PETER OUNDJIAN A CAREER CONDUCTED WITH STYLE
ON THE ROAD
FROM CAPE COD TO TIBET (AND STOPS IN BETWEEN)
CHARLES STARKE
SETTING SAIL, CAMERA IN HAND
QUICK JAUNTS ABOARD GOTHAM AIR BY TRAIN, WITH CHRISTINE NEGRONI HISTORY IN A RARE LIGHT WITH EARLY ELECTRICS ARTISTIC GOLD AT SILVERMINE
WAG: JUDGED BEST MAGAZINE IN NEW YORK STATE
passion’s
TIDES
WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE JUNE 2015 | WAGMAG.COM
Fabulous Home Adjoining 134-Acre Fairchild Garden Preserve
At the end of a quiet private lane, this exciting house has all the bells and whistles on lovely high and fenced property with a tall stonewall at the entrance to the wide driveway into the front circle and a beautiful heated pool with a Badu exercise pump
A
columned portico shelters the amazing, antique 12.5-foot tall front doors. These unique carved doors in the art nouveau style have filigree detailing covered by glass – they are spectacular! The grand two story center hall has lighted niches on either side, a banded marble floor, a powder room, and a broad staircase up to a curved balcony hallway which overlooks the spectacular Great Room/kitchen, the center of daily life living – it is brilliantly designed. This room is several steps down, and it rises two stories into a high tray ceiling with a stone fireplace in the center. There is a island designed for stools, a casual dining area and a generous sitting area for
gathering – each has views of the fireplace. The living room with a fireplace and a coffered ceiling has french doors to a terrace, as does the generous dining room, also with a coffered ceiling and french doors. The richly panelled library has a fireplace, bookcases, a wet bar and an outside balcony. In addition, there is a hall with a laundry and access to the heated three-car garage with a mudroom. This house has two great master suites - one on the main floor with a bay window, deck, and a superb new bathroom with a luxurious whirlpool bathtub and a separate shower. Going up by either of the stairways, there are four bedrooms including a luxurious master suite with a high tray ceiling, a large drop down screen
TV, a sitting area, a deck, two dressing closets and a fabulous onyx bathroom with a whirlpool bathtub and a steam shower. There are three additional en suite bedrooms (two with balconies) and a study, which can be closed off into a bedroom. The lower level has a fabulous billiards/family room with views and a stand up wet bar, a fantastic home theater, a great exercise room with a tray ceiling, a steam shower bathroom, a large sauna, a 1,000 bottle wine cellar, 10 zone hydro-air HVAC, a Crestron house entertainment system, a generator, and internet controlled thermostats. Centrally located - minutes away to numerous shopping areas, close to all highways and has low Greenwich taxes of $22,095 for two acres. $3,850,000
OUT
CLASS THE COMPETITION
CP-AC FITNESS IS NOW OPEN! The Newest Addition to Chelsea Piers
With more trainers, more classes and more choices, members work out harder, longer and faster. So stretch out, gear up and join CP-AC Fitness: a 65,000-square-foot fitness center and clubhouse.
STOP BY FOR A TOUR TODAY!
I-95, Exit 9 • Stamford • 203.989.1234
chelseapiersCT.com/join
CONTENTS
WHAT’S INSIDE: 12 14 18 22 26 30 34 36 40 42 46 48 50 53 60 62 64 66 76
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
It’s about time Tuned in to adventure Charles Starke chronicles his world travels Waves of inspiration Greenwich: A newfound film town Five floors of designs Riding the rails on the roof of the world Silvermine spotlights region’s artistry Captivated on the Cape No stranger to a train Jewelry’s dynamic duo Light revival No lazy beaches need apply… COVER STORY: Peter Oundjian – Have baton, will travel Travelers’ mecca Transparent living Family matters Up, up and away New Rochelle Opera: From idea to 30th anniversary
Photograph, “Aitutaki Island, South Pacific (Before the Storm),” courtesy of and © Charles Starke. 2See story WAGMAG.COM on page 18.JUNE 2015
Summer Warehouse Sale June 10-14 9-6 Daily, Sunday 10-5
Get ready for your summer entertaining! Casafina is opening their doors to the public for 5 days only. In addition to the huge selection of dinnerware & serveware, you will find a wide variety of other home products for indoors and out. Everything is imported from Europe. Prices are exceptional.
301 Fields Lane, Brewster, NY 10509 Exit 8 Route 684 www.casafinagifts.com
845-277-5700
WAGVERTISERS
JUNE 2015
FEATURES: 58 WEAR Glam on the go 68 CHIC CHOICES Gifts and new products
Aqua Pool and Patio - 39 aquapool.com
Lia Grasso – 85 liagrasso.com
Ridgefield Playhouse - 95 ridgefieldplayhouse.org
Atelier Constantin Popescu – 57 Atelierconstantinpopescu.com
Greenwich Film Festival – 75 greenwichfilm.org
John Rizzo Photography- 103 johnrizzophoto.com
Neil S. Berman - 15 neilsberman.com
Greenwich Medical Skincare and Laser Spa - 43 greenwichmedicalspa.com
Roth Fabric - 73 Rothtompkins.com
Bridgeport Hospital – 87 bridgeporthospital.org The Bristal Assisted Living- 25 thebristal.com
70 WEAR It’s in the bag 72 WANDERS The passionate traveler 78 WHEELS Bravo, Mille Miglia! 80 WONDERFUL DINING Italy comes home to Lago 84 WINE & DINE Take a sip and take a trip 86 WHETTING THE APPETITE Jackie Ruby’s Blood-Orange Salmon 88 WELL Stay well while traveling 90 PET OF THE MONTH Huggable giant
Bruce Museum - 45 brucemuseum.org Bulldog Construction - 35 bulldogconstructioncorp.com Cappy’s Travel – 31 travel-by-net.com Casafina – 3 casafinagifts.com Chelsea Piers - inside back cover chelseapiersCT.com Christopher Noland Salon & Beauty Spa – 6 christophernoland.com Club Fit – 37 clubfit.com Cuisinart Resort – 13 cuisinartresort.com The Dessertist – 83 thedessertist.com Eager Beaver Tree Service - 92 eagerbeavertreeservice.com
93 WHEN & WHERE Upcoming events
Euphoria Kitchen and Bath –37 euphoriakitchens.com
96 WATCH We’re out and about
Forest City Ratner / Ridge Hill Yonkers – 79 westchestersridgehill.com
104 WIT Where would you time-travel to?
Garrison Art Center – 59 garrisonartceneter.org
Greenwich Polo Club – 19 greenwichpoloClub.com Gregory Sahagian & Sons - 51 gsawning.com Infinity Stone – 91 ellen@infinitysba.com Iron Horse Pleasantville - 52 ironhorsepleasantville.com LOL Kids Armonk - 27 lol-kids.com Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center- 5 mskcc.org/westharrison Miller MotorCars - 9 millermotorcars.com Moderne Barn -11 modernebarn.com
Royal Closet -10 royalcloset.com S4 - Sarah and Southbury Strikeout Seizures –29 s4epilepsywalk.com Skin Center Advanced Medical Aesthetics – Back Cover, 89 bestskincenter.com Smilow Cancer Hospital at YaleNew Haven 71 rideclosertofree.org Sotheby’s International Realty - 63 sothebyshomes.com SoundWorks NY - 17 soundworksny.com Top Flight - 65 toplflightew.webs.com Harry T. Tucker – 61 tuckerdocks.com
National Multiple Sclerosis Society - 81 nmss.org
Vincent & Whittemore - 47 vinwhit.com
Christine Negroni - 29 GoHowKnowHow.com
Westchester Generator Co. – 73 westchestergenerator.com
Oasis Day Spa –67 oasiswestchester.com
Westchester Medical Center – 7 westchestermedicalcenter.com
David Ogilvy & Associates – inside front cover davidogilvy.com
Westchester Philharmonic - 91 westchesterphil.org
ONS – 21, 23, Watch Banners onsmd.com Penny Pincher Boutique - 49 pennypincherboutique.com
White Plains Hospital – 33 Wphospital.org R&M Woodrow Jewelers -1 woodrowjewelers.com
PetWorks - 59 alphapet.com
ON THE COVER: Peter Oundjian
PETER OUNDJIAN A CAREER CONDUCTED WITH STYLE
ON THE ROAD
FROM CAPE COD TO TIBET (AND STOPS IN BETWEEN)
CHARLES STARKE
SETTING SAIL, CAMERA IN HAND
QUICK JAUNTS ABOARD GOTHAM AIR BY TRAIN, WITH CHRISTINE NEGRONI HISTORY IN A RARE LIGHT WITH EARLY ELECTRICS ARTISTIC GOLD AT SILVERMINE
WAG: JUDGED BEST MAGAZINE IN NEW YORK STATE
4
passion’s
Photograph by
TIDES Gabe Palacio, WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE JUNE 2015 | WAGMAG.COM
WAGMAG.COM
courtesy of Caramoor
JUNE 2015
LISA CASH
ANNE JORDAN DUFFY
BARBARA HANLON
MARCIA PFLUG
PATRICE SULLIVAN
RORY VAN GELDER
Our WAG-savvy sales team will assist you in optimizing your message to captivate and capture your audience. Contact them at 914-358-0746.
JUDGED BEST MAGAZINE IN NEW YORK STATE
PUBLISHER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dee DelBello dee@westfairinc.com | 914-358-0749 Dan Viteri ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR dviteri@westfairinc.com | 914-358-0772
EDITORIAL by Christopher Noland
voted best blowout in fairfield and westchester
Bob Rozycki MANAGING EDITOR bobr@westfairinc.com | 914-358-0745
Georgette Gouveia EDITOR ggouveia@westfairinc.com | 914-358-0761
Mary Shustack WRITER
Audrey Ronning Topping FEATURES WRITER
ART Michaela Zalko ART DIRECTOR mzalko@westfairinc.com | 914-358-0756
Dan Viteri SENIOR ART & DIGITAL DIRECTOR dviteri@westfairinc.com | 914-358-0772
PHOTOGRAPHY Anthony Carboni, John Rizzo, Bob Rozycki
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Reece Alvarez, Danielle Brody, Nikki Davidson, Ronni Diamondstein, Jane Dove, Evan Fallor, Bill Fallon, Frank Pagani, Doug Paulding, Danielle Renda, Colleen Wilson Billy Losapio ADVISER
ADVERTISING SALES Anne Jordan Duffy SALES MANAGER / ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER anne@westfairinc.com | 914-358-0764
Lisa Cash, Barbara Hanlon, Marcia Pflug, Patrice Sullivan, Rory Van Gelder ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Robin Costello ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER rcostello@westfairinc.com | 914-358-0760
Holly DeBartolo EVENTS MANAGER hdebartolo@westfarinc.com | 914-358-0743
Marcia Pflug DIRECTOR, PROMOTIONS AND SPONSORS mpflug@wfpromote.com | 203-733-4545
Marcia Rudy CIRCULATION SALES marcia@westfairinc.com | 914-358-0755
Sylvia Sikoutris CIRCULATION SALES sylvia@westfairinc.com | 914-358-0754
WHAT IS WAG?
Some readers think WAG stands for “Westchester and Greenwich.” We certainly cover both. But mostly, a WAG is a wit and that’s how we think of ourselves, serving up piquant stories and photos to set your own tongues wagging.
HEADQUARTERS A division of Westfair Communications Inc., 3 Westchester Park Drive, White Plains, NY 10604 Telephone: 914-358-0746 | Facsimile: 914-694-3699 Website: wagmag.com | Email: ggouveia@westfairinc.com All news, comments, opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations in WAG are those of the authors and do not constitute opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations of the publication, its publisher and its editorial staff. No portion of WAG may be reproduced without permission.WAG is distributed at select locations, mailed directly and is available at $24 a year for home or office delivery. To subscribe, call (914) 694-3600, ext. 3020. All advertising inquiries should be directed to Anne Jordan at (914) 694-3600, ext. 3032 or email anne@westfairinc.com. Advertisements are subject to review by the publisher and acceptance for WAG does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service. WAG (Issn: 1931-6364) is published monthly and is owned and published by Westfair Communications Inc. Dee DelBello, CEO, dee@westfairinc.com
6
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
We provided the advanced care. She provided the will to survive. Mimi Abbott Brain aneurysm survivor / Grandmother
Mimi doesn’t remember much from that day but her husband, Hirschel, remembers it all too well. From New Orleans, they were visiting their son in New York when Mimi was stricken with a burst brain aneurysm. After she was stabilized, Westchester Medical Center’s neurovascular surgical team performed an intricate procedure that helped Mimi beat the odds and recapture her life.
westchestermedicalcenter.com
WAGGERS
ANTHONY CARBONI
DANIELLE BRODY
ROBIN COSTELLO
NIKKI DAVIDSON
RONNI DIAMONDSTEIN
JANE DOVE
EVAN FALLOR
BILL FALLON
FRANK PAGANI
DOUG PAULDING
DANIELLE K. RENDA
JOHN RIZZO
BOB ROZYCKI
MARY SHUSTACK
AUDREY TOPPING
JEREMY WAYNE
COLLEEN WILSON
NEW WAGGERS
CHRISTINE NEGRONI travels the world reporting on aviation and travel for The New York Times, Air & Space magazine and ABC News. “A great trip begins in the head,” Negroni says. “Even a familiar destination is exciting when approached with wonder and curiosity.” Her book on the disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370 will be published by Penguin in 2016. Follow her travels at gohowknowhow.com.
8
WAGMAG.COM
Since 2006, DR. ESTHER NASH has been medical director of the Industrial Medical Center, Employee Health Unit and Healthy Traveler Service at Bridgeport Hospital, a member of Yale New Haven Health System. She received her medical degree from Universidad de Automoma Guadalajara Medical School, and completed her residency and fellowship at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
JUNE 2015
REECE ALVAREZ is a reporter with the Westchester and Fairfield County business journals. Prior to joining Westfair Communications, he covered the town of Lewisboro and its hamlets as a reporter and editor for the Lewisboro Ledger. A graduate of Southern Connecticut State University, his writing has focused on community news, education and a particular interest in small-scale agriculture.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WAGWEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR THE LATEST IN FASHION, BEAUTY, DINING, ENTERTAINMENT AND MORE – FEATURING EXCLUSIVE CONTENT NOT SEEN IN PRINT. SIGN UP ON WAGMAG.COM
EDITOR'S LETTER GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
“THERE IS NO FRIGATE LIKE A BOOK,” EMILY DICKINSON WROTE, “TO TAKE US LANDS AWAY.”
• Home Office & Mudroom Areas • Entertainment Centers • Bookcases QUA • Pantries • Garage Systems FIR LITY ST • Accessories Featured in This Old House Magazine!
Factory Direct!
10
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
Which suggests, of course, that there is no frigate like the mind to take us on the greatest journey of all — the journey inward. It’s something to consider as we cast off on our June travel issue, “Passion’s Tides.” We have planes, trains, automobiles — and then some. Audrey rides the Sky Train to Tibet. Colleen explores Gotham Air’s new helicopter service from Westchester County to Manhattan. WAG takes you to Mille Miglia, the legendary Italian road race that’s tested European and Hollywood royalty alike. Mary and Bob go aboard the Dawnpiper, docked in Stamford, as retired Briarcliff Manor internist/photographer/ yachtsman Charles Starke prepares to sail away, sail away, sail away. Few know more about travel than the writers who cover it for a living, and we’re lucky to have three of the best in the business for this issue — our own Jeremy, Debbi K. Kickham and Christine Negroni. Perhaps the only people who travel as much are tennis players — and musicians. And we have two of the finest. Bass Ferruccio Furlanetto, recently honored at the New Rochelle Opera’s 30th anniversary gala, has been acclaimed around the world for such roles as his Philip II in “Don Carlo” and both his Don Giovanni and Leporello is Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” Cover subject Peter Oundjian straddles “the Pond” like a musical Colossus as he leads both the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Scottish Orchestra. This month, he returns to Caramoor in Katonah — where he began his conducting career — to lead the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in Beethoven’s titanic Ninth Symphony for the festival’s 70th opening night. Twenty years ago, Oundjian was at a crossroads, as a repetitive stress con-
After helping judge the Derby Hat Contest at Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway. Photograph by Mary Azzariti
dition ended his career as first violinist with the Tokyo String Quartet — and spurred an equally brilliant second act. He’s a reminder that whether or not we’re world travelers, we’re always on life’s journey — venturing out so that we can venture within, as Christine does, reflecting as she rides the rails around the world. Jeremy goes even further, into the past as he revisits some of his favorite haunts and discovers that while we can’t live in the past, we certainly live with it. The past, present and future are a seamless continuum, and time is a river that, like the Hudson, flows both ways. So we begin and end the book with some thoughts of our own and from others on time travel. Where would you time-travel to? For me, I’d be happy to set my time machine’s course for the days of the great Alexander as he conquered the Persian Empire. But only if I could bring my hair dryer. Georgette Gouveia is the author of “Water Music” and the forthcoming “The Penalty for Holding,” part of her series, “The Games Men Play,” which is the name of the sports/culture blog she writes at thegamesmenplay.com.
Where friends and neighbors gather
430 BEDFORD ROAD | ARMONK, NY 10504 | 914.730.0001 | MODERNEBARN.COM /ModerneBarn
@ModerneBarnRest
@ModerneBarn
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
11
IT’S ABOUT TIME BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
“TIME,” Tennessee Williams wrote in “The Glass Menagerie,” “is the longest distance between two places.” And time, the subtheme of WAG’s June travel issue, both beguiles and bedevils us. Sometimes, time is the great enemy, particularly in a still-adolescent country like America. It is Father Time, bringing us with each passing year closer to the thing we fear most, death. But time also fascinates. We speak of life’s journey and traveling through time. Often, we wish we could go back in time, either to a period of great moment or one in our own personal history when we were especially happy, usually with someone we loved and lost. The significance of time has been a favorite subject of artists, whose work is organized in time (a symphony, a novel), space (a painting) or both (a movie, an opera). While there may be little support for actual time travel in theoretical physics, the fact that so much of that discipline is taken up with the relationship between time and space may have spurred some science fiction buffs “to boldly go where no man has gone before,” in the words of “Star Trek,” splitting an infinitive in the process. Though Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” (1843) would certainly qualify as a time-travel story, 12
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
credit for popularizing time travel generally goes to H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” (1895). Based on a story he published in college, the novel follows a protagonist known only as the Time Traveler as he visits ancient and prehistoric worlds in his invention — Wells actually coined the term “time machine” — before returning to Victorian England briefly and setting off on another adventure from which he may never return. “The Time Machine” has spawned numerous films, TV series, comic books and variations in any number of media, including “Peabody’s Improbable History,” a segment of the hilariously satiric 1960s TV series “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show” that in turn became a 2014 film “Mr. Peabody & Sherman.” In the series, Mr. Peabody is a brilliant Beagle (sorry, Snoopy) and Sherman, his nerdy, bespectacled, red-haired sidekick. Together they meet everyone from King Arthur to Florence Nightingale to the Duke of Wellington as they set off in Mr. Peabody’s WABAC (pronounced “Way Back”) machine. (The show always ended with a bad pun that had Sherman exclaiming, “Oh, Mr. Peabody.”) Not every time traveler has had the dispassionate control of Mr. Peabody. One of the greatest time travel creations — and one of TV Guide’s “best cult shows ever” — was a series by Donald P. Bellisario whose protagonist leapt into other people’s lives within his own lifespan, pinballing through time in his wayward Project Quantum Leap Accelerator. “Quantum Leap,” which aired from 1989 to 1993, told the story of Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula), a bril-
liant (Is there any other kind?) government scientist whose only connection to his own world is a holograph of his best friend — cigar-chomping, womanizing, Hawaiian shirt-sporting Admiral Al Calavicci (Dean Stockwell), overseer of the threatened project. Al keeps Sam grounded as he careens from the life of a death-row inmate to that of a MIT student to a teenage girl with a twin sister. Though viewers would see Sam, the characters he interacted with would generally see the person he had leapt into, appearing to us only when Sam looked at his reflection. This gave Bakula, one of Hollywood’s most genial actors and a star of CBS’ “NCIS: New Orleans,” an opportunity to create, without the use of many props, some of TV’s most astonishing impersonations, including that of a pregnant woman. (Fortunately for Sam, he was pulled out of her life right before she was about to give birth.) Sam’s leaps end after he “put right what once went wrong” (a common time-travel theme), sometimes humorously so, as when he tells a young Donald Trump to buy real estate, suggests the lyrics of “Peggy Sue” to Buddy Holly or saves Dr. Henry Heimlich from choking with what will become his signature maneuver. But sometimes Sam discovers that he can’t change the past, as when he leaps into the life of Marilyn Monroe’s bodyguard or, most chillingly, into that of Lee Harvey Oswald. Time is not only the greatest distance between two places. It is often an unbreachable one.
