The Retreat Issue No. 8

DVE IGHT

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D E L AWA R E VA L L E Y E I G H T

Sara Mae Elbert wearing shirt by American Eagle, photographed at Brushland Eating House, Bovina, NY by Harold Julian.

See our Style feature page 26

DVE IGHT ISSUE 8

NHI MUNDY MICHAEL MUNDY STEPHEN MALE JOHN PAUL TRAN MIMI VU MANDY COON ALEXANDRA MARVAR DORIS CHEVRON EDDIE BRANNAN JILLIAN SCHEINFELD KAREN SCHOEMER LAURA SILVERMAN SANDY SOOHOO DANIEL CRONIN LAWRENCE BRAUN MATT NOVAK NICHOLAS ROUTZEN NOAH KALINA PETER CROSBY ANDREA HELGADOTTIR ISE WHITE ESTHER DE JONG ISAAC LEE ABIGAIL WAGNER

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Delaware Valley 8 Issue 8 © 2017 Delaware Valley 8 See the magazine online at dveightmag.com Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

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NHI MUNDY 11

UP & COMING

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Described by Vogue as a “hub for alternative healing,” Brooklyn’s Maha Rose is the place to go in New York City for holistic healing sessions, workshops, and wellness training (as well as more esoteric treatments like crystal bowl sound baths and spiritual speed dating). Now they’ve added Maha Rose North, a retreat center located in the Catskills, offering acupuncture, reiki, breathwork and private yoga sessions, as well as retreat stays in the property’s cabins. Hiking and swimming are also available for summer visitors, and for those planning to stay at this time of the year, the striking serenity of the Catskills in winter make the perfect recovery from and an antidote to the city’s stresses and strains. 130 Morgan Hill Road, Hurley, NY 12443 (718) 757-2758 maharose.com

42 Mill Hill Rd, Woodstock, NY 12498 (845) 679-4242 silviawoodstockny.com

YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S UPSTATE /

UP&COMING 636 Old Route 17, Livingston Manor, NY, 12758 livingstonmanorflyfishingclub.com Photograph Peter Crosby

2700 Route 9, Cold Spring, NY 10516 (845) 666-7202 magazzino.art Photograph Marco Anelli

VALLEY ROCK INN

Earlier this year DVEIGHT got an exclusive sneak preview of Valley Rock Inn, a privately owned village located between two state parks in Sloatsburg, NY. The charming

Rockland County burg is an hour outside of New York City, and its owner, Michael Bruno, conceived it as a luxury boutique hotel on village scale and a launchpad to upstate living. When complete, Valley Rock Inn will comprise of 17 guest bedrooms in four restored historic homes, a market for organically-focused local produce, a café, art gallery, bar and restaurant, pool, spa and gym as well as a bike shop from which to explore the surrounding 70,000 acres of parkland. Bruno, who founded the antiques and design collectibles shopping platform 1stdibs.com, brought the astute eye and elevated style that made that site such a success to the residential and hospitality industry. Every detail we’ve seen so far exudes consummate taste and elegance, and we’re excited at what’s still to come.

7 Mill St, Sloatsburg, NY 10974 (845) 618-9112 valleyrockinn.com Photograph Michael Mundy

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A CONVERSATION WITH

T H E R E T R E AT I S S U E

A CONVERSATION WITH/ FOSTER HUNTINGTON

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Eight years ago, I discovered FOSTER HUNTINGTON’s blog, called “A Restless Transplant.” It was the musings of a college kid who, when he wasn’t in class, was surfing and taking pictures of the frigid Maine coastline. Foster would move to New York and work for designer Ralph Lauren, yet he always yearned for more. Eventually, he landed a book deal for The Burning House, based on a blog he created that asked people what they would take with them if their homes were on fire. That first book financed his next project, #vanlife, for which he lived out of a van for two years, documenting fellow road dwellers for his second book, Home Is Where You Park It. Along the way, he amassed a million Instagram followers. Again, Foster yearned for more, but this time for stability, and he ultimately returned to Washington state, where he grew up, to build his current home and sanctuary, the Cinder Cone.

MIC HAEL MUNDY

F O S T E R H U N T I N GTO N

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Foster Huntington: How’ve you been?

like the rest of the planet… This whole issue is all

A CONVERSATION WITH

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Sunday night. I was like, “Holy shit, I’m barking up the

those few moments in my life where things changed

wrong tree.” It wasn’t exciting to me in the way that I

very quickly. When I got my advance for the book,

needed to be stimulated—working 70 hours

that gave me the money to go buy a van and live

a week, not seeing the sun, working in Midtown.

really cheaply for a year. Being a creative person, you

I was lucky to get lunch in some bodega, get some

need to have free time. You can’t come up with ideas

shit at the salad bar. For the right person, it would

when you’re working all the time. It’s just impossible.

be really exciting working in fashion and be in close proximity to Ralph Lauren, but for me, my mind was constantly elsewhere.

FH: You need to make decisions and have the time to satiate your curiosity. Read about something, were you thinking about? to cut that cord and just go?

study it, watch movies, nerd out. That, for me, is my creative process. My decision to buy a van came

FH: I thought about whatever I was researching.

about based on me reading about vans on forums

FH: It was probably one of the easiest decisions I

I was researching African safaris and shit. I was

online for weeks.

ever made.

thinking about “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” by Hemingway. Or I was thinking about what I was

MM: Really?

doing in Maine. I was thinking about the gorge where I lived. I felt like there was a very primal desire for

FH: I just knew I wasn’t satisfied doing what I was

adventure. Some excitement wasn’t being satiated by

doing in New York. I don’t think I was necessarily

what I was doing at that point. I even thought about

doing it because that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted

joining the military.

FH: Reading a bunch. I put a lot of energy into it.

to move to New York and do something really

I certainly think about it a lot. I think it’s good to study

creative, but I wasn’t drawn to fashion. I’m certainly

great shit. Right now, I’ve been re-reading a bunch of

aware of what people wear, but I’m not like those

Cormac McCarthy. I just read the Border Trilogy— All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the

people who get excited to dress in the morning.

FH: I could have worked for Polo for the next 20 years

Plain. I’m reading No Country for Old Men now.

