VIE Magazine December 2017

A BIG SICILIAN WEDDING NEW ORLEANS STYLE!

FASHION & TRAVEL with DUBLIN’S STYLE QUEEN

TOM & GISELE

VOYAGER SPECIAL EDITION

AUTHENTIC IRELAND in

BOSTON STRONG Explore the CITY’S CULTURE and STYLE

CONNEMAR A LIFE 2017

A FAMILY AFFAIR

GER ALDINE CHAPLIN December 2017

on LIFE, LAUGHS, and Her FATHER’S LEGACY

THE 2017 INVICTUS GAMES in TORONTO

PRINCE HARRY CHAMPIONS WOUNDED WARRIORS

C’EST LA VIE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS & More

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In this issue On the Cover

With an in-depth travel spotlight on Boston in this issue, it seemed only fitting for the city’s resident power couple, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and

131

THE MAGICAL WEST OF IRELAND

OUR PUBLISHER, THE IDEA BOUTIQUE, IS PROUD TO PRESENT A SELECTION OF STORIES FROM THE THIRD ANNUAL CONNEMARA LIFE MAGAZINE TO ITS AMERICAN AUDIENCE. FROM BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES TO TALENTED ARTISTS AND MUCH MORE, THE PLACES AND PEOPLE OF IRELAND’S CONNEMARA REGION ARE SURE TO ENTHRALL.

supermodel Gisele Bündchen, to usher our readers into its pages. The husbandand-wife team might be best known for their—at times controversial—celebrity

FEATURE

92 Function and Flair in the City on a Hill

status, but their philanthropic endeavors

66 Boston! The Center of the Universe

96 Style Queen: Fashion and Fancy on

LE MONDE 29

102 Hip Hospitality: A Recipe for Success

30 Nothing Is Black-and-White: Geraldine Chaplin

108 A Peek Inside the Villages of London

are what we believe made them truly worthy of our Sophisticate cover. Read more about their kindness and heart in our editor-in-chief’s note, “For Goodness Sake,” and get the insider’s scoop on Boston in our feature.

Photo by Jackson Lee/FilmMagic

on Selling Out of the Family Fortune

36 Invictus: Masters of Fate

LA MAISON 119

SARTORIAL 45

120 All You Need Is Love: Your Home Is Your Sanctuary

46 Drop Dead Gorgeous

128 Prismatic Portals: The Doorways of Paris

50 A Sicilian-Style Wedding with New Orleans Flair

C’EST LA VIE CURATED COLLECTION: SOPHISTICATED IS THE NEW BLACK 60 PUBLISHED BY

the Emerald Isle

VOYAGER 65

CONNEMARA LIFE 131 Select stories from the magical West of Ireland

LA SCÈNE 182 AU REVOIR! 185

76 The Siren Song of Cape Cod 82 La scène: Boston Edition 84 Boston Top Ten: What to See and TheIdeaBoutique.com info@theideaboutique.com

Where to Eat!

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 13

CREATIVE TEAM FOUNDER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LISA MARIE BURWELL Lisa@VIEmagazine.com

FOUNDER / PUBLISHER GERALD BURWELL Gerald@VIEmagazine.com

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR JORDAN STAGGS Jordan@VIEmagazine.com

CHIEF COPY EDITOR MARGARET STEVENSON CONTRIBUTING WRITERS ANN CONNEELY, TONY CONNEELY, ZOE COYLE, SARAH ELIZABETH DEWEY, EMILY FANNING, ANTHEA GERRIE, NICHOL AS GRUNDY, KEVIN HEANUE, NICOL A HEANUE, ILONA K AUREMSZKY, COLETTE L AFFEY, TIFFANY LOPINSKY, MONIK A MALINOWSK A, CAROLYN O’NEIL, TORI PHELPS, NICHOL AS S. RACHEOTES, JANET THOMAS

ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY ART DIRECTOR TRACEY THOMAS Tracey@VIEmagazine.com

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR LUCY YOUNG SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER RINN GARL ANGER GRAPHIC DESIGNERS OLIVIA PIERCE, HANNAH VERMILLION

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS BAKOUNINE, VINCE BUCCI, CHIRAJUTI, WILLIAM DESOUSA-MAUK, TREVOR DUBBER, COLLEEN DUFFLEY, MARK FURNISS, NICHOL AS GRUNDY, AOIFE HERRIOTT, EJ HERSOM, AL HIGGINS, OVIDIU HRUBARU, TREGG ISTRE, MARC LECHANTEUR, JASON L AVERIS, JACKSON LEE, TIFFANY LOPINSKY, DENIS MAK ARENKO, DANNY MOLOSHOK, RAQUEL PUIG, RACHEL PUIG, NICOL A PULHAM, ROBERT RIDDELL, ROMONA ROBBINS, JOE SEER, JSTONE, MARCIO JOSE BASTOS SILVA, BRUNO STERNBERGER, THOMAS SUNDERL AND, DEBBY WONG, JAY YUAN, BELLISSIMO GALWAY, BUBBLES INCORPORATED, ENTERTAINMENT PRESS, FEATUREFL ASH PHOTO AGENCY, GETT Y IMAGES, VIGNETTES BY LITTLENY

ADVERTISING, SALES, AND MARKETING DIGITAL MARKETING DIRECTOR MEGHN HILL BRANCH OFFICE MANAGER – IRELAND SHARON DUANE CREATIVE STYLIST SUVA ANG-MENDOZA ASSISTANT TO THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ABIGAIL RYAN BRAND AMBASSADOR LISA MARIE BURWELL Lisa@VIEmagazine.com

BRAND MANAGER RINN GARL ANGER Corinne@VIEmagazine.com

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER TIM DUTROW DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR SHANNON QUINL AN

VIE is a registered trademark. All contents herein are Copyright © 2008–2017 Cornerstone Marketing and Advertising, Incorporated (Publisher). All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher. VIE is a lifestyle magazine and is published six times annually on a bimonthly schedule. The opinions herein are not necessarily those of the Publisher. The Publisher and its advertisers will not be held responsible for any errors found in this publication. The Publisher is not liable for the accuracy of statements made by its advertisers. Ads that appear in this publication are not intended as offers where prohibited by state law. The Publisher is not responsible for photography or artwork submitted by freelance or outside contributors. The Publisher reserves the right to publish any letter addressed to the editor or the Publisher. VIE is a paid publication. Subscription rates: Printed magazine – One-year $29.95; Two-year $54.95. Subscriptions can be purchased online at www.VIEmagazine.com.

14 | DECEMBER 2017

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Editor’s Note

FOR GOODNESS SAKE HUMANITY IS EVERGREEN

W

ith a magazine issue bearing the moniker “The Sophisticate,” one might think that its sole purpose was to showcase the many accoutrements that accompany a life of privilege, success, and elite bloodlines. But what I’ve found over the years is that elegance, style, and sophistication have nothing to do with money, education, or even opportunity, but rather it has everything to do with humility and quality of character. As I pen this note on the same morning that I awoke to news of the mass shooting in Las Vegas—the worst in our nation’s history—I wonder how much more will humanity suffer. All this is on the heels of the devastation that Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria unleashed on Houston, the Florida Keys, Puerto Rico, and more, and the death and destruction that two cataclysmic earthquakes brought about in Mexico.

Throw in the political shenanigans going on in Washington, D.C., and one might wonder if it isn’t time for us all to get down on our knees and pray for mercy.

Nurturing goodness in ourselves and fostering love toward each other will make way for greater goodness in humanity. As with so many groundswell changes, it starts with a single first step, and you just keep walking. To say we are a divided nation on so many fronts is an understatement, but I have to attest to the fact that I personally know of good people using their respective spheres of influences to do a lot of good. And they need to be heralded boldly above the mayhem that is unfolding around us. I can’t help but believe that people are inherently courageous, strong, and decent; they are the everyman and everywoman found right at home in our own communities. Here are a few examples: Former VIE cover girl Laurie Hood, founder of Alaqua Animal Refuge (www.alaqua.com), has made amazing inroads for change against animal cruelty over the past ten years.

Tiffanie Nelson, founder and executive director of Food For Thought Outreach (fftfl.org), initiated change after learning that there were local children who did not have enough to eat. And Tricia Carlisle-Northcutt founded Children’s Volunteer Health Network (www.cvhnkids.org) in order to promote good health and build self-esteem in local children who could not afford proper dental care.

These three women did the unimaginable and have made a huge difference in the lives of the people of their communities. They exemplify humanity’s passion and kindness! This is but a small sampling of everyday people doing extraordinary things out of love and compassion to make a positive change in the world.

Celebrities and dignitaries the world over pour good into their spheres of influence.

A perfect example is Prince Harry’s recent 2017 Invictus Games, held in Toronto, Canada: this international sporting event supports wounded and ill servicemen and servicewomen and inspires recovery. Invictus is Latin for “unconquered”— a reminder that we all need a fighting spirit, tenacity, and fortitude, especially given the world stage as it is playing out at the moment. Watching so many of

Founder/Editor-in-Chief, Lisa Burwell Photo by Romona Robbins

these injured warriors overcome the adversities that life has dealt them should be all that is needed to stir up gratitude and the will to lead a meaningful life.

As a native Bostonian, I am excited to present the travel spotlight feature on my hometown in this issue. Boston has a flavor all its own—it has a small-town feel but all the benefits of a large city. The culture of the town and surrounding region embraces exceptionalism and exhibits a strong independence and will to survive.

It’s no wonder it is the birthplace of our country’s independence! From celebrating its vibrant city life and winning sports teams to overcoming cowardly acts of terror, passions continue to shine bright in Boston today. And, speaking of the winning spirit, power couple Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen lead the charge as ambassadors of good and sophistication. The NFL star quarterback and top supermodel are inspiring examples of strength, integrity, and class, having given substantially of their time, passion, and financial support to innumerable charitable efforts: Brady with his support of Best Buddies International, which creates opportunities for people with disabilities and helps them reach their fullest potentials; and Bündchen— an unstoppable force it would seem—with Save the Children, the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, the United Nations Environment Programme, and her own Luz Foundation, which works to improve children’s lives through education, nutrition, and inspiration. I hope you enjoy “Boston! The Center of the Universe” penned by Nicholas S. Racheotes. His own love of the city shines bright in this brilliantly written and witty article!

So, for goodness sake, please share yourself and your love, kindness, time, money, and talents with the world. We, the everyman and everywoman, can do amazing things!

To Life!

—Lisa Marie Founder/Editor-In-Chief V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 21

The Creatives

We collaborate with talented photographers, writers, and other creatives on a regular basis, and we’re continually inspired by how they pour their hearts and souls into their crafts. Follow these creatives on social media and don’t forget to check out our account, @viemagazine.

FOR THIS ISSUE, WE ASKED THE CREATIVES: IF YOU COULD CHANGE THE WORLD FOR THE BETTER, WHAT WOULD YOU DO FIRST?

ILONA KAUREMSZKY

NICHOLAS S. RACHEOTES

Writer,

Writer,

“Invictus: Masters of Fate”

“Boston! The Center of the Universe”

@mycompasstv

I’m a firm believer that music can help transcend adversities, so I’d put together the biggest world music concert and start it off with John Lennon’s antiwar song “Give Peace a Chance.”

I would have the words of that eminent Greek philosopher and television hero, Theo Kojak, broadcast worldwide in every social medium, radio, television, Google, and the like: “Love thy neighbor, baby!” Then, I would buy the whole world an icecream cone. Because, in my experience, no one can hate, pull a trigger, or wish someone else ill while eating an ice-cream cone in the flavor of their choice.

Besides, I believe that kindness repays kindness.

BESIDES, I BELIEVE THAT KINDNESS REPAYS KINDNESS. SHARON DUANE

LUCY YOUNG

The Idea Boutique Ireland Office Manager

Assistant Art Director

@sharonidb

I believe in the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

If you change how you think, you will change how you feel and what actions you take, and so the world around you will change. With this change you will view the world in which you live through a new perspective of emotions and thoughts. This will allow you to take action in ways you previously wouldn’t have thought of before: • Eat less and exercise more • Become less of a hoarder and share more • Stop seeking perfection—nobody is perfect • Spend less time online and more time with real people • Stop wasting time and create more special moments with family and friends.

@lucymyoung

I believe that even the smallest acts of kindness make a difference in someone’s world. The more joy we share, the more joy there is in the world! So I am starting with kindness. I would also love to make travel more feasible for people. Travel can be expensive, and a lot of people don’t have the time.

However, I believe that when we travel, we engage in other cultures with fresh eyes and are exposed to new ways of life. I think that when we see need with our own eyes, we are more likely to reach out and do something about it. So let’s explore this world and multiply joy wherever we go!

MARK FURNISS Photographer, Connemara Life @markfurnissphotography

I would outlaw plastic packaging. When I buy two avocados from the supermarket, I do not need them cradled on a plastic tray and vacuum packed in plastic. A compostable paper bag would suffice, thank you.

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 23

La conversation

SOCIAL BUTTERFLIES WE LOVE TO COMMUNICATE AND INTERACT WITH OUR READERS! AND WE LOVE IT EVEN MORE WHEN THEY PROUDLY SHARE THEIR STORIES AND POSE WITH VIE FOR A CLOSE-UP! THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT: SHARING, LOVING, AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. WE THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AND WE APPRECIATE YOU!

@anyoldiron Was great being part of @viemagazine’s event in #nashville last month.

Glitterati all present and correct! #nashvillefashion #whynfw #amaxarmy @amaxarmy #viemagazine

@carrie.rhea.designs The October issue of #viemagazine is fabulous! Make sure you pick up a copy. This Carrie Rhea necklace is the perfect accessory for your autumn wardrobe.

@allisoncraftdesigns Got a special and very exciting delivery today! Thanks so much to #viemagazine for the beautiful article … for seeing that my journey, my art, and the family behind it all is a story worth telling … #allisoncraftdesigns #graytonpearlco

@andysaczynski This article seriously brought tears of joy to my eyes! Thank you so much to everyone involved at @viemagazine! @andrearocheagency Throwback @viemagazine @claramcsweeney @faye_dinsmore – Looking forward to working with #viemagazine again soon.

LET’S TALK! Send VIE your comments and photos on our social media channels or by e-mailing us at info@viemagazine.com. We’d love to hear your thoughts. They could end up in the next La conversation!

VIEmagazine.com @kikirisaclothing These bad boys came home with me #rainydays #camo #fall #viemagazine

@Greg Cayea So this one time, in Montreal... by me.

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 25

REAL ESTATE O F F E R I N G S

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This 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath home offers a welcoming interchange of outdoor living and natural light. The first-floor master suite, living and dining rooms, followed by the kitchen, feature expansive windows that look upon the beautiful courtyard and pool.

This home is designed by Steve Mouzon and captivates you immediately upon entering the Zaguan to the courtyard. The 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath, 2,584-square-foot courtyard home provides inviting indoor and outdoor living.

Indulge in Gulf views from the balcony of this new fourth-floor Lucian residence. Located on the top-west corner of the first building in the growing Alys Beach Town Center, the 3-bedroom 3.5-bath open-floor plan condominium has just been completed.

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Whatever it takes.

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Stand Up To Cancer is a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) organization.

Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Visit MLB.com

Le monde

Learn more or reserve your stay at GramercyParkHotel.com.

Photo courtesy of Gramercy Park Hotel

Le monde GOES ROUND AND ROUND

New Yorkers know that having a key to Gramercy Park is a sign you’ve officially joined the elite. But guests at the luxurious Gramercy Park Hotel can enjoy that perk and much more when they book a room. The sultry, artistic vibe of the hotel is reflected in deep-hued, velvet-draped furnishings, mood lighting, and an impressive collection of original masterpieces, including works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, and many more. NYC locals or those who just want to experience the Gramercy lifestyle for the evening can stop in for signature cocktails at the exclusive Rose Bar and the intimate Jade Bar or a gourmet meal at Maialino, restaurateur Danny Meyer’s award-winning trattoria.

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 29

Le monde

NOTHING IS

GERALDINE CHAPLIN ON SELLING OUT OF THE FAMILY FORTUNE

BY ANTHEA GERRIE PHOTOGRAPHY BY BUBBLES INCORPORATED, COURTESY OF CHAPLIN’S WORLD

30 | DECEMBER 2017

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 31

S

Le monde

he could have made millions from her father’s estate, but Geraldine Chaplin, eldest of the great comedian’s eight children by his fourth wife, Oona O’Neill, has revealed she sold her share in the family fortune to heal a bitter rift over exploiting his image after the Oscar winner passed away.

“I was in favor of everything, including toilet paper branded with that famous silhouette of the Tramp. I thought Charlie should be out there on everything; you couldn’t vulgarize his image because he was too wonderful,” Geraldine told me at the family mansion above Lake Geneva where she grew up with her parents and seven siblings.

And only now, ironically, has she got her way. Charliethemed merchandise is on everything from T-shirts to posters at the new museum in the family home, which even features waxworks of Charlie and Oona, for whom Geraldine’s actress daughter is named.

Chaplin’s World is set to become one of Switzerland’s biggest attractions. But Geraldine, who has been out of the family firm for fourteen years, will not make a penny out of an enterprise that has been ten years in the making—an effort to save the thirty-seven-acre property that the family was unable to keep up.

Previous page: Actress and businesswoman Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of the late iconic comedian Charlie Chaplin, reminisces about her past and discusses the state of her family’s affairs, including the Chaplin’s World museum that now occupies the family home in Vevey, Switzerland.

32 | DECEMBER 2017

“No one could—it’s ridiculous, although I thought it was a normal childhood: masses of bedrooms for masses of children, the nannies and all the ‘personnel’ who had their own house across the street,” says the actress. The magnificent Manoir de Ban in Vevey, just half a mile from the modest townhouse where she has lived for decades, was derelict last time she set foot in it.

“There were trees coming through the floor, and it was a very sad place. My brothers Michael and Eugene lived here for a while with eleven kids between them, and then they left. During the three years it was

“AFTER MY MOTHER DIED, WE TOOK OPPOSITE SIDES; IT WAS ALWAYS FOUR AGAINST FOUR, AND WE FELL OUT,” EXPLAINS GERALDINE OF THE MERCHANDISING PROPOSALS THAT CAME POURING IN. abandoned, nature took over, and the house looked like Angkor Wat. Saplings were coming up in the tennis courts, and even the swimming pool was full of trees.

“I knew there were plans for a museum, but I never believed in it. I thought, ‘It’ll be a real estate scam,’ because it went on and on for ten years.”

By then, Geraldine had sold her shares to one of her four sisters, fed up with the constant war over how to bolster an estate her brother Michael, now the president of the Chaplin Museum Foundation, described in 2007 as “not lucrative . . . something we’re trying to change.”

“After my mother died, we took opposite sides; it was always four against four, and we fell out,” explains Geraldine of the merchandising proposals that came pouring in. “Some of my brothers and sisters thought Charlie’s films should only be shown in the equivalent of cathedrals, while I thought he belonged to everyone and his image should be everywhere.

“It was touch and go for a while until I thought, ‘I don’t need these nightmares, all this worrying,’ and I sold my share to one of my sisters.”

The estate was doubtless depleted by Chaplin’s extravagance, which Geraldine feels dates back to his childhood in and out of workhouses, although he never talked about his prestardom poverty. “I remember Daddy’s lawyer saying, ‘You’re always complaining about the bills, but you insist on living like Louis XIV.’ My father said, ‘My only luxury is wood for the fire.’ He insisted on having it on, summer and winter, because he just loved looking into it and remembering God knows what, even though we had central heating throughout the house.”

The former street urchin insisted on living like an aristocrat, Geraldine remembers. “My father was born in 1889 and a Victorian in every sense. He was a very strict father—boys were not allowed, and I remember putting on some makeup when I was fourteen and we were going out, and being told to wash it off.

“We had to be quiet in the house; you’d come in, and it was ‘Shhh! Daddy’s working.’ We had dinner in the children’s dining room and then were dressed up and brought down at cocktail time. That was always at six sharp, and we were fed peanuts while our parents had their drinks.

“But there was the opposite side to him, too; he would fool around and play with us and do all his music-hall tricks. But he never talked about his past.”

This page and opposite: Geraldine poses whimsically with realistic wax sculptures throughout the Chaplin’s World museum.

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 33

Le monde Successful in her own right, the award-winning actress was handpicked by director David Lean to star in Doctor Zhivago. Martin Scorsese chose her for The Age of Innocence, Richard Attenborough to play her grandmother, who had a breakdown when Charlie was a child, in Chaplin, and J. A. Bayona, who directed A Monster Calls, for his debut film, The Orphanage.

“Because it was such a hit, he says I bring him luck and have to have a part in all his films. My part in A Monster Calls was written for a twenty-eight-year-old Asian teacher, but he said, ‘Let’s forget she’s meant to be twenty-eight and forget she’s Asian.’

“Next, he’s doing the new Jurassic Park movie, so I’m hoping to get at least a dinosaur!” laughs the seventy-two-year-old.

CHAPLINSWORLD.COM/EN Anthea Gerrie is based in the UK but travels the world in search of stories. Her special interests are architecture and design, culture, food, and drink, as well as the best places to visit in the world’s great playgrounds. She is a regular contributor to the Daily Mail, the Independent, and Blueprint.

