WAG Magazine June by Westfair Business Journal

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Welcome

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Gwyn Bieff, son of Neil Bieff, and his bride, Ikbal Bozkaya, on their wedding day.

Neil Bieff designing for a Turkish wedding (his son’s)

THE ROAD THROUGH THE ’60S

Leonard Cohen, Tom Seaver, Rudolf Nureyev, Luciano Pavarotti

ALICE FEELEY AND GEORGE WINSTON traveling through the seasons

CHARTING THE MEDITERRANEAN WAG COUNTRY’S ELUSIVE OLD LEATHERMAN SEAN COHEN

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FEATURES JUNE 2019

COVER STORY

Turkish delight: a journey of love & design – Neil Bieff

Summer of ’69

More than ‘One Night in Bangkok’

Celebrating a citizen of the world

Goin’ spacey

Natural inspiration

An elusive, itinerant life

Charting a middle course

A destination wedding close to home

64 68

Fashionably casual

Another take on Italy

Views from the bridge

Camping it up at The Met

Still Tom Terrific

Queen of the day trippers

A multifaceted journey

The seasons of George Winston

Leaps to fame

Around the world with Louis Vuitton

108

Recipe for humanity

THIS PAGE:

Detail of the Time Companion from Authentic Models, a recreation of a Victorian walking stick that has a wind-up watch set in the knob, both a decorative prop and a decorative timekeeper. See story on page 84. Courtesy Authentic Models.

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E VERY OB J ECT HAS A STORY

worth telling, worth find ing. For buyers, consignors, and the passionately curious F I N D W O R T H AT S K I N N E R I N C .C O M

FEATURES HIGHLIGHTS

WAY A ravishing retreat

WARES A world of design

WANDERS Madeira by boat, foot and basket

WANDERS Paradise on the Atlantic

WANDERS The luxury ‘Spirit’

WANDERS Meaningful travel

100

WARES The world at home

102

WHAT’S NEW AGAIN The world in a glass

104

WEAR A time for history

106

WEAR Home meets fashion design

110

WONDERFUL DINING A fab debut (puns not included)

112

WINE & DINE The return of vermouth

114

WELL Home stretch

116

WELL Safe fun in the sun

118

WELL Father’s Day is every day

120

PET PORTRAITS A dog’s best friend

122

PET OF THE MONTH Pick a Posey

123

PET PORTRAITS Lost and ‘found’

124

WHERE & WHEN Upcoming events

128

WATCH We’re out and about

136

WIT What’s your dream journey?

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COVER: Gwyn Bieff and Ikbal Bozkaya Photograph by Ekol Photography/Gizem Naz Celebi. See story on page 72.

ELLIMAN ON THE MARKET Dee DelBello

Dan Viteri

PUBLISHER dee@westfairinc.com

GROUP ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/CREATIVE dviteri@westfairinc.com

EDITORIAL Bob Rozycki MANAGING EDITOR bobr@westfairinc.com

Georgette Gouveia EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ggouveia@westfairinc.com

Mary Shustack SENIOR WRITER/EDITOR

ART Sebastián Flores ART DIRECTOR sflores@westfairinc.com

Kelsie Mania ART DIRECTOR kmania@westfairinc.com

PHOTOGRAPHY Anthony Carboni, Sebastián Flores, John Rizzo, Bob Rozycki

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jena A. Butterfield, Aleesia Forni, Gina Gouveia, Phil Hall, Debbi K. Kickham, Meghan McSharry, Laura Joseph Mogil, Doug Paulding, Jennifer Pitman, Giovanni Roselli, Bob Rozycki, Gregg Shapiro, Barbara Barton Sloane, Jeremy Wayne, Cami Weinstein, Katie Banser-Whittle

PRINT/DIGITAL SALES Anne Jordan Duffy ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/SALES anne@westfairinc.com Lisa Cash, Barbara Hanlon, Neale Muccio, Marcia Pflug ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

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WHAT IS WAG?

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Some readers think WAG stands for “Westchester and Greenwich.” We certainly cover both. But mostly, a WAG is a wit and that’s how we think of ourselves, serving up piquant stories and photos to set your own tongues wagging.

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A division of Westfair Communications Inc., 701 Westchester Ave., White Plains, NY 10604 Telephone: 914-694-3600 | Facsimile: 914-694-3699 Website: wagmag.com | Email: ggouveia@westfairinc.com All news, comments, opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations in WAG are those of the authors and do not constitute opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations of the publication, its publisher and its editorial staff. No portion of WAG may be reproduced without permission.WAG is distributed at select locations, mailed directly and is available at $24 a year for home or office delivery. To subscribe, call 914-694-3600, ext. 3020. All advertising inquiries should be directed to Anne Jordan at 914694-3600, ext. 3032 or email anne@westfairinc.com. Advertisements are subject to review by the publisher and acceptance for WAG does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service. WAG (Issn: 1931-6364) is published monthly and is owned and published by Westfair Communications Inc. Dee DelBello, CEO, dee@westfairinc.com

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WAGGERS

T H E TA L E N T B E H I N D O U R PA G E S

JENA A. BUTTERFIELD

ROBIN COSTELLO

GINA GOUVEIA

PHIL HALL

DEBBI K. KICKHAM

MEGHAN MCSHARRY

DOUG PAULDING

JENNIFER PITMAN

JOHN RIZZO

GIOVANNI ROSELLI

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MARY SHUSTACK

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COVER STORY: GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PAGE 72

NEW WAGGER Britain’s ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD worked on the first series of the TV panel game show “QI.” After leaving, he began to investigate foreign languages, examining 280 dictionaries and 140 websites. This led to the creation of his first book of three in 2005, “The Meaning of Tingo,” featuring words that have no equivalent in the English language. Adam is now a regular international travel writer and luxury hotel reviewer, having written for the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph and numerous travel print and digital publications.

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EDITOR’S LETTER BY GEORGET TE GOUVEIA

“I didn't go to the moon. I went much further — for time is the longest distance between places.” — Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” As we approach the halfway point in our year of fascination — hard to believe it’s June already — our annual “Journeys” issue plays with the idea of time as defined in the closing speech of Williams’ poetic play. “Seasons and places are two sides of the same coin,” pianist George Winston tells Gregg. “A place has to have a season and a season’s got to be in a place….” The seasons provide the framework for the place that is Block Island, Rhode Island — or at least for the poems Alice Feeley has written about it — as you’ll see in our story about the Dobbs Ferry resident’s new book. Few places were not touched by the four seasons that made up 1969, as we note in our opening essay, but particularly by a summer that embraced triumph (the Apollo 11 moon landing, Woodstock) and tragedy (Charles Manson, Stonewall, Chappaquiddick). The summer of ’69 also belonged to the New York Mets and a young pitcher whose name would become as synonymous with the Amazins’ as Joe Namath’s was with the Super Bowl Champion Jets earlier that year — former Greenwich resident Tom Seaver. Sadly, he has now withdrawn from public life to his vineyard home in his native California, a victim of dementia. He may not remember us, but we remember him and what he meant to the Big Apple as a Mets’ supernova and Yankees broadcaster as well. Seaver is just one of the legendary figures we look back on in this issue. Earlier in that decade — the spring of 1961 — two cultural titans were poised to make breakthroughs. That April Rudolf Nureyev leapt from behind the Iron Curtain to bring a new animal magnetism and excitement to male dancing in the West. Two months later, Luciano Pavarotti made his professional debut in what would become a signature role, as Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème.” Both are the subject of new films — Nureyev, Ralph Fiennes’ feature “The White Crow” and the documentary “Nureyev”; and Pavarotti, Ron Howard’s documentary “Pavarotti: Genius is Forever,” opening June 7. We wonder what Rudi and Lucianis-

simo would have made of “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” The Met Costume Institute’s offering, which includes ballet and opera in a sweeping definition of the subject that plays fast and loose with history in the process. Our other major theme this month is the Mediterranean. Moving West to East, new Wagger Adam Jacot de Boinod visits the Portuguese island of Madeira while longtime freelancer Jeremy — who has joined our staff in White Plains — visits Portugal’s capital, Lisbon (on the Atlantic but Mediterranean in feel). (Jeremy also resumes his former duties as Wonderful Dining columnist with a review of the French-accented restaurant The Gramercy in Yorktown Heights, then weighs in with pieces on globetrotting journalist Fareed Zakaria and purposeful boutique travel companies. We can’t say enough about how happy we are to have him in a greater capacity.) Barbara sails the Mediterranean and three of the other Seven Seas, while we consider Thames & Hudson’s new travel tome “New Map Italy.” And then we speak with Neil Bieff, one of our favorite fashion designers, for our cover story, his take on son Gwyn’s marriage to Turkish native Ikbal Bozkaya. Turns out, Neil hasn’t lost a son, he’s gained a whole other culture. Ever intrepid, we travel on to trending Thailand before turning closer to home for Gina’s stories on Indian-born chef Rajni Menon and Connecticut day trips; Robin’s look at upcoming cultural overlooks on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge; Jena’s profile of Scarsdale lawyer Sean Cohen, who’s helping the people of Botswana take greater control of their diamond industry, and her visit to wedding/meeting venue LaKota Oaks in Norwalk. Not every journey ends in a wedding or the dream destinations of this month’s Wits. Phil revisits the poignant tale of the Old Leatherman, a vagabond who crisscrossed WAG country in the 19th century, leaving an impression on those he nevertheless eluded. Life has its heartaches and joys, its frivolity and peril. Yet it remains a journey of hope. As Daniel L. Reardon once put it, “In the long run the pessimist may be proven right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip.”

THE SU ER OF ’69 BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

"And now the times are changin' Look at everything that's come and gone Sometimes when I play that old six-string I think about you, wonder what went wrong Standin' on your mama's porch You told me that it'd last forever Oh, and when you held my hand I knew that it was now or never Those were the best days of my life" – “Summer of ’69,” by Bryan Adams and James Douglas Vallance. © Universal Music Publishing Group It was the “best of times” and “worst of times” — the year of improbable wins for the New York Jets and Mets and Pyrrhic victory on Vietnam’s Hamburger Hill; of a giant leap for mankind on the moon and the death of Camelot on Chappaquiddick Island; of love-ins at Woodstock and riots at Stonewall Inn and a killing at the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Speedway in California. It was a year in which a newly inaugurated, controversial president, Richard Nixon, promised to bring us together; Mario Puzo made readers an offer they couldn’t refuse with “The Godfather” and Peter Fonda took to the open road in “Easy Rider.” What he found at its end was death. Death seemed to be everywhere in 1969, which was also the year of Charles Manson. These are, for many, mere names and faces in history books 50 years on — shadows and ghosts whose villains can no longer hurt us but whose heroes and antiheroes may inspire us still. The year is then both another lifetime and a not-sodistant mirror. Perhaps that’s why it transcends its golden 14

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jubilee. We want to look back on another polarizing time to console ourselves or is it perhaps to delude ourselves with the notion that things aren’t as bad as they were? Or if they are, then we, too, can survive challenging times. But there is also a nostalgia for what was many baby boomers’ youth, the so-called “best days of my life,” as singer Bryan Adams put it in his song “Summer of ’69” (albeit in 1984). Even Nixon, who would resign in the tumult of Watergate five years later only to reemerge as an elder statesman, is looking good as we recall his intelligence, political skills and experience and accomplishments in opening up China, funding the war on cancer and starting the Environmental Protection Agency. We remember, too, that when it came time to ask what the president knew and when he knew it, Democrats and Republicans alike in Congress did the right, nonpartisan thing. Ah, the good old days, yet not always so. In 1969, there was no #MeToo — the women’s movement being in its nascent, bra-burning phase — and LGBTQ? Fuhgeddabout. Indeed, it was the continued harassment and disenfranchisement of gays, lesbians and transvestites that led to the June 28 and 29 riots at the mob-owned Stonewall Inn, a gay bar that was actually a shakedown place. Out of the fire and blood that resulted from a community fed up with mob blackmail and periodic police arrests came the birth of the gay rights movement. In a sense, Stonewall encapsulated a summer, a year and a decade in which good and evil traveled the same road. Perhaps it is always thus, but in the summer of ’69 that seemed particularly true. On the night of July 18, U.S. Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy drove off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island while escorting Mary Jo Kopechne back to her hotel from a reunion of those who had worked on Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign the year before. Her death in an accident that Ted

Earthrise viewed from lunar orbit prior to landing. Courtesy NASA. WAGMAG.COM 15 JUNE 2019

Apollo 11 liftoff from launch tower camera. Courtesy NASA.

Kennedy did not report until a day later — and for which he would receive a suspended sentence for leaving its scene — was viewed as the end, too, of his presidential hopes and the Camelot-like era of glamour and hope that had been ushered in with his brother John’s administration. And yet, two days after the accident, a promise of that administration — that Americans would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade — was fulfilled when Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, pilot of the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle, landed on the surface of Earth’s only satellite. Half a billion people watched breathless and spellbound as Armstrong emerged from the lunar module with the words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Three weeks later on Aug. 8, members of the Manson Family, acting on Charles Manson’s instruction, murdered pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four friends at her home in Los Angeles. A day later, Manson and six cult members murdered supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary. Ultimately, Manson’s drugaddled, middle-class followers would be convicted of nine murders, including two that had been committed in July. He himself was sentenced to life for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in seven of the deaths. (He died of complications of colon cancer on March 20 of last year.) Contrast this with the “spark of beauty” as Joni Mitchell described Woodstock, the music festival that was actually held at Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in nearby Bethel, New York. More than 400,000 were on hand Aug. 15 through 18 to hear such artists as The Band, The Who, Santana, Richie Havens and Jimi Hendrix. Who will be at Watkins Glen, New York, Aug. 16-18 to hear Miley Cyrus, The Lumineers, Melanie and David Crosby and Friends, among others, perform at “Woodstock 50”? No doubt many of the same people who will be at moon events this summer, including “Apollo’s Muse: The Moon in the Age of Photography,” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art July 3 through Sept. 22. However we mark the 50th anniversary of a terrible, terrific, tumultuous year, one thing is certain: We’ll be partying like it’s 1969. For more, visit Woodstock.com and metmuseum.org.

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MOR THAN ‘ONE NIGHT IN BA GKOK’ BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Thailand is trending. And why not? This is a country in which the impossible can become probable, where a street vendor can have Michelin accreditation, goats do recycling and chickens, like other workers, are on duty, retired or on holiday. Perhaps that’s why last year, 35.4 million people visited this Southeast Asian nation — an increase of 8.6 percent from 2017, says Steve Johnson, manager of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s New York office. More than 1 million of those visitors came from the United States — a 6.4 percent increase over the previous year — with the U.S. leading in the number of tourists from the Americas Region. But the Thai tourism authority isn’t resting on its laurels. “Our mandate is growth…in the luxury traveler, the high-end traveler market,” Johnson says. To that end, he spoke recently at Neiman Marcus Westchester’s “Art of Travel” event about the pillars of the Thai tourism industry. The first will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever had a Thai deep-tissue massage — wellness. This also includes meditation, yoga and such “soft adventures” as hiking and trekking. These are particularly appealing, Johnson says, to the female tourists who are an increasing part of the Thai market, outstripping male visitors. The other pillar is culinary. “Of course, Thai cuisine

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is very well-known and loved around the world. But it’s taken to another level in Thailand.” Indeed, that’s where chefs like the Michelin-accredited Bangkok street vendor come in. Her name is Jay Fai, and she has people waiting for more than an hour for one of her crabmeat omelets. Her crab curries are also a hit, as is her dried congee, a watery rice mixture to which you can add sundry meats and condiments. Like other world capitals, Bangkok is also garnering a reputation for foreign cuisine, particularly French, Italian and Indian. “It’s a mecca for food,” says Johnson, who represented his native Dominica and Curaçao, both in the Caribbean, before joining the Thai tourist authority in 2010. No doubt Bangkok heads the lists of many tourists, but what the tourism authority wants to show you are those aspects of the city that may be off the beaten path. So, yes, Johnson says, everyone wants to see the Grand Palace, actually a complex of buildings crowned by distinctive golden step cupolas that has served as the official home of the kings Siam — as the country was formerly known — and Thailand since 1782. But what about the creative district and Chinatown as well? Bangkok is must-see, as is Chiang Mai, a UNESCO Creative City in the north known for its parks, museums, festivals and houses of worship; and Phuket, the largest of Thailand’s many islands in the south, a marine paradise. But there are also emerging destinations, Johnson says. Among them is Sukhothai, the

Tha Kha Floating Market, Samut Songkhram. Photographs courtesy Tourism Authority of Thailand.

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first capital of Thailand. Founded in 1238, this UNESCO World Heritage Site lies about 265 miles north of Bangkok where it is famed for its ruins and national parks. Another is Khao Lak, about 37 miles from Phuket and offering a more laid-back beach resort that’s ideal for adventurers, honeymooners and families alike. A third is Yao Noi, an island that’s only accessible by boat. You land in Phuket, Johnson says, where you’re met by staff of the Six Senses Yao Noi for the short speedboat ride to the resort, nestled amid limestone pinnacles that rise above Phang Nga Bay. Its panorama fans out before you, particularly when you’re lazing about the rooftop pool. “Six Senses is a place of peace and tranquility for those who want to be in touch with themselves,” Johnson says. Here you can pick your own eggs for breakfast at a chicken coop whose signs note which of the hens are on duty, retired or vacationing. Whatever you don’t eat, well, the goats are on hand for recycling. “Six Senses is a place that forces you to become in tune with your senses,” Johnson says. Not the least of which is your sense of humor. For more, visit thailandinsider.com and thaitheknotspecialist.com. Aerial photograph of paddy at Mae La Noi, Mae Hong Son.

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BY MARY SHUSTACK

From the evocative black-and-white portrait that fills a wall at the entrance of the exhibition to his trademark voice filling the air, the spirit of Leonard Cohen is palpable throughout “Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything.” The multimedia exhibition dedicated to the life, legacy and enduring influence of the late Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and author continues through Sept. 8 at the Jewish Museum. The elaborate exhibition’s Manhattan incarnation — it fills galleries on three of the museum’s floors — marks the first stop of the international touring show that originated at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC). Organized by the art institution in Cohen’s hometown, “A Crack in Everything” has been curated by John Zeppetelli, director and chief curator at the MAC, and Victor Shiffman, co-curator. When WAG was invited to walk the exhibition before the doors opened in Manhattan, it was easy to become quickly drawn in by the captivating approach, one that integrates performances and interview segments featuring Cohen (1934-2016) with commissioned works by international artists who have been inspired by the icon. Claudia Gould, the Jewish Museum’s Helen Goldsmith Menschel director, began her remarks during the preview program by noting she toured the exhibition in Montreal, entering as a “very cheerful, passionate” Cohen fan emerging some five hours later still a “very passionate Leonard Cohen fan — but crying.” It was, she said, a “beautiful, extraordinary, moving experience.” To bring the exhibition to New York and share it means a lot, she added: “Mr. Cohen is not about a generation. It’s about a life. There is no beginning and no end.” 22

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That sentiment was echoed by Zeppetelli, the co-curator, who said the initial plan was simply to mount a major exhibition at MAC as part of the celebration of the city of Montreal’s 375th anniversary — and the focus soon revealed itself. “We couldn’t think of anybody more powerful than Leonard Cohen,” he said. They began the project with word of Cohen’s tacit approval — Cohen’s representatives, Zeppetelli said, “conveyed Leonard would not get in our way” — and were galvanized to continue following his death. “We felt it was even more important… that the show must absolutely go on.” And go on it did, debuting in Montreal in November of 2017 to continue into April of 2018. Of course, with someone like Cohen — a worldwide figure with a multifaceted career spanning decades — the scope would be broad. Instead of a biographical tribute filled with memorabilia, though, “A Crack in Everything” looks at Cohen through the eyes of contemporary artists. There are immersive experiences, such as Israeli artist Ari Folman’s thought-provoking “Depression Chamber” video installation — a solo experience in which you enter a darkened room, lie on a bed of sorts and get swept away by Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat,” its lyrics projected onto the walls before they turn into animated symbols and create a memorable finale. Then, there is “The Poetry Machine,” Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller’s interactive mixed-media installation featuring a Wurlitzer organ that offers up Cohen’s voice reading one of his works when a key is played. Museum-goers can hum along to what has become the ubiquitous

Leonard Cohen. Courtesy Old Ideas LLC .

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cover song, Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” in “Heard There Was a Secret Chord” by the art and design studio Daily tous les jours or simply plop down in the topfloor “Listening to Leonard” gallery, where interpretations of Cohen songs by everyone from Moby to Lou Doillon to The National with Sufjan Stevens, Ragnar Kjartansson and Richard Reed Parry play. Throughout the show, there are also additional video installations, projections of some 220 Cohen self-portraits, theater installations and, drawing plenty of attention, a glass-enclosed copy of The New York Times featuring Cohen’s obituary. There are the more expected, perhaps, explorations, such as “The Offerings,” a 35-minute looped video installation by Kara Blake that’s drawn from decades of archival Cohen interviews — sometimes humorous, sometimes deep. In assorted clips, he speaks on subjects ranging from his start and his beliefs to his reputation and his goals. As the curators Zeppetelli and Shiffman write in the accompanying exhibition book: “Leonard Cohen’s thinking, writing and music are a thing of beauty and despair. For decades, the novelist, poet and singer/songwriter tenaciously supplied the world with melancholy but urgent observations on the state of the human heart. With equal

parts gravitas and grace, he teased out a startingly inventive and singular language, depicting both a rapturous, or sometimes liturgical, spirituality and an earthly sexuality. Yet, with characteristic humility, he has said he never really aimed for anything more exalted than to simply be able to sing someone a song.” And that singing is most artfully celebrated in what might be considered the exhibition showpiece, George Fok’s 2017 “Passing Through,” a multichannel video installation that lasts nearly an hour. We find Fok, a Hong Kong-born, Montreal-based artist, standing just outside the entrance — and he shares that his work indeed serves as counterpoint to Blake’s exploration of Cohen, the person, in the adjacent gallery. “Passing Through,” he tells us, “is about Leonard as a performer on stage. It’s the Leonard he wanted you to know.” It’s a bit of time travel reflecting a broader theme, as Fok says, “Life is very transient… at the same time, it’s a celebration of life, the duality.” The tour-deforce compilation of Cohen performances through the decades (sometimes switching eras within the same song) takes over a dimmed room filled with seating platforms and beanbag chairs strewn across the floor. It draws an immediate and con-

WE NEVER FORGET WHO YOU ARE INSIDE.

stant crowd. And, Fok noted, it’s a testament to Cohen’s continuing effect: “You look at the piece. You feel like he’s still around, his aura.” Back within the installation, a man and woman next to us, having savored quite a few songs, seem to be delving into their own impressions of Cohen. The woman turns to her companion, simply saying, “He connected to people. He just connected.” And “Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything” seems to be doing the same thing. You could easily spend an entire day experiencing the exhibition in all its facets. As with “David Bowie is,” the blockbuster at the Brooklyn Museum last year, it’s clear that this ode to yet another compelling cultural icon gone too soon will resonate with visitors throughout its run. Oh, and the exhibition’s title? It’s drawn from lyrics to a Cohen song, “Anthem:” “Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in.” “Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything” continues, with related programming, through Sept. 8 at the Jewish Museum, at 1109 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. For more, visit TheJewishMuseum.org.

