A CITY A WEEK...GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA WITH GUEST BLOGGER GEORGE SCHEER

by adeline talbot

Recently I had the honor of working with the Museum Trustee Association during its 4 day visit to North Carolina.  One can never see it all but this time around it felt like we came close to doing just that in our cultural visits in and around the Triangle and the Triad. I hesitate to single out any one institution (they are all great and I have never been so proud of NC...) even so on our Sunday morning visit to Elsewhere I was struck anew by its ineffably powerful impact.  I have long wanted to feature my hometown of Greensboro in 'A CITY A WEEK...' and that morning it suddenly hit me--Elsewhere could be the place to hang this particular hat. Elsewhere co-founder George Scheer has been kind enough to take a break from his very busy schedule to tell us more...and next time you are in downtown Greensboro--whether you have come from down the street or across an ocean--remember to check out Elsewhere.  It's got that certain something that makes it both of this place and a place like no other...

A spring perfromance on Elsewhere's storefront stage

GOING ELSEWHERE

Greensboro North Carolina and the Piedmont Triad (including Winston-Salem and High Point) host a broad spectrum for the visual arts. The Weatherspoon Museum, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), Reynolda House Museum of American Art, and the Greenhill Gallery of North Carolina Art present a diversity of visual cultures, regional perspectives, contemporary and historical explorations. Differently nestled, among antique stores, restaurants, and downtown Greensboro businesses, sits Elsewhere, a living museum and experimental artist residency set in a former thrift store in this historic South Elm neighborhood. Founded in 2003 as a non-profit artist-run space, Elsewhere is part museum, part international residency, and part public studio. However, Elsewhere appears like a three story wunderkammer and installation artwork being sculpted from a former store still containing its vast collection of cultural inventories.

Sylvia Gray with  some of her vast collection of objects.

From 1939-1997, former proprietress Sylvia Gray amassed a vast collection of wares including 1500 bolts of vintage fabric, thousands of articles of clothing, classic board games, toys from each decade, books, furniture, and knick-knacks. Upon Sylvia’s passing the store remained, filled and without destination, literally overflowing its shelves. Re-discovered by Sylvia’s grandson and a group of artists, they declared, “Nothing For Sale” and transformed the inventories into a permanent collection and evolving resource for artists around the world to create new work within and for the museum.  Today, Elsewhere hosts 50 artists a year on residencies and curated fellowships, welcomes more than 10,000 visitors, and produces "I don't do boxes," a magazine made by LGBTQ youth.

Greensboro seems like an unlikely place to uncover an avant-garde experiment in emerging art practice, social engagement and urban placemaking. Many museum visitors simply stumble upon Elsewhere while shopping downtown. What they discover is a world of memories and curiosities, a place filled with artists constantly making, and an opportunity to engage with critical ideas in a contemporary but also playful way.

With three floors and two-storefronts there is a lot to see and touch in this contemporary house museum. There is a library, kitchen, fabric workshop, and “piano bouncy ball” a sound instrument made of piano parts that you can throw super balls at. A fourteen room former boarding house on the second floor hosts installations including a fabric fortress, ribbon room, and a wardrobe that is simply wall to wall of vintage clothing worn by artists. On the third floor, a wood library, toynado, army bunker, and artist workshop are just some of the projects created by artists using the store’s materials. Everywhere is a mixture of objects and artworks, interwoven into the very architecture of the building. Moreover, everything is always changing, and so visitors come to see the living museum as much for its artworks as for how those things are being transformed all the time.

You never know what you'll find or who you'll meet at Elsewhere!

There is so much art available in the Piedmont region of North Carolina that a trip to the area feels vital and full. The opportunity to get lost within Elsewhere will remind you why creative culture is important and cool.

                                                                                                                   George Scheer                             

 

 

A CITY A WEEK...NAOSHIMA, JAPAN

by adeline talbot

Sometimes dreaming is enough or should I say enough for now... 

This past winter I first heard of Naoshima from clients, now friends, who had visited there on a trip to Japan, sponsored by Penland School of Crafts.  The overall trip sounded wonderful!  This Japanese 'art island' sounded life-altering.  In fact, I just can't get it out of my head--and for now I don't mind that one little bit.  