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Le monde

IN 36 | DECEMBER 2017

ICT

US

MASTERS OF FATE

By Ilona Kauremszky Photography courtesy of Invictus Toronto

Look no further than the dark confines of a basement or an isolated room. This is where many wounded veterans who survived the wrath of war retreat from everyday life. Family members are sometimes unable to cope while their loved one seeks refuge from horror and personal trauma. The alienation can be staggering.

For one military veteran who survived two deployments to Afghanistan, the devastating blow was witnessing the coffin of a deceased Danish comrade board his aircraft and seeing other wounded soldiers, those in induced comas, and another clutching a test tube of shrapnel that had been extracted from his head.

Team USA member Marine Corps veteran Lance Corporal Robert Anfinson competes in a sprinting event during the Invictus Games in Toronto on September 24, 2017.

“The way I viewed service and sacrifice changed forever. And the direction of my life changed with it,� says a humble Prince Harry, reflecting on that life-changing moment, which he experienced on his first tour to Afghanistan in 2008. He made another tour in 2012; his ten-year military career ended in 2015.

Photo by EJ Hersom/ Department of Defense

While the Prince of Wales, 33, survived the war without harm, many other veterans return home with debilitating injuries, both psychological and physical.

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Opposite left: Prince Harry congratulates bronze medalist Thomas Stuber of Germany after Stuber competed in the cycling time trial.

Opposite right: Team USA and Team Georgia compete in the sitting volleyball tournament.

Below: A member of Team Germany competes in the cycling time trial with a recumbent bike.

he Invictus Games is a passion project for Prince Harry, the patron founder of this international Paralympic sporting event for current and veteran members of the forces. The games were inspired by a Wounded Warriors competition he attended for U.S. military veterans in Colorado in 2013. A year later, the royal, who is fifth in line to the throne, started this philanthropic project to shed light on veterans who have survived war and conflict.

This past September, Toronto hosted the Invictus Games 2017, the largest international competition in the world featuring ill and injured soldiers. The eightday blockbuster event packed the city’s finest venues, bringing out scores of spectators—among them celebrities and politicians who supported the troops.

“I knew that it was my responsibility to use the great platform that I have to help the world understand and be inspired by the spirit of those who wear the uniform,” Harry said on the opening day of the games. “In a world where so many have reasons to feel cynical and apathetic, I wanted to find a way for veterans to be a beacon of light and show us all that we have a role to play, that we all win when we respect our friends, neighbors, and communities.”

Invictus, Latin for “unconquerable” or “undefeated,” is also the title of a poem written in 1875 by English poet William Ernest Henley. The poem’s final two lines say so much: “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”

Nearly 150 years later, Hensley’s prophetic poem strongly resonates with Prince Harry’s passion for inspiring recovery through sports and drawing awareness to the physical and psychological injuries suffered by service members.

Toronto’s hockey shrine, the Air Canada Centre, became center stage for the Invictus Games 2017 opening and closing ceremonies. A constant stream of standing ovations flowed throughout opening night. Comedian Mike Myers, a citizen of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States whose parents served in the British military during World War II, was a Games Ambassador this year. He candidly admitted, “In my house, the number one lesson was those that served our country deserve our utmost respect, admiration, and gratitude, and so do the families.” Later, addressing the athletes, he said, “You have achieved what once seemed impossible. Never give in. Never give up.

Never, never, never.”

Prince Harry, in turn, reflected on the personal journey of the competitors: “You have all come such a long way.

Some of you have cheated death and come back stronger than before. Some of you have overcome emotional challenges that, until very recent years, would have seen you written off and ignored. And now you are here on the world stage, flags on your chests, representing your countries again and supporting your teammates. You are all winners.”

“AND NOW YOU ARE HERE ON THE WORLD STAGE, FLAGS ON YOUR CHESTS, REPRESENTING YOUR COUNTRIES AGAIN AND SUPPORTING YOUR TEAMMATES. YOU ARE ALL WINNERS.” His Royal Highness emphatically recognized the absence of the unlucky ones, saying, “Don’t forget about our friends who didn’t come home from the battlefield. Don’t forget those at home who still need our support. And don’t forget that you are proving to the world that anything is possible.”

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Over eight days, vets showcased their strength.

Optimism fueled the city. Families bonded. Crowds cheered as over 550 competitors from seventeen countries descended on the streets of Toronto to compete in twelve sports, including track and field, swimming, and, in a first for the Invictus Games, golf. There were tears of joy and even more hugs. By all accounts, event organizers announced the third Invictus Games in Toronto to have been the best.

For Sharona Young, 35, a medically retired Navy chief petty officer from Orlando who served fourteen years as a yeoman, the Invictus Games have provided her with tremendous support. “I’m blown away by how supportive everyone has been and all of the encouragement I receive from all of the other athletes,” she said from Nathan Phillips Square after playing a wheelchair tennis tournament.

In 2013, Young was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She encourages service members with disabilities to give adaptive sports a try. “Don’t be afraid of the challenges or the unknown. Just trust yourself and have fun. Focus on what you can do, what skills you have, and go from there.”

Young’s support system is her caregiver and sister, Nakesha, and her eleven-year-old daughter, Taylor.

“They mean the world to me; they are my everything,” Young says. “I wouldn’t be here without them, without their help and encouragement and just the support I get on a day-to-day basis from them.”

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F Opposite: Cycling gold and silver were awarded to the UK and bronze to France. Left to right: Wayne Harrod, Karl Allen-Dobson, and Henri Rebujent

or Mike Toth, 51, a retired sergeant major and veteran “JUST TRUST YOURSELF AND of the Special Forces, sports like cycling and rowing are HAVE FUN. FOCUS ON WHAT his lifesavers. The Tampa resident battles lower back YOU CAN DO, WHAT SKILLS YOU and neck pain and PTSD, but took up cycling a few HAVE, AND GO FROM THERE.” years ago and says, “Cycling has given me something positive to focus on and helps keep me physically He shares the same birthday (September 15, 1984) and mentally fit.” Support of family and friends has been huge in his and also served in Afghanistan. In 2011, Henson recovery process too; Toth had six family members cheering him on at stepped on an IED and lost both of his legs. the games this year. His wife, Michelle, considers the Invictus Games an important experience in helping veterans. “Mike, like many other warriors, has “Ten months after losing my legs, I got my first set of been through so many hardships, both mentally and physically,” says Michelle. running legs, and that was it; I was up,” Henson said “He is a true inspiration to us as he is able to overcome those hardships through in a promotional video for the Invictus Games 2014 his physical training and daily living.” in London. “I got stronger and stronger. My mobility got better and better. We had all demonstrated a At every Invictus venue in Toronto, crowds responded with cheering and thunderous vigor for life and a desire to push through even the applause. It’s that extra push of support that drives these athletes over the finish most difficult of circumstances. We don’t give up.” line. And it’s that extra princely touch from Prince Harry sharing candid moments with athletes and family members that have many calling him “the People’s Prince.”

Prince Harry continues to inspire, and his strong passion and compassion toward causes he believes Through a viral online video, the world saw Captain Dave Henson from the U.K., in are powerfully evident. At the second Invictus whose adorable daughter stole the show at the swimming competition when she Games, held in Orlando in 2016, he told Robin helped herself to some of the Prince’s popcorn. Henson, a Paralympic medal Roberts in an ABC interview how never before has winner and former Invictus Games competitor, is a friend of Prince Harry’s.

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

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the number of amputees surviving traumatic injuries been witnessed to this extent. “Some of these guys should be dead. I’m now watching someone who should be dead run the hundred meters. You want a definition of inspiration, that’s probably it.”

In April, Prince Harry helped launch Heads Together, a mental health campaign whose goal is to end the stigma surrounding mental health problems and encourage people to start having conversations about these issues. Speaking about loss and grief in the video campaign, Prince Harry reveals, “We’ve never really talked about losing a mum at such a young age.”

On that tragic day twenty years ago, on full display in front of a worldwide audience, there was a twelveyear-old grieving son. Was there a profound effect in watching his mother’s coffin without ever shedding a tear in public? “People deal with grief in different ways. My way was basically shutting it out,” he openly explains in the ITV documentary, Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, which was broadcast on the twentieth anniversary of her death.

Le monde

Top: Prince Harry talking with the Australian wheelchair basketball team Bottom: Runners compete in the men’s IT1 100-meter dash

The late Princess Diana, regarded as the People’s Princess, devoted her life to family and charities. It was the sick, the poor, and the downtrodden who spoke to her. Just months before her sudden death, Diana took up the cause of banning land mines. She showed heartfelt compassion when speaking with victims and a steely resolve while walking through an active land-mine field in Angola to raise awareness for land-mine clearance.

Now Prince Harry has picked up his mother’s baton, representing the wounded, and is carrying it in a new race as her legacy of compassion continues unbroken.

We saw him at the Invictus basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts. We watched him cheering athletes on the golf course and at track level. We saw his embraces at cycling, rugby, swimming, and archery.

“It’s just amazing how much everyone appreciates what he’s done,” noted Toth on the Prince’s contributions.

Harry was everywhere, and so was love. His mother would be proud.

INVICTUSGAMES2017.COM Ilona Kauremszky is an award-winning travel journalist who has worked with leading publishers worldwide including Fodor’s and Michelin and publications such as the Globe and Mail, National Post, Toronto Star, Boston Herald, Canadian Geographic, ELLE, and more. When not writing, she collaborates on the digital TV channel mycompasstv.

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Sartorial

See more at Marchesa.com.

Photo by Ovidiu Hrubaru

Sartorial STRIKE A POSE

Romance reigned supreme at the presentation of Marchesa’s 2018 couture bridal collection this year at Canoe Studios during New York Fashion Week: Bridal. Delicate lace, cascading tulle, and festive flower crowns brought soft visions of elegance while the models’ no-nonsense attitudes and plum and rose lip colors by Bobbi Brown pumped up the girl power.

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B Y J OR D A N STA GGS Photography courtesy of Erica Courtney

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ifteen years ago, Bill and Elizabeth Campbell embarked on the search for one of the hottest trends, chandelier earrings, for their fine jewelry oasis known as McCaskill & Company in Destin, Florida. They didn’t know they would also find a cornerstone brand for their collection.

Jewelry designer Erica Courtney is known for her red-carpet presence, with her pieces being worn by such celebrities as Blake Lively, Julia Roberts, Sofia Vergara, Alfre Woodard, Sandra Bullock, and countless others. She’s been called “a legend in her own time” by fellow designer Mia Katrin, who praised Courtney for her entrepreneurial prowess.

Above: Erica Courtney, one of many topof-the-line jewelry brands found at McCaskill & Company in Destin, Florida, is known for glittering statement pieces that will make any outfit red-carpet worthy.

“Just like her jewelry, Erica Courtney is one of a kind,” says Elizabeth Campbell. “She is an inspiration to all women with her adventurous spirit, amazing design talent, creative genius, infectious passion, and love for incredible, fabulous gems. Her jewelry speaks for itself. Each piece is adorned with diamonds as though it was dipped in diamond glitter.”

Aptly named, Courtney’s Drop Dead Gorgeous collection comprises every type of gemstone one could imagine in bright colors, brilliant cuts, and fully customizable options for clients who are looking for truly unique pieces. “My style is daring, adventurous, fearless, glamorous, and pretty,” Courtney says. “Over the years, we’ve launched designs that not many people in the industry would have dared to sell because the market seemed not to be ready for them; but my clients aren’t followers.

They have a voice and aren’t afraid to express themselves. People love different because we all are. We understand and develop their wardrobes, so it makes sense.”

“She is an inspiration to all women with her adventurous spirit, amazing design talent, creative genius, infectious passion, and love for incredible, fabulous gems. Her jewelry speaks for itself. Each piece is adorned with diamonds as though it was dipped in diamond glitter.”

Courtney says one of her favorite lines is the Re-Purpose Re-Love program, in which she creates exciting new designs from a client’s existing pieces. “I love the challenge of taking something from an old setting and transforming it into something magnificent and sentimental that my customers will treasure,” she explains.

“We strongly believe gemstones themselves are one of a kind, and if you add that to the passion and love we put into our designs, the final product becomes the perfect representation of what our clients have been expecting. That’s why we do what we do.”

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or those who are looking for something new, be it for a special event, everyday wear, or engagement, Erica Courtney jewelry is a perfect place to start. “Women who wear Erica Courtney are strong, determined, and dropdead gorgeous,” says Courtney. “They can be young in their early twenties or late eighties, but they know color and good style will always be part of their lives and will represent them. We have such a broad variety of designs that it allows them to play with our pieces and be able to wear them at a red-carpet event or just every day.”

will transform into a gemological wonderland, and Courtney will share her stories of backpacking through jungles, mining in remote locations around the world, and other adventures that led her to find rare and incredible gemstones.

Proof that Erica Courtney jewelry is an investment that many women are more than willing to add to their wardrobes, Campbell says that it’s a recurring theme for her customers to buy more than one piece from the brand. “Erica Courtney customers become collectors,” she says. “Her pieces are distinctively different from our other designers and get a tremendous amount of attention.” That’s no small feat considering McCaskill & Company carries an impressive collection of the finest designer brands, including Armenta, David Yurman, Oscar Heyman, and more.

“We’re also looking forward to another magical holiday season at McCaskill & Company!”

Campbell adds.

“We have such a broad variety of designs that it allows them to play with our pieces and be able to wear them at a redcarpet event or just every day.”

Above and right: Erica Courtney offers a range of colorful gemstone jewelry along with engagement rings and her Re-Purpose Re-Love program, which enhances existing pieces for the owner.

Right: Photo courtesy of Getty Images / Stringer Opposite: Actress Jessica Alba wears Erica Courtney earrings at the red-carpet premiere of The Eye. Photo by Entertainment Press

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Courtney’s relationship with the Campbells and their store has grown over the years, and clients who seek out her designs at McCaskill & Company can find exactly what they’re looking for, as well as attend special events and trunk shows. “It’s the most beautiful store I deal with,” Courtney attests. “I love their taste and the selection of jewelry they represent from all over the country. They pay attention to the quality and details of every piece of jewelry. I trust in them with all my heart.”

Patrons will be able to explore not only her designs but also the inspiration and process behind their creation at McCaskill & Company’s upcoming event, the Erica Courtney Adventure, on November 10–11, 2017. The store’s Bridal Gallery

In addition to the Erica Courtney Adventure, Courtney shares some more exciting news about things to come: “Next year, as usual, we will be having a lot of surprises. Just to give you a heads-up, we’ll start working with our new collection, Masterpieces, which will have even more detail than ever.”

For the gentleman looking to pop the question this year, Courtney says her brand continues to strive for emotion and beauty in each of her engagement designs.

Whether you’re a celebrity or a modern woman who lives and works every day in her jewelry, Campbell offers a piece of advice: the most important thing is to wear what you like and to choose designs that make you feel confident.

“I believe that every detail of our engagement rings enhances the uniqueness of our clients,” she says. As for what’s in this season for engagements: “If I could choose just one trend, it would be colored stones.

Every day, more and more women are trying to find their own style, and colored stones are the ideal touch to achieve the authenticity effect.”

Courtney agrees and offers a simple word of advice to women everywhere: “May we all remain drop-dead gorgeous, inside and out.”

Shop Erica Courtney and much more at McCaskillandCompany.com, or visit the store at 13390 U.S. Highway 98, Destin, Florida 32550.

AA 26001879

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED A BOHEME DESIGN 2017 / © JEAN ALLSOPP

Whether you’re a celebrity or a modern woman who lives and works every day in her jewelry, Campbell offers a piece of advice: the most important thing is to wear what you like and to choose designs that make you feel confident. “Although encrusted in diamonds, Erica Courtney jewelry is playful and can

be worn casually, as well,” she attests. “We believe that jewelry should be worn and not put away in a box.

Wearing jewelry that is so beautiful brings such joy to not only the wearer but to others as well.”

Architecture desig n ed aroun d You an d the thin gs You love...

A

BOHEME

DESIGN www.aboheme.com

Sartorial

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A ICILIANSTYLE WEDDING WITH NEW ORLEANS FLAIR Sarah Elizabeth & Phillip MARCH 24, 2017 When Sarah Elizabeth Dewey and Phillip Petitto met on New Year’s Eve in 2013, neither of them imagined finding a soul mate that night. But there was a spark amid the revelry that had nothing to do with the fireworks.

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OUR

LOVE STORY

Phillip and I met on New Year’s Eve in 2013 via mutual friends in New Orleans (it was the dreaded setup). We were seated next to each other at a big group dinner. After a few months of heavy courtship, we decided to see each other exclusively. From then on, it was nothing but fun, and I can’t imagine life without him now.

The proposal happened on Friday, March 4, 2016.

We were supposed to be attending an event I had committed to, so we were dressed for a night out on the town. We met friends for drinks at a little bar on Magazine Street. A friend of mine who was supposed to be meeting us gave me a call and said she had hit a car in the parking lot (oh, the drama) and we needed to help her. (This particular friend also helped plan the proposal and later became my wedding planner.)

We walked down the street and turned the corner; flowers, candles, and champagne were set up in front

Phillip dropped to one knee, and the rest is history. We took a pedicab (we had taken a pedicab on our first date!) to Brennan’s in the French Quarter, where our family and friends met us for a fabulous dinner in the King’s Room. It was the perfect night. of my favorite building in the city (which happens to be right across from where we got married). Phillip dropped to one knee, and the rest is history. We took a pedicab (we had taken a pedicab on our first date!) to Brennan’s in the French Quarter, where our family and friends met us for a fabulous dinner in the King’s Room. It was the perfect night.

THE

PLANS

We knew right away what church we wanted for the ceremony. Saint Mary’s Assumption Church is one of the oldest churches in the city, and the altar is stunningly beautiful. Il Mercato was the perfect fit for the Sicilian-style wedding reception we were planning, and it was just a few blocks away from the church.

For the decor, I started by writing down the feel I wanted our guests to get when they attended our wedding: sophisticated, cultured, warm, and timeless. I knew I wanted to incorporate gold, ivory, white, green, and a touch of different red tones. I also knew I wanted to be swimming in olive branches. We started there and built up: the palette was based on light and dark greens from the olive branches, which we draped all across the wedding, used in the bouquets, and placed on the chandeliers.

From there, we chose champagne brocade bridesmaid dresses (designed by Jolie and Elizabeth, my fashion brand) and gold candelabras and gold lanterns. We even hand painted some of the olive branches with gold and platinum to tie them into the decor. Then we added white and ivory in the lighting, linens, cake, and more. I wanted to incorporate a very Italian 52 | DECEMBER 2017

Left: Sarah Elizabeth and Phillip celebrated their nuptials at Il Mercato with a Sicilian-style reception— full of fun and family— along with a lot of New Orleans flair! Their beautiful five-tiered wedding cake was created by La Louisiane Bakery.

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feel with red, green, and white as a secondary color story. The bridal party wore red lipstick and red nails, and we had handmade red cake pulls, red, green, and white boas, and Italian flags. The decor was playful yet timeless and came together in the most beautiful way.

Planning was the most amazing experience, thanks to Sarah Worsley of Mint Julep productions and our parents. I don’t know how couples plan a wedding without a planner, especially a big New Orleans wedding. From the menu tastings to the floral and lighting appointments, the champagne was flowing and we had a blast!

OUR

BIG

DAY

Some highlights from our ceremony included Father Reuben C. Dykes officiating the wedding ceremony— he and Phillip went to college together. Phillip’s father played “Ave Maria” as a guitar solo while Phillip and I presented flowers to Mary. We were also presented with a papal blessing from Pope Francis. The

54 | DECEMBER 2017

The reception was a blast, and Phillip and I kicked off the party by dancing to “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by the Police. ceremony ended with an Italian-style second line parade out of the church and down Magazine Street to Il Mercato.

The reception was a blast, and Phillip and I kicked off the party by dancing to “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by the Police. There was a lot of music, including the singing of “Che La Luna” in Italian by Phillip’s father. Strawberry wine was served from the Petitto family’s strawberry farms, and late-night pizza was passed. We exited through a sea of red, white, and green Italian flags and streamers while being serenaded by an a cappella band.

We honeymooned in Saint Lucia at Sugar Beach Resort. The food was amazing, it’s small and intimate, the weather there is perfect in March, and it was a short flight for us from New Orleans!

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THANKS BRIDAL GOWN: Sarah wore a semi-custom ball gown designed by Hayley Paige (purchased at Town and Country). The gown featured hand-stitched ivory lace sleeves with an illusion sweetheart neckline and an open back with piping details along the seams. The full, white skirt was custom made of multiple layers of tulle, satin, and silk. She also wore a lace-edged ivory cathedral-length veil, a Pronovias crystal belt, shoes

by L.K. Bennett, and a customized saltwater pearl necklace designed and made at Aucoin Hart (gifted by the groom).

GROOM’S TUXEDO: Phillip wore a custom tuxedo, designed and made by Fellow Suits. It featured an ivory dinner jacket with a black satin shawl collar and ivory alligator-print satin lining.

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Above: A New Orleans tradition, the second line parade followed the newlyweds from St. Mary’s Assumption Catholic Church to Il Mercato.

Left and opposite: Sarah Elizabeth’s gown was a stunning customized creation

by Hayley Paige, while her bridesmaids and “Something Blues” wore custom dresses by the bride’s label, Jolie & Elizabeth.

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Sartorial They featured a fit-and-flare silhouette, V-neckline detail at the front and back of the gown, and champagne gold brocade fabric layered on top of silk shantung and tulle.