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GON’ SPACEY STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI

If you happened to be walking in downtown Stamford last month, you would’ve thought Area 51 had set up a body shop for UFOs on the ground floor of Atlantic Station. Several artists — humans or those appeared to be so — were at work in the pop-up studio (provided by RXR Realty and the Cappelli Organization) camouflaging the space vehicles. These UFOs were reminiscent of the smooth metallic ones in “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and other 1950s sci-fi films — unlike those dark, craggy behemoths in “Independence Day.” Along with the flying saucers, 8-foot tall rocket ships were also parked, perhaps ready for a pitched interstellar battle. But the worry was all for naught. Annette Einhorn, director of events and marketing with Stamford Downtown, which promotes the business district, explained that it was a friendly alien incursion and not one to fret over. “Space Invasion,” presented by commercial real estate finance firm UC Funds, will be a summer-long public art exhibit along the streets and parks of the city’s downtown, she said. Last year, a 30-foot tall Marilyn Monroe, captured in her iconic white halter dress from the 1955 film “The Seven Year Itch,” was the center of attention. This year the idea was space invasion. “Artists brainstormed with us,” Einhorn says, and came up with a plan for three different forms of spacecraft — a crashed UFO, a UFO with a beam coming out of it and a rocket. A call went out for artists, who submitted 250 different designs. A jury met and lasered it down to 60 pieces. It was then up to 30 business and corporate sponsors to take a

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look and choose the winners. “Space Girls in the City” by Cyn Elise Sterback of Shelton is a nod to “Sex and the City” complete with little alien females clutching their hands as they ride the beam up to a big yellow New York City taxicab. Sterback described the frenetic scene: “My little alien characters, they’ve been shopping in New York all day ... and now they’re on their way back home and the taxi is coming to get them … and they’re climbing up the ladder here one by one and hanging onto each other … and this one lost her grip and she fell off and this one is ‘oh nooo’ … she dropped her shopping bags! And these here are running to catch the taxi and they’re pulling their friends saying, ‘Wait, wait for us.’” Since the artists cannot be hanging around all summer to describe their works or the thought processes that went into creating them, there will be an app, Otocast, that will serve as an audio guide to each piece and include an interview with the artist, Einhorn said. Amrita Majumder is one of five adventurous artists who decided to take on two pieces. She took the pale white fiberglass rocket and created “Tropical Paradise,” creating a tree and covering it with colorful birds — a toucan, hummingbird and a parrot. The billowing exhaust of the rocket serves as the root. Her other sculpture is “Stamford Got Visitors!” painting the Stamford Public Library and Landmark Square on the beam. “A big alien will be on top and small ones descending down the beam,” she said. And to give them a bit of a pop at night, she is going to use glow-in-the-dark paint. Cindy Lau and Steve Habersang work with each other at Taylor Design on Main Street in Stamford. Both graphic designers, Habersang said, “We’re not exactly fine artists by trade.” Cindy added, “We both do illustrations.”

Cindy Lau and Steve Habersang put the finishing touches on their tall tasty looking 27 piece. JUNE 20198-foot WAGMAG.COM

Habersang said, “My work tends to be more pen and ink, Cindy’s is more kind of graphic, cartoonish in style. We both love pop art.” So when they saw the rocket, “We both saw Popsicle.” So they created “Rocket Pop.” Or more specifically, the Bomb Pop, the tri-flavored, tri-colored frozen confection invented in 1955 and a favorite among kids on beaches nationwide. Lau: “We both love ice cream. We both love summer. We love fun, bright colors.” Habersang: “We just really wanted it to stand out in the environment. …It’s kind of graphic like the work we do. …I’m happy. I think it came out real nice.” And the secret to those massive drips? “We added an epoxy clay to have them pop out a bit,” he said. “We imagine a lot of people posing with it,” he said, with tongues fake licking. Come Labor Day, all the artwork will be rounded up and touched up for an auction with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Veterans Park Initiative. On June 12, Stamford Downtown will host an opening reception for "Space Invasion" in Stamford Downtown. This official kickoff celebration and tours for sponsors and the public will be held at the Residence Inn by Marriott Stamford Downtown. For an invitation, call 203-348-5285. For more, visit stamford-downtown.com.

7.75 x 4.75

Amrita Majumder adds color to the tropics.

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STI L TOM TERRIFIC BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

When I was 13, one of my father’s drivers – my father owned a limousine service – gave me something he thought was sure to impress. It was an autographed photograph of Tom Seaver, star pitcher for the 1969 “Miracle Mets,” as they were known. But I being 13 – and a Yankees fan – accepted it with mere politesse and filed it away. My next encounter with Seaver left a far different, indelible impression, for now I was interviewing the man himself. The occasion was the press preview of “Diamonds Are Forever: Artists and Writers on Baseball,” a 1987 Smithsonian Institution and New York State Museum, Albany, traveling exhibition that was “playing” at the New York Public Library’s main branch on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. It was a memorable day. I interviewed cultural historian David Halberstam on a marble bench in the library’s lobby. Vartan Gregorian, then the library’s president, spoke at a luncheon that featured chocolate truffles in the shape of mini baseballs. We all took turns in a batting cage. Seaver was among the baseball greats on hand for the event and he immediately captivated me with his ability to analyze art. The exhibit’s works included Harvey Dinnerstein’s “The Wide Swing” (1974), an oil on canvas of legendary Yankees centerfielder Joe DiMaggio at bat that served as the accompanying catalog’s cover image. Seaver discussed how Dinnerstein captured the sinewy tension in the Yankee Clipper’s swing — the drawnback bat becoming an extension of his arms, paralleling his bent right leg; the catcher and umpire one in crouch30

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ing anticipation. Seaver said that wherever he was on the road in his baseball career, he always made it his business to visit a local museum. (The Detroit Institute of Arts was a favorite.) That conversation crystallized for me what I suppose I had always known as a baseball fan: That Seaver belonged to that breed of ballplayer who relied on brains as much as exceptional talent for a Hall of Fame career. That memory came flooding back with poignant irony as we learned on March 7 that the onetime Greenwich resident, so sharp on the mound and off, was suffering from dementia and retiring from public life. (The former Mets, Yankees and NBC color commentator lives with his wife, Nancy, on their 116-acre Calistoga, California, spread, where he started Seaver Family Vineyards in 2002.) After the announcement, tributes came pouring in as well. Some two weeks later, Westchester County honored members of the Miracle Mets — including Duffy Dwyer, Cleon Jones, Ed Kranepool, Jim McAndrew, Art Shamsky and Ron Swoboda — at Stew Leonard’s in Yonkers. At the event, Stew Leonard Jr., president and CEO of the supermarket chain, announced that its Wishing Well proceeds would benefit the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of Seaver. (Teammate Buddy Harrelson was diagnosed with dementia in 2016.) New York City is also saluting the man that the Mets and their fans knew as “The Franchise.” A strip of 126th Street in Queens will be known as Seaver Way, with Citi Field, which succeeded Shea Stadium as the Mets’ home, located at 41 Seaver Way for the number Seaver wore with the team. (The club retired it in 1988.) The renaming

"The Franchise:" Tom Seaver pitching for the New York Mets.

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ceremony, which will be held June 27 at Citi Field, is a fitting honor for a man who had a golden career — National League Rookie of the Year (in 1967), three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and 12-time All-Star. In 20 seasons, Seaver had 311 wins, including a 1978 no-hitter, 3,640 strikeouts, 61 shutouts and a 2.86 earned run average. Pretty good for a Fresno, California, kid considered too slight for baseball. What he lacked initially in size and power Seaver made up for in determination and control, pitching his way through Fresno High School, the United States Marine Corps Reserves, Fresno City College and, ultimately, the University of Southern California, which he attended on scholarship. But for some legal wrangling involving the relationship between collegiate and professional sports, Seaver might’ve wound up with the archrival Atlanta Braves. But the Mets were awarded the signing rights and, after a stint with the Jacksonville Suns in the minors, Seaver proved one of the bright spots for the last-place team in 1967. The following year would offer more of the same — stellar Seaver, lousy Mets — but in 1969, a mere seven years after debuting as a hapless franchise and Big Apple laughingstock, the team would earn their ironic nickname, the Amazins, by running the table and shocking the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series in five games.

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The New York Mets retired "41," Tom Seaver's number.

Seaver continued to be a winner for a team that would once again exceed expectations in 1973, only to lose to the Oakland Athletics in a World Series that went down to the seventh game. But then came the so-called “Midnight Massacre” in 1977 when contract negotiations and ugly press about Seaver’s “greed” led the Mets to trade him to the Cincinnati Reds in the 11th hour. Seaver would thrive with the Reds as the Mets foundered — rejoining the Amazins in 1982 for two years before finishing his career with the Chicago White Sox

and then, briefly, the Boston Red Sox, with whom he made his last Major League Baseball appearance on Sept. 19, 1986. New York, though, never forgets a favorite son. Oddly enough, two of Seaver’s greatest moments would come at the home of the Mets’ crosstown rivals. Shortly after being traded to the Reds, Seaver received a prolonged standing ovation in the 1977 All-Star Game, played at the House That Ruth Built. Then on Aug. 4, 1985, Seaver, now with the White Sox, beat the Bombers 4-1 for his 300th win. It was the last time I saw Seaver pitch. He was at the end of a glorious career — relying more on brains and guts perhaps than on his fastball but still capable of dazzling — and I thought of the words that I often think of in such situations, those of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses”: “Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho' We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson once said of Seaver that he was so good, blind men came to the park just to hear him pitch. He also said Tom Terrific pitched with his heart. Oh, Reggie, we always knew that.

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A Botswana village grandmother and her grandchild wait for her daughter to finish work. Photographs courtesy Sean Cohen.

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JUNE 2019

A MULTFACETED JOURNE BY JENA A. BUTTERFIELD

Much value can be gained from a diamond in the rough. Skilled polishers can turn the stone into an opulent gem by cutting it precisely until only 45 percent of its original weight is left. The rest is turned into dust. If all the facets are laid perfectly — 58 is the standard — you get the most beautiful jewel. But there are also the gem’s multifaceted meanings. As the hardest natural substance in existence, forged deep within the earth by extreme pressure and temperature, the diamond symbolizes strength and perseverance, uniqueness and luxury. It’s also widely celebrated as a symbol of purity, light and — since the Renaissance — a promise of enduring love. That’s why “a diamond is always for a happy occasion,” Sean Cohen says. A Scarsdale resident, Cohen is president and CEO of Rand Diamonds, a company with roots in South Africa that go back three generations. He believes that everything about a diamond should be beautiful — from mining to polishing — and calls the effort a “virtuous cycle,” meaning that no step in the process of obtaining such a natural wonder should lead to a compromised conscience. This isn’t always the case in the diamond business. The gem’s reputation has been marred by the scourge of conflict, or “blood,” diamonds as competing forces have used the stones to finance civil wars, a situation dramatized in the 2006 Leonardo DiCaprio film “Blood Diamond.” That scenario has made customers wary. “As a consumer, I might want and like a diamond but I’d have all of these concerns,” he says. For more than 20 years Cohen has made strides to ensure the resource becomes solely an engine that drives well-being across the board. His hope is to change the paradigm and he’s made significant headway. Cohen was living in South Africa in the 1990s when he became head of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association and was ap-

proached by someone from the nonprofit Global Witness. “He said I was in a position to do something about (conflict diamonds),” Cohen says. So, Cohen helped establish The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), a United Nations-approved effort to clean up the diamond trade by requiring member states to set up a control system for rough diamonds. The system is robust and has led to significant change, but there are loopholes, leading Global Witness to pull out of the initiative in 2011. Still, Cohen is forging ahead, with change elsewhere. “To me I want to take it further forward,” he says. Which brings us to the business facet of diamonds in Botswana, now one of the biggest suppliers of conflict-free diamonds in the world. After the discovery of the first massive diamond mine a year after Botswana gained independence from Britain in 1966, the country leapt from one of the poorest nations on the continent to one of the most prosperous. Now the diamond industry accounts for a whopping 65 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP.) After a long history in South Africa, Cohen proposed the idea that diamonds should be not just mined but also polished in Botswana as a way to ensure that the community would benefit more directly from industry revenue. (Comparatively, less than 5% of South Africa’s GDP comes from diamonds, so the government there was less motivated to move in that direction.) “It was just the logical thing to do to look at Botswana,” Cohen says. The African country is home to some of the richest diamond mines in the world. They follow internationally recognized labor and environmental standards and benefit from strong democratic governance. Perhaps you saw the sparkle emanating from the finger of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex? Her yellow-gold engagement ring, designed by Prince Harry himself, contains a square-cut diamond from Botswana, a country they visited early in the courtship, flanked by two diamonds that belonged to his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2007, Rand launched a training program to teach villagers in Botswana how to polish diamonds to the highest standard in the world,

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Sean Cohen at a factory in Botswana.

GIA (Gemological Institute of America) triple excellent. It’s proven an effective way to lift people up to the middle class, create jobs and lead to development. “The first generation got food and medication,” Cohen says of the effect diamonds have had on the economy in Botswana since the 1960s. “And the next generation got education.” Many who benefited from that education went on to roles in government. They implemented legislative changes to control their mineral wealth and leverage the benefit of its reserves for its peo-

He should know. “I figured the best way for me to learn (the industry) was to start polishing,” he says of his early career in South Africa that began around the time Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990. “That gave me my first appreciation. I understood how much skill was involved.” Cohen went on to sort diamonds, grading them by color, clarity, carat and cut. He says after looking at diamond after diamond, he began to notice some of them had a special quality. It made him realize the value of the cut. Two years ago, Cohen introduced Rand Defined Diamonds, a stainless steel and glass disc that can hold one to three loose diamonds sold at the Polished Trade Price (PTP), which is the price that global retailers pay for diamonds. “Diamonds of engagement ring size, that’s the market that’s always liquid,” he says of the markup a retailer may charge. “We wanted to be able to showcase the diamond,” he adds of the disc. “A picture has to have a frame. You can actually hold $1 million in the palm of your hand.” Fifty percent of disc sales are to grandparents who want the experience of presenting a gift that passes on wealth other than intangibles like inherited stock. “(Diamonds are) full of meaning, emotions and great value,” he says. “And that value doesn’t depreciate.” For more, visit randdiamonds.com.

ple. “They were fortunate to be blessed with great leadership,” Cohen says. “It’s like the Switzerland of Africa.” By the third generation — the millennial generation — the people of Botswana wanted more economic opportunities. “Polishing is the valued added part,” Cohen says, “and the knowledge part.” More than 80% of those going through polishing and management training at Rand Diamonds are women. “There are less men applying,” he adds. “The world has changed.” Training facilities like the one started by Rand have helped transform the landscape for these women used to limited economic prospects into a homegrown workforce of artisans. “This is something that has done good all the way through the chain,” Cohen says. “You’re giving real opportunity to people.” He continues to visit Botswana three to eight times a year. He says the country needs to take full advantage of its resource. The number of diamonds being mined is shrinking and, he adds, in Botswana, diamonds may run out by as early as 2030. The time it takes for the workforce to become skilled in the craft “is very much dependent on people’s innate skills. But someone could become productive in some capacity within six months. And within two years be polishing to a high standard of quality.”

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TH SEASONS OF GEORG WINSTON BY GREGG SHAPIRO

There are probably more than a few record collections in existence since the early 1980s that have at least one George Winston album. His 1982 breakthrough album “December,” considered to be an essential holiday music recording, has earned him a massive following among piano music enthusiasts. At the forefront of the solo melodic piano movement, Winston has covered all four seasons, as well as paid tribute to composer/pianist Vince Guaraldi and the music of The Doors, among others. On his remarkable new album “Restless Wind” (Dancing Cat/RCA), Winston takes an unexpectedly sociopolitical turn, wordlessly commenting on our current situation via songs such as Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” Mark Isham’s “The Times of Harvey Milk,” The Doors’ “The Unknown Soldier,” Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” and José López Alavez’s “Cancion Mixteca (Immigrant’s Lament).” I spoke with Winston about the new album and his creative journey shortly before the album was released in May: Over the course of your long career, you have included cover songs and originals on your albums. When it comes to the originals, what can you tell me about your songwriting process? “There really kind of isn’t any. Usually, when I’m at the piano, something starts happening. I write down the chords and play it a little bit. The next day, maybe it’s still there, maybe it isn’t. Maybe it evaporates away. Or maybe I’ll use part of it later as an introduction to something. Something emerges from the subconscious every so often. It either stays around or it doesn’t. If it has a picture (associated) with it, a season or a topography or something like that, then it often stays around.”

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So, this picture, as you called it, becomes part of the inspiration? “Yes. It could be when I’m feeling inspired or not. It can be that I’m just practicing something else and I go, ‘Oh, that seems pretty good.’” Your association with Windham Hill Records beginning in the early 1980s meant that you were tagged as a New Age musician. What did that kind of label mean to you and in what ways did that help or hinder your artistry? “I have nothing to do with that sensibility. I always called it ‘melodic piano.’ That (New Age tag) was just a mistake. I don’t really know anything about whatever that is.” What does it mean to you that your “December” album has become a winter holiday classic? “I leave it up to each listener. Everybody’s got their own taste in music. There’s no right or wrong. We’ve all got our tastes and the albums that we buy. It gives me a chance to play more live. I don’t really keep track of sales. It’s really all just about the playing — what I am working on in the studio, what the next show (is that) I am going to be playing some place.” There is a distinctly political tone to your new album “Restless Wind,” heard in your interpretations of songs such as “A Change Is Gonna Come,” “For What It’s Worth,” “The Unknown Soldier” and “Cancion Mixteca,” to mention a few. What would you say was the impetus for putting together this selection of songs? “It was much more about what those songs as instrumentals did when they work together. A lot of up-tempo stuff. They’re all just great compositions.”

George Winston. Photograph by Todd V. Wolfson. 39 JUNE 2019 WAGMAG.COM

I met Robby Krieger. He wanted me to check out his studio in Los Angeles when I was there. It was great to meet both of them.”

George Winston’s “Restless Wind” (Dancing Cat/RCA) was released in May.

Do you consider or have you considered yourself to be an activist in any way? “We work with local food banks at every show. We always invite a food bank to the show and ask people to bring canned food if they can. I concentrate in that area.” Speaking of The Doors, you paid tribute to the band on your 2002 album “Night Divides the Day.” Have you had the chance to meet any of the remaining members of The Doors over the years? “I knew Ray Manzarek pretty well. Pretty recently

I was struck by your inclusion of Mark Isham’s “The Times of Harvey Milk” from the documentary of the same name. Did your recording of the song have anything to do with the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots? “No. I’m certainly for freedom and equal opportunity for everyone whoever they are and however they live. It’s just a great ballad. I’ve known that song since seeing the documentary in 1984. It just worked out.” Speaking of movies, the Oscar-winning movie “Green Book” introduced a wide audience to the music of Don Shirley. Was he someone with whom you were familiar and, if so, what did you think of his work? “Oh, yes, I loved his work. That’s a great movie. Amazing. (He was) a great pianist and interpreter.” Have you ever covered or thought about covering any Shirley compositions? “I’ve certainly checked things out over the years. He was a great composer, too. Nothing for me, personally, to play at this point. But you never know.”

Would you please say a few words about your own journeys, professionally and personally, that brought you here today? “I’ve always been most inspired by the seasons. Growing up in eastern Montana, the seasons were so distinct from each other and pretty extreme. I started playing (music) when I heard The Doors in early 1967. I was a fan of instrumentals and organists. I only got the album because the band had an organist in it. They weren’t known that much outside of Los Angeles. I heard that first album and I said, ‘I’ve got to play in a band someday.’ Then I heard Fats Waller’s recordings and in 1971 I switched to solo piano. I came up with the folk piano style, the melodic style and then the complementary style. I wanted something complementary to the up-tempo, Fats Waller stride piano stuff. Songs occasionally started happening in the process we talked about earlier. If a song lasted, it always had a picture of a season or a place. Seasons and places are two sides of the same coin. A place has to have a season and a season’s got to be in a place or a topography. The seasons are the basis for me. Whether it’s a piece I put together or an interpretation.” George Winston performs on Dec. 3 and 4 at Loreto Theater at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture in Manhattan. For more, visit sheencenter. org. He’ll also perform Dec. 6 at Landmark on Main Street in Port Washington. For more, visit landmarkonmainstreet.org.

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BY PHIL HALL

During the latter part of the 19th century, a curious vagabond became one of the most famous people in the region stretching between the Hudson and Connecticut rivers. No one ever learned his name — he was merely known as the Old Leatherman, a reference to his ragged hand-stitched clothing — but his strange life intrigued and captivated nearly everyone who came into contact with him. It isn’t clear when or where the Old Leatherman first appeared — the earliest recorded appearance occurred in Harwinton, Connecticut, in 1858, though he may have been in the region earlier — and he may not have gained much initial notice since it was not unusual for itinerant wanderers to roam the countryside in the pre-Civil War years. But this man clearly stood out in his surroundings. Regardless of the season, he was always dressed in the same coarse leather suit, leather gloves, a battered leather hat and hand-hewn leather and wooden boots. The garments weighed a total of 60 pounds and he carried a large pack that would often weigh just as much. What the Old Leatherman wore was all the more remarkable when you consider his life: He walked a continuous 365-mile clockwise loop through southwestern Connecticut and into lower Fairfield County, then up Westchester County into the lower Hudson River Valley and back into Connecticut by way of Danbury. From there, he headed east to Watertown, then southeast to Middletown, then west to New Canaan and further back into Westchester. The entire trip zigzagged through 41 towns and was made over a 34-day stretch, which he repeated endlessly until his death in 1889. During this period, the region was mostly agricultural and the Old Leatherman would rely on the kindness of farmers for food. These were among the relatively few direct interactions between him and the wider society, and once his routine became settled it never changed: He would arrive at a farmhouse that had been hospitable to him and

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either mime for food or just say “eat.” Without fail, the local townspeople were generous in aiding him, and many even invited him to take shelter in their barns. But the more that people tried to know the Old Leatherman, the more elusive he became. He was never known to accept the invitation of overnight shelter. Instead he created a network of caves where he took refuge during the night. Attempts to give him money were politely rebuffed, although he gladly accepted cigars and tobacco for his tin pipe. And those who pried him for conversation encountered responses in broken English spoken in a heavy French accent. A French-language prayer book was found in his belongings following his death. Some sources claimed that he carried a rosary and would decline the offer of meat on Fridays, leading to speculation of a Roman Catholic heritage — but there is no record of him ever seeking solace in a church. The Old Leatherman became such an integral fixture of local life that newspapers began to focus on his peculiar presence. One of the first articles to cover his travels came in an 1870 edition of the Port Chester Journal under the headline “A Strange Character.” The article’s author found his way into one of the Old Leatherman’s caves in Westchester and detailed a world where “several troughs of different lengths and dimensions (were) used as a receptacle for meat, hides, etc. Two were filled to completion with nauseous looking beef, another contained something which is not usually put down on our ‘bill of fare,’ and the largest contained a cow’s hide immersed in ashes and water to remove the hair preparatory to tanning and which, no doubt, is destined to replenish the dilapidated wardrobe of this eccentric individual.” Another article from that era appeared in the New Haven Evening Register and it portrayed the Old Leatherman taking in a meal provided by a generous farm family. “Slice after slice of bread disappeared,” the article stated, “and huge blocks of meat went after them in rapid succession, and the manner in which he consumed his pie and cake reminded me of an expert magician disposing

The Old Leatherman. Photographs courtesy Westchester County Historical Society.