The minute that the fates and the treasury line up,  I'll be off  for a visit to Naoshima but for now I am finding the dream of Naoshima has its own rewards providing a very pleasant refuge for those little mental escapes we all need from time to time from the drudgery of chores or the stress of responsibilities.  

I dream of Naoshima, a nearly deserted island in the Japanese sea covered with art.

See what I mean?  Just beautiful, isn't it?

CLICK HERE for more substantive information on Naoshima or simply watch the scroll for a few mesmerizing images from a magic island...a tiny vacation from the everyday...

A CITY A WEEK...ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO

by adeline talbot

A few weeks ago I did a post for Cherri Megasko's blog 'Bucket List Travel Club'.  While Studio Traveler's focus is primarily cultural, Cherri's blog is all about adventure travel.   In discussing post options we thought it would be fun to 'bridge the gap' with a destination that would combined the two.  The perfect destination came to me almost unbidden--Abiquiu, New Mexico.  To read that post on Cherri's blog CLICK HERE.  

For a bit more on Abiquiu's most famous resident read on... 

Photo Credit: Paul Davies

As almost anyone can tell you Georgia O'Keeffe was a painter--and when I say 'almost anyone can tell you' I suspect this is not too much of a stretch.  Quite independent of our interests or pursuits, the stature of some  people just seem to be breathed in with our national air.  I offer as what I think as a rather compelling example of this truth the fact that I now know who Jordan Spieth is, how old he is, where he is from and most certainly what he did to make us proud.  Some knowledge you get from just being alive.  And so it is, I suspect, with Georgia O'Keeffe.

But familiarity is different from affinity--that all important sense of connection to the work itself.  For me a connection to O'Keeffe's work was a long time coming.  I liked the paintings well enough but was not moved by nor particularly interested in them.  That changed a few years ago with a visit to O'Keeffe's house in Abiquiu, one of her two primary residencies for the second half of her life.  The sense of her aesthetic is so rich and vivid there that I found it created a kind of portal into her work.  

Photo Credit: WikiArt

This is not to say that a great house or a good life story, for that matter, can be made to stand in for talent.  The talent has to be there but when it is there is just something about seeing a house--with the undeniable intentionality of its domestic arrangements--that feels as intimate as visit and as useful as a map.  I found this to be as true at O'Keeffe's house at Abiquiu as I did on a visit to Donald Judd's house in Marfa, Texas.  Donald Judd's work has always had an appeal to me.  I just like it on the level of instinct.  I did not 'need' the house as a way into the work but it sure did to add pleasure and depth to the experience of it.  

Photo by SumikoPhoto/iStock / Getty Images

So go to Abiquiu if you are lucky enough to be out that way or to Marfa if you are really ready for your off the beaten track adventure. Both offer a chance to add to your knowledge and appreciation of two great American artists.  As it happens both are also areas that have have excellent wilderness experiences in close proximity.  Must be something about landscape.  These big spaces draw us all in.  It's the great and the talented among us that sometime decide to stay behind and make of it a world...

A CITY A WEEK...DURHAM AND THE NEW 21C

by adeline talbot

[Hover for Image Captions]

I spend a fair amount of time thinking about ‘local’ versus ‘away'.  Not too surprising I suppose for a cultural travel planner but it is not just love of home versus curiosity about ‘what’s up there around the bend...’ that has me coming back again and again to this notion.

I’ve written about this before.  When I was growing up, places like North Carolina felt very far from the cultural action.  In so many ways now this is not merely ‘not as true as it used to be’, but it is no longer even precisely the right way of thinking about where culture is located.

I was struck by this more forcefully than ever this past weekend when I visited the newest 21C Hotel and Museum just down the road in Durham, NC.

How do you explain a place like 21C?  It’s hard to fully do it justice in the absence of a visit. It really is a hotel and it really is a contemporary art museum.  I was charmed by the 21C that I visited last year in Bentonville, Arkansas so I was predisposed to like ‘ours’, the 4th in this nine-year-old enterprise.  I didn’t just like it.  I loved it.  And I found it hard to escape the impression that this hybrid beast has really hit its stride with the Durham iteration.

The two opening exhibitions ‘Found@Counting House’ and ‘Pop Stars! Popular Culture and Contemporary Art’ are very fine indeed, thoughtfully curated and very well presented.