The Caribbean’s Most Beautiful Beaches Anguilla’s Premier Resort, CuisinArt • Spacious Accommodations • Award Winning Luxury Spa • Hydroponic Farm • Gourmet Cuisine: Le Bistro at Santorini, Tokyo Bay, Café Mediterraneo and Italia • Greg Norman Signature Design18-Hole Golf Course
CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa is delighted to have been selected to host the 4th Great Golf Resorts of the World annual meeting in November 2016, following the meeting at Pebble Beach Resorts™ in 2013 and planned meetings at The Gleneagles Hotel and The Broadmoor in 2014 and 2015. The annual directory is distributed through PGA professionals to their members and guests at 1,000 leading golf clubs across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa is one of only three Caribbean resorts selected for membership.
Reservations and information 800.943.3210 or 264.497.4900
www.CuisinArtResort.com 15-031
TUNED IN TO ADVENTURE BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
14
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
From the show “101 Amazing Thrills,” a oneof-a-kind flyboarding experience in San Diego.
— whether it’s around the world or around the block. Owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive — whose stable includes HGTV, the DIY Network, the Food Network, the Cooking Channel and Great American Country — the Travel Channel is available in more than 94 million U.S. cable homes. Recently, WAG caught up with Ross Babbit, senior vice president for programming and development, and learned that while he may be taking a vacation this summer, the Travel Channel won’t:
What do you look for when you are programming a season’s worth of Travel Channel series and shows? “We want to entertain and engage you in the world from the comfort of your couch by celebrating passion, adventure and unique points of view.”
Is putting together the summer schedule much different from the other seasons? “Viewers like to lean back and have a great time in the summer, so they tend to want light and fun shows, with things like ‘Xtreme Waterparks’ and ‘Big Crazy Family Adventure.’”
The new series “Big Crazy Family Adventure” sounds like a wild ride, with the Kirby family journeying from the Pacific Northwest to the Far East by any means
“
We’re as hyper-focused as ever on showing you everything that is entertaining and engaging about the world… with lots of great personalities and stories.
“
s
INCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1987, THE TRAVEL CHANNEL HAS BEEN ON A MISSION TO PROVIDE COMPELLING PROGRAMMING THAT TAKES VIEWERS BEYOND THEIR EVERYDAY DESTINATIONS, MAKING THE UNFAMILIAR FAMILIAR
WESTCHESTER’S OLDEST & LARGEST COIN AND CURRENCY BUYER Neil S. Berman Inc.
Author of “Coin Collecting for Dummies” and “The Investor’s Guide to United States Coins”
Buying coins and currency since 1968 American and Foreign Gold, Silver, Jewelry and Watches ESTATES PURCHASED
914-244-9500
Call for an Appointment 139 East Main Street, Mt. Kisco New York 10549 www.neilsberman.com Westchester License #350
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
15
but an airplane. How did they come to the Travel Channel’s attention? “A production company that we work with found them and brought them to us. We instantly fell in love. They were about to head out on this incredible three-month journey, so we decided to tag along.”
Did you have any reservations about airing the series, given its proximity to Nepal and the recent disaster there? “We certainly discussed it, but the series celebrates the people and culture of Nepal and surrounding areas, showing the country in a great light, so we’ve decided to continue as planned.”
Much of the programming sounds like the quintessential summer of fun — barbecue, boardwalks and beaches. “Our viewers love ‘summer fun.’ In fact, our tagline for the summer is ‘We Are Summer.’”
And yet, series like the popular “Trip Flip,” “Epic Attractions” and “America’s Secret Swimming Holes” take us to places we might not otherwise be able to visit. Is the unusual vacation the hot trend? “Our viewers look for the off-the-beaten path destinations, not just the trendy tourist spots. They like to hear about those places that nobody else has heard about.”
How has travel and thus the Travel Channel’s programming, changed over the years? “We’re as hyper-focused as ever on showing you everything that is entertaining and engaging about the world… with lots of great personalities and stories.”
Is there one place the Travel Channel has yet to visit that you can’t wait to take viewers to? “I can honestly say that we’ve been to just about
16
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
A still from the show “Big Crazy Family Adventure.” Photographs courtesy of The Travel Channel.
everywhere. But there are still a few places left in the world, though, that haven’t been seen by any humans, and we’re working on bringing you there.”
What’s down the line for fall? “We have a lot of exciting shows coming this
fall, including ‘Watt’s World,’ ‘36 Hours,’ ‘Planet Primetime,’ and ‘Rev Run’s Around the World.’”
Finally, where will you be off to for your summer vacation? “Heading to a lakeside cabin near Asheville, N.C.”
Imagine the possiblities
CONTROL YOUR WORLD
LIGHTING CONTROL
SPEAKERS
TELEVISION
POOL / SPA CONTROL
Soundworks is a passionate company integrating technology into your home using the latest in Apple products. Soundworks is a certified Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association member which includes Certified (CEDIA) technicians on staff. Soundworks services, designs and installs integrated A/V systems in homes throughout the Tri-State area. NOW YOU CAN
Home Theater | Automated Lighting Solutions | Automated Shading Solutions | Distributed House Audio & Video | Computer Networking
1 H U N T E R AV E N U E , A R M O N K
•
914.765.0461
•
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
17
S O U N D W O R K S N Y. C O M
CHARLES STARKE CHRONICLES HIS WORLD TRAVELS BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF AND © CHARLES STARKE
Charles 18 Starke in Antarctica. WAGMAG.COM JUNE 2015
Charles Starke is setting sail.
And it’s not just into his retirement. Just weeks after leaving his career as a practicing physician, the longtime internist is hitting the high seas. For now is the time that Starke — no longer seeing patients in his Briarcliff Manor office or at Phelps Memorial Hospital Center in Sleepy Hollow — can devote himself to two of his passions, sailing and photography. Those are topics that bring a smile to his face, whether it’s on a recent morning when he’s touring a visitor through the 150 or so travel photographs he’s donated to Phelps over the past decade or showing off his 47foot yacht a couple of weeks later at a Stamford marina. WAG’s first introduction to Starke might have been via email — but his enthusiasm has been evident from the start. “My significant other and I plan to live on our boat and sail the world,” he writes us in our first communication. “I have my captain’s license and have been ship’s physician on 44 cruises to places like Antarctica (three times), the Bering Sea and Siberia (twice). Whisper, a boat I crewed on, finished first in class in the 2005 Rolex Transatlantic Race from New York to Cowes, England.”
Of course, we want to know more. His sailing days, he shares during the visit to Phelps, go back to college at Princeton University. “I just learned how to sail on the lake, little spurts here and there,” he says. The Manhattan-born Starke would go on to earn a master’s degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook before receiving his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completing his residency at Georgetown University Hospital. He practiced for a few years in the city before going into private practice in Westchester in 1981. It was fulfilling, to be sure, but Starke wanted to keep his hobbies alive — and found a most clever way. “I started being ship’s doctor, and I started traveling,” he says, breaking into a laugh when he looks back on those journeys made possible by both his medical (and sailing) experience. He is still amused that he was able to “get paid during my vacation.” His captain’s license, he adds, made him an attractive hire and he relished the journeys, camera in hand when he accompanied
JOIN US FOR THE 2015 SEASON the most competitive level of the sport
SUNDAY PUBLIC MATCHES
June 7th ~ June 14th ~ June 28th ~ July 5th ~ July 12th September 13th — Closing Match August 23rd ~ August 30th - EAST COAST OPEN September 6th — EAST COAST OPEN Finals with NBC Sports
ONLINE TICKETS
$40 per car —General Admission GreenwichPoloClub.com Facundo Pieres, 10-goal handicap GreenwichPoloClub GreenwichPolo GreenwichPoloClub.com (203) 561-5821
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
19
A portrait shot on Easter Island.
King penguins in South Georgia, Antarctica.
20
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
passengers on shore excursions. The results have long been shared, from exhibitions at venues such as hospitals and libraries to “Footprints of Africa,” his 2011 book (Focus Publishing). What he’s seen through the lens also continues to enrich those working at and being served by Phelps. Some 10 years ago, Starke began donating largescale framed photographs and has never looked back. “Everybody says they love them, so it’s fun.” Indeed, it’s hard to walk through the hospital for long — from treatment area to administrative office to waiting room to hallway — and not be transported to an evocative scene, whether it’s Amsterdam by moonlight, a child rehearsing a ceremonial dance on Easter Island or even a majestic tree holding court in the Rockwood Hall area of Rockefeller State Park Preserve nearby. Starke readily shares how he got each shot, the trips and all kinds of details about the people, locales — and adventures along the way, even the time “a monkey jumped on my head in Gibraltar.” Starke’s photography tips are also shared, such as what he thinks is the best time to shoot while at sea. “You have to be at the edge of bad weather, or something interesting.” Good weather, he adds, “just doesn’t cut it for a photo.” Over the years, through both education and experience, Starke has developed his style. “You have to have an eye for what’s going to look good.” And that could be something as simple as the Hudson River scene he points to when we stop for a coffee in a small waiting room. “Pretend the walls are not here. That’s what you see” just outside, in a scene captured on the hospital grounds. Thanks to Starke’s generosity, those who visit Phelps will continue to be taken on journeys of all kinds, as he heads off for many more on the Dawnpiper, docked in Stamford where we meet up with him on another morning. “This boat can go anywhere,” he says of the Holland-built Trintella 47, mentioning an upcoming jaunt to Cape Cod for a family reunion. But, he has also hinted, travel much farther afield, to places not yet spoiled by heavy tourism, is also planned. We’re intrigued — but the destination of future sails will remain Starke’s secret, it seems. With a hearty laugh, he says, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
waves OF INSPIRATION BY MARY SHUSTACK
22
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
An example of Carla Goldberg’s work inspired by visits to Connecticut beaches. Photograph courtesy of Carla Goldberg.
T
HE SEA HAS INSPIRED GENERATIONS OF ARTISTS.
Carla Goldberg has long been part of this grand tradition. But the Hudson Valley mixed-media artist’s lifelong fascination has taken on a more formal note in the past year. Goldberg is nearing the completion of a series directly inspired by visits to the Connecticut coast, work completed through a grant awarded as a way to encourage healthy coastal and marine ecosystems. It’s a natural fit, says Goldberg on a recent morning in her Nelsonville home studio. “For the last 10 years, I’ve been working almost exclusively with water and memory,” she says. This latest work, in which Goldberg explores the motif of sea foam, has been made possible by Goldberg’s winning proposal for a Connecticut Sea Grant.
A SHORE THING
“The grant always deals with something that has to do with the ocean and Connecticut,” Goldberg says. It was in the early months of 2014 when Goldberg learned she was awarded the grant, made possible through a partnership between the University of Connecticut and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Carla Goldberg, at work in her home studio. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.
To fulfill her proposal, she has been making monthly visits since June of last year to different beaches along the state’s coast and then creating a 2-by-4-foot sculptural drawing inspired by her trips. She is also documenting the project by photographs and will create a short film. Sounds like the perfect fit for Goldberg, as even a quick scan of her website yields the fact that past collections carry names that include “aqua
IN CONJUNCTION WITH
ONS FOUNDATION FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION, INC.
7th ANNUAL GOLF OUTING AT THE STANWICH CLUB
MONDAY, JUNE 8th Co-Chairs: Michael Clain, MD, Rich Granoff and Vicki Leeds Tananbaum Auction Chair: Amy Sethi JOIN US FOR LUNCH, GOLF ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE AT STANWICH, COCKTAILS, SILENT AND LIVE AUCTIONS AND DINNER LIVE AUCTION HIGHLIGHT – EXTRAORDINARY SAFARI ADVENTURE donated by AFRICAN TEMPTATIONS MEDIA SPONSOR
For information or to register: call 203-869-3131 or visit onsf.org WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
23
Carla Goldberg started her grant project with a visit to the beach on Sheffield Island. Photograph courtesy of Carla Goldberg.
marine” and “ripple effect,” as well as “sea foam.” Her site, in fact, carries a subtitle of sorts, “Liquid Rhythm,” and there Goldberg describes her approach: “The fluidity of line meandering through deep layers of watery, pooling resin is my visual language.”
A DAY AT THE BEACH
Goldberg started her year of shore trips on Sheffield Island off Norwalk and was set to wrap things up in May at Eastern Point Beach, near the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus — significant as the series will be exhibited there in 2016. It’s become a family affair, with Goldberg often heading out with husband, two teenage daughters and sometimes even the dog in tow. The project, she says, expands on a lifelong fascination with the beach that began with trips to the Caribbean and Hawaii with her grandparents. After graduating from high school in Palm Springs, Calif., Goldberg earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands in California, double-majoring in studio art and art history. Graduate work would lead to an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art’s Mount Royal School of Art. Her solid background in artistic traditions combined with her unique use of materials has become a Goldberg signature.
24
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
UNWAVERING DEDICATION
Each month, she says, she learned something new in her quest for sea foam — especially on one wintery trip that led to a revelation. “It had just snowed the day before, and there was no sea foam,” she says. “Then I realized this is what the project is all about. I just started looking around. …What exactly is the memory going to be?” Nearly all the beaches were new to Goldberg, which added to the excitement of discovering everything from rocky shores and unrelenting wind to the simple beauty of crashing waves. She’ll talk about “beautiful ripples” at one beach or how another is just so “different from all the others.” “Most of them don’t look alike,” she adds. Summer crowds, she says, were never really an issue because of the close-up nature of her studying. “I’m always getting very sandy and wet,” she says of the process that often found her lying on the beach, observing. “I try to get, as often as I can, so close to the wave.”
AFTER THE BEACH
The works, depending on the intricacy, take from five to seven weeks to complete. “What I do is I write down my impressions of the day… things that I’m smelling, things that I’m seeing…”
She will look at the photographs in the day or two after each visit, but then works from memory. “I don’t know how accurate I really have been, but that’s not the point,” she says. “The goal is to make sure each has its different feeling and it represents the place.” She will then create her work on a Plexiglas panel and demonstrates, using a pen with “a tip as fine as the head of a pin.” “The drawing on Plexiglas is oil ink, then I paint with resin.” It is precise work. “Everything that I do I cannot make a mistake. There’s no erasing,” she says with a little laugh that belies the serious work at hand. Pieces can be frosted and then set with a nontoxic resin that dries naturally. She creates a wooden back panel, its custom-blended latex hue further evoking the particular beach. Purples might remind her of a dramatic post-sunset moment, while green commemorates seaweed. She’s also affected by shells and rocks, the movement of birds or the sounds of the surf. “We are dealing with nature, and nature’s unpredictable,” she says, as is each piece. Goldberg’s even discovered new methods. Ground glass — old light bulbs to be exact — “makes beautiful frost and snow.” “I really like exploring unlikely materials.”
THE PROCESS CONTINUES
Throughout the year, of course, Goldberg is juggling all her other projects, which include serving as director of bau (Beacon Artists Union) gallery. Goldberg, whose work was featured earlier this year at both Gallery 66 NY in Cold Spring and as part of “Nature Inc” at the Rockland Center for the Arts in West Nyack, also exhibits across the country — and the world, from Germany to South Africa, Sweden to New Zealand. Most recently, she gave up directing the Skylight Gallery in Manhattan, choosing to devote more time to her own work. After all, she says, “I’m an artist first.” And this project and its panels, she adds, finds her both challenged and rewarded. “They’re a labor of love. They really are. When one comes out, it’s almost sad because I don’t get to engage in that piece anymore — but it’s a celebration, too.” For more, visit carlagoldberg.com.
The Bristal Assisted Living | Where Ever y Day Means More
TM
I am living a new chapter in my LifeStory “I taught for years in Brooklyn and Staten Island and I imparted love for the written word to my students. Writing has
always been a hobby of mine. When I moved to Long Beach years ago I began a writer’s workshop with a friend and I am still a member.
Now I live here with my husband, Harvey. Believe it or not, every night I talk to my kids and tell them about our day at The Bristal. I take a lot of excursions and I continue to write poetry, sharing my ideas and feelings with my husband
Helene, Resident of The Bristal
and friends. I want every day to be interesting and different.”
To hear one of Helene’s poems, tune in at thebristal.com/truelifestories
Ask about Reflections at The Bristal an area providing secure and compassionate memory care
ARMONK | 90 Business Park Drive | (914) 432.8200 WHITE PLAINS | 305 North Street | (914) 681.1800 Visit our website for all locations in the tri-state area
THE BRISTAL.COM LICENSED BY THE DEPT OF HEALTH • ELIGIBLE FOR MOST LONG TERM CARE POLICIES
Quality Communities By The Engel Burman Group
G Carina Crain, Wendy Reyes Stapleton and Colleen deVeer at a Greenwich International Film Festival event at Restoration Hardware in Greenwich.
GREENWICH:
A NEWFOUND FILM TOWN BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF GREENWICH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
26
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
Film, however, isn’t one of them. Until now. Three entrepreneurs — Carina Crain, Colleen deVeer and Wendy Reyes Stapleton — are blending the worlds of film, finance and philanthropy in the inaugural Greenwich International Film Festival (GIFF), which runs June 4 through 7 at various venues throughout town. The festival’s opening night party on June 5 features the local premiere of Colin Hanks’ “All Things Must Pass,” a documentary about Tower Records’ success and demise. “The film has a very broad generational appeal, which is great for our audience,” says Colleen deVeer, co-founder of GIFF. “We wanted a film that
people in their teens and people in their late 70s would appreciate and would give them the opportunity to learn the history of the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the Tower Records brand.” In all there will be 31 entries in the festival, founded in 2013 to celebrate Greenwich’s visual arts community. “There was interested capital here that had not been tapped by the filmmaking community,” says Reyes Stapleton, co-founder of GIFF. “There are people in town who are interested in investing in films but just don’t have access to (them) in their backyards. We thought this was a great opportunity to start showcasing emerging filmmakers and be able to support them.” The philanthropic arm of the festival is GIFF’s partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which represents the charity’s first-ever collaboration with a film festival. UNICEF,
“
Greenwich is one of the most philanthropic towns in the country, and film is an incredibly powerful tool to spread different social messages.
“
G
G
REENWICH IS KNOWN FOR MANY THINGS — PALATIAL HOMES, CHIC BOUTIQUES, WATERFRONT VIEWS, CELEBRATED RESTAURANTS, EVEN POLO.
— Wendy Reyes Stapleton
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
27
“All Things Must Pass” follows Tower Records’ rise and fall. Photograph courtesy The Greenwich International Film Festival.
which helps children in more than 190 countries and territories, is receiving a portion of GIFF’s proceeds from screenings of the video initiative “theoneminutesJr.,” which enables underprivileged 12- to 20-year-olds from around the world to create one-minute films about their lives. “Greenwich is one of the most philanthropic towns in the country, and film is an incredibly powerful tool to spread different social messages,” Reyes Stapleton says. “We thought that it was very important to kind of weave that throughout our whole festival.” Videos from the program are being shown throughout the four-day event. “We intersperse these films with our regular programming of the festival weekend,” she adds. “Through the film festival, we are basically able to give these children a very loud voice, so that’s an exciting component of it.” The entries fall into four different categories — documentaries, narrative shorts, features and social effect. Eleven shorts and features on such topics as mental illness, cystic fibrosis, home-
28
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
lessness and autism are competing for The Bresnan Award for Social Impact, a $10,000 prize. Features represent countries around the world, including Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Scotland and the United States. Also included in the festival are three filmmakers who are Greenwich natives — Paul Dalio, director of “Mania Days,” about two people who fall in love in a psychiatric hospital; Luke Lorentzen, director of “Santa Cruz del Islote,” about a densely populated island in Cartagena, Colombia; and David Levine, director of “I Smile Back,” about a suburban homemaker who struggles with mental illness. The festival features nearly 70 different events throughout the weekend, including the opening night party, a VIP lounge, panels, workshops and a June 6 “Changemaker Gala,” hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford, that will recognize Mia Farrow and Harry Belafonte for using
film to better people’s lives. The panels include “Changing Face of Television,” “Social Impact,” “Inside Film-Making,” “Sports Guys On Sports” and a “Children’s Acting Workshop,” with guest appearances from Disney Channel’s “Austin & Jessie & Ally” stars, teaching children the tricks of the trade while parents enjoy the film experience. The founders anticipate 10,000 participants for GIFF’s first year, with $4 million going into the town’s coffers. Many restaurants on Greenwich Avenue are also participating in the GIFF festivities by offering small meals between screenings. The founders hope to make this an annual event as well as hold pop-up screenings every three months. “We are really immensely proud of the depth and breadth of the program and feel it will really inspire the community and impact social change,” deVeer says. For more information, including tickets and event schedules, visit greenwichfilm.org. For information about the charity, visit unicefusa.org.
COME MAKE A DIFFERENCE - JUNE 6, 2015
Sarah and Southbury Strikeout Seizures
Walk, Dinner and Silent Auction
A unique awareness and fun-raising event 1 in 26 people will be diagnosed with epilepsy in their lifetime. Every year, 60,000 people lose their lives to epilepsy.
A DAY OF FAMILY FUN!
Ballantine Park • Southbury, CT
REGISTER TODAY
S4epilepsywalk.com Sarah’s quest to lead a seizure-free life is our mission!
• Putting Contest - Motor Scooter. 1 male 1 female • Basketball Shot Contest - Quad 4 Wheeler • Baseball Throw - Win a Car! • Over 100 Items in Silent Auction • Baseball Memorabilia • Buffet Dinner Since 2012 the S4 Team has raised incredible awareness and more than $324,000.00 for CURE and epilepsy research. Come enjoy this family day at the park and see why this is not your typical fundraiser. We take great pride in creating a memorable day for everyone that shows up!