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of his cards.” The Connecticut Valley Advertiser devoted an 1875 article to him, asking its readers, “Where does he come from? And where does he go to? And who is he?” The Waterbury Daily American insisted that it solved the mystery of the Old Leatherman with an 1884 article by W.A. Sailson that claimed he was a Frenchman called Jules Bourglay who descended into madness due to financial and romantic ruin in his native country. The story was quickly debunked by other journalists who could find no evidence to back Sailson’s wild speculations. Other press stories envisioned the Old Leatherman as the keeper of a vast hidden treasure and a grand underground residence, but those tales produced laughter from those who knew the enigmatic wanderer. The Old Leatherman might have been aware of his media celebrity status, as he willingly posed for portraits in the local photographic studios. At least 20 pictures of him are known to exist, though it is not clear if he was compensated for his presence before the cameras. At one point, he became so famous that some villages allowed their schools to close early so the students could greet and wave at the Old Leatherman as he walked through their streets. Farm wives were known to bake bread for him ahead of his arrival in their areas. But he was not universally loved. There were some press reports of violence against the Old Leatherman carried out by rock-throwing

children and miscreant adults, though there is no record of him attacking people. When the Blizzard of 1888 hit the region, there was a great fear for the Old Leatherman’s survival. He persevered, but his health was already deteriorating. A growth on his lip became cancerous, and there were reports that he had trouble consuming food and liquid because of this condition. Some communities sought to have him hospitalized and he was briefly detained and transported to Hartford Hospital, but he escaped shortly after arriving. On March 24, 1889, the Old Leatherman’s body was found in his cave in Mount Pleasant. The coroner determined that he had been dead for several days before being found. In death, the Old Leatherman retained an air of controversy. He was initially buried in an unmarked grave at Sparta Cemetery in Ossining, with a metal pipe as a grave marker. A headstone was placed on the grave in 1953 incorrectly identifying him as Jules Borglay. The grave was moved in 2011, but during the exhumation there was no evidence of a body or a coffin, only some nails — the heavily acidic soil was blamed for the disappearance of his remains. A new headstone marked “The Leatherman” was placed in his honor at the cemetery. This marker still attracts visitors who leave coins and rosaries in honor of the most mysterious man to live in plain sight.

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A DESTINATON WEDDI G CLOSE O HOME BY JENA A. BUTTERFIELD

You’re planning a wedding. It’s complicated. You’ve been imagining this day your entire life and the venue is key. You have an idea of what it should look like and what it should feel like but you need options because, guess what? You’re complicated, too. You may be looking for something bucolic yet close to stores, seemingly remote yet totally convenient. You envision an outdoor ceremony but, then again, inside might feel cozier and you can control the variables. There’s a lot to consider when you’re on the hunt for a wedding venue. At LaKota Oaks in Norwalk, “It can be a destination wedding,” says Christine Imbrogno, director of sales and marketing. “It’s a one stop.” Formerly the Dolce Norwalk, LaKota Oaks just underwent a $5 million renovation with an expedited turnaround. Work started last December and was completed in time for an event on Feb 25. Two crews worked simultaneously to accomplish a total revamping of 123 guestrooms, all meeting spaces and a refreshed lobby with 70-foot atrium, beautiful oak woodwork and unusual architecture. “The property itself is stunning,” Imbrogno says. Upon arrival, guests wind up a quarter-mile driveway through the 66-acre property past wildflower meadows and four ponds before arriving at the three-building center. “It’s breathtaking,” she adds. “We’ve even had local high schools do prom pictures in front of our antique red barn.”

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Imbrogno says couples are drawn to the secluded, peaceful feeling of the property. The historic site was home to a monastery dating from 1903 and a half-mile walking path is dotted with statues that depict the Stations of the Cross. “Brides feel very privileged,” she says. The property is loaded with options and spaces of varying size and feel. You can have separate locations for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception as well as complementary events like the rehearsal dinner and next day brunch. Couples can also arrange for their guests to stay in revamped rooms with new white quartz table tops, carpeting, ceilings, wall coverings, window treatments and lighting. All the double beds were swapped out for queens. And all the queen and king options are adorned with new bedding. During the renovation, Ferndale, the main ballroom (there are 18 event spaces in all) gained an additional 18 feet of space, a large new window and chandeliers. The room can hold 250 people with dancing or 300 without — though for other occasions, such as a recent event with Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, the room accommodated nearly 320. Recently, a couple who had booked the space before the renovations was “blown away” by the changes, says Hazel Scudder, director of catering. “They’re response was overwhelmingly positive. They loved what they had booked, but now we are just elegance exemplified.” And word of mouth is spreading. LaKota Oaks has

The exterior of LaKota Oaks in Norwalk, Photograph courtesy LaKota Oaks.

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earned a five-star rating and a “Best Of” nod from premier wedding planning website, The Knot. The versatile, attractive space is key. But they also have Scudder as a secret weapon. She has forged a reputation as a sought-after wedding planner who makes events at LaKota Oaks feel truly bespoke. “It’s about Hazel,” Imbrogno says. “She’s quite the celebrity but very sincere. She’s got the experience. Hazel’s slogan is ‘I love my brides’.” “I have the best job in the world,” Scudder says. She works tirelessly to create the exact experience a couple envisions. Whether you want a farmhouse feel, a bohemian vibe, something traditional or modern, “We can create any kind of look they want,” she says, “and we only host one wedding at a time.” Imbrogno adds, “Otherwise we don’t feel it’s fair to the bride.” And if a young bride seems unsure or overwhelmed, “Hazel takes the reins,” Imbrogno says, “and people love that.” Scudder puts together the package and tries to make it easy. The only things that a bride needs to worry about are the flowers, photographs and music — although Imbrogno adds, “We do have a preferred vendor list.” Executive chef John Peper works with Scudder to take any event to the next plane. “The chef and his culinary team are unbelievable,” Imbrogno says.

“(The food) will blow your mind.” The feeling of privacy and peacefulness at LaKota Oaks belies the fact that the property lies right off the I-95 corridor. “We are not on the main drag but we are easily accessible,” Imbrogno says — so accessible that the team recently worked with a couple from out of state. “Nobody attending the wedding was from Norwalk,” Scudder adds. “One side was from Philly and the other from Boston and they met in the middle.” That convenience makes LaKota Oaks a sought-after venue for business events as well. Booking hovers around 20 percent for celebratory events and about 80 percent for business events. Liquor distributor Brescome Barton held its black-and-white party at LaKota Oaks and the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce held its gala there. The venue often hosts team- building exercises, summer picnics, corporate retreats and holiday parties. Further updates on the property address their guests’ sense of well-being. “We put a fitness center in our guestroom wing,” Imbrogno says of the “two fitness pods” that were created so guests could roll out of bed and work out. There are massages and yoga as well as an indoor pool. Guests can play tennis, basketball, racquetball and volleyball or relax with a game of bocce or cornhole, a lawn game in which you throw a plastic bag of

resin into a hole on the far end of a raised platform. As far as weddings go, bookings are usually done six months to a year out. “2020 is going fast and furiously,” Imbrogno says, “and there are some inquiries for 2021.” But she adds that the team tries to accommodate every request. “We had a couple come to us five weeks before the wedding.” That effort to accommodate is a guiding principle at LaKota Oaks, of which “lakota” is Sioux for “allies.” Says Scudder, “We have a wonderful relationship with our neighbors.” LaKota Oaks doesn’t close its gates and local residents can stroll the impressive grounds. “What we do want is to work with the community,” Imbrogno adds. “So we can stay here and flourish.” That also means working in companionship with other local venues, such as country clubs that don’t have hotel rooms associated with them. “If they want to put their guests here we can accommodate that, too,” Imbrogno says. Though Scudder enjoys planning all of it, there’s a moment after the ceremony, once the reception has moved past the speeches and the party is underway, that is the proverbial cherry on the wedding cake. “It’s seeing everybody relaxed and enjoying themselves,” she says. “That’s my favorite part of the job.” For more, visit lakotaoaks.com.

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CAMP NG IT UP AT T E MET BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

“Too much pink,” one critic pronounced at the press preview for “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute exhibit, on view through Sept. 9. As if: As if there could ever be too much pink, particularly in an exhibit that can be summed up in 1930s blond bombshell Mae West’s adage: “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.” Or, as waggish 19th-century author and dandy Oscar Wilde observed: “Moderation is a fatal thing….Nothing succeeds like excess.” West and Wilde were exemplars of camp. But then, apparently, so were the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Renaissance and Baroque artists they inspired, “Sun King” Louis XIV, Art Nouveau, the flappers of the Roaring ’20s, drag, ballet, opera, movies and, of course, fashion — to name a few. Indeed as you read this, you’re probably already in touch with your inner campiness, for the exhibit takes as its inspiration Susan Sontag’s seminal 1964 essay “Notes on ‘Camp’” — note the quotation marks, also camp, she wrote — in which she defined camp as “style at the expense of content.” It’s not that there isn’t content, but rather that in camp, it is style — exaggerated and bedecked with irony, theatricality and playfulness — that you notice first. Could there be a better subject for the digital age, which is often about the outrageously visual if not the visually literate? But there is another way in which the show is timely. Camp creations arrive at moments of crisis, of polarization. Think of the 1960s, with its Pop Art and protest movements. Think of the 1980s, with punk as a response to Reaganomics. With some 250 objects — including mens and womenswear, drawings, paintings and sculptures from the 17th century to the present — organized by Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute, “Camp” offers a yin to MAGA America’s yang. 50

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Yet the exhibit locates the antecedents of camp — which has become closely associated with the gay community — in the homoeroticism of ancient Greece and Rome that celebrated a male beauty resurrected in the Renaissance and Baroque. It opens swooningly with a pink gallery that contains several ravishing tributes to Antinous, the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s Bithynian Greek lover, who drowned in the Nile in 130 at age 19, probably a suicide. A 19th-century “beau ideal” of male physical splendor, Antinous has been having another moment as a recent Oxford University show attests. In “Camp,” he’s represented by the “Belvedere Antinous,” a 1630 bronze attributed to Pietro Tacca, and a 1987 black-and-white Robert Mappelthorpe photograph of the Capitoline Antinous, in which he grabs what looks like yards of fabric. These works are accompanied by Vivienne Westwood 1989-90 leggings with mirrored fig leaves — an evocation of sensual Renaissance sculpture and a deliberate exaggeration of what the leaves seek to conceal, which underscores the exhibit’s theme of camp as a kind of masquerade. The word “camp” in the show’s usage is derived from the French se camper, “to stand firm,” but also “to flaunt” or “to posture.” Few embraced the “if you got it, flaunt it” philosophy more extravagantly than France’s Louis XIV, who borrowed the torqued pose of classical sculpture and festooned it with ribbons, ruffles and rich fabrics, as seen in the 1701 portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud. Louis was also a dancer who appeared as the Greco-Roman sun god Apollo in “The Ballet of the Night,” hence his nickname — the Sun King. (Louis’ theatrical career is juxtaposed with Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel’s 1987-88 splendid blue and gold peplum tunic, embellished with flowers, and bright blue breeches that would be quite at home on any ballet stage.)

Clockwise from top left; Ensemble, Jeremy Scott (American, born 1975) for House of Moschino (Italian, founded 1983), spring/summer 2018; Courtesy Moschino. Image courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo © Johnny Dufort, 2019. Outrageous Aestheticis. Image courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art, BFA.com/Zach Hilty. The Psychopathology of Affluence. Image courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art, BFA.com/Zach Hilty. Dress, Marjan Pejoski (British, born Macedonia, 1968), fall/winter 2000– 2001; Courtesy Marjan Pejoski. Image courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo © Johnny Dufort, 2019.

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Susan Sontag, Peter Hujar (American, Trenton, New Jersey 1934-1987 New York), 1975; Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2006 (2006.183). Image courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Peter Hujar © 1987 The Peter Hujar Archive LLC; Courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco.

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But for Louis, clothes and entertainments were no mere trappings of aesthetics or vanity. They were a way to control the nobles he corralled in majesty at Versailles, for if they were busy spending time and money on clothing and court life, there was no reason or support for rebellion against the king, n’est-ce pas? The biggest bird in the gilded cage was Louis’ adored and adoring kid brother, Philippe I, duke of Orléans. Known as Monsieur, he nonetheless was more interested in feminine clothing and his male favorites than in either of his two Mesdames — Princess Henrietta of England, sister of England’s Charles II; and second wife Princess Palatine Elizabeth Charlotte — with whom he nonetheless had a total of five children, the ancestors of most of European Roman Catholic royalty today. Philippe’s rarefied, refined appearance and character are captured in an early portrait for his brother’s coronation (circa 1654) in which a slender, spectral leg and beribboned ankle crystallize and foreshadow camp’s capacity for metamorphosis — men dressed as women and dandies (19th-century Europe, in which the term and concept “homosexual” first emerges, with Wilde as its patron saint); objects as flowers (early 20th-century Art Nouveau); women shedding their corsets and bustles (1920s flappers);

women dressed as men (1930s Germany). By the time you arrive at the stunning final gallery, decked out as double-tiered department store windows and vitrines filled with colorful clothes and accessories framed in black — Björk’s Oscar swan dress here, Bob Mackie’s nude sequined leaf dress there — you realize that the show is about identity not only in all its fluidity but in all its ownership. Are you who you say you are, what someone says you are or both? Who’s to say that the ancient Greeks — who believed in moderation — prefigured camp because they extolled male beauty, or that Louis XIV — who famously remarked “L’état, c’est moi” (“The state is me”) — was frivolous enough to use clothes as anything but a kind of weapon. There is much talk in the show of high and low camp and the best kind of camp, the one that doesn’t know it’s camp. But doesn’t the creation of such an exhibit, the much ballyhooed gala that launched it, the very act of dressing, particularly in a stylized way, require a kind of consciousness? “Camp” has some hot hunks and elegant threads, a provocative idea and plenty of pink. But by embracing everything from drag queens to “Swan Lake,” the show’s subject eludes it. In the end, “Camp” may have pitched too big a tent. For more, visit metmuseum.org.

QUEEN OF T E DA TRIPPERS BY GINA GOUVEIA

The world of travel is a vast one at that, with some preferring to jet away or cruise the open waters to far-flung places for long-planned excursions, But a growing sector prefers an experience that is tried and true and can often be planned spontaneously. This is known as the day trip — ideal for families, couples and groups of friends alike, as these are usually more manageable. In many cases, day trips can also be affordable alternatives to big-budget itineraries, especially if you employ the tips of author Stacy Lytwyn, a seasoned day-tripper and Fairfield native who has been at it for nearly 30 years. Starting in 1993, when her youngest child was still an infant, this travel writer took to the open road, mostly throughout her home state of Connecticut, setting forth to cull the best of the best. And she’s still at it, now through her revamped website, aptly named sightseecrets.com. Before internet browsing entered the space, Stacy wrote a comprehensive guide book, “Consummate Connecticut, Day Trips with Panache,” in which no corner of the Constitution State was left unturned. Stacy’s goal was to highlight its many historic destinations, perfect for day-tripping. Steeped in history, the state established the “Fundamental Orders of Connecticut,” making it history’s first written constitution. Diminutive in size and often considered a “pass-through” state along the Northeast corridor, its seaside and rural communities nonetheless offer something for everyone. “I was doing local before it became a craze,” Lytwyn tells me when we meet up at Shearwater Organic Coffee Roasters in Fairfield, a favorite stopover with a relaxed

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coffeehouse vibe and superior product. It happens to be situated in a shopping plaza just off Boston Post Road and alongside another local hot spot, Milk Craft, an artisanal ice cream shop with Japanese-style, cold-crafted dairy treats, with another location in West Hartford. A day trip destination to work in while in this neck of the woods in Fairfield County would be a stop at the Fairfield Museum and History Center: It’s one of Lytwyn’s favorite go-tos. Such a destination of discovery makes for memorable experiences that are educational as well as affordable, and it drives her explorations — pun intended. With her relaunched website, Lytwyn hopes to offer deals that sweeten the deal and lure of local attractions, hence the reference to their online “VIP” concierge service — the acronym corresponding to “value in price.” A self-proclaimed fan of historical statistics and art, Lytwyn says, “I live for art, architecture and purpose. That’s my mantra.” One possible suggested itinerary could include the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, a classic example of Gothic Revival architecture, set amid park-like grounds that the humorist and his family enjoyed all too briefly. Pair this stop with a visit to the nearby Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, celebrating the abolitionist and author of the seminal “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Also, in Hartford, the young and young at heart will delight in a visit to the Bushnell Park Carousel, a restored antique carousel with Wurlitzer organ and 48 hand-painted horses, dating from 1914. For art lovers, the revamped Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art features 50,000 works dating from the Italian Baroque. The New London area is another favorite and the Lyman Allyn Art Museum — with its American collection and new permanent Gilded Age exhibit — is a “must-see,” Lytwyn told me. In northeastern Connecticut, Essex,

This 1914 Stein and Goldstein hand-carved merry-go-round features 36 55 JUNE 2019 WAGMAG.COM jumper horses and 12 stander horses and a 1921 Wurlitzer band organ.

Ivoryton and Old Saybrook combine easily. Her documented immersion into the Mystic area resulted in an exhaustive 90-page guidebook, available in a Kindle edition on Amazon. Completely updated in early 2019, romance is the theme for her Mystic guide. What makes for a successful journey, particularly if you are traveling with little ones, I ask. Well, for one there is the need to calculate how much time you are willing to commit to — more time pleasure driving through the scenic landscape or shorter excursions of no more than 20 to 30 minutes to optimize time spent at attractions and interesting destinations, factoring in time for locally sought after eats and treats. With the summer months upon us, families, couples and singles alike seek easy, relatively hassle-free day trips that can be just what you need to discover some of our local treasures. Day trips should contain no more than two attractions, factoring in stops for meals and breaks, and, Lytwyn suggests ways to keep young children engaged in the car and during stops. Simple pleasures, such as a ball to toss around in a park during stops, go a long way to stave off boredom. When her young children were along, she always made sure they would burn off some energy before heading to a more subdued locale such as a museum.

The Mark Twain House in Hartford.

Travel for me is very personal, Lytwyn said. She refers to the practice as “go and flow,” believing that the more flow you have, the easier it will be to go with the experience. She believes that travel is a metaphor for life — waiting, traffic, inconveniences and delights, not always in equal measure, but they make for interesting stories. Indeed, experiential

travel can have a healing effect. What comes to mind in this space, I ask her. Without hesitation she tells me Simsbury, a visual treat for nature lovers. “For me, even traveling with children, after just one afternoon away, I felt recharged and refreshed,” Lytwyn tells me. “We all need to have some breathe time. The day tripping life can be restorative.”

25th Annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner A Midsommar-Inspired Celebration

June 7, 2019 • Rippowam Cisqua School Honoring

R. Todd Rockefeller (2019 Humanitarian) AND

Dan Ginnel (2019 John Beach Award)

Gala Co-Chairs

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Celebrating 20 years of BGCNW Marlins being Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Swimming Champions!

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LEAPS TO AME BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

One was sleekly sexy; the other, charmingly chubby. One was aloof and arrogant; the other, a people person. And yet, both were larger than life figures who crystallized their art forms for global audiences, becoming the standards by which those arts are measured. Indeed, even today, you’ll hear someone say, “He’s a real Nureyev” or “He’s a real Pavarotti.” More likely, you’ll hear someone say, “Well, he’s no Nureyev” or “Who does he think he is? Pavarotti?” They were sui generis, and now they’ve both been captured on the big screen. The documentary “Pavarotti: Genius is Forever,” by Oscar-winning director (and former Greenwich resident) Ron Howard — in theaters June 7 — considers the solitary complexity behind the gregarious performer who gave himself to music, international audiences and humanitarian causes, often at the expense of family life. It follows on the heels of Ralph Fiennes’ thriller-style feature “The White Crow,” which charts the taut, fraught days leading up to the incandescent but rebellious Nureyev’s leap from behind the Iron Curtain in 1961 while the dancer was performing with the Kirov Ballet in Paris. A week before the April release of “The White Crow,” the documentary “Nureyev,” offering a fuller picture of the dancer’s equally complex life, debuted. Before they were legends, however, both men had to overcome many challenges to make that leap to fame. Their earliest was poverty. Many are familiar with the story of Nureyev’s birth on March 17, 1938 aboard a Trans-Siberian train bound for Vladivostok where his father instructed

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soldiers. That event was subsequently mythologized to foreshadow the perpetual motion and greatness he ultimately achieved. But Nureyev and his family, of Tartar Muslim descent, lived in cramped quarters, first in Moscow for part of World War II and then in Ufa, where Nureyev, a loner, found his calling in dance. The arts were also an early influence — along with soccer — on the life of Pavarotti, who grew up in equally straightened circumstances outside Modena, Italy, where he was born Oct. 12, 1935 to a cigar factory worker and a baker who was a talented tenor too nervous for the stage. Abandoning his dream of becoming a soccer goalie, Pavarotti listened to his father’s recordings of singers like Mario Lanza and sang with him in the church choir, beginning to study voice seriously at age 19. Singers, who generally must wait until at least the teenage years for the voice to mature, tend to develop later than dancers, who start training between the ages of 4 and 8. Nureyev’s early success in folk dancing and with the Ufa Opera Ballet led teachers to encourage him to study at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in what is now St. Petersburg. There at age 17 he worked with legendary teacher Alexander Pushkin (played by Ralph Fiennes in “The White Crow”), who would later train Mikhail Baryshnikov. Graduating in 1958, Nureyev joined the Kirov (today the Mariinsky Ballet), where his visceral charisma, leonine stage presence and lofty carriage — accentuated by rising high on the ball of the foot — more than compensated for what some saw as a less than perfect technique. But the self-possessed, headstrong Nureyev played a dangerous game in defying both Kirov and Soviet authorities. If Nureyev was defiant in the late ’50s, Pavarotti was doubtful. His career consisted of a series of unpaid gigs

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Rudolf Nureyev, top. Photograph courtesy G. Tagliafico / Rudolf Nureyev Foundation; and below, Luciano 59 WAGMAG.COM Pavarotti.

that had him earning a living as an elementary schoolteacher and insurance salesman. Then a vocal chord nodule and a disastrous performance in Ferrara led him to give up singing. The moment he let go, however, was the moment Pavarotti — always a nervous Nelly before going onstage — relaxed. The nodule disappeared. And he found his natural voice — as bright, clear and penetrating as a bell. The spring of 1961 would be pivotal for both. In April, Pavarotti made his debut in what would become a signature role, as the lovestruck, struggling poet Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème,” at the Teatro Municipale in Reggio Emilia. Two months later, after playing a tense cat-and-mouse game with his Kirov and KGB handlers in Paris, Nureyev defected. It was not a physical leap, of course, but rather a metaphoric one to self-determination as returning to Russia might’ve meant the end of his career and even imprisonment. A sensation in Paris, Nureyev was now a cause célèbre worldwide, forming a memorable partnership with the Royal Ballet’s prima ballerina, Margot Fonteyn, onstage and the Danish danseur Erik Bruhn off. In each case, Nureyev brought a Dionysian fervor to their Apollonian elegance. Pavarotti’s breakthrough partnership would follow when he was asked to team with Australian coloratura soprano Joan Sutherland for a tour of her native land. Possessed of both a mischievous sense of humor and a love for the ladies, the twice-married

Pavarotti would later say he learned the immaculate breathing technique that would sustain him in good days and bad by embracing her diaphragm during some of opera’s most romantic scenes. Subsequent performances as the ardent Tonio in Gaetano Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment” — in which he tossed off high Cs to record-breaking curtain calls at The Metropolitan Opera — would lead him to be dubbed “the king of the high Cs.” “He would open his mouth,” friendly rival tenor Placido Domingo says in “Pavarotti,” “and everything was easy.” Or maybe the great ones make it seem easy. What made Pavarotti and Nureyev great rather than good was in part their ability to take the road wherever it led. They did not shrink from risks, even when the results were less than stellar — Nureyev in the 1977 film “Valentino” and Pavarotti in the 1982 movie “Yes, Giorgio.” They knew what it was like to feel the critics and audience’s wrath. Pavarotti was booed when his voice cracked in a 1983 performance of Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” at La Scala, scene of some of his greatest triumphs. Nureyev earned mixed reviews for his 1979 Broadway tribute to early 20thcentury dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, although I will never forget his performance there as the abused puppet in Mikhail Fokine’s “Petrushka,” so full of pathos, or the half-hour ovation that rained down

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on him at the March 17 performance, which also marked his birthday. Still, they continued to push the boundaries of their art. Nureyev danced for Martha Graham and Paul Taylor, directed and choreographed for the Paris Opera Ballet (1982-89) and played the Palace Theater in Stamford as the King of Siam in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I” in 1991 after a Broadway run. Pavarotti sang with Bono and on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” the only opera singer to do so. In 1990, he teamed with Domingo and fellow tenor José Carreras to celebrate the World Cup and Carreras’ return from his successful battle with leukemia, spawning a host of imitators as The Three Tenors. In the end, they were wildly different men. Pavarotti had a teddy bear persona exemplified by his work with the Red Cross and refugees. Though he had an egotistical reputation, Nureyev was in conversation engaging and surprisingly selfdeprecating, with an autodidact’s hunger for knowledge and a sophisticate’s refined, wide-ranging taste. Nureyev died of AIDS complications in Paris — the city that introduced him to the West — on Jan. 6, 1993. Pavarotti died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Modena on Sept. 6, 2007. What they shared was their ability to move us with their art. As new attempts to understand them demonstrate, they move us still.