And this brings me back to ‘here’ vs. ‘there’.  The concept for 21C was borne in 2006 in Louisville, Kentucky.  A great town I am sure but mostly known for things other than contemporary art—or so I would have said.  But, honestly, what does that even matter? Founders Laura Lee Brown & Steve Wilson didn’t just happen to have the means to act on a great idea.  They had a point of view, a vision and a through line—a through line that appears to have been informed by the great wide world.  Now they are picking towns—not unlike their own—small-ish, slightly off the center spot but interesting and full of possibilities—and using their concept as a vehicle not only for hospitality but for sharing and expanding a truly terrific contemporary art collection.  This idea did not have to go to New York or any other hot spot to be born.   And the same is true for the art work.  I saw some very good work by some of the stars of the moment—Kehinde Wiley and Mickalene Thomas, for example—as well as very good work from highly respected, established artists such as Nick Cave and Marilyn Minter, all of whom are working in the cultural centers of New York or Chicago. Such places, of course, do exert a potent cultural pull but the work in both of these exhibitions is from a much wider range of places than just the 'usual' spots—smaller cities in the US as well as Jamaica, Romania, Brazil, Cuba, Benin and so on...In fact, some these artists are living in places a lot like Durham or Bentonville or Cincinnati or Louisville and all of the work regardless of place origin is very good.

The world may be getting smaller but it staying pretty interesting.  In fact, if anything it’s getting more interesting.

Go.  You don’t have to stay the night as lovely as that prospect may be.  The museum portion of all 4 21C’s is open literally all of the time and is free of charge.  The hotel is great though and the food at the Counting House—delish! I ask you--how can you go wrong?

 

A CITY A WEEK...NEW YORK

by adeline talbot

ON KAWARA AT THE GUGGENHEIM

It's perhaps embarrassing to admit but New York pretty much means only two things to me: art and food. Should you ask me what shows I'll be seeing I always muff the answer.  I assume 'exhibitions' when the asker more often means 'If/Then' or  'Beautiful'.  Ask me where I shop, and I actually do have an answer but honestly, it's not why I go.  I go to see art and to eat wildly good food.  And so it was on a recent long weekend when I got to eat, see a lot of art and as it happens one perfect exhibition.

'One Thing', '1965', 'Viet-Nam' by On Kawara (Photo Credit: New York Times)

'One Thing', '1965', 'Viet-Nam' by On Kawara (Photo Credit: New York Times)

It is not often that an exhibition changes everything—the way you see and understand an artist’s work, the way you see and understand an exhibition space and, indeed, the way in which you see and understand an aesthetic movement.  Yet this was just the experience I had a couple of weeks ago when I was at the Guggenheim to see On Kawara--Silence.  It struck me as perhaps the most perfectly poised show I have ever seen.

Which has me thinking of my experience with exhibitions as framing devices and how fundamentally distinct this has been from my interest in a given artist’s work or my grasp of the curator’s intent. Perhaps more simply put--it has me thinking of the many ways there are to love exhibitions.

Guernica by Pablo Picasso (Photo Credit: WikiCommons)

There are the blockbusters with their catnip appeal of cultural excitement.  The first blockbuster I remember seeing was arguably the first of the genre: MOMA’s Picasso Retrospective in 1980. Everyone with even a peripheral interest in contemporary culture felt they simply had to see this show.  It was so fun and exciting to stand in line in the summer sun waiting your turn.  The buzz was almost physical. Truth be told, though, Picasso’s value has always had a certain opaqueness for me and I do not recall the show changing this in any way. I might as well have been looking at the 1000 plus works in the pages of a book.  This was not necessarily the exhibition’s fault—I’m on record—I have no affinity for this artist’s work, notwithstanding his status amongst the immortals. But really who cares whether or not this was any one’s ‘fault’?  I didn’t and still don’t.  I was there along with everyone else and it was great, great fun. And it was the first time I understood that this might be enough for an exhibition—for it to be the cultural equivalent of a great big county fair: fun, crowded and boisterous and where everybody, simply everyone, comes to see the show.

