

“Half-Jew,” she says, as if that makes it better or worse. “I just can’t imagine you getting into a fight. Who was it who thought he was in front of you?”

“A woman with a stroller.” He pauses. “Her stroller was in front of me, but she wasn’t. She wasn’t even with the stroller, nowhere near. She was going up and down looking in the cases, and I was standing there, stuck, trapped, trying to entertain . . .” He pauses again. “. . . the inhabitant.”

“You mean the baby?”

“I mean the inhabitant, a blob of flesh, with an enormous bobblehead.”

“Babies have big heads.”

“It didn’t move, but its eyes kept rolling around—trying to get a read on me. It was sucking its bottle, totally self-satisfied, like everything in life came so easily, so naturally. It made me crazy.”

“You were jealous of the baby’s contentment?”

“His eyes were enormous, like the heads of octopi.”

“Really?”

“It felt that way.”

“Then what?”

“‘Who’s next?’ the guy called out. ‘I am,’ I said, raising my hand. ‘I’m next.’ ‘I’ll have a half pound of nova,’ the woman with the baby says from the other side of the room. The guy looks at her. ‘Half pound?’ ‘I would do more,’ she says, ‘but it’s so expensive.’

‘It’s not your turn,’ I say. ‘You’re not next.’ She doesn’t even look at me. ‘It’s not all about you,’ I say. I may or may not have added another word, a word that would not be a good word, I just can’t remember if I said it out loud or just in my head.”

“What was the word?”

He hesitates. “The B word.”

“Ummm. Well, at least it wasn’t the C word.”

“The guy just looks at me. Maybe it was the word. Maybe I actually said the word, I have no idea. . . . ‘Anything else?’ the guy says to her as he’s wrapping the fish. ‘Is the macaroni salad house made?’ she asks. And then I lost it. ‘Her stroller is parked here, parked and unattended, that does not equal a place in line. It is a fire hazard,’ I shouted. ‘Foul ball, on the six and ten.’ She stares at me. ‘Oh my god,’ she says. ‘Will you just stop.’ Her voice is more grating than horseradish on a blade. And now the guy behind the counter has something on his finger—something kind of yellow and shiny. He leans forward, and like magic, the octopi pulls his bottle out of his mouth, and the thick finger goes in. ‘A little something for the baby.’ ‘What was that?’ the woman screams, still on the other side of the store. ‘Butter,’ the guy says. ‘My mother used to give it to me like that, a little bit on her finger. She’d say, “I’m going to butter you up.”’

‘Is it organic?’ the woman asks, panicked. ‘Are your hands clean?’ The big man wipes his hands on his apron. ‘It’s New York,’ he says. Everyone in the store is now staring. I turn quickly and try to get out of there. My shoe gets hooked on the stroller because of course it’s not a regular stroller, it’s a massive

thing, a stroller the size of a Buick. And it’s been pimped out, it has enormous tires like it’s also a dirt bike, and my foot gets stuck in the hole of this fucking all-terrain tire, and I’m still trying to walk forward, and everything is going haywire. All I want is to get out of there, and the woman comes over and she’s hitting me with the nova all wrapped up and telling me to stop touching her child, who, of course, I’m not touching. But the stroller is tipping over, and it looks like I’m kicking it, but of course I’m not kicking it, I’m just moving my foot back and forth trying to get free. It was awful, beyond awful.”

“Did the octopi fall out of the stroller?”

“The octopi was fine, the stroller tipped, but he was entirely strapped in, never knew what happened, the thing even had a roll bar. He never even let go of his bottle, just clutched it the whole way over.”

“Amazing that no one was injured,” she says.

“I was injured. I did something to my knee. I barely got out of there alive—I probably need physical therapy.”

“That might be the least of it,” she says. There’s a pause. “It doesn’t sound like you,” she says. “You don’t really have what I’d call a temper.”

A yellow cab comes around the corner, cutting in too close. He bangs on the hood with the handle of his umbrella. “Butt fucker,” he calls out.

“Butt fucker?”

“It’s all I could think of, I had the butter on my mind. Budder fucker.” A long silence between them. “Anyway, it’s nice we always agreed about children, we still have that in common— not liking children,” he says.

“I don’t not like children,” she says. “I am a teacher, after all. I teach children.”

“That’s a double negative,” he says. “Grammatically incorrect and you didn’t want any of your own.”

“That’s right,” she says.

“It’s unusual, isn’t it,” he says, “for a woman not to want

“HER STROLLER WAS IN FRONT OF ME, BUT SHE WASN’T. SHE WASN’T EVEN WITH THE STROLLER, NOWHERE NEAR. SHE WAS GOING UP AND DOWN LOOKING IN THE CASES, AND I WAS STANDING THERE, STUCK, TRAPPED, TRYING TO ENTERTAIN . . .” HE PAUSES AGAIN. “. . . THE INHABITANT.”

children?”

“I don’t know,” she says. “I suspect a lot of women feel that way but are loathe to say anything.”

“It goes against nature,” he says.

“Or maybe it doesn’t,” she says. “Maybe in nature not every woman is a mother, maybe some of them do other things. . . .”

“Like what?”

“Run countries,” she says. And then there is a silence. “I wonder why men are so interested in the choices women make?”

He shrugs. “We get nervous that when we get up to go take a leak or something, your people will take over. We want to keep what’s ours.”

“You mean what you took from others, like land from Native Americans, people from Africa, money, power, all that stuff?”

He rolls his eyes.

“You look like an octopi,” she says. A moment passes. “Are you still meditating?”

“I quit,” he says. “Turns out I hate sitting still. But I did discover that I like hitting things. I started playing golf, but then did something to my back, so now I just punch things—I bought a bag, a punching bag. When I punch it, things come out.”

“What kind of things? Feathers? Stuffing?”

“Feelings I’ve been sitting on for years. I slam my hand into the bag and thoughts pop into my head, like revelations. Remember when the shrink asked what would happen if I wasn’t angry anymore—if I could stand being happy?”

“Is that why you left?” she asks. “You were too happy? I thought there were other things, problems you didn’t want to deal with.”

He scowls at her.

She says, “If you’re interested in what it was like for me, I can say that I realized that you loved your friend Matt more than me.”

“It’s not true—I don’t love Matt, I tolerate Matt, the same as you tolerate me.”

“Some call that love. Anyway. When my father died you said you had to go to a ball game with Matt.”

“The man was dead, it wasn’t going to change anything, and the Yankees were playing the Red Sox. It was the final game, you can’t lie about that. You can’t go back and get that game later. You, I knew, would still be home, on the sofa feeling sad. So what did I really miss?”

“Being with me in my time of need,” she says.

He shrugs. “I don’t like conflict.”

“You don’t like not getting your way—or acting like an asshole and then being held accountable.”

“I don’t like feeling guilty when I don’t have to,” he says.

“It’s very selfish,” she says.

“It has nothing to do with you,” he says. “That should be a comfort.”

“It’s not. That’s the selfish part—you didn’t think about me, about what it would mean to me.”

“Are you still talking about the ball game or the bigger questions?”

She makes a face.

“I left,” he says. “It was a matter of life and death.”

“Like the baseball game?”

“How much more serious could it get?”

“There’s always something,” she says. “Something more, something worse. Something to look forward to, something larger than oneself. It’s too bad you’re like this.”

It’s too bad you’re like this. His lips repeat her words but no sound comes out.

“I think this is what your therapist meant when she wanted to know if I’d find your anxiety overwhelming,” she says. “At the time I was surprised by the question, I hardly knew you. But I’ve come to understand that your anxiety is so important to you that you can’t live without it.”

He nods. “Who would I be without worry?” They walk a little farther. “You are too perfect,” he says.

“That is so you. You are blaming me for your problems, I am not perfect.”

“To me you are perfect, it drove me crazy.”

“Your problems aren’t about me,” she says.

“No,” he says, “but I kept lowering my expectations.”

“Of me?” she asks, increasingly agitated.

“No, of myself,” he says. “You were fine, happy, satisfied, everything was going along as planned—”

“I thought it was,” she says.

“Exactly,” he says.

“Exactly what?” she says.

“You know what,” he says. “In the end it is you. You have an ability that I don’t. You can shelter yourself, you can elude detection—you can hide your feelings. I can’t. I can’t protect myself, so I gave up on all that and am hurling myself into all kinds of things.”

“What kinds of things?”

“Well, women, for one.”

“You should know better than to tell me that.”

“We’re friends.”

“I’m your ex,” she says. “It’s too soon. You are such an ass.”

He smiles.

“I wouldn’t smile if I were you,” she says.

“Why not?”

“You’ve got poppy seeds in your teeth.”

“I can’t help but smile. I like it when you say I’m an ass. I was so good for so long, and now, I just listen to you, calling me an ass, telling me I have poppy seeds. It’s great,” he says. And then he makes a sucking-swishing sound like he’s suddenly become a dentist’s office or a water pick. He shows her his teeth again: “Poppy?”

“You are an ass.”

“Are you seeing anyone?” he asks.

“Who would I see?”

“Men, I assume, although at your age, I’ve known a lot of women who switched—they said there were better pickings on the other side. The men of this age either didn’t want a woman their own age—or were bitter like escarole and came with too much baggage.”

“I’m not seeing anyone,” she says. “I am enjoying my time alone, spreading out in the bed, leaving books and remotes and

sometimes even snacks right there next to me.”

He makes a face. “I can hear it right now—the crinkling, little packages of oyster crackers.”

“Sometimes I spend hours in bed, just reading and eating. I make a cheese plate for myself.”

“All the crumbs,” he says, “like little sharp pebbles.”

“Olives. Cornichon fig paste.”

“And rodents,” he says. “Rodents could come into the bed looking for leftovers.”

“A nice cold glass of Grüner, a good book,” she says. “And then if I doze off, it’s still all right there—next to me, it doesn’t move. Sometimes when I’m only half awake, I think it’s you.”

“I’m a tray in the bed?”

“A cheese board, solid, unmoving. You always slept so soundly. I never understood how such a fundamentally disturbed person could sleep so well.”

“Whatever is on my mind, I let out during the day, like off-gassing.”

“Venting is what they call it.”

“I am well vented,” he says.

“You’re toxic,” she says. “Your venting spills into the air, and whoever is nearby is a secondhand smoker taking it on.”

A long silence passes.

“We used to have more in common,” he says. “There was always something suspect about you—a little too Upper East Side; when Russ and Daughters came uptown it rekindled my hope, but life is not a knish,” he says.

“We went to couples’ therapy, but whether it was upstate, North Fork, or God forbid a weekend in the Hamptons, nothing was right for you,” she says.

“Black flies. Bloodsucking ticks! I wanted an apartment in Paris. Is that so bad? I’m not a person who does well in nature. I thrive in a city. I need carbon monoxide in order to feel like myself.”

A woman walking by overhears him and laughs.

“What else?” he says.

“Bruce and Emily,” she says. Bruce and Emily, the couple who also had no children. At a certain point it came down to that, people without children don’t spend time with people with children—the landscape changes.

“What about Bruce and Emily?” he asks.

“You didn’t hear?” she says.

“Hear what?”

“Kaput.”

“Divorced?”

“Dead.”

“What are you talking about?” he says.

“Car accident upstate.”

“When?”

“Three weeks ago. How could you not know?”

“No one told me,” he says. “Who was driving?”

“Only you would want to know that.”

“It seems natural.”

“No one was driving. The car was on autopilot and didn’t see the deer leaping across the road. Three deer, the car hit them all like dominos.”

“Were there any survivors?”

“The cat. He was in the back seat in his carrier. The carrier was in the rear wheel well, so Bruce took the brunt of the impact.”

“What happens to the cat now?”

“He’s gone to live with her sister.”

“The lesbian?”

“Yes.”

“I bet she already . . .”

“Yes,” she says, anticipating what he’s going to say—cats. He shrugs. “You can’t make it up.”

“You don’t have to,” she says. A pause; she reaches into her bag. “Before I forget . . .”

He immediately starts making moves on the sidewalk, bobbing and weaving, trying to dance away.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

It’s like he’s playing a weird game, like he’s one of those inflatable things outside a car wash, where the arms blow this way and that.

“Seriously? What are you doing? That’s the question to be asking here? Are you serving me with papers, suing me for all I haven’t got?”