I remember when I was working at Polo, I was talking

of my life easily—like entropy taking me down that

to some people, and it came out that one of the guys

path. Then I got obsessed with the idea of moving

I worked with laid out his entire clothes for the week

into a van. Once I decided that I wanted to do that,

on Sunday night. His most sacred, personal time

I started saving. Like, my timeline was years out, but

FH: That was my first introduction to him—just blew

was laying out his wardrobe for the fucking week on

then my Burning House book took off. It was one of

me away. There’s nothing like it. I really like that

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sparse writing style—For Whom the Bell Tolls is one of

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this really cool sound of water pinging on the metal

my favorites. Cormac McCarthy’s characters are a lot

FH: That’s what fucking Instagram is, highlights.

roof. There are clouds that are running, kind of

simpler, in a way that they are more relatable to me.

When I went on my trip to Nicaragua by myself,

capturing the moisture and dripping down. There

I soul-searched a little about what I wanted to do.

are distinctive sounds between that and rain.

I had kind of seen what I thought was going to

There’s wind. It’s sometimes clear and calm, and you

happen with Instagram, where these fake people were

just look out and there are beautiful stars peeking

showcasing hyper-glorified, aspirational lifestyles.

through the canopy.

FH: Nature plays such a huge role. For Cormac

I didn’t necessarily want to do that. It didn’t seem

McCarthy, it’s man vs. man vs. nature. That to me is

real to me; it seemed really limiting and repetitive.

very grounding, because I grew up in a rural area.

I just thought a lot about social media, and what I realized is that social media is a window into a world.

FH: Yeah, it’s pretty fun. I’m incredibly fortunate.

You follow the actor Mark Ruffalo? Because he’s cool and he’s politically into some rad shit. I follow some photographers. I follow some skateboarders. I follow that begin—the end of that journey?

surfers and stuff, because I want to see what that

it like for you?

world is personally. I imagine people followed me FH: I knew creatively, I couldn’t keep doing the same

because they want to see my world, too.

FH: It’s certainly less social than other times of my life,

thing—traveling. I lived nomadically. I was on an

but the reality is that I’m a really introverted person.

airplane for 125,000 miles, and I put 30,000 miles

I do get lonely, for sure, but everyone gets lonely

just driving around. I got fucking burned out. I knew

sometimes. They mask it by constantly hanging out

I wanted a place for me to have free time and to have

with people they’re not into. I just spend a lot of time

enough space to build things. First, I wanted to build

on my phone talking to my friends. One of my best

a shelter, but then I wanted to build a treehouse.

FH: It’s pretty fucking work-centric. It’s really beautiful.

I always wanted a treehouse—something to keep me satisfied being stationary.

friends lives in Oakland, another lives in Brooklyn, another one of them lives in Santa Barbara.

MM: Did you know before you got there that you were going to build a treehouse?

There’s actually another reason why I wanted to create with your life out there? I know you want to pursue

the life that I have. I wanted to be present when I have

FH: Originally, I was going to buy a house in Portland.

a family. So many photographers travel all the time

Then I learned pretty early on that that wasn’t my

but are never there. By having my life be here, and

shtick. I wanted a treehouse. I realized that I didn’t

having my work here, it would be really easy for me

need a 2,000-square-foot house to feel satisfied. You

to spend more time with my kids than if I were to be

either get why treehouses are cool or you don’t. I’m

FH: A lot of what I want to do is like going through

on the road for 300 days in the year or working and

certainly one of those people that get it. It’s very much

rapids. It’s like rafting. Most of the strategy and

commuting an hour.

connected to nature in a way that a normal house

technique is putting yourself at the top of the raft,

isn’t. Also, you’re forced to work in the confines of

at the right spot. That’s kind of what I’m trying to

building on a natural thing. Normally, people build

do right now. I can’t tell you where it’s going to spit

the biggest, fanciest house that they can, and then

me out.

want to start doing?

that’s it. But you can’t do that in a tree because a tree can only support so much weight. You have to

MM: Is there a particular reason why you are out

think with the tree. You have to build with the tree in mind, in terms of what it can handle. That was the

out there?

motivation for me doing it this way.

FH: Very rarely am I satisfied with the results of a

FH: I think the notion that so many creative industries

process, and much more interested in the process.

are in these fucking bleak places… Working at Ralph

Like the treehouse—everyone is like, “How’s it living

Lauren, you’re in Midtown Manhattan. You might as

in a treehouse?” Living in a treehouse is all right, but

FH: It’s gorgeous. It rains a fuckload. Nature is real

well be fucking working at a law firm. If you’re in L.A.,

building it was incredible.

here. This summer, there were forest fires that rained

working in Burbank in some office park, you might as

ash on the treehouse. In the winter, there’s snow on

well be selling printers. If I want to make something,

the ground. You’re certainly exposed to nature in a

I want the whole process to be inspiring, not just the

way that most people rarely are. But I think that’s

result. The process of making any creative film or

good. It does set a tempo. Like being in upstate New

photo book is draining. And if that process does not

York, I’m sure you have more of a natural equilibrium

replenish, then you’re going to burn out. I think for me

than if you lived in Manhattan or Brooklyn.

personally, being in a pretty place gives me energy.

FH: I can remember when I was working on every video I’ve done, but I can’t tell you when they

It inspires me. There are certainly shortcomings.

came out.

There’s not a lot of nice restaurants. Every life requires compromise in some component. What are you willing to compromise on? For me, the benefits of being in a really pretty place, having this freedom, having this studio, having this setup, outweighs the cost of what I’m giving up.

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TARA MARIE PERRI

has dedicated her life to healing through movement. The founder of

Perri Institute for Mind and Body, Tara integrates principles of Eastern and Western medicine for clients in group and one-to-one settings in New York City and Callicoon. The health practitioner sits on faculty at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and is a former instructor at Joffrey Ballet School. From yoga and dance to Ayurveda and alchemy energetics, Tara’s understanding of how the mind influences the body is her greatest gift. On the heels of upstate’s annual hibernation season, we spoke with Tara about smart approaches to self-care, what the body requires in colder temperatures and self-discipline.

JILLIAN SC HEINFELD

coughs and cold, rosemary for clarity and focus.

I had been visiting Callicoon since 2014.