All proceeds benefit
Over the rainbow lies a land that you’ve heard of... travel adventures to read about between adventures of your own
GoHowKnowHow.com by Christine Negroni
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
29
Five floors of designs BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI
AKE A TRIP AROUND THE WORLD BY STEPPING INTO THE 43RD ANNUAL KIPS BAY DECORATOR SHOW HOUSE. The prestigious Manhattan showcase, where more than 20 interior designers — quite a few with ties to WAG country — have created dazzling work, is filling the Arthur Sachs Mansion through June 11. A walk through the five floors provides fodder for daydreams and plenty of memories created from the wealth of design sources and inspirations. British-born Christopher Peacock, whose famed cabinetry and lifestyle company is headquartered in Norwalk, has designed the groundfloor kitchen, one even the most novice chef will desire. Luxury appointments — think Dacor appliances and a little gem of a table set with Lalique and Christofle — are complemented by Peacock’s own new “Lambourne” kitchen-furniture collection in his take on what he called “fresh traditional.” Then, there’s the tour-de-force dining room from Mark D. Sikes of Los Angeles, where patterns, textures and show-stopping pieces ranging from a gilded mirror to an intricate chandelier combine for the loveliest sensory overload. “I wanted to create a space that wasn’t ‘typical dining room,’” he said. Mission accomplished. Some rooms have their world inspirations front and center. Savor the South American flair The staircase of the Arthur Sachs Mansion, home of the Kips Bay Decorator Show House, serves as backdrop for several designers’ creativity.
30
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
in the “Rio Room” — a touch of the exotic with an elegant ease — in the top-floor guest room by Brazilian-born Suzana Whyte Braga Monacella of McMillen Interior Design and Decoration of Manhattan. Alan Tanksley, a participant in a recent Tarrytown show house, fills a space under the eaves with an homage to Greece in honor of a friend, “Pavlos’ Retreat,” while Clive Christian Interiors, known for its British luxury, offers an elegant “Metro Deco Dressing Room and Bath” fit for royalty. Sometimes color makes the boldest statement, as in the unexpected purple accents dotted throughout Janice Parker Landscape Architects’ ground-floor terrace. As the Greenwich-based landscape architect told us, “You’ve got to give purple its due.” And Charles Pavarini III told us his lapis ring inspired his sleek “Midnight Manhattan” lounge. Art installations curated by Paula + Martha, a stunning staircase gallery from Toronto’s Philip Mitchell Design and trademark work from (most stylish) household names ranging from Thom
1. Opulence reigns in the dining room, a showcase of texture, pattern and style, by Mark D. Sikes Inc. of West Hollywood, Calif. 2. The retro elegance of Clive Christian Interior’s “Metro Deco Dressing Room” is encapsulated by a metal relief by Christopher Guy. 3. An elegant bedroom created by Dallas-based Cathy Kincaid Interiors.
1
3
2
CAPPY’S TRAVEL SAYS…
BOOK YOUR FAMILY VACATION NOW!
HIGHLIGHTS* • FlowRider® Surf Simulators • Rock Climbing Walls • Zip Line, 9 stories in the Air • Ice Skating Shows • AquaTheater • Miniature Golf, Basketball/Sports Court • Adults-only Solarium • H20 Zone for Kids and Families • 3-Tier Dining Room & fabulous other Dining Options • The DreamWorks Experience® • Broadway Shows, Comedy Club, Jazz Club • Casino, Lounges & Bars • Shipshape Fitness Center & Spa • Award-winning Adventure Ocean Youth & Teen Programs * Fisher-Price Playgroups for Kids 6 mos-3 yrs
CAPPY’S TRAVEL CENTER the only Virtuoso Member Agency in Northern Westchester
We offer competitive pricing on luxury travel, PLUS Value Added amenities.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES BERMUDA, CARIBBEAN, ALASKA, EUROPE
THE MOST INNOVATIVE SHIPS OFFERING MORE ACTIVITIES, DINING VENUES, AND ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS
CALL CAPPY’S TODAY 914-241-0383 YOUR LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISORS
#1 Cruises • Tours • Honeymoons • Groups • Best Prices • Awesome Service • Worldwide Expertise
195 North Bedford Rd. Mt. Kisco, NY 10549
www.travel-by-net.com Email: cappy@travel-by-net.com Mon-Sat 10AM-6PM
Cappy Devlin “The Duchess of Travel” *Not all Highlights on every Ship • Ships registered in the Bahamas
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
31
His lapis ring inspired the “Midnight Manhattan” Lounge from Charles Pavarini III of Pavarini Design.
1. Janice Parker of Janice Parker Landscape Architects in Greenwich created a garden room with flair. 2. Peter Sinnott IV of Home Works in Port Chester designed a “Tradition with a Twist” bath for his Kips Bay debut. 3. His trademark cabinetry shines in the Kips Bay kitchen by Christopher Peacock, whose company is headquartered in Norwalk.
Felicia to Jamie Drake of Drake Design Associates keep excitement alive at every turn. But it was Peter J. Sinnott IV of Home Works in Port Chester who created a charming en suite bathroom, “Tradition with a Twist,” that summed up the importance of the event. Though vintage flair was evident in his space, from the unique window treatments to a portrait giving a timely nod to Gustav Klimt, we wondered if he was disappointed that his first show house assignment was a bathroom. “I was just excited to do anything,” he said. “You know. It’s Kips Bay.” We know. As always, proceeds of the show house benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, which is marking its centennial this year. For more, visit kipsbaydecoratorshowhouse.org.
32
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
1
3 2
3D Mammography. Exceptional Vision. If you haven’t heard about the life saving benefits of 3D mammography, it’s time you did. This screening test takes more pictures from more angles, which can make all the difference for some women, including those with dense breasts, or at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. White Plains Hospital has 3D mammography available at all three imaging centers with evening and weekend appointments available. Another example of how White Plains Hospital defines exceptional every day. FI N D O U T M O R E A B O U T B R E AST I M AG I N G AT W H I T E P L A I N S H O S P I TA L
w w w.wphospital.org/3DMammography
TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT R Y E B R O O K 9 14 - 9 3 5 - 0 0 11 N E W ROC H ELLE 914 - 3 3 6 - 59 0 0 W H I T E P L A I N S H O S P I TA L 914 - 6 81-2 9 2 9
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
33
R
Potala Palace and stupa at dusk in Lhasa, Tibet.
RIDING THE RAILS ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD BY AUDREY RONNING TOPPING
Riding the Sky Train from Beijing to the mystical kingdom of Tibet is not for the faint of heart. But it is an exciting expedition for those passionate, fast-track adventurers who would get a kick out of whizzing across “the roof of the world” on the highest railroad on the planet to view the “Abode of the Gods.” The project is considered one of China’s major accomplishments of the 21st century, one popularized by Chinese-Tibeta folk singer Han Hong in the song “Tian Lu” (“Road To Heaven”). The train takes 45 hours to shoot along 1,215 spectacular miles (75 mph), through range upon range of snow-capped Kunlun and Himalayan mountains over the Tanggula Pass — an eleva-
34
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
tion of 16,649 feet above sea level — through the Fenghuoshan Tunnel and over 675 bridges, balanced on stone columns, laid over 340 miles of permafrost. The excitement rises as the train whizzes through the Kekexili Nature Reserve — home to snow leopards, yaks, Tibetan antelope and wild donkeys. Finally it puffs across the rugged grasslands in the world’s highest alpine valley to Lhasa, traditional home of the Dalai Lamas in Tibet’s ancient capital, and into the intoxicating world of seventh-century palaces, temples and traditions, all immersed in the Buddhist way of life. Among the 44 train stations, the Tanggula Mountain Railway Station, at 16,627 feet, is the world’s highest. Due to the high elevation, every train carries a doctor. Bombardier Transportation built 361 high-altitude passenger carriages with special oxygen-enriched and UV-protection systems. Fifty-three are luxury
sleeper carriages for tourists. Cabin availabilities may vary. Sleeping accommodations generally include semi-private quad occupancy with restrooms in each car. Tibet is a land in transformation. As the train descends towards Lhasa, the scenery changes. On the grasslands you see the wide chimneys of a refinery and other signs of industrial development that reveal China’s chief reason for building the railway. Improved access to previously remote parts of Tibet will not only increase the volume of tourists drawn by the promise of experiencing an unspoiled and spiritually rich land, but, if all goes to plan, also extract more of Tibet’s largely untapped and abundant natural resources, which China needs to generate its economic growth. The Communist Party values Tibet’s mineral reserves at $96 billion. Mining could make up a third of the region’s GDP. This, of course, is not without controversy as critics note that Chinese progress has come at the expense of Tibetan autonomy and with the resulting dilution of Tibetan culture. The city of Lhasa is dominated by the towering red and white Potala Palace, the abode on earth of Chenresik, the living incarnation of Buddha, Lord of Compassion, known in the West as the Dalai Lama. After eight of these god-kings, who once ruled Tibet, entered Nirvana, their
RENOVATE
earthly bodies, set in the lotus position, were packed in clay, encrusted with gold leaf and enshrined in individual stupas. These golden towers rise from the depths of the castle fortress into a burst of gold on the roof of the Potala Palace. On a sunny day, the blaze can be seen for miles. The 1,300 year-old edifice, containing 999 rooms, was the world’s tallest skyscraper for 300 years and is a masterpiece of architecture. If any place deserves to be viewed as haunted it is the Potala Palace. For amid the spooky splendor of its myriad benevolent and malicious divinities set in a labyrinth of ceremonial chambers, there have occurred more rich pageantry, secret ceremonies and magical rituals, more sinister intrigue and mysterious happenings than the imagination can encompass. A great view of the Potala is from the roof of the 13th-century Jokhang Temple of the Precious One, which stands in the heart of old Lhasa, marking the spiritual center of all Tibet. The temple contains Buddhas of the past, present and future, but the most precious one is the seventh-century Sakyamuni Buddha, reputedly brought to Tibet by a Chinese Princess Wen Cheng, who married King Songstsen Gampu, posthumously declared the first Dalai Lama. Such splendid works confirm the Chinese name for Tibet, Xizang, meaning “Western treasure house.”
og Bulld Construction Inc.
REMODEL
BATHROOMS • KITCHENS • WINDOWS • DOORS Generations of craftsmanship & creativity meet modern design & concepts
845-475-7616
info@bulldogconstructioncorp.com | James J. Count, owner operator LICENSED & INSURED
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
35
The “Art of the Northeast” is a signature of the Silvermine Arts Center. Photographs of the show’s 2014 edition by Jeremy Saladyga.
Silvermine spotlights region’s artistry BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY SILVERMINE ARTS CENTER
THE SILVERMINE ARTS CENTER IS POISED TO ONCE AGAIN TAKE ITS VISITORS ON QUITE A JOURNEY. And to participate in this tour of sorts, one need only visit the New Canaan arts destination starting June 6. That’s when the exploration of the artistic wealth of our region — formally known as “Art of the Northeast” — opens for its 65th annual run. The signature competition/exhibition — one that both encourages an appreciation of our talent-rich region and touches on influences and trends — has quite a storied history. Founded by Silvermine Guild members Miriam Brody and Revington Arthur, the “New England Exhibition” has continued to expand since its debut in the middle of the last century. Now, some 500 artists from Maine to the Mid-Atlantic — both emerg-
A WORLD APART FROM
WWW.CLUBFIT.COM
FITNESS
AS USUAL
ing and more established — vie each year for the chance to reach a wider audience as they showcase what they do best.
SHOW TIME
Jeffrey Mueller, the gallery director at Silvermine, says there are a few things the show is not. “It’s not a thematic show,” he says. And it’s not devoted to one art form, as Mueller notes the show welcomes everything from traditional photography to avant-garde sculpture. “It’s the full gamut of possibilities,” he says. With such diversity, he adds, it becomes all about “really engaging with the work.” Mueller says Silvermine reaches out to numerous arts organizations
Dream Kitchens and Baths CRAFT-MAID ■ BIRCHCRAFT ■ HOLIDAY ■ CABICO ■ STONE ■ QUARTZ ■ CORIAN ■ DECORATIVE HARDWARE
START YOUR SUMMER OFF WITH 1 FREE MONTH* FA M I LY
TENNIS & SWIM KIDS’ CLASSES
SUMMER CAMP Briarcliff
914-250-2134 Jefferson Valley
914-250-2750
FUN
E FOR TH WHOLE ! FAMILY
O W N E D
A N D
O P E R AT E D
S I N C E
19 6 5
KITCHEN & BATH, LTD. 164 Harris Road, Bedford Hills, NY 10507 914.241.3046 | www.euphoriakitchens.com H O U R S : T U E S - F R I 10 : 3 0 A M - 5 P M S AT 11 A M - 4 P M
|
G C L I C . # W C - 16 2 2 4 - H 0 5
*FIRST MONTH OF MEMBERSHIP IS FREE. $75 ENROLLMENT IS DUE ON JOIN DATE. MONTH TO MONTH DUES APPLY. NOT TO BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. 12 AND UNDER MUST JOIN WITH AN ADULT TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR FREE MONTH.
THIS OFFER ENDS ON 6/30/15
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
37
and colleges throughout the region, leading to many recent fine-arts graduates applying. That adds a fresh dynamic to the show, one that becomes the first major exhibition for many of these young artists. As Mueller notes, “It’s a way to see a lot of artists on the beginning of their journey.”
A CURATOR’S EFFECT
Mueller says the show’s reputation is also rooted in its approach. “As much as it’s a strong tradition for artists, it has a strong history for curators.” Past curators have included art critics, artists, directors of major museums, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, The New Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Last year, New York-based critic and writer Andrew Russeth served as curator. “Each curator has their own voice,” Mueller says. “We allow that to become visible. The curator is a part of the process.” And that process, he says, is key to what he calls “that triad” — the relationship formed among artist,
38
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
curator and, eventually, visitor. Michelle Grabner and Brad Killam, both Illinois-based artists, critics and teachers, are curating this year’s “Art of the Northeast.” It marks the first time the Silvermine show has had co-curators (who just happen to be husband and wife). Grabner is a professor in the painting and drawing department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and was one of three curators of this past year’s Whitney Biennial. Mueller says that Grabner’s experience with that international event “will give an interesting sort of counterpoint” to this year’s Silvermine show. Killam, a widely exhibited artist, teaches art at the College of DuPage in Illinois. Together, he and Grabner have established artist project spaces The Suburban in Oak Park, Ill., and The Poor Farm in Waupaca County, Wis.
ON VIEW
The curators’ selections will fill all three of the center’s galleries, showcasing some 25 artists who may be invited to show multiple works.
As Mueller says, that element further distinguishes “Art of the Northeast.” “A lot of times when you see these open-call shows, it’s sort of a one-off. We give curators the freedom to select groupings of work.” With the hundreds of artists who traditionally apply for “Art of the Northeast,” Mueller said the goal is always to select artists who are showing a “mastery of their craft or telling an interesting story.” Chatting at a time when the artists are still being finalized, he says that each show also becomes about “the relationships that happen” when the show is finally installed. And that final moment of the journey to Silvermine, Mueller says with anticipation, is “sort of magical.” “Art of the Northeast” will be on exhibit June 6 through July 26 at Silvermine Arts Center, at 1037 Silvermine Road in New Canaan. An opening reception will be held at 6 p.m. June 6. For more, visit silvermineart.org.
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
39
C CAPTIVATED BY THE CAPE BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Photograph courtesy of Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club 40 WAGMAG.COM JUNE 2015
C
V
ISITORS TO CAPE COD CAN BE FORGIVEN FOR PRETENDING THEY HAVE RESERVATIONS AT OCEAN EDGE RESORT & GOLF CLUB JUST SO THEY CAN HAVE A LOOK-SEE. The 429-acre site, on a bluff overlooking Cape Cod Bay, bills itself as “the most luxurious destination” in one of the world’s summer playgrounds, beloved by Clintons and Kennedys alike. It isn’t just the Victorian-style Nickerson family mansion and carriage house that form the centerpiece of the complex. (The 1912 manse was named for the owner of the site’s original house, built in 1890 by Samuel Mayo Nickerson, who seems to have had the best of both worlds: He was descended from Puritans but made his money as a distiller of spirits and fine wines.) Ocean Edge boasts 90 guest rooms and 31 two- and three-bedroom Presidential Bay Collection villas, which underwent a $40 million renovation in 2013 that resulted in a AAA Four Diamond rating. (The villas include exclusive concierge service, views of the bay and the 700-foot private beach and such homey amenities as a gourmet-stocked fridge and washer /dryer.) That’s a lot of room to luxuriate in. And luxuriate you can — when you’re not busy playing sports, taking tours of the historic mansion or communing with nature. For the eco-minded, there’s the new Brewster Flats Walks, weekly complimentary beach walks led by local experts designed in part to introduce visitors to the Brewster Oyster Farm off the resort’s private Bay Pines Beach. It’s
a chance to discover beach critters and even help harvest oysters at select times of the year. There’s more for nature lovers at Blueberry Pond, the resort’s first freshwater activity center, which offers kayaking and paddle boarding off two sundecks. They’re near the entrance to the Cape Cod Bike Trail, for which Ocean Edge has a new fleet of custom bikes. These sports are just the beginning. There’s croquet on the front lawn, a new 5,000-square-foot Members Sports Club, four outdoor and two indoor swimming pools, a USPTA-certified tennis complex and fitness and cardio rooms. The sporting pièce de résistance, however, may be the only Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course on the Cape. There are complimentary lessons at 4:15 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays with family golf daily after 4:30 p.m., allowing future Rory McIlroys ages 9 and under to hit the links for free with an adult. By now, you’re tuckered out and famished. Fortunately, the resort has three restaurants, including Ocean Terrace, with its commanding views of the bay. Over the Memorial Day Weekend, the restaurant launched the signature Ocean Edge Pale Ale, created by Cape Cod Beer, to pair with its Brewster Oysters, among other specialties. Somehow we think Samuel Nickerson would heartily approve. For reservations and more information, call 800-343-6074 or visit oceanedge.com.
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
41
The meat doesn’t get much fresher than what the butchers sell at Morocco’s Ouriku market southeast of Marrakech, says Christine Negroni (pictured).
No stranger to a train BY CHRISTINE NEGRONI
42
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT SEPARATES PEOPLE WHO TRAVEL BY TRAIN from those who go by air, it’s that rail travelers wholeheartedly embrace the journey. It may be the luxury, as on The Ghan, a nonstop party train that connects Australia north to south. Food, drink and private sleeping cars are all included in the ticket price. It may be the ground-level view of otherwise inaccessible regions of a country as offered by two train lines in Canada, VIA Rail and the Rocky Mountaineer. It may be the people one meets in the dining car or the insight into life and love brought about by the rocking of the coach or the whistle of the locomotive. I’ve taken some of the best trains and some
of the worst, but even on Vietnam’s Reunification Express — a two-day/two-night ride along the coast, with an ever-changing cast of cabin mates interrupting my nights and making for some mysterious days — I do not regret a single ride. The stories, good and bad, make some of my sweetest travel memories.
CONTEMPLATING A LIFE IN TRANSITION ON AMTRAK’S COAST STARLIGHT There are events in your life in which every step in the process seems monumental. The wedding of my daughter was such an event. She would be married in San Francisco and, independent girl that she is, she and her then-fiancé were handling all the details. All
her father and I had to do was get there and safely transport the topper for her wedding cake. That demands a significant mode of travel, or so I thought. Amtrak’s 11-hour Coast Starlight along California’s Pacific shoreline seemed just the right way to get from Los Angeles, where I was on assignment, to San Francisco. I had taken this train before, on a crystal clear January with the sun beaming through the window and warming me as I looked out over the spectacular beaches occupied only by the hardiest wetsuit-clad surfers. On our trip in September, it was quite a different story. The train rolled along the cliffs above the shore, not as high or as fast as an airplane, but with all the benefits of elevation, we could see that roadside parks were packed with colorful campers and vans. Beachgoers of all ages filled the sandy expanse below. The sun setting over the Pacific was a heart-stopping display of orange and gold. Yes, this train, this route, put me in the proper contemplative frame of mind. From my purse, I
The VIA Rail train rounds a bend on its way through the Canadian Rockies.
Uptight About Loose Skin? Lift and tighten non-surgically with
There comes a time for most of us when things begin to head south. It’s usually around our face, neck or chest. It can also be our arms and derriere. Ultherapy is the only FDA-cleared treatment to lift and tighten your brow, chin, neck and décolletage. Greenwich Medical Spa has done more Ultherapy procedures than anyone in Connecticut and Westchester County. In fact, we are among the top 3% of Ultherapy facilities in the nation. Don’t be uptight about loose skin. Keep your chin up, along with everything else. Call today and ask about Ultherapy.