She looks at him as if to ask, Are you out of your mind? “You got mail,” she says. “It’s from your college alumni association.”

“They’re always the last to know,” he says.

“I think it’s a copy of the talk you gave in January. The copy you asked for; you like a copy of everything you say. After all,” she says, “you are the man who starts every day by writing his own obituary.”

“It’s not my obituary, it’s my biography,” he says.

“That’s what you say now, but you used to call it something else.”

“I like to keep it fresh,” he says. “It’s all about the road not taken.”

“I don’t follow.”

He pauses. “Well, for example, I went with you and not that other woman.”

“Joan?” she asks.

“I met you both on the same day.”

“Joan had a prosthetic leg.”

“BLACK FLIES. BLOODSUCKING TICKS! I WANTED AN APARTMENT IN PARIS. IS THAT SO BAD? I’M NOT A PERSON WHO DOES WELL IN NATURE. I THRIVE IN A CITY. I NEED CARBON MONOXIDE IN ORDER TO FEEL LIKE MYSELF.”

“So?” he says.

“And was missing an arm,” she says.

“You’re being rude.”

“And Joan couldn’t speak,” she says.

“If you recall, we met at an event, a fundraiser for Joan, who had been hit by a bus. She was wearing a sign around her neck, ‘I’m Joan . . .’”

“It wasn’t a sign, it was a shirt. She was wearing a T-shirt that I made for her. It said ‘I’m Joan and I was hit by a bus.’ And she had little cards that she gave out with her good hand—that said ‘Thank you.’”

“Everything I say, you twist it and make me feel like an ass,” he says.

“I can’t make you feel like an ass—that’s your own thing, and by the way Joan was a brilliant violinist.”

“You just said was, not is. Did something happen to Joan?”

“Something more than getting hit by a bus and losing an arm and a leg and the power of speech?”

He looks at her, waiting for more. “Is Joan all right?”

“How can you ask that question?”

“What do you mean? I’m concerned.”

“You’re nearly hysterical. A minute ago you said it was Joan or me, and now you’re so worried about Joan. It sounds as though you have regrets.”

“It wasn’t an either-or. Joan or you. ‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both.’”

“That’s disgusting,” she says. “What?”

“A yellow wood, it’s racist.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Joan is Chinese, a yellow wood is a reference to her being Chinese.”

“It’s not my line,” he says. “It’s Robert Frost.”

“You have a way of worming out of everything,” she says. “And by the way, Joan is fine. She hooked up with her physical therapist and they’re running marathons, she got a blade foot and a robotic arm, she’s practically bionic. And she has her own cooking show: Everybody Loves Joan.”

“How can she have a cooking show without speaking?”

“Subtitles.”

time at that benefit.”

“Oh, no,” he says. “I met her before. We had a blind date a few weeks before the accident. I went to her concert and then out for a drink.”

“What made it a blind date?”

“She didn’t know I was there, there were other people.”

“So it was more like an audition for a date?”

“No, it was a date, she and I talked about it on the phone after.”

“Sounds one-sided.”

“She was very private. It was actually the only time we ever spoke—the accident happened soon after.”

“Have you seen Joan since the accident or perhaps traded texts?”

“No,” he says. “I met you and that was all she wrote.”

Another taxi turns the corner a little too close, splashing his ankles. “Get out of the street,” she says. “You would think what happened to Joan was sobering, would keep you out of traffic.”

SYMPHONY SPACE

Symphony Space is a New York City multi-disciplinary performing arts center where bold programming is presented in a uniquely warm and welcoming environment. Symphony Space is known for its signature series Selected Shorts, where our greatest actors transport us through the magic of short fiction. The series is produced live on stage at Symphony Space and is a weekly public radio show and podcast hosted by novelist Meg Wolitzer.  — —

Upcoming Selected Shorts at Symphony Space include a night hosted by Meg Wolitzer and a collaboration with McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, hosted by John Hodgman. Additional programs include literary events with Nicole Chung, Lorrie Moore, Samantha Irby, Laura Dern, Andrew Rannells, and more. For more information can be found on their website at symphonyspace.org

“Well, Joan is very nice, not edgy, not complex, she was always measured and kind,” he says.

“How well did you know her?”

“Well enough to describe her like a bottle of wine.”

“I had the impression that you were meeting her for the first

“What happened when the bus hit her?” he asks.

“She was looking the other way, she didn’t see it coming.”

“Maybe it’s better that way —blindsided.”

“I don’t think it’s ever good,” she says.

At the next corner, he hesitates. The phrase “images from possible futures flicker past” runs through his mind.

“What are you doing?” she asks, sensing his distraction.

“Lamenting what might have been,” he says. “‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference.’”

“I wish I understood you,” she says. “I used to think I did, and now I have no idea.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he says. It is starting to rain. At the next corner he stops to open his umbrella. They have clearly come to an end. He turns to her. “Goodbye,” he says. “Goodbye to the ‘Road Not Taken.’” *

A.M. Homes is the author of the novels Jack, In a County of Mothers, The End of Alice, Music for Torching, This Book Will Save Your Life, and May We Be Forgiven, winner of the Orange/Women’s Prize for Fiction. Homes is also the author of the memoir The Mistress’s Daughter and the short-story collections The Safety of Objects, Things You Should Know, and Days of Awe. Her latest novel, The Unfolding, was published in September 2022.

THANDIWE MURIU

INSPIRED BY THE COVERS OF PROMINENT FASHION MAGAZINES SUCH AS VOGUE AND THE RICH CULTURAL HISTORY OF HER KENYAN HERITAGE, THANDIWE MURIU AIMS TO HIGHLIGHT THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF WOMEN WITH WHOM SHE IDENTIFIES. MURIU PHOTOGRAPHS HER SUBJECTS IN STRIKING, INTRICATELY PATTERNED FABRICS THAT OFTEN RESEMBLE THE TRADITIONAL TEXTILES OF VARIOUS AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND CULTURES. BACKDROPPING THE SUBJECTS USING THE SAME VIBRANT PATTERN, MURIU WANTS HER MODELS TO BLEND IN AND STAND OUT SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE IMAGES IN HER CAMO - SHORT FOR CAMOUFLAGE - SERIES CREATE AN OPTICAL ILLUSION WHERE THE PERSON IN THE PHOTOGRAPH ALMOST DISAPPEARS YET IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE HER.

IT STARTS WITH CHOOSING THE FABRIC, WHICH MURIU DESCRIBES AS ONE OF THE HARDEST BUT MOST ENJOYABLE PARTS. SPENDING HOURS IN NAIROBI’S FABRIC SHOPS, SHE SITS THROUGH FLOOR-TO-CEILING PILES OF CLOTH IMPORTED FROM ACROSS THE CONTINENT. SHE IS LOOKING FOR “SOMETHING THAT’S REALLY LOUD WITH AN ALMOST PSYCHEDELIC QUALITY AS IF THE FABRICS ARE ALIVE AND MOVING AND CONFUSING THE EYE.” IT IS RECOGNIZABLY AFRICAN BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE TRADITIONAL DESIGNS. “WE’RE IN THIS NEW AFRICA, THIS NEW GENERATION, WHERE WE LOVE OUR PRINTS BUT WE’RE NOT GOING TO WEAR THEM IN TRADITIONAL WAYS.”

THE FUNKY FABRICS, ELABORATE HAIRSTYLES, AND IMPROVISED EYEWEAR ARE AN ATTRACTIVE AND WITTY CELEBRATION OF MURIU’S CULTURE. BUT THERE IS ALSO A CRITIQUE. MURIU SAYS THE SERIES IS “A LITTLE BIT OF A PERSONAL REFLECTION ON HOW I FELT I CAN DISAPPEAR INTO THE BACKGROUND OF MY CULTURE.”

“MY EXPERIENCE AS A COMMERCIAL FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER WAS REALIZING THAT VERY QUICKLY - BECAUSE OF THE CULTURAL CONTEXT - I CAN BE DISMISSED AND DISAPPEAR.”

MURIU WENT INTO COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY, WHICH IN KENYA IS MALE-DOMINATED. “I’M SMALL, I LOOK VERY YOUNG AND SO OFTENTIMES THE BIGGEST THING I WOULD EXPERIENCE IS PEOPLE DISMISSING ME. I WOULD WALK ON TO SET AND PEOPLE WOULD TALK TO MY ASSISTANT WHO WAS MALE, ASSUMING HE WAS THE PHOTOGRAPHER RATHER THAN ME. I HAD TO LEARN TO BE BRAVE AND BOLD AND SAY: ‘HI, I’M IN CHARGE.’” *

THE EYEWEAR, MADE FROM SOFT DRINKS CANS, PLASTIC TEA STRAINERS, CLOTHES PEGS, BOTTLE BRUSHES, AND OTHER OBJECTS REPRESENTS THE INNOVATIVE WAY THAT MANY EVERYDAY THINGS IN KENYA ARE REPURPOSED FOR OTHER USES, MURIU SAYS. THEY ALSO ADD TO THE HUMOR OF THE IMAGES WHICH THE PHOTOGRAPHER WANTS TO MAKE VISUALLY STIMULATING AND ENJOYABLE, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME TACKLING SOME VERY PROFOUND ISSUES.

AS THE PROJECT DEVELOPED, MURIU BECAME MORE INTENTIONAL ABOUT HER EXPLORATION OF AFRICAN BEAUTY. SHE RESEARCHES HISTORICAL AND TRADITIONAL HAIRSTYLES. THEN, WITH THE HELP OF A STYLIST, SHE GIVES THEM A “MODERN, FUNKY TWIST BUT THEY ARE BASED ON HAIR THAT OUR ANCESTORS ACTUALLY USED TO WEAR.”

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The vast estate seemed invisible, despite its grandeur, due to the overgrowth of dark jade palms, gnarled bougainvillea, and centenarian crape myrtle. The growth was so dense that despite the Miami sun, the villa lay in cool repose, immune to the resting, prickly heat. The overgrown confederate jasmine seemed to overwhelm the villa in its tense grip; the edifice succumbed as the vines wrestled the chipping stucco to the ground. Unlike its newer, shiny, celebrity neighbors, the villa’s imposing gates were swirled and rusted. The ornate ironwork lent an air of bygone glory and obscurity, as did the few disintegrating slabs of pink-tinged coral stone on the exterior columns. If one took the time to stop and notice, the villa could have been taken for a faded, regal estate in Capri on the Via Tragara or in the colini Fiorentini, the hills of Florence. The vast estate was a symbol of another era entirely with its formal sentry gate, the center fountain that had long stopped bubbling, and the circular rotunda pitched against the aquamarine skyline, which seemed impervious to the stray overhead planes ferrying vacationers to the southern tip.

Built in 1927 in the Mediterranean revival style, the estate had wowed its neighbors and was the envy of its lesser rivals, boasting a large folly, a greenhouse, a bayside pool, and an enclosed tennis pavilion. Even neighbor Carl Fisher, the acknowledged founder, and unofficial king, of Miami Beach who had built his palace at 5020 North Bay, had been suitably impressed. Eighteenth-century Neapolitan tiles and lusty veined marble statutes had been stripped from impoverished estates in Amalfi and Tuscany and hastily installed in the new world’s Riviera. During one particularly frothy day in the heady ’20s market, the owner had approved an ancient mosaic floor to be ripped from a villa unearthed in Pompeii and reassembled in the entry gallery. The arrival of the famous black market mosaic caused havoc in Port Miami; there was even a small mention in The Herald, which officially dubbed the new mansion “Villa Pompeii.” The name stuck, and the architect eventually implanted a discreet, ceramic tile in the pink, columned archway he had commissioned in Vietri. No one had even considered that christening the villa with such an ominous name might portend impending disaster. When one stepped into the foyer, the ancient, black-and-white mosaic floor, which featured an octopus engulfing and defeating a spiny lobster, added an eerie feel to the great house.