BRIDAL PART Y: The bridesmaids wore custom gowns designed and manufactured by the bride’s company, Jolie and Elizabeth. They featured a fit-and-flare silhouette, V-neckline detail at the front and back of the gown, and champagne gold brocade fabric layered on top of silk shantung and tulle. The “Something Blues,” more members of the wedding party, wore dresses and skirts also by Jolie and Elizabeth. They featured French blue and champagne brocade fabric. The groomsmen and ushers wore tuxedos from John’s Tuxedos.

Hairstyling and makeup were provided by Glam Nola and the bride’s hairstyle by Corinna Bodden.

RINGS: Aucoin Hart, New Orleans WEDDING PL ANNER: Mint Julep Productions CAKE: La Louisiane Bakery created a five-tiered ivory wedding cake with gold and champagne details. The groom’s cake was a red velvet pizza.

DECOR: Luminous Events provided custom ivy walls to display and serve the Petitto family strawberry wine and provided all of the lighting for the evening. Event Rentals provided the linens, chairs, tables, and cake stand.

FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS: Poppy and Mint

Floral Company

HONEYMOON TRAVEL AGENT: Vacations by

Denise Alvarez MUSIC: The Bucktown All-Stars and an a cappella group from Tulane University

PHOTOGRAPHY: Tregg Istre, 63 Films & Photography

McCaskill & Company —— Finest Jewelry & Watches ——

© Forevermark 2016. Forevermark ®,

®

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™

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13390 Highway 98 West, Destin, Florida 32550 (850) 650-2262 • www.McCaskillandCompany.com

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SEE THE WORLD

We’re seeing pink! The deliciously rosy Gallery dining room at Sketch in London is the “it” place for afternoon tea and dinner. The interior, designed by India Mahdavi, also serves as a chic art gallery displaying over two hundred original black-and-white drawings by David Shrigley. The Wes Anderson–worthy dining room is just one of the many quirky venues hidden away inside this artistic oasis on Conduit Street. Sketch’s other attractions include the charming Parlour tearoom, the exotic Glade bar and café, the ultramodern East Bar, and even the futuristic bathrooms reminiscent of pods on a sleek white spaceship.

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Voyager

Picturesque Acorn Street, located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, is one of Boston’s most photographed lanes.

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by N I C H O L A S S . R A C H E O T E S

This is a short, lean tale, not a “big fat story” about my town. Boston is steeped in history and laid out in steep, winding roads that prove an urban setting can thrive in a non-Euclidean universe. Just try driving or walking in Boston and you’ll see what I mean.

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B

oston also stands as a living testament to the fact that the past is present. When John Winthrop preached his famous “City upon a Hill” sermon aboard the Arbella as the ship bounced across the Atlantic, there was plenty of wine in the hold either to cure or induce seasickness. With all the college kids who now get up to their nocturnal antics, today the good Puritan father would have had to call his sermon “City on the Pill,” but we’re not going there. Nor are we going to digest the libraries full of books that tell readers of all the firsts, all the characters, savory and unsavory, and all the birth pangs that made this special place the Cradle of Liberty, the Athens of America, and, in typical Bostonian self-effacing fashion, the Hub of the Universe.

Boston is all about the sameness of change. Its tea party has “gone country,” so there’s a beer party instead.

True patriots are drinking Sam Adams instead of thinking very much about this historical figure’s contribution to the Sons of Liberty. Once upon a time, “men went down to the sea in ships” and sent the fruits of the sea and the products of the forest to England and the world. Now the revitalized waterfront is where women and men go down to high finance in suits and light the world with the whale oil of commerce.

If you navigate your way through the culinary masterpieces of the North End and manage to find a quiet corner, you might hear the echoes of Paul Revere’s hammer as he smithed those bowls.

Should you choose instead to walk the Back Bay, Brighton, or Allston, you will be listening instead to the tunesmiths of the New England Conservatory, the Berklee College of Music, and the indie bands working on what will find its way to your radio dial or download. We’ve had hard rockers, punk knockers, and rap shockers go on to fame and fortune. You know their names and can sing along. They have transformed the puritanical “banned in Boston” to “band from Boston.”

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The Boston skyline offers a mix of historic and metropolitan architecture, most beautifully captured when viewed from across Boston Harbor or the Charles River.

Right: Although Gillette Stadium is outside the city, sports draw a crowd to Boston, especially when the New England Patriots are playing.

Photo by Vignettes by LittleNY

IF YOU NAVIGATE YOUR WAY THROUGH THE CULINARY MASTERPIECES OF THE NORTH END AND MANAGE TO FIND A QUIET CORNER, YOU MIGHT HEAR THE ECHOES OF PAUL REVERE’S HAMMER AS HE SMITHED THOSE BOWLS.

Trade clam chowder for alphabet soup and what do you get. Thousands of PhDs working at BU, MGH, the BI, BCH, or those additional names that are the difference between life and death: the Brigham and Women’s, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Tufts Medical Center, and the like. They’re on the job, with no days off, to cure and find a cure. Like the names of the unmarked streets, everyone knows what those initials mean. They mean that if illness is stalking you, there’s no better place to be.

Boston has the oldest subway system in America, if not the world, and there is no truth to the rumor that it smells like it. I, for one, relish the battle that commuters wage daily with public transportation because we are all in it together.

We are the face of America. Kids, many of them Asian American, are headed to America’s oldest public school, Boston Latin. The sweet sound of Spanish is being exchanged between dark-eyed ladies who are the backbone of so much retail.

Guttural Russian has come to signify those who have found the climate of Boston conducive to freedom and social advancement. The Caribbean smiles, the Middle Eastern dignity, and the complexities of Afro-American sensibility are the new, true blue blood of Boston, and they’re all on the T. At the Common or the Esplanade, in Dorchester Heights, on a bench in Roslindale Square, or by Jamaica Pond, you can always strike up a conversation with an old-timer by raising the subject of sports. He’ll tell you about waiting until the end of a game, all but lost to the dreaded Yankees, just to see Ted Williams hit V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 69

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Above: The Massachusetts State House and Boston Public Garden top many to-see lists for those visiting the City on a Hill.

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once more. He knows exactly where he was watching as Bobby Orr went airborne after scoring the goal that beat the St. Louis Blues. He’ll talk about how Havlicek stole the ball and forget the words he yelled when the grounder bisected the space between Bill Buckner’s feet or when Mr. Bucky (Bleeping) Dent, the man who was rechristened by Bostonians with a middle name that no parent would give a child, hit that “cheapie” in a play-off game, puncturing the World Series dreams of the beloved Sox. hen, he’ll say, “These kids today are so spoiled. They don’t know nothing of heartache. Three World Series, a Stanley Cup, an NBA championship, and don’t forget those rings, those five—those one, two, three, four, five, and counting—Super Bowl rings. What do these kids know? They got it easy because they have the goat.” Of course, he’s not thinking of a smelly, four-footed cheese giver, but the diametric opposite: the Greatest of All Time, Tom Brady, to whom Boston and all New England look for pulling the chestnuts of victory from the cauldron of defeat.

Characters—you make a mistake if you think that the home-grown celebrity movie stars of today are the only characters springing out of Boston.

I’m not talking about Samuel Gridley Howe, pioneer of educating the blind and first leader of the Perkins School, Horace Mann, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Anne Bradstreet, the first woman poet in the British colonies, Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park and Boston’s own Emerald Necklace of green. No, I mean characters: Isabella Stewart Gardner, who walked her lion—yes, I said lion—down Huntington Avenue from her Venetian palace to Symphony Hall; James Michael Curley, who had a bridge built near Roxbury Crossing so he could get home from work faster; Arthur Fiedler, who made sure that the Boston Pops would relieve the highbrow of the symphony with music from radio and television commercials, films, and Tin Pan Alley. Why, I haven’t even scratched the surface.

Don’t get the idea that Boston and Pats faithful limit their admiration for Tom Terrific to his gridiron exploits. TB12 is trying to teach us how to eat and, through Best Buddies International, how to value persons with developmental disabilities. To hear him talk about life with Gisele and his kids is to get a valuable lesson in values.

Talking about star power, we can look to the city itself. It has starred in so many motion pictures, from The Brink’s Job and The Thomas Crown Affair to The Departed, Black Mass, and Patriots Day. It’s where

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IT HAS STARRED IN SO MANY MOTION PICTURES, FROM THE BRINK’ S JOB AND THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR TO THE DEPARTED , BLACK MASS , AND PATRIOTS DAY .

Robert B. Parker hired Spenser and Dennis Lehane took us to Mystic River and Shutter Island. Even one of the literary masterpieces of the twenty-first century, David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest, is set in Brighton, my own home section of Beantown.

As for songs, we don’t have to limit ourselves to the strains of “Dirty Water,” which flows after each Sox victory at Fenway. Freddy Cannon sang “Boston (My Home Town).” Chuck Berry announced to the world that “They’re really rockin’ in Boston.” Bob Seger lit “The Fire Down Below” when he recorded an album, Nine Tonight, at the Boston Garden.

The J. Geils Band was scandalized when it found out that its “angel is the centerfold.” The city even gave its name to a band. We danced the Boston Monkey once upon a time. And, we blushed when the Rolling Stones asked, “Well, you heard about the Boston . . .”—almost certainly referring to the notorious Boston Strangler.

Russell) and the first all-black starting five on the basketball court—the Boston Celtics? Who paid dearly for passing on Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson—the Sox, but they weren’t the only ones. Since Reconstruction after the Civil War, what President introduced the most far-reaching piece of civil rights legislation in June of 1963, five months before he was assassinated—John F. Kennedy—and he was from where?

The temperature will rise higher than a late spring play-off game at the Garden.

Who exposed clerical child abuse? Whose city council best reflects the makeup of the community? Sure, there are stunning differences in income, homeownership, graduation rates, and frequency of incarceration rates in Boston, just like everywhere else in America and the world. But in Boston Massachusetts, we don’t run from problems, we run toward them.

Once there was a day—April 15, 2013—when every Bostonian can tell you where she or he was. Once there were pictures that make every citizen of the Hub inform you that she or he knows someone standing close to the finish line. Once, and forever after, there are profiles and sound bites of tragic victims, determined

Below: Harvard University’s campus in nearby Cambridge is perfect for a day-trip from the city to experience the school’s architecture, educational programs, and other events.

Go for it. Try to put a Bostonian on the defensive by playing the race card or citing other forms of discriminatory behavior. You might not get a history lesson about William Lloyd Garrison, abolitionism, or evasion of the Fugitive Slave Act in the 1850s. Perhaps, you won’t be hit with the contributions of Julia Ward Howe, Rose Standish Nichols, and so many others, vital to the campaign for women’s equality worldwide.

You may not be told about how swiftly the Boston schools were reformed in the 1840s to end discrimination against Irish children.

Up the ante by dropping how the Sox were the last baseball team to field an African American player and play the horrific images around forced busing to achieve the integration of the public schools. Now, you’re talking. The response will come as fast and hard as a line drive off Carl Yastrzemski’s bat.

Check around the league at the time to see how many African American players were on the other squads. Who put the first black coach (the regal Bill

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survivors, courageous first responders, and lifesaving ordinary citizens. A few days later, after a night of high-speed chases and echoing gunshots, we hunkered down, sheltered in place, and waited.

How many terrorists might there be? Could they bomb the subway or some other place of public gathering? Would they ever be killed or caught?

How close was this to our 9/11? e called and texted. We printed T-shirts. We listened to the assurances of cops and elected officials. Then, in phrases voiced in a Spanish accent, with an expletive that properly eluded the censorship of the FCC, we got what we needed.

Wearing a uniform shirt that said Boston, not Red Sox, David Ortiz proclaimed, “We want to thank you, Mayor Menino, Governor Patrick, and the whole police department for the great job they did this past week. This is our f***ing city, and nobody is gonna dictate our freedom. Stay strong. Thank you.�

“...THIS IS OUR F***ING CITY, AND NOBODY IS GONNA DICTATE OUR FREEDOM. STAY STRONG. THANK YOU.” All right, granted, these were not phrases as eloquent as Lincoln’s second inaugural address, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, or George Washington’s Farewell Address. However, they had a transformative power all their own. They conveyed healing where once anger prevailed. They saluted bravery where once bewilderment reigned. They praised a spirit of unity which we all hoped would endure.

Left: A summertime staple, Swan Boat rides on the central pond at Boston Public Garden have been a tradition since 1877.

Photo by Marcio Jose Bastos Silva

Oh, we’ve had our share of rogues too. You can see their evidence: in the empty frames where the paintings stood in the Gardner Museum before they were stolen from Boston and all humanity, in the pages of the Herald and the Globe where the ravages of a drug-addicted society are chronicled, on the headstones marking where Whitey Bulger’s and the Strangler’s victims lie, and in the crumbling buildings of UMass Boston that mutely convince us of the corruption written into many state contracts. You can’t hide from these examples, but please come to Boston.

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eave your r’s at home. You won’t need them “heah.” Come in the springtime and walk the Freedom Trail with a narrator from Boston By Foot. See the magnolias bloom on Commonwealth Avenue as they mark the end of winter.

Ride a swan boat. Kayak on the Charles alongside the blossoming trees.

Come in the autumn, when those same trees blaze with the colors of fall. Watch the city turn vibrantly young as the students arrive for another semester.

Many of them will remain, convinced that there is no better place to live. Catch the opening tip of the basketball season or the puck dropping for hockey at the Garden.

Come in the winter for the Christmas Pops, for the theater season, for rainbows of drama and music at every wavelength. Shelter from the northeast wind at any number of sumptuous breakfast places. Chase away the cold and dark at pubs where everyone will soon know your name. Even if they don’t, you can always get them talking about the Pats, next year’s Sox, or, if you really want to test the edge, politics.

Come in the summer. There are free concerts and plays on the banks of that no-longer-dirty water.

The harbor islands are beautiful. And the Cape is less than a two-hour drive if you travel on a weekday and avoid rush hour.

Right: A grand statue of George Washington presides over the Boston Public Garden, a reminder of the city’s importance in the Revolutionary War. Inset: Sailboats cruising along the Charles River with a backdrop of the historic Back Bay neighborhood are reminders of Boston’s rich maritime history.

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Come to Boston and learn that the past is neither prologue to the present or even past. This town, masquerading as a city, is as cerebral as Vienna was at the turn of the twentieth century. It’s as energetic and youthful as California. It’s much quieter than New York and, like Paris and London, it’s a city of neighborhoods.

You’ll find really “smaht” people and really funny ones too. Some visitors complain that in Boston, people can be as cold as the weather, but they soon realize that Boston friendships last.

We can rewrite that famous Boston toast by John Collins Bossidy for an alumni dinner at Holy Cross College:

And this is good old Boston, The home of the bean and the cod, Where the Lowells talk to the Cabots, And the Cabots talk only to God. Instead, we might say:

Let’s raise a glass to Boston And to Massachusetts Bay, It’s a city you’ll get lost in Till you decide to stay.

Will you have to look both ways three times before you cross a street? Will you become convinced that all Boston drivers believe that laws are made for someone else? Will you be driven to the edge of sanity by sports-obsessed talk radio? Will you occasionally weary of telling the kids across the street to turn down the music and pick up the beer bottles? Will you yearn for a conversation in which your antagonist can tell the difference between a fact and an opinion? Will you pray that, for once, the Red Sox will hold on to a lead? Will you tire of some professor or hot new author trying to persuade you that what they’ve written is the latest and greatest imaginable thing? Will you occasionally get a little queasy from the clashing odors of so many different cuisines as you shop? Will you ever get sick of meeting other Bostonians outside of Massachusetts who ask, “Boston, hah, what parish?” Maybe so, but Boston is the home to which Bostonians so fervently wish to return when forced to live elsewhere. It’s the place that is so special that it makes you proud to the border of arrogance.

Boston is a dangerous place. Not because of its crazy drivers, not because of its criminal element, and not because of its unbearable and abrupt weather changes.

This city is a dangerous place because, after you’ve lived here, you learn to unfavorably compare every other place to the Hub. Now, like a good visitor, try to decide whether the previous sentence is an opinion or a fact.

PL AN YOUR TRIP WITH HELP FROM BOSTONUSA.COM.

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Siren so THE

OF CAPE COD

BY TORI PHELPS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MASSACHUSETTS TRAVEL & TOURISM

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BOSTON’S SKYSCRAPERS WILL SCARCELY FADE FROM VIEW BEFORE CAPE COD BEGINS TO WEAVE ITS SPELL. JUST AN HOUR FROM THE BUSTLING CITY, YOU’LL BE GREETED BY THE INTOXICATING SCENT OF SEA AIR AND WEATHERED CEDAR SHINGLES THAT INDUCE A SOUL-DEEP TRANQUILITY. If you doubt me, you’ve never been. Thanks to a lifetime of summers roaming the Cape and its islands, I can attest that the magic is real—and impossible to resist.

Cape Cod isn’t actually a single place, but a collection of towns scattered across a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic. As the Kennedys’ famous Hyannis Port compound attests, it has traditionally served as an escape for the Boston elite. But today, the Cape is a glorious mixture of high-end appeal and low-rent fun—all focused on the water.

It’s tempting to work your way through a long list of “musts” while visiting. Try to resist the urge. While away a day on the beaches at Cape Cod National Seashore, perhaps with a tour of Nauset Light (the lighthouse immortalized on bags of Cape Cod Potato Chips) thrown in. Spend another day doing nothing more than hitting up roadside clam shacks for quahogs (that’s “co-hogs”). The key to fully experiencing the magic is to let your body fall into Cape time, where the tides keep track of the hours for you.

Opposite: Gay Head Cliffs and Lighthouse at Aquinnah Beach on the southwestern tip of Martha’s Vineyard.

Left: Vineyard Haven, a cute, walkable community within the town of Tisbury on Martha’s Vineyard, is great for shopping, dining, and sightseeing.

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Voyager Just don’t get so relaxed that you miss Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Right: The Black Dog is an iconic eatery on Martha’s Vineyard.

Below: Nantucket celebrates the end of winter every year with the Daffodil Festival, encouraging guests to wear daffy hats, watch the car parade, have a tailgate picnic, and welcome spring.

Photo by William DeSousa-Mauk Far opposite: Nauset Light is one of the famous lighthouses on Cape Cod.

The two islands, located seven and thirty miles, respectively, off the coast of Cape Cod, are unique.

But they have plenty in common. Their most notable similarity is a feeling that you’ve stepped into a watercolor painting before you even hit land. Whether it’s the gingerbread cottages on Martha’s Vineyard or the cranberry bogs on Nantucket, the scenery is nothing short of artwork come to life.

Maybe that’s because both are well removed from the mainland. True islands, they require you to cross water—not a bridge—to get to them. And thorough conservation has ensured the islands are bastions of natural beauty, with much of their acreages remaining untouched. It’s no wonder creatives have always been drawn to them; there’s certainly no shortage of inspiration there, and artists swear that the light, especially in fall, is otherworldly.

the key

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Not surprisingly, galleries and studios abound, though the islands have much more to offer. Nantucket boasts eighty miles of beaches famed for their beauty, a boutique-lined Main Street, and outdoor activities for every passion.

As for the pleasures of Martha’s Vineyard, I’ve found no end yet. I confess that it’s my favorite of the three destinations, and it appears I’m in good company.

You’re unlikely to go an entire trip without spying a celebrity browsing the shops or a sitting president grabbing an ice cream at Mad Martha’s. (The black raspberry might change your life; don’t say I didn’t warn you.) From a ride on the Flying Horses—a national landmark that doubles as America’s oldest platform carousel—to a slice of blackout cake at the iconic Black Dog café, the Vineyard’s unpretentious charm is addictive.

Take it from someone whose collection of Black Dog mugs is seriously out of control.

The town of Oaks Bluff on Martha’s Vineyard is known for its gingerbread cottages and the wide expanse of grass and scenic views at Ocean Park.

Tori Phelps has been a writer and editor for nearly twenty years. A publishing industry veteran and longtime VIE collaborator, Phelps lives with three kids, two cats, and one husband in Charleston, South Carolina.

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The Beauty of a Ballerina...

...Poetry in Motion VIE Magazine Is a Proud Sponsor of the Northwest Florida Ballet www.VIEmagazine.com

B OS T ON

It’s no secret that Boston is or has been home to celebrities from all walks of life. They range from film and television stars to musicians, athletes, socialites, politicians, philanthropists, scholars, and more. The world loves to watch them (and comment on their accents), and the city is proud to embrace their own.

Take a gander at some of these Boston natives and alums shining on the red carpet and beyond.

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Luciana Barroso and Matt Damon Photo by Featureflash Photo Agency

Christy Scott Cashman and Jay Cashman Photo by Thomas Sunderland

JoJo Photo by JStone

David and Tiffany Ortiz Photo by Debby Wong

Rhea Durham and Mark Wahlberg Photo by Jason LaVeris/ FilmMagic

Uzo Aduba Photo by Joe Seer

Edward Norton and Shauna Robertson Photo by Featureflash Photo Agency

Chris Evans Photo by Bakounine

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Whether you’re spending a lengthy vacation in Boston or just visiting for the day, a few of these must-sees (and must-eats) should be on your to-do list!