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Mist can envelop my day with panoramas of morning fog erasing shorelines, folding ridge and hollow into clouds. My window opens on bales of gray spread out like smoke from unseen flames. Backlit by watery sun, boats are blurred, suspended in massive shrouds. Everything is far away. Sometimes swift light sweeps away dense mist, assuring me of what I know before another wave of fog moves in and hides it all. I’m a stranger finding ways to improvise. — From Alice Feeley’s “Tracing Thin Places.”

Photograph by Michael Chapman.

NATURAL INSPIRATION BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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ong before Block Island became a part of her, poet Alice Feeley was a part of it. Growing up in Brooklyn — where reading and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s cherry blossoms were favorites — Feeley listened to stories of her great aunt Emma, a high school administrator, visiting the resort island, located 14 miles east of Montauk Point, Long Island, and 13 miles south of Rhode Island. Hearing about Emma’s sojourns there was as far as it went, however. “I never got there,” she says. That would come later. Twenty-five years ago, Feeley, a member of the Sisters of the Divine Compassion, took a summer boat trip to the island from

Montauk, which is not far from where the sisters have a small house in Hampton Bays. “It was a magnificent day,” the Dobbs Ferry resident recalls. “The shoreline was breathtaking.” For Feeley, though, Block Island would prove to be no mere summer resort but a place for all seasons — thanks to her friends Dr. Mark Clark, director of The Block Island Medical Center; and Michael Chapman, a visual artist who also lives and works there. They encouraged her to think of the island as a writer’s retreat. Several winters ago, she took a ferry there from Point Judith in Narragansett, Rhode Island. She remembers the sun setting on one side of the ferry and the moon rising on the other. Between sunset and moonrise — that razor’s edge between present and fu-

ture — she discovered, is where life is lived. It’s a theme she explores in “Watch the Gaps,” the last poem in her new collection of poetry, “Tracing Thin Places” (Lulu Press, $25.80, 73 pages), which takes its title, Feeley says, from the Celtic idea of rending the veil between heaven and earth, between our physical and spiritual selves. “A lot of it was inspired by Block Island but not all of it,” she says. There’s no question, however, that the island serves as a muse. There she records images in words that she later laces together with others to create poems. Like many writers, Feeley is particularly sensitive to images — and particularly good at capturing the visual in the verbal. Some of “Places’” poems are ekphrastic, that is, based on artworks. “Noticing ‘Winter’” considers Jean-Antoine Houdon’s sculpture “Winter” in The Metropolitan Museum of Art — and the fear within us that art can conjure — while “Anna” offers reflections on gratitude and hope filtered through Rembrandt van Rijn’s painting “Simeon and Anna Recognize the Lord in Jesus.” Other works are directly inspired by nature and the seasons, which became the framework for the poems and Chapman’s accompanying photo-

graphs and design, though some of the photos — like the shot of Feeley’s beloved cherry blossoms across the page from the poem “Time in Spring” — were taken by the poet herself. There is a tranquility to this book, as if you were there with Feeley and company, hearing the lap of the waves, scenting the tang of the air and feeling the sun on your skin. It is a vacation, a journey, of the mind that grew out of Feeley’s long career as a teacher, administrator and counselor. After graduating from Good Counsel College in White Plains, where she majored in English, she entered the convent — a vocation that had been developing over a period of time — and taught first grade at Sacred Heart School in Hartsdale before moving on to Preston High School in the Bronx. I first encountered her in my junior year at the Academy of Our Lady of Good Counsel in the 1970s when she taught me not only literature and writing but compassion. I’ll never forget her kindness to me when my maternal grandfather died during end-of-the-school-year exams. She made a difficult time easier. Feeley would tap that compassion in a number of counseling roles, including as director

of Pace University’s CLOUT program, in which she helped young women raising children on public assistance hone their employment skills. She also served four terms as president of the order’s Leadership Team. But something was missing — a particular kind of contemplation and creativity that writing marries and that would be filled by poetry. Feeley describes herself as a slow writer, preferring to write in the morning. That’s not always possible. She remains on the Leadership Team and serves as a spiritual director. Recently, Feeley, Greenburgh’s onetime poet laureate, has been doing some readings, including with The Poetry Caravan in Westchester County. But she is still that woman who took the ferry to Block Island several winters ago and now invites you to: “Let your eyes stretch your soul From west to east, sea to sky and behold Sunset purpling rose and gold As platinum moon hangs its light on spreading indigo. In the gaps Trace what’s there and yet to come.” For more, visit lulu.com and divinecompassion.org.

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WE’RE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MEN (AND WOMEN)… For our Fascinating Men and Women issues and annual competitions. Our first Fascinating Men issue (January) – with Turkish delight Onur Tuna, our Most Fascinating Man, on the cover – was a big hit with the public. Now the ladies are up at bat. For our July issue, we’ll feature the most Fascinating Women, with one selected as Most Fascinating. (We’ll return to the guys next January.) Criteria for each are the same – courage, which Aristotle said was the first of all virtues; intelligence; generosity; confidence; dignity; grace; humor; humility; sensitivity; strength; accomplishment; likability; social consciousness; and creativity. (“Oh, and good looks doesn’t hurt,” says publisher Dee DelBello.) Send your nominees to Dee at dee@westfairinc.com and really make your pitch. Let us know why this person should command our attention.

Joining us this season are conductors Rachael Worby, Eric Jacobsen and Jayce Ogren, pianists HyeJin Kim and Ran Dank, an exciting collaboration with Ballet Hispanico, and a few more surprises! Season opens October 27th To purchase your subscription Call (914) 682-3707 For more information visit: westchesterphil.org

Who knows? You might be the Most Fascinating Woman of 2019.

JUNE 2019

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CHARTNG A MDDLE COURSE BY JEREMY WAYNE

The line of cars, stretching back half a mile along tony Davenport Avenue in New Rochelle, waiting to turn into the Greentree Country Club on a recent evening in May, was an indicator, as if any were needed, of the level of support for the New Rochelle Public Library, as guests arrived for a gala dinner, celebrating the library’s 125th anniversary. But what drew the crowd was not philanthropy and love of literature alone. The gala was organized by the New Rochelle Public Library Foundation (NRPLF) to mark its own 25th anniversary and, with it, the launch of its new Guardian Award. The award recognizes individuals whose careers and accomplishments exemplify the mission of public libraries — to provide free and open access to information and a broad variety of ideas. Its first recipients were journalists Fareed Zakaria and Tom Goldstone, host and executive producer respectively of “Fareed Zakaria GPS” (for Global Public Square), CNN’s flagship world affairs program.

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“Just as ‘Fareed Zakaria GPS’ focuses attention on crucial issues in our world, libraries across our nation serve as public forums for creating dialogue on key issues in our communities and in our nation,” said Chris Selin, president of the NRPL Foundation. “Libraries really are the new public squares, where the community comes together to find support and explore possibilities. Along with the press, libraries serve as a vital component of American democracy, providing unfettered access to information and enabling that access free of charge.” With a long-running foreign affairs column in The Washington Post as well, Zakaria has also published four books, three of which have been New York Times bestsellers. But the subject matter of his 2015 volume — “In Defense of A Liberal Education,” delving into literacy, art and literature — is perhaps what connects him most to the Guardian Award, the latest in a slew of academic and media honors that also include India’s Padma Bhushan award. In accepting the Guardian — a handsome, engraved glass sculpture in the shape of a flame and inscribed

Fareed Zakaria. Photograph by James Kegley.

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with the words “for championing knowledge and unfettered access to information” — Goldstone gave a stirring speech about the importance of libraries as a vital component of American democracy. Zakaria, who could not be present in person, spoke spiritedly by video. A TV news regular since 2002, with nearly a million followers on Twitter, Zakaria has an impeccable presence — he wears well-cut suits, favoring handmade pink or blue shirts — that is at once venerable and boyish. If this sounds like a contradiction in terms, so perhaps is Zakaria himself. He was born in Mumbai to a Konkani Muslim family in which his mother, a journalist who was at one point the editor of the influential Sunday Times of India, had as prominent a career as his politician-father, who was also an Islamic theologian. Politics, journalism, literature and religion (Zakaria describes himself as a secular, nonpracticing Muslim) have always been in the blood. Politically, he is center shading right, a supporter of President Barack Obama who acknowledges President Donald J. Trump’s election and strong economy — though he once repeatedly called him a “bulls----er” when being interviewed himself by

LIBRARIES REALLY ARE THE NEW PUBLIC SQUARES, WHERE THE COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER TO FIND SUPPORT AND EXPLORE POSSIBILITIES. ALONG WITH THE PRESS, LIBRARIES SERVE AS A VITAL COMPONENT OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, PROVIDING UNFETTERED ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND ENABLING THAT ACCESS FREE OF CHARGE. — Chris Selin

CNN colleague Don Lemon. Zakaria nonetheless laments the socio-economic divide, advocating the reintroduction of national service (betraying his conservative roots) as a remedy for social and cultural inequality — though he’s hardly issuing a gung-ho call to arms. If he sometimes appears to sit on the fence, then it is fair to say he has occasionally fallen off. He was dropped briefly by CNN back in 2012, for plagiarism, before being reinstated. Back in the fold, Zakaria is now becoming something of an elder statesman, the thinking man’s thinking man, if you will. The witty, urbane New Yorker comes across as eminently reasonable, fair to his TV interviewees without ever kowtowing. He has said his job is “not to pick sides,” but to explain what he thinks is happening on the ground. He does this with aplomb. In addition to Zakaria and Goldstone receiving the Guardian Award, nine others were also honoured at the gala — Bill Handelman, Lynn Green and Leslie Demus, founding members of the foundation; and the three couples who founded the Partnership for the Huguenot Children’s Library, Tom and Theresa Leghorn, Dave and Evelyn McCabe and Dan and Kate Ronan. For more, visit nrplfoundation.org.

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Courtesy Weekend Max Mara.

FASHIONABLY CASUAL BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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tep into the new Weekend Max Mara boutique in The Westchester in White Plains, hang a left and you’re immediately summering on Nantucket. Stripes marry florals in widelegged pants and tops, jackets in white and yellow reproduce patterns reminiscent of blue-and-white Chinese export porcelain and pinch purse-style pocketbooks evoke straw handbags, while layers of necklaces echo seashells and dresses cheer the red, white and blue. It’s all part of one of the brand’s more casual, intimate iterations, founded in 1983. Casual need not mean anything less than chic, however. Distributed in more than 200 Max Mara boutiques and department stores worldwide, Weekend Max Mara features sophisticated, studded versions of collegiate jumpers and richly textured hoodies — perfect for on the go or going nowhere. Indeed, as shoppers discovered during the store’s official opening in April, the Weekend fabrics have the same luxurious quality you’ll find in such Max Mara offerings as its reversible spring and winter swing coats in yummy saturated color combinations, like cream and sky blue or cherry blossom and chocolate brown.

No wonder Max Mara and its 35 labels — including Sportmax and Marina Rinaldi, named for the great-grandmother of company founder Achille Maramotti — make it the go-to statement brand for everyone from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to singer Taylor Swift. And yet, there is a lightness of being about Weekend Max Mara. As press materials note: “The brand is characterized by simple yet flattering silhouettes that are complemented by a mix of bold and neutral patterns and prints fabricated in materials such as linen, cotton, wool and tweed. The signature butterfly print is a charming representation of the collection’s fundamental philosophy of… freedom and confidence.” The boutique’s interior design reflects the late Maramotti’s Italian heritage — he started the business in 1951 in his native Reggio Emilia — as well as Weekend Max Mara’s blend of classic and modern. Exposed ceilings, track lighting and contemporary chandeliers; paneled, canvassed, bleached brick and stone walls; gray cement-glazed Italian tiles; and custom furnishings combine in a space that is at once rustic and airy, cozy and industrial. It’s a fitting place in which to begin your Max Mara weekend. For more, visit weekendmaxmara.com.

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ANOTHER TAKE ON ITALY BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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or those searching for an offthe-beaten path experience comes Thames & Hudson’s “New Map” series by “Hip Hotels” series author Herbert Ypma. First up is “New Map Italy” ($39.95, 352 pages), which takes you to the Italia you only thought you knew. For example, did you know that Naples — also known as the Greater Greece outpost, Neapolis — was ancient Rome’s favorite Greek city? This crucial port was where the patricians’ summer villas flourished — along with the Greek language long after the Romans assumed power — because it was “chic to be Greek.” You’ll find out more in Naples’ Museo Archeologico Nazionale, which contains the remains of volcano-destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum’s ashen day — frescoed walls, floor mosaics, busts, statues and tableware — along with

the fine and decorative arts that defined imperial Rome. In Matera, Ypma takes you to the city that is often the Hollywood stand-in for ancient Jerusalem, as “King David” (1985), starring Richard Gere, and Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” (2004) were among the features filmed amid its clustered, teeming hillsides. Then when in Rome, eat gelato the way the Romans do, at Quinto, on Via di Tor Millina, which has been serving homemade ice cream for a hundred years. This is a very specific book with a very specific viewpoint. Many of the small photographs are unidentified. But Ypma shows us an Italy we may have overlooked or one we have seen but through fresh eyes. We can’t wait to see where he takes us next. For more, visit thamesandhudsonusa.com.

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TURKISH DELIGHT: A JOURNEY OF LOVE & DESIGN BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Most know Neil Bieff as the designer of diaphanous, delicately textured dresses that define the silhouette of any woman who slips one on. Indeed, even as you read this, women are no doubt considering his spring collection at Mary Jane Denzer in White Plains — “one of the best stores in the country,” he says — as they select an occasion gown or a statement dress that makes any day an occasion.

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Recently, however, Neil was busy creating for an occasion of his own — the wedding of his son Gwyn to the former Ikbal Bozkaya. She is finishing her Ph.D. in virtue ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, not far from where her husband works as a software developer for Epic Systems Corp., a private health care software company. The two were married in a civil ceremony in Madison on March 30, 2018. But for the traditional Muslim wedding in April of this year, the couple headed with family and friends to the bride’s homeland and a city that is often viewed as the crossroads of the world, where East has met West for millennia — Istanbul, Turkey. Known in ancient times as Byzantium, the city was renamed Constantinople after the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great made it his eastern capital in 330, converting the empire to Christianity at the same time. That

Ikbal Bozkaya. Photographs by Ekol Photography/Gizem Naz Celebi. JUNE 2019

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Neil Bieff.

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“I’D NEVER BEEN THERE BEFORE ... EVERYONE I HEARD FROM WHO HAD BEEN THERE SAID THEY WANTED TO GO BACK, AND NOW SO DO I. IT HAS A WONDERFUL OLD QUALITY, WITH ASIAN AND EUROPEAN INFLUENCES. IT REMINDED ME OF ITALY — THE FOOD, THE CULTURE WAS LIKE ITALIAN WITH EASTERN TOUCHES.” — Neil Bieff

name remained in use throughout the succeeding (Muslim) Ottoman Empire, with Istanbul not coming into vogue until the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1922. The city’s rich history, then, underscores its marriage of East and West, which is what Neil discovered when he visited. “I’d never been there before,” he says. “Everyone I heard from who had been there said they wanted to go back, and now so do I. It has a wonderful old quality, with Asian and European influences. It reminded me of Italy — the food, the culture was like Italian with Eastern touches.” At the same time, Neil found an Asian eagerness to please in his stay at the Germir Palas Hotel on Taksim Square overlooking the Bosphorus, the narrow but strategic strait that links Europe and Asia. “The Turks are a very sweet people,” Neil says, “a rarity today. I loved (Istanbul).” Though admittedly not a great sightseer — “too often the sights are better in the imagination” — Bieff nonetheless pressed on to the major ones, including Topkapi Palace, once the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans and now a museum; the 17th-century Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or Blue Mosque, so-called for the color of its tiled interior; the Haghia Sophia, a former Greek Orthodox cathedral and subsequent Ottoman mosque that is now a museum; and the Grand Bazaar. With 61 streets and more than 4,000 shops, it is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. “It kind of reminded me of my trips to India,” Neil says. Much of his time in Turkey, however, was taken up with family. While he missed the traditional Muslim village wedding — for 6,000 of the bride’s closest friends and family in Köprübasi in Manisa Province — he was there for the April 12 secular ceremony, held in a Belgrad Forest pavilion outside Istanbul. For this, he created a sleeveless V-necked bridal gown that was “a very shapely, very diaphanous mélange of different beads, sequins and alabaster stones on white silk chiffon over white silk charmeuse.” As the photographs show, the dress both caressed the bride’s willowy figure and flowed around it. For the after party, Neil made Ikbal a short silver halter dress characterized by a sheer back, antique silver sequins, charcoal silk and trapunto stitching, which is a kind of quilting technique. “It was very young, very sexy,” he says. Another Neil design saw Ikbal in a cap-sleeved print black dress trimmed with black satin, whose V neckline and U-shaped back echoed her bridal dress. Though Ikbal had certain preferences, Neil says she mostly trusted him with the final results. From the looks of things, that trust was rewarded. Neil also made dresses for his wife, Gwyn’s mother, and two friends. Neil's first loves, however, were painting and drawing, which he studied at Syracuse University and Florence. A side trip to Paris introduced him to fashion and the realization that in designing

Ikbal Bozkaya in a dress designed by her father-in-law.

clothes he could paint and draw every day. He began as assistant to Arnold Scaasi, then designed suits and coats for Dan Millstein. Going out on his own with the Neil Bieff label and the Genesis shop on Madison Avenue, Neil debuted the clinging yet forgiving matte jersey creations that would foreshadow his dresses and gowns in draped silk chiffons, wools and velvets. Visits to India would add the signature beading. Neil’s dresses are unusual in that the weight is carried mostly in the middle. It’s what gives them their distinctive feminine silhouette. In creating dresses for Ikbal, Neil says he realized he wasn’t losing a son but gaining a daughter with a real fashion sense. Just as he looks forward to returning to Turkey and sitting in his in-laws’ olive orchards — small bottles of olive oil were the party favors — he anticipates collaborating more with Ikbal. “I’d love her to be involved,” he says. “She has wonderful taste and is a dressmaker’s dream.” For more, visit neilbieff.com. JUNE 2019

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Stylish entertaining is easy-breezy in this magnificent stone and clapboard manse in Riverside that lets the inside out and the outside in. Credit not only the interior design of this 5-year-old, 15,861-squarefoot house — with its stone, wood and glass touches — but all the amenities in it. Start with the formal dining room with its custom-built, glass-enclosed bar. The exquisite formal living room has a double-story ceiling anchored by an oversized limestone fireplace — one of four in the home — that was inspired by the Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan.

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A wall of windows that flood with sunlight during the day fold back and blur the lines between the dining room and a relaxing, expansive terrace with a fire pit just beyond. The library, complete with fireplace, and a gym/ office also have outdoor access. In the sophisticated kitchen, Martha Stewart types will savor the expert appointments — including stainless-steel countertops; two islands, one with marble countertops and seating for six; a two-oven 60-inch Wolf range with a custom hood; a steamer oven; two refrigerators; two refrigerators drawers; four freezers; three sinks; two dishwashers; a baker’s rack; a custom pot rack; and a handy cook’s built-in planning desk with abundant storage. The breakfast area seats 10 and can easily accommodate formal events or casual meals. A bright glass breezeway offers a view of the emerald grounds while leading to the relaxed refinement of the family room, which has a 12-foot beamed ceiling, a striking fireplace and access to an inviting three-season mahogany-paneled porch. One of three gorgeous custom staircases 78

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with 6-foot-wide risers transports you to a second-story balcony overlooking the entryway. On the second floor, the master wing offers a secluded, self-sufficient owners’ retreat, accessed via a private gallery and vestibule. Spacious and elegant with four exposures, the master bedroom boasts a sitting area, a gas fireplace, a handsome his/hers dressing room, a light-filled bath with Waterworks accoutrements, bookmatched marble surfaces, a soaking tub and a secluded separate room for the indoor-outdoor spa shower. Floor-to-ceiling French doors open to a Juliet balcony and a generous deck perfect for enjoying sunsets. A staircase from the deck affords you direct access to the backyard and the pool. There are four additional en-suite bedrooms to complete the second floor, while two additional en-suite bedrooms on the third floor feature a homework/sitting room with a wet bar catering to family or guests. The young — or maybe just the young at heart — will appreciate the lower level with its 10-foot ceilings and lots of natural light in a media/billiards room, an enormous playroom and a crafts room.

Completing this floor are two bedrooms for staff/ guests, two full baths and a convenient laundry room. (In all, the house has nine bedrooms, nine full bathrooms and three half-baths.) A relaxing, resort-like pool and spa feature a pergola-draped terrace with automatic rolling covers, refreshing misters and paddle fans. A deeded Long Island Sound access —just past 2 fenced, gated acres of sweeping, velvety lawns, stately specimen trees and perennial flower gardens filled with hydrangeas and thousands of roses in colors for every season — faces western sunsets and idyllic Riverside Yacht Club. But then, you have your own little club, don’t you — complete with an expansive courtyard, graced by two arched stone porte-cocheres, that can hold dozens of cars and two stone garages for up to 12 more. (One is presently being used as an indoor basketball court.) Just put the guest sign-in book on an oak table in the fluid front-to-back entrance hall and watch a fun-filled summer unfold. The house is on the market for $16,350,000. For more, call Steve Archino at 203-618-3144.

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VIEWS FROM THE BRIDGE

Rendering courtesy the New York State Thruway Authority.