"Portrait of My Father" (1972-1979) by Stephen J. Kaltenbach,  "Under the Big Black Sun: California Art 1974-1981," at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. (Photo Credit: Michael Owen Baker)

So if that was for me a somewhat aesthetically inert experience what of the other kind—the sort that in some way grabs the cultural moment and slings forward?  My own personal most perfect example of this is without a doubt the Pacific Standard Time (PST) series of exhibitions in 2011 and 2012.  A proposed collaboration initially generated by the Getty to a few fellow museums, PST grew—and in a very short time—to involve over sixty institutions across Southern California all engaged in documenting the story of the California art scene, post-war to 1980. This series of exhibitions not only had a number of excellent individual shows--Now Dig This at the Hammer Museum; California Design 1930-1965: ‘Living in a Modern Way’ at LACMA and Under the Big Black Sun: California Art 1974-1981 at LAMOCA to name but a few--but collectively it could be said to have re-framed our understanding of the last several decades of American art.  Roberta Smith’s review in the New York Times was, in fact, titled A New Pin On The Art Map—and almost every artist who had a significant presence in one or more PST show has seen a complete and upward reevaluation of his or her career.

View of On Kawara--Silence at The Guggenheim Museum (Photo Credit: ArtNet)

So back to the On Kawara show which is neither county fair nor I suspect an exhibition that will fundamentally change or inform the larger cultural moment--and if it does that is not why I loved it. Quite simply, though, to me it was perfect.  Conceptual art can so easily seem like a lazy man’s one-off trick.  You say an idea and if someone buys or exhibits it then it becomes art.  I was aware of Kawara’s work and given its central unalterable fixation on the experience and recording of time it has always had its appeal for me.  But it has been until now the vague, sort of luke-warm-ish appeal of the ‘oh, yes, I get it’ variety.    To see as one does in the Guggenheim exhibition a thorough and utterly comprehensive survey of his work is to understand in a true sense the currently fashionable art word ‘practice’.   The works produce by this artist are not expressions of various and/or random ideas about time but rather an entire disciplined and immersive approach to living a life within the structure of these ideas about the nature of time and our experience of it.  And here is where the Guggenheim itself adds inseparably to the experience.  You move through the exhibition in very much the way we move through time itself in this ever-accumulating spiral of sight and experience until it ends at the top of what you have by now more or less managed to forget is a museum at all, it having merged with the work as an experienced whole.

For a far more comprehensive review please see Life Captivated By The Wonder Of Time, as it happens another Roberta Smith review from the NYTIMES.  One of the most glowing—even joyful—reviews I can remember.

Go see this show if you are in New York.  It’s really terrific.  Up through May 3rd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A CITY A WEEK...NADI, FIJI by Guest Blogger CHERRI MEGASKO

by adeline talbot

This week’s guest blogger, Cherri Megasko, puts me to shame in at least two categories—and I have to say these are two that I usually think I’ve got covered--traveling and having an adventuresome palate.  Trust me when I say, Cherri more or less leaves me in the metaphorical dust on both. In fact, we met when I felt compelled to introduce myself.  I overheard her talking about how hard it is to find all the ingredients she needs for real Vietnamese food of the type and quality she had enjoyed in Vietnam.  When she mentioned not cilantro or chili paste but tripe I thought this gal is the real deal!  Now she's just back from Fiji--and about to scoot off to Turkey next week-- and yet Cherri has been kind enough to write a post for A CITY A WEEK…It makes for very fun reading—and  hopefully will whet your appetite for Cherri’s own blog Bucket List Travel Club.

NADI, FIJI

Fiji. Just saying the word sounds exotic. But before my recent trip I was a little worried that this South Pacific destination wouldn’t live up to all the hype. Sure, there are beautiful beaches, fantastic scuba diving and breathtaking views, but how do Fijian cities stack up against other international destinations? I explored the Fijian city of Nadi (pronounced non’ dee) with exactly that question in mind.

A Few Facts About Nadi, Fiji

Nadi is located on Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu. It is the country’s third-largest city and home to its only international airport. Slightly over 50 percent of its population if Fijian and surprisingly (to me), about 40 percent is Indian. By U.S. standards, Nadi is a small city with a population somewhat similar to Biloxi, Mississippi, and Cupertino, California.

The downtown area of Nadi, Fiji, offers a good mix of both essential and touristy businesses. (Photo credit: Cherri Megasko)

The Culture of Nadi, Fiji

Much of the culture in Nadi is impacted by its strong Asian influences. The people are very conservative in both their actions and dress. In fact, to enter the villages we were asked to be sure our clothing fully covered our shoulders and knees.