Miami 2020

BY RICHARD KIRSHENBAUM

Throughout the decades, the grand mansion had not only seen the booms and busts of the Florida peninsula, but also the waves of differing nationals all adjusting and peeling under the ribald sun. It had also been exposed to larger themes; love and loss, obsession, and, despite the sunshine, dark passion. It was said that a hint of a woman occasionally appeared on the dock in silk scarves and dark glasses facing a balustrade, leaning on a cane, or sitting in a wicker wheelchair. She was known to take in Biscayne Bay at dusk, the shimmering diamonds of downtown Miami flickered to life as the orange globe bowed to the new skyline. Perhaps the distant, gleaming sprawl unsettled her, if she was actually there. Few people entered and exited the property. Real estate brokers

EXCERPTED FROM NORTH BAY ROAD BY RICHARD KIRSHENBAUM. ©2023 PUBLISHED BY POST HILL PRESS. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION.

could never find a way to contact the owner and eventually gave up trying despite the heat of the market.

“Madame is not at home or is indisposed,” was all the remaining leery staff were able to utter. In her later years, her nurse and housekeeper didn’t even speak English, only Polish. Shrouded in secrecy, Villa Pompeii eventually became an oversight. The parties, tennis lessons, and tea dances had ended so many years earlier that even the ghosts didn’t remember them. The gardeners had been dismissed decades ago, encouraging the overgrown tropical jungle to flourish and strangle the estate’s remaining, dimming lifeblood.

Zosia, the Polish housekeeper, would arrive in her rusted Honda before the neighbors awoke and exited the drive at dusk after locking the iron gate. A familiar sight to early morning runners, she appeared thick, pallid, and of no consequence. It was as if the house had taken on the air of a locked government building closed to the public.

Despite its reticence and dereliction, North Bay Road preened and bustled and was dubbed the “Fifth Avenue of Miami.” Celebrities found the wide bay, glittering sunset views of the downtown skyline, and easy proximity to the beach a boon, and, best of all, one could get a larger yacht onto North Bay Road unlike neighboring Pine Tree Drive or Indian Creek with their thinner canals. In recent years, North Bay Road had become a haven for celebrities. They waxed and waned like the

they surveyed the perimeter of the property, everything appeared as it should; the massive glass box was clean, fresh, and spanking new after the Venezuelan designer’s custom gray chalk paint and 30 percent fees. As security walked the property, they found the neighbor to the left, an aging Cuban American liquor magnate with highly secure, but too bright, lemon stucco walls, benign enough. As they approached the hidden property to the right, they were somewhat dumbstruck by the looming verdant jungle, what nearly a century of unpruned growth did to a place.

Bemused, puffed up security walked up and down and poked through the tangled web of mammoth ancient palms and overgrown Japanese boxwoods to see if there was a security risk, as she knew they would. A crumbling concrete wall divided the two properties and what they saw from the crisp, clean, striking, modern mansion seemed like another world entirely. The minions poked, prodded, and viewed the formidable estate and shoreline from their speedboats before finally deeming it of no consequence. She was sure of this as well.

The new owner’s Wheels Up Gulfstream was expected to land at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport that Thursday evening. Playing stadiums of thousands looked glamorous but proved exhausting, and with the Covid shutdown, he had retreated to his farm, trying his hand at writing new songs for his next album, riding horses, milking cows, and swimming in the lake. Now, he was ready for a bit of civilization again. At 8:30 p.m. on a particularly humid evening, the head of security, a chiseled Israeli named Eliad Shiraz, received a call from the Miami police that a paparazzo was seen trying to enter the property by climbing over the gate of the neighboring, crumbling mansion. Within the hour, the intruder was cuffed and booked for trespassing. That evening, security gathered their information, held meetings, and spoke with the authorities. The lower part of the neighbor’s gate posed a security threat, but it was not theirs to reinforce. One consideration was buying adjacent or additional properties, as many of the celebrities on North Bay Road had done, for a larger guardhouse, extra parking or building higher, unsightly walls.

Florida hurricanes, arriving in a great storm and departing in the jet stream when they were low after a drug high or an expensive divorce wiped out a new fortune.

The great lady didn’t know or care about her neighbors; they came and went like tropical gusts which was fine with her. Therefore, it wasn’t given much thought when a new neighbor’s security team, in an operation that was as choreographed as the Russian ballet, arrived one overheated summer morning to take possession of the house. The team disembarked from sinisterlooking, blacked-out Mercedes-Benz buses and began surveying the property, setting the bayside protocol, and activating the new codes on the front gatehouse. They were mostly lean, muscled, humorless men with walkie-talkies wearing discreet noir polo shirts, navy trousers, and opaque wire Ray-Bans. As

“Create an estate like Barry Gibb,” the local security team advised in such matters, by adding an additional lot; many millions more for true peace of mind! However, the next few days proved vexing to the tireless Mr. Shiraz; there was no way to contact the owner. Ringing the gate, sending letters, and poking around at city hall had only revealed the neighboring estate, once called Villa Pompeii, belonged to an ancient and dusty socialite who was never seen, had no family to speak of, and no forwarding address, just the elegant name of Elsa Sloan Barrett. *

Richard Kirshenbaum is the co-founder of SWAT, a high-profile boutique branding agency. He is the author of Isn’t That Rich, a #1 Amazon Bestseller, and his debut novel Rouge. North Bay Road will be published May 16th by Post Hill Press.

THE PARTIES, TENNIS LESSONS, AND TEA DANCES HAD ENDED SO MANY YEARS EARLIER THAT EVEN THE GHOSTS DIDN’T REMEMBER THEM.

LET

The Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale is the premier upscale destination in Fort Lauderdale. Guests can take in the view and enjoy every moment of their experience, whether it’s overlooking the ocean from a private poolside cabana, enjoying a weekend brunch at Burlock Coast, or enjoying a full-body detox with a treatment exclusive to The Spa.

Let us show you how an alluring blend of cosmopolitan charm and coastal elegance with The Reconnect® package. Enjoy accommodations at this luxury hotel, à la carte breakfast for two (2) adults and a $50 resort credit, daily.

Visit www.ritzcarlton.com/fortlauderdale or call 800.542.8680.

©2023 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

MARKET 57

NEW YORK CITY’S NEWEST FOOD HALL AT PIER 57

Market57 opened April 1st as New York City’s new waterfront dining destination. Located in the historic Pier 57 between West 14th and 17th Streets within Hudson River Park, Market57 is much more than a food hall. The James Beard Foundation brings its Good Food for Good® mission to Market57 with a modern showcase kitchen and educational space designed to feature rotating chefs-inresidence, exceptional dining experiences, culinary artsb programming, and events.

The James Beard Foundation has curated a group of 15 chefs with a focus on women and BIPOC-owned dining destinations. Each chef will have their own vendor kiosk, an exciting 15-stop food tour of the culinary and cultural diversity of New York City. Check out Market 57 for more information about NYC’s newest dining destination on the Hudson.

owners Bryan Chunton &

We have brought an authentic, forwardlooking approach to Thai food at their hit restaurant. Showcasing the true flavors of Thailand’s Northeastern Isaan region, this latest location will feature crowd favorites.

Zaab Zaab Chef Aniwat Khotsopha

Left: Zaab Zaab dish

Zaab Zaab: Chef Aniwat Khotsopha and

Pei

Ammi: From restaurateur Jimmy Rizvi, known for his popular Indian restaurant GupShup and Chote Miya, Ammi will feature a menu of homestyle Indian favorites. The name Ammi, which means “mother” in Hindi or Urdu, pays homage to Rizvi’s mother and their family going back a couple generations. Not only will Ammi feature Rizvi’s mother’s family recipes, but she will also be training and passing on these recipes to Ammi’s chefs.

Bessou: Restaurateur Maiko Kyogoku and chef Elena Yamamoto will open the next outpost for

MARKET57 CHEFS:

by their Asian-American upbringing. Through their shop, the couple offers a job-training program for those facing barriers to employment.

Butcher Girls : The latest concept from Erika Nakamura and Jocelyn Guest,

Local Roots: Owner

Bessou. Kyogoku’s modern take on Japanese home cooking made Bessou a must-visit destination in NoHo. This new location will be called “Bessou on the Pier’’ and will feature some of Bessou’s signature dishes, including Japanese-style karaage fried chicken and sushi crispy rice, as well as a new rotating omakase bento and seafoodforward menu.

Bird & Branch: Wifeand-husband team Faith and Brandon Lee will open the next location for their specialty coffee shop, which showcases relationally sourced coffees and baked goods with flavors inspired

the founders of the Butcher Girls, will bring 20 years of shared experience as whole animal butchers to Due Madri. Inspired by their travels to Italy, the menu will feature some of Erika and Jocelyn’s favorite sandwiches and will pay homage to their personal experience and shared love for meaty, Italian fare.

Wen-Jay Ying will feature a menu of elevated Chinese farm-to-table food with homestyle cooking using sustainably grown ingredients from local farms. The menu will offer popular items like

scallion pancakes, bubble tea, vegetarian egg drop soup, and vegan organic Mapo tofu bowls, along with many grab-and-go options to take to Pier 57’s rooftop park.

Ammi and GubShup’s Jimmy Rizvi

Right: GupShup dish

Bessou dish

Left: Bessou restaurateur Maiko Kyogoku

Faith and Brandon Lee of Bird & Branch

Due Madri’s Butcher Girls

Due Madri platter

Local Roots owner Wen-Jay Ying

TALK OF THE TOWN

LoLo’s on the Water: Raymond Z. Mohan and Leticia Skai Young Mohan offer a spin-off of their Harlem mainstay

ice cream from South Asian ingredients, offering unexpected twists on classics. Popular flavors at her Brooklyn-based ice cream company

LoLo’s Seafood Shack, a Cape Cod and Caribbean Mashup with LoLo’s on the Water which will focus on Caribbean coastal comfort foods from Belize all the way down to Guyana.

Malai: Founder and firstgeneration Indian American Pooja Bavishi draws inspiration for her bold and flavorful

include masala chai and rose with cinnamon roasted almonds. Pier 57 will serve as the first Manhattan location for Malai.

Mijo: Fany Gerson, the founder of Fan-Fan Doughnuts and La Newyorkina’s, brings her newest savory concept, Mijo to market. It will also be her first business with her husband Daniel Ortiz de Montellano.

Mothershuckers: Ben “Moody” Harney is known as “The Oyster King of New York” and operates the only

oysters–for the body and the environment. At this new location, all oyster shells will be donated to the Billion Oyster Project.

Nom Wah: From owner Wilson Tang, this new outpost of his beloved all-day dim sum restaurants will

oyster cart in Brooklyn. Moody’s goal is to serve more than just the best oysters in New York; he also is driven by the mission to educate the public on the benefits of eating and harvesting

bring together his experiences as a second-generation Chinese American, serving Cantonese classics and riffs on childhood favorites.

Raymond Z. Mohan and Leticia Skai Young Mohan of LoLo’s on the Water Below: LoLo’s on the Water dish

Malai founder Pooja Bavishi

Below: Malai ice cream pints

Daniel Ortiz de Montellano and Fany Gerson of Mijo Right: Mijo dish

Nom Wah

Mothershuckers

Harlem Hops: Owners Kevin Bradford, Kim Harris, and Stacey Lee brought Harlem its first 100-percent African American-owned craft beer bar. Now the team is opening a new concept that will offer a welcoming space for small bites, socializing, and a collection of innovative, small batch beers. The location will also give another platform to the trio’s nonprofit: Harlem Hopes.

The Galley by Lobster Place: This fun, casual seafood eatery is the latest outpost from the team behind Chelsea Market’s Lobster Place. Chef Dave Seigal will highlight some of the most popular items from their flagship location, including their crowdpleasing lobster roll and a selection of broiled local oysters, while also creating new

dishes that capture the uniqueness and quality of their seafood offerings.

The Good Batch : Owner and chef Anna Gordon is the mastermind behind the popular Clinton Hill bakery, The Good Batch. Her latest outpost at Pier 57 will specialize

in the hearty cookies, ice cream sandwiches, and little cakes that have made her one of New York City’s foremost dessert experts.

Ras Plant Based : Driven by the mission to connect communities to living foods by promoting sustainability, Romeo and Milka Regalli serve delicious and healthy plant-based food made from scratch. This second location of Ras Plant Based will feature some of the popular menu items from their original Brooklyn location, including flavorful bowls that are a hit at lunch time. *

Harlem Hops pretzel

Right: Owners Kevin Bradford, Kim Harris, and Stacey Lee

Cookies from The Good Batch

Below: Owner/Chef Anna Gordon

The Galley by Lobster Place

Ras plant-based dishes

Above: Ras chefs Romeo and Milka Regalli

It may seem like just a flight, but it is far more than that. Each journey is the culmination of careful planning, flawless execution, and an unbridled passion to provide the best in world-class customer service. It is in each friendly handshake with the industry’s best pilots and it is in the calm that takes over as you settle into your seat aboard a perfectly appointed aircraft, all Owned and Operated by NICHOLAS AIR.