BY ROBIN COSTELLO

ven though you have to take your eyes off the road and stretch your neck to see it, the view from our new Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge (formerly the Tappan Zee Bridge) is arguably one of the best in our area — especially on a clear summer day. Soon, people of all ages will get to enjoy the view at their leisure when a 3.6-mile bicycle and pedestrian path (a shared use path or SUP for short) opens later this year. The 12-foot-wide path will be separated from traffic by a concrete barrier and located on the northern side of the westbound span of the bridge. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to access “The Path” (as it will be known) from two “landings,” in Tarrytown in Westchester and South Nyack in Rockland. These landing centers will feature parking lots, restrooms, bicycle repair stations, food trucks, tourist information and various other amenities. However, one of the most anticipated features of The Path are the six themed overlooks located at intervals across the length of the bridge. These points command an impressive view of the majestic Hudson and its surroundings. Given clever names such as The Tides of Tarrytown or Painters Point, each belvedere (a structure designed to command 82

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a view) reflects an aspect of the culture and history of the lower Hudson Valley. On its website, the New York State Thruway Authority provides more details on what is planned for each overlook: Fish & Ships — Celebrates the waterfront history of the Nyacks (NAY-ACK is the Native American term for “fishing place”). The timber-clad stainless-steel benches of this overlook call to mind a school of fish, while the shade structure takes its inspiration from Nyack’s shipbuilding history. Palisades — Highlighting the unique geology of the region, Palisades will feature a multifaceted granite bench that evokes the namesake cliffs rising steeply above the western bank of the river. Sunlight is filtered through the overlook’s perforated shade structure, mimicking the shadows created by the nearby forest canopy. Painters Point — Mirroring the muse-like qualities of the Hudson River that has inspired artists throughout the years, Painters Point will feature an integrated bronze and wood shade structure/ seating element that serves as both a viewing frame of the river and Hook Mountain but also a stage encouraging impromptu performance. A stepped prow (projected area) with steel grading provides visitors with views of the river directly below. River Crossing — Approximately halfway across

the river, this outlook focuses on the historical connection and modes of transportation between the villages of Nyack and Tarrytown before, during and after the Tappan Zee Bridge. It will also feature a prow and inlaid lettering pointing to shoreline landmarks. The lattice detail of the canopies and oval cut-out in the benches are a nod to the former span. Half Moon — This overlook, adjacent to the river’s navigation channel and named after the ship captained by Henry Hudson in 1609, speaks to the region’s nautical history. Half Moon features a prow with steel grating allowing for direct views of the river below, a curved timber bench and compass lines in the canopy and granite pavement. Tides of Tarrytown — This overlook features timber-clad terraced seating that also functions as an elevated viewing platform. The mirror-polished, stainless-steel canopy overhead captures and reflects the unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline to the south. Outdoor enthusiasts, “stay-cationers” and weekend warriors are no doubt anticipating the opportunity to take in the breathtaking scenery and explore the surrounding region in a new way. Besides the stunning vantage points, The Path promises to bring a recreational, cultural and economic boost to the entire region. That’s what we call a beautiful view. For more, visit newnybridge.com.

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WARES

A WORL O DESIGN BY MARY SHUSTACK

From ship models to hot-air balloons, airplanes to racing cars and compasses to telescopes, travel themes inform the elegant offerings of Authentic Models. WAG encountered the Oregon-based company at the most recent edition of NY NOW, the mega-trade fair held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York in Manhattan. The Authentic Models’ booth took us on a virtual ’round-the-world tour, a luxurious adventure into an earlier time — and one that has us still thinking about incorporating captain’s desks, Art Deco flight clocks, porthole mirrors and ornate reception-desk bells into our own surroundings. We reached out to the company to hear more about its collection, with Rob Wahlers, the Authentic Models territory manager for the New York metro area, taking time to answer our questions: What do you think most appeals to — or connects with — people about the offerings of Authentic Models? “Authentic Models connects people to the adventurous past, taking them on fascinating journeys by enriching and transforming spaces with our unique products. From traditional to modern minimalistic, Authentic Models offers high-end, quality products that evoke desire, guarantee quality and help to belong.

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“Fly on an adventure to the past with Authentic Models' first U.S.-built fighter in action, the all- powerful and maneuverable WWII Mustang airplane. Iconic and legendary, it is a meticulously constructed airplane. Authentic Models’ airplanes offer fully detailed cockpits with sliding covers and retractable wheels. “Let’s go on a journey with our sleek and elegant 1943 Constellation plane, used as both a military and civilian transport by iconic airlines TWA, Eastern and Pan-Am. Roam in a voyage to the past with Authentic Models’ unique 1783 helium balloons, one of aviation’s first successes, encompassing five centuries of history. Or explore the ocean with our accurate ship models evoking emotions connected from the golden eras of water transport, paying homage to the sublime beauty of waterborne vessels.” How important is design to the process — and how does that play into everything that you do? “Because we pay arduous attention to the aesthetics of our products, design plays one of the most important aspects of what Authentic Models offers. Every piece is superbly crafted with meticulous attention to detail, i.e. the A-Cup Contender J-Yacht Ranger 1937 Sailboat is offered in original colors with clean white sails and detailed stitching. Authentic Models is always looking for perfection in the high-end design pieces we offer. Paying diligent attention to the most minute features of each product, design takes precedence in our product production and selection.”

The spirit of travel is encapsulated in the vintage-inspired, hot-air balloons from Authentic Models, which can add a whimsical touch to any dĂŠcor. Photographs courtesy Authentic Models. Book Cover. Courtesy Thames & Hudson. 85 JUNE 2019 WAGMAG.COM

Is there a most-popular division, say nautical or aviation? Or does each segment have its own dedicated following? “Authentic Models houses a wide range of versatile products that are specifically designed to do both, impress and surprise. Each of our pillar divisions has its own charm and dedicated following. Always demanding in quality, Authentic Models offers distinctive products that inspire and create a better lifestyle.” If you had to suggest a gift idea for “someone who has everything,” what might be among your top choices? “Authentic Models’ pride is precisely having unique and distinctive product that is not going to be found in any store. Our exclusive products can range from functional nautical instruments and tools to beautifully crafted objects and furniture. Always a statement piece is our unique state bars. Made in the style of turn-of-the century travel trunks, our stateroom bars are impeccably crafted with solid brass hardware and bridle leather accoutrements. “Fully handcrafted, named after the dizzying speeds they reached and inspired by full-size race cars, our Spindizzies are a true depiction of the large-scale miniatures made by skilled owners who spent countless hours working on these master-made models. Authentic Models Bantams

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Designs from Authentic Models add a worldly sophistication to any interior.

are truly hand-tooled, traditionally die-stamped parts in aluminum, brass and polished mahogany. Lift the hood and admire the replica engine. Turn the cockpit wheel and smell the luxurious leather of the driver’s seat. These extraordinary products are what Authentic Models offers to connect the past with the present, bringing the best of both worlds together and satisfy the most demanding gift ideas.”

And finally, what’s on the horizon for Authentic Models? “Authentic Models is unique and our product reflects our uniqueness. We are very excited about the future, to continue to grow, engage in new adventures and to be recognized as a leader in the industry.” For more, visit authenticmodels.com.

Proprietor, Bobby Epstein of the legendary Muscoot Tavern in Katonah, invites you to experience his newest restaurant—

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Free Parking Around Back

AROUND T E WO LD WITH LOUIS VUTTON BY MARY SHUSTACK

For anyone who has ever worked up a sweat trying to cram clothing, accessories and other must-haves into a tired old suitcase, all the while eyeing the clock in a rush to catch a flight, a new book by Thames & Hudson showcases a decidedly different way to travel. And what an elegant way it is, as revealed by even the most casual skim through “Travellers’ Tales: Bags Unpacked.” But those with a love of adventure, history, celebrity and travel itself will want to spend much more time with this handsome — and hefty — edition. Written by Bertil Scali and illustrated by Pierre LeTan, “Travellers’ Tales” ($95) is a 400-page exploration of how some 50 notables ranging from authors to heiresses, royalty to rock stars, actresses to dancers, fashion designers to singers have hit the road (or rail, sea and sky), from the golden age of transatlantic crossings through contemporary days. And the featured personalities, from writer Ernest Hemingway to actress Elizabeth Taylor, fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld to artist Henri Matisse, magician Harry Houdini to photographer Helmut Newton have shared not only a

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propensity for worldwide travel but also doing it with a most stylish companion — Louis Vuitton luggage. The glamorous journey gets underway with a brief history of travel itself, before moving onto its focus — the discerning personalities and the trips they made with their Vuitton trunks, totes, bags and suitcases, often custom-made designs described in detail, from monograms to materials to specially built features, including secret compartments. Scali, a Parisian-born writer and editor with a specialty in biographical narrative, delves into the stories of these singular people and their travels, sharing incredible details that evoke a smile, a touch of envy — or sometimes outright disbelief. Film legend Greta Garbo, we find out, filled her canvas Vuitton bag with a pair of blue espadrilles, flannel pajamas and jars of a favorite jam. A minimalist, you might think… until reading that she also had a Vuitton trunk made especially for her 70 pairs of Ferragamo shoes. Hemingway, it’s said, owned and lost several Vuitton trunks in his day, once rediscovering — nearly 30 years later — the manuscript for “A Moveable Feast” in a trunk he left at the Ritz Paris, while African explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza commissioned a pair of trunks that could turn into beds, each complete with “a striped, two-tone articulated mattress.”

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WAGMAG.COM Courtesy Thames 89 & Hudson.

Composer and songwriter Cole Porter, featured as the “Voice of the Roaring Twenties,” was clearly not one to travel light: “With his bride, Linda, Cole Porter set off on a honeymoon that would whisk them away to the south of France, the Italian Riviera and Sicily. In his luggage were dozens of double-breasted suits and high-collared shirts, hundreds of neckties, pocket handkerchiefs and hats. All set for the high life!” And it’s not just clothing that receives special attention from these discerning types. We read of how Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones icon and longtime Fairfield County resident, carries one of the 150 treasured guitars he owns in a custom-made Vuitton case. Other notables with ties to WAG country featured in the book range from Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe (who married Arthur Miller in White Plains, the union then celebrated in Waccabuc) to groundbreaking modern dancer Isadora Duncan, who had connections to several Westchester communities including Scarborough and Croton-on-Hudson. Tying it all together in a most delightful fashion are the illustrations by Le-Tan. Capturing the personalities of those featured in a most whimsical manner, they are as ideal a companion for the text as the book itself is for those who love the journeys of life itself. For more, visit thamesandhudsonusa.com.

Sharon Stone by Pierre Le-Tan. © 2018 Pierre Le-Tan / Louis Vuitton Malletier. Sharon Stone. Good Instinct. It’s a ritual. For more than two decades she has mounted the podium, year in, year out, for the AIDS research fundraiser she chairs, delighted to auction articles she has designed. © 2018 Bertil Scali / Louis Vuitton Malletier.

Let’s book the vacation of your dreams

Tel: 914-354-0314 • Email: lavishexperiencetravel@hotmail.com • Website: www.lavishexperiencetravel.com

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I’ll Take You There WINE JAG JOURNEYS Join Taste, Wine Editor,

JoAnn actis-Grande for small group tours through the ﬁnest wine regions in Italy and Beyond.

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WANDERS

MADEIRA BY BOAT, FOOT AND BASKET BY ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD

hadn’t realized that Madeira — a Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic — is best-known as the birthplace of Cristiano Ronaldo, the soccer player, nor that he was named after Ronald Reagan, his father’s favorite actor, Ronaldo being his middle name. But I could quite imagine that he comes second of all with his 116 million Instagram followers behind only Instagram itself. The island is next best-known perhaps for its fortified wine. I developed a real liking for it, especially the Blandy’s 10 Bual. I found it a sweet, aromatic, sensual and complex wine, like Port with its inebriating potency. Blandy is a British-Madeiran dynasty like Reid, and it’s a name that appears behind much of the island’s commercial interests. Meaning “fennel plantation” and very much the dominant center of the island, Funchal, the capital, is home to flower sellers obliged by law to wear their distinctive red-and-yellow-striped skirts along with a red bolero and a red cape. They certainly stand out in their famous “Festa da Flor” in May. It’s a highlight of the Madeira calendar and includes a children’s parade in which each child carries a single flower to put in a “Wall of Hope” in order to call for peace in the world. I was to stay beyond Funchal’s main promenade at the magnificent salmon pink edifice known as Belmond Reid’s Palace. It belongs to an elite list of the world’s glamorous historic grand hotels, alongside London’s Ritz, Istanbul’s Pera Palace and Havana’s Nacional. It’s steeped in history with its many distinguished guests such as playwright George Bernard Shaw, who signed up for dancing lessons at the ripe old age of 71; Prime Minister

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Descending from Belmond Reid's Palace. Photographs courtesy Emma Ball.

Winston Churchill, who stayed in 1950 to write some of his memoirs, and by his presence gave the island a much-needed commercial boost; and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who doubtless came for a much-needed break. And it was the choice of residence for Gen. Fulgencio Batista, the Cuban leader who was ousted in the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Afterward, he took the entire third floor of the hotel for his family and entourage of six bodyguards for the tidy sum of more than $20,000 a week in today’s money. Funchal is like heaven on earth with a veritable garden of Eden, as it took me down its seductive cobbled paths full of exotic plants. I was stopped in my tracks by a purple and

turquoise jade vine bud cascading from its branch that looked so unreal as to be fanciful. Every inch of space is clearly used to maximum effect with plants bearing fruits such as avocado, banana, papaya and orange. If you’re the adventurous sort, then get a cable car all the way up to Monte from Funchal and then a toboggan ride halfway back down. Toboggan jockeys or sledge runners called “carreiros” take tourists on a 1.24 mile descent up to 30 mph in greased wicker baskets at a cost of $35. They’re dressed in white trousers, sport straw boaters and wear special shoes with rubber soles to give them traction and possess an attitude, like Venice’s gondoliers, that gives off an air of assurance and indifference.

Tiled streets in Funchal.

IF YOU GO

For more on the island, I suggest Christopher Catling’s “Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Madeira” as the best guidebook. Though there are the inevitable imports to such a far-flung island, the food is locally sourced and so the cost of living to locals and tourists alike should prove reasonable. Don’t go expecting beaches or nightclubs but a serene lifestyle. For an even quieter time of things, check the weather before embarking on an ocean boat trip. The temperature is a steady 77 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and 62 in winter. However, the weather is changeable with clouds scudding by so I recommend taking a selection of lightweight clothes as it’s all about layers. And don’t drive around Funchal unless you’re fully briefed on directions as the steep narrow lanes can require you to reverse to let a school bus through when even a Smart car would be a squeeze.

With Atlantic Pearl, I boarded a catamaran to see the whales, dolphins and turtles out to sea. What a treat to experience the Atlantic waves before I strolled along the long promenade of the seafront to savor its winning combination of birds chirping and dogs barking. All generations were enjoying, in respectful harmony, their own preference for recreation — be it prams pushed, soccer balls kicked, lovers ambling, professionals on their mobiles, daddies relieving the mother’s duties, the retired pottering or the aged rickety on their feet. It was the seven ages of man in one fell swoop. I then came to the Design Centre Nini Andrade Silva. Set high up on a second floor, it’s now a panoramic restaurant, both stylish and contemporary and acting as a cool backdrop to its warm staff. The brown, white and black décor was a pattern of monochrome that echoed some of the town’s Baroque squares, churches and civic

buildings. The lights of the Funchal hills twinkled all around me and, with jazz tickling my ears and plump vast cushions propping me up, all my senses were engaged to prepare me for the taste of dinner to come. Only 20 minutes from the airport and set beneath the city’s western escarpment, was my next place to stay, the Quinta Jardins do Lago. The gardens have stems of tree ferns with names such as Dwarf Tree and Crocodile ferns; flowers such as Jade Vine, Black-Eyed Susan Vine, Golden Trumpet, Bleeding Glory bower and Corkscrew Flower; and succulents like Spanish Dagger, Blue Chalksticks and, amusingly, a Mother-in-Law’s Cushion. The hotel’s heated swimming pool was lined with couples reading large printed paperbacks to be recycled, as is the trend, on the bookshelf by the pool. Chapters were being continued after dinner with a nightcap around the piano. Perhaps they had been persuaded to go for the excellent recent novels set on the island, including Lior Samson’s “Chipset,” Jim Williams’ “Tango in Madeira’ and Ann Bridge’s “The Malady in Madeira.” I was instantly enamored with the hotel’s 61-year-old mammoth tortoise, Colombo, who has roamed (and grown) freely ever since being let out of a previous owner’s son’s pocket on his way back from the Galapagos. When I say mammoth it actually takes four grown men to lift him. His presence seems to sum up the quiet charm of this beguiling isle.

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PARADISE ON THE ATLANTIC BY JEREMY WAYNE

’m inclined to like Lisbon from the moment I land at its sprawling Humberto Delgado airport, where a relaxed immigration officer insouciantly waves me through without so much as a look at my passport, and Danylo, my student Uber driver, spends half an hour driving around the airport patiently trying to locate me without a word of complaint. The Uber fare from the airport to my hotel is 9 euros, tip included. Yes, you read that right — around 10 bucks. Low prices, further enhanced by a strong dollar, are yet another reason to love Portugal's capital city, built on seven vertiginous hills, tumbling from the heights of Santo André all the way down to the river Tagus and Atlantic shore, where it faces Washington, D.C. directly across the Pond, nothing but water in between. At the newly opened One Palácio da Anunciada, already the most luxurious address in town, I’m greeted by a doorman with a broad smile. Along with the excellent concierge team, Mauro is a font of local knowledge and — in addition to his doorman duties — helps me make the most of my three short days in the city. Occupying a converted 16th-century palace right in the heart of Lisbon, the palace — stunningly brought back to life after a three-year restoration — was once the home of the counts of Ericeira, and later of the marquises of Rio Maior. It boasts a magnificent original stone staircase along with marble floors, frescoes and ornate carved and painted ceilings, and its 83 rooms and 13 suites are the last word in comfort, brimming with natural light. There are 94

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plugs and outlets just where you want and need them, large and well-supplied minibars, upscale Natura Bissé products in the oversized bathrooms and Nespresso machines loaded and at the ready. True, the original library of more than 17,000 books has not survived, but a new and growing library, with books arranged on circular stands in the area between the lobby and Boémio, the hotel’s all-day cocktail lounge, is going to serve as an hommage. On the second floor is the fancy-pants restaurant, Condes da Ericeira, with its white walls, exquisite molded ceilings and marble-topped tables, where you feast on wonderful Atlantic fish or shellfish and local, grass-fed lamb. Still finding its feet at the time of my visit, I have a feeling this restaurant is going to be terrific, once the staff lighten up a touch and lose those rather corporate name badges. Breakfast, though, by contrast, is already a relaxed affair, the buffet as bountiful as the quality is superb. I loved the exotic fruits, like pineapple and guava, many of which come from Madeira (see related story on Page 92), and kiwi and sweet melon from the Algarve in the south — along with golden-yoked organic eggs cooked to order. In The One’s magnificent garden, with its 100-year-old dragon tree, you can eat, drink, read a book, soak up the sun, do all of these things or none of them. The garden leads to the small Despacio spa, complete with hydrotherapy pool, where spa director Jorge Atunes — one of whose claims to fame, he tells me, is that he massaged the late President George H.W. and wife Barbara — pummeled me until I begged for mercy, but boy oh boy did I feel great the following day. And The One’s location, just off Avenida da Liberdade is perfect. Leaving the hotel, it’s right for Gucci, Fendi and Miu Miu (I’ll pass), or left for Alfama (the old town), Barrio Alto (for restaurants and nightlife) and the oceanfront. The famous 28 yellow tram leaves from Praça Martim Moniz, a short walk downhill from the hotel, and runs all the way to Prazeres, taking in a great swath of the city’s sights en route. The crowds notwithstanding, there’s no better way to familiarize yourself with Lisbon. The yellow boat, which you catch at Terreiro do Paço, not far from where the vast cruise ships dock, will take you out on the wide Tagus, under the spectacular 25 de Abril Bridge — one of the longest suspension bridges in the world — and all the way to Belem.

Ah, Belem, the historic district to the west of the capital, with its superbly Instagrammable Tower and Monastery of San Jerónimos, which houses Vasco de Gama’s tomb, and where the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, just off the waterfront, makes the best custard tarts in the world. Look, let’s be clear. Lisbon isn’t having “a moment.” It had a moment but the moment turned into an onslaught. The summer crowds in Venice seem little more than a trickle by comparison. But still, Lisbon is beckoning and I urge you to answer the call. Hotels have been opening apace — none lovelier than The One, I have to tell you — and the food scene is in overdrive. And talk about a feast for the eyes: Lisbon’s colors run the gamut, from pale pastel — houses and palaces washed with

The Tower of Belem.

Hotel lobby, One Palácio da Anunciada.

Hotel lobby, One Palácio da Anunciada. Photograph courtesy One Palácio da Anunciad.

One of Lisbon’s handy trams.

centuries of salt and ocean spray — to gaudy pinks, purples and oranges. Have I mentioned the shops? They are random and idiosyncratic. I see a seed shop, established in the 19th century, elegantly sandwiched between a Skechers store and a shop selling tinned sardines. On the other side of Rossio Square, a deliciously old-fashioned hat shop — get your Panamas, Borsalinos and Italian straw hats here — exists in seeming harmony beside a branch of McDonald’s. (Yes, even in paradise, nothing’s perfect). But on the Rua Barros Queirós, near the 28 tram stop, I find a bric-a-brac shop I fall in love with. In the window, a Talking Heads album, a china figurine of the Virgin Mary, a dog-eared copy of “Hamlet” (in Portuguese) and a ravishing azulejo

tile. It could be a poster for Lisbon itself, because with its ethnic mix, its flamboyant street art, its respect for the old and its embrace of the new, this city is nothing if not diverse. Despite the fact we are on the Atlantic, a Mediterranean feel pervades Lisbon, where migrants from Eastern Europe abound, and yet at its heart Lisbon marches to the beat of an African drum. Sightseeing and shopping are no cakewalk. Back at The One, above the spa, on another terrace, this one French-inspired, is the pool, shaded by cypresses, its Balinese beds divided by box hedges. A late afternoon swim and a cocktail in the garden below will revive you and prepare you for the long Lisbon night ahead. Because if this city buzzes by day, it positively jumps at night.

There are literally hundreds of bars to choose from in the Barrio Alto, with Brazilian samba, plaintive fado, Portuguese hip-hop and alternative jazz to listen to all over town; and the city’s LGBTQ scene, for a city of this size, must be hard to rival. “Come back soon,” smiles Mauro, as he collects my bag on the morning of my departure. And that’s exactly what I plan to do. Because I can never get my fill of beautiful architecture, fresh sardines flung on a white hot grill, good inexpensive wine and sunny, sunny people. Plus, I’ve been thinking about that natty Borsalino at the hat shop. Will it still be there? Does it comes in white… or even pale blue? For more on The One Hotel Palácio da Anunciada, visit hotelstheone.com. JUNE 2019

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WANDERS

THE LUXURY 'SPIRIT' BY BARBARA BARTON SLOANE

ver consider that the road to happiness may not be a road at all? That point was driven home forcefully when I recently cruised four of the seven seas — the Mediterranean, Aegean, Ionian and Tyrrhenian — on the Silver Spirit, one of the vessels on Silversea Cruises. Charting my watery journey for 10 blissful days, I often thought of a quote by Anaïs Nin: “I have no fear of depths but a great fear of a shallow life.” No chance of that. Life aboard this luxurious vessel with its myriad exotic destinations was exciting, inspiring and fun from start to finish. A nice introduction to what I might expect on my coming days at sea came in the form of a knock at my state room door shortly after arrival. A tall, dark, handsome man dressed in tails greeted me with the words: “I will be your personal butler on this cruise.” He went on to explain that, 24-7, I would be able to have meals delivered to my cabin, have restaurant reservations made, have clothing laundered — in short, my every wish would be his command. Oh yes, I was off to a good start. I began each day with either a morning walk, a stretch class or yoga exercise precisely because after that I often chose merely to laze by the pool, then glide over to the grill for lunch, and finally return to my lounge chair until pre-dinner cocktails. If, however, all that seems just a bit too decadent, take heart. Loads of engaging activities were offered throughout the day while nighttime brought roulette-spinning in the casino and Broadway-caliber musical performances in

the show lounge. There were ballroom dance classes, enrichment lectures, bridge tours and the ever-popular Silversea Quiz, a form of Trivial Pursuit where prizes were given to each day’s winner. A cute, fun game? Not so much. Instead, a competitive, blood-sport that happily ended in new friends made. I’m a spa kind of gal myself, so several times I visited The Spa at Silversea — indulging one day in a Swedish massage, another in a deep conditioning Frangipani Scalp & Hair Treatment, and once — anticipating the night’s formal dress attire — having a Sun Glow makeup application. Each evening before dinner I trekked up to the panorama lounge for fabulous drinks and the music of pianist Alfredo, a most talented musician. No matter your song request, he could and did play it divinely. Soft music, dancing and, at my table, a perfect cocktail — a neat way to start the night. Dinners in any one of the five restaurants aboard Silver Spirit were invariably amazing and always accompanied by one of the ship’s 80 wines, all complimentary and all of fine quality. Sophisticated elegance, impeccable service — this line’s cuisine is consistently ranked among the finest at sea. One evening I decided to sample something called Hot Rock Dining — a sizzling barbecue dinner under the stars. I sipped wine while watching moonbeams kiss the sea — and then the real fun began. My steak arrived on heated volcanic stones — seared and sizzling. I then continued to cook the meat to my desired wellness. Our table of six concurred that this was way more fun than merely saying, “Medium rare, please.” Our port of call destinations read like a compendium of a wish list. We visited Malta and in Valetta, its capital, I rode in a typical Maltese boat, a dghajsa. A visit to St. John’s Cathedral dazzled as I gazed up at Caravaggio’s “The Beheading of St. John the Baptist.” In Crete, the largest of the Greek islands, I made my way to the Knossos Palace. I’d heard the myth that the palace was designed by the famed architect, Dedalos, with such complexity that no one in it could ever find their way out. True to form, once inside I lost my group but finally, rounding a maze-like corner, voilà, my friends. Embarrassed, I feigned nonchalance saying that

The Greek flag flies above the iconic, whitewashed buildings of Santorini.