1285 East Putnam Avenue • Greenwich • 203.637. 0662 greenwichmedicalspa.com Diamond Award, top 3% of BOTOX and Juvederm facilities in U.S. Medical Director: Mitchell Ross, MD Board Certified Dermatologist Catherine Curtin, APRN • Maureen Pothier, RN
The non-invasive Ultherapy® procedure is U.S. FDA-cleared to lift skin on the neck, on the eyebrow and under the chin as well as to improve lines and wrinkles on the décolletage. For full product and safety information, including possible mild side effects, visit www.ultherapy.com/IFU. de
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
43
The VIA Rail Panorama Car offers spectacular daytime views of the countryside.
nental journey is as Canadian as moose and maple leaves. What struck me was the “showwithin-a-show” nature of being on the VIA Rail. Travelers can watch the vast countryside transform before their eyes from anywhere on the half-mile long train. There are generously sized windows in each compartment. In the dining and lounge cars, every table has a view. Reclining armchairs in the domed observation car encourage looking out by day and looking up at the stars at night. But sometimes amid the vast prairies of Saskatchewan or the towering peaks of the Rocky MounCape Town’s Metro Plus train takes visitors to the colony of African tains, I would suddenly catch sight penguins at Simon Town’s Boulders Beach in South Africa. of the locomotive rounding a bend pulled out the bubble-wrapped bundle I was delivand soon my car would be part of the landscape, too. ering to the couple — the small bride and groom that It was an unexpected treat and it never got old. had adorned my own wedding cake 31 years earlier. AMID THE TRAVELING MASSES IN INDIA I propped it by the window and took a picture. The Like the frog in the pot who does not recognize photo provides a memory but also a metaphor for the warm bath is getting hotter until the water belife: The porcelain figures representing a new life togins to boil, I decided the best way to ride in India’s gether are in the foreground and everything behind infamous trains was to begin with a short twothem flies by in a blur. hour journey, Delhi to Agra in a first-class coach. FINDING YOURSELF IN THE LANDSCAPE I could tell I was in a premium car, because FROM VANCOUVER TO MONTREAL there was only one person in each seat. OtherThe marketing material suggests that Canada’s wise, there was nothing about the threadbare upVIA Rail connecting the country’s East and West is holstery or the filthy windows that looked classy, the trip every Canadian longs to take. My fellow travfirst or otherwise. elers confirmed to me that the four-day transcontiShortly after dawn as the train left Delhi, a boy
44
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
of about 12 walked through the cabin and tossed a sealed plastic cup of water at me. Breakfast, consisting of a warm bun, eggs in a tin-topped plate and yogurt, arrived in the same way. I’m thankful the coffee was placed into my hands. All of it was surprisingly delicious. Green fields passed by the windows, opaque with age. Still, the colors of the saris worn by the women working in the field were vibrant enough to penetrate the haze. I would remember that trip fondly on board the seven-hour train from Ajmer to New Delhi on the Shatabdi Express two weeks later. I’d been on other trains by then, trains so crowded that young men sat in the laps of their mates while elderly women hoisted themselves up into the overhead luggage rack and spent the entire journey horizontal. The trip eastward back to Delhi was my personal boiled water, but I survived. Again, I’d dialed up, not to first class mind you but to a sleeper car. Clever Indians pile in with a friend or family, turning the bed into a couch. I squandered the space, sitting on top of the blanket, my back against the wall, book in hand. First though, I had to buy some of the samosas (savory pastries) the vendors at the train station were pushing through my open window. Then the chai boy started down the aisle with tiny Dixie cups of sweet milky tea. He may have been no older than 8, but he had figured out how to market his product. A 10-cent serving was just enough to leave me and every other customer purchasing second and third servings. The glassless window meant there was nothing to interrupt the enthralling view of the Indian desert, as always punctuated by throngs of people. They clustered at the railway crossings. They threshed in the fields. They hung out laundry and shopped in the markets as the train roared through. I turned my attention back to the inside of the car when I could no longer bear the sensation that I was being watched. And indeed, I was. As the only Westerner and the only woman traveling alone, I seemed to be creating enormous interest. Eventually, I drew the curtain around my cot, the universal signal that the show is over, and I did what you’re supposed to do in a train berth: I slept. For more of Christine’s adventures, visit gohowknowhow.com.
Walls of Color
The Murals of Hans Hofmann May 2 to September 6, 2015
BRUCE MUSEUM
Greenwich, Connecticut 203 . 869 . 0376 | brucemuseum.org
Hans Hofmann (1880–1966) Mosaic mural, north side, 711 Third Avenue, New York (detail), 1956 Works by Hans Hofmann used with permission of the Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust
Also on view at The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University October 10, 2015–January 3, 2016 Ackland Art Museum The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill January 22–April 10, 2016
WEAR
Jewelry’s dynamic duo BY DANIELLE RENDA
K
Renata Dorfman and Katrina Steel, founders of Rendor & Steel. Photograph by Victor Nechay. Courtesy of Properpix.com.
ATRINA STEEL AND RENATA DORFMAN were two fash-
ionistas with careers working in high-end retail when they collaborated in 2004 on Rendor & Steel. The fine jewelry line features geometric shapes intended to be layered — including the everso-hot midi ring — in styles ranging from yellow gold, white gold and rose gold, or a combination of the three. With the growth of their business, the line recently became available at The Katie Fong Boutique in Greenwich. Steel, a Chicago native, began making jewelry as a pastime, a hobby that led to her costume jewelry line, KS Alexis. After moving to New York, she crossed paths with Dorfman as the pair both
46
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
worked for Intermix, a Madison Avenue multibrand retailer. Dorfman admired Steel’s designs and entrepreneurship and Steel had been seeking a passionate business partner. “We have both worked retail and understand a lot more on the buyer and consumer end of what sells and what doesn’t,” Steel said. Dorfman operates the sales end while Steel focuses on operational matters, such as branding. Both women manage the jewelry design process from start to finish, looking to Modern art and architecture. “Renata and I often visit The Museum of Modern Art to get inspiration from various artists,” Steel said. “The Adversus Collection consists of space and line. Adversus is made up of our geometric shapes that are opposites to be worn together and layered.” In the near future, the designers aspire to donate
a portion of their proceeds to help domestic violence victims. “I started with the bullet [necklace] from my costume jewelry line,” Steel said. “I didn’t want this to be misunderstood for promoting domestic violence and guns, so I instead wanted to find a charity in the future that we could take the proceeds to help domestic violence victims. We haven’t yet been donating, but that is certainly a goal for the future.” Dorfman and Steel also hope to continue growing their business. “Our goals for this business are to enter all of our favorite high-end retailers, including overseas retailers,” Steel said. “We want to continue with these geometric shapes but incorporate more rubies, emeralds, sapphires and other precious color stones.” The Katie Fong Boutique is at 60 Lewis St. in Greenwich. For more, visit rendorandsteel.com.
McMorrow, North Salem, NY Situated on 8.5 landscaped acres & surrounded by 200 acres of Audubon land & miles of uninterrupted views. This remarkable 6 BR, 51/2 bath home is centered around a reclaimed post & beam barn. A gourmet kitchen. This home is further detailed w/40’ ceilings, 4 masonry fireplaces, authentic hand hewn beams, hickory floors, & a steel floating staircase. The property includes an in ground pool w/ an outdoor kitchen. Exterior amenities include a putting green, paddock, vegetable garden & a basketball court. The barn has been converted to a charming 3 bedroom, 2 bath guest house. This special property offers a variety of entertaining venues. MLS #4431334 Price: $3,300,000
River House, North Salem, NY
Arbor Hills, Goldens Bridge, NY
Tucked into a hollow along the Titicus River, this updated antique home occupies one of North Salem’s most picturesque & tranquil settings. The kitchen, living, & dining rooms are bright & airy, w/large windows accentuating the splendid river view. Sunroom overlooks the in-ground pool & hot tub. Large family room for entertaining. The BR’s overlook the woods & the river - a sense of true retreat, just 1 hour from the city. A carriage house offers additional living space, gym on the lower level, full bath & a charming live-work loft above. The grounds boast a 2 car garage, stone patio, vegetable garden, & a bridge over the river. MLS#: 4514709 Price: $1,950,000
Spectacular custom built 4,400 sq. ft Colonial on 3 acres located in a picturesque private setting. Beautifully appointed home w/every amenity, 2 fireplaces, & a huge Victorian front porch overlooking a private pond. Generously appointed rooms, gourmet eat-in kitchen w/ Viking Stove, & a sun-filled great room. Superior craftsmanship, a level backyard and lush landscaping makes this home a must see! Close to schools, train, and shopping. MLS# 4515167 Price: 1,249,000.00
Income Producer, North Salem, NY
Hilltop, North Salem, NY
Unique opportunity to own income producing property in pastoral North Salem. The main residence is a 2,000+ sq. ft. contemporary w/ 2 BR’s, 2 baths. 1st floor open plan has vaulted ceilings, w/walls of glass, skylights & sliding glass doors access the deck which wraps around 3 sides of the house. Above the detached 2 car garage is a 1,200 sq. ft. 2 BR’s, 1 bath apartment also w/an open floor plan, vaulted ceilings, & skylights. 3.24 acre property is a commercial zoned 2,340 sq. ft. office building w/a large 2 bay garage, offices & bath. An additional gravel drive provides ample parking for multiple vehicles. MLS#4433128 Price: $999,999
Incredible hilltop privacy, steps to Mountain Lakes Park. This mid-century modern home offers one-level living in a setting that will please weekend and full-time residents alike. The main living area has an open-concept floor plan ideal for entertaining, w/a floor-toceiling fireplace & sliding doors to the deck overlooking the in-ground. The kitchen has been nicely updated & includes granite countertops. The master suite resides in its own wing of the home & boasts a large bathroom, a dressing room & additional exercise/office space. 2 family BR’s & a hall bath are on the opposite end of the home. MLS#4503226 Price: $575,000
ONTHEGREEN•BEDFORD•NEWYORK•914.234.3642•VINWHIT.COM
Steve and Daniel Erenberg.
LIGHT REVIVAL
A 48
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY EVAN FALLOR
MONG THE OLDER BUILDINGS ON PEEKSKILL’S WATERFRONT IS ONE THAT BLENDS IN WITH THE REST OF THE OTHER STRUCTURES ON NORTH WATER STREET. “Early Electrics” is discreetly inscribed on the front window. While the outside might not be eye-catching or memorable, what lies inside is certainly hard to forget. Magnificent handcrafted lights, some more than a century old, hang from the ceiling, while antiques occupy nearly all corners of the two-story store and warehouse. The shop, owned by Steve Erenberg and his son, Daniel, offers customers what very few in the world can —
turn-of-the-20th-century industrial lighting and other rare finds. To your left might be an early-1900s red velvet dentist chair. To your right a vintage lager promotional sign. Behind you is a bicycle that’s twice the size of a person. And in front of you is a collection of World War I and II gas masks meant to protect soldiers, children and even dogs. (The latter, Steve Erenberg says, is among his most prized collections.) Built in 1881, the former print shop has a rustic feel, from its rugged brick exterior to its high ceilings, providing an appropriate home for Early Electrics’ retro inventory.
As evinced by an A-list clientele that includes such celebrities as David Copperfield and John Legend (a recent buyer of a set of lamps), Early Electrics has a track record for niche, often hardto-find products. “Seventy-five percent of our business goes to decorators,” Steve Erenberg says, his fingers covered in dust from a morning’s worth of work. “We’re their secret weapon.” He and his son sell antiques and design and restore lighting, which can often be time-consuming for them but especially rewarding for decorators hoping to avoid cookie-cutter models from a chain store. All inventory is stocked in Peekskill, and many items sell for $10,000 or more. Even while working as an executive in the Manhattan advertising industry — from which he retired three years ago — Erenberg was an avid antique buyer and seller. Father and son have been around the world to buy their products, including countries in Europe and Asia. During one week in May, the store was closed so the pair could go on a business trip to
the Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts. Occupying the workshop on a recent Monday morning was an anatomical horse model Erenberg recently bought from a Parisian owner. He thinks he can eventually sell it for $75,000. One of the shop’s biggest fans — and customers — is chef and restaurant owner Louie Lanza, who is at the forefront of the Peekskill revitalization effort. Lanza, an owner of the Hudson Room on South Division Street, had Early Electrics design the restaurant’s sushi bar. His soon-to-be opened Eagle Saloon will feature lights by Early Electrics, while Taco Dive Bar, another Peekskill restaurant that will be opening soon, will have antique benches and custom tequila bottle lights from the company. Lanza says working with Steve Erenberg has been a delight since the day he first walked into Early Electrics. “He’s creative and he’s a great guy,” Lanza says. “He’s been in the business a long time. I consider him a big asset to Peekskill.” Right now, it’s just Steve and Daniel manning
the shop. It means long hours, often six days a week. Eventually, Steve says, they hope to hire a bookkeeper or two to lighten the load and let them focus on the designs. For now, they are consumed with acquiring the rarest, but also most useful products, which means traveling to find them. Erenberg says he didn’t buy the building for its location. A resident of Croton-on-Hudson since he was 28, he says Peekskill was simply convenient for him. Plus, most of his business is done online. Walkins are rare and account for just a fraction of his total sales. Those who do come in the store often treat it as a museum to look at but not buy in, he says. He takes it as a nod to the impressive collection the shop boasts, but he also needs to run a business. “We don’t have a lot of customers,” Erenberg says. “But we have ones that keep coming back with orders. There’s always repeat customers.” For more, visit earlyelectrics.com.
Penny Pincher Boutique The Very Best in Women’s Luxury Consignment
20% OFF With This Ad*
Established 1985
*Cannot be combined with already reduced items or during storewide sales. Does not include Hermes. Expires 6/30/2015
Designer Handbags, Shoes, Clothing, Accessories and More l Fine Gold, Platinum, Silver and Costume Jewelry l Designer Watches l Eclectic Home Furnishings l
Penny Pincher is a women’s luxury designer boutique offering hi-end brands of shoes, handbags, clothing, jewelry (fine and costume) and home furnishing. Call (914) 241-2134 or e-mail us to discuss consigning your designer items at info@pennypincherboutique.com. We also provide “White Glove” private service to your home within NY, NJ, and CT areas please inquire. 184 Harris Road, (Rte. 117 By-Pass) Bedford Hills, NY | 914-241-2134 | Open 7 Days | Daily 10-6, Sunday 12-5 www.pennypincherboutique.com | info@pennypincherboutique.com
Socialize with us!
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
49
V
The 130-passenger ms Savor, winds its way along the Danube in Austria. Photograph courtesy of Tauck
No lazy beaches need apply as travel ups its game BY REECE ALVAREZ
ACATION PLANS ARE IN FULL BLOOM — BUT WHERE TO?
Another escape to the turquoise tropics or perhaps something off the beaten path — a river cruise from Amsterdam to the Black Sea, maybe a tour of filming locations for “Game of Thrones” or “Downton Abbey?” All are possible and increasingly popular as travel agencies report steady growth in luxury travel that offers unusual locales and/or experiences. “People in the Westchester region have been expanding their horizons lately and looking further than the Caribbean or Mexican beach resort experience,” says Jack Ezon, president of Ovation Vacations, a member of the luxury and experiential travel network Virtuoso. “New Yorkers, especially from Westchester County, are a lot more active than they used to be. For the new 30-to-40-something group, biking is the new golf.” Still, more than half of the top 10 destinations for 2015 summer bookings are in Europe, with the United Kingdom topping the list followed by France and Italy, according to Virtuoso. Ezon attributes Europe’s reemergence as a popular destination in large
50
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
part to the favorable currency exchange rates for Americans: “Back are the days when people fly to Europe for a few days to shop for their wardrobes, taking advantage of the exchange rate.” But travel has expanded beyond sightseeing and shopping. High-end travel agencies are reporting significant increases in requests for experience-focused and unique vacations in places like Australia, New Zealand and Croatia. These have developed niche markets for luxury and adventure travel, from cultural excursions with Aboriginal tour guides to visiting the landscapes made famous by film and TV series like “Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones.” “The primary trend across all destinations is simple — clients want to experience something that they never have before and that most people won’t get a chance to experience,” according to a 2015 Travel Trends Report from Zicasso. “From elephant training to before-hours private tours of the Vatican, travelers want to return home with an incredible story.” For Zicasso, gastronomical tours are a top request, particularly to Italy,
by far the service’s top destination for 2015. Indeed, the company has seen requests grow by “leaps and bounds” for personalized experiences such as cooking classes, private tastings, truffle hunts and hiking tours. Also trending are culturally immersive experiences like private walks with archaeologists, visits to marble quarries and genealogical trips for travelers seeking to trace their Italian roots and connect with their heritage. Tauck, a 90-year-old guided tour and cruise company that designs and operates more than 100 itineraries to 70 countries and all seven continents from its Norwalk headquarters, touts river cruises as the fastest-growing segment in its global portfolio, as well as the fastest-growing category in leisure travel. “On a river cruise, versus an ocean-going cruise, you spend much more time exploring the destination instead of spending days at sea where you’re limited to the ship’s amenities for amusement,” says Tom Armstrong, corporate communications manager at Tauck. “River cruises offer daily opportuni-
ties for shore excursions, and many of (Europe’s) most historic cities and picturesque villages have grown up along (its) rivers, which have long been used for transportation and trade.” Many luxury travel companies have come to pride themselves on customizing unusual experiences for their clients. For instance, when a family with a history-minded son wanted to add a unique touch to their European vacation, Zicasso arranged for a tour of D-Day beaches with a retired French general as a guide. Tauck offers guided sightseeing in London, including an exclusive presentation by Celia Sandys, Winston Churchill’s granddaughter and biographer. Historically themed vacations are just one segment of a growing array of niche travel options. Spain is frequently mentioned among the top destinations, with Ovations projecting it will overtake France as its most popular European offering after Italy this year. The island paradise of Ibiza, legendary for its nightclubs, has matured into a luxury destination complete with $171,000-per week
mega-villas and private islands with new upscale restaurants and hotels, says Ovations’ Ezon. Spain is also the site of Zicasso’s “Game of Thrones” tours, timed to coincide with the airing of the fifth season on HBO. Building off the popularity of its “Lord of the Rings” and “Downton Abbey” vacations, Zicasso’s “Thrones” tour features the homes of royal families real and imagined, past and present. The tour includes Seville’s Alcázar castle (the Water Palace of Sunspear in Dorne, home of “Game of Thrones’” newest key character, Prince Doran Martell,) as well as the bullring of Osuna, rumored to be the site of the season’s grand finale (spoilers withheld). “We’ve seen great interest from fans of TV series or movies to not only visit the filming locations, but to really immerse themselves in the history and culture of those destinations,” says Steve Yu, director of marketing and business development at Zicasso. “Fantasy truly meets reality on this unique Spanish journey.”
SUMMER 2015 Transform your deck, patio, or terrace into an extra living space that everyone will enjoy. Maintain the traditional appearance of your home by installing a stationary awning or create a more contemporary look with a retractable system. Our awnings allow you to maximize your outdoor living space, provide relief from the sun’s harmful rays, reduce energy costs and create an elegant expression of your personal taste and style.
Gregory Sahagian & Son, Inc.
18 North Central Avenue Hartsdale, NY 10530 (914) 949-9877 A Full Service Awning Company Since 1990 Fully Licensed and Insured LIC.# WC-10266-H99
Visit us online @ www.gssawning.com WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
51
HAVE BATON, WILL TRAVEL BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Peter Oundjian. Photograph by Dale Wilcox, courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
53
IN DECEMBER OF 1994, PETER OUNDJIAN WAS AT A CROSSROADS IN HIS LIFE. He had carved out a distinguished career as the first violinist of the acclaimed Tokyo String Quartet. But focal dystonia, a repetitive stress condition, in his left hand increasingly hampered the intricate motor skills needed to finger the violin. Oundjian, who had also studied conducting, was contemplating a shift to that discipline and few were more supportive of the move than André Previn, the multiple Oscar and Grammy Award-winning conductor, arranger, pianist and composer who was then artistic adviser to the Caramoor International Music Festival in Katonah. It was a place familiar to Oundjian, who had played there with the quartet many times from 1981 to 1994. “He said, ‘Come out to the house. We’ll talk,’” Oundjian remembers of the invite to Previn’s Bedford home. They did — for hours. “He said, ‘I want you to conduct three pieces at Caramoor’s 50th anniversary concert,’” Oundjian recalls. “I looked at him as if he were nuts.” Oundjian not only took to the podium for that July 15, 1995 concert, but went on to serve as Caramoor’s artistic director from 1997 to 2003 and artistic adviser and principal conductor from 2004 to 2007. His conducting résumé has also become an equally impressive travelogue. Recently, he led the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, of which he’s been music director since 2004, on a tour of Europe, with a sold-out performance at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the first by a North American orchestra at Reykjavik’s Harpa concert hall. As music director of The Royal Scottish National Or-
54
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
chestra (since 2012), he went to China. “I’ve been to places all over the world,” Oundjian says. “It’s been a dream ride.” One that continues as he returns to the podium of Caramoor’s Venetian Theater June 20 to lead the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in a new work by Christopher Theofanidis before teaming with The Collegiate Chorale and soloists Jennifer Check, Jennifer Feinstein, Noah Baetge and Jeffrey Beruan for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125. Oundjian is a dream interview, as intelligent and expressive in conversation as he is in performance. As someone who’s played Beethoven hundreds of times, he understands that the Ninth, with its “Ode to Joy,” is the kind of classic that musicians and music lovers think they know even when they don’t. “It’s very fascinating to observe the change of approach to the symphony,” he muses. “I grew up in the era of large symphony orchestras for (Beethoven predecessors) Haydn and Mozart, with modern techniques — lots of vibrato, big sound. “But over the years, there’s been a move to authentic sound and a change in the way we feel about expressivity. It’s a different approach with a kind of clarity of expression, an inner energy that was lacking before.” While contemporary performances of Classical and early Romantic works have benefited from historical study, Oundjian says he does not believe in slavish attempts to recreate the past. “The slow movement in the Ninth had gotten so slow
Peter Oundjian acknowledges the audience after a performance. Photograph by Gabe Palacio, courtesy of Caramoor.