I love the morning. I wake by 6 a.m. and start my

Give yourself an essential oil massage then take a

Last year I rented my current place in town. I’m now

morning rituals, which vary with the seasons, but

warm bath to create a natural barrier on the skin

figuring out how I’ll migrate my home, studio and

includes an integration of sensory and nervous

against the colder temperatures and wind. Instead of

apothecary to my own private slice of land or home

system strengthening, yoga, tea, essential oils and

cranking the heat up or turning the lights on to create

in this region.

a meditative process which could be traditional

an artificial environment, cozy up by the fire under

seated meditation, movement, drawing, painting,

blankets, light candles instead and honor the season’s

writing or reading.

special qualities.

that I wanted to be in medicine to treat the “whole

We’re made up of space, air, fire, water and earth.

They’re stressed, tired, busy, have lower back pain,

person.” In the mid 90s I moved to Manhattan to

In the Northeast we experience the seasons with

tight shoulders or a sore neck. The human body is

dance professionally and pursue an MFA at NYU

distinction and have an incredible opportunity to

really adaptable and designed with its own operating

Tisch School of the Arts. Initially, I was really curious

observe how the cycles and rhythms of the seasons

system and a sensory interface. Moving, eating well

about how mind and body practices could further hone

change both around us and within us. During the

and communicating with nature and other humans is

my performing arts abilities, but after my first yoga

winter, the body, like the natural world, is weak from

essential to keep it working. When the body isn’t get-

class I realized that pursuing a deeper study of ancient

fall’s death cycle and needs winter’s deep rest to

ting what it needs, it sends signals in the form of stress

traditions and practices were essential in navigating

reinforce its strength for spring. Winter holds a special

or pain to alert us to imbalances due to screen time or

my life in the modern world.

opportunity for introspection. Trees and animals are

sedentary lifestyles.

I’ve always been interested in the mind and body connection. When I was a kid I used to tell my parents

always showing us how to live. In the winter they retreat and hibernate. The cold also encourages us to stay indoors so we can explore the benefits of quiet

Self-discipline thrives when there is a balance between

Both dance and yoga have taught me that my body

and stillness—to make time to develop and engage

uncovering your edge to explore new territory and

is deeply wise. I place equal value on the joys and

in self-care.

retreating with what you’ve learned when you need to deepen and sharpen your understanding.

challenges on my own path towards self discovery.

The only thing you need to master is knowing when

Training to be a professional dancer was incredibly hard. It required strength, discipline and developing

when it dark and cold outside?

to quest and when to rest. The beauty of many

a flexible mind. Yoga teaches me how to fine tune my

Favor meals served warm and cooked, rather than

mind and body practices is that there is always an

mind and body connection so I can understand and

cool and raw. Drink warming teas like ginger for

invitation to start on your path again even if you fall

communicate the stories of my inner and outer world.

good digestion: clove to prevent and soothe seasonal

by the wayside.

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MEET YOUR MAKER

ESCAPED BROOKLYN/ A MOTELIER HITS THE RESET BUTTON IN ROSCOE MATT N OVAK

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MEET YOUR MAKER

T H E R E T R E AT I S S U E

TWO YEARS AGO, Brownell was married and living in Crown Heights. He and

of the Red Rose, the couple realized their lives and desires had diverged. Erin

his wife, Erin, were the duo behind Escape Brooklyn, a popular website and travel

wanted to continue traveling, while Denny needed something tangible to build and

service dedicated to, well, escaping Brooklyn. Their content was and continues to

grow, so she and Brownell parted ways (she now runs the website alone).

be based around day trips, weekends, and longer excursions tailor-made for cool

Denny Brownell looked around and realized just how much his life had

young Brooklynites. Then, in early 2016, an e-mail came out of the blue from two

changed. He was newly 40, newly single, away from the city, his jobs, and his

strangers. The subject line, says Brownell, went something like “Would you like to

network of friends, and facing the daunting prospect of a gut renovation on a

open a Twin Peaks–style motel?” The e-mail explained that JP and Kris, a couple of

structure built in 1938 that needed everything—insulation, plumbing, wiring—

New Yorkers who had long owned a home in Roscoe, were planning to purchase

replaced, not to mention significant work to make it look acceptable, let alone cool.

a defunct fishing motel there and needed people to help restore it and then run it;

But over the course of the next year, that’s exactly what he did. As of this writing, the

would the Escape Brooklyn team be interested? They considered it and decided that

bar, dining room, and lounge have been completed. He has created a handsome

they would.

mélange of a space, with curated riffs on the motel’s multi-decade history as a fly-

Denny in particular seemed almost destined to do this. He was working at

fishing destination, while bringing in a modern, open feel and an elegant palette.

the Ralph Lauren RRL store and also creating photo content for the site. He’d been

Ceilings in the dining and lounge space are fashioned from reclaimed wood, while

sourcing and selling antiques for years. And with Escape Brooklyn, he and Erin

the long simple bar boasts a planked floor and tin ceiling that look like they’ve

had “slept in other people’s beds more than our own,” and therefore knew what

always been there. (They haven’t; as with so many of these places, someone had

made a good or a bad hotel. This combined experience in travel, service, and

previously installed a drop ceiling and linoleum floor.) “When I first walked in,”

retail, along with Brownell’s honed Americana aesthetic, made the couple ideally

Brownell says, perched at the short end of the long bar, “I stood at this exact spot

suited to restoring an old upstate motel, and doing so in style. “We were the perfect

and looked down the bar, and I could just see it all.”

match,” says Brownell. “For the last four or five years, without knowing it, we’d been researching this.”

But the path wasn’t smooth. There was still the matter of purchasing the motel.

Now Brownell lives right above the shop. His apartment runs along the second floor, its windows looking out over the Beaver Kill. He’s still got some work to do before the Red Rose Motel opens for staying guests. He’s installing bathroom

The team put in a bid but at the last minute were outmatched—even though the

fittings in the motel’s seven rooms, which will be simple and clean, each with its own

Red Rose was defunct and dilapidated, and had been on the market for some

unique pieces drawn from Brownell’s collecting. But in the meantime, he intends to

time—and suddenly someone else owned the property. So Brownell and his wife

open the bar for drinks and dining before the year’s end.

carried on with their life and Escape Brooklyn. But a few months later another

Things are clearly moving on at the motel. The same can be said of Denny

e-mail came out of the blue. The buyer, a Long Islander who had planned to

Brownell. “I wanted something to hold on to. For me it’s been…” he pauses, not

convert the motel to apartments, had realized he’d bitten off more than he could

settling on whatever word best describes his recent journey. “Leaving everything

chew and was willing to part with the Red Rose. JP and Kris agreed on the terms,

behind in the city, moving to a town of 600, you have to adjust to planning your life

and the Great Escape was back on. On July 4, 2016, Brownell and his wife put out

differently. But I’m excited. I always say life happens. What are you gonna do?

a large vintage Old Glory (antique flags are one of Brownell’s obsessions) on the

Just gotta roll with it.”

sloping roof above the motel’s dining room and toasted their future.

