My Paris Dream by Kate Betts

January 31, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

If you’re a Francophile and you keep a mini-collection of contemporary books on Parisian journeys, add My Paris Dream to the shelf. Betts, an award-winning magazine editor and author, shares her coming-of-age story of living and working in Paris, France shortly after graduating from college. Her anecdotes finding her own way through the city and […]

"Fairy Tale Fashion" Exhibit at the Museum at FIT

January 31, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology reinterprets the original fairy tales written by the storytellers Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault and others… Not the Disney versions. Since these fairy tales were more like fictional horror stories graphic cautionary tales to keep children well-behaved, the literature is quite horrifying—read Hans Christian Andersen’s story of The Little Mermaid and you’ll […]

The Widow Clicquot by Tilar J. Mazzeo

January 22, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

The story of the name behind one of the most famous bottles of bubbly, Veuve Clicquot. Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, whose curved signature graces the brand’s yellow labels, is responsible for the champagne’s legacy today. After the death of her husband Francois Clicquot, Barbe-Nicole managed to overcome the endless obstacles posed by droughts, family misfortune and, […]

Mira Sushi & Izakaya

January 22, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

After one of my job interviews, I met up with my brother Dylan at Mira Sushi for lunch. I did notice the 2015 Zagat-rated sticker on the front door, but I didn’t piece together how accomplished Mira Sushi until I did a bit more research. Chef Brian Tsao has been delighting the Flat Iron district […]

Gilded: How Newport Became America’s Richest Resort

January 10, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

If you’re looking for a gateway book to gain an interest in Newport, Rhode Island’s history, Deborah Davis’s Gilded is a great place to start. Davis artfully weaves facts and nostalgia to illustrate the complex facade of Newport’s elite. She breathes life back into the Vanderbilts, Astors, Oelrichs and other prominent families whose legacies survive in their […]

2016 New Year’s Resolutions

January 3, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

Here it is. The obligatory list of promises I hope to keep up for the New Year. Let’s hope that this list sticks. Repairing my postureI feel a slight hunch. Literally. Being a social media addict is all fun and games until the curvature of your spine morphs into something not so far removed from […]