From the personalized attention to our commitment to providing the highest quality aircraft to the Most Refined Set of Private Flyers, the NICHOLAS AIR team is solely focused on one mission--- yours.

Choose from one of our flexible and cost effective Jet Card programs and leave the rest to us.

DEPARTURE LOUNGE

TRAVEL BOOK

PHOTO BY AMY SHAMBLEN

ORANIA.BERLIN

LOOKING TO DISCOVER BERLIN’S WILD, ALTERNATIVE SCENE? KREUZBERG AND NEUKÖLLN ARE BERLIN’S HAVENS FOR GLOBAL BOHEMIANS, ARTISTS, AND MUSICIANS. GRAFFITI-COVERED AND GRITTY; IT’S A CULTURE DEDICATED TO CREATING AUTHENTIC, UNIQUE EXPERIENCES.

Looking to shop for Berlin fashion? There are barely any clothing stores in Neukölln and Kreuzberg. It’s a lifestyle philosophy, “We don’t need more things.” Eclectic wardrobes are refreshed at the weekly flea markets or from the “free” piles. Everyone rides bikes and works on multiple projects. I imagine there are probably as many struggling/working DJs in Berlin as struggling/working actors in New York City.

Orania.Berlin is at the border of what was East Berlin,100 meters from where the Berlin Wall stood. In 2017, Orania.Berlin opened in a restored historic building, the first independent luxury hotel in Kreuzberg. The new hotel signaled the gentrification of Kreuzberg, and the community rebelled. Protesters smashed the floor-to-ceiling windows and covered the newly restored historic landmark in graffiti. Jennifer and Philipp Vogel, the intelligent, energetic young couple running the hotel, understood the resistance to change. They decided to keep the smashed

windows and graffiti and invite the community to be a part of the Orania experience by offering free live concerts in a cool concert lounge and affordable drinks. Orania.Berlin has a relaxed, friendly vibe that puts guests at ease. The hotel has 41 rooms, and the corner suite was an epic stay.

Chef/owner Phillip Vogel is the culinary maestro conducting the open kitchen and restaurant lounge. The Orania Breakfast Club is the place to start the day. Oh, do I love this menu! Smoothies, Kombuchas, Moroccan Mint Ginger Lemonade, and a global menu ranging from Shakshuka to Okonomiyaki pancakes, a Gravlax platter, avocado toast, and a glorious chia bowl. Freshly ground dark chocolate nut butter from the nut cream machine was like feasting on healthy Nutella. Dinner at Orania is a must to experience Chef Vogel’s signature XBerg Peking Duck dinner for two. Inspired by Chef Vogel’s years working in Shanghai, it’s a four-course duck adventure through Asia, inspired by Japanese, Thai, and Chinese preparations of the legendary dish.

Music is the soul of the Orania experience, with 20 live concerts a month. All the artists are Berlin-based, and the concerts are free. Whether you come to Orania.Berlin to stay, enjoy a free concert, cocktails, X-Berg Duck, or just a coffee; you will love it.

orania.berlin

–DEBBIE SILVER

PHOTOS BY FRIDOLIN FULL

The Mandarin Oriental Barcelona, set magnificently on Barcelona’s central boulevard Passeig de Gràcia, is a majestic Spanish Hotel nestled among iconic Catalan architecture, World Heritage sites, and posh boutiques. This luxury 5-Star Hotel, a stroll from Las Ramblas, the Gothic Quarter, and Sagrada Familia, is absolutely where you want to stay when you visit. Architectural buffs will be in design heaven, stylized metro signs, tile mosaics, and modernist facades are found everywhere; just across the Boulevard is the renowned Casa Batlló, the architectural masterpiece by the celebrated Antoni Gaudí.

Mandarin Oriental Barcelona’s dramatic entrance – a suspended ramp - welcomes guests into the lobby’s ultra-mod white-on-white décor. The hotel’s sophisticated ambiance is the work of Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola, celebrated for her interiors in Milan, Zurich, and Lake Como.

Exceptional hospitality is a trademark of the Mandarin Oriental hotel group. A plate of mandarin oranges, floral bouquets, house chocolate, a local Shiraz, plus your own private butler are standard amenities. The hotel has some of the largest rooms in the city with private balconies and terraces with views of the Passeig de Gràcia or the property’s beautifully landscaped Mimosa Garden. I loved the thoughtfully curated info guide of local happenings, favorite neighboring restaurants, and an illustrated promenade map in my room. After a day of touring recharge on the rooftop with a swim in the pool

ESCAPE TO BARCELONA

and cocktails at Terrat and savor the stunning 360-degree views. You’ll notice the beautiful people arriving to enjoy Peruvian ceviche and cocktails al fresco and the dramatic sunset.

Moments, awarded two Michelin stars for its exceptional neo-traditional modern Catalan cuisine has made The Mandarin Oriental Barcelona a gastronomic destination. At the helm is Chef Carme Ruscalleda, awarded seven Michelin stars for her restaurants in Spain and Tokyo. As the gastronomic overseer, her focus on traditional and modern Catalan cuisine with Asian touches can be tasted throughout several hotel venues including Moments, Banker’s Bar, in the privacy of your own room, and at the more casual Blanc restaurant.

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental offers guests a menu of signature treatments and experiences. Luxuriate in a vitality bath, a Turkish hammam or your own Shungite stone bath and a head-to-toe shiatsu massage. You will truly wonder where all that tension went.

mandarinoriental.com/barcelona

–PAULA KOFFSKY

CORINTHIA LONDON

Treat yourself to a stay at the legendary Corinthia London. Built in 1885, the Corinthia was one of the largest hotels in all of Europe, and today remains one of London’s “grand dames.” Renowned for being Winston Churchill’s headquarters during World War I, the hotel was restored and brought to its current splendor in 2011. Located just steps from the Thames Embankment, Whitehall, and Trafalgar Square, many of London’s major attractions are just a short walk away.

A guest’s first impression is of old-world elegance and splendor, but this hotel also delivers up-to-date perfection in all areas of hospitality; with outstanding service, a collection of accommodations fit for royalty, award-winning restaurants with top chefs, and a state-of-the-art ESPA Life Spa.

The hotel offers two outstanding dining options. At Northall Restaurant, award-winning executive chef André Garrett celebrates British cuisine with the freshest ingredients in season.

Chef Garrett blends his French and European style using local farms and shores, including caviar sourced from Exmoor, Britain’s first caviar producer seasoned with Welsh and Cornish salts.

Tom Kerridge is practically a household name in the UK, with two Michelin-star restaurants under his belt. At Kerridge’s Bar and Grill the atmosphere is relaxed, and the fare is classic and hearty. Entrees, like the beer-brined Cotswold white chicken with Jerusalem artichoke, malt glazed thigh nugget, winter truffle and vin jaune sauce, and the English lamb cutlet with haggis, baby turnips, shallot fondant and malt vinegar ketchup are exceptional.

What would a visit to London be without Afternoon Tea? Baccarat crystal champagne flutes, custom-designed china, and a tea sommelier create the perfect ambiance when matched with LaurentPerrier La Cuvée Brut Champagne, Severn and Wye smoked salmon, organic strawberry and rhubarb jam, and the finale - salted caramel pecan and chocolate mousse.

ESPA Life Spa invites guests to enjoy private suites, a futuristiclooking thermal floor with an indoor swimming pool, a vitality pool, an amphitheater sauna, ice fountain, marble-heated lounge chairs, and private sleep pods. The techno gym is open 24/7 and offers rehab in addition to personal trainers. Whether business or pleasure, Corinthian London checks all the boxes and you’ll depart pining for your next opportunity to visit.

Corinthia London

–PAULA KOFFSKY

PAGE8, LONDON

Page8, London is a lifestyle boutique hotel that invites guests to discover London like a local with its own Undiscovered London Guide . Page8’s central location is ideal, 8 St. Martin’s Place, opposite the famed National Portrait Gallery, in the heart of Trafalgar Square. It’s your home base for discovering the most unique experiences the city has to offer, starting from the moment you enter the lobby.

Page Common artisan café upends the idea of a traditional hotel lobby, it’s dynamic. Globetrotting guests settle in to browse the hotel’s Urban Explorers

Journal, a comprehensive hip hotspot blog for inspiration. The coffeehouse features seasonal beans courtesy of Assembly Coffee, based in London’s Brixton neighborhood, and teas from Good and Proper Tea. Relax in one of the snug seating areas with a cuppa’ and a hearty slice of Fabrique

Bakery’s rye toasted with sweet figs and tangy goat cheese, drizzled with orange blossom honey and chopped walnuts or a breakfast bap: a brioche bun stuffed with perfectly crisp bacon,

fried eggs, and zesty tomato relish.

Page8 offers seven types of accommodation—for a total of 138 rooms. The hum of a Blueair air purifier welcomes you in, while a 49” TV invites you to kick up your weary feet and enjoy a good BBC murder mystery. Alternatively, chill out to an inroom Spotify playlist, exclusively curated by the Page8 team, clearly projected on Marshall speakers. Bathrooms boast amenities that can be composted in a brown bag, and you can book in-room beauty treatments via Ruuby.

Sneakerheads can even get their kicks polished up with a professional sneaker-cleaning service. Check out the hotel’s calendar of events and workshop series ranging from candlemaking, and wreath making to astrology. Dine at Bisushima, an eatery housed atop the Page8 building presenting unique takes on Japanese classics. Gaze out over the city while sipping a cocktail on the rooftop terrace and pick out your next destination, Page148, Hong Kong. pagehotels.com

–CARLY SILVER

Thornbury Castle is a royal stay, a tribute to the dukes and monarchs who laid their heads there in centuries past. In 1511, King Henry VIII gave his kinsman, Edward Stafford permission to turn his manor at Thornbury into a glorious new construction. And Stafford did just that, creating a residence fit for a king.

The regal legacy of Thornbury lingers in its beautifully-manicured grounds and luxuriously-appointed guest suites named for important Tudor personages. Stay in the Henry VIII bedchamber, once occupied by the king and his new bride Anne Boleyn, and gaze out over the majestic River Severn. The Catherine of Aragon Tower Suite, named for Henry’s first wife, sits at the top of a 77-step spiral staircase and houses the biggest four-poster bed in any British hotel. The elegant Jane Seymour Suite, given the name of Henry’s favorite (and third) spouse, offers stunning views that stretch all the way to Wales.

Historical tours of the property are available for those who want to immerse in Tudor times; the engaging guides make the centuries-old property come to vivid, sparkling life. There’s no question they can’t answer! Unwind after a long day in front of a roaring fire while sipping a cocktail and peruse an antique book in the library. Then, feast like a royal, courtesy of Executive Chef Carl Cleghorn, on a six-course tasting menu, which progresses from mackerel to artichoke, halibut to succulent duck, and a sweet ending, complete with exquisite wine pairings. Browse the castle’s 15 acres of grounds, including the lush

THORNBERRY CASTLE

rose beds, herb garden, and a labyrinth of wildflowers and long grass. Transport yourself back in time with Renaissance activities, like longbow archery lessons, clay pigeon shooting, falconry, and axe throwing, while romantic carriage rides offer a touch of romance to modern getaways.

Thornbury Castle

–CARLY SILVER

At the border of England and Wales lies Bristol, home to history and heritage, street art, and shipping docks. Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel is set on College Green has been Bristol’s go-to luxury hotel since 1868.

As an arts and culture hub, Bristol has so much to explore. The Bristol Beacon, formerly Colston Hall, is a worldrenowned concert venue that has hosted The Beatles and Elton John over the decades. There’s the Bristol Hippodrome and the

BRISTOL MARRIOTT ROYAL HOTEL

Old Vic, the oldest continually-operating theater in the English-speaking world.

Explore maritime history with a visit to Brunel’s S.S. Great Britain. Learn the incredible story of one of Britain’s greatest engineers and the famed ship. In 1970, the SS Great Britain Project brought the rusting shell of the SS Great Britain home from the Falkland Islands, braving 8,000 miles of stormy sea, in

an attempt to save it from ruin and keep its story alive.