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THE RED ROSE MOTEL is located at 21677 Old Route 17, Roscoe, NY 12776

T H E R E T R E AT I S S U E

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KATE PIERSON/ FROM THE B-52S TO KATE’S LAZY MEADOW ALEXANDRA MARVAR

N OAH KALIN A

The author Tom Robbins famously speculated that redheads come from another planet.

I never asked KATE PIERSON if red was her natural color, but there’s some evidence to suggest it is.

It’s 1989. It’s the opening scene of the “Love Shack” music video. Bouncing up on

creative lull of his life, would be laid). But inevitably, she found other out-there local

the rear seat back of a whale-size aquamarine Chrysler, her hair in a russet topknot

residents: the Wilson siblings, Cindy and Ricky; Keith Strickland; Fred Schneider.

as big as a basketball, The B-52s’ Kate Pierson belts out that now iconic triplet:

They started building their own far-out world from scratch, and it took off like a rocket. They called themselves The B-52s.

Those early days were a series of riotous road parties. “[We’d] get on a bus and live on that bus for, like, a year. I mean, we had some really good times back there in the cosmic days. We’d party on that bus and dance…” Kate pauses for a moment. “That bus would be zooming down the highway, and we’d all dance and

As she vaults over the side of the car and sticks a perfect landing in a flouncy,

be playing loud music and just hanging onto the rail on the top of the bus… Oh, my

bell-bottomed, crop-topped suit and stilettos in front of the Shaque D’Amour, it’s

God, we had so much fun. And even when the bus would stop, it would be parked

plainly obvious: Kate is not like other girls.

outside of the hotel and we’d get back on the bus and all party. So those were more

Throughout the decades, Kate’s hair has morphed into everything from bronze

wild times.”

beehives to coppery bouffants to lipstick-colored temptress locks. Now, almost 30

That bus brought her and the band to many a hotel—quirky places like the iconic

years after the band’s biggest hit, it glows brighter than ever—an otherworldly shade

Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, full of whimsically themed rooms. It all meshed

of stoplight red, a sort of beacon in the woods of upstate New York, just a few towns

perfectly with the kitschy, acid-colored universe The B-52s were building for them-

over from the film set of this famed love getaway.

selves: “We thrived on B movies, science fiction, also Fellini... We read tons of ’50s and ’60s Vogues, especially the ’60s…Diana Vreeland…” she recalls. “We loved midcentury-modern stuff. It was all over thrift stores at the time. On tour, Fred and I and the band would go ‘tiquen’ or ‘junkin’. I had a good little collection of things.”

Little did she know it would all come in handy later, for her venture into the

The original “Love Shack,” set way back in the middle of a field, was Kate’s first

world of vacation rentals.

home in Athens in the 1970s: a five-room cabin, tin roof, no indoor plumbing.

When she landed there, five miles from town, her aim was to go “back to the land.” She had cultivated an appreciation for the simple joys of country life on a family farm in Blairstown, New Jersey, where she developed a taste for “real food” (as opposed to the canned spinach and frozen peas she had grown up on). “In Athens,

When Kate eventually moved to the Catskills, it wasn’t for the music scene either.

I had a huge garden and learned to can and ‘put up’ vegetables and jams and

While several fellow musicians, including 52s alums Sara Lee (also of Gang of Four,

pickles,” she tells me when we meet. “I raised goats and chickens, made goat-milk

Ani DiFranco) and Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie’s bass player) lived in the Hudson

cheese, had blue eggs from the chickens...”

Valley, that was just coincidence. “I found that when I first moved up here, everyone

She didn’t exactly choose Athens for the music scene (there wasn’t one yet), and

was just holed up in their mountain lair,” says Kate. “More lately, in the past ten years

she never planned for her funky little shack to become a band retreat (one where the

even, more people are playing, there are more venues, and more people are jamming

foundation for “Rock Lobster,” the song that pulled John Lennon out of the deepest

and cross-collaborating,” including Kate herself.

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How did she land in the Catskills, of all places? “After Athens, we all moved to this

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of Kate’s own brilliant, out-there, redhead style.

place called Lake Mahopac [in Putnam County, NY], and we all lived in one house.

When Kate drove past the property for the first time in the early 2000s, with a

That was kind of crazy,” she says. It led to another group move—this time to New York

FOR SALE sign posted, it was an aged strip of no-frills roadside efficiency cabins for

City, where everyone lived separately. That didn’t last either.

trout-fishing enthusiasts on summer jaunts. In classic Woodstock fashion, the rooms

In 1985, Ricky Wilson was lost to AIDS. It hit the band hard. “After Ricky died,

were lined in knotty pine, by that time dingy from tobacco smoke and neglect. But

Keith really wanted to get out of the city. Laura Levine, a rock photographer who lives

she was struck by the beauty of the Esopus Creek bank and the birds on the water.

down the road, invited us both to come up and stay a couple nights. There’s a legend

The previous owner was a botany teacher. “He’d planted all these apple trees, cherry

that if you stay up here overnight or a couple nights, you just never leave. It’s the blessing.

trees, rows and rows of these beautiful blue-birch trees…” she says. At the time, she

Some people say it’s the curse, but it’s the blessing.” Keith and Kate, each blessed by

thought,

the curse (or cursed by the blessing), stayed and nested in the area.

nine cabins were in disarray, and Kate needed a partner.

But the

And so Kate made her first home in the Catskills in 1987—a cabin on

Enter Monica Coleman. It’s Monica whom Kate credits for Lazy Meadow’s success

Yankeetown Pond in Woodstock. Two years later, at the nearby Dreamland

as a business. “She is really the driving force behind Lazy Meadow. Of course, we

Studios, the band recorded the groundbreaking hit “Love Shack.” Soon after, they shot the

both had fun decorating, but Monica did the hard work and made it all come to life,”

song’s beloved Technicolor-bright video at the Highland home of ceramics artists Phillip

she explains.