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I’d been wandering the rooms alone and found it a mystical experience. I suggested they try it. The island of Rhodes perches on a bluff overlooking white-washed homes, narrow, cobblestone streets and the majestic Avenue of the Knights where these fabled gents once lived. I was glad to find a tree-shaded bench where I escaped the midday sun before returning to the ship to collapse by the pool and allow myself to be plied with rum punches. A Grecian blue sky above, marine blue Aegean below — quelle vie. Bodrum, Turkey, is a famed resort, a spot in the southern Aegean that holds some of the country’s most fascinating and diverse treasures and is a favorite haunt of the Turkish upper class. I went sailing on a traditional pinewood boat called a gullet to admire pretty coves along the peninsula and gleaming whitewashed houses covered in bougainvillea. The captain stopped the boat so we could snorkel the icy water. Worth the chill? Absolutely. What can one say about Santorini that hasn’t already been said? It is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful islands in the whole world and a photographer’s dream. Narrow, cobblestone streets, tiny shops, white and blue dwellings nestled in niches hewn into the volcanic rock, mansions painted in a spectrum of pastel colors. As I gazed down at the sea and our ship, miniscule on the horizon, I realized how lucky I was to be on this special cruise. Taormina, Sicily, with mystical Mount Etna looming in the distance has been a melting pot of every great civilization on the Mediterranean. The city rests on a terrace overlooking the sea and embraces the grand Corso Umberto, the Palazzo Corvaia and the Cathedral of Taormina. I wandered down lanes bordered with bright flowers and browsed for local handicrafts in small shops featuring embroidery, intricate lace and colorful Sicilian pottery. During my visit, Europe’s most active volcano was quiet, ensuring an uneventful end to my visit. In Elba, I climbed aboard a local bus to travel a few miles outside of town to visit Villa San Martino, Napoleon’s summer residence during his 10-month exile. Then it was on to Monte Capanne via a twisting road that provided magnificent vistas at every turn. I sat in a little piazza in the tiny town of Porto Azzurro, replete with flowers, shade trees and the ubiquitous gelato store, its colorful, frozen treats perfectly matching the pastel-hued hilltop homes. Ah, Napoli — a destination that no one ever forgets. Naples is at once lush, chaotic, scary, funny, confounding, intoxicating and beautiful. I visited Castel Nuovo, the massive fortress of the 13th century with its sala dell’armeria (the armory) and glass floor revealing recent excavations of a Roman bath from the Augustan age. Napolitanos have a favorite saying, il dolce far niente, which translated means the sweetness of doing nothing. “During my Silver Spirit idyll,” I had much dolce far niente, for sure. However, my port of call excursions offered lots of action and myriad absorbing activities. That, too, was dolce indeed. For more, visit silversea.com.

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WANDERS

MEANINGFUL TRAVEL BY JEREMY WAYNE

hen it comes to organizing the trip of a lifetime, or simply life’s next small adventure, it makes sense to seek professional help. To be travel savvy is one thing, but to compare, contrast and coordinate everything in the marketplace singlehandedly is another. That’s where the custommade travel provider comes in — professional consultants who offer exciting itineraries, excellent planning and flawless delivery, albeit at a price. That price, however, should represent good value for money. Here are four providers I think are worth sending a postcard home about. For domestic travel, Revealed America, a relatively small, independent firm based in Seattle, offers family and multigenerational vacations, action and adventure expeditions and even honeymoon trips, with itineraries as straightforward as whalewatching in New England, to more adventurous ones such as rafting on the Colorado River, to grizzly bear and caribou-spotting private “flightseeing” tours in Alaska. With expert teams on the ground throughout the United States, Revealed is able to offer, as it puts it, “expert knowledge, from sea to shining sea.” Heritage Tours, another small independent company, founded more than 25 years ago, specializes in Spain, Portugal, Greece, the Middle East and Africa. Along with bespoke itineraries, the company offers ready-made small-group tours for friends, families, couples or individuals, led by experts and influencers, with places still available on upcoming trips this summer and fall to Egypt, Israel and South Africa. “While there’s still a place for the white glove, five-star resort, chauffeur-driven service, there’s a new level of value given to local artisans, meaningful interactions and authentic culinary adventures,” says Jaclyn Sienna India, whom I met recently at a luxury travel convention in Cannes, France. Her agency, Sienna Charles, specializes in meticulously planned, custom-made trips for high-net-worth individuals. Sienna Charles

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Morocco, the Sahara Desert. Courtesy Naya Traveler.

recently arranged a top-secret trip to Ethiopia for President George W. Bush, whom India personally escorted. Hers might be a handy number to keep up your sleeve for when the experiential — or “transformational,” as she calls it — travel bug bites. Not so much head and shoulders above the competition, but genuinely offering something new in the field, Naya Traveler is an extraordinary company you should know about. Naya means “purpose” or “meaning” in ancient Sanskrit, something you will almost certainly discover staying in a Bedouin tent in the Empty Quarter, say, or in a riad in the medina of Marrakech, or on an opulent Kashmiri houseboat on Dal Lake in Srinigar, India, all experiences which Naya Traveler can arrange. The company was founded by three friends. Sofia Mascotena grew up on a family estate in the Argentine Pampas. Sarah Casewit was born and raised in Morocco. And Marta Tucci’s travel experiences have taken her from from the Peruvian highlands to Burma’s subtropical

plains. All of which makes my own traveling to date sound pretty humdrum. “The growing desire for genuine experiences can no longer go unnoticed,” Tucci says. “There’s a fundamental human need for connection and authenticity that has a real place in travel.” To which I can only nod in agreement. If Naya Traveler’s list of destinations is eclectic — Asia, Latin American and Spain, along with Morocco, Ethiopia and Antartica — this only adds to the feeling of exclusivity and “cachet,” as in bragging rights, that a Naya Traveler-arranged journey can bestow. Clearly the principals are selling what they know best. And, actually, it’s a further testament to the authenticity of the brand that they stick with their areas of expertise — their personal comfort zones — while at the same time expecting you to go well beyond yours. From Naya’s “Savant Endeavors” suggested itineraries, for instance, you might choose to discover Kashmir and Ladakh, meeting with local scholars and professors. Or you could trace the anthropological beginnings of mankind

Kashmir sunset. Courtesy Maria Tucci.

in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley. In Cambodia, by contrast, you might opt to journey with an expert archaeologist to uncover the secrets the Khmer Empire has left behind, or strengthen the connection of your mind and body, trekking in the Peruvian Andes with an indigenous shaman as your guide. For food-lovers traveling with Naya, all the bounty of South India awaits on a journey that might take in the lesser-known flavors of the Tamil Nadu state, or the fish-rich cuisine of coastal Kerala. In meat-obsessed Argentina, there is the opportunity to explore the Pampas or the drier grasslands, as well as great vineyards, often in the company of well-known regional chefs. This is not “If it’s Tuesday this must be Belgium,” travel, but serious journeying aimed at those with a particular interest to pursue, human connections to make and social and cultural insights to acquire. And while Naya does offer some pre-arranged journeys — a trip to Fez, Marrakech, and the ravishing Skoura Valley, with a night under the Saharan sky, accompanied by

An Ethiopian woman. Courtesy Sarah Casewit.

Casewit, is coming up shortly — itineraries are typically created to order. As I have never traveled with Naya, I decided to “test drive” the process to get an understanding of the level of care and attention provided in designing my trip. Posing as a well-heeled New Yorker (but one with a keen sense of value for money), I discovered that Naya was prepared to work with me, and for me — not only to research and plan my ideal itinerary and coordinate all the logistics, but also to see it through to its

conclusion, offering a mountain of good advice and intel, with 24-hour support along the way. As for the cost, which might well have been astronomical, it struck me as quite reasonable, adding only a small premium to what I would have paid had I booked the entire journey myself (although I would not have been able to do so as effectively without Naya Traveler’s input.) A ballpark figure? My hypothetical trip to Spain and Morocco worked out at around $850 a person a day, fully inclusive of accommodation, guides and excursions, but not transatlantic travel. (Booking the outbound and return flights from the U.S. is the responsibility of the client, which means you can economize or splurge on fares according to your personal preference and budget.) What’s more, testimonials from real clients show how they feel genuinely altered by their experience. This harks back to Jaclyn Sienna India’s viewpoint, which is that travel has the power to change us for the better — something that remains long after the trip is over. Sofia Mascotena puts it another way, though her message is effectively the same. “When traveling in a way that leaves superficiality and prejudices aside, one not only takes away what one sees but returns home with a fuller soul. This is the greatest wealth that travel offers me.” So true. Because no matter how much or how little you pay, and whether your accommodations are five-star or no-star, the benefits of meaningful travel will always come back to you in spades. For more, visit revealedamerica.com, heritagetours.com, siennacharles.com and nayatraveler.com.

WARES

THE WORLD AT HOME BY CAMI WEINSTEIN

raveling opens us up to various cultures, including their ideas about architecture and interior design. People from different regions draw on their cultures and climates and use those influences when designing the homes they live in. As we travel, we can become inspired and want to recreate that “look” once we return home. There is a huge commercial marketing push to help you incorporate theme decorating designs into your own homes. I prefer a different approach rather than theme decorating. I love to visit different places and cultures and shop in those areas, bringing back objects that are authentic and remind me of my travels to use in my home and my clients’ homes. I also love going off the beaten path to find artisans who work in traditional regional methods, talking to them about the work that they create and the often-generational methods that have been passed down to them. When I return home and find special places for these objects, I am reminded of the wonderful places and people I met along the way every time I look at or touch them. Traveling is also a wonderful way to meet people and talk to them about how they live and view the world. Understanding and enjoying other cultures opens up our creativity and shows us different ways of decorating, entertaining, celebrating holidays and sharing our homes with friends. Visiting homes that reflect their regions' influences my design work. I try always to squeeze in a house or garden tour wherever we go. Recently, a short trip to Charleston, South Carolina, and a Spring House Tour influenced how I laid out my summer home to comply with my narrow lot and endless town rules. Everything clicked so quickly after walking through some of the beautiful, well-cared-for, in-town homes on long lots there. Traveling in Denmark and Norway, where winters are long, cold and dark, I noticed that white washes, painted furniture and lots of pale colors are used to combat the bleakness of winter, giving homes that Scandinavian “look” that so

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Charleston provides the inspiration for creating flow in Cami’s Montauk home, which like many Charleston houses is on a narrow lot. Photograph by Neil Landino.

many of us love. On the other end of the design spectrum is Morocco. There the heat and tradition of using intense colors and intricate tile patterns always makes me want to bring those influences into my design work and live with pattern on pattern on pattern. There are so many regional design styles to enjoy, including English Country, French Country, French Modern, Coastal and Western. All these influences are wonderful but can make for a disjointed home if they are all used at once. A different design theme for every room is confusing. You can go full out and create a home with a specific narrative or you can try threading treasures collected from traveling throughout your home. Threading your treasures also keeps it up to date longer, because there is not one specific influence that can “date” a space a few years down the road when one of these theme ideas is no longer fashionable. Visiting museums in cities worldwide is another huge design influence on me. I’ll often walk through the sections containing paintings.

Their colors, both subtle and bold, often trigger color combinations to use in a client’s home. Different color combinations and furniture styles can evoke certain historical periods. Many famous architects and designers are also keenly aware of the natural environment and how that makes us feel. The circulation of air throughout the home was a key factor in Le Corbusier’s Modernist work, while Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, brings nature right into the home. Traveling to different places and touring historic homes allow you to consider how you would like to live. Urban living has the constant excitement of having many things to do, but you would have to consider if living in a smaller place, often an apartment building, is for you. You might prefer a home with space, gardens and quiet in the country, or maybe the suburbs would give you a combination of both. Whatever your choice, enjoy the many ways traveling can enrich your life and your home. For more, visit camidesigns.com.

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THE WORLD IN A GLASS BY KATIE BANSER-WHITTLE

ne of travel’s greatest pleasures is sampling local food and drink. Vineyard visits are often the highlight of a trip. For many people, they’re the main point. Wine, like travel itself, is a rich and colorful experience. A wine glass is a prism through which the world can be viewed. It would take several lifetimes and several fortunes to visit all the world’s wine-producing regions. But it is possible to make virtual visits to a variety of intriguing vineyards and to acquire the products of the ones that appeal most strongly, by going to wine tastings and attending wine auctions. Great wine, like great art, is found all over the world. And like collecting art or anything else, collecting wine is very much a matter of taste. Indeed, taste is paramount with a comestible like wine. A palate that has also been educated through travel, comparative tastings and reading leads to the acquisition of wines that are not only satisfying to drink but likely to provide lasting value. Many of the world’s most sought-after wines are the products of famous French and Italian vineyards. But the romance of the grape goes back at least 2,000 years in North America. After all, when the Vikings crossed the Atlantic Ocean around 1000, they called the land they discovered “Vinland” because grapevines were so abundant. As early as the 1500s, French Huguenot settlers in what is now Florida were making scuppernong wine from native grapes. America’s first commercial winery appeared in Kentucky in 1798. In 1830 prominent Ohio banker Nicholas Longworth began making a soon-to-be famous sparkling wine. Wine is arguably America’s favorite beverage. In the last decade, our wine consumption has practically doubled. Only France consumes more wine. And Americans, traveling the country and the globe more than ever, are catching up as wine connoisseurs and collectors. California became the center of American fine

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Wine-Moth. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Echezeaux 2014, three bottles, sold at Skinner Inc. for $4,613. Images courtesy Skinner Inc.

wine production in the Civil War era, culminating in the triumphant 1976 “Judgment of Paris,” in which a panel of French experts rated several California wines above some of France’s most renowned vintages in a blind taste test. Traveling the world of wine, like traveling the globe, is most often begun by exploring the famous highlights — the Bordeaux and Burgundies of France, Italy’s Tuscan and Piedmont pressings, the mostly white wines of western Germany. And, of course, the fortified wines such as Sherry and Port, traditional specialties of Spain and Portugal respectively. For many wine lovers, as for many travelers, there comes the time to venture farther afield. In the case of wine, auctions offer an ideal way to expand horizons. The wine industry is diverse and complex, and a wine auction provides you with access to wines that have been carefully curated by the auction house’s experts. Often these are older and sometimes hard-to-find bottles that are no longer available in retail stores. Many travelers, both virtual and real world, are discovering that building a wine cellar creates a memory palace that can be revisited and shared. Like all the best travels, a journey through wine is a joyful personal adventure that is meant to be shared.

A wine cellar can develop almost by accident — a few special bottles purchased as a memento of a memorable vineyard visit, a gift to mark an anniversary, birth or promotion. As the collector’s experiences and adventures expand and tastes develop, a half-dozen bottles or a case are added. Before too long there’s a collection that is highly personal, meaningful and meant to be consumed. Wine experts point out that people who live in the New England and Mid-Atlantic states have an advantage from the start. The temperate climate and the fact that most houses have cellars provide excellent natural conditions for the long-term storage of wines. Travel can be enjoyed in many forms. Of course there’s boots-on-the ground travel by plane, train, ship and automobile. There’s armchair travel, through movies and magazines, books and video. There is also the kind of travel you can do any time, in the comfort of your own home and in the company of your choice — voyaging around the world of wine. Simply pull the cork and pour a glass. For more, contact Katie at kwhittle@ skinnerinc.com or call 212-787-1114. And visit Skinnerinc.com to explore available fine wine and spirits at auction.

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WEAR

The D-Day watch is made of salvaged parts from a World War II's C-47 transport plane and comes in three different degrees of weathering – “Clean Cut,” “Stamped,” and “Hard Worn.” Photograph courtesy Tockr.

A TIME FOR HISTORY BY MEGHAN MCSHARRY

ime is of the essence when it comes to traveling. Whether you’re running to catch a train, make your boarding call or transitioning to a new time zone, it’s important to have access to a clock at a moment’s notice. While most of us have a smartphone in our pocket to check the time, many prefer the timeless statement that a quality watch makes. Sometimes, the hardware really is better than the digital clock on your phone screen as when you’re up in the air and have no access to your phone. Aviation has long made a mark on both men’s (and women’s) fashion, with bomber jackets and aviator sunglasses being a staple in

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many a closet. Now, that sporty, classic and yet functional style has influenced the wristwatch industry. Founded by Austin Ivey, a pilot and grandson of a World War II pilot, Tockr carries on that military legacy by crafting aviation-inspired watches designed for the modern lifestyle. Available in a variety of different styles, these Swiss-made timepieces make an ideal Father’s Day gift. Taking cues from watches specifically designed for military pilots in the 1970s, the Tockr Air Defender chronograph has a sleek stainlesssteel case and sapphire crystal watch face. With a 60-second, 30-minute and 12-hour counter, the watch can be worn with any of a number of bands, from calfskin leather to stainless steel. For the man fascinated by military history — or even a man who’s a veteran himself — the D-Day C-47 commemorative watch makes a meaningful gift, particularly as this year marks the 75th anniverary of the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. Made in collaboration with the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), these watches are designed to honor the brave airmen who gave their all and, for many, their lives on that June 6. The dials are made from material salvaged from the paratrooper transport planes that led troops to

Normandy, the C-47 aircraft known as “That’s All, Brother.” A portion of the proceeds from the D-Day watches will help fund CAF’s mission of preserving the C-47 aircraft and educating future generations about its role in the war. No two D-Day C-47 watches look alike, as each dial has unique characteristics and degrees of weathering to reflect the journey of the C-47 aircraft took during World War II. Featuring military browns and greens, the dials include the “Clean Cut” model, with light-to-medium weathering; the “Stamped” one, with medium weathering; and the “Hard Worn” model, with a heavily weathered and chipped dial and areas of exposed aluminum. The Tockr D-Day C-47 watch comes packaged in a keepsake wooden box with two straps — one of military-like canvas and a brown leather band. Whether you’ve seen “Top Gun” a few too many times, are a World War II history buff or simply want a quality timepiece to wear on your wrist, Tockr watches are a perfect collector’s item honoring the men who fought for this country’s freedom. They’re available at Neiman Marcus at the new Hudson Yards in Manhattan and on Tockr’s website. For more, visit tockr.com.

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HOME MEETS FASHION DESIGN BY MEGHAN MCSHARRY

et your wardrobe summerready with J. McLaughlin’s new spring and summer 2019 lines inspired by Sarasota, Florida’s mid-century modernist architecture, beautiful beaches and lush tropical landscape. “Modernism is at the heart of the J. McLaughlin brand,” says Kevin McLaughlin, the brand’s cofounder and creative director. “When it came time to shoot our new spring collection, Sarasota, the epicenter of East Coast modernism, just felt right.” McLaughlin himself frequents the area and, naturally, the brand has two stores in the area — one in Sarasota and one in Longboat Key. Thus, the 2019 spring catalog was produced in collaboration with the Sarasota Architectural Foundation (SAF) and showcases some of Sarasota’s most famous landmarks, including the Umbrella House, the Cocoon House and Revere Quality House. The Gulf Coast city, just south of Tampa, was formerly an artists colony. It’s home to the Sarasota School of Architecture and The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, both of which infuse the city with art and culture to this day. In shooting at the mid-century modern homes with the SAF, J. McLaughlin stayed true to its roots of “being a good neighbor.” “By creating visual awareness of SAF, this fine American brand is helping further our mission to protect and preserve these iconic examples of the Sarasota School of Architecture,” says Christopher Wilson, SAF board chair. And create visual awareness they did. In the spring catalog, models in the brand’s clothing are posed in beautifully lit spaces showcasing new spring and summer inspired designs. A constant trend throughout the catalog is

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A model in the must-have Hester Coat is photographed in front of the iconic Cocoon House on Siesta Key in Sarasota, Florida. The house was designed by Paul Rudolph in 1950. Add the soft Henri sweater, white Lexi jeans, Ruby reversible belt, tortoise sunglasses and chic wicker bag for the ultimate spring ensemble.

breezy, effortless style, mixing bold prints with more classic, solid pieces. In one photograph, the Umbrella House, located on Lido Shores and designed by architect Paul Rudolph in 1953, provides as a crisp backdrop for the punchy Lukas pant and Gramercy Linen shirt worn by the male model. Perfect for those cooler mornings and evenings as we transition into summer, the Hester coat is photographed in front of the Cocoon House, another one of Rudolph’s architectural masterpieces, on Siesta Key. Pair the Hester coat

with white Lexi jeans, timeless tortoise sunglasses and a wicker bag for the perfect summer barbecue style. Floral patterns, gingham and gauzy materials seem to be on J. McLaughlin’s radar for the upcoming season. Luckily for us, these items are just as on-trend in the Northeast as they are on the sunny shores of Sarasota. J. McLaughlin has four retail locations in Fairfield County and three in Westchester County. To find the location nearest you, visit jmclaughlin.com.

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Peppered chicken. Photographs courtesy Rajni Menon.