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What to See THE FREEDOM TRAIL One of the city’s most popular attractions—if not the most popular—the Freedom Trail is a two-anda-half-mile walk through downtown Boston. It passes many of the city’s most historic landmarks, including the Boston Common, the Massachusetts State House, the Benjamin Franklin statue, the Old South Meeting House, the site of the Boston Massacre, the Paul Revere House, Faneuil Hall, Old North Church, the USS Constitution, the Bunker Hill Monument, and more. Many of the official sites offer free tours or tours by donation, and there are many other landmarks along the way that are not officially part of the Freedom Trail but are exciting to see nonetheless.

The Black Heritage Trail crosses paths with the Freedom Trail and winds through the Beacon Hill neighborhood, citing important landmarks in a different journey to freedom.

Visit the African Meeting House (the oldest surviving black church in the country), the Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial, the Abiel Smith School, and several other stops commemorating the brave people who paved the way to ending slavery and furthered civil rights in Boston.

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FENWAY PARK Let’s go, Red Sox! A trip to Boston just wouldn’t be complete without taking in a game at Fenway Park.

The baseball stadium was built in 1912 and is one of the country’s most iconic sports venues. As notorious as the Red Sox–Yankees rivalry are Fenway’s many quirky attributes, such as the thirty-seven-foot left-field wall and seating area known as the Green Monster, the ladder attached to it that was once used to retrieve home-run balls, the 1930s-era scoreboard set into the same wall, and the lone red seat in the right-field bleachers that signifies Ted Williams’s 502-foot home run, the longest ever hit at Fenway. The park has the capacity to seat over thirty-seven thousand people, hot dogs and beers in the hands of many. Don’t forget to visit the Cask ’n Flagon pub next door, voted America’s top baseball bar by ESPN. When the Sox aren’t playing, Fenway Park is also home to other sporting events and concerts throughout the year.

BOSTON.REDSOX.MLB.COM

Above: Boston Public Garden Inset: Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox Photo courtesy of Massachusetts Travel & Tourism Right: Brownstones in the Back Bay neighborhood

PUBLIC GARDEN You’ve no doubt seen the photos of Boston’s famous Swan Boats, which have floated lazily along the four-acre pond in Boston’s Public Garden since 1877. The twenty-four-acre park is adjacent to the famed Boston Common and is the oldest public botanical garden in the United States. Its manicured paths, monuments and sculptures, rose bushes, flower beds, and more than thirty tree species are proudly maintained by the City of Boston.

BOSTON.GOV/PARKS

FANEUIL HALL MARKETPLACE Faneuil Hall—the Hub of the Hub— has been a meeting hall and marketplace in Boston’s North End since it was built by Peter Faneuil for the city in 1742. Before the Revolution, patriots used the hall for public meetings and gave impassioned speeches there, earning it the nickname the Cradle of Liberty. Since then, such provocative figures as Susan B. Anthony, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Ted Kennedy have spoken there, carrying on the tradition. Today it remains a huge gathering spot filled with shopping, dining, and entertainment for Boston locals and visitors alike.

FANEUILHALLMARKETPLACE.COM

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The twenty-four-acre park is adjacent to the famed Boston Common and is the oldest public botanical garden in the United States.

NEWBURY STREET Shopaholics, look no further than Newbury Street for designer storefronts including Burberry, Chanel, Diane von Furstenberg, Armani, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana, and so many more. Hundreds of shops, trendy dining establishments, art galleries, and salons are present in these historic brownstone buildings, making a stroll down Newbury Street just as scenic as it is worthwhile for those searching for the perfect outfit or gift. Events along the street include pop-up shopping experiences, yoga and other wellness classes, gallery exhibits, and Open Newbury, a seasonal monthly event where it becomes a pedestrian-only street fair for a day. Walk beyond Newbury for more luxurious shops and restaurants in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.

NEWBURYSTBOSTON.COM

BEACON HILL Historic Federal-style row houses, gas lanterns, brick sidewalks, and New England charm make Beacon Hill the quintessential Boston neighborhood. Photo ops abound as visitors will see the iconic Massachusetts State House at the top of the hill, the Greek Revival homes of Louisburg Square, and the cobblestones of Acorn Street. Suffolk University and Suffolk University Law School are also here, and while the neighborhood is now home to students and Boston elite, its origins are steeped in history. It contains many sites along the Black Heritage Trail, and its homes have belonged to many historical figures of Boston.

A DAY ON THE WATER The Waterfront, running from the North End through the Financial District and Downtown Boston along the harbor, is a mecca for those seeking New England seafood and entertainment on the water. The New England Aquarium is a great family-friendly destination here, as are the carousel, fountains, food trucks, and public art exhibitions that line the Waterfront’s wharves and marinas. On the opposite side of the city, the Charles River shore is home to Lederman Park and the three-mile Esplanade walkway full of playgrounds, lookout points, and sports and event venues. Concerts in the Hatch Memorial Shell amphitheater and the annual Fourth of July fireworks display draw large crowds to the Esplanade, but on any day it’s a perfect place to walk, jog, or just sit with a book and watch the sailboats on the Charles.

Above: A home on the famous Acorn Street in Beacon Hill Photo by Jay Yuan

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY The Boston Public Library, established in 1848, was the country’s first free municipal library of its size. The present-day main branch on Boylston Street at Copley Square was completed in 1870 as architect Charles Follen McKim’s “palace for the people.” The Bates Hall Reading Room at the McKim Building is an architectural treasure with its elaborate coffered ceiling and wooden research tables. This is not just a destination for bibliophiles; speaking engagements, author visits, exhibitions, educational programs, and other events throughout the year are available to the public.

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Visit in fall to see leaves changing and feel the scholarly air of sophistication as the semester—and football season—get into full swing.

Right: Harvard University Inset: The Frank Gehrydesigned Stata Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Photo by chirajuti / Shutterstock Opposite: An impressive seafood platter at Row 34 in Fort Point

HARVARD CAMPUS It’s fitting that one of the most prestigious universities in the country has a beautiful campus to match. Although technically located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard’s historic buildings and landscaped quadrangles are just a short jaunt across the Charles River from Boston and worthy of a day trip. Visit in fall to see leaves changing and feel the scholarly air of sophistication as the semester—and football season—get into full swing. Some campus highlights include Harvard Square, the statue of John Harvard, crew teams rowing on the Charles, the Harvard Lampoon building, and Harvard Yard (just don’t try parking your car there).

HARVARD.EDU

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MUSEUMS GALORE With a cornucopia of fantastic museums in Boston, it’s impossible to list them all, but we’ll hit some highlights. One could spend a whole day touring some of these beautiful destinations for art, education, and history. The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum is a popular stop on the Waterfront, where visitors can relive the famous incident during which Bostonians dumped 340 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor in protest of taxes levied by the monarchy upon the colonies. Tours are led by Samuel Adams himself.

The Institute of Contemporary Art is your go-to stop for modern art exhibitions and the Museum of Fine Arts for more classic tastes, while the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum offers historic fine art with a mystery to match—it is home to one of the biggest unsolved art heists in the world. History buffs also should not miss the New England Holocaust Memorial, the Museum of African American History, and more. The Boston Beer Museum is an obvious choice for those who love a good brew, while more family-friendly options include the Boston Children’s Museum, the Museum of Science, and the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

Where to Eat sto r y and photo grap h y by TI FFA N Y LO P I N S KY

For most people, the first things that come to mind when they think of the Boston food scene are classic New England seafood and Italian cuisine. While Boston is full of restaurants that do seafood and Italian incredibly well, we have so much more to offer than lobster rolls and cannoli. Especially in the past few years, the food scene in Boston and its surrounding areas has boomed—from Japanese-Spanish fusion, to urban farm to table, to global tapas from James Beard Award–winning chefs, the Boston restaurant scene is incredible. With so many great spots, picking my ten favorites is a challenge, but here’s a spread of some of Boston’s best:

ROW 34 Whenever a friend is visiting from out of town and asks me for a recommendation for a seafood restaurant, Row 34 is my go-to. With an impressive raw bar and a menu full of other seafood classics like clam chowder, lobster rolls, and fish and chips, you can’t go wrong at this Fort Point neighborhood favorite.

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NEBO While Boston’s North End is known for having incredible Italian spots, Nebo is one great Italian restaurant outside of Boston’s Little Italy. Located on Boston’s Waterfront, Nebo is a wonderful creation owned and run by sisters, Carla and Christine Pallotta, who were inspired by their Italian grandmother to get into the kitchen. From squid ink pasta to zucchini lasagna, their menu features a unique combination of classic Italian recipes and modern dishes. You can’t leave without trying the Christoforo—their Nutella pizza—for dessert!

520 ATLANTIC AVENUE, BOSTON, MA 02210 NEBORESTAURANT.COM

ALDEN & HARLOW Alden & Harlow is a wonderful modern American small plates restaurant in Harvard Square. The menu changes daily and focuses on everything fresh and local; I always have a great meal here. While they serve a huge variety of dishes, this is a spot that I love to bring vegetarians to. Acclaimed chef Michael Scelfo does an incredible job at making vegetables taste great. From their kale salad to charred broccoli to roasted beets, I always leave feeling full and nourished.

40 BRATTLE STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138 ALDENHARLOW.COM

PREZZA A cozy yet upscale spot in the North End, Prezza serves Italian cuisine with Mediterranean influences. Because of its unique approach and delicious handmade pastas, its one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood. A must-try is their Ravioli di Uovo, a ravioli stuffed with an egg yolk and ricotta, then tossed with butter and sage. It’s perfection.

24 FLEET STREET, BOSTON, MA 02113 PREZZA.COM

PAGU With their Japanese-Spanish fusion cuisine and lots of pug-themed paraphernalia, PAGU in Cambridge’s Central Square is one of the most interesting restaurants in the Boston area. Until dining here, I didn’t realize that pintxos were the perfect prelude to ramen, especially when they’re tied together with cocktails that bring in influences from both Spain and Japan.

310 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02139 GOPAGU.COM

LITTLE DONKEY Little Donkey is the latest Boston-area creation from chefs Jamie Bissonnette and Ken Oringer, the James Beard Award–winning duo behind the adored restaurants Coppa and Toro in Boston’s South End. You might come in for their Instagram-famous chocolate chip cookie dough, served on a mixer beater, but you’ll return for more of their impeccably crafted, global-inspired small plates and beautiful cocktails.

505 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02139 LITTLEDONKEYBOS.COM 90 | DECEMBER 2017

Top: Dessert at Little Donkey is a must!

Inset: The unique squid ink oyster bao at PAGU Left: Delicious tapas made from fresh local ingredients at Alden & Harlow

CULTIVAR A recently opened modern American restaurant in the Ames Boston Hotel downtown, Cultivar is an excellent spot focused on seasonal and sustainable cuisine. They even have an on-site hydroponic garden, where talented chef Mary Dumont forages some of her produce for the menu. With great cocktails and great desserts too, all served in a beautiful eighty-eight-seat dining room, this spot deserves all the hype it gets.

“

North Square Oyster’s beautiful composed oysters are a must, and you can’t go wrong with their crudos or their fantastic lobster and oxtail Bolognese.

1 COURT STREET, BOSTON, MA 02108 CULTIVARBOSTON.COM

BRASSICA KITCHEN + CAFE NORTH SQUARE OYSTER North Square Oyster is another recently opened spot that has grabbed the attention of Boston’s gourmands. The restaurant is located in the North End, just a short walk from the Paul Revere House, so don’t let the tourists deter you. North Square Oyster’s beautiful composed oysters are a must, and you can’t go wrong with their crudos or their fantastic lobster and oxtail Bolognese.

A no-frills foodie paradise, Brassica Kitchen + Cafe is an eclectic café by day and restaurant by night in Boston’s crunchy Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Chef Jeremy Kean leads an incredibly talented culinary team, and I encourage you to let them guide you by doing the tasting menu, which is also available in pescatarian and vegetarian formats.

Left: North Square Oyster is the North End’s newest seafood hot spot—and for good reason.

Inset: Sunday brunch at Little Big Diner is worth the short trip to Newton Centre.

5 NORTH SQUARE, BOSTON, MA 02113 NORTHSQUAREOYSTER.COM

3710 WASHINGTON STREET, JAMAICA PLAIN, MA 02130 BRASSICAKITCHEN.COM

LITTLE BIG DINER Little Big Diner’s ramen, rice bowls, and draft cocktails make it worth the trek to Newton Centre, a little bit outside of the city. With only twenty seats and no reservations, you’ll see the line on Sunday morning start to build before they open at eleven thirty. Come early to get a seat!

1247 CENTRE STREET, NEWTON CENTRE, MA 02459 LITTLEBIGDINER.COM

Tiffany Lopinsky is a Boston-based food blogger. She started her blog, Boston Foodies, in 2014 while she was a sophomore at Harvard. Tiffany has grown her audience to hundreds of thousands of readers across Instagram (@bostonfoodies) and her site, BostonFoodies.com.

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function &

in the City on a Hill Boston has a reputation as a somewhat—how should we put this?—elitist city.

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by EMILY FANNING photography courtesy of EMILY FANNING

fair claim, as Boston boasts over twenty-five nationally ranked colleges and universities, a handful of the best hospitals in the nation, ten national sports championship titles in fifteen years, and over a hundred Dunkin’ Donuts locations. And we don’t hesitate to remind you of those numbers.

One thing Boston is not on the honor roll for? Fashion.

We get a bad rap here in the Hub. GQ infamously called it “the worst-dressed city in America.” The jeering at Boston’s supposed lack of taste is almost cliché at this point. When you remove the college students in beer-stained North Face jackets and leggings with UGG boots, the skirt sets paired with commuting trainers, and the 20 percent of the city sporting some form of Boston sports apparel on any given day, there’s a neglected layer of the city that does give a second thought to its wardrobe. One that encompasses a sophisticated and practical— with a splash of vintage collegiate—style.

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“

The rest of the year is branded with striped shirts, ballet flats (black, navy, and nude), well-tailored (or purposefully not) denim, neutral cigarette pants, little navy dresses, and a leather bag for every season.

Footwear is where we struggle, admittedly. Its two feet of snow aside, Boston is covered in cobblestones and uneven brownstone-lined streets—charming, but challenging. As long as I live, I will never comprehend how women can come within five hundred feet of Beacon Hill in heels.

It comes down to practicality over polish for many of us. There are more Hunter wellies and L.L.Bean boots per capita than any other state—let alone city—in the country. And yet, thanks to the likes of style bloggers like Sarah Vickers and Carly Heitlinger, these formerly scoffed-at shoe choices are no longer unacceptable.

Function over Fashion In our defense, we are met with certain limitations in the city of champions. Winters offer us an average of 44 inches of snow (110 if it’s a bad year) and an average daily temperature of 29 degrees. Weather on any given day in September—the month style is often judged by—ranges from lows in the 50s to highs in the upper 80s with late-summer thunderstorms that develop quicker than you can say “Hunter boots.”

And we walk everywhere.

Thus we build a wardrobe of classic, versatile, comfortable layers.

Bostonians invest most in what goes on top. A timeless trench coat for fall (field jackets for casual weekends—plaid-lined Barbour or J.Crew, preferably). Parkas and cocoon coats—red for the holidays and camel or black come New Year’s Day. A Canada Goose, if we are so lucky, is for ski weekends in Stowe or Killington. The more adventurous of us will opt for a pastel coat à la Princess Di come spring.

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Cape Cod Classics I speak for many of us when I admit that we place too much of an emphasis—and a large portion of our paychecks—on our summer uniforms, seeing as they serve us for less than three months of the year (two and a half, if we’re realistic). Colorsplashed Lilly Pulitzer shifts. Ralph Lauren blue-striped regatta sundresses.

Handmade Nantucket basket purses. Jack Rogers sandals in every shade of gold.

Blame it on the euphoric wave of bliss and relief that hits us on that first day of spring weather (often arriving mid-June). Akin to what you’d find in any Ivy League parody, these summer essentials adorn and accompany us to clambakes over the bridge and down the Cape, on the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard, and to the country’s largest Fourth of July presentation on the Esplanade.

Rodeo Drive of the East The rest of the year is branded with striped shirts, ballet flats (black, navy, and nude), well-tailored (or purposefully not) denim, neutral cigarette pants, little navy dresses, and a leather bag for every season. Newbury Street is our headquarters, lined with everything from Burberry and Brooks Brothers to Madewell and Zara, with a sprinkling of vintage treasures and independent boutiques in between.

Reserved for the wealthy it is not; its High Street fashions are what draw in so many of the thousands who stroll its eight blocks every day.

Many claim this city plays it too safe, but I beg to differ. We embrace print—just ask the girl in the lobster-print dress. We never turn our backs on classics, yet we play with trends. We flirt with menswear.

And we aren’t afraid to dress for the weather. Only in New England can one pair tweed with plaid, men’s fisherman sweaters with pearls, or duck boots with dresses.

Perhaps that’s the difference. By definition, Boston may not be fashionable—but it has wicked good style.

Emily Fanning took the Amtrak Regional north to Boston ten years ago and never left. A writing and publishing graduate of Emerson College, she is the sole writer and content curator for New England life and style blog shell chic’d. Though she may be Boston’s biggest fan, rare is the weekend day you’ll spy her in the city—not when seaside havens like Nantucket, Scituate, and Marblehead are just a jaunt away.

Follow her on Instagram (@emilyshell) and her site, shellchicd.com.

Q style

Queen FASHION AND FANCY ON THE EMERALD ISLE

One of Ireland’s most well-known fashion designers, Louise Kennedy, has dressed members of royal families from across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East, along with award-winning actresses and, of course, regular women who are looking for a touch of sophisticated elegance in their wardrobes. Her impeccable tailoring has become internationally recognized and she has shown collections in New York City and beyond. VIE caught up with Kennedy to talk about fashion, inspiration, and her favorite spots in Dublin.

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VIE: You say the design industry is in your

DNA. How so?

Louise Kennedy:

My parents were in retail, so I grew up around fashion calendars and the wonderful buzz around the industry. From a very young age I adored color and fabrics, and my mum always teased me about how I would only wear certain hues—very vocal on my likes and dislikes!

As a young designer, I had a certain style I wanted to develop; it’s important to have a defined handwriting.

You develop your taste and each season, and it’s that taste you bring to your clients. So the DNA of my brand is my likes and dislikes.

VIE:

Did you experience any specific challenges related to being a woman when starting in the industry?

LK: I started my business in the mid-1980s,

straight from college. Our premier department store, Brown Thomas, purchased my graduation collection. It was the best platform any emerging designer could wish for, to sit alongside established international labels in such a glamorous store, with access to consumers who trusted brands endorsed by Brown Thomas. I was so passionate about building a brand that I guess I was blinkered, but I genuinely can’t recall any obstacles that were due to my being a woman.

VIE: What is your newest collection inspired

by, and how do you seek inspiration from season to season?

LK: Fabric is always our starting point—sourcing

sumptuous fabrics with innovative weaves is where our newness comes each season. It’s all about finer details, and we invest time working closely with our European fabric mills creating unique colors and textures. We focus on perfecting our fits and developing classics with longevity. It’s about making our clients feel fabulous when wearing our clothes, investing in pure silk linings, invisible luxury.

I am fortunate to travel each week, so I am constantly inspired by the wonderful countries and cities I spend time in. Museums, particularly the Metropolitan in New York, are always a starting point.

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VIE: How would you describe the quintessential Louise Kennedy customer? VIE: How do you feel the fashion industry today responds to women of all shapes, sizes, and LK: Women who are interested in style and considered in their investments ages? If you had a few words of advice for women each season. Clients who are not driven by fashion trends but are genuinely interested in craftsmanship and high-definition classics. She is international and multicultural, and sometimes we dress three generations. We know our client’s lifestyle and her needs, and we try each season to make our collection appeal to our very loyal clients.

VIE: You seem to always be involved in a new creative project or venturing into a different business strategy. What is next for you?

LK: We are very focused on developing our brand in the US. We are thrilled

Previous page: Fashion designer Louise Kennedy and a model show off one of Kennedy’s latest styles in Dublin Photo by Colleen Duffley

with the success of our trunk show model at the Carlyle in New York, which we host quarterly. We invite our US clients who have discovered the brand in Europe through our flagship stores in Dublin and London, and they fly in from many states. My wonderful team and I spend time carefully selecting styles to suit their lifestyle. We will expand to other cities in the US where we have a client base.

Next year, we also plan to develop this model in the Middle East.

in regard to fashion, what would you say?

LK: Our clothes are classic and elegant. They

feel beautiful and are all extremely well crafted. We invest enormous time in fittings. It’s always about picking the styles that suit your frame and flatter you. We know how to complement different body shapes, as we have a bespoke side to our ready-towear collection. Our clients in their thirties have the same requirements as our clients in their fifties—women who want to look chic and elegant and feel fabulous.

To learn more or shop online, visit LouiseKennedy.com.

Louis Louis is the sister restaurant of Picolo's restaurant and the Red Bar in Grayton beach.

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(850) 267-1500 | WWW.LOUISLOUIS.NET | 35 MUSSETT BAYOU RD.

LOUISE KENNEDY’S

TOP 10 DUBLIN DESTINATIONS

1

MERRION SQUARE PARK

On the south side of Dublin’s city center, this park is considered one of the city’s finest surviving squares. It boasts impeccable landscaping, the National Memorial to fallen members of the Defence Forces, and a statue of Oscar Wilde, all surrounded by Georgian redbrick townhomes.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF IRELAND

A mecca of art and culture from all schools, the National Gallery is Dublin’s premier museum destination for works by masters from across Ireland and the rest of Europe. Gallery admission is free, as are many of the museum’s talks, tours, and events.