Maberry and Scott Walker.

At the start of it all, Kate knew Monica as a friend. But over the couple years of renovations leading up to the launch in 2004, Monica and Kate fell in love. In 2015, they were married. They now live together nearby in Woodstock, with their family of German shepherds—Loki, Zeus, and Athena. Their project, meanwhile, is thriving, and ancillary Lazy properties fan out from the Meadow: Kate’s Lazy Lodge, Shack, and

Perhaps you’ve seen the meadow, 18 miles down Route 28 from the Kingston traffic

Cabin are all within a few minutes’ drive of the original property, while Kate’s Lazy

circle, beyond the tiny burg of Boiceville and before the Emerson Kaleidoscope. It

Desert has sprouted up in Joshua Tree.

springs into view against the Slide Mountain Wilderness on the left—a campy, rugged sign with red and blue sticks leaning together to make the letters: Things are different now, but not everything. The B-52s may have released their final Kate and I have settled into Cabin 3 for our interview. It’s a fall afternoon, the

album, but Kate can’t promise they won’t record another single. They still tour together,

fireplace is roaring, and sun is streaming through the blinds onto the pink Smeg fridge

but at a different pace (“I can’t imagine doing it like we used to,” Kate says). Cindy and

and matching retro-pink kitchen cabinets. Each abode is its own color-saturated world

Fred also have solo careers. Fred is embarking on a coffee business venture. And as

of midcentury-modern decor and accoutrements. Some rooms are themed: owls;

for Kate, she has the Lazies, and in 2015 she put out her first solo album, too.

flying saucers (on wallpaper handmade by Maberry/Walker); flamenco women. Other

In the official music video for its autobiographical titular track, “Guitars and

themes run throughout: artwork by students of the Byrdcliffe Colony, plucked from

Microphones,” childhood photos of her slip across the screen. There’s a young Kate

dusty abandoned portfolios in junk stores around Woodstock; horror flicks on VHS.

grinning in front of a Christmas tree, Kate standing on a bedroom trunk dressed as

Each suite has its own eclectic charm—and each is, in its own way, a perfect incarnation

Superman, Kate playing an acoustic guitar...all with long, authentic ginger locks.

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STYLE

LISA CANDELA SAYS/ “WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE STARS? SOMETHING’S UP WITH JUPITER RIGHT NOW” JILLIAN SC HEINFELD

28

T H E R E T R E AT I S S U E

NIC HOL AS ROUTZEN

Faux fur coat by Pelush Gown by Stephen Mikhail Gloves by la Crasia

THIS PAGE Navajo coat by Lindsey Thornburg for Pendleton OPPOSITE Jean jacket by Jose Duran Chiffon down dress by De La Cruz Vintage woven poncho (model’s own)

STYLE

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“WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE STARS?”

1920s Silk brocade coat dress Vintage petticoat Vintage blue gloves Mukluks (model’s own)

31

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IN PERSON

T H E R E T R E AT I S S U E

IN PERSON

T H E R E T R E AT I S S U E

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After spending more than 30 years as a designer, infusing rooms and lobbies, restaurants, spas and private residences scattered all over the globe with her signature mix of seemingly nonchalant elegance, ALEXANDRA CHAMPALIMAUD can afford to carefully screen her projects. “Design,” the doyenne of luxury hospitality decor proclaims, “Is great fun. But if it is done in a complete vacuum, it is definitely less exciting. I love icons, and I love challenges.”

DORIS C HEVRON

MIC HAEL MUNDY

ALEXANDRA & ANTHONY CHAMPALIMAUD /

TROUTBECK AND SHE SURE knows how to pick her icons. While she and her design practice,

and wood floors were polished but left untouched: The lobby with a pool table

located in the downtown Manhattan close to Wall Street, juggle 50 projects like

and comfortable lounge chairs, the former Butler’s Pantry in which breakfast is

the renovation of the historic Raffles Hotel in Singapore, Monkey Island Resort

served all day, and a cozy bar, masterfully lit, await. The locally-sourced restaurant,

on an Island in the River Thames, and Little Nell, the ski-in, ski-out lodge at the

outfitted with sumptuous olive green leather banquettes, the library, the Gallery

foot of Aspen Mountain, at the same time, her most recent achievement can be

and the Gun Room which double as private dining rooms and a ballroom for

found somewhat closer to home: Troutbeck, an estate barely two hours North of

350, surely the only one in Dutchess County, project the impression of ample

Manhattan, within easy reach of Metro North.

space and coziness at the same time.

Portuguese-born Champalimaud, educated in England, who spent parts of her life in Lisbon, Mozambique and in Montreal before moving to New York and

“I want guests to relax the minute they enter,” says Alexandra Champalimaud.

Connecticut, helped to make the the hamlet of Amenia in Upstate New York

As usual, she excels. Her furniture at the Manor House is a genuine mix of pe-

worth a trip. The property with its four buildings framed by gently rolling hills,

riod and scaled-back contemporary. As she points out the Art-Nouveau-inspired

with tennis courts and an outdoor pool came with a frequent collaborator: her

bronze candlesticks in the library, selected to refer to the many naturalists like

younger son Anthony, who started out as an intern at Champalimaud Design to

John Burrows, the nature essayist who used to enjoy visits to the property: “It is

become the director of Business Development there and then left to join the real

completely fine to mix all the styles because they have very simple forms. They are

estate development company which helped put Stone Barnes Center for Food and

living monuments to different periods. This is what gives a place its soul.”

Agriculture and its much-lauded restaurant as well as other luxury properties on the map.

Part of the soul, no doubt, comes from Champalimaud herself. The flowery silk carpet in the room full of bookcases of white-washed oak is her own. The clean-

Troutbeck had lots of the history-laden background his mother embraces for

lined bench, clad in purple leather, in front of the fireplace, placed so that half a

inspiration. Originally established in the middle of the 18th century by a family

dozen guests can comfortably warm their backs in front of a roaring fire, bears

named Benton (the last Benton, Myron, was a poet and naturalist who corre-

very much her handwriting. “My sense of style remains the same,” the designer

sponded and met with Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson), the

says, “but I am not making a historic landmark into a contemporary version of

estate was purchased in 1902 by Joel Spingarn, one of Columbia University’s

my ego.” Laughing, she admits that she must have been born with the ease and

first Jewish professors. An early activist for the NAACP and one of the founders

refinement to subtly layer a room so that one instantly feels comfortable. “You

of the publishing house Harcourt Brace and Company, Spingarn and his wife

cannot learn it from a textbook.”