One of the ten best markets in the UK, St. Nicholas’ Market is a must. The market, known as St. Nicks, has been trading since 1743 and is now home to several permanent food stalls which showcase delicious delicacies from across the globe. Special market happenings fill the calendar, from a street food market, international flavors every Tuesday and Friday and an Indie market every Friday and Saturday.

The Banksy Walking Tour gives visitors a chance to visit the iconic artwork around the city Banksy calls home, as well as a few secret works for fans to discover. There are nine locations on this tour, each with its own story and art from early Banksy to more recent works, as well as the work of other notable graffiti artists. Check out Visit Bristol and Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel to plan your visit.

–CARLY SILVER

BRICK HOTEL MEXICO CITY

The word is out; Mexico City has become the destination for digital nomads around the globe. But you don’t have to be a digital nomad to fall in love with Mexico City. Away from the crowded historic center, Roma, Condesa, and Polanco’s tree-lined neighborhoods are colorful and alive with a vibrant outdoor café culture.

Cool mornings give way to sunny, warm days with no humidity, fantastic restaurants, museums, history, and fresh tropical juices squeezed on every corner. Best of all, it’s so inexpensive!

Where to stay to experience the magic of Mexico City? Brick Hotel in the heart of Roma Norte is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. You might imagine that the “Bricks” of Brick Hotel were hand-crafted from the clay of Mexico’s historic Aztec pyramids. In fact, it was B.Y.O.B., “Bring Your Own Bricks.” At the turn of the twentieth century, Sir William Newbold, the first manager of the Bank of London and Mexico built his new mansion with English bricks used to add weight to the boat from England to Mexico.

The unique origin story is the foundation of today’s 17-room boutique hotel; a blend of authentic Mexico City and international sophistication. Love the location! Right in the heart of Roma Norte at the intersection of Orizaba and Tabasco streets. Check-in begins with a Welcome Bar Menu of passionfruit margaritas, pineapple mezcal cocktails, or a fresh berry lemonade.

The Brick experience is a unique indoor/outdoor experience from the guestroom balcony, to the glass-enclosed restaurant Cerrajeria, Terrazza 95’s casual outdoor café with firepit lounges, and the Rooftop lounge. Just when you think you’ve checked out

all of The Brick’s lounges, you discover another. Don’t miss the Embury Speakeasy Lounge located on the lower level!

The Brick’s executive Chef, Armondo Acosta is one of the country’s celebrated chefs. Cerrajeria is Brick’s signature restaurant, a global fusion of Chef Acosta’s Mexico City heritage with his years at two of Spain’s Michelin-starred restaurants.

Acosta has designed all the dining experiences at Brick, from the inventive Cerrajeria to a 10-course tasting menu at the chef’s table; a great casual menu outdoors at Terraza 95, and the Rooftop Lounge. Indoors and outdoors, at Brick Hotel you’re a part of the energy of Roma Norte.

slh.com/hotels/brick-hotel

––DEBBIE SILVER

EAU PALM BEACH RESORT & SPA

Poised on Florida’s Gold Coast sits Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, a luxury oceanfront retreat tucked on its own oceanfront enclave on the South end of Palm Beach. The resort has been a favorite for snowbirds and South Florida locals alike, boasting Forbes Five-Star recognition, luxury amenities, distinctive dining, an award-winning spa, and a multi-million dollar renovation. Guests can relax among the two Palm-fringed pools including an adults-only pool featuring a new poolside Tranquility Bar; dine at Polpo Palm Beach, the second outpost of the beloved Greenwich, Connecticut Italian restaurant; enjoy Palm Beach’s first omakase experience at intimate sushi concept, Bōken; or get a taste of fine dining and tableside experiences at Angle.

A stay starts with a complimentary glass of champagne upon check-in to ensure vacation mode is turned on. Plan to spend time in Eau Spa, a sanctuary devoted to relaxation, pure indulgence, and pampering. Start a treatment off with a candlelight ritual at the wishing well, unwind in the spa garden adorned with

handing chairs over pools of shallow water, create your own scrub at the Scrub & Polish bar, and book a private cabana for pre or post-spa treatment serenity. Treatments range from the Eau So Cool facial featuring luxury Swiss brand, Valmont, to signature massages and body treatments such as The Imperial Geisha including a handdrawn bath, body polish, dry buff, and warm body butter and silk massage.

While adults unwind, kids and teens have their retreat at The Loggers Kid’s Club and Hideaway Teen’s Club with a Lite Zilla wall, a craft station for kids to color fish to upload into a virtual aquarium, a stage for theatrical performances and movie nights, and direct access to a new family splash pad and ice cream parlor.

Guest rooms and suites are beautiful, designed by Jonathan Adler and each room has a private balcony. The resort has three tennis courts; a state-ofthe-art fitness center with a spin and yoga studio; complimentary non-motorized water sports and for a special treat, no resort fees! Plan your visit to Eau Palm Beach .

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EAU PALM BEACH

STEIN ERIKSEN LODGE

A GOLD MEDAL FAMILY VACATION

Olympic gold medal winners understand what it takes to be the best in the world. Stein Eriksen, Norway’s alpine skier gold medalist, brought his gold standard to Deer Valley Resort as Director of Skiing and the resort’s exclusive Stein Collection-The Stein Eriksen Lodge, Stein Eriksen Residences, and The Chateaux Deer Valley. The Stein Collection is simply the best of everything, the mid-mountain setting at Deer Valley resort, superior accommodations, award-winning dining, and most of all, outstanding service.

Park City is an ideal family destination year-round, with two mountain resorts, Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort. Best of all, it’s so easy to get to. Fly non-stop to Salt Lake City International Airport; Stein Eriksen Lodge is only a 45-minute ride away. No need to rent a car during your stay; the Lodge offers complimentary rides to and from any destination within Park City.

Stein Eriksen Lodge welcomes guests to a European hotel with homey Nordic touches. Glittretind Restaurant is the Lodge’s charming restaurant with a spectacular mid-mountain view. The Troll Hallen Lounge offers casual outdoor dining on the deck and a cozy spot for lunch or apres-ski in winter.

Whether you’re a family of four or ten, there are accommodations for all, ideal for families traveling together and family reunions. For skiers, Stein is first class- ski-in/ski-out at Deer Valley resort, just click in and take off.

A ski valet helps you into your boots; guests have their own ski locker, and an onsite sports shop for ski and mountain bike rentals.

The Lodge has two pools, one just for family swimming and lounging.

Kids love the Champions Club Entertainment Center, the Lodge’s new 3,500 squarefoot game zone, and relaxed dining area for burgers, wings, milkshakes, and banana splits.

Where to Spa in Park City? Stein Eriksen Spa is the only Forbes 5-star spa in all of Utah. This impressive 23,000-square-foot facility features 16 treatment rooms, relaxation rooms, and locker facilities with a hot plunge bath, cool plunge, steam, and sauna.

Whether you plan your stay at The Lodge, The Chateaux, or The Residences, all the properties use the Lodge’s facilities and services. The “Stein” experience is carefully crafted to create a year-round effortless family experience. Stein Lodge

–RICH SILVER

CAMP ASPEN/SNOWMASS AT THE LIMELIGHT HOTEL

Summer Camp in Aspen/Snowmass, sign me up! Your kids can fill their days with fishing, hiking, rocket building, mountainboarding, paintballing, mountain biking, outdoor arts and crafts and more. With season passes as well as single-day and multi-day offerings there’s unlimited potential for fun this summer at Camp Aspen Snowmass. Parents can make the most of their visit while their

kids uncover new hobbies and harness a love for nature.

Camp Aspen Snowmass

The Snowmass free concert series is a favorite family activity in June and July. On Thursday evenings join the community for a summer picnic at Fanny Hill to watch great live music with a beautiful alpine backdrop.

The Limelight Snowmass is ideal for your home base, right in the middle of Snowmass Base Village, just steps from the gondola. You’ll love the vibe of the Limelight Lounge, a friendly community living room to relax, dine and listen to live music. Breakfast is a highlight at The Limelight with a fantastic European breakfast buffet to fuel up for a day outdoors. Cool off at the hotel’s two pools with spa-side cabanas and kids have their own indoor game room. Best of all, pets are welcome!

The Limelight Hotel Snowmass offers a guided downhill mountain bike program on Tuesdays. This includes a single bike haul ticket for the Elk Camp Gondola. Guests also receive a complimentary bike rental if they do not have their own. The program begins at 10 am and runs until 1 pm. Coaches offer tips to ensure guests have an exceptional time all while guiding guests on the Snowmass Bike Park downhill trails for an unforgettable day.

One of the coolest new features of the Limelight Hotel Snowmass is a five-story climbing wall with three self-belay routes—a lower one for beginners, and two that will scale the entire wall. Staff will be on hand to give pointers, ensure safety, and help with harnesses and climbing shoes.

How about an Audio experience! Audi of America the Limelight Hotel offers guests the opportunity to explore Snowmass and the surrounding area in pure luxury. These complimentary test drives are limited to one 2-hour reservation per stay. Adventure awaits!

Limelight Hotel Snowmass

–RICH SILVER

ROUNDTREE HOTEL, AMAGANSETT

You’re invited to the Hamptons. No need to panic, “I have nothing to wear.” The Roundtree, Amagansett is an invitation to unwind and relax. This charming retreat is located at 273 Main Street, right at the Hamptons Jitney stop, steps away from Amagansett’s restaurants and boutiques. Rows of colorful bikes with signature baskets await for biking to the beach or carrying your farm stand produce. The Roundtree’s magnificent landscaped grounds, two acres surrounded by open farmland, conjure scenes of an outdoor wedding or a private event.

Families and pets are welcome; the hotel offers pack-andplays for babies and small children and can arrange for a babysitter service for a night out. The Roundtree is intimate, with just 15 rooms- 5 stand-alone cottages and 10 rooms. An exceptionally comfortable mattress, Frette linens and slippers, Matouk towels, and Grown Alchemist bath products add a touch of elegance. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. Love the fridge stocked with beverages and a snack box with local potato chips and treats. Impossible to resist the chocolate chip cookies served every afternoon and s’mores prepared nightly around the firepit. A complimentary continental breakfast is served outdoors in the garden surrounded by the bluest hydrangeas.

The hotel has a beach sticker if you’d like to take your car to one of the local beaches. Even better, The Roundtree buggy shuttles guests to Atlantic beach from 10:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a complete beach day set up of chairs, towels, umbrellas, beach toys, and ice coolers. Just call when you’re ready to come back to the hotel.

Walk along Main St. to Amber Waves Farm, the celebrated farm, market, café, and bakery. There are so many restaurants to choose from; the hotel will assist with reservations. Guests are welcome to take out dinner and bring it home to the hotel. The staff will set a candlelit table for private outdoor dining. The Roundtree, Amagansett is a refreshing, easygoing stay, ideal for creating your own Hamptons experience.

slh.com/hotels/the-roundtree –DEBBIE SILVER

OCEAN HOUSE AND ITS COTTAGE COLLECTION PROVIDES LUXURY, CONVENIENCE AND COMFORT

Watch Hill in South County, Rhode Island. This magical seaside setting has served as treasured New England resort since the early 19th century. Located on a vast expanse of the Atlantic, the area provides endless delights for the senses. White sand beaches and crystal waters set the scene for an array of water sports, seaside activities and relaxation. Miles of endless shoreline provide access to inlets and coves to explore and breathtaking sunsets to savor. The charming village offers a selection of galleries, boutiques and dining, all fronting a historic harbor. The Watch Hill Carousel, designated as a national historic landmark, is the oldest flying horse carousel in the United States. It has delighted children and parents for generations.

The centerpiece of Watch Hill is the extraordinary, historic Ocean House. Set high on a bluff with commanding views of the Atlantic, this Forbes 15-star meticulously restored resort set a new standard for seaside luxury when it reopened after a $140 million rebuild in 2010.

Watch Hill is quintessential New England in its charm. Offering a unique sense of privacy and exclusivity, it is home to an array of sprawling estates and residences, lovingly referred to as “cottages” on the peninsula. Each one exemplifies classic New England style and provides unmatched luxury and sophistication.