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
55
that you lost the melody,” he says. “Then I started looking at the Beethoven Ninth metronome markings and realized he was utterly deaf by that time, sadly.” The challenge of the Ninth is compounded by it being a vocal work as much as an orchestral one. “I’ve always loved the human voice,” says Oundjian, who began as a singer (a boy soprano in the Westminster Abbey Choir no less) before concentrating on the violin. “It gives me the greatest joy to work with singers, especially in oratorio.” Another love — new music. For Caramoor’s 70th anniversary — which coincides with Oundjian’s 20th as a conductor — Theofanidis has written what Oundjian describes as “an upbeat, celebratory piece. “The challenge of new music is that it’s undervalued,” adds Oundjian, whose 11-year-old New Creations Festival at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is now an audience favorite. “When I was coming up, you couldn’t write anything with a melody. It had to be dissonant. Nowadays, it can be about so much more.” But whether music is melodic or atonal, from five centuries or five minutes ago, the intention is the same — “to get at the heart of the music with clear, crisp gestures” while remembering that all music is contemporary at some time or another. “If we didn’t support contemporary music,” Oundjian says, “we wouldn’t have music.” Born in Toronto, Oundjian grew up in England where he attended the Charterhouse School and the Royal College of Music. (He would later study at The Juilliard School in Man-
hattan with Itzhak Perlman and Dorothy DeLay among others.) His British-Armenian family is one of performers and athletes. One cousin is Eric Idle of “Monty Python” fame. A nephew is Ben Smith of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. Being Canadian by birth and with a pro hockey-playing nephew, the conductor is a big hockey fan. “In Canada, they say there are three seasons — summer, hockey and hockey. I grew up playing soccer, and hockey is soccer on steroids.” But he also enjoys participating in sports as well as watching them. He plays tennis, goes kayaking and water skis. (Interestingly, he says, neither these nor his pianism are affected by his focal dystonia, only playing the violin, which he returned to briefly when Perlman jovially prodded him to perform the Bach Double Violin Concerto with him for the TSO’s 90th anniversary.) Sports along with reading are key to successful travel for Oundjian, who keeps his baton and a spare in his carry-on. So is eating sensibly. When he’s not on the road or in the air, Oundjian is on the ground at his home of 30 years in Weston, which he shares with wife Nadine. (Their daughter is immersed in film and theater in Montreal. Their son, “a wonderful singer-guitarist,” his father says, is finishing up at Skidmore College.) Nadine teaches kindergarten and first grade at The Long Ridge School in Stamford. Her husband, a visiting professor at Yale School of Music, is proud of his wife’s dedication to a field that he says is key to family. And to making beautiful music throughout your life.
MUSIC IN THE WOODS Caramoor’s 70th opening night concert begins at 8:30 p.m. in the Venetian Theater. Tickets range from $20 to $110. For tickets, call 914-232-1252. Opening night gala tickets include a pre-performance cocktail reception and dinner, premium seating and a post-performance party with dessert, cocktails and dancing with the artists. For reservations, email events@caramoor.org or call 914-232-1492. The festival — which also features the American Roots Festival (June 27 and July 10); a special Fourth of July concert; opera (July 11 and 25) and the Caramoor Jazz Festival (July 18 with Wynton Marsalis and 24) — concludes Aug. 2 with pianist and 2015 artist-in-residence “Hélène Grimaud teaming with conductor Pablo Heras Casado for a program of Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Caramoor is on Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah.
56
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
Peter Oundjian. Photograph by Sian Richards, courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
ATELIER CONSTANTIN POPESCU
ATELIER CONSTANTIN POPESCU is the place for people who seek the
highest quality musical instruments. Since the studio opened in 1994, proprietor and musician Constantin Popescu has made it his mission to create a first-rate source that sells, rents and repairs fine stringed instruments. Atelier Constantin Popescu and The Riverside School of Music are located in a stunning, light-filled space at 401-403 E. Putnam Ave. in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich. High-quality European string instruments for professional musicians, students and collectors are found at Atelier Constantin Popescu. The sounds produced from these instruments are fit for concert halls. Children can watch instruments being repaired by Sebastian Schwelm, a practicing luthier (craftsman of stringed instruments). World-renowned musicians and organizations like The Juilliard School
trust their instruments to Atelier Constantin Popescu. Studies have shown that music helps foster brain development in infants and young children, and children who play an instrument score higher on standardized tests and typically have higher grades in math. The Riverside School of Music offers classes in string instruments, from the Suzuki method for beginners to advanced levels. The school also offers piano lessons, music theory, chamber music lessons and adult programs. Some Riverside students have gone on to study at such prestigious schools as Juilliard, the New England Conservatory of Music and the Cleveland Orchestra. Children can rent the school’s fine quality instruments at a reasonable price and as they become more advanced musicians they can buy maestro-quality instruments. The Riverside School of Music is renowned for its commitment to quality and fostering a love of music.
Atelier Constantin Popescu • Riverside School of Music 403 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich/Cos Cob, CT 06807 (203) 661-9500 | atelierstrings@aol.com | www.atelierconstantinpopescu.com
GO GLAM ON THE BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
DEBBI K. KICKHAM FELL IN LOVE WITH TRAVEL AND TRAVEL WRITING AS ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND SPOKESMODEL FOR THE ROBB REPORT, A LUXURY MAGAZINE, BACK IN THE 1980S.
“When you’re going to five-star destinations, what’s not to like?” the Westwood, Mass., resident says. “I’ve been all over the world from Boston to Bora Bora.” Indeed, she recently returned from a European cruise aboard the Azamara Journey. This fall, she’ll sail to Tahiti on the Paul Gauguin. Such a glamorous life is not without its drawbacks. After experiencing a “20-course” dinner in France, Kickham concluded, “I’ve got to find a way to go on trips, be social and stay a size 4.” Hence “The Globetrotter’s Get-Gorgeous Guide” to staying fit and looking good on the go. Here Kickham — a marketing consultant and lecturer as well as a travel writer — expands on tips from her book. PACK SMART SNACKS. Kashi GoLean cereal, raisins and powdered nonfat milk in sealed plastic bags. PB2 powdered peanut butter. Sunsweet dried plums in Cherry Essence. The Laughing Cow cheese wedges. And for a low-cal treat, strawberry and chocolate Twizzlers. DON’T GET DETOURED ON “THE ROAD TO SVELTESVILLE.” Cruise meals alone can pack on a pound a day. Ask the special order chef aboard to prepare low-fat options. Bring your own packets of low-fat dressing (from minimusbiz.com) and flavored water packets of pink lemonade. If you find yourself at a five-course meal, skip the vino and take two bites of everything. HIT THE GYM — EVEN WHEN THERE’S NONE. Tour your destination on foot. March in place for a half hour in your hotel room. Jump rope without the rope. Do 15 minutes of pushups, sit-ups and leg lifts to work the three As — arms, abs and ass. GUARD AGAINST ILLNESS, which weakens immunity and willpower. Kickham recommends Oscillo, a homeopathic remedy by Boiron. “It’s one of the best-kept secrets” for those who feel fluish. Herban Essentials, available at Whole Foods, are must-have antiseptic towelettes in bracing lemon, orange and lavender.
REFRESH WITH SILK OR SATIN. A silk or satin pillowcase is gentler on the hair and the face than cotton, so don’t forget to pack one. DON’T SKIP ON THE SCENTED BEAUTY PRODUCTS, which will add zest to the skin and keep you feeling luxurious even on the trip from Hades. Among Kickham’s favorites are La Belle Vie soap in black cherry (tonsavon. com); JK7’s makeup remover in lemon and lime; and Karin Herzog’s chocolate moisturizer. Roloxin Lift (roloxin.com), a wrinkle-smoothing mask, is another great facial pick-me-up, she says. CHECK OUT LOCAL PHARMACIES ABROAD FOR GREAT PRODUCTS.
In Shannon, Ireland recently, Kickham visited The Burren Perfumery. And she picked up 10 vials of Retin A in Greece for a fraction of what it would cost here. WHEN PACKING, REPURPOSE. Use those plastic cases that duvets, sheets and pillowcases come in as suitcase “drawers” for swimsuits, workout clothes and formalwear. SAY IT WITH THE RIGHT ACCESSORIES. Kickham uses pink as an accent for navy and black. She wears costume jewelry so she doesn’t have to worry about losing it. And she ditches the sneakers for comfy Bass Weejuns loafers, Chanel ballet slippers and the “Like Jackie” sandals she had made in Capri (canfora.com). DON’T OVERPACK. Kickham prefers buying distinctive clothes and jewelry on her trips. “They make excellent souvenirs.” For more, visit gorgeousglobetrotter.com and marketingauthor.com.
Image courtesy of Debbi K. Kickham
58
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
Does Your Dog Get Out More Than You Do? We have containment solutions to protect your dog as well as your home!
Please call us at: 1-800 DOGWATCH |
visit us at: www.alphapet.com
Service in New York Counties: Westchester & Putnam Service in Connecticut Towns: New Canaan, Darien, Stamford, Greenwich & Cos Cob PetWorks 148 North Bedford Rd, Mount Kisco, NY 914-666-4480
Featuring DogWatch Hidden Fence
Riverside Crafts Fair AUGUST 15 & 16, 10 to 5
On Garrison’s Landing, next door to MTA Hudson Line One hour North of NYC, 3 miles No. of Bear Mtn. Bridge Quality handmades by 75 regional artists Exquisite riverside location Delicious food court Free parking next door at train station
RAIN or SHINE
PRINCE WILLIAM HAS PRINCE HARRY, SNOOPY HAS SPIKE – YOU KNOW, THE BAD-BOY BABY BRO WHO’S A CHUNK OF CHARM AND A TON OF TROUBLE. That’s what WAG Weekly is to WAG. In our e-newsletter, we let down our hair (and occasionally, our grammar) to take you behind behind-the-scenes of the hottest parties and events, offer our thoughts on the most controversial issues of the day, share what couldn’t be contained in our glossy pages and tell you what to do and where to go this weekend – all while whetting your appetite for the next issue. If you can’t get enough of WAG — or you just want to get WAG unplugged — then you won’t want to miss WAG Weekly, coming to your tablet.
845.424.3960
garrisonartcenter.org
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
59
Travelers’
MECCA BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
W WHEN CATHERINE PARKER WAS A CHILD, HER MOTHER, A TEACHER, TOLD HER THAT “THE WORLD IS THE BIGGEST CLASSROOM.”
Then she set out to prove it by taking her to Europe when Parker was 7. As a student at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, Parker went to Sweden as part of an exchange program with the American Field Service. At Providence College, where she majored in American Studies with a minor in art history, Parker went on what used to be called “the Grand Tour” — London, Paris and Rome, studying sculpture in Pietrasanta in northern Tuscany. And then there was her big trip to India, right before she planted “deep roots” in 1996 and opened Parkers, a travel shop in Rye that’s so much more than a travel shop. Make no mistake about it: “I enjoy buying for the store all the things that would make a trip special,” she says, relaxing for a minute in a director’s chair in her spacious store. There are adaptors, matching luggage tags and passport holders, clothing for all seasons by Barbour, floppy hats to go with your bathing suits, duffel bags and suitcases. Still, she adds, “it’s not only for the person getting ready for a trip but for everyone. We’re focused on being the go-to place for gifts.”
60
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
Need a lovely piece of jewelry? Why not try Jet Set Candy, silver and gold-plated charms by Nicole Parker King (Parker’s half-sister) that replicate the luggage tags of major airports or otherwise signify the world’s major cities. (We fell in love with a tiny Chrysler Building charm whose bottom opens to reveal a miniscule key to New York City.) Want to keep the kids busy on vacation (even if you’re going no farther than the backyard)? Get them an Adventure Station kit guaranteed to bring out their inner Indiana Jones. There are globes and greeting cards, coffee table books on Hudson Valley gardens and small ones like the lovely “Sea Glass Treasures From the Tide” by Cindy Bilbao. The diversity of Parkers is in part a reflection of a peripatetic family. Parker’s mother and stepfather, Barbara and Richard Dannenberg, are inveterate travelers whose prescient trip to Cuba was featured in last June’s WAG. Sister Nicole married an Australian diplomat and lived in India. Parker’s own family — husband David Walker, a licensed massage therapist, and children Julia and Aidan — have also been bitten by the travel bug. But Parkers’ beyond-travel perspective also reflects retail reality. “In 2001 after the dot.com bubble burst and 9/11 when people weren’t traveling as much, I was glad we
Catherine Parker, owner of Parkers in Rye and Westchester County Legislator for the 7th District. Photograph courtesy of Parkers.
weren’t just a travel store but had enlarged ourselves into a lifestyle brand,” Parker says. Lisa Degen is glad, too. A partner in Bank & Surf Beach Maps, which makes personalized blueprint-style maps of great beach locales, Degen says, “I come in all the time to browse and see what’s new.” If Parker herself is traveling less these days, it’s not only because she’s anchoring the store. There’s her other job, Westchester County Legislator for the 7th District, which covers much of the Sound Shore, including Rye, where she lives; Mamaroneck, Larchmont and bits of Harrison and New Rochelle. She also chairs the county’s Environment & Energy Committee. “It’s the environment that’s the passion,” she says of her political career, “and politics is the means to help us move in the right direction.” Indeed, if you ask Parker to name the places she’d like to visit or further explore, the list sounds like an ecotourist’s dream — Iceland for its geothermal work; the Netherlands, on the vanguard of flood mitigation, which could help her Sound Shore constituents; and the Amazon. “If it takes a village,” she says, very much her mother’s daughter, “then it takes a global one.” Parkers is at 43 Purchase St. in Rye. For more, call 914-921-6400 or visit Parkers on Facebook.
Harry T. Tucker & Sons, Inc
Dock Specialists & Sunstream Boat Lift Dealer One of the top five Sunstream Authorized boat lift dealers, in the country! For all of Connecticut, Eastern New York State, and Long Island Sound
Call us for all of your waterfront needs and have more time to enjoy and relax with a truly wonderful boating experience.
203-775-9672 490 Candlewood Lake Rd. • Brookfield, CT
TRANSPARENT LIVING
A AMID THE LARGE TRADITIONAL COUNTRY DWELLINGS ALONG A QUIET RESIDENTIAL STREET IN NEW CANAAN SITS THE GLASS HOUSE, ONCE THE RESIDENCE OF ITS CREATOR, ARCHITECT PHILIP JOHNSON.
With its airy, glass exterior and open floor plan, the house and its 49acre site — which Johnson thought of as part country home, part laboratory — draw about 14,000 visitors per year from near and far. And that’s fitting. “He liked to collect people, concepts
62
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
BY DANIELLE BRODY
and ideas,” says tour guide Laura Case, leading a group of visitors from Australia, Belgium, France and the United States on a recent afternoon. In 1943, Johnson graduated from Harvard University, Graduate School of Design. He became part of what would be known as the Harvard Five, a group of Modernist architects who built and lived in New Canaan in the 1940s and ’50s. But before settling in The Glass House, Johnson lived and worked in Manhattan where he was the founding director of the Department of Architecture at The Museum of Modern Art in the early 1930s. Some of his work in Manhattan includes the AT&T Building (now Sony Plaza), the New York State Theater (now the David H. Koch Theater) at Lincoln Center and the Seagram Building and its Four Seasons Restaurant. He also designed, with John Burgee, Purchase College’s Neu-
berger Museum of Art. In New Canaan, Johnson bought five acres on Ponus Ridge Road in 1946 and began designing the 1,810-square-foot house, which was completed in 1949. From then until his death in 2005, he lived in the home, at first on weekends then year-round, a majority of the time with partner David Whitney, a curator and art collector. Johnson called the property his “50-year diary,” to which he added acres of land, 14 structures, art — and different people he met in the art world and on his travels. Johnson moved on from Modernism after building the house, Case says. “He changed all the time,” Case says. “He got bored. He wanted to keep moving.” In 1986, Johnson bequeathed The Glass House to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which opened it for tours in 2007. According to Case, the tours, which run from May to No-
The Glass House and the adjacent circular pool. Photograph courtesy of The Glass House.
vember, are usually full on weekends. While the house itself is a must-see, for some it is the property that stands out. Through the house’s glass walls sectioned by black painted steel, the one-room home almost disappears into the landscape, serving as a frame for the tall oak trees and valley in the foreground. Johnson meticulously landscaped the woods behind his house, clearing brush and having a pond built. On its edge, he created a pavilion, an experiment with concrete, scale and arches. On a hill behind the pond stands a 30-foot-tall “staircase to nowhere,” a memorial to his friend, Lincoln Kirstein, co-founder with George Balanchine of the New York City Ballet. The staircase has an element of “safe-danger,” Case says. “He liked to keep people a little on edge,” Case says. Johnson also designed with the
idea of procession in mind, she says. Visitors have to walk single file over the narrow Eyebrow Bridge, inspired by his grandparents’ Ohio farm and designed to have a slight spring, which brings them to the painting gallery. It was built in the image of a bunker during the Cold War era and the ancient Greek “beehive” Tomb of Agamemnon. Johnson left specific instructions never to power-wash the hand-stippled, red sandstone exterior, Case says. He also purposely did not fill the gallery with too many paintings, because even he suffered from “museum fatigue,” she adds. The large canvases rotate, showing Johnson’s affinity for collecting and variety. Today he would be glad to know the property stays alive with new
art, entertainment and, of course, parties. The space hosts exhibits and performances, as well as photo shoots, recently for J. Crew and Tod’s, says communications director Christa Carr. The staff will hold a summer party June 13, and people can rent the space for dinner parties, bar and bat mitzvahs and weddings. For $30,000, two guests can sleep in the home and host a dinner for 10, she says. For the rest of us, a visit generally ranges from $25 to $250, depending on the type of tour. A van shuttles tour groups to the property and back from the starting point at The Glass House Visitor Center & Design Store, which is across the street from the train station. After a tour of Johnson’s abode, visitors can spend the rest of the day wandering through New Canaan’s
EXCITING OFFERING IN MID-COUNTRY $3,575,000 | WEB ID: 0067538 A sophisticated, private retreat with incredible light, dramatic ceilings, captivating views of the pool and manicured landscape.
An Andy Warhol canvas of Philip Johnson hangs in the painting gallery. Photograph by Danielle Brody.
downtown, filled with shops and restaurants. Whether coming from the area or across the world, it’s worth a visit. Dorothy Jones and Rosemary Glastonbury, friends visiting New York from
Australia, made sure to book a tour of The Glass House three months ago. “This is by far a standout experience,” Jones says. For more information or to book a tour, visit theglasshouse.org.
IDEAL GREENWICH LOCATION $1,965,000 | WEB ID: 0067544 6 bedroom home on an oversized lot in convenient Mid-Country location. Southern exposure creates a light-filled house.
Alice Duff | 203.618.3132
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
63
Family matters
F 64
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD ALONG THE HUDSON RIVER AND 80 FEET UP OFF THE GROUND IS PRIME REAL ESTATE PRIZED BY A FAMILY OF THREE. They have no income and they have no visible worries. They’re resourceful and live off the land. They have a proud history that they’re unaware of. They’re bald eagles — mom, dad and a down-covered newborn. The new addition arrived with the start of spring. Climb a steep hill along the Hudson and you could have gotten a bird’s eye view, providing you brought binoculars or a long lens for your camera. I say “could have” because leafy branches have now pretty much obscured the view of the immense nest, which is
about 10 feet wide. It was spectacular to watch mom or dad stretch wings and fly down to the river only to return minutes later with a fish to feed the young one. It was entertaining to see how junior attempted to flap his (or her) wings only to fall over sideways into the depths of the nest. While Man and DDT almost did in the species, today there are more than 11,000 nesting pairs of bald eagles in mainland United States, based on the most recent figures from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. And according to the National Audubon Society, bald eagles are monogamous. Best wishes. — Story and photograph by Bob Rozycki
Top Flight EW LLC, wants to go public right away and are seeking * Mergers and Acquisitions Investments Banks; along with Securities and Capital Markets Law Firms with a great track record of successfully raising * $5,000,000,000 five billion dollars or more for public companies as well as Entertainment Companies, Mining Companies and Real Estate Companies that are private startup companies in the process of going public thru a reverse merger with currently reporting, and currently trading OTC public shell companies after the reverse mergers are completed.
PLEASE CONTACT:
Mr. Joseph | Top Flight EW at 404-917-7308 or www.topflightew.webs.com
UP, UP AND AWAY
T
Photograph courtesy of Gotham Air.