Amy made their property a meeting place, with visitors from Ernest Hemingway,

Anthony Champalimaud, who feels a strong connection to his mother through

Sinclair Lewis and Teddy Roosevelt to W.E.B. Dubois and Thurgood Marshall.

“the mutual feeling of respect for each other’s work”, agrees with this assessment.

Anthony’s wife, Charlie, has made it her mission to scour institutions like the New

“It is very useful to have a world class designer in the family. With her help, we

York Public Library and diverse Historical Societies for details.

took stock, left all the components of an important country house - like the sleep-

In the 80’s, the property was turned into a conference center, and then idled

ing porches some bedrooms have - intact, and added a contemporary layer.”

empty for a number of years. “We wanted to turn Troutbeck into a place the way it

This contemporary layer includes 37 guest rooms, including 9 suites, with heated

was, but without turning it into a museum,” says Anthony Champlimaud with such

bathroom floors, Frette linens, hypoallergenic duvets, individual HVAC’s in each

pride that one suspects that this might not be the last New England homestead he

guest room, high speed internet and bluetooth audio.

will nurse back to life. The family has close ties to the area: He, his wife and their

But then, Troutbeck, reopened last August, is so more much more than high

young son live on a farm in Litchfield, Connecticut, where his mother occupies

tech. It exudes the feeling of intimacy a family home has. People let their cell

one of the oldest houses in town, built in the 1753 by one of the signers of the

phone be gadgets, and rather play Parcheesi in the library or browse through the

Declaration of Independence, Oliver Wolcott.

antique book collection with many tomes coming from Troutbeck’s original owners.

There is a myriad of details that really make a difference here. Like breakfast in

The Champalimaud’s overall motto for Troutbeck was: don’t touch the nicks. The

bed, served on Scully and Scully trays with a newspaper pocket on the side, and

center piece, once you cross the Webutuc River that winds for a mile through the

the food stacked in tins like the wallahs in India use. So whose idea was this? Both

45-acre-property, is the British-gentry-inspired Manor House, an imposing stone

Alexandra and Anthony Champalimaud raise their hands, both true purveyors of

structure now accented with gleaming copper gutters. Inside, the original stone

modern luxury.

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FLAVOR

T H E R E T R E AT I S S U E

AKSEL THEILKUHL was born with a silver spoon—if not in his mouth, then at least close by.

His step-grandfather was the general manger for Intercontinental Hotels in South America, so young Aksel got to spend weeks every summer roaming the halls of fancy locations in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.

L AU R A S I LV E R M A N

MOUNTAIN MAN/ A CHEF DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE WILD

HE LOVED THE

38

FREE RANGE

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T H E R E T R E AT I S S U E

I’m a terrible candidate for meditation, because I serve a competing god. Every decision I make, every activity I choose to pursue, comes around to one question: will it make me a better writer?

KAREN SC HOEMER

MIC HAEL MUNDY

A SKEPTIC WALKS INTO A BUDDHIST MONASTERY...

MEDITATION SEEMS LIKE the kind of thing that might make me a better person,

if it were Alcatraz, I recorded pages and pages of wry zingers and cynical one-liners.

which, I’m embarrassed to say, comes in a distant second. But this fall I took a “Zen

5:03 pm Friday: I like the room: single bed done up in geometric-Bauhaus pattern

and the Art of Writing” class in an MFA program, and the instructor, a longtime

quilt, blonde-wood and white pressboard furniture, a sink with raised porcelain bowl,

practitioner, gave us a meditation exercise. He said the point of meditation is to empty

no wall art or flat screen TV. Can I do nothing all weekend without meditating? 9:52

your mind, but as beginners, we probably wouldn’t be able to do that; instead, we

pm Friday: My eye goes back and forth between an empty ceramic mug of tea on

should write down whatever random thoughts that popped into our heads. I liked the

my desk and the black Columbia County night outside. It’s a four-minute walk in

exercise very much—it gave me the mistaken impression that Zen is a creative practice

sub-freezing temperatures along an unlit wooden boardwalk to the dining hall, which

rather than a spiritual one. I’m no more likely to adopt it in a religious sense than I

closes in eight minutes. I could bundle up and hustle over there for a refill, but what

would be to show up in a Catholic church and take communion.

good is 4 ounces of tea going to do me? Have these people heard the word venti?

I wonder if the kind folks who invited me to participate in the “Essence of Zen

My first attempt at meditation was a spectacular failure. On Friday night I kicked

Meditation” retreat at the Won Dharma Center in Claverack, NY knew what kind

off my shoes at the front door and strolled all blasé into the meditation hall, saw

of incompatible zealot they were hosting. I’ve driven past the place a zillion times.

people seating themselves on floor cushions with their legs crossed, and tried to copy

Friends have attended weekly community services there, and recommend it highly

them. A minister was on me in seconds. “Your knees are too high,” she told me.

for welcoming all denominations, as well as for its 426 acres of hiking trails, which

Have I mentioned that, for participants, this was a silent retreat? She fetched an extra

are open to the public. During periods of trauma in my life, I considered going, then

cushion, and I tried that, then she fetched a legless chair and tucked it beneath the

opted for therapy instead. There are plenty of gorgeous natural areas in Columbia

cushions. “Is that better?” she asked. I had no idea, plus I wasn’t supposed to talk. I

County that don’t involve a Buddhist monastery, and, in some part of me, that religious

shook my head helplessly. “Try one of those,” she said, pointing to a row of regular

aspect put me off. If people involved in a religion give you something, shouldn’t you

chairs along the fringe of the hall. I decamped, feeling as though I’d been thrown out

give back? Money, volunteer service? Remember, I’m single-minded. How would that

of kindergarten.

help the writing?

All weekend, I asked myself questions, and not the Zen kind. Why would I do this?