To allow visitors to feel right at home at this one-of-a-kind destination, Ocean House has created The Cottage Collection, private residences available on a weekly or monthly basis. Many are historic homes that have been restored to their original grandeur, or better. Some are more modern. All offer the highest level of quality and attention to detail. From an 1853 former schoolhouse, just adjacent to Ocean House to an expansive 11,000 square foot, nine-bedroom estate with its own pool, spa and screening room, each property provides the perfect setting for extended family gatherings or even the most exclusive corporate retreat. Every property has its own personality and style, but all provide relaxed and welcoming environs.

Renting from The Cottage Collection provides all the privacy and exclusivity of a personal home but with all the amenities and access of internationally renowned luxury resort. Amenities and unparalleled experiences include private members club privileges, as well as private beach access and dining. A personal concierge assists with scheduling activities including services at the Five Star Ocean & Harvest Spa, beach cabanas, yachting, croquet, wine and culinary classes, access to squash courts and exclusive private events.

For details and availability, we invite you to contact one of our Destination Services Specialists at 877.724.5031 or visitoceanhouseri.com/cottage

THE PERFECT NEW ENGLAND GETAWAY ON THE SCENIC RHODE ISLAND COAST

The charming and historic seaside village of Watch Hill, Rhode Island on the Atlantic Coast, home to the Forbes 15-star Ocean House.

One of the luxury residences in the Ocean House Cottage Collection in Rhode Island, providing privacy, comfort and upscale amenities.

SCRUB ISLAND RESORT SPA & MARINA

Adventure and luxury set within the magic and beauty of the British Virgin Islands, Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina is your own pristine private island retreat. Discover service excellence at every turn at this AAA Four Diamond hotel. Secluded beaches, resort pools, a tranquil spa, waterfront dining, a modern, deep-water marina and more await.

Guest rooms and suites feature ocean views and well-appointed amenities in the heart of Marina Village. Nestled into lush hillsides, Scrub Island’s exquisite villas offer next-level pampering and elegant furnishings, including gourmet kitchens with Wolf and SubZero appliances, expansive terraces, and spacious living areas designed perfectly for an intimate enclave or a multi-generational gathering. With a collection of floor plans ranging from two to six bedrooms, breathtaking panoramas promise stunningly beautiful backdrops.

The resort features incredible excursions, so your island-hopping itinerary should include The Baths, Norman Island, and the

iconic watering holes of Willy T’s,

and the Soggy Dollar.

Scrub Island is just 1.5 miles off the coast of Tortola, connected by a private ferry. Complimentary transfers are easily arranged from Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS). Discover more at scrubisland.com.

Foxy’s,

NICHOLAS AIR

At nicholas air — we look at things a bit differently. We keep private travel simple— skipping the 30-page contracts so you can spend more time enjoying the best of private aviation experiences. Each journey is the culmination of careful planning, flawless execution, and an unbridled passion to provide the best in worldclass customer service. It begins before the friendly handshake of our pilots. From the time you purchase your Jet Card, we have already begun the process to make your personalized flight comfortable and enjoyable.

As the Owner and Operator of such a new fleet, providing world-class service is in our

DNA. We train our entire organization, from the maintenance team, to the Member Operations Center, and out to the flight line, on the elements and importance of elite customer care. No other brand makes nearly the investment we make in hospitality, and it is something that our Members see, and make note of, with every experience.

From the personalized attention to our commitment to providing the highest quality aircraft to the most refined set of private flyers, the NICHOLAS AIR team is solely focused on one mission--- yours.

Our Members come to us because we have a different perspective. Our Members demand authenticity and reliability, and for over two decades, they’ve found it right here, at Nicholas Air.

This is Your Year

This is your place in the sun

Trillium Architects

Trillium Architects has been actively designing sustainable and energyefficient, custom homes since 2004. Now a leader in the industry, this boutique firm of a dozen architects produces cutting-edge, bespoke residences throughout Fairfield, Litchfield, and Westchester Counties.

Clients come to Trillium for 3 reasons: They want a house that performs like a luxury EV. Did you know that you can live in an all-electric house that costs $18 per month to heat, cool, and operate? Trillium’s homes – whether they are 2,000 sf or 10,000 sf- are built to meet this goal.

They want a house that is safe for their family. There are so many toxins and allergens in our world these days. From building materials to indoor air and water quality, Trillium’s homes are designed to be healthy and free of red-list items, allowing you to breathe easy knowing that your family will be well.

They want to help combat climate change. Many of our clients care deeply about the environment. Sustainable building materials and methods produce houses that have very small carbon footprints. Imagine if every home were a Trillium Home. Sophisticated to the eye, thoughtful to the user, and meticulously detailed, Trillium Architects homes are Sustainable Luxury Defined.

trilliumarchitects.com

The Summit Club Residences

The Summit Club Residences, a visionary new country club community located 35 miles from NYC in Armonk, NY has introduced its highly anticipated residential plans. “The Summit Club is being designed as a modern, 21st-century lifestyle community offering a highly amenitized luxury residential experience with golf, tennis, fitness and wellness within a resort-like environment” explains Jeffrey B. Mendell, Managing Partner.

The 72 luxury condominium residences combined with The Summit Club’s Rees Jones redesigned golf course creates the only private country club and residential community in Westchester County. Situated on one of the area’s highest elevations, The Summit Club Residences feature unobstructed long distance south and west sunset views. The 72 condominiums occupy six separate buildings of 12 units each on 3 floors, with two residences per elevator landing.

In addition to the Rees Jones 6,700-yard par 71 championship golf course and redesigned practice facilities, resort-style amenities will include a state-of-the-art fitness and wellness center, tennis and pickleball courts, an 82-foot heated outdoor pool, spa jacuzzi, pool bar, casual poolside dining, and fire pits with Adirondack seating.

summitclubresidences.com *

Acts of Kindness

God’s Love We Deliver

God’s Love We Deliver was founded in 1985 at the height of a health crisis. The AIDS crisis forever changed the fabric of NYC, and many of our clients were living alone, facing stigma, illness, and hunger. In those early years, when many turned away, we brought food, love, and care to our friends who were dying of this illness.

Today, God’s Love serves individuals with more than 200 diagnoses, while providing the same essential food, love, and care to our clients. This year, we will cook home-deliver more than 3.4 million medically tailored meals to nearly 11,000 individuals in the NYC metropolitan area – including Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau Counties. It is the caring support of 14,000 volunteers who help make every meal and delivery possible.

For nearly 40 years, we have served New Yorkers who are living with serious or chronic illness. We provide life-affirming meals and nutritional therapy to help our clients stay strong and face their treatments. Many of the people who rely on us for food spend much of their time alone at home. Our daily meals are a reminder that their neighbors care.

God’s Love We Deliver is unique. For anyone in need of delicious, nutritious, home-delivered meals, God’s Love is the only game in town. In our near 40-year history, we have remained committed to our core values: we will never charge a sick client or their family for meals, we will never have a waiting list, and we will deliver a meal on the next delivery day after first contact.

We believe that food is love, and we know that food is medicine. Our meals are designed by on-staff registered dietitian nutritionists to keep our clients strong, comfortable, and more in control of their lives. Studies have shown that medically tailored meals (MTM) reduce in-patient admissions by 50%, enabling people to remain in their own homes. Recipients of MTM experience better mental health, lessened food insecurity, and dramatically reduced medical costs. Ours is an intervention that improves the lives of recipients and reduces the strain on the healthcare system.

If you’re looking to get involved with God’s Love We Deliver, we hope you’ll do one, two, or all of these three actions:

1) VOLUNTEER! From kitchen to delivery and everything in between, there’s meaningful work for everyone.

2) DONATE! When you donate, you do so with the satisfaction of knowing that your donation is going directly to helping a neighbor living with illness get the nourishing meals they so urgently need.

3) BECOME OR REFER A CLIENT! If you or someone you love in the NYC metropolitan area – a neighbor, a friend, a colleague, a family member – is living with a life-altering illness and is in need of our home-delivered, medically tailored meals, please reach out. We are here to help.

If you’re looking for a fun way to get involved, we hope you’ll consider joining us at our annual soirée in the Hamptons – Midsummer Night Drinks – on July 29th or our inaugural God’s Love Open: A Golf, Tennis, and Pickleball event on August 14th at the Westchester Country Club.Learn more at glwd.org *

TOP TO BOTTOM: PHOTOS BY NICOLA BAILEY AND LYDIA LEE

Monday, August 14, 2023 Westchester Country Club, Rye, NY

The inaugural golf, tennis, and pickleball fundraising event will bring sport enthusiasts together for a fun tournament in support of God’s Love We Deliver.

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Enjoy a memorable July evening of cocktails, music, and spectacular views, at a significant private home in the Hamptons. Midsummer Night Drinks is a great way to kick off the Hamptons “summer season” while supporting one of New York City’s most beloved charities, God’s Love We Deliver.

Body & Soul

Orora Skin Science

ORORA SKIN SCIENCE is changing the face of collagen treatment with a unique 100 % vegan, GMO-free certified, bioidentical human collagen skincare line. Orora’s Bioactive Collagen System is a serum and cream combination that offers highly effective anti-aging benefits backed by biotechnology and clinically certified, award-winning results.

The key anti-aging ingredient that powers Orora’s Bioactive Collagen System is HumaColl21-the world’s first 100% vegan, bioidentical human collagen type 21. HumaColl21 was developed and produced by the worldrenowned biotech firm Geltor for the purpose of creating a more sustainable solution to traditional collagen production methods.

Unlike current forms of collagen that come from groundup body parts of chicken, pig, cow, or fish, HumaColl21 is grown through a plant-based bacterial fermentation process specifically designed to match the exact structure and function of human collagen type 21. When we say 100% bio-identical, we mean that the human body recognizes HumaColl21 as a peptide native to our own bodies and thus 100% bio-compatible.

Skin cells absorb HumaColl21, recognize it as native type 21 collagen, and start producing new structural collagen at any age. The result – increased skin firmness, elasticity, and collagen levels in as little as 2 weeks while decreasing wrinkle size and reducing redness. Discover a new realm of radiance with Orora Skin Science. ororaskin.com

Bioactive Collagen Serum

Working at a cellular level, the bioactive collagen serum immediately improves the skin’s hydration levels resulting in a visibly smoother, plumper appearance. It stimulates the skin’s natural regenerative mechanisms; encouraging the formation of new collagen and elastin for firmer and more supple skin that radiates from the inside out.

Bioactive Collagen Cream

Nourishing powers of bioactive collagen cream target dry and irritated skin, enabling water retention at a cellular level. Leaving skin that glows with an aura of good health from the very 1st application. By infusing every cell with nourishment, the skin’s radiance is visible outside, and revitalization is felt inside.

Alaffia CLEAN, GREEN & FAIR TRADE BEAUTY

AUTHENTIC AFRICAN BLACK SOAP ALL-IN-ONE

Alaffia Authentic African Black Soap does EVERYTHING –including giving back. This all-in-one skincare essential gently washes your body, hair, face, and hands while supporting Alaffia’s Empowerment Projects in Togo, West Africa.

Made from a centuries-old recipe of handcrafted fair trade & unrefined shea butter, orangutan-safe West African palm oil, eucalyptus, and tea tree oils, this natural versatile soap is suitable for any skin type (even the most sensitive!), has no synthetic fragrance, and is certified Cruelty-Free and Vegan.

Alaffia’s natural West African palm oil is grown and harvested by small-scale farmers in the maritime region of Togo, from the town of Tsevie to Kpalime. The oil is extracted by their Fair-Trade cooperative in Sokodé using traditional methods. Oil palms are native to West Africa and have been grown as part of multi-cropped sustainable small farms for centuries.

Everyday Shea Butter Bubble Bath – Lavender

Alaffia’s calming, aromatic sulfate-free bubble bath is made with handcrafted fair trade and unrefined shea butter, soothing African yam, and lavender oil. For every day use on normal to very dry skin, this cruelty-free formula is made without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, artificial color, or synthetic fragrance.

Pure Unrefined Shea Butter – unscented

Intensely moisturizing, this unrefined raw shea butter nourishes and softens skin with fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. It’s cruelty-free, and formulated without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, artificial color, or synthetic fragrance. Warm a small amount in your palm and apply to skin or hair as desired. Can also be used for massage. Works best when applied just after bathing. Alaffia’s fair trade unscented shea butter is handcrafted at the Alaffia Village cooperative in Togo, West Africa. Warm a small amount in palm and apply to skin or hair as desired. May also be used for massage. Works best when applied just after bathing. For external use only.