BY COLLEEN WILSON
IM HAYES, CEO OF THE COMMERCIAL HELICOPTER SERVICE GOTHAM AIR, HAS SPENT MOST OF HIS CAREER AS AN ENTERTAINMENT PROMOTER. SO IT’S NOT SURPRISING THAT HE SEEMED PRETTY NONCHALANT WHEN TALKING ABOUT HIS WORK WITH BANDS LIKE THE ROLLING STONES AND HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH DUFF MCKAGAN OF GUNS N’ ROSES.
66
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
It wasn’t until Hayes started talking about astronauts that the fan in him emerged. Actually, it was one astronaut in particular — Buzz Aldrin, who recently took a ride in one of Hayes’ choppers from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Manhattan and tweeted a hashtagged shout out to Gotham Air. Hayes’ new business venture, which started this past February, has already taken off with customers, who range from the
moonwalking Aldrin to state delegations to CEOs all looking for 6-minute rides from metro airports to Manhattan and back. Now the company is offering transportation from Westchester County Airport to Manhattan, starting at $179 per trip. Hayes said he hopes to bring the price down to as low as $99 if the flight grows in popularity. He is a self-described aviation history nerd and that is in part what inspired him to start Gotham Air. Hayes cites Los Angeles Airways, which ran 17 flights daily for 34 years. The company billed itself as the “world’s first helicopter airline,” a form of transportation that working professionals in the mid-20th century could afford, he added. But, he says, economical helicopter airlines eventually dissolved and over the last 20 years, commercial chopper use has morphed into an elite service reserved mostly for business executives and people in show biz.
Still, Hayes says, “This isn’t some radical, super-exclusive mode of transportation.” So he started looking into “How did it run then and what’s different today?” What Hayes found is that “most of the reason why it’s so expensive is because the helicopter sits on the ground most of the day. It’s waiting for the CEO of Pepsi or the rock star to call….What if the helicopter instead of doing one or two trips a day was doing 15 trips a day?” By filling up the six or seven passenger seats of the company’s seven helicopters — Bell 407s in two versions and one EC130 — and increasing the number of trips per day, the price could go down. “Obviously, it’s priced for someone who’s had some successes in business. But you don’t have to be a Rockefeller,” Hayes acknowledges. “I go to those people and say, ‘What if I can give you 500 hours of your life back every year? Is that worth a
Tim Hayes. Photograph by Colleen Wilson.
little bit of money?’ (The service) gives people something that is precious, which is their time.” Gotham Air’s fleet is available for charter service. For more, visit gothamair.com.
You Deserved Better This Mother’s Day, Didn’t You?
Happy Father’s Day. 914-409-1900 / OasisWestchester.com / Westchester & New York City
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
67
Gifts and new products ideal for any occasion COMPILED BY MARY SHUSTACK
Elena Kriegner
A GEM OF A ‘VOYAGE’ The Voyage Collection from New York-based jewelry designer Elena Kriegner is wholly inspired by travel. The versatile gemstone pieces ($775 to $3,450) come in different shapes, cuts and colors, with styles named after destinations ranging from Rio to Hawaii to Chicago. Our favorites feature amethysts, pink tourmalines, citrines and, yes, diamonds. And the best part? Each can be worn as ring or pendant, saving room in those travel jewelry cases. For more, visit elenakriegner.com. Photographs courtesy Elena Kriegner Fine Jewelry.
68
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
1
SPAIN’S BOUNTY
3
(1) Add a taste of Spain to your table with the sweet and savory creations of a company dedicated to the gastronomic traditions of Catalonia. Can Bech’s latest gourmet products, making their debut in the U.S. market, range from Preserved Figs in Syrup and Tomato Fruit Preserves to Just for Cheese Sauces and Seasonal Fruit Spreads. The options are seemingly endless, the flavors like nothing you’ve tried before. Our favorites include the Summer Fruit Spread and the Rose Petal Jelly (from $8.99). For more, visit WagshalsImports.com. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.
SEASONAL SIPS (2) Add a finishing — Italian — touch to your spring-into-summer entertaining with Prosecco by Ruffino ($14.99). For on-the-go imbibing, simply pour the sparkling beverage right into Al Fresco Flutes from govino. These shatterproof glasses are the charming result of the collaboration between the classic winery and the Italian glassmaker, itself working with a Milan design school. The limited-edition glasses are sold in sets of four ($20). For more, visit ruffino-alfresco.com. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.
INDIAN DELIGHT (3) Bold embroidery and glass inserts add vibrancy to the Khalama Boho Bags from India. This colorful tote ($280) is ready to accompany you everywhere from the beach to the outdoor market.
2
For more, visit khalama.com. Photograph courtesy Khalama.
TRAVEL TRAYS (4) The creations of Rosanna Inc., the West Coast company founded by tabletop celebrity Rosanna Bowles, are sold everywhere from Harrods in London to Nordstrom in White Plains. Rosanna has just introduced the “Come Fly with Me” collection ($18 to $24), vibrant porcelain trays depicting destinations around the world – think Bangkok or the Cote d’Azur – that are ideal for home entertaining or make the most memorable hostess gifts.
4
For more, visit rosannainc.com. Photograph courtesy Rosanna Inc.
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
69
WEAR
1
2
3
IT’S IN
THEBAG BY DANIELLE RENDA
4
5 Photographs courtesy of Neiman Marcus Westchester.
THE BACKPACK
has always conjured up too-small children carrying too big a load emblazoned with images of Hello Kitty and SpongeBob SquarePants. Not so for the older crowd. While they may shoulder camouflage carry-ons or teddy bear totes, there’s an element of sophisticated luxury — to go along with sophisticated prices. At Neiman Marcus Westchester, you’ll find a variety of backpacks, carry-ons and totes that will help you travel in style and banish any reservations you might have had about being a bag lady or a bag man. 1 FALABELLA SHAGGY DEER BACKPACK Inspired by the Falabella handbag introduced in 2010, one of Stella McCartney’s best-selling items, this vegan-friendly, faux-leather backpack is a flirty, yet edgy alternative. The thin, shoulder straps and drawstring closure add a laid-back touch to the conventional backpack design, while maintaining McCartney’s commitment to eco-friendly design. $1,295. Also available in forest green. 2 PASHLI ZIP BACKPACK Created by Phillip Lim, this 100 percent cow leather bag has a textured look for added style, while the adjustable shoulder straps offer added comfort. As Phillip Lim’s website says, it’s “perfect for the mover, shaker and occasional troublemaker on the go.” The monochromatic color makes this bag a subtle yet sophisticated
70
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
accomplice. $975. Also available in black-cream, ivory-mimosa and ivory-dove. 3 QUILTED MEDIUM TEDDY BEAR SHOULDER BAG This adorable, quilted, teddy bear-print polyester bag expresses the “tonguein-cheek” fashion humor of designer Franco Moschino. Complete with removable shoulder straps for comfort and convenience, the whimsical print underscores the playful aspect of travel. $1,195. 4 STARK VISETOS MEN’S MEDIUM STUDDED BACKPACK This backpack by German brand Mode Creation München (MCM) is the epitome of a travel bag. Covered in the MCM logo, the print represents the year 1900 in Roman numerals, a turning point in accelerated travel. Handcrafted with gunmetal and triangular stud embellishments, the bag is equipped with adjustable straps and a compartment to protect electronic devices. Who ever said men can’t be flashy? $835 each. Available in cognac, navy, red, or black. 5 PSYCHEDELIC CAMO SOFT TOTE BAG New to Neiman Marcus Westchester, Valentino reintroduces the groovy ’70s with a psychedelic, camouflage-print leather and canvas tote bag. With flat leather straps and a front hand strap, this funky bag is fashion-forward, as the ’70s are having a moment again (if indeed they ever went away). $2,995. For more, visit neimanmarcus.com.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2015
RIDECLOSERTOFREE.ORG 25 MILES 62.5 MILES 100 MILES
Register NOW!
CTF15-WAGMagAD_(FULL)8x10.125.indd 1
5/14/15 10:53 AM
WANDERS
THE PASSIONATE TRAVELER BY JEREMY WAYNE
72
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
Aman Canal Grande exterior. Courtesy Aman Canal Grande Library.
W
HAT’S ON MY TRAVEL BUCKET LIST? Not much. That might sound odd coming from a travel writer, but while I enjoy visiting new places as much as the next intrepid explorer, oddly enough, these days my real passion is returning to places I already know. Many of them have enraptured me since childhood. One of my earliest memories is the steam railway at Littlehampton, a nondescript, dare I say, depressing little seaside town on England’s south coast. Had we gone on a day trip? Maybe. Was I with my parents? I think so but can’t say for sure. But even today, nearly half a century later, the smell of burning coal or tar takes me instantly back to that steam train, on a journey straight back to childhood. Smell will do that, of course, as I am not the first to observe — thank you, Monsieur Proust. The briny, seductive pong of pingingly fresh fish and shellfish, no matter where I come across it, has me back, as an 18 year old, at La Coupole, the Parisian bras-
serie which is a rite of passage for any teenage travel geek — for that, of course, is what I was. Stagnant water, which some might call a stench, transports me to Venice — and, if I close my eyes, I can almost hear it lapping the sides of the canal, like soup sloshing about in a giant tureen. Freshly mown grass has me back in Port Meadow, Oxford on a glorious summer’s day, at a picnic in the last week of my college days — just before real life began. Perhaps it’s some sort of regressive gene that time and again calls me back to these places. Nowadays, the service stinks at La Coupole (I think it probably always did) but still, I’m a sucker for it, and Venice is, at least when I’m feeling rich enough, a second home. I’m a fan, by the way, of the recently opened, jaw-droppingly beautiful Aman Canal Grande hotel, although Aman resorts and Venice still strike me as slightly awkward bedfellows. Here in America, I have my passions, too. The Victorian houses, or “painted ladies,” of San Francisco’s hippy-dippy Haight-Ashbury; the Rockies; the Hall of Mirrors at the Omni Netherland in Cincinnati — often referred to as “the greatest ballroom” in the
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
73
Remote island near the Trobriands, Papua New Guinea. Photograph by David Kirkland. Courtesy Papua New Guinea Tourism.
Aman Canal Grande’s Piano Nobile dining room. Courtesy Aman Canal Grande Library.
74
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
Midwest and the place where I was lucky enough to get married; Charleston; and the Carolinas. These are the places I have loved and always long to revisit. Because no matter how many new places I promise myself I will try and see, it’s the golden oldies that are ever calling me back. And then I remember my first-ever day in America, a lifetime ago now, landing in New York and being driven through the sunny streets of Manhattan (and already having my bearings, because only those brilliant early New Yorkers could have thought of planning their city on a grid). To the World Trade Center we went, and then up, up into the clouds, to Windows on the World, for cocktails — imagine that, so high up and so grown-up. And that is somewhere, alas, none of us can nev-
er revisit, except in the mind. So where to next? I hear Micronesia is swell, ditto Peru. I do have a yearning, I must admit, to get to Papua New Guinea, where cannibalism was only banned in 1960 (“but where we all know it still goes on,” as my precocious, travel bug-bitten 11-year-old informed me recently). And Myanmar is a must-see. I also fancy Aleppo in Syria and Isfahan in Iran, though probably not any time soon, and I must get to Ulan Bator, Mongolia, which I missed the first time around, 20 years ago, after misreading a train timetable and ending up in Vladivostok instead. You need to be passionate about travel — of course you do — but you also need a good pair of reading glasses.
ü ü ü ü ü ü
SUPPORTING
IT’S ALL ABOUT
Ferruccio Furlanetto. Photograph by Igor Sakharov.
THE BASS Ferruccio Furlanetto is one of the most versatile basses in the world, at home in both Mozart and Verdi. Honored by New Rochelle Opera, he talks about his best-known roles and the lifestyle of an opera star: 76
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
You bring such humanity to the seemingly villainous Philip II in Verdi’s “Don Carlo,” which has become a signature, drawing raves recently at The Metropolitan Opera. Tell us about your approach. “My approach to this fascinating role started in 1981 when I had the chance to have my debut in Kassel, Germany. At that time I was totally inspired by the superb artists of the time, (Cesare) Siepi and (Boris) Christoff in particular. “Then in the following years, going from production
to production, I started to develop my own vision of this magnetic and charismatic character. Obviously, I started to get information about the historical person through books and from the (Friedrich) Schiller theater work (“Don Carlos”). “In his real life, Philip II had been a dry, bigoted person, using religion for political and economic matters, and in the Schiller piece, he is presented that way. “When I started to go deeply into the Verdi score, I understood that the great composer was giving the in-
terpreter the possibility to show the human side of the most powerful man on earth. “Every word applied to this magnificent music can lead you to another dimension of this character, giving the listener the chance to feel closer to him. “Needless to say, a character so profound and mature grows together with the artist and changes accordingly with the acquired maturity of the singer, and so it did in my case, changing drastically in the years and with the opportunity to do it with great artists like Herbert von Karajan. “Today my King Philip is light years away from that young singer of Kassel 1981. Now in a production like The Met’s, I have really the chance to live this character under my own skin, 100 percent in agreement with what the direction requires.”
NEW ROCHELLE OPERA:
From idea to 30th anniversary BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
“Don Carlo” was simulcast on “The Met: Live in HD.” Do you prepare differently for TV? “My preparation and interpretation of this role doesn’t change at all whether it will be televised or not when I live a character as I do with King Philip. I do it first of all to be honest with the historical character, with the score and with myself.”
Among your distinctive accomplishments is playing both Don Giovanni and his servant (and doppelgänger) Leporello in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” sometimes in the same production. “I had my debut in ‘Don Giovanni’ as the Don when I was 27 years old and I sang it continuously and everywhere for 28 years. I sang Leporello only when Karajan asked me for the recording first and for the Salzburg production in ’87. “I did it again in 1990 in the (Franco) Zeffirelli production at The Met, but on that occasion (alternating) roles with Sam Ramey. …My favor went to the Don, although the Salzburg Leporello opened all the doors in the world for me.”
What is the significance of a regional opera company like New Rochelle Opera in the larger scheme of opera today? “I believe that it is fundamental that regional institutions do what New Rochelle does, introducing people to this magnificent theater and giving opportunities to young singers to present themselves in a very professional way.”
Part of the challenge is the globe-trotting life of the opera singer. “What is normality for us is very often considered very unusual. But a singer must be present everywhere if he wants to have an international career. Therefore, traveling becomes pretty much routine. “Now that The Met’s ‘Don Carlo’ is over, I am traveling to Vienna for a big gala at the Vienna Staatsoper, then a recital at the old Opera de Paris, the White Nights Festival of St Petersburg, Sydney for ‘Don Carlo,’ Vienna again for ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Eugene Onegin,’ a recording of Verdi arias, a recital in Moscow,’Onegin’ in London. And the year is gone. “The truth is that after so many years in this profession, the problem would be to stay still in one place.” – Georgette Gouveia For the full interview with Ferruccio Furlanetto, see wagmag.com.
The New Rochelle Opera’s 2008 production of Verdi’s “Aida.” Photograph courtesy NRO.
WHAT BEGAN AS AN OPERA LECTURE
for a group of students preparing to attend a performance of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” has grown into a company that has presented 38 operas — from Verdi’s “Aida” to Puccini’s “Turandot” — and honored everyone from New Rochelle baritone Robert Merrill to Pelham Manor tenor Matthew Polenzani (featured in WAG’s June 2013 issue). Recently, some 170 devotees gathered at The Fountainhead in New Rochelle as the New Rochelle Opera honored Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto as part of its 30th anniversary gala. The New Rochelle Opera is the brainchild of singer Camille Coppola, cantor at Sacred Heart Church in Hartsdale, and Billie Tucker, former community relations and cultural coordinator at the New Rochelle Public Library. Tucker was so impressed with Coppola’s school lectures on opera that she invited her to present highlights from Puccini’s “La Bohème” at the library. When Coppola told Tucker she’d like to have her own opera company some day, Tucker said, “So, why don’t we?” That led to the first full-length production, of Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana,” in 1983; the New Rochelle Opera name in 1984; and the company’s nonprofit incorporation in 1985. The mission, however, has stayed the same – to present opera in the community, to educate students and to showcase an array of rising professional singers, many of whom go on to The Metropolitan Opera and other companies. “We get singers from all over the world, from Massachusetts to Korea to Italy,” Coppola says. “These young singers are hungry. They’re looking for work.” All of which takes money – often in short supply in an age of dwindling grants, adds Coppola, who along with Tucker relies on volunteers like themselves to staff their efforts. And on fundraisers like the June 7 soirée at a private New Rochelle home that will feature cocktails and opera selections. A few weeks later, the company will present “Carmen” – Bizet’s crowd-pleaser about a Spanish soldier’s doomed love for a willful gypsy – and then in December, team with New Rochelle High School for Gian Carlo Menotti’s Christmas classic, “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” “We hope to continue our work and do even more outreach,” Coppola says. The New Rochelle Opera will hold a fundraising soirée 4 to 6 p.m. June 7 at a private home in New Rochelle. The company presents “Carmen” 8 p.m. June 25 through 27 and 3 p.m. June 28 at the Frank J. Auriana Theatre at the Ursuline School, 1345 North Ave. in New Rochelle. For tickets and more details, call 914-576-1617 or 914-576-0365 or visit nropera.org.
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
77
WHEELS
© “Mille Miglia - 1000 Miles of Passion,” published by teNeues, www.teneues. com. © The Classic Car Trust, Photo © Julien Mahiels.
Bravo, Mille Miglia! BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
ITALY, THE 1920S: Two young aristocrats, Franco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, take a weekly road trip from their hometown of Brescia to Milan, racing trains along the way. The pair then head to Biffi, a historic restaurant near the cathedral that’s a mecca for auto enthusiasts. There they vow to restore their beloved Brescia, the birthplace of motorsports, to its former automotive glory. So in December of 1926 they meet with sports journalist Giovanni Canestrini and Renzo Castagneto, secretary of the new Brescia Automotive Club. Together, these latter-day “Four Musketeers,” as they come to be known, devise a 1,000 mile race from Brescia to Rome and back — Mazzotti, who visited America, thought miles sounded sexier than kilometers — that would make legends of Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes Benz and Porsche, to say nothing of drivers like Clemente Biondetti, Rudolf Caracciola, Stirling Moss and Tazio Nuvolari. Mille Miglia, as the race was called, was run 24 times from 1927 to 1957 — 13 times before World War II, 11 from 1947 on. The race was banned in 1957 after two fatal crashes, the more famous of which involved Alfonso
78
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
Cabeza de Vaca, the 17th Duke of Portago; his navigator/co-driver Edmund Nelson and nine spectators, five of them children, in Guidizzolo, where his tire blew out at a speed of 300 mph just 25 miles from the finish in Brescia. (Since its inception, 56 people have died as a result of the race.) In 1977, the race was reinvented, while in 2007, it inspired a documentary, “Mille Miglia — The Spirit of a Legend.” In keeping with the intervals of seven, the 2014 Mille Miglia has been captured in a new book by teNeues, “Mille Miglia: Miles of Passion.” The 230 color and black-and-white photographs by René Staud and his team chart the course of what is no longer an open-road endurance race but rather a four-day regularity rally in which contestants travel a certain distance in a certain time at a certain speed. Only car models that participated during the historic years can enter. On the pages of “Miles of Passion” they gleam like giant, jeweled-colored lozenges. The drivers are no less sleek. Among those who took part in the 2014 race were former “Tonight Show” host and car collector Jay Leno; Oscar winners Adrian Brody and Jeremy Irons; and the fatherand-son team of Wolfgang and Ferdinand Porsche in a Porsche 356 designed by Wolfgang’s father.
What begins in Brescia as perhaps the most glamorous car show in the world nonetheless turns into a gritty test of endurance even as drivers are cheered by the faithful as they make their way through some of Italy’s most romantic, picturesque real estate, including the Tuscan countryside. Here’s the log from “Miles of Passion” for the half-way point in the race: “Yesterday was hard. The long day of driving, 15 to 17 hours for all the teams, has left its marks. The real Mille Miglia look can now be observed, with drivers and co-drivers a little scruffy and cars covered with grime, mosquito traces, and some permanent marks. This morning, an early one considering that for many the wake-up call is only a few hours after their arrival in Rome, spawns an incredible number of people with red eyes. It almost seems as if those driving in the Mille Miglia are playing the part of a vampire in a scary movie: The reality is that the wind, dust, and the strains of night driving along with only a few hours of sleep have all taken their toll. But there are still smiles, the ones that come from driving in such a long classic: a good sign.” They’re the kind of smiles you’ll wear poring over this book.