3

THE MERRION HOTEL

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Afternoon tea is a delight at this hotel just off Merrion Square, while The Cellar Bar, a cozy gastro-pub located in the building’s original eighteenth-century wine vault, offers lunch, Sunday brunch, and evening specials. Visitors can’t go wrong any day of the week.

5

ROBERTA’S RESTAURANT, BAR & TERRACE

Roberta’s might be a bit of a new kid on the block, but the views, delicious food, and signature cocktails make it a contender for one of the best pubs in the city. Dine on wood-fired pizzas and other contemporary cuisine beneath the 1886 building’s gorgeous glass ceiling.

Above: Trinity College Photo by Marc Lechanteur Left: Afternoon tea and sweets at the five-star Merrion Hotel Photo by Colleen Duffley

DUBLIN CITY GALLERY THE TRINITY COLLEGE The college’s beautiful campus is located in the heart of Dublin and makes for a scenic stroll for those who love academia and architecture. A highlight is the Long Room at Trinity College Library, which is one of the most photographed sites in the city—for good reason.

4

HUGH LANE

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From the temporary installations to its permanent collection of contemporary art, the Hugh Lane is a must-visit for any art lover. Highlights include works

by Francis Bacon, Édouard Manet, Elizabeth Magill, Louis le Brocquy, and more.

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JOHN FARRINGTON ANTIQUES

The incredible antique jewels in John Farrington’s gallery no doubt inspire many of Louise Kennedy’s decorated fashions.

From glittering jewels to stunning silver and gold pieces, this shop on Dublin’s Drury Street is a haven for those seeking to make the old new again.

SAINT STEPHEN’S GREEN

Slow down and relax a while with a picnic or a scenic stroll along the lake, bridges, and tree-lined walkways in this Victorian park. Bring a journal or sketchbook to capture some inspiration or recount history from memorials to William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, the Great Famine, and many more.

9

RESIDENCE

8

One of the city’s finest event venues, Residence provides four floors of private spaces and caters beautiful luncheons, weddings and receptions, meetings, and parties. Restaurant FortyOne at Residence offers fine dining from chef Peter Byrne for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday.

ANGELINA’S RESTAURANT & DELI Sink into a stylish leather banquette and prepare for delicious gourmet sandwiches, pizza, salads, brunch, and much more at this stylish eatery. The late-night menu and bar make it a hot spot for craft cocktails and fine wine as well.

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Top left: Ducks enjoying a bright autumn day in Saint Stephen’s Green Park Photo by Nicola Pulham Top right: Eggs Florentine at Angelina’s Angelinas.ie Above: The trendy dining room at Roberta’s Robertas.ie Left: Ornate details on a mirror at John Farrington Antiques Photo by Colleen Duffley

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HOSPITALITY a

r e c i p e

f o r

s u c c e s s

By Janet Thomas Photography courtesy of The Restoration

Ever wonder how some hotels seem to beckon guests back again and again with effortless panache? We all have those favorite properties, the ones that provide stays that dreams are made of and where we long to return repeatedly. What’s their secret?

The Restoration hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, is just that type of place. It is a masterful creation waiting for guests to come and savor it. All the necessary ingredients are present and in the right measurements—one part casual chic, one part classic elegance.

Thanks to the folks behind The Restoration, here’s an insider glimpse at the property, and a sublime taste of the team’s secret recipe for hip hospitality.

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Voyager THE TEAM Although the entire Restoration team is responsible for making it special, from the front desk and the concierge service to maintenance and housekeeping, the initial secret sauce is a family recipe—namely, the Anderson family of Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate.

President and CEO Jeffrey Anderson and his company specialize in the development of fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle centers across the United States.

The clever entrepreneur has a keen business sense and a passion for luxury, expanding The Restoration from a sixteen-room property to an upscale fifty-four-room boutique hotel.

JR Anderson serves as senior vice president of design, development, and construction for Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate, and Anders Anderson is managing director of strategic investments. Together, the three owners of The Restoration bring creativity and savvy to the hospitality table.

Add to the mix creative genius Cory Ingram of Identity Atélier, who has achieved great success in building

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luxury retail and wholesale brands from the ground up. He has worked with the likes of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Wynn Las Vegas, W Hotels, MoMA Design Store, Barneys New York, and Neiman Marcus, to drop a few names. Obviously, his luxury consumer branding is potent and popular.

“WE HAVE A NICE VARIETY OF TRAVELERS, FROM THE CORPORATE TRAVELER TO THE LEISURE TRAVELER TO OUR LONGTERM-STAY TRAVELER.” The Restoration’s general manager, Mike Scavo, also brings a proven track record with years of upscale hospitality experience. He agrees the hotel is a one-ofa-kind gem. “The property is so unique, with four out of five of our buildings being historic,” he says. “We offer more than eleven room types for our guests to choose from. We have a nice variety of travelers, from

the corporate traveler to the leisure traveler to our long-term-stay traveler. The apartment-style suites offer the ability to have an in-room private chef dinner or entertain in the suites while allowing our guests to feel as if they are at their ‘home away from home.’”

Rounding out the seasoned executive team are assistant general manager Emre Scarlata and powerhouse Karen Winn, director of sales. Winn is a Charleston native and hotel sales professional. She is extremely approachable and active in the community and wears many hats with impeccable skill. No wonder the guests and groups she hosts sing her praises. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak, with a team at The Restoration that can boast decades of unparalleled hotel experience.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT “One of the things we like to highlight is how important community is to the brand and the team at The Restoration,” Winn comments. “The hotel was designed with the outlets for both the overnight guests and the local community to enjoy. From our weekly yoga with Lululemon to our community

Above: The guest suites at The Restoration range from studios to three bedrooms and are truly the best way to experience home away from home in Charleston.

Left: Next door, The Port Mercantile shop is the perfect stop to pick up gifts, cookbooks, jewelry and accessories, decor, and more to bring a piece of The Restoration home with you.

Far left: All the finishes and furnishings reinforce The Restoration’s luxurious yet laid-back vibe.

involvement with different local nonprofits, we want to be a good neighbor and a place for our guests to enjoy what Charleston is all about.”

Indeed, one quickly gets a sense of a cool local vibe when visiting The Restoration. Its branded outlets are carefully curated and include The Watch: Rooftop Kitchen & Spirits, The Rise Coffee Bar, The Port Mercantile Retail Store, and The Amethyst Spa & Nail Bar. Partnerships with local businesses round out the offerings, such as Dream Classic Rentals—an especially fun perk allowing clients to rent a classic car for the day—and yoga classes with Lululemon.

These programs are available to the public as well as to hotel guests. Other partners include Butcher & Bee (breakfast pastries), Toby’s Estate (coffee), and Beekman 1802 (lotion and bath products).

Hotel happenings collaborate with the community, as well, like popular rooftop music series showcasing emerging local talent, Wine Wednesdays, burger and beer nights, and rooftop yoga by Lululemon.

“WE WANT TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR AND A PLACE FOR OUR GUESTS TO ENJOY WHAT CHARLESTON IS ALL ABOUT.” The Restoration loves to bring people together, and its private spaces for weddings and corporate gatherings are second to none. Choose from swanky rooftop suites, the King Street Rooftop with a major view, or The Observatory perched atop the hotel’s main building and surrounded by natural light from all sides.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL The devil is in the details, and it truly takes a village to run a cohesively planned and executed luxury hotel like The Restoration. Lucky for them, they were able to start with good, historical bones. The first structure sits on the corner of King and Wentworth Streets and dates back to 1940. The second building lived its first life as a department store with connections to the Dillard family. The Restoration’s retail outlet, The Port Mercantile, was originally a classic Charleston elevated row house built in 1886. The fourth building dates back to 1907 and was a telephone and telegraph building. The newest and largest structure, on Wentworth, features thirty-four of the suites and several of the community outlets. The location couldn’t be better as it is surrounded by dozens of boutiques, artisan businesses, and culinary hot spots.

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Designwise, the team purposely kept much of the original exposed brick walls, imparting instant cultural credibility. Spacious quarters lend themselves to comfortable multiday stays. The apartment-style one-bedroom suite is a sweet 750 square feet, complete with a full-size fridge and kitchenette. Crave even more space? Two- and three-bedroom accommodations are also available. The ambience is pure Americana punctuated with cool original photography by renowned local artist Ben Gately Williams.

The pampering of guests is taken seriously here.

Complimentary breakfast baskets are delivered each morning with goodies like fresh fruit, yogurt, homemade granola, and organic coffee from The Rise Coffee Shop. Dreamy goat-milk soaps and lotions from beauty and bath line Beekman 1802 are provided in each spa-like guest bath and available for purchase at The Port Mercantile. Add to that free fitness passes, complimentary bicycles, and the Indigo rooftop infinity pool, and The Restoration is about as close to heaven as it gets.

author, and domestic diva Suzanne Pollak of the famed Charleston Academy of Domestic Pursuits, offering monthly cooking classes to hotel guests and locals.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so why not replicate success? You heard it here first—The Restoration team is identifying the next market for another Restoration hotel and hopes to announce it in early to mid-2018. We are simmering with anticipation and excitement!

THE NEXT COURSE Never content to rest on their laurels, the Anderson family and team diligently stay on trend and on brand, with a service commitment to inspire, delight, and create lasting memories for all guests and colleagues. They recently added a new event space, The Exchange, which is The Restoration’s largest suite.

And they are partnering with fascinating speaker, 106 | DECEMBER 2017

TheRestorationHotel.com Janet Thomas is a longtime writer and editor and a former editorin-chief of American Airlines’ luxury magazine, Celebrated Living.

She’s now joyfully beach-based along scenic Highway 30-A in South Walton, Florida—when she’s not traveling the world for a good story.

Above: The hotel’s Culture Library is the best place to lounge, mingle during free wine happy hour, find your next vacation read, and peruse the custom photography by Ben Gately Williams.

Top left: The friendly and knowledgeable staff at The Restoration can help with dinner reservations, activities, directions, and anything else you need to make your Charleston trip one to remember.

2017-2018 SEASON Tickets On Sale Now!

Dec. 22 @ 7:30pm Dec. 23 @ 2:30pm Destin United Methodist Church Life Center Lightwire Theater, a former finalist on America’s Got Talent, will thrill audiences of all ages with this magical and captivating tale of family, friendship and hope set to timeless holiday hits.

March 3 @ 7:30pm March 4 @ 2:30pm Mattie Kelly Arts Center Let your imagination take flight on this spectacular journey to Neverland with world premiere choreography by Katia Garza and live music by the NFB Symphony Orchestra, led by David Ott.

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A PEEK INSIDE

The Villages of London

BY CAROLYN O’NEIL ILLUSTRATIONS BY LUCY YOUNG

London is a thriving hive for global business, government, education, entertainment, and tourism. But wander away from the urban throngs and major attractions—perhaps down a little lane on the other side of a tiny park—and you’ll find the quiet side of London’s quaint in-town neighborhoods.

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hether you’re a seasoned traveler or a first-time visitor to the British capital, choose to discover the lovely and lively villages of London. With their charming shops, gourmet markets, historic pubs, and exquisite gardens, these are the enviable areas Londoners call home.

Previous page: The Doyle Collection’s Kensington hotel at Queen’s Gate offers a luxurious retreat in one of London’s most exclusive neighborhoods.

Above: The Kensington’s Town House is ideal for events, with three interconnected drawing rooms perfect for holding meetings, luncheons, dinner parties, wedding receptions, and more.

Photos courtesy of Doyle Collection Right: A short walk from the hotel, Kensington Palace offers tours and the Diana: Her Fashion Story exhibition, which will be on display through 2018.

Photo courtesy of Historic Royal Palaces

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From the double-decker buses scooting along Knightsbridge’s busy shopping streets to the glittering crown jewels in the Tower of London and the Changing of the Guard parade at Buckingham Palace, the iconic sights of London attract millions of visitors.

History buffs, theater fans, food lovers, fashion followers, antique collectors, art admirers, and royal watchers are all drawn to London for a jolly good time.

However, one of the strongest trends in travel skips the usual stops on the tourist map and seeks local character. Escaping the hubbub of central city hotels, many travelers prefer more intimate lodging near the everyday charm of corner pubs, quaint cafés, and locally owned shops.

London is happily ready to roll out the welcome mats in the character-filled neighborhoods that make up its exciting tapestry. Whether you choose your base of operations near a park to fit in a morning run or a few steps from a favorite museum, the friendly folks at small luxury hotels are poised to hand you an umbrella if it looks like rain, pour you a cup of tea, or stir up a handcrafted cocktail.

Here’s a trip through a trio of very different villages of London, featuring the unique hotels of the Doyle Collection.

Kensington: Roses and Royals Designated the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, this is the home of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, who live with their little royals in Kensington Palace on the edge of Kensington Gardens. The palace is open for public tours of its regal rooms, lovely sunken gardens, and a memorial playground built to honor Diana, the late Princess of Wales. Keep walking as you smell the roses and you’ll enter Hyde Park with its horseback riding trails and boat rentals on the Serpentine, a forty-acre lake.

South Kensington is known for stately rows of white townhouses on the main thoroughfares and its hidden lanes that lead to wine bars, cute boutiques, and rose-scented gardens. The Doyle Collection’s chic Kensington Hotel on Queen’s

Gate fits right in with the elegance of the area. The lobby drawing room, where you can settle into comfortable couches with a morning paper or afternoon tea, makes you feel as if you’re living in an ultraluxurious private home. The contemporary yet cozy Town House restaurant is the heart of the hotel, serving from full English breakfasts to à la carte dinners featuring a delicious range of seasonal choices, including a superfoods salad with grilled organic salmon and a dry-aged beef fillet with peppercorn sauce. Need a pick-me-up? Don’t miss the special menu of fresh smoothies and juices. Or maybe you’d rather just look for the “hidden” whiskey bar.

THE PALACE IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC TOURS OF ITS REGAL ROOMS, LOVELY SUNKEN GARDENS, AND A MEMORIAL PLAYGROUND BUILT TO HONOR DIANA, THE LATE PRINCESS OF WALES. The spacious guest rooms at the Kensington are sunlit through tall Victorian-style windows by day and glistening crystal chandeliers by night. Footed tubs invite a relaxing soak after a busy day of museum hopping or serious shopping. On the edge of Kensington, the legendary London department stores, Harrods and Harvey Nichols, are in walking distance.

Other Kensington Must-Sees The Victoria and Albert Museum is world-renowned for its inspiring collections focusing on art and design.

Free admission. Don’t miss the sparkling exhibit of jewelry through the ages.

VAM.ac.uk

The Natural History Museum is full of everything from butterflies to dinosaur bones. Free admission. You’ll find mineralogy, entomology, and every “-ology” on display—but avoid the long lines on Sundays.

NHM.ac.uk

The Royal Albert Hall glistens with a gold leaf interior and is considered one of the greatest concert venues in the world. Make sure to check the performance schedule and book ahead.

RoyalAlbertHall.com

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The Dalloway Terrace at the Bloomsbury hotel is an elegant English garden named for Virginia Woolf’s character Mrs. Dalloway and fittingly set in London’s literary capital.

Photo courtesy of Doyle Collection

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Bloomsbury: Dickens and Dynasties Just north of the neon marquees of the noisy West End theatre district, the area called Bloomsbury quietly holds the title of London’s literary village. Great writers who called Bloomsbury home include Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie, poet William Butler Yeats, novelist Charles Dickens, and writer Virginia Woolf, a member of the free-thinking Bloomsbury Set. Dickens fans can take a deeper dive by visiting the Charles Dickens Museum, the house where the prolific novelist penned Oliver Twist. All over London, circular blue plaques on the exteriors of buildings indicate where and when famous scientists, writers, politicians, and other notables once lived.

TODAY, GUEST ROOMS ARE NEWLY APPOINTED WITH 1930S-ERA GLAMOUR, AND A PLUSH LOBBY BAR WELCOMES GUESTS WITH CRAFT COCKTAILS AND, OF COURSE, AFTERNOON TEA. Bloomsbury is also home to the mind-blowingly expansive British Museum, established in 1753 as the world’s first national public museum. It’s filled with Egyptian mummies, Grecian marbles, and other priceless antiquities collected from across the globe, and visitors can choose tours that range from one to three hours and are designed to hit the highlights of human history.

Hotels can preserve history, too. The Doyle Collection’s Bloomsbury Hotel on Great Russell Street blooms brightly after a wonderful renovation to its neo-Georgian building, originally constructed to house the Young Women’s Christian Association.

Queen Mary dedicated the cornerstone of the foundation in 1929. Today, guest rooms are newly appointed with 1930s-era glamour, and a plush lobby bar welcomes guests with craft cocktails and, of course, afternoon tea. Pre- or post-theater meals are terrific here, just steps away from smash hit stage performances at the Dominion Theatre.

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MARYLEBONE DATES BACK TO THE DAYS OF DUELING, BUT TODAY IT’S MORE ABOUT DINING AT CELEBRITY-FILLED HOT SPOTS SUCH AS THE CHILTERN FIREHOUSE WHERE THERE’S HEATED COMPETITION TO GET A RESERVATION. There are two historic must-sees in Marylebone. The Wallace Collection in Hertford House has a dizzying array of privately collected paintings and porcelains and a goosebump-inducing walk through rooms of medieval arms and armor. Sherlock Holmes fans should march straight to 221-B Baker Street where the museum re-creates the fictional living quarters of Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Marylebone: Buttons, Bows, and Baker Street London’s fashionable village of Marylebone is fun and friendly. Small specialty shops thrive here, including such go-to boutiques for buttons and bows as The Button Queen and VV Rouleaux. Fine leather goods from passport holders to billfolds are monogrammed to order at Aspinal of London.

with hand-crafted, couture jewelry

by Renee Launiere, Owner and Designer!

Located at City Market Bayside on Highway 98 4495 Furling Lane, Suite 170 • Destin, FL 32541 850.830.5465 • BijouxDeMer.com

Marylebone dates back to the days of dueling, but today it’s more about dining at celebrity-filled hot spots such as the Chiltern Firehouse where there’s heated competition to get a reservation. Are you ready for this? The menu’s top sellers include Southern fried chicken and bacon cornbread.

Right: A stylish breakfast or afternoon tea at 108 Pantry inside the Marylebone hotel is a must-do when staying in the charming Marylebone neighborhood.

Next page: The Marylebone Suite at the hotel might be worth the splurge for its incredible rooftop terrace and sweeping city view.

Photos courtesy of Doyle Collection

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Voyager IF YOU WANT TO TAKE YOUR TRIP OVER THE TOP, BOOK A ROOFTOP SUITE, WHICH COMES WITH A SPACIOUS DECK—COMPLETE WITH OUTDOOR FIREPLACE—OVERLOOKING THE ROOFTOPS OF LONDON. Other culinary meccas in the area include Paul Rothe & Son for café lunches and gourmet foods, as well as La Fromagerie. Located within walking distance to just about everything is the Doyle Collection’s Marylebone Hotel, with sleek modern rooms and the chic 108 Bar and popular 108 Brasserie. If you want to take your trip over the top, book a rooftop suite, which comes with a spacious deck—complete with outdoor fireplace—overlooking the rooftops of London. Call down to the bar to order a fine bottle of bubbly such as Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs, grown and bottled in Sussex, England. Toast to the Queen. She drinks it, too.

Visit DoyleCollection.com to see these and other magnificent hotels, and book your trip to explore London’s villages.

Carolyn O’Neil is an Atlanta-based food and travel writer and a graduate of Florida State University. A special note for FSU supporters visiting London: the Florida State University London Study Centre is located on Great Russell Street in Bloomsbury and is a haven for future literary greats.

PADDY COYNES PUB TULLYCROSS, RENVYLE, CONNEMARA, CO. GALWAY

Paddy Coynes Pub is located in the beautiful village of Tullycross, the heart of Connemara and the Wild Atlantic Way. Dating back to 1811, the pub is a hive of local history and artefacts, a treasure trove of discovery. We are in the perfect location on Renvyle Peninsula for you to enjoy many of the beaches, walks, and attractions of the Wild Atlantic Way. Stay with one of the

many local accommodation suppliers and enjoy a relaxing home cooked meal with us. We pride ourselves on our food, using local produce and the freshest of seafood. We are the home of the Connemara Mussel Festival, which takes place in the village each May Bank Holiday. Call in for a pint of the black stuff, relax by the fire, and stay for the craic!

Winner of Galway Pub of the Year at the Connaught Regional Irish Restaurant Awards 2017

095.43499 | WWW.PADDYCOYNESPUB.COM

La maison

La maison WHERE THE HEART IS

Step into a medieval fantasy at Kilkea Castle in County Kildare, Ireland.

Dating back to 1180, the estate boasts a rich history and 180 acres of incredible gardens, forest, river lands, and world-class golf. Owners Jay and Christy Cashman of Boston recently completed an extensive five-year renovation of the fortress. Guests can enjoy exquisite accommodations, a variety of activities such as horseback riding and skeet shooting, gourmet cuisine from chef Ronnie Wolf, tailored spa treatments, a private eighteen-hole golf course, and more.

Explore or book now at KilkeaCastle.ie.