RECIPE FOR HUMANITY BY GINA GOUVEIA

hen creativity, talent and passion are combined, it can yield glorious results. Such is the case with Rajni Menon, the force behind the enterprise “Creative Rajni: Creativity in Food.” With a background in engineering, fashion, art and cooking, and a penchant for spreading kindness and humanity, Menon has the goods to become a force to be reckoned with. She is building a business and a brand that has married her love of cooking with a mission to help children around the world — a passion project she has begun via numerous outlets and is still developing. WAG first encountered Menon when she offered a cooking demonstration during an event at Williams-Sonoma at The Westchester in White Plains this spring, but let’s back up for a moment to

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her interesting upbringing and the roots of her present undertaking. A native of Kerala in South India — a region of the country known for its more natural surroundings and greenery, as Menon describes it — she grew up with her younger sister in a caring home. As a family, they enjoyed the experiences of cooking together, eating and sharing with others, and Menon speaks particularly of her many fond memories of time spent in the kitchen with her mom. It instilled in her, she told me, a deep concern for others. “My mom taught me that, and it’s something I try to do in my life. I always have that in my mind — to be positive and to be kind to every human being.” It’s a worthy mantra and one that has opened up many worlds to Menon as she obtained her education in her native India, a member of the first graduating class from Amrita Institute of

Technology and Science in Tamil Nadu, where she obtained a degree in electrical engineering. As a young woman, this enabled her to apply her engineering expertise to her father’s business, which manufactured electrical and resin-cast transformers for the building trades, including everything from brand new construction to housing for the underserved. In 2000, a new world opened up to Menon when she immigrated to the United States, having just married her husband. (They met while he was vacationing in India.) She began her American life in Chicago. Coming from the warm, 90-degree average climate of southern India, she was taken offguard by the Windy City, telling me, “When I first stepped outside from the plane, it was like walking into a freezer, but I enjoyed it there. I always try to find the positive.” When the couple eventually relocated to Westchester County, Menon commuted to New York, working as an electrical engineer, helping to design the new World Trade Center site, an opportunity she could not resist. Then along came baby and she made the decision to make her now ninth-grade son her first priority. During the time spent dedicated to raising him, she found that she wanted a creative outlet and turned to art, creating about one oil

painting per month. “There were so many things I wanted to do,” she says. “I love fashion, art, food, anything colorful, really, so I took a two-year program in textile designs at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) and began painting designs for fabrics.” For about a year, she ran a small business producing artful blouses, but her real calling was food, especially her desire to bring the world of South Indian cuisine to her new homeland. “Indian cuisine here is mostly dominated by dishes from the north, with an emphasis on creambased curries and heavy sauces.” She explains the cuisine from her native Kerala as one that employs the authentic old curries in more coconut- and veggie-based elements, creating more variety, but still producing the spice and harmony of flavors typical of the region. And, in Menon’s case, the artistic style of presentation is also on full display. For about a year she started to offer cooking classes in partnership with the owner of Masala Kraft Café in Hartsdale, and they became incredibly popular, much to her delight. “To be handson with the cooking and impart the technique to others was very rewarding,” she says. “People would come back each month because they were interested. That gave me a very good feeling that I could take it on (professionally).” She parlayed her newfound confidence in her cooking abilities into a new part-time career at The Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges. “I didn’t want

Rajni Menon.

to commute to the city any longer,” Menon says, “but I wanted to find a place that had not only a strong kitchen, but one with high design and artistic plates.” In her new role as garde manger, she is responsible for salad and appetizer production. Last November, via her website, Menon started to develop her own branded cooking classes with the goal of turning this avocation into a worthy project. There are two different components — one is a series of cooking classes at various adult schools and the second is private classes in people’s homes, teaching the basics of South Indian cuisine.

Already on her schedule for the year’s end is a cooking class and festive dinner with wine pairings during the holiday season on Dec. 17 at Zwilling Cooking Studio in Pleasantville. “For the private, inhome events, I take my spice box with me and the hosts supply the rest. A big reason that I started the cooking parties was to create fashionable food with a purpose. “Everything will be about children and their emotional development,” she says. “I feel that the most important thing for a kid is building up their self-confidence and that is what I want to promote so that the funds reach the ones who need it most.” This July when she returns to her native Kerala, an annual excursion, she will spend time at a home there for 20 orphaned girls. “I’m starting in my hometown, with an aim to build a program on a global level,” she tells me. “I know that I want to help kids, but I need to have a medium so people understand that it’s legit. With the cooking classes, half the money goes to buying ingredients and half goes to the charity,” Menon adds. The process and the momentum are building slowly, she tells me, but she sees the potential. “When you surround yourself with positive people you can do anything,” is Menon’s new mantra, but “one step at a time,” she says. From the sound of things, it seems her step is in double-time. For more, visit creativerajni.com.

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Stanwich Club Grill Luncheon Shotgun Start Cocktails, Hors DʼOeuvres & Dining Stations

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The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary is honored to host their 2019 golf invitational at the exclusive Stanwich Club, in Greenwich, CT. The Stanwich Club is ranked #1 Golf Course in the State of Connecticut by Golf Digest, 2018. All proceeds of this extraordinary golf experience support the creation of the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary in Newtown, CT – a safe haven and place of healing in honor of Catherine Violet Hubbard, who lost her life at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. We hope youʼll join us for an unforgettable afternoon of prestigious golf play and meet some special animal ambassadors who may inspire a few birdies and eagles on the course!

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WONDERFUL DINING

A FAB DEBUT (PUNS NOT INCLUDED) BY JEREMY WAYNE

f you occasionally find Westchester dining a little dispiriting, weep no more. The former Kirby’s, slap in the center of Yorktown Heights, is now home to The Gramercy, co-owned by Ray Ahmetaj, of Angelina’s in Tuckahoe fame, and his nephew, J-T. (Me: “J-T , do you go by another name?” J-T: “No, only J-T.”) Well, to murder my Shakespeare, a rose by any name smells sweet, and J-T and his uncle are restaurant pros. The Gramercy already has the sweet scent of success about it. Dinner on a Thursday evening six weeks in — The Gramercy opened in March — made me wonder why it had taken so long for this restaurant to come onto my radar. The crowd was cool without being raucous, the lighting was low — but not so low I needed my iPhone flashlight to see what was on my plate — and Stan Getz was playing on the sound system. If bossa nova doesn’t make a party go with a swing, nothing will. Then, of course there’s the food. The Gramercy — the name inspired by Gramercy Park, which is two blocks from where J-T grew up in Manhattan — styles itself as an American brasserie, which is telling. It serves upscale American fare with a French twist. Wholesome food, generous portions with a soupçon — more like a dollop, actually — of French culinary magic and savoir faire. And all of this in a brasserie setting, implying space to spread out (as opposed to a bistro, where there’s barely room to slice a baguette). Also, like a real French brasserie, the restaurant is open all day, serving lunch and dinner each weekday until 10 p.m. (11 p.m. on weekends), with Sunday brunch coming shortly. There are also plans for a patio, which will be a boon in good weather. On my first visit, a superb French onion soup and woody, nicely al dente wild mushroom ravioli

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The Gramercy. Photographs courtesy the restaurant.

paved the way for a salmon en papillote entrée, a generous tranche of glistening fish served with blood orange and fennel. Others in the party swore the hush puppy crab cake — a Gramercy best-seller — and the rich duck cassoulet were the way to go. Along with the salads and artisan pastas, like the pingingly fresh bibb and Stilton salad and the vast portion of spirally regenetti pasta I’ve enjoyed on subsequent visits, the menu also lists four dishes for sharing, including the trending Heritage Amish chicken and a Provençal bouillabaisse. True, the short wine list tilts heavily towards

Italy, but the Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages flies the tricolor and California makes its voice heard, with a Simi Cabernet Sauvignon offering black stone fruit, cocoa and leather on the nose. Alternatively, if you have good wine at home, consider bringing it and paying the $25 corkage. Now that the weather is getting warmer, some lighter dishes will start to appear on the menu. Watch out for more salads and mushroom dishes, as well as the escargots, which chef Thierry Ricard is going to bake in the flakiest pastry. No matter what he cooks, his mantra is no more than five ingredients in a dish, which chimes with the “three

Frech onion soup.

Chicken lollipops with root vegetables, served at the bar.

elements maximum on the plate,” which Juan Mari Arzak, the daddy of New Basque cooking, once told me was his principle on a culinary tour of northern Spain. Less, in other words, is almost certainly more. Speaking of plates, another plus point for The Gramercy is its attractive round tableware — not a square plate in sight — since square and

rectangular plates, as every cool, bossa nova-loving restaurant-goer knows, are terribly, terribly over. Nice heavy silverware and butcher’s apronstyle napkins complete the mise-en-place on the otherwise undressed tables. (“I think we’re all moving away from white tablecloths,” J-T observes shrewdly. “Nowadays it’s all about a vibe or scene.”) Cloths or no cloths, the sea moss chairs and banquettes give the room a very tony atmosphere, while service, from a smiling, welldrilled team, is oiled and efficient. And then there’s The Gramercy bar, on the right as you enter. With deep couches for cozying up to your date, as well as traditional bar stools, it’s a glorious space, the bar itself running the entire length of the restaurant, with enough ambient back-lighting to power a small country. Cocktails, prepared with premium brand spirits, include the summery Life in Pink, made with Tito’s vodka, watermelon and rosewater; and the slightly more robust Parisian Purple Mojito, 3-year-old Havana Club rum shaken with blueberry, mint and lime. Ernest Hemingway — who loved a long bar, and wasn’t averse to a spot of rum either — would have definitely approved. The taglines on the drinks list, however — “Alcohol you later,” “Wish you were beer,” etc. — are toe-curlingly awful, and would have had the man of letters frothing at the gills. That’s why I’m awarding the rather wonderful Gramercy only 9.5 out of 10, subtracting half a point for weak puns. In all other respects, it’s a doozy of an American brasserie. The Gramercy is at 345 Kear St. For reservations and more, call 914-302-7189.

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WINE & DINE

Marta Valsangiacomo, the woman behind Bodegas Cherubino Valsangiacomo, a Valencia winery that also makes a smooth vermouth.

THE RETURN OF VERMOUTH STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG PAULDING

o who uses vermouth anymore, anyway? I was a bartender on Nantucket in the mid 1970s at a few fancy restaurants. Diners would often order up a martini or a Manhattan. Then the martini became the “dry” martini and then “very dry.” The standard martini had a ratio of 1:2 of vermouth to gin or vodka. The dry martini had a ratio from 1:4 to 1:6 or so. And I remember a gentleman asking for an “Extra dry Beefeaters martini and I’m going to tell you how to make it. Grab the shaker, scoop in some ice. Add the Beefeaters, uh, a little more. There, now lift the dry vermouth bottle and wave it upright over the shaker glass and return it to the well. Now, shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass and swipe a lemon rind around the rim and drop it in the glass. Ahhhh. Perfect.” Quite quickly I witnessed the disappearing vermouth.

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Vermouth was originally created as a medicinal elixir and was altered to address whatever ailment was presenting. The medical doctor or witch doctor or midwife would concoct a drink using fortified wine as the base and add ground-up roots, bark, leaves, berries and any assortment of botanicals for taste and reputed health benefits. As distillation — that is, turning a low-alcohol drink like beer or wine, into a highalcohol spirit — was popularized, other drinks were tweaked to add to and soften the edginess and heat of the alcohol. Ports, Madeiras and Sherries, among others, were sometimes used for the same effect — to lower the alcohol levels and to soften the bite of distilled spirits. On a recent trip to the Valencia region of Spain, I met Marta Valsangiacomo, the young and dynamic matriarch of Bodegas Cherubino Valsangiacomo. Her wine roots go back generations and span a few countries. Her great-

grandfather, Don Benedetto Valsangiacomo, bought and planted some vineyards in Switzerland and created a following with some attractive wines while developing a personal recipe for both sweet and dry vermouths. But the phylloxera scourge set in, destroying his vines. (Phylloxera is a small louse that sucks on the plant at soil level and has killed hundreds of thousands of acres of thriving vineyards on all continents and in all countries.) Control option number one is to replant the entire vineyard using American rootstock, which is impervious to the attack. Option number two is to relocate the family to another area and start over. The family chose option two, set out for Spain and settled into the thriving seaport of the Valencia region on the east-central coast. Since that time they have planted and bought up vineyards or acreage on which to plant and today produce more than 10 million bottles a year, making them one of the major players in the region. They have roots in the Valencia DO, or Denomination of Origin, the local wine governing body, and in the adjacent Utiel-Requena DO. I recently met with Marta at a New York trade show and tasted and learned about her family’s vermouth, which is a key ingredient to Rob Roys and Negronis as well as martinis and Manhattans. Both the dry and the sweet vermouth are simply loaded with flavor. I asked Marta how she drinks Vermouth. “I like it as is. A good glass, some ice, dry or sweet vermouth depending on my mood, and a sliver of lemon or orange. And that’s it.” The recipe created by Don Benedetto is essentially this: Make a wine. Before fermentation is complete, add a high alcohol neutral grape brandy to kill the yeasts, maintaining some of the natural grape sugars. Then add myriad plant products and botanicals for the chosen flavor profile. At Bodegas Cherubino Valsangiacomo, common botanicals such as coriander, salvia, oregano, chamomile and orange are used along the lesser known genciana, ajenjo and ajedrea to provide a three-dimensional flavor and mouthfeel. My next stop at this trade show was a nearby gin producer. He beckoned me over and poured me a taste. It wasn’t quite cold enough and, yes, it had a present alcohol heat to it that made it taste a bit imbalanced. I went back to Marta and asked her for a light splash of her dry vermouth in the gin glass. It was instantly drinkable, balanced and delicious. Both the dry and sweet vermouth go by the name Vittore Vermouth. They also produce a riserva Vittore Vermouth. Think of it as adding an additional tasty parameter to your vodka, your gin or your whiskey glass. Or just pour a glass as Marta does. Ice and vermouth. Let the Vittore Vermouth wow you. Write me at doug@dougpaulding.com.

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WELL

Flexologists at work at StretchLab White Plains. Courtesy StretchLab.

HOME STRETCH BY MEGHAN MCSHARRY

love writing about health and fitness trends and new businesses popping up in the region, so when I was asked to write a story about StretchLab I was more excited than ever. If you’re anything like me, you skip stretching before and after a workout. Maybe it’s to save a few minutes of your time, or maybe it’s out of sheer laziness. (For me, it’s both.) Growing up in various sports programs, I had every coach in my ear reminding me of the importance of stretching. When I started to have tendon issues at the ripe old age of 13, trainers instructed me to stretch every day to help alleviate the pain. No matter how many experts told me how integral stretching is for my body, I never seemed to learn. Thus, after every workout, I still find myself struggling just to climb the stairs or sit in my chair. Even when I skip exercising (which is most days), I spend 40 hours a week hunched over a computer screen. Sitting has been proven to be terrible for your health and, if you work a desk job, you know just how achey it can make you. Whether you’re a dedicated athlete or a desk potato, stretching is a vital step in keeping your body healthy and free of pain. StretchLab, Westchester County’s new assisted stretching franchise, is here to help you, whether you struggle to find time in your day to stretch or it simply slips your mind. Dawn Rinaldi, franchise owner, opened the StretchLab in White Plains in mid-March of this 114

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year. The mother of two and soon-to-be empty nester decided to open the studio because she was ready for a new venture and saw a gap in the market for a place like StretchLab. Dawn noted that StretchLab is for everyone, from young, competitive children to professional athletes and adults who are experiencing a few aches and pains and more. “The best thing that’s happened to stretching is the computer and texting,” Dawn said. “Tech neck,” a term used to describe stiffness and soreness in the neck and upper body due to long hours hunched over a screen, is on the rise, and stretching can help combat it. We chatted for a bit before Dawn sent me on my way with Maxwell Dane-Ennist, or Max, the general manager and head flexologist at StretchLab. Max sat me down for a quick one-on-one session at one of the padded tables (intentionally out in the open to promote a sense of community) and asked me a few questions like what sports I played, how active I am and if there were any areas of concern. I’ve had extremely tight hamstrings for a few years now, so he went straight to work on my lower body. Max explained each step along the way, which made me feel much more comfortable considering he was essentially a stranger touching me. But because he was so gentle, warm and informative, I almost forgot we had just met. There was nothing weird about it. He stretched my legs and asked me to tell him when I felt tension reach a six on a scale of one to 10. Not a pain scale, but a tension scale, he told me. Unsure of what that meant, I let him try it first. He knew right away when I was just about at a six. He was that intuitive when it came to moving and feeling the body. Max explained that he is a certified personal trainer, licensed massage therapist and a

kickboxing instructor. I assumed this is where the intuition came from, but it runs deeper than that. “It’s sort of something I’ve always had,” he told me. “I’ve always been able to understand the human body.” Max could feel when I was tensing up, knew when to remind me to keep my hips flat, and best (or worst) of all, could tell I was slouching over from long hours at my desk, which is something I hadn’t even noticed myself doing. The stretching sessions use Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation — a method in which the flexologist puts your body into a position and asks you to contract and hold specific muscles for a few seconds. For example, Max would hold my leg up and ask me to push my toes toward him while flexing my foot and then count down for a few moments until relaxing again. This helps to increase range of motion and get maximum benefits during the session. When the session was over, I felt a bit like jelly, but also more limber than I have in years. It was like a trip to the spa, only one that was good for both my mind and my body. It felt incredible, in part because I barely had to do any of the work, but also because I could tell my body would benefit in the long run from continuing these stretching sessions. Better yet, I didn’t even have to shower afterwards. StretchLab recently launched its group stretch sessions, which Dawn explains are an “education tool.” Not only are they great for people who may not feel comfortable in a one-on-one session, but these group sessions also teach clients how to use tools like resistance bands and foam rollers to stretch out their bodies and promote recovery. If you’re ready to book a stretch, you can choose between a 25- or 50-minute session. For first-timers, the 25-minute session is discounted. StretchLab White Plains is at 147 E. Post Road. Dawn is planning to open one in Mount Kisco as well. For more, visit stretchlab.com.

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WELL

SAFE FUN IN THE SUN BY RICHARD TORBECK, M.D.

kin cancer is the most common cancer in the world, and, with cases still on the rise, we need to do more to protect the body’s largest organ yearround. According to the nonprofit Skin Cancer Foundation, more people in the United States are diagnosed with skin cancer than all other countries combined. One out of five Americans is expected to develop the disease by age 70. From 1994 to 2014, we saw a 77% jump in nonmelanoma skin cancers. In terms of invasive melanomas — the deadliest form of skin cancer — annual diagnoses jumped 54 percent from 2008 to ’19. Moreover, there is an increase in thin melanomas particularly in younger women. Prevention — in particular limiting sun exposure — could put a significant dent into such statistics. The Skin Cancer Foundation states that 90% of nonmelanomas — including the more common basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas — are linked to the sun’s rays. For melanomas, 95% are related to UV exposure, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer lists the sun’s radiation as a “Group 1” cancer agent — alongside plutonium and cigarettes. If we can block those rays, we can help prevent skin cancer. Effective use of sunscreen — as well as an awareness of its limitations — plays an important role. People need to apply sunscreen mindfully. In some cases, people may think that they have taken the appropriate steps to protect themselves but may indeed still be at risk.” With that in mind, I offer the following mythbusters: Just a dab will do you: Unfortunately, most people don’t use nearly enough. Adults need at least an ounce — think a shot glass full — for totalbody coverage. In terms of spray sunscreens, their effectiveness remains a question because it’s hard for the user to gauge how much is actually being applied. 116

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Once is enough: We can’t apply and then head out for the day. We need to carry our sunscreen with us for re-application every two hours — and more often if there’s water or sweat involved.

a.m. to 2 p.m., that sunscreen alone is not enough. Additional protection — a hat, sunglasses, coverups — is also needed. And, if possible, we should simply get out of the sun when its rays are most intense.

If it feels good, use it: Customer reviews touting “feel” or “absorption” should not guide our choice. An analysis of Amazon faves found that 40% missed the mark in terms of meeting the American Academy of Dermatology’s recommendations, which are really what we need to heed — namely, a product that is at least 30 SPF, provides broad-spectrum’protection from both UVA and UVB radiation, and is water/sweatresistant. If those three bases are covered, then options such as chemical-based products (which absorb the sun) versus mineral-based sunscreens (which physically block rays) are a matter of preference.

When summer’s over, we can put the sunscreen away: Colder temps can obscure the fact that the sun’s rays are still doing damage. Cold-weather factors such as snow can actually reflect and intensify the sun. We should build sunscreen into our daily routine so that it becomes a 365-day habit. As we support cancer patients and search for cures, let’s also make sure we’re taking steps to protect ourselves from the most common form of the disease. Richard Torbeck, M.D., is a board-certified and fellowship-trained dermatologist specializing in Mohs micrographic surgery for skin cancer and cosmetic dermatology at Advanced Dermatology P.C. and the Center for Laser and Cosmetic Surgery (New York & New Jersey). For more, visit advanceddermatologypc.com.

Sunscreen is all you need: No level of SPF can completely block the sun. It’s important to remember, especially during the peak hours of 10

SPORTS. CULTURE. SEX.

Provocative posts on power thegamesmenplay.com

WELL

FATHER’S DAY IS EVERY DAY BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI

“A 2-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have the top for it.” — Jerry Seinfeld or those of you who have been reading WAG magazine for the last several years, this is about the time where I give my yearly review of fatherhood as I combat the dubious “Dad Bod.” My daughter Juliet turned 2 this past Memorial Day. Just like newfound parenthood in year one turns your world upside down, going from year one to two provided its own learning curve. And that’s the thing with parenting: There is no instruction manual, although you sure do get a lot of opinions on how to raise a child. In last year’s column, I mentioned that Juliet was just about ready to start walking and within days of that article getting published, she was off and running. It is really fascinating to see the milestones of rolling, crawling, standing, stepping and walking coming from someone like myself who has studied a lot of developmental kinesiology (which is basically a study of early human development). A lot of the exercise techniques that I have learned over the years follow these same types of patterns of rolling, crawling, standing, stepping and walking. For example, a workout for a client may begin something like this: • doing an exercise on the back, • followed by an exercise on all fours, • followed by a exercise in a half-kneeling position, • followed by an exercise standing, • followed by an exercise moving. The more your child can do (like walking), the easier it can be to put your own health, wellness and fitness on the backburner. Your child becomes the priority, so a parent takes care of the child first before taking care of himself. With this being said, I can see how the “Dad Bod” creeps up on fathers. I’ve mentioned this in the past and it’s become more and more evident: Time management is key. I’ve discovered, experimented and realized that at least for myself, getting in a workout early in the 118

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Giovanni Roselli with his adored and adoring Juliet, age 2. Courtesy the author.

morning is the safest and best bet. Planning on squeezing a workout in the afternoon or waiting until evening will inevitably be met with obstacles that come up unexpectedly throughout the day (or the day just gets away from you). Better to get it done early. Research shows that morning workouts have a lot of positive effects on the body in regards to energy, mood and focus for the remainder of the day. Here’s another thing that I have learned unequivocally: Being a parent has changed the way I view and understand my own parents and all parents in general. Now this is not to say I haven’t appreciated them, but becoming a parent myself, and being in their shoes, gives everything a much deeper perspective. I know for a fact that my mother and father read my articles every month (I am still their baby boy after all), so here’s a public message to Vince and Louise Roselli: Thank you for taking care of me the way you did. Thank you for raising me the way you did. Thank you for always taking care of me and giving me everything I needed to become the man I am today. Thank you for providing the example of what a strong marriage is and showing me the importance of family. I have been very fortunate, lucky and blessed to have you as my mother and father. I understand why you worry. I understand why you stayed up to wait for me to get home, why you wanted me to call when I got off a plane. I get it all. I know sometimes I was a pain in the butt (hey, what kid’s not?), but I hope that you enjoyed

raising me. I have done and accomplished a lot of great things that I am proud of, but my proudest moments are always when someone tells me, “You’re a good guy, your parents raised you right.” I can only hope that people say the same thing to your granddaughter. I love you both very much. You are both wonderful parents. Your parents did a great job with the both of you. I look forward to keeping this tradition going. Now I know I’m only two years into this journey, and this is only the beginning. There will be plenty of memories, laughs, tears and struggles ahead. And I look forward to embracing them all. I’m also going to be optimistic that the “terrible twos” won’t be so terrible at all. I’ll let you all know next year, which I’m sure will be here before I know it. I’d say literally at least once a day, a parent will tell me how quickly time goes and to enjoy every second. Two years have indeed flown by, and I look forward to another “Dad Bod’-less year ahead of me. Throughout my life I’ve been a professional wrestler, actor, fitness coach and now master instructor. I’ve performed in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden; created fitness programs that have reached global participants all around the world; been featured in major motion pictures and television shows alongside some of the most famous actors of all time. And none of it compares to hearing the word “Daddy.” This is truly the greatest title I could have ever received. Reach Giovanni on Twitter @GiovanniRoselli and at his website, GiovanniRoselli.com.