SHOP ON DINE ON PLAY ON LIVE ON
! l il H e h t n It’s All o
R I D G E H I L L S h o p. D i n e . P l ay. L i v e . @SHOPRIDGEHILL
1 Ridge Hill Boulevard
Yo nke r s
R I D G E H I L L .C O M
S P R A I N P KWY: E XI T T u cka h o e R d W
NYS T H R U way: Ex it 6 A
V
WONDERFUL DINING
ITALY LAGO comes home to BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI
80
WAGMAG.COM
Valerio Morano Sagliocco
JUNE 2015
V
ALERIO MORANO SAGLIOCCO
is a charming landscape specialist whose enthusiasm for food may exceed even his fondness for gardens and travel. “I love what I do, but food is a passion,” said the director and principal designer of Morano Landscape Garden Design in Mamaroneck and co-owner of Ridgeway Garden Center in White Plains. That passion is reflected in Lago — a new restaurant located appropriately enough on Lake Street in the Silver Lake section of Harrison that serves Southern Italian cuisine designed to evoke Sagliocco’s Calabrese and Neapolitan roots. (The family has a farm in Calabria — the region that’s the “toe” of the boot-shaped country — which Sagliocco has been visiting since childhood.) “You have to put the best possible cuisine out there,” said Sagliocco, a partner in the restaurant with Sal Luciano. “This (food) has very little fat content. It’s simple, and everything is very clean. A lot of chefs are just putting chemicals together.” Instead, Sagliocco adds, Salvatore Esposito — named one of the top
Italian chefs by the James Beard Foundation — prepares real food. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. We began with the Salumi e Formaggi Misto, a selection of cured meats, cheeses, olives and peppers, which along with the zesty focaccia and a delicious, warm Italian bread from the Bronx both satisfied and whetted the appetite. Next came a trio of tasty, colorful salads — beets on a bed of whipped Caprino cheese and arugula; lightly dressed field greens dotted with blackberries and topped with shaved cheese and fennel; and imported buffalo mozzarella, roasted sweet peppers and heirloom tomatoes. This was followed by melt-in-your-mouth Neapolitan meatballs in a sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes imported from Calabria. (The tomatoes added a natural sweetness to the sauce’s traditional tang, as they did to the Margherita pizza that was yet another delightful side dish.) We then sampled the Wagyu Beef Burger — rich beef top with crispy prosciutto, caramelized onions, melted Fontina, tomatoes and a pepper coulis sauce. By now lunch was taking on the epic quality of “Babette’s Feast” and “My Dinner With Andre.” Maybe it was the Pappardelle Lago accented by various mushrooms and a cream sauce, which restaurant manager Louie Kuqi prepared tableside in a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano. Or the Zabaglione custard that he flamed with Hennessy Cognac tableside. Maybe it was the place itself, with its coffered copper ceiling, brick
10th Annual
THE ANNUAL WOMEN ON THE MOVE
LUNCHEON
CELEBRATES ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY. HOSTED BY:
Honoring Board of Trustees Member Tobi Rogowsky In support of a world free of multiple sclerosis. September 18, 2015 | Hilton Westchester | Rye Brook, NY To purchase tickets email Gina.Nicoletti@nmss.org
MISSION SPOTLIGHT AWARD SPONSOR
EVENT SPONSORS
MEDIA SPONSORS WESTCHESTER COUNTY
WCBJ BUSINESS JOURNAL WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
81
wainscoting, white walls and reclaimed, fire-treated wood from Ridgeway Garden Center. Sagliocco says he conceptualized it, while interior designer Vanessa DeLeon made it happen. The décor underscores the warm, familial atmosphere of Lago, which is evident right down to the Mason-jar votives, copper-topped pepper mills and tapering dark wicker bread baskets selected by Sagliocco’s mother, Rosina, and aunt, Lisa Morano. As we talked over the food and the wine (Aglianico, a beguilingly dry red from the Campania region), Sagliocco recalled a Westchester childhood (White Plains birth, Mamaroneck upbringing, Rye Neck High School) and his dream of becoming an investment banker. But he continued to work in the 63-year-old family landscaping business with his father, Domenico, and his grandfather, Angelo Morano, who died in 2001. “That was a huge loss,” Sagliocco says. “He was the rock of our family.” Though Sagliocco had a double concentration in finance and manage-
82
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
ment at Fordham University, with a minor in art history and Italian, he said, “I realized my heart wasn’t in (finance.) It was where my roots were. I saw an opportunity to be something great.” In 2006, he went into the family landscaping business, taking courses in horticulture and design the following year at The New York Botanical Garden, a place he describes as “magical.” Sagliocco’s love of all things Mediterranean has taken him from Italy to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to Istanbul and the beaches of Bodrum in Turkey. Always he’s on the lookout for new foods and flavors. Recently, Sagliocco, who divides his time between the Upper East Side and his parents’ Harrison home, opened Café La Fondita, a Frida Kahlo-colorful taco stand on Center Avenue in Mamaroneck that he says is “Mexico meets Williamsburg.” Clearly, finance’s loss is food’s gain. For more visit, lagoristorante.com.
th e d e sse r tist.co m
WINE & DINE
A
Roger Bernard makes wine in the Saint-Chinian region of Languedoc-Roussillon in the south of France.
Take a sip and take a trip
LIFETIME AGO, OR SO IT SEEMS, I TENDED BAR AT THE WHITE ELEPHANT, AN ICONIC RESORT HOTEL ON THE ISLAND OF NANTUCKET. This was the beginning of my interest and education in the world of wine and spirits. At the time, the restaurant had a policy of one free after-shift drink per waiter or maître d’. One older career waiter would appear at the bar service area when he was done working. I would say to him, “Where to tonight, Derek”? He would reply, “I think I will visit Scotland tonight,” which was his way of requesting a Scotch. Derek had traveled extensively and worked in many foreign lands. Other nights he would request a visit to Ireland, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, Barbados, France, Italy, Spain and Argentina. I had to select the appropriate spirit or wine to enhance his excursion. It was a little silly and a bit fun, but as I watched him sit down alone with his drink and stare out into the pulsing, dark ocean water, I felt like he was reminiscing about people he once knew and his time spent near the regional source of that night’s drink. It is the cheapest way to “travel” and I admit I do something similar today. When I decide
84
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG PAULDING
on pouring or opening something in the evening, there are many facets to the final decision. I may have read something interesting about a particular region or grape that intrigued me. I may be traveling to a wine region in the near future and want to pursue a little advance reconnaissance. There may be a food influence in my decision. If I’m cooking something with a French, Spanish or Italian flavor, the wine I choose will likely be from the same region. It may be a weather-related decision. A chewy Malbec or syrupy Syrah might be the perfect wine on a cold January night, but on a crisp, warm June evening, perhaps a more appropriate choice would be a lighter Pinot Noir, a sparkling wine, a Riesling, Pinot Gris or a Grüner Veltliner. Each of these grapes is evocative of a region in the wine world, although particular grapes can be grown in vastly different regions. So, where do you want to go tonight? Are you thinking the Greek islands perhaps? Grab a bottle of Moscofilero or Assyrtiko. Interested in the less harried lifestyle of the south of France? Look for a textured Mourvédre or a delicious Picpoul de
Pinet, which could be the perfect pairing for fresh, unadorned shellfish. Is Spain one of your dream destinations? A fresh, citrusy Albariño or a luscious Tempranillo might get you there in spirit. I can’t taste a Pinot Gris from Alsace in northeastern France or a Riesling from western Germany or a Muller-Thürgau from Austria without thinking of all the political madness and shifting borders over the centuries. A big Zinfandel could bring you to California, while a vintage Port made from the Touriga Nacional grape might elicit imagery from Portugal. I could go on and on here. The takeaway message is wine and spirits are a great vehicle for thinking of faraway places. The next time you have a little free time, find a well-stocked wine store and see if it will offer a case discount. Most will. Choose or ask for wines from little-known regions or unfamiliar grapes. Find a cool place in your home to store them and take the time to “visit” some exotic places. For less than the price of a limo ride to the airport, you get an opportunity to experience the world. Write me at doug@dougpaulding.com.
MODERN LIVING IN AN ENCHANTING, HISTORIC SETTING
N
Nestled on Warwick Road within the prestigious Lawrence Park West estate enclave of Bronxville is one of the area’s finest historical structures. The most-admired home, a rarity on the market, is now offered by only the second owner in its storied history. The 1919 Tudor Revival, designed by renowned architect William Bates for one of Bronxville’s pioneers William Frederick
Kraft, is a perfect example of a well-maintained property. The landmarked three-story, stone-and-timber building with a slate roof is a design masterpiece set within more than half an acre of private property landscaped to perfection with mature trees and plantings and complemented by an artistically handcrafted gazebo and a detached two-car garage. After entering through an arched portico you are surrounded by an elegant dining room and living room with a marble fireplace. French doors lead to a four-season, light-filled and stonewalled sunroom/porch. The dining room leads you to a stonewalled breakfast room, where an abundance of windows allow a
light and bright setting that virtually brings the outside in. The home’s interior exemplifies architect Bates’ enthusiasm for designing spaces ideal for entertaining. All were created with the thought to provide ample light throughout, with grouped windows in varying sizes creating the ideal environment for gatherings. Spaces flow from room to room and seemingly right into the outdoors. As it has since its creation nearly a century ago, this oneof-a-kind home promises to provide the setting for an exceptional life for whoever is lucky enough to become its third owner.
• • • • • •
List price: $1,995,000 3,905 square feet 5 bedroom, 4.5 baths Over half an acre Finished/walk-out basement Less than 1 mile to the village of Bronxville and train station • 28 minutes to Grand Central Station MLS # 4508202 FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT LIA GRASSO OF DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE AT 914-584-8440, 914-232-3700 OR LIA.GRASSO@ELLIMAN.COM
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
85
WHETTING THE APPETITE
BY JACQUELINE RUBY
Citrusy salmon brings the islands home BLOOD-ORANGE SALMON
PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROZYCKI
Blood-orange salmon is a sweet, easy and delightful summer dish that will add a touch of the tropics to your table (while saving a lot on airfare). One word of caution: You’ll want to make extra as your guests will be asking for more.
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
v ¼ cup blood-orange olive oil
2. Season fish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
v Zest of ½ lemon and ½ orange
3. Prepare glaze by mixing brown sugar, zest, blood-orange olive oil, soy sauce, orange juice and lemon juice in bowl. Add white wine until sugar has dissolved.
v 3 tablespoons of soy sauce v 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice v 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice v 2 tablespoons dry white wine
4. Arrange salmon, skin-side down, in baking dish and pour glaze over fish, coating it evenly.
v ¼ cup light brown sugar
5. Place dish in center of oven rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Baste every 4 minutes until fish is opaque.
v 2 pounds salmon filet
6. Serve over baby arugula with olive oil dressing.
v Salt and pepper to taste
7. Pair meal with crisp glass of Pinot Grigio. For more, contact the Saucy Realtor at jacquelineruby@hotmail.com.
86
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
Congratulations to our Doctor of Distinction. Congratulations to Robert Herzlinger, MD, on being selected as a 2015 Doctor of Distinction. Bridgeport Hospital and Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital are proud of your outstanding contributions to the care of premature and critically ill newborns. Thank you for all you have done for our tiniest patients and their families!
Robert A. Herzlinger, MD Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Pediatrics WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
87
WELL
STAY WELL WHILE TRAVELING BY ESTHER NASH, MD
NFECTIOUS DISEASES AND OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS ACQUIRED DURING TRAVEL CAN HAVE SIGNIFICANT MEDICAL AND FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS AND THEIR EMPLOYERS. THESE INCLUDE A PERMANENT EFFECT ON HEALTH, LOST WAGES AND TIME, LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY, MEDICAL EXPENSES AND WORKERS’ COMPENSATION COSTS. One study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM),* says that the cost of an ill traveler to employers can be more than $500,000, compared to the approximately $500 cost of pre-travel health screening with appropriate vaccinations. (This screening is not covered by insurance as travel is considered a luxury.) People traveling to underdeveloped parts of the world are often exposed to diseases against which they have no immunity, such as tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis A, B and C, typhoid, yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis. The JOEM study notes that 42 to 75 percent of travelers experience a travel-related health problem and 10 to 20 percent consult a physician for health problems while abroad or upon their return. Experts with the International Society for Travel Medicine report that for every 100,000 travelers to the developing world, 5 percent are confined to bed, 1.1 percent are incapacitated while abroad or upon their return, 0.3 percent require hospitalization, 0.05 percent require air evacuation and 1 in 100,000 die as a result of a travel-related medical condition. People travel for many reasons and each type of travel is associated with unique health risks. Adventure, humanitarian, government and some business travelers visit remote areas in resource-poor areas, far from basic medical care. Leisure travelers may also experience unan-
88
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
ticipated medical problems abroad. With advances in medical treatment, individuals previously considered unfit for travel now feel well enough to travel. These special populations, which include people with immune disorders, the elderly, pregnant women and children, have unique travel-associated health risks that should be identified and addressed. Trained travel medicine specialists are uniquely qualified to perform a health risk assessment and recommend measures to prevent illness while traveling. They review the traveler’s medical and vaccination history, allergies, medications, itinerary, nature, duration of travel and anticipated activities. They consider epidemiological data, such as country-specific antibiotic and antimalarial drug resistance, and regulations for vaccines such as yellow fever, polio and meningitis. In addition, travel medicine specialists make recommendations about immunizations, medications to treat traveler’s diarrhea and, if warranted, prescribe medications to prevent malaria, altitude illness and motion sickness. The traveler is counseled on food and beverage precautions, jet lag, prevention of thrombophlebitis (blood clots in the legs), safety and security as well as specific risks associated with travel itinerary or activities. Travelers who receive the yellow fever vaccine are provided with an International Certificate of Vaccination or prophylaxis and all travelers are provided with educational material, including a list of vetted medical facilities for the countries they plan to visit. A pre-travel health evaluation takes 45 to 60 minutes and should be obtained six weeks before departure. This allows sufficient time for immunity to develop. People who routinely travel on short notice, such as corporate travelers, should be prepared well in advance for all likely exposures. Businesses can save a significant amount of money and time and ensure productivity by prevented travel-related illness in employees who travel internationally, even when the length of travel is only a few days or weeks. Corporate medical directors should be aware of employees who travel and take measures to ensure that these employees receive a timely pre-travel consultation. Companies without medical personnel on staff may assign this responsibility to their human resources department or company managers. Many companies have made a pre-travel medical consultation mandatory and link the issuance of airline tickets to the completion of a pre-travel medical evaluation. The benefits and cost-effectiveness of obtaining a timely consultation with a trained travel medicine specialist prior to travel is patently clear. *”Overview of Selected Infectious Disease Risks for the Corporate Traveler,” Hudson and Fortuna, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2008.
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
89
PET OF THE MONTH
HUGGABLE
GIANT 90
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
A GENTLE GIANT: That’s the way the SPCA describes Ned, who came in recently as a stray. (He was found wandering the streets and was brought into the SPCA, where sadly no one has claimed him, perhaps because he’s a mature dog.) Ned’s a big guy, but lovely and mellow. And while this 8-year-old Collie has a touch of arthritis, he’s still spunky and happy-go-lucky. All he wants is to be with people and share a nice home where he
can spend his golden years. And, come to think of it, isn’t that ultimately what we all want? To meet Ned, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor. Founded in 1883, the SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is not affiliated with the ASPCA. The SPCA is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. To learn more, call 914- 9412896 or visit spca914.org.
Westchester Philharmonic
June 14 at 3 pm Danail Rachev, guest conductor
Joshua Roman, cello
Pärt: Fratres Elgar: Cello Concerto Brahms: Symphony No. 2
*********
Tickets start at $30. 914-682-3707 westchesterphil.org Events at the Performing Arts Center Purchase College, Purchase, NY. Programs, artists, dates and times subject to change. Š2015 Westchester Philharmonic, Inc.
Eager Beaver Tree Service INTELLIGENT TREE CARE ARTISTIC DESIGN DETAIL ORIENTED LONG TERM PLANNING-IMMEDIATE RESULTS SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!
EXTRAORDINARY Serving Westchester and Fairfield 914-533-2255 | 203-869-3280 |
203-966-6767
www.eagerbeavertreeservice.com Doug Paulding | Dpupatree@aol.com
NOW THROUGH JUNE 20
JUNE 4
Connecticut artist Gary Komarin in his
The Food Bank for Westchester rec-
first solo exhibit of paintings on can-
ognizes volunteers who have made
vas and works on paper. Featuring a
exceptional efforts to fight hunger in
grid installation of his signature French
Westchester at its “Hunger Heroes
JUNE 6
wigs, cakes and vessels. 10 a.m. to 5
Breakfast.” 8 to 10 a.m., Tappan Hill
The Boys & Girls Club of Northern West-
p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, Mad-
Mansion, 81 Highland Ave., Tarrytown;
chester presents its 21st annual Human-
elyn Jordon Fine Art, 37 Popham Road,
914-923-1100, foodbankforwestchester.
itarian Awards Dinner. The gala will
Scarsdale; 914-723-8738, madelynjor-
org/hunger-heroes
feature fundraising auctions, dinner, a
donfineart.com
914-963-4550, hrm.org
JUNE 5 THROUGH JUNE 28 “Color Compass,” a gallery show by art-
The Women’s Leadership Institute at
ists Rebecca Darlington and Jane Marcy.
the Manhattanville School of Business
Noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sun-
will host its first annual Women’s Con-
days, Gallery 66NY, 66 Main St., Cold
ference from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at
Spring; 845-809-5838, gallery66.com
Reid Castle. The full-day summit will
more. 6 p.m., Hilton Westchester, 699 Westchester Ave., Rye Brook; 914-6668069, bgcnw.com/events
JUNE 7 “Hope in Motion Walk & Run” — The run celebrates its 20th anniversary, with 100 percent of the proceeds going di-
Advance registration is required. Man-
JUNE 6 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 26
hattanville College, 2900 Purchase St.,
Part of “The Seven Deadly Sins,” an inau-
walk at 10 a.m., Columbus Park, Stam-
Purchase; 914-323-5150, community.
gural exhibit of the Fairfield/Westches-
ford; hopeinmotion.org
mville.edu/msb
ter Museum Alliance, “Envy” makes its
fast, lunch and a networking session.
WHEN & WHERE
special tribute journal, a live band and
JUNE 3
include interactive workshops, break-
fairy tales. 511 Warburton Ave., Yonkers;
rectly to the Stamford Hospital Bennett Cancer Center. Run begins at 8 a.m.; the
appearance at the Hudson River Museum in multimedia artist Adrien Broom’s
JUNE 7 AND 8
photographs and life-size scenes from
New York Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning returns to host Guiding Eyes for the Blind’s 38th annual Golf Classic, featuring the country’s best blind golfers as well as Guiding Eyes’ dogs. The two-day outing will be held at Mount Kisco Country Club and Fairview Country Club in Greenwich. The event includes a dinner, a raffle and live, silent and online auction; guidingeyes.org
JUNE 8 “Cheftopia: The 30th Annual Chefs’ Tribute to Citymeals-on-Wheels,” featuring dishes inspired by food trends to benefit Citymeals, which serves home-
ENVY JUNE 6 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 26
bound elderly New Yorkers. 7:30 p.m., Rockefeller Center, Manhattan; 212687-1290, citymeals.org
COLOR COMPASS - JUNE 5 THROUGH JUNE 28
JUNE 9 THROUGH 27
JUNE 10
Westport Country Playhouse will stage
An Evening Stroll in the Wildflower
“And a Nightingale Sang,” a love sto-
Meadow – Tour the new Native Wild-
ry about a working-class British family
flower Meadow at the Greenburgh
during World War II. 7 p.m. Tuesdays, 2
Nature Center and learn about the
and 8 p.m. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thurs-
native grasses and flowering plants
days and Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays
that attract songbirds and butterflies.
and 3 p.m. Sundays. 25 Powers Court,
7:30 p.m., 99 Dromore Road, Scarsdale;
Westport; 203-571-1287, westportplay-
914-723-3470, Greenburghnaturecen-
house.org
ter.org WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
93
JUNE 11 The Ossining Documentary and Dis-
Park, Yorktown Heights; 212-220-2290,
438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org
walkwithme.org/HudsonValley
cussion Series presents “Project Wild
❖❖❖
Thing,” a feature-length documentary to
Celebrate the summer’s bounty at the
JUNE 20 AND JUNE 21
get more kids and parents outside to re-
3rd annual Farm to Table Dinner and
Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Re-
connect with nature. 6:30 p.m., Ossining
Wine Tasting Fundraiser. Enjoy deli-
vival takes place at Croton Point Park
Public Library’s Budarz Theater, 53 Croton
cious samplings from a variety of Hud-
in Croton-on-Hudson and will feature
Ave.; 914-941-2416, ossiningdocumenta-
son Valley restaurants, bakeries and
seven sustainably powered stages
ries.org
wineries while supporting locally grown
with diverse music, dance, storytelling
❖❖❖
products. Dinner served outdoors on
and family-oriented programs. Festival
Meeting, corporate and independent
the Greenburgh Nature Center’s Great
gates open at 9 a.m.; clearwaterfesti-
planners gather for the day-long 2015
Lawn. 4 p.m., 99 Dromore Road, Scars-
val.org
MPI WestField Golf Classic & Annual
dale; 914-723-3470, Greenburghnature-
Awards Event. Activities start at noon.