Photo by Bruno Sternberger

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A swing bed, made from hand-selected two-hundred-year-old wood beams, adds to the serenity just off the master bedroom.

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ALL YOU NEED IS YOUR HOME IS YOUR SANCTUARY

BY LISA M. BURWELL // PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROMONA ROBBINS

hat brought Kimberly Moskowitz and Tarek Nahabet together exactly four years ago was a fairy tale set in motion by Divine Providence. Real life, like all fairy tales, has twists and turns that reveal themselves along the way. Unfortunately, Kimberly recently endured a life-threatening setback on her enchanted journey through life. But, with the help of her loving and supportive family—and with the simple blessings of joy, hope, gratitude, and peace of mind—she has sailed through it gracefully and miraculously. She is very much a faith-filled and soulful person who loves to help others find beauty both on the inside and the outside of themselves. And she has graciously invited VIE into her home to share her private sanctuary and her soul.

There are certain people in life that appear to have it all figured out—who seem to live lives that few could hope to attain. Enter Dr. Kimberly Moskowitz. She lives a life of balance as if it were ripped from the pages of a best-selling self-help book.

I met Kimberly nearly a decade ago on a sunny Saturday afternoon for an alfresco lunch at Wild Olives Market and Café in Rosemary Beach, Florida. Aside from being a beautiful, petite brunette (with not a hair out of place), Kimberly is a self-assured, well-spoken powerhouse. She is a physician, lecturer, and author. She is also the mother of two children, Emma and Luke, and the guardian of a third, Darius, so it is hard not to be impressed.

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elocating to Panama City Beach, Florida, in 2004, she established a thriving practice, the Cosmetic Vein and Laser Center, which offers dermatologic procedures, treatments for vein disorders, internal medicine, and antiaging skin-care medicine. Kimberly holds a master’s degree in physiology with a medical degree from Georgetown University. She performed her internship at the prestigious Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., focusing on cosmetic and clinical dermatology. And Kimberly is an expert in phlebology (vein disorders). Her impressive pedigree also includes being a member of the American College of Phlebology and the American Medical Association. Kimberly received additional training in endovenous laser closure techniques at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and was selected to be the lead physician in the prestigious American Vein and Vascular Institute in the Washington, D.C., area. She was also the first to perform nonsurgical closure of varicose veins using endovenous laser treatment (ELT or EVLT) combined with sclerotherapy.

In preparation for this editorial, I drove to Panama City Beach to meet with Kimberly several times this summer to scout and plan the photography shoot, and we had the chance to get better acquainted. She is magnanimous and has a hearty laugh, and she smiles a lot. It is obvious that she loves her life and the home she has made for her family—her fiancé, Tarek, and the kids. It is literally one big happy family set in a beautiful estate overlooking Lower Grand Lagoon, which

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Opposite: The kitchen walls and cabinets were created with layers of Venetian plaster by Michael Capek, a.k.a. “Michelangelo.” The chandeliers and cutting boards were found in Paris and Provence.

Left: Peacock Pavers surround the pool and Jacuzzi as well as the inside “poolroom.”

Concrete fire tables with azure cut glass, woven Provencial chairs and chaises, Aspen wood chairs, and Italian vases from Restoration Hardware provide a relaxing retreat.

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La maison WITH A SECOND HOME IN COSTA RICA, A PASSION AND LOVE FOR SCUBA DIVING, AND TRAVELS TO FARAWAY PLACES LIKE LONDON, PARIS, AND BORDEAUX, IT WOULD BE HARD TO KEEP UP WITH THIS FAMILY.

Kimberly has painstakingly designed and restored these past several years. Her love of things that have character and real personality is evident everywhere you look. The estate grounds include the main residence—a gorgeous yet unpretentious Dutch Caribbean–inspired home with a large pool terrace on the water—a separate well-equipped gym, and a charming old-fashioned red board-and-batten chicken coop, which houses a brood of beautiful Easter Egger chickens.

Kimberly and Tarek recently became engaged and are planning a fall 2018 wedding. They practice Transcendental Meditation, and their morning mantra includes envisioning gratitude for the children, family, staff, and patients, and that they are happy and well with the common goal of making the world a better place. Coincidentally, it was a mutual friend and fellow transcendentalist, who had recently trained under TM guru Prudence Farrow Bruns, that suggested Kimberly and Tarek meet one another. Prudence is sister to Hollywood actress Mia Farrow, and she is the namesake of the famous Beatles song “Dear Prudence,” penned by John Lennon. The song is based on the Beatles’ trip to India in the sixties where they were studying, along with Prudence and Mia, under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. As Tarek reconnected the story, he smiled and said, “I knew I loved Kimberly on our first date at Firefly restaurant. I proposed to her one year later.”

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arek was very helpful before and during the photo shoot—fixing whatever needed to be tended to, coming and going with ease. Yet it was evident that he had a lot on his mind and was very busy with other things. Tarek is an interesting man and madly in love with his bride-to-be. He believes it was Divine Providence that he relocated in 2012 from Arlington, Virginia, to Panama City Beach, where he’d meet Kimberly shortly thereafter. It is fitting that he is well traveled and educated, as it would be hard to match Kimberly’s sophistication if he weren’t. A graduate of Boston College, Tarek studied abroad in Strasbourg, France, and is fluent in three languages, including French and Arabic. He also holds a master’s degree in international conflict resolution from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. His family hails from the Middle East, where his grandfather was Egypt’s deputy prime minister under President Anwar Sadat. Tarek works for the founder and CEO of a company based in Arlington, Virginia, which provides professional services to the U.S. Government in the area of health IT, strategic communications, and media production, focusing on counterterrorism. When asked to describe himself, Tarek said, “I am a servant of God, someone who, very simply, is put here on this earth to make a difference for people.”

Far opposite: A settee, two chairs, and a chandelier from regions of France, a sage-green eighteenth-century bureau from Tuscany, and two-hundred-yearold wood beams from New Orleans are just some of Kimberley’s incredible finds.

Opposite: The family: Emma, Tarek, Kimberly, Luke, and Darius Left: Kimberly Moskowitz, MD Photo courtesy of Kimberly Moskowitz

OVERLOOKING THE POOL AND THE LAGOON, HER BEDROOM IS FIT FOR A QUEEN; THERE IS AN EXPANSIVE BATHROOM AND CLOSET WITH A CLOTHING AND SHOE SELECTION THAT COULD RIVAL CARRIE BRADSHAW’S WARDROBE.

Above: Emma and Kimberly relax on the patio Right: “Dutchess” and thirteen other Ameraucanas lay blue and green eggs to share with Kimberly’s loved ones, including family, friends, and special patients.

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It’s a unique and magical encounter when someone opens their home and reveals a glimpse into their life—especially when it’s for the pages of a magazine. While VIE’s creative crew storyboarded shots and set up lights, Kimberly’s perfectly appointed bedroom was transformed into a production studio complete with hair and makeup stations, lighting umbrellas, cameras, a garment steamer, and a clothes rack. Overlooking the pool and the lagoon, her bedroom is fit for a queen; there is an expansive bathroom and closet with a clothing and shoe selection that could rival Carrie Bradshaw’s wardrobe. Kimberly was perfectly calm throughout the hair and makeup process and multiple wardrobe changes; it was as if she’d done this a thousand times before. Her beautiful daughter, Emma, was next up. She took a semester off from the University of Florida to be home with her mother, who was recovering from an operation to repair a life-threatening brain aneurysm. So, while Kimberly was a delightful hostess and completely unaffected by the fact that her home was being overrun with people rearranging her furniture and pulling clothes from her closet, she was still recovering from major surgery that had

taken place just six weeks earlier. As Kimberly parted the locks of her gorgeous hair, we bore witness to the deep scar on her head. She thanks God that the aneurysm was found in time and that she is going to be all right.

With a second home in Costa Rica, a passion and love for scuba diving, and travels to faraway places like London, Paris, and Bordeaux, it would be hard to keep up with this family. But this family—people that can light up a room—sticks together, and it’s an uplifting thing to witness. They are a testament both to their faith and to the saying that all you really need is love.

SKINANDVEINS.COM

La maison

PRIS MAT IC

PORTALS

P H O T O G R A P H Y BY R AQ U E L P U I G

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Barcelona native Raquel Puig has an eye for colorful and eye-catching doorways.

She’s seen her fair share of them after living in several countries throughout her life and traveling for her day job as a health marketing expert. When Puig moved to Paris’s fourteenth arrondissement, she began capturing photos of the city’s most enchanting entryways and posting them to her Instagram account, @doorwaysofparis. Its rapidly growing viewership led the photographer to publish a new book, Doorways of Paris, a collaboration with Prospect Park Books and publisher Colleen Dunn Bates that was released on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers in September of this year.

The book contains over three hundred of Puig’s photos, along with historic facts and anecdotes about many of them. Get your copy and start planning a trip to visit Paris’s most glorious gateways.

P R OSP ECTPAR K B O O KS.CO M

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ROSLEAGUE MANOR

Resting on the quiet shores of Ballinakill Bay, and beautifully secluded within 30 acres of its own private woodland, Rosleague Manor in Connemara is one of Ireland’s finest regency hotels.

Member of Ireland’s Blue Book Awarded No.9 in Top 25 Small Hotels in Ireland on TripAdvisor CALL OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO BOOK AND EXPERIENCE IRELAND TODAY. info@rosleague.com • (+353) 095-41101 • Rosleague.com • Connemara, Co. Galway, Ireland

CHEF TIM O’SULLIVAN at

RENVYLE HOUSE GOLFING on the

EMERALD ISLE

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

TYING the KNOT IN CONNEMARA

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A B E AU T I F U L 1,000 - AC R E ES TAT E

6-Acre Victorian Walled Garden Restored Rooms in the Abbey Gothic Church History Talks and Guided Tours * Woodland and Lakeshore Walks Award-Winning CafĂŠ and Garden Tea House Craft and Design Shop

*Daily

history talks are available year-round; garden tours are available during the summer months.

+353 95 52001 bookings@kylemoreabbey.com www.kylemoreabbey.com

CONTENTS

154

TRAVELLING THE WEST 137 Galway 2020: Bringing Connemara’s Culture to the World 160 The Landscapes of Connemara: Ireland’s Savage Beauty

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES 154 Bliss, Euphoria, Unbridled Joy! Golfing on the Edge of the World

137

172

THE CRAFT OF TRADITION 142 The Best of Both Worlds: Économusée Artisan Products 172 Colour Is the New Black: Wrapping Up with Ciara Silke Designs

HISTORY AND EDUCATION 150 Roundstone: The Quintessential Connemara Retreat 176 Therapeutic Riding: The Legendary Connemara Pony Leads International Mission

A TASTE OF THE EMERALD ISLE

160

168 Tim O’Sullivan and the Renvyle House Dining Experience

TYING THE KNOT 146 Monika Malinowska and Peter Buffam: A Ballynahinch Wedding

ON THE COVER This shot was taken on the tidal island of Omey during the month of May, while the sea thrift was in full bloom.

This annual spectacle covers the island with a carpet of pink. What made this shot particularly memorable was while I was fumbling around on all fours to get the right composition, there was a fox about ten metres to the right of me. He sat and watched me for a couple of minutes before skulking off. photo by Mark

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Ballynahinch Castle Hotel & Estate is set on 450 acres in the heart ofConnemara with 48 bedrooms and suites. Enjoy dinner in the elegant Owenmore Restaurant serving the best of local produce prepared by Pete Durkan and his team.

On-site activities includewalking trails, cycling, fly-fishing, hiking, and locally a boat tripfrom Roundstone to Inishlacken, a deserted island in Roundstone Bay. Voted one of the top ten hotels in the UK and Ireland in the CondÊ NastReader’s Choice Awards 2016.

Tel: + 353 95 31006

Email: info@ballynahinch-castle.com

WWW.BALLYN AHIN CHCASTLE.CO M

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

A SWEETER

TASTE OF LIFE Dear Readers, I am proud to take you on a journey through our third edition of Connemara Life. Connemara Life is a luxury travel magazine that showcases the beauty and mystery of Ireland’s adventurous west coast.

Oscar Wilde described Connemara as ‘a savage beauty’ and its brooding lakes, hearty mountains, and windswept bogs certainly give a sense of magnificent isolation.

But Connemara is also home to some of Ireland’s most picturesque fishing villages and second-to-none beaches—with generous stretches of sandy shores surrounded by deep blue seas, as showcased throughout the features in the magazine. You will find that food tastes sweeter along our portion of the west coast, and you may notice a sounder sleep. It must be the fresh sea air!

Connemara is simply the best place in the world to live, work, rest, and play. I do hope you will fall in love with our piece of paradise—the place we call home.

Immerse yourself in this unique place by taking some time to enjoy the Connemara air, which is sweet, salty, and invigorating, for this may well be a trip you will never forget. Memories and encounters are what make a journey unique, and I do hope you will have life-changing encounters and lasting memories of your Connemara experience—be it for the first time or as a return visitor.

R–L: Sharon Duane attends Couture at Bellissimo with sister Dympna Coyne.

Photo by Bellissimo Galway

Ireland—It’s the one place on earth that heaven has kissed with melody, mirth, and meadow and mist.

—Irish blessing All in all, to me, Connemara is simply the best place in the world to live, work, rest, and play. I do hope you will fall in love with our piece of paradise—the place we call home.

Enjoy the moments and the adventure!

— Sharon

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2020 Above: A heron comes to rest for the evening along the banks of Galway Bay with the Burren in the distance.

I

BRINGING C ONNEMARA’S C ULTURE TO THE WORLD S t o r y a n d p h o t o g r a p h y b y N I C H O L A S G R U N DY

n the second half of 2016, Galway City and County were named as Ireland’s Capital of Culture for the year 2020. To those unfamiliar with the term, each year a few cities around the European Union are designated European Capitals of Culture for a twelve-month period. Just like the Olympics, this tradition also started in Athens, with the Greek capital holding the first title in 1985. In 2020, it is Galway’s turn to receive additional State and EU funding to put on several cultural events with a local, regional, and European focus. As part of County Galway, Connemara is also

set to benefit culturally, socially, and economically. The year-long series of events will no doubt further bolster both Connemara and the Galway region as Ireland’s number one travel destination.

Galway wasn’t the only region in Ireland vying for the cultural title either. To come out victorious, a dedicated team put forward exactly why Galway deserved it more than other parts of the country. To anyone who has visited the area, however, it should be obvious. Both city and county are home to a multitude of young, up-and-coming artists and creatives. As a college town, the city is full of fresh, new ideas. This emanates outwards across the county and throughout Connemara, where tried and true practices merge with modern innovations, whether it be painting or even mussel farming.

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P

erhaps most importantly, the wilderness of Connemara provides Galwegians with the perfect environment for creative contemplation. It’s no wonder artists from far and wide visit or settle down here amidst its majestic mountains and undulating fields. Rivers meander beneath lazy clouds, a world away from the hustle and bustle of Ireland’s urbanized east coast. Along the jagged shoreline, the ocean offers a pristine expanse of solitude, with small islands harboring a haven to which creatives can escape.

Meanwhile back in Galway City, abstract painters, musicians, and sculptors are free to experiment with their own flair in a carefree town. Artistic visionaries can be seen chatting by the rushing canals while fine art photographers tour the laneways imparting their knowledge to keen students.

Right: Street artist Joe Caslin’s massive portrait on the Galway Museum at the Spanish Arch is from his project Our Nation’s Sons, which encourages young Irish men to speak up about men’s mental health.

Opposite top: An artist at Roundstone painting the harbor with the Twelve Bens mountain range in the distance.

Opposite below: Sculptor Eugene Finnegan helped promote the 2020 bid with his massive sculpture made from found and reclaimed items.

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ONE OF THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE GALWAY 2020 EVENTS IS TO BRING ATTENTION TO CONNEMARA’S INFLUENCE NOT JUST ON IRELAND AND EUROPE, BUT ON THE REST OF THE WORLD. Having settled here from overseas myself, what I’ve always found most surprising is how Galway and Connemara pack such a powerful cultural punch despite the relatively small population. The region won the 2020 Capital of Culture title as it could easily demonstrate its dedication towards the arts, as well as the impressive future works it will create with the additional funding. Among the area’s existing creative scene, we see talented street artists such as Finbar 247 and Shane O’Malley and ingenious wood and metal craftsmen Dan Gardner and Eugene Finnegan, as well as countless others. Out west from the city one finds self-styled “Connemartist” Gridge as well, whose rural works have started popping up along country lanes. City and county also see an array of annual events showcasing their creativity. The Clifden Arts Festival and Spiddal Craft Village bring a vibrant atmosphere to Connemara. Each summer the Galway International Arts

Festival draws crowds from across Europe. Probably its most impressive spectacle is the Macnas performance troupe, who carry out an invigorating street parade complete with moving floats and costumed stilt-walkers. Their Halloween parade through the streets of Galway is certainly a sight to behold. It comes complete with a fire-breathing dragon float and street performers casting crimson light down alleyways. In fact, most Americans are unaware that Halloween originated in this very part of Ireland!

While many of the happenings of Galway 2020 will take place in the city, a series of key works and events are slated for Connemara. Three of these aim to bring increased awareness to the region and have as their goal the inclusion of spectators. Middle Island is a performance piece set to commence in the harbor town of Rossaveal. From here, both audience member and actor alike shall set sail for Inis Meáin, the ‘middle’ island of the three Aran Islands. Once arriving at their destination, the line between performer and onlooker will blur, as the crowd will be invited to help tell the story. The tale imparted will be based on the New Testament, chronicling the life of Mary after the passing of her son, Jesus. At its core, the Capital of Culture program intends to solidify the bond between Europe’s diverse lands and their peoples. As such, the performance of Middle Island will also be held on the French island of Corsica, highlighting their shared history. Although more than a thousand miles apart, both islands historically spoke languages from the Celtic family, with Aran Islanders still speaking Gaelic to this day.

Irish artist John Gerrard’s mirrored pavilions are conundrums. The rectangular structures, as long as football fields, are covered in reflective panels to help them camouflage into their surrounding environments. At the same time, the beautiful reflections of Connemara’s marbled clouds floating past will cause the pavilions to stand out boldly from their surrounds.

As the work jumps out of the landscape, it is simultaneously shrouded in a cloak of invisibility. This juxtaposition offers the viewer time for introspection as they wander inside to view the remainder of the exhibition. Gerrard’s Connemara pavilion is entitled Pelt Work and will be found in the western wilds at a yet-undisclosed location. His pavilions will also feature in displays in Santander, in northern Spain,

with plans to exhibit in New York and Texas as well—quite a global reach for something starting off in Connemara!

HIS PAVILIONS WILL ALSO FEATURE IN DISPLAYS IN SANTANDER, IN NORTHERN SPAIN, WITH PLANS TO EXHIBIT IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS AS WELL—QUITE A GLOBAL REACH FOR SOMETHING STARTING OFF IN CONNEMARA!

will bring together a multitude of runners and cyclists along the former tracks. These local and international participants will don high-tech, remote-controlled LED suits and set off from Galway to Clifden after the sun has set. At specific points along the journey, their glowing garments will help tell various stories about the ghost train of times past as they etch a band of light across the countryside. The night skies will be

The most ambitious project tying all of Connemara together during Galway 2020 is the Galway Ghost Train community project. Long since decommissioned, the picturesque Galway to Clifden railway line now lies dormant. However, this fifty-mile tract of land is scheduled to become a smoothly paved cycling ‘greenway’ before 2020. This will offer bike riders and long-distance walkers alike the chance to reconnect with villages throughout the region. To highlight the significance of this historic route through Ireland’s west, Galway Ghost Train will entail a series of performance projects along the way. Two of the shows will occur at the line’s start and finish points—Clifden and Galway. To properly bring awareness to the importance of Connemara within Ireland, Europe, and the world, the main act

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Hikers on the Aran Islands admire the view toward the Connemara coastline.

Projects such as Middle Island and Galway Ghost Train aim to involve members of local communities as well as Aran Islanders.

illuminated, much as they already have by local artist Gridge’s light-based works. This nocturnal adventure will be captured to create a film piece for the rest of the world to enjoy.

One of the main objectives of the Galway 2020 events is to bring attention to Connemara’s influence not just on Ireland and Europe, but on the rest of the world. Connemara natives have had an impact across the globe, migrating far and wide after the mass exodus resulting from the two potato famines as well as in recent decades. Many actors, musicians, and artists can trace their heritage back to Ireland’s west coast.

It is only fitting that the region’s reputation as a cultural hotspot is further cemented and highlighted on the world stage.

For more information, please visit www.Galway2020.ie

Magnolia House

Nancy Veldman curates a wonderful selection of luxury items and gifts that are sure to please

Located on Hwy 98 at Sandestin’s Grand Boulevard Town Center in Miramar Beach, Florida

LIFES T YLE S TORE

850.460.2005 nancy@magnoliahouse.com magnoliahouse.com

RENVYLE HOUSE HOTEL & RESORT

R

envyle House is a family owned, historic country hotel set on a 150 acre estate on the shores of the Wild Atlantic Way first opened in 1883.

Renvyle is an award winning hotel for its dining, service and Irish hospitality. Comfortable lounges with fireside seats and cosy turf fires. Caring members of staff who are delighted to share their knowledge of the area. Our Executive Chef, a Commissioner of Eurotoques, sources local ingredients both from the mountains, farms and the Atlantic at our doorstep. Connemara Hill Lamb, Irish Beef and the freshest Seafood grace our menus daily.