You won’t find opera and ballet in Nadi, but that doesn’t mean they’re lacking in culture. Instead, kava ceremonies and mele performances are still very much a part of everyday Fijian life.

I enjoyed my first taste of kava in the Namaka Market in Nadi, Fiji. (Photo credit: Cherri Megasko)                              

             The Cuisine of Nadi, Fiji   

Seafood, curry and anything Asian make up the Nadi food scene. When we asked our taxi driver/tour guide to name two dishes that he felt spoke to the essence of Fiji, he told us kokoda and mud crabs. So, being the student of international cuisine that I am, I tried them both.            

I first traveled to Smuggler’s Cove to check out the Ghost Ship Bar & Grill. The kokoda caught my eye right away. Its description sounded like a Fijian version of ceviche, which I love. It’s basically raw fish marinated in coconut milk and lime juice. It is both creamy and tart, and the version I had also contained sweet peppers and lots of spice. I found an outstanding preparation of mud crabs at the Rokete Restaurant inside the Mercure Hotel in Nadi. They were prepared with a thick sweet chili sauce and were absolutely to die for! Even though it may have been the messiest dish of my life, I would order it again in a heartbeat.                                                                                                                                         

What to Do in Nadi, Fiji

·      In the city itself, the largest attraction is no doubt the Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple, the largest Hindu Temple in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple in Nadi, Fiji, is the largest Hindu Temple in the Southern Hemisphere. (Photocredit: Maksym Kozlenko Wikimedia Commons)

·   A visit to the local market is a great way to get a feel for the everyday life of Fijians in and around Nadi.

Local vendors sell fresh fish and produce in Nadi’s open air market. (Photo credit: Cherri Megasko)

 The Sabeto Hot Springs and Mud Pool are located just outside Nadi and offer visitors a relaxing and therapeutic mud bath and hot springs spa.

After treating yourself to an all-over hot mud pack you can relax in the mineral waters of the Sabeto Hot Springs. (Photo credit: Cherri Megasko)

The Garden of the Sleeping Giant boasts what was once the private orchid collection of American actor, Raymond Burr.

The Garden of the Sleeping Giant contains more than 2,000 varieties of Asian orchids and Cattleya hybrids. (Photo credit: Cherri Megasko)

So what about my quest to answer the question of how Nadi, Fiji, stacks up against other international destinations like Paris and Rome? The answer is that you simply can’t compare them. They are each remarkable and amazing in their own ways. If high fashion and fine dining are what you’re looking for, then Nadi is probably not the destination for you. But if you think you’d enjoy immersing yourself in the traditional culture of a proud and colorful island nation, Nadi, Fiji, may be a dream come true.

You can read more about Cherri’s exotic travel adventures on her travel blog, the Bucket List Travel Club.

 

 

 

A CITY A WEEK...BEAVER CREEK, COLORADO With Guest Blogger JESSIE BRINKLEY

by STUDIO TRAVELER

Today we hear from guest blogger Jessie Brinkley who's not long back from skiing Beaver Creek. It's a bit of luck that even though this post was scheduled weeks ago, it feels just right on  this bitterly cold 'snow day' in North Carolina. Vicarious thrills for those of us who won't be making it to the slopes anytime soon......and we have more to celebrate than just this great post coming along with the first regional snow of the winter.  Today mark's the 52nd post for Studio Traveler's 'A CITY A WEEK...'so one full year of weekly shout outs on cities large and small...Now that we have our sea legs, we are ready to tweak things up a bit.  Beginning next week we'll have a new look and we'll begin to roll out of some new guest bloggers.  Good things ahead...beginning with today's post--

 

Last fall, 2 friends and I scrambled to find a few winter days to head out to Beaver Creek for a ski in/ski out vacation. My friend, Suzanne, has a brother with a beautiful house right on the slopes of Bachelor Gulch and Bachelor Gulch sits right next to Beaver Creek-- 25 minutes from Vail. The house is in a resort community of lodge-style houses which rim the ski slopes with a Ritz-Carlton Hotel placed comfortably at the base. It is truly picturesque.

Early January was the only time that worked for all of us and our fear was that it would be really COLD. It turns out this is the perfect time to go on a ski vacation in Colorado. The temperature was a balmy 30 degrees, the lift lines were non-existent and there was fresh powder.