I showed up for the retreat on a soft, somber Friday afternoon in November,

We had “dharma talks” every morning and evening, which involved practical and

unprepared in almost every way. I’d been warned that the Won Dharma Center serves

theoretical points of Won Buddhism, a sect that was founded in 1916 by a Korean

only vegetarian food, so I fortified myself on the drive over with a bacon, egg and

named Sotaesan as a way of making enlightenment a practical part of everyday life.

cheese sandwich, as if the lingering aftertaste of pork would help me survive tofu and

A rotating cast of ministers taught us how to sit, how to quiet the mind (“Thoughts

kimchi. From the time I checked in until 2:30 pm on Sunday, when I fled the place as

are like puppies or monkeys or ponies,” said one. “They need to be tethered”), to

40

anecdotes and teachings of Sotaesan. We heard a lot of jargon, most often the phrase

stopped thinking. It wasn’t sleep, it wasn’t a dream, it was just a quiet, empty, calm. I

“original mind,” which is something like a unified consciousness that runs through all

liked the feeling so much that I attended optional meditation after breakfast, and by

things, except it’s a kind of emptiness, and it created the universe, and we’re all going

the time the final service came around, I was able to hold my cross-legged seated

back to it. I duly noted a lot of this, and was particularly encouraged by the sitting

position for thirty minutes straight. When the gong rang, signaling the end of practice,

pointers, so much so that I migrated off the chair onto the floor during our second

I opened my eyes and looked out the hall windows at rolling brown fields and distant

session of the day on Saturday. (We meditated a lot. Five times on Saturday, not

mountains. The sky was broken into big pieces of clouds. The clouds don’t force

counting “walking” meditation on the outdoor trails, and “moving” meditation in the

themselves on us, I thought. Why are we always trying to force our views onto others?

hall, the dourest conga line you’ve ever seen.) Back in the room, I’d check my phone—

I was starting to think Zen.

life was going on in the larger world. Freelance offers came in, and I was negotiating.

At breakfast on Sunday, “noble silence” ended, and practitioners who had been

Saturday afternoon during session four, I got so fed up that I wrote in my notebook,

restricted to exchanging curious glances were allowed to mingle vocally. A woman

Get me the fuck out of here, I got shit to do and Oh come on! Want to flop and kick

with long silver hair asked me where I was from. I said Hudson, about ten minutes

on floor like four-year-old. I texted my boyfriend that he shouldn’t call me, because the

away. “Oh, one of the lucky ones who lives nearby!” she said. “This is my first time

walls in the guest house were thin and I figured my human neighbors, not to mention

here,” I said. She said she travelled here regularly from Connecticut. “This place is

Sotaesan, might disapprove. One night my 17-year-old daughter called at 1:42 am.

beautiful inside, outside, every which way,” she said. “It’s addictive. In a good way.

Her dad and I recently helped her get a car. I saw the phone light up noiselessly and

Well, you’ll be back.”

felt sure she’d crashed it. But she just wanted to complain about the temperature in

Would I? Would I start coming every week? Would I volunteer in the kitchen after

her dad’s apartment. “I’m at this retreat,” I said, my voice a thousand-year-old croak

meals? Would I take to bowing with prayer hands instead of saying “hello” or “thank

from dryness and disuse. “Oh,” she said. “Well, when you’re back, can you get me a

you?” Should I buy a cushion set for $60 from the gift shop and try this at home? What

space heater?”

would my boyfriend think? That I’d lost my mind? I pictured myself rationalizing it to

In the midst of all this, something unexpected happened. At Saturday night

him: “It’s just sitting. And it’s really smart.”

meditation, I conquered my lifelong writer’s hunch and straightened out my hideous

No. I won’t be back. But I’m glad I went. I learned how to sit. In less than forty-eight

posture. My knees began to drop, my spine aligned, and I felt an energy in my lower

hours, a staff of soft-voiced ministers turned me from a flaming skeptic into someone

abdomen that I could only describe as qi. It was strong. It wiggled down there like

who felt at one with clouds, even temporarily. If you’re serious about meditation, I

an exuberant tadpole in a spring pond. During 6 am meditation on Sunday, I had an

think it’s a great place to go. If you’re serious about writing, use it for every word you

experience of descending a staircase into a basement where, for a period of time, I

can get.

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T H E R E T R E AT I S S U E

THE GREAT ESCAPE/ PHOENICIA & MOUNT TREMPER AT RIGHT:

GR AHA M + CO ’s cozy registration room; Ready for a bonfire night at the Graham.

SA N DY S O OH OO

CLOCKWISE AT RIGHT:

THE FOXFIRE MOUNTAIN HOUSE ’s inviting front steps; A soaking tub with mountain views; Breakfast spread; The front room at the Foxfire was made for lounging by the fire

THERE ARE TIMES when I’ve felt taking care of myself seems like such immense and dreadful work—an impossible chore to squeeze onto an already overflowing list of obligations.

But there also comes a time when you realize you must drop everything, if only for a day or two, and just get away. Retreat, in its most basic sense, means to withdraw—as an army does, from enemy forces. This was the exact sensation— flight, refuge—I had as I drove the two and a half hours north toward the Catskills one chilly November day. I was withdrawing from the enemy forces of daily existence in New York City. And my chosen harbor for this 24-hour respite from urban chaos was the serene, hilly sprawl of Mount Tremper and Phoenicia.

I arrived at the FOXFIRE MOUNTAIN HOUSE hoping it would provide some kind of dreamy setting for this particular escape. Situated at the end of a tree-lined road off of Route 28, the inn was lovingly renovated, refurbished, and designed by husband-and-wife duo Tim Trojian and Eliza Clark and opened its doors in 2013. It makes sense that, after years of working in the food and beverage world (Tim) and in television production (Eliza), these two knew just how to make the ultimate respite. Tim explained how he and Eliza had been inspired by the invented idea of a world-traveling uncle whose mythical nature and odd curios filled a house with eccentric details and a little mystery. Looking around at the 44

interiors, from the Moroccan tiles to the fur throws and unique light fixtures, I’d say their vision was a complete success.

Despite the spot’s growing popularity, it feels secluded, tranquil, as if I were the only person there. This is entirely intended, of course—it was the couple’s aim to create a space with the warmth and intimacy that a small hotel can provide, with just a touch of anonymity so that guests are able to relax fully without feeling watched or too closely attended to.