The hotel grounds have many complimentary amenities for guests including a Par 3 Golf Course, a beach, a private freshwater lake for boating, fly-fishing and canoeing. There are two all weather tennis courts, a children’s playground, an outdoor heated swimming pool in the summer months, croquet lawn, woodland walks, kitchen gardens and sites of archaeological interest.

Magic for Vacations ~ Memorable for Weddings ~ Here, the only stress is on relaxation.

Renvyle, Connemara, Co. Galway, H91 X8Y8, Ireland.

T: +353 (0)95 46100 | E: info@renvyle.com | W: www.renvyle.com

Connemara Life

THE

EST of OTH

WORLDS or consumers, there is something comforting about global brands that guarantee us standardised products, wherever they are purchased around the world. However, we also increasingly wish to buy ‘authentic’ products, which are associated with particular locations. We want to know the story behind where our food and other products come from, who the people are who grow or make it, and whether it is produced ethically and sustainably. Also, as tourists, more of us are ‘culturally curious’ and want to have the opportunity to experience local heritage in the places to which we travel.

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BY KEVIN HEANUE

Bringing these two ideas together, wouldn’t it be great if, as a tourist, you could visit authentic artisan producers, learn about the product, meet the artisan, and at the same time, get a genuine insight into local heritage? That is exactly what is happening in Ireland as a result of a multinational project called Craft Reach, led by the Irish semi-state organisation Teagasc (Agriculture and Food Development Authority) and funded by a European Union programme called the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme.

The project, which includes partners in eight countries, is based on a successful model developed in Quebec, Canada, over twenty-five years ago where artisan businesses, called Économusées, are supported in developing a cultural tourism dimension to their operations. The closest English translation of this French term is ‘living’ or ‘working’ museum. The term Économusée is copyright protected, and it is a recognised badge of quality which carries the tagline ‘Artisans at Work’.

An Économusée is an artisan business that opens its doors to the public to provide a learning and interpretive experience for visitors (see www.economusee.eu).

As of May 2017, a network of eighty Économusées exists internationally, with forty-five based in Canada and thirty-five in seven European countries including Ireland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. There are ten of these innovative businesses on the island of Ireland.

Four of them are in the Republic of Ireland: Celtic Roots Studio in Ballinahown, County Westmeath; Connemara Smokehouse in Ballyconneely, County Galway; St Tola Irish Goat Cheese in Ennistymon, County Clare; and Breeogue Pottery in Knocknahur, County Sligo. By mid-2018, there will be two more Économusées in the West of Ireland: a distillery and a craft butcher. There are also six Économusées in Northern Ireland, including a jeweller, a hurley maker, a rapeseed oil producer, a baker, a brewery,

and a goat meat farm. Therefore, the Irish network ranges from the Midlands at the heart of the country across to the west, continuing north along the Atlantic coastline and on into Northern Ireland, winding its way through many internationally recognised areas of culture and beauty along the Wild Atlantic Way, a 2,500-kilometre driving route along the west coast of Ireland.

Celtic Roots Studio Économusée specialises in designing and making unique bog wood sculpture and gifts, the Meso range of jewellery, and one-off commissions where the customer is completely involved in the design process with the designer. The craftsmanship is a celebration of a rich Irish heritage and inspired by the preserved natural beauty found in the surrounding landscape of the Irish midlands. Helen Conneely, the owner, is rightly very proud of the new tradition that is being created with this ancient bogwood. Irish heritage and culture are a significant influence in the design and crafting of the finished pieces, and Helen has won many awards for both sculpture and jewellery. Her bog wood creations are frequently presented as awards and gifts, nationally and internationally.

Above: Freshly smoked salmon straight from the kiln.

Top: Économuseé bogwood class— making a mini sculpture.

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onnemara Smokehouse Économusée is perched on the water’s edge of the rugged, mystic Connemara with stunning views of the Twelve Bens and the wild Atlantic coast. Family owned and run since 1979, Connemara Smokehouse is one of the oldest in western Ireland, as well as being one of the few remaining smokehouses still specialising in smoking wild Atlantic salmon. The Roberts family personally manage every aspect of the business, from selecting and obtaining the best quality Irish salmon and seafood, to preparing, smoking, packaging, and delivery. Graham Roberts hand-fillets the fish and has become a fervent and passionate crusader of just how delicious smoked salmon can and should be. All the products are smoked using traditional methods and only natural ingredients, relying on the freshness of the fish, accented with seasonings from nature. Sea salt and beechwood smoke create the perfect flavour and texture in their traditionally smoked products.

St Tola Irish Goat Cheese Économusée produces goat milk cheese, made locally in County Clare since the early 1980s, and is known internationally as one of the premium artisan food products companies in Ireland. On a visit to St Tola you can meet with the artisans, see the animals that provide the raw material for the cheese, and sample their renowned products. The St Tola herds of goats are reared using sustainable farming methods that are sensitive to the long-term needs of the plants, animals, and humans in the local environment, which is just south of the 144 | DECEMBER 2017

world-renowned Burren landscape. Cheese maker Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith has developed the business from a local cottage industry to an internationally recognised brand. The cheese is still hand made in small batches, guaranteeing the artisanal quality of the final product from the farm to the kitchen table.

Breeogue Pottery Économusée is housed within an eighteenth-century barn, which is the perfect setting for the sculptural ceramics and stoneware pottery created on-site. Every day in Sligo there is a different sky and a constantly changing landscape, and this is the location where Grainne McLaughlin and Tom Callery, two uniquely talented artisans, explore various methods of using clay. Tom works from sketches and photographs of riverbanks, bogs, and landscapes, and then he incises these images onto clay forms. He then uses an ancient Japanese glazing technique called raku, which produces an array of rich iridescent colours and hues. Most of Grainne’s work is wheel-thrown, as she enjoys the

Above: Here’s looking at you, kid!

form and detail produced by this process. She also works in porcelain, enhancing its purity with glazes that melt and fuse together in the firing process, creating new patterns and subtle colours inspired by a fascination and excitement with the wonderful part of the world she lives in.

The idea behind the Économusée concept is both simple and sophisticated. It is simple in that the Économusées form a tourism-based network or trail, which, by bringing people to the premises, assists the businesses expand sales and sustain employment. It is sophisticated in that it helps artisan producers develop the capabilities and infrastructure to tap into the burgeoning number of tourists who wish to ‘experience’ local culture and buy authentic local produce. Both processes enable the artisan producer to diversify their core business into the tourism market in response to market signals and, therefore, underpin their profitability. The Économusée model is recognised as different to other food tourism initiatives and networks due to the emphasis it places on providing a distinctive, authentic, interpretive, and educational experience for visitors to the artisan’s premises.

AN ÉCONOMUSÉE IS AN ARTISAN BUSINESS THAT OPENS ITS DOORS TO THE PUBLIC TO PROVIDE A LEARNING AND INTERPRETIVE EXPERIENCE FOR VISITORS.

Raku pot with hare detail by Tom Callery.

So how does an artisan business become an Économusée? As the term Économusée is copyright protected, and being eligible to be called an Économusée is to be awarded a cultural tourism quality mark, an artisan producer has to go through a rigorous four-stage process. First, the artisan has to fulfil some basic selection criteria regarding the authenticity of the product, turnover, and length of time in existence. Second, the artisan must undertake a feasibility study. The emphasis in the feasibility study is on the ability of the artisan to convert to, and function as, an Économusée. Third, if the feasibility study outcome is positive, the artisan engages in the development phase, which involves putting in place any required infrastructural changes identified in the feasibility study, installing interpretive panels, modifying premises layout, receiving new brochures, and availing of training from the Économusée Network. Finally, there is usually a relatively high profile launch of the new Économusée. For example, the Canadian ambassador to Ireland opened the Celtic Roots Studio Économusée in March 2011.

If you are travelling around Ireland, take the opportunity to visit some of the Économusées in the network. You will get a quality educational experience, be able to buy unique, high-quality, authentic products, talk with craftspeople, and get a profound and meaningful insight into local heritage and culture—all this supported by an international brand. It seems that we can have the best of both worlds!

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MONIK A MALINOWSKA & PETER BUFFAM 0 6 . 2 7. 2 0 1 6

a b a l ly n a h i n c h w e d d i n g

Photography by Aoife Herriott

O

ur families live in two different countries, and to avoid the stress of trying to bring everybody together, we decided on a runaway wedding. We chose to tie the knot in Ireland, a land of outstanding beauty, mysterious Celtic history, great music, and romance too! County Galway is my favourite—a truly magical and enchanting place. For me, it is the soul of Ireland.

I began my quest for the perfect venue with a Google search. It was love at first sight—Ballynahinch Castle Hotel! The former home of the pirate queen, leader, and skilled politician Grace O’Malley, this magnificent haven is wrapped in the arms of the Twelve Bens, dressed in lush woodlands, and admires its own reflection in the tranquil Owenmore River.

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You feel exceptional walking around the castle in a wedding gown, yet you don’t feel out of place in muddy wellingtons from a morning stroll around the gardens.

I emailed Martina Kearney, the wedding coordinator at Ballynahinch, to enquire about accommodating an intimate wedding, and after receiving her reply of confirmation within twenty minutes, I knew our plans would be in safe hands.

We stayed three nights in an elegant and tastefully decorated room overlooking the river. Gazing at its slowly flowing waters helped to calm our last-minute nerves on the day of the ceremony. The ceremony took place in the elegant Hunts Room, and to make it more special, we decided on the Unity Candle Ceremony, to symbolize two lives being joined together as one.

The beauty of Ballynahinch is that it looks great in every season, and on a rainy day you can relish the views from indoors as well. You feel exceptional walking around the castle in a wedding gown, yet you don’t feel out of place in muddy wellingtons from a morning stroll around the gardens. It is truly a home away from home—only, a nicer one!

special thanks photography | Aoife Herriott aoifeherriottphotography.com makeup | Caroline Coyne carolinecoynemakeup.ie lash extensions | Eszter from Lushluv by M lashluvby.com cake | Hazel Mountain Chocolate hazelmountainchocolate.com flowers | Local supermarket— decorated by the bride V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 149

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ROUNDSTONE THE QUINTESSENTIAL CONNEMARA RETREAT

BY ANN CONNEELY

Lying on the western arm of the Bertraghboy Bay in Connemara, County Galway, the village of Roundstone is one of the most scenic in Ireland.

Situated seventy-seven kilometres north-west of Galway City and around eighteen kilometres from Clifden, Roundstone is beautifully set on one of the most spectacular coastal drives overlooking the Atlantic and settled at the foot of Errisbeg Hill.

Roundstone is steeped in history. The village was founded in the mid-1820s by the celebrated Scottish engineer Alexander Nimmo, who was appointed by the Western District to build harbours, roads, and houses throughout the West of Ireland. In 1826, he bought a ninety-nine-year lease comprising 240 acres in the Roundstone/ Letterdyfe area. He sublet plots of land along the road by the harbour for houses to be built on. Many of the settlers were Scottish fishermen and their families.

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Photo by Mark Furniss

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A few built two-story houses with slate roofs, and those people got grants. All others were one-story thatched houses. Alexander Nimmo died at the age of forty-nine on 20 January 1832. The lease of the village was passed on to his brother John. John gave land to the Presbyterians to build their church (the Kirk) in 1840. The foundation stone was laid by Mrs. Martin of Ballinahinch. It was demolished in the 1930s.

In 1835, a Franciscan monastery was established. Today only the bell tower remains, but a very lovely craft centre operates there, making and selling bodhráns, pottery, jewellery, and more. It is well worth a visit. Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church was built in 1832. Saint Mary’s Church of Ireland was built in 1843 and is still in use to this day.

In Roundstone, you will find a busy working harbour where local fishermen return each evening with their catches—anything from lobster to mackerel.

When the mackerel are running (in season), they can be fished from the pier. The harbour is always a hive of activity with people pottering around on their boats or setting out to the nearby islands.

TODAY ONLY THE BELL TOWER REMAINS, BUT A VERY LOVELY CRAFT CENTRE OPERATES THERE, MAKING AND SELLING BODHRÁNS, POTTERY, JEWELLERY, AND MORE. Roundstone has a variety of first-class restaurants and cafes serving the best of fresh fish and Connemara lamb. In the cafes, some of the finest home baking can be found—and coffee to die for. Two hotels and lots of B & Bs offer accommodations for travellers, but it is always advisable to book in advance to avoid disappointment; July and August can get very busy.

Inishnee is just across the bay from the village but can be reached by car as well as by boat. It is an excellent place for a walk, and while there, please visit Saint Matthew’s graveyard. It is the oldest cemetery in Connemara and contains the ruins of a medieval church and graves dating back to the twelfth century.

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Roundstone is a haven for artists. Some of the finest pictures for sale today are from various places around Roundstone. Two artists live in the village: one is Yvonne King, a local woman; the other is Belfast-born Rosie McGurrin. Both are very well known. Each year, Rosie hosts the Inishlacken Project, where artists explore the beauty of this island just off our shores. Inishlacken was made famous by the renowned Northern Irish artists Gerard Dillon, James MacIntyre, and Seamus Coleman, who spent a year living amongst the natives, painting, and living the island life.

We have two of the most beautiful beaches—Dog’s Bay and Gurteen. Dog’s Bay is a horseshoe shape, and has the purest of fine sand, formed exclusively from coral shells, and is very unique. It lies back-to-back with Gurteen Beach, creating a tombolo. Both are very safe for swimming and other water sports such as kayaking, standup paddleboarding, windsurfing, and kite surfing.

For anyone seeking a destination that showcases the quintessential Connemara, Roundstone is the perfect retreat.

ROUNDSTONE EVENTS Some of the most popular events taking place throughout the year:

ROUNDSTONE REGATTA 22–23 July

ROUNDSTONE PONY SHOW Sunday, 9 July

ROUNDSTONE DOG SHOW Monday, 7 August

TOUR DE BOG Thursday, 3 August

Above: Roundstone Harbour as seen from Inishnee across the bay.

Photo by Robert Riddell Right: Roundstone Pier—a berth shelter for many fishing boats.

Photo by Robert Riddell

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BLISS, EUPHORIA, UNBRIDLED JOY! GOLFING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

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B Y T O N Y C O N N E E LY

The culmination of bar counter chat—developed through the various planning stages and finally reaching its glorious conclusion—a few days away golfing with the boys, deciding upon the West, encouraged in no little way by the great sound bites emanating from the positivity of the Wild Atlantic Way passage.

S

o a trek through the Tribes county was decided upon. First port of call was Salthill, just on the outskirts of Galway city, home of Galway Golf Club. As we approached the clubhouse and looked back over our shoulder onto the Aran Islands, one could not help but think of the auld song ‘Galway Bay’. A warm welcome from club pro, David Mortimer, who incidentally is a two-time winner of the Irish PGA Championship, and we were out onto the fairways.

Galway Golf Club: a view from the clubhouse to the ninth hole.

Galway is a well-established club, the game having been played here since the late 1800s. Ryder Cup players Christy O’Connor Senior and Junior both learned their trade here. The par is 70 with every inch of ground used so wisely. A short dogleg par 4 to start, while possibly yielding a birdie or par start can just as easily show a seven or more. Trees, shrubs, elevated greens, and an abundance of beautiful—but testing—wild gorse ensure that the A game is required. As one progresses through the greens and reaches the back nine, the views become breathtaking. Standing on the fourteenth tee box, one is monarch of all they survey. The Burren and the Aran Islands are in the near distance of Galway V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 155

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Glenlo Abbey Golf Club: a nine-hole championship golf course designed by Christy O’Connor Jnr. Golf lessons on a one-to-one basis with golf professional Gary Madden are both fun and informative and are complemented by the superior facilities of the twenty-one-bay driving range.

Bay with the extent of the whole course in the viewfinder. And immediately in front, a rolling fairway, reminiscent of the American fairways as we watch the weekend competitions of the PGA tour on our TVs. For that split second, you feel as if you could have Bubba and Mickelson on the tee with you—alas, not so.

After a trek of almost six thousand meters, our afternoon was done. With congratulations from ourselves ringing in our ears for choosing such a fine specimen, the nineteenth was our next port of call for a chowder and a pint. Well, if it was good enough for the famed Ryder Cup stars, it was certainly good enough for us.

A

very short trek found us at our headquarters for the night— the majestic Glenlo Abbey on the west side of Galway city, right on the shores of Lough Corrib. As we drove down the avenue, the building and the lake were right in front of us, with greens and fairways on either side. And the Pullman Restaurant (two of the original Orient Express train carriages) was in our eyeline. A beautiful dinner—and too many pints—but a restful night’s sleep saw us fully charged for the day ahead. Serious stuff, so we had a spell on the driving range and then tackled the testing but idyllic track with water features.

Not only the Lough, but throughout the course.

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The signature hole here is definitely the par 3 twohundred-yard fourth hole that sits in the middle of the lake. The course is obviously lovingly cared for and has fantastic undulating greens, having been designed by the aforementioned great Christy Jnr. Our next round was in the Gateway to Connemara, just a twenty-kilometre drive to the small town of

THE COURSE IS OBVIOUSLY LOVINGLY CARED FOR AND HAS FANTASTIC UNDULATING GREENS, HAVING BEEN DESIGNED

BY THE AFOREMENTIONED GREAT CHRISTY JNR. Oughterard and its gorgeous parkland track. A par of 72 sees the golfer around many treelined but pristine fairways, again with water a feature, none more so than the par 3 ninth hole, on an elevated tee box to a tricky green lurking behind water. Further is definitely better than short here. Club professional Derek McNamara was on hand to welcome us and even guided us to the very tricky opening par four—up and over the hill. When playing Oughterard, bring the thinking game—plotting and planning may avoid the trees and shrub plantations. Truly well worth a visit on the golfing getaway.

And on to our final destination. A drive through the wonderfully beautiful wilds of Connemara to Slyne Head and the famed Connemara Golf Links. Driving from Ballyconneely village to the course, one wonders whoever had the foresight to put a golf course almost in the middle of the ocean. As we approach the clubhouse, we can see the lighthouses in the near distance behind the sandy beaches and dunes on our left and the beginning of the course on our right. Once unloaded and welcomed by Dominic in the office, we were delighted to find we had at our disposal a twenty-seven-hole test. We opted for the eighteen-hole championship, and were we delighted. Not a tree in sight, the golfer is lulled into a silly sense of security. A pulled shot here lands one in the rough. A pushed one

there, up a grassy dune. Beautiful rolling fairways, greens tucked away and guarded by many grades of bunkers, elevated greens, and elevated tees, with none more spectacular than the par 5 fourteenth built on what must be the highest point in the area.

Golf is forgotten as one has a 360-degree vista from Inishbofin, to Slyne Head, to the Aran Islands, back around the mountains of Connemara and Mayo, and onto Inishbofin yet again—breathtaking. The course itself is class. The par 3 thirteenth hole must play as one of the best in Europe with my personal favourite, the fourteenth hole built into a hillside.

Holes seventeen and eighteen are par fives running in opposite directions to each other, so having had the breeze in our backs on the seventeenth, we faced a severe test back on the eighteenth. That is the beauty of links golf. And the wind does play a factor here—club pro and superintendent Hugh O’Neill regaled us with tales and fables, one in which one of

Opposite bottom: Rising majestically from the shore of Lough Corrib and dating back to the eighteenth century, the five-star Glenlo Abbey Hotel is where oldworld charm meets contemporary elegance.

Right: The second hole on the C9 at Connemara Championship Golf Links, a 180-yard par 3, with a little water hazard to the left of the green.

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Right: Oughterard Golf Club with views of Lough Corrib. The magnificent eighteenhole championship golf course, situated at the Gateway to Connemara, is a recipient of the Hidden Gem of Connacht Award.

Opposite: Galway Golf Club: a view to the Burren and Galway Bay adjacent to the fourth green.

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WHILE EACH WAS A DIFFERENT TEST, THEY WERE UNITED BY THE PROFESSIONALISM IN WHICH THEY WERE MANAGED AND MAINTAINED, A REAL TRIBUTE TO THE STAFF. his professional colleagues played a nine iron stitched one morning on the short par 3 third and returned that evening to a different wind and came up short with a five wood. Hugh insists that the professional should remain nameless, at least in print! And while enjoying Hugh’s company in the clubhouse, one could not help but be distracted by the stunning scenery of the ocean, out onto the islands and rock features, into the hills and mountains, and across the course itself. In a word—stunning.

So with our trip near its conclusion, we were left with a memory of four days of hugely enjoyable golf, on four courses that members should be very proud of. While each was a different test, they were united by the professionalism in which they were managed and maintained, a real tribute to the staff. We are left with a serious quandary—when can we do it all again?

DESIGN PLATFORM LABELS AT DESIGN PLATFORM INCLUDE EVA KAYAN, INWEAR, LILITH, AMAZING WOMAN JEANS, NO2MORO, ISABEL DE PEDRO AND MORE.

Station House Courtyard Clifden, Co. Galway +353 95 21526 designplatform.clifden@gmail.com

Connemara Life

THE LANDSCAPES OF

Ireland’s Savage Beauty

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Behold the wonder of Ireland’s West. For centuries, Connemara has entranced poets, authors, and artists, who have captured her beauty in their works so it may live on forever. It seems she may yet be immortal, as modern photographers document her rolling hills, bogs, cliffs, and forests daily. There are few places more magical than the top of Diamond Hill at daybreak or along the beaches of Errislannan or Lettergesh. The wilds of Connemara bring memories of times long past that are preserved and celebrated in this magical region. From hill to shore, she may become your muse.