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PET PORTRAITS

A DOG’S BEST FRIEND BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

n the long journey that was the life of Doris Day — who died May 13 at age 97 at her home in Carmel Valley, California — her fans got to see her in many roles on and off screens big and small. She was an aspiring dancer turned big-band singer who became a movie icon and a TV star. She survived physically and financially abusive husbands. She embraced co-star Rock Hudson, dying of AIDS in 1985, at a time when many people, and even more governments, recoiled. The one constant in a life that often wasn’t as sunny as her onscreen persona was her love of her furry, four-legged friends. It began with Tiny, the dog her mother presented her with as she recuperated from the car accident that shattered her right leg, ending her dancing career but giving birth to her singing one. The 15-year-old was enchanted but learned a bitter lesson when, still on crutches, she took Tiny for a walk without a leash and he was killed by a car. Years later, she told playwright A. E. Hotchner, who interviewed her for the 1976 book “Doris Day: Her Story,” that she betrayed Tiny by not being more careful. If so, she spent the rest of her life atoning for that perceived thoughtlessness by rescuing animals and working to end animal testing. According to The New York Times obituary, she would even go so far as to check out the homes of pet adoptees to ensure they had proper enclosures. The so-called “Dog Catcher of Beverly Hills,” Day would often find dogs dropped on her doorstep and just as often take them over to fellow stars’ homes where she would lobby for their adoption. Apparently, it didn’t take much convincing. As one anonymous star says on the website of her legacy, the Doris Day Animal Foundation, "We all had at least one of ‘those Doris Day animals.'” But the foundation — established in 1978 as

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Doris Day

the Doris Day Pet Foundation — wasn’t enough for the woman who found animals more loyal than people. With the Doris Day Animal League, begun in 1987, Day started Spay Day USA in 1995. Now World Spay Day, it has helped spay and neuter more than 1.5 million animals. In 2007, the league merged with the Humane Society of the United States. Meanwhile, the foundation has become a grant-giving organization, assisting with spay/neuter efforts, veterinary expenses, seniors programs, pet-food pantries, wildlife rehabilitation and educational resources. Besides World Spay Day, projects include the Doris Day Equine Center (located at Cleveland Amory’s

Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison, Texas), the Duffy Day Life Saving Program (giving second life to older and injured animals that may face euthanasia) and the Doris Day/Terry Melcher Scholarship at University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “During the painful and bleak periods,” Day told Hotchner, “my animal family has been a source of joy and strength to me. I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent, devoted companionship of your pets that you can get from no other source.” There is no question that she repaid that love in full. For more, visit dorisdayanimalfoundation.org.

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PET OF THE MONTH

PICK A POSEY PHOTOGRAPH BY SEBASTIĂ N FLORES

osey, a gentle and sweet Cattle Dog mix, was very pregnant when she was abandoned at a high-kill shelter from which she was rescued. At a foster home the last few months, she not only proved to be a wonderful mother but got along great with her foster parents and their pets. About 4 years old, Posey smiles and wags her tail at everyone she meets. Her puppies have all been adopted so now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s her turn to find a forever family that is looking for a snuggle bug. To meet Posey, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor. Founded in 1883, the SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is not affiliated with the ASPCA. The SPCA is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. To learn more, call 914- 941-2896 or visit spca914.org.

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PET PORTRAITS

Courtesy Found My Animal.

LOST AND ‘FOUND’ BY ROBIN COSTELLO

t all started with Walter — and his doppelgänger. On a neighborhood walk in Brooklyn in 2006, Bethany Obrecht and her rescue dog — a handsome Chihuahua named Walter — crossed paths with Anna Conway and her pooch — you guessed it, another rescue Chihuahua named Walter. With so much in common, the two “Walters” and their moms became fast friends and together they would change the lives of many more rescue animals. With a penchant for crafts and inspiration from a fisherman in the family, the two designed and created their first leashes, made with marinegrade rope, brass and waxed canvas. The three-strand, hand-spliced, whipped-rope creations were an instant hit. Indeed, so many people stopped them in the street to admire their unique nautical leads that the women decided to

share them with others and, within a short time, the new business Found My Animal, not based in Kingston, was born. Unique to each leash is a simple, numbered brass tag that reads “FOUND” — a simple message that reflects the company’s mission to promote animal adoption in a direct way by letting your pet wear your values. To date, more than 110,000 of these numbered leashes have been sold. A whole line of pet products and accessories soon followed — collars, harnesses, beds, bowls and fashions for all your pets, including cats, dogs, horses and even goats. Part of the proceeds from their sales goes to support animal welfare and rescue organizations, with a whole section of the website dedicated to helping facilitate direct pet adoptions. Found My Animal — compassionate people making beautiful, meaningful products. And all thanks to Walter — and Walter. For more, visit foundmyanimal.com.

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WHERE & WHEN

Through Sept. 8 Hudson Valley MOCA presents “Greatest Love,” featuring Anne Samat’s new body of iconic wall hangings. Using intricately woven textiles and found objects, Samat builds elaborate totems evoking her familial lineage. Noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, 1701 Main St., Peekskill; 914-788-0100, hvmoca.org.

June 1 through 9 New Pond Farm’s Seventh Biennial Invitation Benefit Art Show showcases paintings, drawings and sculptures featuring timeless themes of nature and agrarian life. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 101 Marchant Road, West Redding; 203-938-2117, newpondfarm.org.

June 1 through 23 ACT of Connecticut presents “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a play which follows six awkward adolescents through their daunting and hilarious championship quest. 7 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, 36 Old Quarry Road, Ridgefield; 475-215-5433, actofct.org.

June 1 RiverArts presents RiverArts Music Tour, a weekend during which various musical acts will perform at numerous venues throughout Westchester County’s rivertowns — Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington and Tarrytown. Music genres include folk, rock and jazz. Times and locations vary; 914-412-5120, riverarts.org.

June 1 and 2 Peekskill Arts Alliance presents the 22nd Annual Peekskill Open Studios, a weekend of arts activities throughout the city of Peekskill, including open artists’ studios, group exhibitions, pop-up shows and collaborative events. Noon to 5 p.m., Gazebo at Park and Division streets; peekskillartsalliance.org.

June 2 ArtsWestchester will host a workshop on the “The Art of Runway Walking,” led by FX Pose choreographer, LGBTQ youth rights advocate and runway regular Twiggy Pucci Garçon, along with ballroom artists Milan and Mermaid Garçon. There will be a pre-workshop conversation about the history of runway in the New York ballroom scene with Yale University professor Tavia Nyong’o. This program is co-sponsored by The LOFT LGBT Center and is being held in conjunction with Westchester Pride. 1 to 2:45 p.m., 31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains; 914-428-4220, artsw.org.

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ArtsWestchester will host "The Art of Runway Walking" with Twiggy Pucci Garçon June 2. Photograph by Anja Matthes.

The Center for Contemporary Printmaking’s 12th Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition, limited to works that are no more than 4 square inches, opens with a reception and awards presentation. The exhibition runs through Sept. 1. 2 to 5 p.m., 299 West Ave., Norwalk 203-899-7999. contemprints.org.

June 2 and 16 The Play Group Theatre presents “Peter and the Starcatcher,” a play based on the 2004 novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson about Peter Pan. 2 and 7 p.m., 1 N. Broadway, Suite 111, White Plains; 914-946-4433, playgroup.org.

June 4 Pianist Frederic Chiu is this year’s recipient of The Westport Library’s “BOOKED for the evening” award. This is the 21st benefit awards ceremony and will include an inaugural performance by Chiu in the Christian J. Trefz Forum, the library's new entertainment space. 8 p.m., 20 Jessup Road; 203-291-4800, westportlibrary.org.

June 4 through 22 Westport Country Playhouse presents “Skeleton Crew,” Dominique Morisseau’s play about factory workers navigating opposing agendas and shifting power dynamics as their plant prepares to close. 25 Powers Court; 203227-4177, westportplayhouse.org.

June 8 Mamaroneck Artists Guild will host an opening reception for “Urban Choreography,” a solo exhibition of paintings and pastels by artist Marion Block Schneider, who focuses thematically on New York City and its energy, light and color. 3 to 5 p.m., 126 Larchmont Ave., Larchmont; 914-834-1117, mamaroneckartistsguild.org. Celebrate the 70th anniversary year of The Glass House at The Summer Party, featuring an afternoon of performance, exhibition and auction to benefit the iconic Philip Johnson designed house and 49-acre site. Enjoy a special aerial walk by French high-wire artist Philippe Petit and a performance by the Harlem-based drumline and dance line crew The Marching Cobras. Noon to 4 p.m. 199 Elm St., New Canaan; 203-2757565, theglasshouse.org.

Summer Season June 15 - July 28

June 15 Opening Night Orchestra of St. Lukeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Connect Through Live Music

June 21 Tribu Baharu

June 29 BUIKA Full Calendar & Tickets: caramoor.org / 914.232.1252 Katonah, NY

June 22 American Roots Music Festival

June 30 New York Baroque Incorporated with Vivica Genaux, mezzo-soprano

WHERE & WHEN

June 20 through July 7 Shakespeare on the Sound presents “Twelfth Night.” This play that examines love in all forms, and how individual perspective influences your views on love is set here in the early 1950s. 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays, Pinkney Park, 177 Rowayton Ave., Rowayton; 203-299-1300, shakespeareonthesound.org.

June 21 Jon Batiste and the Stay Human band, which has performed on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” will be part of the Ridgefield Playhouse’s Summer Gala. 5:30 p.m. with food, an open bar and a silent auction under the tent, 8 p.m. performance, 80 E. Ridge Road; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org. “Make Music Day” is an international celebration by professional and amateur musicians around the world, including towns and cities in Fairfield and Westchester counties. makemusicday.org.

"Travelers," 2013, a work in reclaimed plastic objects, painted aluminum, wire, will be featured in "Sayaka Ganz: Reclaimed Creations," opening June 27 in Stamford.

The Fairfield Museum and History Center kicks off its summer season of outdoor performances on the Museum Commons with a Gala Preview Party, a dinner beneath the stars with live music from Chris Coogan, musical theater performances from Fairfield Center Stage, specialty "Cocktails on the Green" and a farm-totable dinner prepared by Tim Labant, 7 p.m., 370 Beach Road; 203-259-1598, fairfieldhs.org.

June 9 Copland House presents a concert to culminate Cultivate 2019, a weeklong all-scholarship creative workshop and mentoring program that has become its flagship initiative for championing gifted young American composers. The concert will feature the world premieres of six new works by this year’s composer fellows. 3 to 5 p.m., 455 Byram Lake Road, Mount Kisco; 914788-4659, coplandhouse.org. Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum celebrates the opening of artist Sara Cwynar’s first East Coast museum exhibition, which features photography, video and bookmaking. 3 p.m., 258 Main St., Ridgefield; 203-4384519. aldrichart.org.

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June 13 Barbara Paul Robinson, gardener and author of “Heroes of Horticulture: Americans Who Transformed the Landscape,” will give a lecture based on her best-selling book. 7 p.m., Greenwich Historical Society, 47 Strickland Road, Cos Cob; 203-8696899, greenwichhistory.org. United Hebrew of New Rochelle showcases a group of leading Westchester physicians and their musical talents at a special performance of “Doctors in Concert,” featuring classical and contemporary performances on piano, violin, cello and guitar. 7:30 p.m., Willow Towers, 355 Pelham Road; 914-632-2804, ext. 1137, csanders@uhgc.org.

June 15 Pelham Art Center presents an artist’s talk with Sarah McKenzie, the center’s 10th Alexander Rutsch Award and Solo Exhibition winner. McKenzie’s artwork explores the architecture of exhibition space, including art fair tents, minimalist gallery interiors and video-screening rooms. 2 p.m., 155 Fifth Ave.; 914-738-2525, pelhamartcenter.org.

June 22 through July 23 The Summer Theatre of New Canaan present a new musical for children, “The Light Princess,” about a princess cursed to possess no gravity. 3 p.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m. Sundays, 70 South Ave., 203-966-4634, stonc.org.

June 23 Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts presents its American Roots Festival, a day of American music from folk and country to bluegrass and gospel. The night closes with performances by folk duo The Milk Carton Kids and Tennessee-based multi-instrumentalist Amythyst Kiah. Starts at noon, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-232-1252, caramoor.org.

June 27 The Stamford Museum and Nature Center hosts an opening reception for “Sayaka Ganz: Reclaimed Creations,” an exhibition of works made by Ganz out of reclaimed plastic household objects, 6 p.m., 39 Scofieldtown Road; 203-977-6536, stamfordmuseum.org.

Presented by Arts Westchester (artswestchester. org) and The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County (culturalalliancefc.org/FCBuzz-events).

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NEXT STOP FOR THE ARTS MOBILE ArtsWestchester, with major support from White Plains Hospital and Con Edison, recently launched the ArtsMobile in Westchester County. A colorful RAM van custom-fitted with all kinds of supplies, the ArtsMobile will bring free arts programming to children and audiences of all ages outside the traditional classroom or studio setting. The ArtsMobile allows teaching artists to offer hands-on art workshops designed to spark imaginations and encourage creative expression in those who have little or no access to the arts. From April through October, the ArtsMobile will be scheduled to take its artists and mobile arts programming to White Plains Housing Authority sites, Westchester festivals, neighborhood parks and community events.

1. Janet T. Langsam and Jane Solnick 2. Shari Rosen Ascher, Dawn French, Miguel Cossio, Jane Solnick, Nicholas Wolff and participating student.

KIDS FOR A CAUSE CARNIVAL Pint-sized models strutted their stuff April 14 for Breast Cancer Alliance’s annual Kids for a Cause Carnival Day. The youngsters took to the runway in outfits selected and organized by Kathy Morrissy and her store, Hoagland's of Greenwich. In addition to the runway show, co-chairs organized an afternoon of magic, music, face-painting, balloon animals, arcade games and arts and crafts. As Yonni Wattenmaker, BCA executive director, noted: “It was an adorable and enjoyable way to get young families involved with Breast Cancer Alliance while they enjoy quality family time with friends and neighbors.” Photographs by Elaine Ubiña. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Charlie Alexandrou Mary Jeffery and Yonni Wattenmaker Pippa Heyworth Molly Schiff, Scottie Bonadio, Suzanne Zakka and Magali Swanson

FUN AT WORK More than 80 kids visited BIC’s North American headquarters in Shelton recently to enjoy a funfilled morning of games and activities with their parents at Bring Your Child to Work Day. Parents and children were greeted by BIC’s general manager, Mary Fox, and joined by the company’s mascot, BIC Boy. 7. Mary, Sophie and Ben Fox 8. BIC Team members and their children

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BALANCING ACT On April 16, Breast Cancer Alliance (BCA) and UJA*JCC Greenwich presented “Balancing Science and Integrative Medicine,” a medical symposium at Old Oaks Country Club in Purchase. Leaders in the field highlighted new breast cancer therapies and approaches to prevention. The event, moderated by Orli Etingin, M.D., director of the Iris Cantor Woman’s Health Center, included Marcus DaSilva Goncalves, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College; Alka Gupta, M.D., co-director of Integrative Health and Wellbeing, Weill Cornell/ NY; Lynn Honderd, CEO of Mary’s Nutritionals; and Linda Vahdat, M.D., breast oncologist and chief of cancer services, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Norwalk Hospital Partnership. Photographs by Chichi Ubiña. 1. Betsy Nilan and Yonni Wattenmaker 2. Jane Weitzman, Pam Ehrenkranz, Jane Batkin, Karen Ross and Ellen Keats 3. Monique Lionetti, Tammy Zelkowitz and Amy Katz 4. Orli Etingin, M.D., Alka Gupta, M.D., Marcus Goncalves, M.D., Linda Vahdat, M.D. and Lynn Honderd 5. Jodie Freeman and Debbie Robbins 6. Mary Kate Donato and Meg Russell 7. Renata Weiss and Ellen Brown 8. Corinne Shore and Marissa Cohen 9. Sarah Swanberg and Jordan Rhodes 10. Loren Taufield, Lisa Quackenbush and Mary Jeffery 11. Staci Friedwald and Heidi Rieger

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SUPPORTING YOUTH Business and government leaders came together for the annual Boys & Girls Club of Mount Vernon Gala recently at The Surf Club on the Sound in New Rochelle. More than 400 attendees celebrated and honored the people who have played a key role in the success of the club in the Mount Vernon community. The 2019 honorees included Joseph Armentano, Marissa Glaze, retired NBA star Carlton “Scooter” McCray, Marsha Blount, Brian Hairston, Cortesia Norman and Danny Bernstein. 1. Joseph Armentano and Carlton McCray 2. Danny Bernstein (wearing jacket) and Christian Burgos 3. Lisa Solitto, Laura R. Lavan and Katherine Campbell 4. Jhaydan DeVaughn, Lowes Moore and Chevy Williams 5. Marissa Glaze and Mel Campos

6 4

GIRL POWER Actress Yara Shahidi was on hand to help salute the strong, smart and bold at the Girls Inc. Westchester annual gala, which was held April 10 at the Doral Arrowwood Resort in Rye Brook. Founded in 2007, Girls Inc. Westchester provides girls ages 9-18 with a place where they feel physically and emotionally safe, trained professionals who mentor and guide them and peer groups that help them to feel supported, valued and confident. Photographs by Stuart Ramson /AP Images for Girls Inc. of Westchester County.

6. Yara Shahidi 7. Umran Beba and Joanna Simone 8. Patricia Simone and Ayesha Simons

CALLING ALL ‘ANGELS’

May 1 was a night of fashion — and color-coordinated fearlessness — as Anastasia Cucinella and Debra O’Shea, co-owners of Mary Jane Denzer in White Plains, hosted an event for The Fearless Angel Project, a Greenwich nonprofit founded by Izabela O’Brien that provides scholarships to families that cannot afford services and programs for their autistic youngsters. The event featured a trunk show of sensuous knitwear fashions by Italian designer Alessandra Vicedomini. Guests wore blue and white, signature colors of the nonprofit that will be on full display at its Sept. 28 “Dancing With the Angels” gala. Photographs by Georgette Gouveia. 9. Anastasia Cucinella, Alessandra Vicedomini, Debra O’Shea and Izabela O’Brien 10. The chairs (in blue) and committee members (in white) of the “Dancing With the Angels” gala with Izabela O’Brien (center).

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ANNA’S LEGACY

On April 11, Hospice of Westchester (HOW) dedicated its board room at 1025 Westchester Ave. in White Plains to its longtime benefactor Anna Shereff. She established The Anna & Louis H. Shereff Caregiver Program in 1995 and generously expanded her sponsorship to include the Complementary Care Program in 2012. Her vision, resources and commitment to HOW were unprecedented and included matching all funds raised at HOW’s annual In Celebration Gala Reception. Her children, Rochelle and Jesse Shereff, continue her legacy of giving and provide ongoing support to HOW and its valuable programs.

4 4

1. Jack Geoghegan and Holly K. Benedict 2. William F. Flooks, Jr., Jaquelyn Pirri, Mary Gibbons Gardiner, Rochelle Shereff and Mary K. Spengler 3. Kathleen McArdle, Barbara Gaughan, Carol Townsend-Ross and Laura Lemos-Vidarte 4. George Whitehead, Mark A. Fialk and Bruce Page 5. Carol Loomis and Mark Wegner

RUNWAY FOR HOPE The Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation, raised more than $30,000 at its recent “Runway for Hope” Fashion Show, held April 4 at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. The event featured fashions by Lord & Taylor in Eastchester that were modeled by HGAR Realtors. Established in 2003 and relaunched in 2013, the Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation has donated thousands of dollars to charities and nonprofits serving the housing, hunger, health, happiness and humane needs of people throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond. Last year, the foundation donated more than $81,000 to 26 local charities. Photographs by John Vecchiolla. 6. Ann Garti, Tom Conkin, Maryann Tercasio and Richard Haggerty 7. Bonnie Koff and Ron Garafalo 8. Jill Wilkins, Matt Rand and Rich Herksa 9. Sander Koudijs and Stephanie Liggio 10. HGAR Realtors walk the runway in Lord & Taylor fashions.

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JUNIOR’S ‘BIG NIGHT OUT’ The Junior League of Central Westchester’s (JLCW) recently held its “Big Night Out” fundraising gala at Kanopi at The Ritz Carlton New York, Westchester in White Plains. As one of the JLCW’s largest fundraisers, the gala provides essential financial support for the organization’s educational and charitable projects. The evening’s festivities included a cocktail hour, dinner, music, dancing and an extensive silent auction. The gala honored No Child Wet Behind, providing diapers for those in need; its co-founders; and Congresswoman Nita Lowey for their contributions to the community and the Junior League of Central Westchester. Photographs by Sean Friedman Photography. 1. Randy Patterson, Sandra Katz and Debbie Aglietti 2. Jenny Choi, Audrey Sims, Sherry Hsu, Valerie Phillips, Sandra Katz, Nathalie Daniel, Jill Mickol, Allison Weiss, Lisa Berman and Felice Wyloge 3. Jordan and Lisa Copeland 4. Sheneekra Adams, Laura Kim, Ariana Quinones, Raven Gomez and Danielle Marino 5. Wendy Armstrong, Melaney Chan, Michelle Memoli and Kevin M. McGuire 6. Suzanne Arinsburg, Kim Naclerio, Dorathy Sunshine and Dana Miele

WESTMED’S EARTH DAY Westmed Medical Group’s pediatricians and pediatric providers recently celebrated Earth Day with their patients at several of their locations in Westchester. Patients were invited to plant with their pediatricians and beautify the green spaces at Westmed’s locations in Rye, White Plains and New Rochelle. Westmed is committed to reducing its environmental footprint all year round. 7. Edward Hackert, John McCallion, Jennifer Nunez, Rosaline Torres, Rachel Aronow, M.D., Gennifer Geller, M.D., and Charlotte McCallion 8. Angela Bailey, Graciela Guallpa, Alejandra Guallpa, Sha Blakeney, Alisson Camila Lopez Hernandez, Angela Cortez, Sandra Rodriguez, Yannis Olayunca, Daniel Mohrer, M.D., Mariela Hernandez and Iris Rebatta

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STEPINAC’S SUPER MOMS Archbishop Stepinac High School ‘s Lady Crusaders recently honored Kathy Russo of Hartsdale and Vera Corato of Yonkers as Mothers of the Year at the school’s annual spring luncheon. The high school for boys, located in White Plains, and its parents’ organization recognized the two Stepinac mothers for their “longstanding, tireless dedication and generosity to support the school’s mission.” 1. Kathy Russo and Vera Corato

GRATEFUL RECOGNITION

It was with surprise and delight that Assisted Living Services caregiver Doreen Harrison received the homecare agency’s Platinum Caregiver Award for March at the home of client Virginia Hawley on April 18. In addition to a check for $5,000, the monthly award included a crystal statue and a certificate of merit. Harrison was selected after earning the highest-quality score from Homecare Pulse, a third-party survey company that measures customer satisfaction. Hawley’s family members were on hand to congratulate Harrison and to show their gratitude. 2. Ron D’Aquila, Doreen Harrison, Tom Daly and Mario D’Aquila

AND JUSTICE FOR ALL More than five hundred guests were in attendance at the Doral Arrowwood in Rye Brook on April 9, when Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV) hosted its 2019 Equal Access to Justice Dinner. The evening’s special honorees were John M. Flannery, Julie Kinch and Mastercard’s Law, Franchise & Integrity Group. The record-setting, sold-out event, raised more than $550,000 to support their mission of providing free, comprehensive civil (noncriminal) legal services to low-income and disadvantaged individuals and families who cannot afford an attorney when their basic human needs are at stake. Photographs by Margaret Fox.

3. Russell Yankwitt and Christopher Cabanillas 4. Anthony J. Scarpino Jr. and Alfred Donnellan 5. Former LSHV client, Susan, with her daughter and Barbara Finkelstein 6. Timothy Murphy and Vanessa Kaye Watson 7. Paul Adler and John M. Flannery 8. Bobby Valentine 9. Julie Kinch

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*Asked at the New York Botanical Garden’s Garden Furniture & Antiques Fair. Photographs by Robin Costello. 136

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