When you purchase Alaffia’s handcrafted skin and hair care, you join the support of empowering women and families around the world. alaffia.com

Body & Soul

Balanced Vibe

STRESS doesn’t just stay in your head, it literally makes you sick. That’s because the brain interprets stress as a physical threat and prepares your body to fight. But with nothing to fight, the stress hormones start sparking small fires of inflammation causing system imbalance. Doctors have a name for it: inflammageing.

We can’t control what’s happening around us, but for sure we can choose how we react to it.

At Balanced Vibe, we turned to nature for solutions. Nature stops stress in its tracks by giving us a place to quickly unplug, recenter the mind and rebalance our bodies. And for the stress that finds its way in, nature provides us plants that help our bodies deal with the damage of stress and the symptoms of inflammation.

Partnering with nature to rebalance bodies and minds and optimize healthspans. That’s what Balanced Vibe is about. balancedvibe.com

Digestive Daily Wellness

Food experiences are part of travel but can irritate your stomach. Balanced Vibe® Digestive Daily Wellness master blend combines 9 calming ayurvedic, stress-modulating adaptogens and amino acids to rebalance your system from gas, bloat, and discomfort so you can enjoy the experience.

Memory & Focus Daily Wellness

Memories make the best souvenirs, but travel stress can weaken them. Balanced Vibe® Memory & Focus Daily Wellness master blend combines 8 stress-modulating adaptogens, antioxidants, and anxiety calming plants and mushrooms, all working together to support healthy brain function. Travel adventures move fast, stay focused.

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

Expand Your Possibilities with Omega Institute

The Hudson Valley has long been known as one of the country’s premier destinations for lovers of vibrant cultural, recreational, and educational experiences. And for more than 45 years, Omega Institute, a center for holistic studies tucked in the rolling countryside just outside the village of Rhinebeck, N.Y., has provided visitors with all of those, and more. Whether you’re looking for rest and rejuvenation, or to expand your possibilities through innovative workshops led by its world-renowned faculty, Omega offers a wide array of educational, restorative, and in-

things that give us reason for hope—personally and together as a human family.”

Looking to kick back and relax? An Omega Rest & Rejuvenation Retreat allows you the freedom to create a retreat uniquely your own, while accessing all the amenities and activities of Omega’s All-Inclusive Stay, including classes in yoga, tai chi, and meditation.

Omega’s campus also features a newly-renovated Wellness Center, offering a wide variety of services—from massage to acupuncture to Reiki, as well as other special services to support your experience.

For those looking to take part in the Omega experience from home, Omega offers online access to popular workshops and many free resources, such as conversations with top teachers, an award-winning podcast, the Omega Online

spirational programming at its scenic, 250-acre campus, and online.

“At Omega, we see a direct link between personal growth and social change. Our curriculum helps people connect more deeply to themselves, others, and the world we share,” says Carla Goldstein, president and chief executive officer at Omega.

This year’s workshops and conferences feature leading teachers such as Elizabeth Gilbert, Shaman Durek, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Vandana Shiva, Dan Harris, and Laura Lynne Jackson. Omega’s Centers and Initiatives bring a unique perspective to solving some of the most pressing issues facing society today.

“We believe the well-being of each of us is deeply connected to the well-being of all living things,” Goldstein says. “Our 2023 season brings with it opportunities to learn and practice those

Community on Facebook, and more. Become an Omega Member to receive even more benefits and resources while supporting Omega’s nonprofit work and scholarships.

“Whether you join us online or in person,” says Goldstein, “we invite you to explore the many ways Omega can help you expand your possibilities.” *

BY CHRISTA KIESLING

Diving into New Adventures

Life Lessons From A Girl Who Wore a Bikini to a Swim Meet

Iwant to start by saying I am no Katie Ledecky. My swimming resume consists of Mommy and Me swim lessons from the age of 3 to 6, a meet-and-greet with an Olympic swimmer, and trips to Oceans of Fun. However, my only “competitive” swimming experience was who could hold their breath longer — me or my sister. And I usually lost to her elite, singer lung capacity.

So, when my statistics classmate picked me to be the final member of her team for my college’s intramural swimming competition, needless to say, I was surprised. I don’t know if she ran the regression analysis, but statistically, the odds of me being an asset to the team were mathematically zero. Nevertheless, who was I to turn down such an exceptional judge of untapped potential talent? I was now a proud member of Alpha Sigma Sigma, or A.S.S. if you will.

It was the day of the meet. Dressed in my all-black string bikini, I exuded the confidence of a Victoria’s Secret supermodel — that is, before I stepped out of the locker room.

Entering the pool “arena,” I was bombarded with the sight of lanky guys in speedos, leaving little to the imagination. As they began warming up, their icy stares pierced through the artificially-heated air. They all had what I can only describe as the intense focus of a Hunger Games tribute moments before the buzzer was blown, and I was nothing more than their first target. I knew then and there I was completely out of my league.

The world seemed to move in slow motion as I tentatively walked toward my team. We then rallied together for some stereotypical sports team handshake that we made up on the spot.

“Hands in! Alpha Sigma Sigma on three! One two three!”

You get the drill.

Our team relay was up. I was designated as the anchor — to end strong and bring the team home with my signature freestyle stroke, the doggy paddle.

I know what you might be thinking —

Did I get up on that diving block in a two-piece swimsuit in front of everyone? Yes, I did. Did my swim bottoms fall down to my ankles the second I dove into the water? You bet they did. But there was no time to scold myself for only now understanding why swimmers wear a one-piece. All I could do was shimmy

up my bikini bottoms because the race was on.

I flailed my way through the water in a half-swim, half-panic until halfway through the stretch my adrenaline ran out. I then realized — this is harder than it looks.

But I was determined to finish what I started — moreover, my team was counting on me. Gasping for air, I reached the edge of the pool.

Like the perfect ending to a cinematic movie, I crawled up from the deep end, where I was welcomed by the shouts of victory from my team. But for me, like any good main character, I was just thankful to have made it out alive.

We ended up placing 1st in our division — and I’m sure if it were a beauty contest we would have won that too. I even got a t-shirt with gold glitter lettering that I will probably wear until the end of time.

I guess I should mention, we were the only team in our division. But the more important part is my takeaways from this experience.

1. Nobody really cares.

Everyone is in their own little world doing their own little thing. You might be inclined to believe every move you make will be intensely scrutinized by everyone, but in reality, this is rarely the case. In fact, I don’t think anyone even noticed that I got pantsed by the deep end like a poorly executed gym class prank. So be yourself because otherwise, that’s lame.

2. You have nothing to lose by trying new things.

By surrounding yourself with the right kind of friends that push you out of your comfort zone, your life will be a lot more exciting — or you’ll at least have some good stories to tell.

3. Not everything is about winning.

Enjoy the experience and don’t let other people intimidate you. So get out there and join that recreational sports team, chess league, or craft group. Because not everything is about taking home that first-place award — except when it is. *

Christa Kiesling is a graduate of Truman State University, where this story takes place.

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, AND SUMMER PROGRAMS GUIDE

CONNECTICUT COLLEGE

CONNECTICUT COLLEGE PRE-COLLEGE PROGRAM

New London, CT

Connecticut College is inviting curious, creative, insightful and innovative high school students to explore their passions, collaborate with faculty and current students, and get an early feel for the college experience with Summer@Conn pre-college programs.

The College is launching residential pre-college programs for rising 9th-12th grade students interested in entrepreneurship, dance, global issues or environmental action. Each immersive program is taught by experienced faculty and staff, and participants will live and learn on campus with current Connecticut College students who serve as counselors.

Designed to introduce participants to Conn’s innovative, integrative and solution-oriented approach to teaching and learning, the programs will empower students with the skills they need to turn their new knowledge into action in their communities. Students will also sample a variety of skill-building electives, such as college essay writing, interview preparation and journaling workshops, as well as recreational activities, including tennis, swimming, kayaking and bowling.

Two programs, Venture Incubator and Dance Intensive with David Dorfman Dance, will be offered July 5-14. Venture Incubator participants will gain a greater understanding of entrepreneurship, build new practical skills in critical thinking, develop a business concept, and explore strategies to bring their venture to market. Dance Intensive participants will work with David Dorfman Dance, one of the most influential contemporary dance companies in the United States, on technique and choreography while exploring how “bodies serve as powerful conductors of emotion, strength, vulnerability and change.”

The Global Focus and the Environmental Action through Research, Theory and Heart (E.A.R.T.H.) programs will run July 17-28. Global Focus participants will gain a deeper understanding of the role of diplomacy and develop the capacity to

engage across cultural and national boundaries. Students will explore topics related to global governance, migration, human rights and the role of media and public opinion in policy making. E.A.R.T.H. participants will study the past, present and future of climate change, including historical global circulation patterns, local geological evidence and renewable energy science, and learn how to advocate for solutions.

Applications are now open. For more information or to apply, visit conncoll.edu/academics/summer-programs/ pre-college-programs/.

THIS SUMMER, PUT YOUR FUTURE ON THE RIGHT COURSE.

Connecticut College invites curious, creative, insightful and innovative high school students to join us on campus this summer for a two-week residential pre-college experience like no other. We’ll show you how to carve your own path and put your learning into action in your own communities.

JULY 5-14

DANCE INTENSIVE WITH DAVID DORFMAN DANCE

Perform with the renowned David Dorfman

JULY 5-14

VENTURE INCUBATOR

Realize your potential as an entrepreneur, gain new practical skills in critical thinking, develop your business concept, and explore strategies for bringing the venture to market.

JULY 17-28

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION THROUGH RESEARCH, THEORY, AND HEART ( E.A.R.T.H.)

Embrace your inner scientist to study the past, present and future of climate change and learn how to advocate for meaningful, long-term solutions.

JULY 17-28

GLOBAL FOCUS

Develop your diplomatic skills and learn about the relationship between pressing global issues and the role of diplomacy while strengthening your ability to engage across cultural and national boundaries.

Dance company during an intensive program focused on technique and choreography.

270 Mohegan Ave., New London, CT 06320 www.conncoll.edu

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY PRE-COLLEGE PROGRAMS

Syracuse, NY

For 63 years, Syracuse University Office of Pre-College Programs has been providing high school students with the opportunity to explore college majors and careers in its renowned pre-college programs. Students not only learn what it’s like to be a college student, they make new likeminded friends from across the country and world and leave the program with more confidence, enthusiasm, and a sense of readiness for college.

Summer College - On Campus

Students who reside on campus navigate daily life like a college student – they take a college-level course, live in a residence hall, have meals with friends in a dining hall, and participate in social activities, events, and weekend trips. Students build meaningful connections with instructors and classmates in an immersive and collaborative living and learning environment. With an average instructor to student ratio of 9:1, students have a more personalized experience.

Summer College - Online:

Online students explore majors and pursue academic interests from the comfort of home – or from anywhere life takes them. All online courses have synchronous classes on a weekly basis, ranging from as few as one to as many as four classes per week. Students can expect to complete up to ten hours of asynchronous work per week in addition to the synchronous classes.

Summer College - Hybrid:

Students in Summer College – Hybrid courses have the best of both On Campus and Online formats with these 6-week courses. Students begin their hybrid courses with two weeks of immersive coursework on campus. They then complete their coursework in the less intensive online format for the remaining four weeks from the comfort of their own home – or wherever life takes them! The benefits of Summer College – On Campus and Summer College – Online are combined to provide students with an intensive and engaging hybrid experience. precollege.syr.edu

PRE-COLLEGE STARTS HERE.

EXPERIENCE COLLEGE

WHILE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL

• 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6-week courses

• Credit and noncredit courses

• On Campus, Online, and Hybrid programs

• Get a head start on college

• Stand out to college admissions

• Make friends from around the world

AREAS OF STUDY

• Art, Architecture and Design

• Business and Leadership

• Communications and Journalism

• Computer Studies

• Economics and Law

• Film and Photography Studies

• Health Sciences, Medicine and Nutrition

• Humanities and Social Sciences

• Sport Analytics

• STEM

• Theater and Music • Writing and Literature

• And more!

• Explore college majors in 100+ courses Discounts are available. Seats fill up quickly - APPLY SOON!