center.org
JUNE 22
Doral Arrowwood Hotel Conference Center, 975 Anderson Hill Rd, Rye Brook;
JUNE 16
203-460-2659, doralarrowood.com
JUNE 13
Westport Country Playhouse presents a “Script in Hand” reading of Douglas
Tuck and Patti — While typically classi-
Carter Beane’s “The Country Club,” a
fied as New Age, this husband and wife
comedy about young WASPs at a se-
embrace jazz, folk, blues and numer-
ries of parties throughout the year, from
The 35th annual Ossining Village Fair
ous other influences to forge their own
New Year’s Eve to Christmas, and every
reflects the unique character of the vil-
musical path. 7 p.m., Fairfield Theatre
holiday in between. 25 Powers Court,
lage with a celebration that includes a
Company, 70 Sanford St., Fairfield; 203-
Westport; 203-571-1287, westportplay-
wide range of vendors, food, games and
259-1036,
house.org
live entertainment. The fun starts at 10
tuck-and-patti
fairfieldtheatre.org/shows/
a.m., 1 Main St.; 914-941-0009, ossiningchamber.org
JUNE 25
JUNE 19
“The Colors of June 2015 — HDSW
Bacon Brothers — The gritty rock band
Celebrates Modern Art” — Human
— fronted by Kevin, better known for his
Development Services of Westchester
“Easter Seals: Walk With Me,” a 2K- loop
acting, and Michael, better known as a
honors Emily Cohen and the Service
walk to celebrate the life-changing pro-
composer, particularly for PBS series –
Club of Louis M. Klein Middle School
grams of ESNY, which helps children with
brings a roots-folk-country vibe to its
Junior Philanthropists at a gala. With a
special needs reach their highest poten-
concerts. 8 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse,
cocktail hour, dinner, dancing raffle and
tial. Registration begins at 10 a.m., FDR
80 East Ridge Road, Ridgefield; 203-
art show. 6 p.m., Coveleigh Club, Milton
JUNE 14
TUCK AND PATTI JUNE 16
Point, Stuyvesant Ave., Rye; 914-835-
GARY KOMARIN NOW THROUGH JUNE 20 JUNE 28 “Tasseography: The Art of Tea Leaf,” a
8906, hdsw.org
reading with Joan Carra, spiritual coun-
JUNE 27
selor, psychic and medium. The twohour workshop begins at noon, Wain-
“Under the Stars” is an evening of din-
right House, 260 Stuyvesant Ave., Rye;
ing, dancing and entertainment to benefit
203-531-6387, psychicjoancarra.com
Greenwich Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Department. 6:30
OSSINING VILLAGE FAIR - JUNE 13
p.m., Riverside Yacht Club, 102 Club Road,
JUNE 29
Riverside section of Greenwich; 203-863-
The Music Conservatory of Westches-
3865, facebook.com/GreenwichHospital-
ter will close its 85th year with its 14th
FoundationSpecialEvents
Annual Golf and Tennis Classic. Fol-
❖❖❖
lowing a day on the links and courts,
The American Roots Music Festival
an awards dinner will honor former
featuring Lucinda Williams takes place
New York Yankees’ closer Mariano Ri-
throughout the grounds of the Caramoor
vera and his wife, Clara, with the con-
Center for Music and the Arts and offers
servatory’s Community Vision Award
a mix of folk, country, bluegrass, gospel,
for their outstanding philanthropic
blues, jazz and traditional and contempo-
work. Golf registration begins at 10
rary roots music. All-day event. 149 Girdle
a.m., Whippoorwill Club, 150 Whip-
Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-232-1252, cara-
poorwill Road, Armonk; 914-761-3900,
moor.org
musicconservatory.org
for movies and the performing arts
80 East Ridge, Ridgefield, CT (203) 438-5795
ridgefieldplayhouse.org
Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo
Charles Esten and Clare Bowen
July 5 @ 8PM
Fri, June 26 @ 8PM
The Queen of Rock Celebrates 35 Years of hits including “Heartbreaker,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and more!
If you love the hit TV show Nashville - this is your chance to see the stars perform live - up close and personal!
Matt Schofield
Wed, June 10 @ 7:30PM
Every ticket buyer gets a free beer! Master Class Available with this 3-time British Blues Guitarist of the Year!
The Bacon Brothers
Fri, June 19 @ 8PM
Their infectious roots–folk-country vibe has fans dancing in their seats!
Roger McGuinn
Madeleine Peyroux Trio
Legendary Frontman of the Byrds
Tues, June 23 @ 8PM
Fri, June 12 @ 8PM
An Evening of Art, Wine & Jazz – free wine tastings in the lobby!
Best known for hits “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Turn, Turn, Turn” and “Eight Miles High”
An Evening with
Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra Sat, June 13 @ 8PM
Five-time Grammy Award Nominee & Nouveau Flamenco Guitarist
Asleep at the Wheel
Thurs, June 25 @ 8PM
Come join these Grammy-winning Texans for a rollicking night of Western swing revival!
Graham Parker and The Rumour
The Garcia Project
With all original members! Known for their hits “Local Girls,” “Saturday Nite is Dead” and more!
Special Guest Acoustically Speaking
Tues, June 16 @ 8PM
JD Souther
Sat, June 20 @ 8PM
Special Guest Chris Walters
He co-wrote some of the biggest hits for the Eagles, JD Souther has written and co-written hits by the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt and the Dixie Chicks!
Al Di Meola
Sun, June 21 @ 8PM
Elegant Gypsy & More • Electric Tour 2015
Al returns with a fiery electric band, delivering the intense jazz fusion as only this world-class guitar deity can.
Sat, June 27 @ 8PM
Performing full, classic Jerry Garcia setlists from 70s, 80s, 90s!
Keb’ Mo’
Sun, June 28 @ 8PM
The Grammy-winning Blues-Americana musician returns to The Playhouse!
Glenn Miller Orchestra Fri, July 11 @ 7:30PM
Hear all the hits “In The Mood,” “Chattanooga Choo-Choo,” Moonlight Serenate,” “Tuxedo Junction” and more! 95 WAGMAG.COM JUNE 2015
WATCH
BEYOND THE DIAGNOSIS A packed-house of 125 attended the Fairfield County Business Journal’s second annual Doctors of Distinction event honoring “those who go beyond the diagnosis” at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk. Keynote speaker Darcy Lowell, founder and executive director of Child First, an intensive home-visiting intervention program for the most vulnerable children and families, kicked off the event. The seven honorees included Albert V. Burke, former chairman and chief of the medical staff at Norwalk Hospital; Steven Heffer, medical director and owner of AFC/Doctors Express Urgent Care in Bridgeport; Robert Herzlinger, medical director of Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital at Bridgeport Hospital; Sohel Islam, practicing doctor within the Western Connecticut Health Network specializing in plastic surgery and hand surgery; Joseph Feurstein, director of integrative medicine at Stamford Hospital; Mark Vitale, an orthopedic surgeon at Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists; and Phillip E. Jordan, a student at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. — Danielle Renda 1. Sohel Islam, Albert Burke, Joseph Feurstein, Mark Vitale, Steven Heffer, Robert Herzlinger and Phillip Jordan 2. Darcy Lowell 3. Mark S. Thompson 4. Michael Zingone 5. Steven Heffer, Heena Sultan, Zachary Heffer, Eli Heffer and Adam Heffer 6. Renata Howard 7. Jefferson Orienza and Crystal Colbert
96
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
1
2
5
3
4
6
7
VISIONARY AWARDS
3 2
1
5
4
9
6
7
8
10
The Westchester County Business Journal held the inaugural Yonkers Visionary Awards on May 7 at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, founded by Tim League, the program’s host. The winners were Ned Sullivan, president of Scenic Hudson; Barbara Segal, a Yonkers-based sculptor and artist; the late James Hill, co-founder of Youth Theatre Interactions Inc.; The Morris Cos., a real estate developer; and the Tim League Readers’ Choice recipient, Dion Drew, a bakery trainer at Greyston Bakery on Anderson Street. Partners of the event included the Westchester County Business Journal, Yonkers Partners in Education, Yonkers Chamber of Commerce, Yonkers Industrial Development Agency, Sarah Lawrence College and Mayor Michael Spano. Supporters included Liberty Lines, the Yonkers-based bus company, and John Meyer Consulting. —Evan Fallor 1. Barbara Segal 2. Ken Jenkins 3. Ned Sullivan 4. Brenda Hill-Allen 5. Shirley Kaplan 6. Tim League 7. Liam McLaughlin 8. Dion Drew 9. Mayor Mike Spano 10. Angelo Martinelli and Mark Bava 11. Wendy Nadel
11
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
97
WATCH
GIVING HOPE Recently, Hope’s Door, a nonprofit based in Pleasantville, celebrated 35 years of service to victims of domestic violence and their families with a sold-out crowd of more than 270 guests at The Apawamis Club in Rye. The gala also honored Ingrid Connolly of Waccabuc for her more than 20 years of dedication to Hope’s Door’s mission. The event raised a record amount of more than $175,000, which will go to help victims achieve safety, independence and healing from the trauma of abuse. 1. Suzy Beatty, Joyce Espie, June Blanc and Kirk Ferguson 2. Michael Kaplowitz and Ingrid Connolly 3. Barbara Stewart, Jennifer Ryan Safsel, Michael Stillman, Ingrid Connolly and Robert Ryan 4. Kamilah Glover and Scott McGee 5. Carroll and Laurent Paulhac; Amanda and Darrell Alfieri, William O’Brien and Michelle O’Brien 6. Laurie Sturz 7. Top Row: Anthony Santini, Joseph Allen and Deron Jordan Bottom Row: Michelle Smith, Keech Combe and Karin Jordan 8. Cheryl Connolly-Lewis and Sean Connolly
1
2
3
6
4
7
5
8
OL’ BLUE EYES AT THE BURNS The Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville was “Swinging With Sinatra” recently as it launched the film center’s annual series, “Jazz Sessions: The Greats on Camera.” Photograph by Lynda Shenkman Curtis. 9. Adam R. Rose, John Pizzarelli, Peter R. McQuillan and Edie Demas 9
98
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
NEW ROCHELLE OPERA 1
2
3
4
6
5
7
New Rochelle Opera celebrated its 30th anniversary at the company’s annual Spring Gala recently at The Fountainhead in New Rochelle. In conjunction with this milestone, the company honored renowned Metropolitan Opera basso Ferruccio Furlanetto. Photographs by Marilyn Monsanto and Barrie Bonacci. 1. Louise Shepherd, Billie Tucker, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Camille Coppola and Barbara Stevenson 2. Armand Leonardi and Rene Minale 3. Mary Ann Mandarano and Rosalie Hollingsworth 4. Linda Showalter and Bob and Linda Kalian 5. Elizabeth Gillman and Larry Shaffer 6. Peter Fauci, Marina Jeraci, Linda Kelly Fauci and Jean Jeraci 7. Paulette Soffin, Chris Fraioli, Dolly Hockemeyer, Fred Hockemeyer (standing) and Susan and Salvatore Promuto 8. Brian Holman, Shisel Calverie, Sal Atti, Ferruccio Furlanetto and Robert Garner 9. Christine Andrews and John Fraioli 10. Peg and Bob Mayo 11. Tom Coppola, Karen Giordano (seated), Camille Coppola and Vinny Lo Preto
8
9
10
11
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
99
WATCH
MEET THE BOSS Area business leaders, social workers and other health care representatives recently attended a meet-and-greet reception for Faraz Kayani, executive director of The Bristal at White Plains. Kayani was appointed the new executive director at the facility earlier this year. Photographs by The Bristal. 1. Faraz Kayani and Jennifer Lewis 2. Vanessa Bowen, Annemarie Martel and Natalie Mitchell 3. Christina Burke and Dean Brown 4. Winsome Bent and Richard Youngberg 5. Janice Green, Nicole Dampier, William Donnell and Marci Lobel-Esrig
1
2
4
5
A SUPER EVENT
6
MOMS RULE AT RIDGE HILL Families flocked to Ridge Hill recently for an early celebration of everything Mother’s Day. The event, “Celebrate Mom,” was held in Ridge Hill’s bustling Town Square and featured an array of Mother’s Day-themed activities for the whole family to enjoy. 6. Mayor Mike Spano and Ridge Hill General Manager Andrew Hardy
100
3
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
Six outstanding individuals were honored recently at the annual “Superhero Gala,” hosted by St. Christopher’s Inc. at Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown. This year’s honorees were Michael Aisner of The Torch Foundation; Jessica Manfro and Christine Wexler of Mind Ur Body & Soul; John Dimling, St. Christopher’s board member and former chairman and CEO of Nielsen Media Research; and John and Diane Durante of Durante Rentals. Photograph by St. Christopher’s Inc. 7. John and Diane Durante, Michael Aisner, Stanley Thompson, Christine Wexler, Jessica Manfro and John Dimling
HEALTHY AND WISE
1
The Friends of White Plains Hospital (formerly the Auxiliary of White Plains Hospital) held their annual spring luncheon at the Metropolis Country Club in White Plains recently. More than 150 attended the lunch and panel discussion, “Healthy Women, Healthy Lives,” featuring nutritionist and NBC contributor Joy Bauer; endocrinologist Bonnie Wolf Greenwald; obstetrician-gynecologist Jacqueline Monaco-Bavaro; cardiologist and internist Jeannette Yuen; and dermatologist Saryna Young.
2
GREENWICH CHAMBER AWARDS
1. Brenda Oestreich, Larry Smith and Rachel Chalchinsky 2. Jeannette Yuen, Jacqueline Monaco-Bavaro, Joy Bauer, Saryna Young, Bonnie Wolf-Greenwald and Susan Fox
Greenwich Chamber of Commerce had its Annual Awards Luncheon at Hyatt Regency Greenwich recently. This event honored eight town heroes from the local business and public sectors. Photographs by Christopher Semmes. 3
3. Charles Royce, Peter Malkin and Deborah Royce 4. Diane Garrett and Demi Ferraris
5
7
4
6
8
9
HELPING HANDS Hands Up for Haiti, a medical organization committed to improving the quality and sustainability of health care in Haiti, held its annual “Celebration: Music, Food and Conversation With a Haitian Flair,” recently at 42 The Restaurant, The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains. More than 150 people were on hand as the event honored its co-founder Dr. Mary Ann LoFrumento. They were greeted by a Haitian drummer band and enjoyed dinner; a silent auction; and an auction that enabled participants to support HUFH’s programs in Haiti, including those that address childhood malnutrition and infant mortality. Photographs by Carolyn Simpson. 5. David Yasgur, Wendy Marx, Steve Margulis, Marilyn Jacobowitz and Sherida Paulsen 6. David Berck, Iris Wertheim and Warren and Beth Bromberg 7. Roy and Diana Vagelos 8. Eileen Kostik and Katherine Hough 9. Mary Ann LoFrumento and John Hallacy
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
101
WATCH
YOUTH WILL BE SERVED Recently, the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester (BGCNW) honored its 2015 Youth of the Year with a reception at Crabtree’s Kittle House in Chappaqua. More than 100 club members, staffers, donors, dignitaries, board members and friends gathered at the reception, hosted by BGCNW board member John Crabtree, to recognize Nethmi DeSilva with the club’s highest honor. Nethmi was selected for her leadership, commitment and dedication to school, home, family and community. 1. Nethmi DeSilva and Martha Stewart 2. Brian Skanes and Alyzza Ozer 3. Cameron Rosen, Cristy LopezDuarte and Lilian Chang 4. R. Todd Rockefeller
1
2
3
4
LEADERSHIP POWWOW
6 5
For the 13th consecutive year, volunteer and professional leaders from across the nonprofit sector gathered at the “Leadership Summit XIII” at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Tarrytown. Presented by the United Way of Westchester and Putnam and the Westchester Community Foundation, this year’s event welcomed a sold-out crowd of nearly 700 from the area. Summit attendees chose from 18 leadership sessions, covering topics that included nonprofit growth for sustainability, fundraising, social media marketing, succession planning and government contracting. 5. Paul Schmitz and Alana Sweeny 6. Catherine Marsh and Nita Lowey 7. Rob Astorino and Adam Kintish 8. Bob McKinnon
7
102
8
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
JOHN RIZZO THE MAN BEHIND THE CAMERA
At a monastery nearby Angkor Wat, the largest Khmer Temple Complex in the world built in the early 12th century by King Suryavarman and located in Siem Reap, Cambodia, blessing are given on a regular basis by the monks to individuals and families. Many people also bring their animals, and sometimes even their cars, to receive a separate blessing. In the 21st century Cambodia’s economy has grown faster than that of any other country in Asia except for China. Cambodia exports over $5 billion worth of clothing to mainly the United States and is one of the top ten exporters of rice in the world. It has seen international tourist arrivals balloon from less than 150,000 in 2000 to over 4.2 million in 2014.
WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE TO GET THE SHOT WEDDINGS | FAMILY PORTRAITS | BAR MITZVAHS INTERNATIONAL PHOTO TOURS | CORPORATE AND COMMERCIAL To learn the full range of photographic services available and view his stunning portfolio visit:
WWW. JOHNRIZZOPHOTO.COM 646.221.6186
PRICELESS PICTURES OF LIFE’S EXTRAORDINARY MOMENTS WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
103
WIT WONDERS:
WHERE WOULD YOU TIME-TRAVEL TO?*
Hannah Davis
Michele Ford
Danielle Marino
“I WOULDN’T GO BACK BUT WOULD GO INTO THE FUTURE, PROBABLY A GOOD 20, 30 YEARS. I BET THINGS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BY THEN.” — Hannah Davis,
model, 2015 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl, Manhattan resident
“I WOULD LIKE TO GO TO THE VICTORIAN ERA. THE FURNITURE. THE CLOTHES. THAT WOULD BE SO MUCH FUN.” — Michele Ford,
manager, Crabtree & Evelyn, The Westchester, Bridgeport resident
“THE RENAISSANCE. I JUST LIKE ITALIAN STUFF — THE ART AND CULTURE. IT WAS A TIME OF GREAT EVOLUTION IN CUISINE AND SCULPTURE.” — Ricardo Giacinto,
licensed massage therapist, Rachele Rose Day Spa, Tuckahoe resident
“PROBABLY THE 1950S. I THINK IT WAS A GREAT TIME TO BE ALIVE. I LOVE THE DANCING OF THAT PERIOD.” — Natalie Holland,
events assistant, Events to Remember, Congers resident
104
WAGMAG.COM
JUNE 2015
Ricardo Giacinto
John J. Marino
Natalie Holland
Kellie McGown
“I’D RATHER GO FORWARD. I CAN READ ABOUT HISTORY AND TIMES PAST. BUT I’D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT’S COMING. I’D PICK 150 YEARS IN THE FUTURE TO SEE ALL THE CHANGES. NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.” — Stuart Holzer,
owner, Philip Holzer & Associates, Briarcliff Manor resident
“CAN I TAKE 21ST CENTURY MEDICINE WITH ME? FIRST I’D GO TO THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY AROUND THE TIME MY GRANDMOTHER LIVED TO SEE ALL THE GARDENS. THAT WAS THE GOLDEN AGE OF GARDENING. I’D VISIT (INVESTMENT BANKER C. LEDYARD) BLAIR AT BLAIRSDEN (HIS NEW JERSEY ESTATE). THE OTHER PLACE I’D LIKE TO GO TO IS ENGLAND IN THE LATE-18TH CENTURY TO VISIT ALL THOSE GREAT GARDENS. I’D LIKE TO VISIT STOWE HOUSE WHEN IT WAS PRIVATELY OWNED. I’VE NEVER SEEN GARDENS AS AMAZING AS THOSE AT STOWE.”
Stuart Holzer
Ralph Vuolo
“I THINK I’D LIKE TO GO TO ANCIENT ROME AND HEAR THEM SPEAK FROM THE SENATE FLOOR. I THINK IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE THE ROOTS OF OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM IN ACTION.” — Danielle Marino,
manager, Stuart Weitzman, The Westchester, White Plains resident
“I WOULD TIME-TRAVEL BACK TO THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH IN THE EAST HARLEM OF THE 1960S AND ’70S, WHERE I HAD A GREAT CHILDHOOD. NO MATTER HOW DANGEROUS IT WAS, I TRIED TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT AND WOULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN IF I COULD.”
— John J. Marino,
host, “Good Morning Westchester,” WVOX 1460 AM, Bronx resident
Barbara Israel
Alexandra White
“I WOULD LIKE TO GO TO THE 1960S. I WORK IN FASHION. IT’S MY FAVORITE ERA.” — Kellie McGown,
sales associate, BsaB, Bronxville resident
“THE 18TH CENTURY. I JUST THINK THE STYLE, THE CULTURE, THE GARDENS WERE SO BEAUTIFUL, IN AMERICA AS WELL AS FRANCE AND ENGLAND.” — Ralph Vuolo,
owner, Ralph Vuolo Designs, Greenwich resident
“I WOULD PROBABLY LIKE TO GO TO THE 1940S. I JUST LIKE THE STYLE AND DESIGN OF THE CLOTHES AND FURNITURE, THE WAY WOMEN STILL DRESSED UP.” — Alexandra White,
manager, Blithewold Home, Patterson resident
— Barbara Israel,
owner, Barbara Israel Garden Antiques, Katonah resident
*Asked at The New York Botanical Garden’s Antique Garden Furniture Fair, Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway’s Derby Hat Contest and The Westchester’s “Indulge” event.