Words and pictures cannot fully translate the beauty of Connemara; one must experience her in person. Until that time may come, we hope to offer a small window into her life:

Eyrephort at sunset; Photo by Mark Furniss Photography

Connemara Life

The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

—W.B. Yeats

Puffins can be seen on their Inishturk nesting ground from April to the end of July; Photo

by Mark Furniss Photography

Rossadillisk—one of the most picturesque piers in Connemara; Photo

by Mark Furniss Photography

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The tidal island of Omey while the sea thrift was in full bloom; Photo by Mark Furniss Photography

Inishturk Signal Tower, which was built around 1805, is located at the highest point of the island; Photo

by Mark Furniss Photography

Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.

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July evening at Roundstone Harbour; Photo

by Robert Riddell

You use a glass mirror to see your face: you use works of art to see your soul.

—George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah

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Silky clouds kiss the tops of the Bens behind Lettergesh Beach; Photo by Trevor Dubber

Connemara is a savage beauty.

—Oscar Wilde

Connemara is a state of light.

Of fluent sky, flayed rock and flowering bog.

Of storied lake and inlet and deep song.

Of wind and wild.

—Michael Cody

At the day’s end on Errislannan pebble beach; Photo

by Mark Furniss Photography

The ideal location to stay and explore Inishbofin, The Beach offers you bed and breakfast, beachside bar, restaurant, and adventure centre. An EcoTourism Ireland certified property offering responsibly sourced local food and beverages with sustainable certified adventure activities, live entertainment, and sweeping views of the Wild Atlantic Way like no other.

WWW.THEBEACH.IE | +353 95 45829 | INFO@THEBEACH.IE | INISHBOFIN ISLAND, CONNEMARA, CO. GALWAY

Connemara Life

TIM O'SULLIVAN AND THE RENVYLE HOUSE DINING EXPERIENCE

BY ZO E COY L E

Renvyle House Hotel and Resort is a four-star, family-owned, historic country house resort. It first opened as a hotel in 1883 and is spectacularly ocated on a 150-acre estate on the shores of the Wild Atlantic Way in Connemara.

T

he hotel grounds include a private freshwater lake, a par 3 golf course, a beach, woodlands, gardens, and numerous activities on-site, including tennis, croquet, an outdoor heated swimming pool (open during summer months), fly fishing, canoeing, shore angling, and more. There is a huge emphasis on kind and welcoming hospitality and on food.

Over the years, the Renvyle House Hotel and its Roisin Dubh Restaurant have won many awards, including Best Customer Service and Best Chef. However, the staff are most proud of awards received for Irish hospitality, as the team at Renvyle extend a warm welcome to each and every guest.

Since his appointment as head chef at Renvyle House Hotel, Tim O’Sullivan has been in his own quiet way a driving force in Ireland’s food revolution.

Over his years at Renvyle, Tim has been a participant in the New Irish Cuisine movement, a stalwart supporter of local produce, and a trainer and mentor to young chefs, including Conrad Gallagher, who worked at Renvyle for eighteen months.

A native of Killarney, Tim trained as a chef at the Killarney Great Southern Hotel under Noel Gamil and Jimmy Freeman. He worked in Hotel Europe, Killarney, before moving to Dublin where

he gained experience in the Doyle Montrose and Spa Hotel, Lucan. Three years in Bartra House, Ballina, as sous chef preceded his appointment as head chef at Renvyle House.

Tim’s sureness of purpose in marrying traditional and contemporary has served Renvyle well in guiding an excellent kitchen team of nine chefs through a culinary minefield of fast-changing trends. Tim’s background of classic Irish and European cooking has blended happily with newer trends to produce dishes that show New Irish Cuisine at its best. Alongside old favourites that have earned a permanent place on the menu, such as roast rack of Connemara lamb, modern classics appear in dishes like seared scallops and spring onion champ, black pudding, and fresh beetroot and sweet chili butter.

A commissioner of Euro-Toques Ireland, Tim is dedicated to the use of fresh, locally sourced ingredients such as fish, Connemara beef and lamb, game, and the finest vegetables. His menus always reflect this commitment.

Renvyle House Hotel & Resort. Here, the only stress is on relaxation.

Tel: +353 (0)95 464100 Email: info@renvyle.com Web: www.renvyle.com

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RECIPE

Renvyle House Hotel & Resort Signature Wild Atlantic Way Dish Connemara rack of lamb; Newport black pudding stuffing; mustard and herb crust; rosemary jus; Atlantic lobster; melon and cucumber salsa; tomato and spinach fondue.

Method: Bring 5 litres salted water to boil for the lobsters.

Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Heat a large griddle pan; season the lamb with salt and pepper. Seal the lamb on both sides; add a little rosemary and place in a roasting tin in a hot oven for 12 minutes or until cooked as you like it.

To finish the lamb, coat the outside surface with a mixture of mustard, the remaining crumbs, and the herbs. Finish under a hot grill for 2 minutes until crisp and brown; keep warm.

Place the lobsters in boiling water and simmer for 10–12 minutes. Remove the lobster and keep warm.

When ready to serve, split the lobsters in half and remove the heads, leaving the meat in the tails. Remove the meat from the claws by crushing the shells.

T O M AT O A N D S P I N A C H F O N D U E Heat a pan and add oil, shallots, and garlic; cook for 2–3 minutes. Add spinach, tomato, butter, and lemon juice; simmer for 2 minutes.

LAMB AND LOBSTER Ingredients: 2 racks of lamb, oven ready (1 kilogram)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 lobsters (2 kilograms)

150 grams butter

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

50 grams spring onion, chopped

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, mint)

3 tablespoons sugar

200 grams bread crumbs

150 millilitres olive oil

2 dessertspoons chopped rosemary

1 red chili, diced

2 shallots, diced

50 grams melon, diced

2 fresh tomatoes, diced

50 grams cucumber, diced

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

50 millilitres red wine

50 millilitres cream

100 millilitres lamb stock

50 grams melon, diced 50 grams cucumber, diced Red chili, diced 50 grams spring onion 10 grams coriander leaves, chopped 1 lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons sugar

100 grams spinach

1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly

50 grams black pudding

10 grams coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

30 grams white onion, diced

Salt and black pepper

Mix all together.

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MELON AND CUCUMBER SALSA

HERB CRUST Ingredients: 1 tablespoon mixed herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley, chives) 30 grams bread crumbs Salt and pepper

TO S E RV E : On one end of a large plate, place the black pudding stuffing, lamb, and rosemary jus. On the other end of the plate, place the tomato fondue, lobster, and cucumber and melon salsa. Garnish with wild herbs.

Bon appétit!

Method: Blend all together in a blender.

B L AC K P U D D I N G S T U F F I N G Ingredients: 75–100 grams butter 30 grams white onion, diced 50 grams black pudding 100 grams bread crumbs 1 teaspoon mixed chopped herbs (rosemary, thyme) Method: Melt the butter in a pot; add herbs and onion. Cook for 3 minutes. Add black pudding and bread crumbs; cook for 2–3 minutes.

LAMB JUS Ingredients: 50 millilitres red wine 100 millilitres lamb stock 1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly Chopped rosemary Method: Heat the pan, add red wine and lamb stock, and reduce by a third. Add redcurrant jelly and chopped rosemary.

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is the New Black

WRAPPING UP WITH CIARA SILKE DESIGNS

BY SUVA ANG-MENDOZA PHOTOGRAPHY BY AL HIGGINS 172 | DECEMBER 2017

Left: Lily Ladder in hot pink, black, and white. 90 x 90cm Bottom: Bláth Poipín in raspberry, lilac, and peach. 90 x 90cm Opposite: Flourishing Garden in berry, peach, and white.

Sometimes destiny is written in the stars; at other times, it’s written in a name. That seems to be the case for Ireland’s latest luxury silk scarf designer from Galway, Ciara Silke, whose surname fittingly corresponds with the traditional fabric of the accessory. One look and feel of these gorgeous silk twill scarves and it’s clear that she’s mastered the art of luxury.

ver the past few years, luxury silk scarves have played a lesser role in fashion, unlike other embellishing accessories such as jewels and headpieces. However, Ciara Silke is changing the way we incorporate the accessory into our wardrobes, bringing it to the forefront of our dressing routine. Not only has she enhanced the appeal of the traditional fashion piece, but she’s also sparked innovative solutions as to how to drape a scarf around the body.

No longer a simple neck piece or a bit of colour to be tied around a handbag, the scarf becomes a main focal point of your wardrobe, thanks to Ciara’s creative solution (which can be found on her brand’s Instagram account at @CiaraSilke).

Irish designer Ciara makes it easy to sport scarves in an insouciant and modern way, whether draped, gathered, or tied. For her, it’s all about that colourful pop that adds the perfect touch of style and allure. Her scarves are the perfect introduction to bring colour and patterns into your wardrobe, no matter the season.

To Ciara, ‘Colour speaks all languages.’

Subliminal bliss is the perfect description of Ciara’s collection. Gathering inspiration from the surroundings at her studio in the West of Ireland, her products have become masterpieces unto themselves. The eye-catching and colourful designs are prime examples of what happens when fashion and art intertwine.

Ciara developed her passion for print and colour in textiles as she attended art classes held in Galway by artist Vicki Crowley, who is known for painting on silk.

‘Crowley greatly influenced me—she was a huge inspiration,’ she recalls. That inspiration stuck with her so much so that she later completed a degree in textiles at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), and went on to work for the global luxury brand Diane von Furstenberg in New York in both the print and the accessories departments.

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Connemara Life

Criss Cross Fleur in black and white silk twill. 200 x 60cm Middle: African Iris in baby blue, black, and white. 90 x 90cm Right: Flourishing Garden in lilac, copper, and cream.

90 x 90cm

Not long after that she returned home to teach art in Castlebar, County Mayo, all the while setting up her own fashion label during her spare time, which took off without a hitch. Within two years, the designer silk scarves have seen a significant growth in sales, rising by 10 per cent. As a result, she made the decision to leave education and go full-time and head-on into her rising new career as a self-proclaimed designer.

Good thing too, because it’s already been a fast and wild climb up the fashion ladder for Ciara. She has a range of her collection stocked in Kildare Village, the Helen McAlinden boutique in Dublin, and the Pall Center in Luxembourg, among others, and she’s securing stockists in Britain and scaling her business to the United States, the Middle East, and Paris.

Ciara developed her passion for print and colour in textiles as she attended art classes held in Galway by artist Vicki Crowley.

Left scarf is Bláth Poipín in midnight blue, red, and black; right scarf is Swamp Rose in pink and red with black polka dots.

Both are 90 x 90cm.

174 | DECEMBER 2017

Not only has she been focusing on expanding her label, but she has also been preoccupied with showcasing her designs in trade shows, such as Design Ireland and Scoop International at the Saatchi Gallery, London, as well as preparing for her first few awards shows. In just two years since the birth of her brand, Ciara has been nominated for Irish Accessory Designer of the Year at 2016 Kerry Fashion Week and was recognized as Highly Commended in the Design Ireland category at the Design & Crafts Council Ireland Showcase 2017.

Now you can take a little piece of Ciara’s artwork home and incorporate it into your style; just shop her collection at www.CiaraSilke.com. But look fast—her prints sell faster than one can wrap them.

T

TH ERAP EUTI C R ID ING The Legendary Connemara Pony Leads International Mission

By Nicola Heanue and Colette Laffey Photography courtesy of Connemara Therapeutic Riding

176 | DECEMBER 2017

Connemara Life In 2015 Connemara Therapeutic Riding (CTR) saw the realisation of a dream— the establishment of a permanent therapeutic riding service for Connemara. We have been working towards this for the past few years, and we are finally here!

But the reality is way beyond our expectations.

C

onnemara is home to the most pristine landscape of mountains, bogland, and lakes set on the brink of the Atlantic Ocean, and it is located along the Wild Atlantic Way—a breathtaking scenic route in County Galway along the west coast of Ireland. It is these very conditions that have given birth to the Connemara pony and its renowned sure-footedness, intelligence, and patience.

But Connemara also faces challenges as its peripheral location, weak infrastructure, and narrow economic base lead to low levels of employment opportunity.

This makes it even harder to ensure that everyone in the community has an equal chance at a high quality of life.

Progress in 2016 included the decision to undertake a large fundraiser to help the service expand. The ‘Pony Poo Lottery’, which was a novel idea from one of the committee, was held in the Connemara Pony Breeders Society showgrounds in Clifden on 1 May 2016. These funds have facilitated the creation of an all-weather surface sensory trail in Errislannan. Furthermore, John Dooley—a final-year student of GMIT Letterfrack National Centre for Excellence in Furniture Design and Technology, created a sensory station as part of his final year project. This beautiful piece of art takes pride of place on the trail. Forum Connemara was successful in receiving a year of government funding to employ an animator/ co-coordinator to manage and grow the service.

But while all this progress is fantastic, the real magic for those of us with a commitment to this project is seeing the riders flourish from their experience of the service. For each participant, therapeutic riding brings something different to their lives. For one little girl, it is an afternoon spent in the company of her father and the various animals (aside from the ponies) that live at Errislannan.

The ability to ride to places on horseback that would be physically impossible

Below: All smiles in the arena from the TR coaches, volunteers, riders, and ponies.

Our local disability support group, Paving the Way, took a leap of faith and approached the Connemara Pony Breeders Society to assist them in securing European funding with the support of Forum Connemara, our local community development company, to train therapeutic riding coaches.

CTR commenced operations at Errislannan Manor Equestrian Centre in July 2015 by hosting taster sessions for all the members of Paving the Way and interested families.

A group of our supporters, including parents, coaches, and leaders, attended the annual Clifden Connemara Pony Show to promote our service and raise some much-needed funds. We went on that summer despite some poor weather to deliver sessions weekly, continuing into the winter months.

Other work included the creation of our logo, which the coaches and many of the riders now wear with pride on polo shirts and hoodies.

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Connemara Life

By its very nature, therapeutic riding works on many levels to support children and adults with a variety of physical, cognitive, emotional, and developmental needs. It is recognised worldwide as an aid to improving and promoting educational skills, as well as being a healthy and fun activity, and can be described as ‘physiotherapy on horseback’.

for her otherwise is the ultimate freedom. For one teenager, it’s riding alongside his little sister, enjoying an activity together and learning along the way.

One of our riders attends during school hours along with his SNA (special needs assistant). For him, it is a new way of learning without the anxieties that a classroom can create. As he mounts that pony, it’s incredible to see him relax and engage with the world and the people around him. His giggles are infectious as he has a trot or two, and it would melt the hardest of hearts.

There’s the girl that shows her parents every Monday morning using sign language that she is looking forward to riding after school that day. She waves them goodbye as she heads off on her pony; this is the highlight of her week. There are the two little boys, brothers, who ride out together, like cowboys. One chatters along the way, the other quiet and at peace with the world.

By its very nature, therapeutic riding works on many levels to support children and adults with a variety of physical, cognitive, emotional, and developmental needs. It is recognised worldwide as an aid to improving and promoting educational skills, as well as being a healthy and fun activity, and can be described as ‘physiotherapy on horseback’.

We welcomed a fellow therapeutic riding project, 4STEPS, from Maryland, USA, in the summer of 2016. They were overwhelmed by the very essence of all Errislannan Manor has to offer—not just the services to the participants but also the sense of respite felt by everyone in the beautiful gardens and scenery. A visiting professor of social work in Lourdes University, Ohio, will bring students to volunteer and carry out academic research on the benefits of the project this summer. All this will 178 | DECEMBER 2017

culminate in the presentation of their findings to HETI (Horses in Education and Training International) in 2018 in Dublin, Ireland. CTR has hosted almost four hundred TR sessions since its launch in 2015, and all of this was made possible by the hard work and dedication of the voluntary committee and dozens of volunteers.

Without this outstanding community support, this service could not continue to thrive. Their ongoing efforts have led to the facilitating of local primary school special education classes on a weekly basis.

Our plans for 2017 include the development of a unique tourism package where we will receive visitors from overseas to our service. This exciting venture will mean we can offer tailor-made therapeutic riding sessions to holiday makers with disabilities who may not normally be able to access such services.

Many of the riders reap the rewards of improved social, communication, and language skills. The various sensory input while out on the trail also assists in improving balance, coordination, and self-esteem. The amazing thing is it is not just the riders who are benefitting. Parents are seeing the benefits too, not just

in the developing skills of their children, but also in having ‘time to just sit and be’ as one mother so nicely put it.

One could say that there is a felt sense—an ethereal quality—to the therapeutic riding experience for all in the beautiful surroundings of Errislannan Manor and stables. As their sons and daughters are safe and happy with the coaches, the parents have a stroll in the gardens, sit and read a book, or just relax on a bench watching the world (and several chickens!) go by. For the parents, it’s also the joy of seeing their children happy, learning, and in several cases, enjoying an activity with a sibling. Right from the inception of this project, we wanted to create a socially inclusive service, where all the family is welcome. We have succeeded! Perhaps the highest compliment CTR can be paid is from a mother who said, ‘this is the one place in the world where I feel my children are truly accepted’.

The coaches and volunteers experience benefits also. They are getting to meet and know the unique

families and individuals involved in this project. They are seeing the results of their input, as week by week the riders are developing new skills and forging relationships with both the ponies and the coaching teams. They see the smiles on the faces, the trust in the eyes, the laughter, the fun, and the feel of that little hand in theirs as the children put their trust in them. They’ve seen the tears in the parents’ eyes, the pride as a mother hears a new word, or a father witnesses the new stronger bond between siblings.

And what of the staff and the Brooks family of Errislannan? Connemara Therapeutic Riding has enjoyed their warm and generous hospitality as they share their magical location with us and delight in our success. They are seeing a whole new life being breathed into their beautiful surroundings, a new group of the community enjoying the indescribable beauty of Errislannan, and a genuinely inclusive and unique project developing in their midst. And they must be feeling an overwhelming sense of pride when they see their Connemara ponies bringing such joy to so many lives. We should all be proud of our very special native horse who is lending itself perfectly to this new role. Without any specialized training, these ponies are proving to be the perfect therapy pony—calm and placid, seeming to innately understand what is required of them.

If you would like to learn more or support our service in any way, please feel free to get in touch at connemaratr@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook for regular updates.

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69TH ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS The biggest night of the year in television, the annual Primetime Emmy Awards, took place September 17, 2017, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Creators and stars of the country’s favorite shows on top networks and online streaming services gathered to celebrate great storytelling, acting, design, and cinematography as millions of viewers tuned in to root for their favorites and ogle the beautiful looks on the red carpet.

Photography by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP

Jessica Biel Photo by Vince Bucci/Invision/AP

Chrishell Stause and Justin Hartley

Leslie Jones Photo by Vince Bucci/Invision/AP

Reese Witherspoon

Sterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathe

Shailene Woodley Seth Meyers Photo by Vince Bucci/Invision/AP

Nicole Kidman

Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy

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+353 (0)95 21039 | Lower Market Street, Clifden, Co. Galway | www.Stanleys.ie Open Monday–Saturday 10am–6pm | Sundays seasonally 11am–5pm

IRELANDSEYE

MAGEE

ARAN CRAFTS

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tanleys store, family run since 1824, is located at the bottom of Market Street in the picturesque town of Clifden in Connemara, Co. Galway. Stanleys proudly stocks only the finest quality Irish knitwear by Ireland’s Eye, Aran Woollen Mills, Aran Crafts, and Studio Donegal alongside beautiful woollen scarves, rugs, and throws by John Hanly and Foxford. Large collections of general menswear, ladieswear, footwear, and a special department dedicated to outdoor clothing and walking boots may also be found in-store. We invite you to visit our store to discover our many sought after brands including Magee Tweed Jackets, Tilley Hats, Barbour Wax Jackets, and Dubarry Boots.

JOHN HANLEY

Once a traditional drapery store, Stanleys has maintained its originality and authenticity whilst also providing a contemporary style to its store, with a keen eye for Irish and European design and fashion. Why not visit this family store and see for yourself; for local and visitor alike, there is something for everyone at Stanleys!

OTHER BRANDS STOCKED INCLUDE: FOOTWEAR: ECCO, LEGERO, TOMS, DUBARRY, HUNTER BOOTS, CONVERSE, VANS, CROCS, FIT-FLOPS OUTDOORS: MERRELL, KEEN, COLUMBIA, BERGANS, SALOMON, HELLY HANSEN, PÁRAMO, AIGLE, HANWAGLADIESWEAR AND MENSWEAR: BUGATTI, PURE, ARMOR LUX, JOULES, NOBLE WILDE

Au revoir!

Au revoir!

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Photo by Pierre Monetta

THE L AST WORD

Life is always like a box of chocolates with Maggie Louise Confections. Gift giving just got so much sweeter with the gourmet chocolatier’s bite-size goodies available in a variety of flavors and designs. Choose from one of many boxed collections online or create your own custom box for any occasion. Founder and creative director Maggie Louise Callahan attended Virginia Tech and Harvard Law School and went on to become a successful partner at a venture capitalist start-up before quitting to pursue her dream: to express her artistic side and love of sugary sweets. She enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu and the rest is deliciously beautiful history.

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