HOTCHKISS SUMMER PORTALS

Lakeville, CT

Cultivate Your Passion at The Hotchkiss School

Hotchkiss Summer Portals offers middle and high school age students the opportunity to hone a talent or try something new while experiencing the unique and elite learning community that is Hotchkiss. Nestled in the iconic beauty of the Taconic Hills and Berkshire Mountains, our picturesque 800-acre campus in the northwest corner of Connecticut serves as both classroom and playground for Summer Portals students.

Each day students are immersed in their academic course after which they enjoy a range of afternoon and evening activities such as intramural soccer, hiking, swimming or bonfires at Fairfield Farm. Students will live on campus in dorms with students who represent a range of talents, backgrounds, and interests. Each day offers ample opportunity for structured independence as well as the ability to explore new interests supported by a community of caring faculty and staff.

Looking to up your game? Day sports programs include the Hotchkiss-Salisbury Golf School, Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy,

Arsenal Soccer Camps, and Nike Basketball Camp.

For budding writers, Summer Portals offers Writers and Writing, and a partner program with the prestigious journal The Concord Review

Looking to boost your college application? Make this summer count with our virtual programs that include: College Essay Support; ACT and SAT Prep; and the Standard Application Online (SAO) Application Essay.

Having trouble deciding? Our most popular programs are The Physics of the Electric Guitar; Equity is the Work: Writing for Justice; Writers and Writing, which is perfect for independent authors; Coding and Software Engineering; and the Civil War, which is open to children and adults and takes place in historic Gettysburg, PA.

Summer Portals tuition is all inclusive of room, board, course expenses, most on and off campus activities, and technology and health center fees. Learn more at hotchkiss.org/summer, or call 860-435-3173, or email summer@hotchkiss.org.

EXPERIENCE LEARNING!

Make new friends, have fun, and learn by doing more.

JOIN US FOR SUMMER PORTALS 2023!

Classes run for two weeks from July 2-30

Hotchkiss Summer Portals is a residential program that offers middle and high school students the opportunity to participate in two-week enrichment programs at a top-tier New England boarding school.

ANTICIPATED PROGRAMS FOR SUMMER 2023:

Writers & Writing

Equity is the Work: Writing for Justice

Fly Fishing

The Physics of the Electric Guitar

ACT/SAT/College Essay

Golf, Tennis, Soccer, and Basketball Camps

The Civil War And More!

Learn more at hotchkiss.org/summer

CONTACT:

Christiana Gurney Rawlings’85, P’12,’14,’19

Director of Admission and Residential Life summer@hotchkiss.org (860) 435-3173

SCHOOL GUIDE

THE IDEAL SCHOOL OF MANHATTAN New York City, NY

A Small School That’s BIG on Inclusion

The IDEAL School of Manhattan is New York’s only K-12+ independent inclusion school. Our mission is to affirm and accept the full identities of all people while inspiring academic excellence, creative leadership, and a desire to build a more just and equitable world.

Our school’s core principles are Inclusion, Diversity, Excellence, Acceptance, and Leadership. Every aspect of the IDEAL experience--instruction, assessment, program, enrichment--

specialists create a nurturing community where every student can succeed, and has a voice.

IDEAL’s curriculum and programs are multicultural by design, and social justice and anti-bias instruction are built-in and given dedicated instructional time. Immersion in the arts and a differentiated athletic program, as well as service-learning opportunities, round out the IDEAL experience.

Our exceptional academic program is based on the belief that students learn best when we set a high bar and scaffold the path to achievement through differentiation. Lower School (K-5) classes are co-taught by a general educator and a learning specialist. Middle School (6-8) classes cultivate lifelong learning

reflects a research-based commitment to inclusion education as a means for academic excellence.

IDEAL is moving and combining divisions in a single building at 5 Hanover Square in the Financial District beginning September 2023. Architects Alexander Gorlin and Quncie Williams have designed a self-enclosed 5-story building-withina-building that will be a model of learning, access, and inclusion. Each floor will house a division, connected by a central staircase.

At IDEAL, teachers design instruction that builds upon the talents and strengths of their learners, providing instruction at multiple levels of complexity within the same classroom. Supportive faculty, low student-to-teacher ratios, small class sizes, and partnerships between general educators and learning

skills. High School (9-12) is uniquely student-driven, flexible, and inclusive, with a focus on building life skills. The Next Steps Transition Program is available to students as an alternative or ramp to college and supports each student’s continued progress. Please visit theidealschool.org to learn more.

Location:

The IDEAL School of Manhattan

314 West 91st Street

270 West 89th Street

New York, NY 10024

212-769-1699

theidealschool.org/admissions

IVY BOUND “Test At Your Best”

Ivy Bound offers top-notch tutors to families, at their convenience. Ivy Bound’s tutors are available for all K-12 subjects and most college subjects. They work with students online, and often at their homes.

Ivy Bound also provides test prep for the SSAT, ISEE, SAT, ACT, and the grad school entrance exams: GRE, GMAT, NCLEX, MCAT, and LSAT.

Especially for SAT/ACT prep, which is the most popular, Ivy Bound’s serious students show remarkable score increases: an average of 143 SAT points and 13.6 ACT points. Ivy Bound guarantees its students 50 to 150 SAT points; every student has met or exceeded the guarantee threshold since 2015. Ivy Bound has seen 200+ point improvers every semester since 2018.

Ivy Bound’s ACT guarantee is 12 section points, and no student has fallen short in over a decade. As counselors know, these big improvements translate into better college admission offers and high scholarship awards. Ivy Bound’s scholarship-seeking

students report average 4-year awards exceeding $113,000.

All Ivy Bound ACT/SAT tutors are top 1% scorers. Ivy Bound selects them additionally for their empathy, enthusiasm, clarity, and high test knowledge. Families typically have a choice of tutors, so meeting a student’s busy schedule is assured.

For academics, students typically enlist a tutor twice a week to catch up, then once a week to get AHEAD. Students can avoid falling behind by enlisting Ivy Bound for a “course preview” in July or August, covering a semester or more of a daunting course. Students then have the competence and confidence to plunge into the semester.

Students needing study skills and families concerned about the college admissions process can enlist Ivy Bound for summer sessions and monthly follow-ons.

For all academic needs, parents may reach Ivy Bound at 877-IVY-BOUND and at ivybound.net

ARTS IGNITE

NEWCOMER YOUTH SUMMER ACADEMY

In how many languages can you say “fun?!”

For five weeks this summer, Arts Ignite, an international arts education organization based in NYC, will be doing just that at the Newcomer Youth Summer Academy with over 100 newcomer youth from around the world.

Since 2010, Arts Ignite (formerly ASTEP) has partnered with the International Rescue Committee’s Newcomer Youth Summer Academy (NYSA) to provide creative arts programming, including visual arts, storytelling, music, and dance classes for recently resettled youth across all five boroughs. Meeting the city’s growing need to provide services for young people impacted by immigration status, including refugees, asylum seekers and asylees, unaccompanied minors, and other youth who have arrived to the city within the past two years or less, NYSA provides a comprehensive summer experience for students that is culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and linguistically supportive as students prepare to enter the NYC public school system. The Summer 2022 session, the 13th iteration of this beloved program with Arts Ignite, was a jampacked, five-week exploration of the arts that served 105 recently resettled students aged 4-21 from 24 countries, speaking 23 languages and the Arts Ignite and IRC planning teams are currently gearing up for an even bigger 2023.

As a global organization committed to serving all young people and ensuring access to arts-rich education, Arts Ignite employs skilled Teaching Artists to provide arts educational experiences for youth who would otherwise not have access. Founded in 2006 by Broadway music director, Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Arts Ignite

has served over 25,000 youth both domestically and around the world on four different continents with the aim to not necessarily train young people to be artists, but to think like one. With the mission to “develop agency in young people through the arts,” this past year, a team of twelve Arts Ignite teachers and staff members collaborated to cultivate a NYSA program focused on personal

growth, cultural adjustment, and education.

Arts Ignite programming at the Newcomer Youth Summer Academy provides students with a full itinerary of new experiences formulated to build community and support transition through classes, field trips, talent shows, concerts, and a culminating graduation show. 2022 marked the return to in-person programming after a long hiatus due to the COVID shutdown and, as such, the Arts Ignite team was able to organize and facilitate special community events and field trips. From taking in the magic of a first Broadway show at The Music Man to sharing their special skills and qualities in the “I Am Unique” Talent Show, students were able to experience new things and cultivate a sense of community, self, and pride. With multiple musical concerts, an experiential arts games fair on Governors Island, and collaborative art-making projects, Arts Ignite provided a diverse array of programming with aims to engage and strengthen students’ artistic and social emotional learning. Throughout the summer, Arts Ignite’s classes celebrated the young people’s strengths and built up their unique areas for growth. As a studentnominated class speaker, Jorge said at the graduation ceremony, “Look and see how much we’ve grown.”

As the world changes, the NYSA program constantly adapts to meet evolving student needs. Artistic self-expression can empower all young people to connect with others, strive for academic excellence, and imagine new possibilities and the Arts Ignite team has seen first hand just how powerful participation in the arts can be across realms, from English language learning to emotion regulation, and from relationship building to self-esteem. “NYSA continues to be one of my favorite programs at Arts Ignite,” shared Arts Ignite Deputy Executive Director for Programs and Operations, Lindsay Roberts Greene. “Last year was particularly fascinating as we saw world events directly mirror the increase of students enrolled from both Ukraine and Russia, nationalities that usually don’t have such a high presence at NYSA. Our teaching artists had the unique opportunity to explore community building through creativity with students whose home countries were literally at war. We constantly asked ourselves how dance or visual art, how creating together and building together, could bring these young people closer, form lasting connections, and hopefully impact our next generation towards peace, kindness, and empathy and you know what? Watching the students unite through dance and play as the summer unfolded- I think we achieved some positive impact moving forward.” This feeling was echoed at the culmination of NYSA this

past year, a parent shared, “After leaving Ukraine, [my child] was very stressed. I can see a 100% positive change in her attitude and behavior. Thanks to this program, she has been able to meet new friends and be open to other people again.”

Arts Ignite seeks to develop agency in young people through the arts by using evidence-based programming to foster three core educational values: creative capacity, community, and courage. At NYSA this past year, these values were integrated into a central theme: C.A.R.E. (Creativity, Accountability, Respect, and Empathy). By offering artistic activities and creative exercises that flexed students’ C.A.R.E. muscles, Arts Ignite equipped students with the skills they need to be their best versions of themselves as they build new lives in the United States.

At NYSA and beyond, Arts Ignite prides itself on cultivating brave spaces where young people can develop agency, build critical life skills, and experience the joy of creative expression. In their work with NYSA, the team prioritizes arts programming that mindfully addresses any gaps in academic or social development that recently resettled young people may experience (e.g., being away from a classroom setting for a period of time).

In striving to bring the life-changing capabilities of the arts to young people everywhere, Arts Ignite offers a range of community-oriented programming with proven impact. In addition to NYSA, this year Arts Ignite will launch a pilot program in Uganda with Columbia University to support creative strategies in refugee education, serve youth and mothers impacted by HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence through a theater camp in Johannesburg, South Africa, uplift arts integration for emerging multilingual learners in Waterloo, Iowa, and Homestead, Florida, and continue to work with youth across New York City schools and public programs to ensure that regardless of a young person’s circumstance (underfunded arts programs, periods of homelessness, juvenile incarceration, or any other systemic issue and its effects), young people will have access to arts education and creative tools that that they need to thrive.

To support the work of Arts Ignite and to learn more about their programming, please visit artsignite.org *

Along the Gold Coast

ILLUSTRATION BY BOB ECKSTEIN

It may seem like just a flight, but it is far more than that. Each journey is the culmination of careful planning, flawless execution, and an unbridled passion to provide the best in world-class customer service. It is in each friendly handshake with the industry’s best pilots and it is in the calm that takes over as you settle into your seat aboard a perfectly appointed aircraft, all Owned and Operated by NICHOLAS AIR.

From the personalized attention to our commitment to providing the highest quality aircraft to the Most Refined Set of Private Flyers, the NICHOLAS AIR team is solely focused on one mission--- yours.

Choose from one of our flexible and cost effective Jet Card programs and leave the rest to us.

UPPER EAST SIDE

The Beatles Kaleidoscope Eyes

Prima Facie on Broadway

Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty

Welcome to Doodleport!