What struck me most is how thoughtful the design is. Everything you could want in a handsome mountain retreat is there: a record player, candles, a fireplace, all the accoutrements required to start a fire. Every hallway, room, and nook I explored had some kind of warmly cocooning element to it—a comfy couch, a cozy chair and blanket, a table and reading lamp—without feeling crowded or forced.

It’s a refined kind of fullness, one that lends itself to relaxing, recharging, and even socializing with the other guests around the big fire in the living room. Aside from watching the flames in the beautiful stone fireplace, guests are able to explore the large property, go on small hikes in the backyard to a rock wall, start a bonfire outside, or play on the new shuffleboard court. Being as cold as it was, I opted for fireside time next to two nice women playing Scrabble, but in the summer months I imagine the possibilities are endless.

I drove down the road for lunch at the esteemed

PHOENICIA DINER. Open every day during the summer months and five days a week during the winter, this wellpreserved 1960s eatery is a hub for skiers, hikers, bikers, and locals alike—offering locally sourced comfort fare, a throwback fifties soundtrack, and a warm and casual atmosphere. The long counter lined with stools and booths is left over from the diner’s original days as a more traditional Greek spot with burgers and fries. Now the farm-oriented menu offers seasonal selections like a butternut-squashand-polenta skillet, in addition to regular diner eats like the Reuben, pancakes, and B.L.T. In addition to its large dining room, there’s a vintage bar for waiting on the weekends when it’s packed, and during the summer there’s an Airstream out back that functions as a food truck, with more travel-friendly dining options you can take out to enjoy on the many nearby nature preserves and trails such as Mount Tremper Trail.

Just off the main street in Phoenicia is the hip motorinn-style boutique hotel the GRAHAM & CO., with its spare, rustic-modern decor well-suited to the surrounding wooded landscape. A fire pit, teepee, and den with movie projector complete the Graham & Co.’s casual, group-oriented atmosphere. During the summer months, they show movies outside and sell s’mores kits in addition to their housebranded shampoos, conditioners, and clothing. As a bonus,

ROAD TRIP

T H E R E T R E AT I S S U E

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THE PINES’ farro salad with local fall vegetables; Below, the bar room warms up before karaoke

THE EMERSON INN ’s main sitting room; The rear rooms overlooking the Esopus

THE PHOENICIA DINER on Route 28 and their tortilla soup

the hotel partners with the Phoenicia Diner to offer breakfast coupons to guests who ride over on the hotel’s sleek black road bikes.

Just across the way from the Foxfire Mountain House is the recently renovated EMERSON RESORT. During the summers as a child, I used to ride with my parents along 28 past the lodge’s enormous wooden sign, with its two kitschy life-size mountain lions clambering on it, and wonder if it was a casino. Over the years, the onetime dairy farm gave way to attractions such as the world’s largest kaleidoscope (housed in a converted grain silo), but today the resort has transformed into a more elegant space that is still inspired by the transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson—quotes from his essay Nature adorn the walls, along with the work of local artists.

Emerson’s activities coordinator, Posie Strenz, gave me a tour of the grounds; we walked against the wind along the Esopus Creek, which was roaring from the previous nights’ rain. She pointed out all the spots where they offer assorted walks, talks, and classes, including a watercolor class that she runs in the spring. It could easily be the best summer camp for adults for miles and miles, but winter months require more indoor activities such as yoga, eating, and drinking, all of which they offer here, so you never have to leave.

After our stroll, Posie delivered me to my “reset” spa treatment, which is a new treatment the Emerson is offering that uses aromatherapy and brushed-oil techniques to increase circulation and release tension from the body. Still in my default city mode, I paced around in a white robe, waiting for someone to come rescue me from my book-free and phone-less existence in their calm gray waiting room. I could see the creek and the mountains, and still I wish I had something to read or tap. When my name was called, I was weirdly relieved. The woman was lovely and explained that this is a treatment for people who have trouble relaxing or falling asleep. Oh, I said, that’s me. We laughed and she promised I would sleep solidly that night. (For the record, I did.) Make sure you jump in the hot tub on the back porch before you leave, and take advantage of the steam room and sauna in the locker rooms.

For dinner, my friend met me at THE PINES, Jeremy Bernstein’s new venture on Route 212. Part bar, part restaurant, part café, the space serves many communityminded purposes. “The idea was always to have a kind of roadhouse,” Jeremy said. In addition to offering excellent “rustic, simple country food” for dinner, they also have locally roasted coffee and pastries made by their in-house pastry chef, Craig Thompson, and will soon be opening a few rooms

upstairs as lodging to complete the roadhouse-style agenda.

Head chef Caroline Hahm, who was lured up here from Austin, Texas, cut her teeth in the highly regarded New York City kitchens of Marlow & Sons and Diner, among others. Now settled at The Pines, she uses as many organic ingredients as possible from the farms nearby, producing dishes such as the delicious, super-filling chicken pot pie using whole animals.

“Food is the only creative endeavor that I don’t get bored with,” she said as we sat down for five minutes during a lull.

“There’s always something I haven’t tried yet—a technique, a vegetable, a cut of meat… It keeps things interesting.”

Despite the difficulties Jeremy faced being a first-time restaurateur, both he and Caroline insisted that “there’s a lot of joy here.” I believe them—I could feel it in the air of the cozy wood-paneled porch where I ate with my friend, as the restaurant got more and more full for its Thursday-night dinners and impending karaoke session. I stayed longer than I realized, just enough to watch them setting up the purple lights and huge projector. I snuck out before anyone could persuade me to sing something—though I’m pretty sure if I’d stuck around, that could happen, too, as the mood got more and more convivial and the place warmed up with its regulars, ready to make it a night.

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THE 8-LIST

T H E R E T R E AT I S S U E

THE EIGHT LIST MANDY COON

1

PETRIA LENEHAN ARDMORE TWEED COAT

2

JUDY ROSS HAND-EMBROIDERED PILLOWS

3

PERFUMERA CURANDERA JUNGLE ROSE MARIRI

4

GREENTREE HOME DODECAHEDRON CANDLE

5

HASBROUCK HOUSE

6

STEPHANIE CHARLENE CERAMICS

7

WITCHEY HANDMADE PALE DUSK WINTER FACIAL OIL

8

KIERAN KINSELLA WOOD STOOLS

ROOTNYC.COM