Our first day we worked on getting our ski legs back as fat snowflakes fell most of the day. We enjoyed lunch at the top of the lift at Mamie’s Mountain Grill. Mamie’s unique menu features “grill your own” options of Colorado lamb or chicken and burgers, homemade signature soups and European style hot dogs. The grill is peacefully nestled among an outcropping of birch trees.

The lifts close at around 3:30 which seems early but the sun sinks low way before 5. This is a great excuse to head back to the house for some rest, drinks and a few snacks by the fire before dinner.

And speaking of dinner, one of the highlights of our stay was dinner at Spago at The Ritz-Carlton. I was skeptical. Could the name live up to the hype? It was already clear that in Beaver Creek it's especially easy to spend a large amount of money on only a pretty good dinner. Spago certainly lived up to it’s reputation. We started with 2 appetizers; short rib ravioli topped with fried Parmesan curls, sun-dried tomatoes and beautiful baby swiss chard. The flavor of the filling was subtle but rich -- it melted in your mouth. Even tastier were the 3 crispy sesame cones of sashimi grade tuna with roe, ginger and some type of nori confetti bursting out of the top. Also as delicious was a signature wood fired pizza topped with wild mushrooms, butternut squash, grilled radicchio and ricotta salata.

Grouse Mountain Grill at The Pines Lodge also served up some especially good food. It is described as New American fine dining but the menu featured heavily on wild game including elk, rabbit and bison. First came house made pickles and crispy brussels sprouts. We raved about the brussels sprouts which had a maple gastrique and were soon rewarded with a copy of the recipe.

The most interesting starter we shared was the Carrot Tasting. This dish contained roasted baby carrots, crispy quinoa, locally made yogurt, carrot emulsion and ras el hanout which, it turns out, is a Moroccan spice mix, much like Garam Masala in Indian cuisine.

Suzanne tried the rabbit which was actually a bacon wrapped sausage of rabbit with sweet potato tortellini, chestnut puree, apples and rabbit jus. She refused to share so I’m assuming it was a hit.

The only dark cloud in an otherwise perfect ski vacation was a trip to the urgent care after our last ski run. Coming down a small hill leading to the house, I fell and cut my leg. As the nurse was prepping me for stitches, she ran down her list of mandatory questions about visiting Africa and whether I had done any drugs in the past year. I asked her clarify whether she meant legal or illegal drugs -- we were in Colorado, after all. It was just a joke but we did read in a local magazine that an occasional issue restaurants are having is that a diner will fall face first into their meal. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t considered when legalization was being discussed.

A CITY A WEEK...THE BRONX By Guest Blogger NANCY BEAVER

by STUDIO TRAVELER

This week's post deserves a bit of framing--and not because The Bronx may strike some as an odd choice.  There's a whole lot more to that borough than one might think. Take for but a very few examples, the tony neighborhood of Riverdale, the gorgeous Fordham University campus, the fabulous Bronx Zoo (the largest zoo in North America) or today's focus--Arthur Avenue.  The list could go on and on.  I have to admit though that highlighting this diversity was not the original prompt for today's post. 

It started, rather, with an email that came in a few weeks ago.  The folks at Smartling,  a translation software company, were in touch to ask if I'd  like to be a part of their 'Dream Destination Dinner' initiative with a post about my ideal dinner in my ideal spot in the world.  I just couldn't decide on my favorite 'away' so instead decided to focus on a wonderful 'here'--a place with terrific food from 'away' but accessible state-side.  Guest blogger Nancy Beaver--now of NC but formerly of NYC--has long raved about Arthur Avenue--and suddenly I had my 'where'...so without further delay, I give you Nancy's wonderfully encyclopedic post on the 'real' Little Italy...

Borgatti's store front (Photo credit: Conde Nast)

The Italian area of Manhattan is but a pale shadow of what it once was. Encroached upon by Chinatown in the south and cool SoHo in the north, it exists now as a few “red gravy” old time restaurants and Ferrara’s Pastry, where cannolis still reign supreme. If you want a glimpse of what a true ethnic Italian neighborhood was like, you need to travel to the Belmont section of The Bronx (Metro North train).

Originally the estate of the Lorillard family, it was settled by Italian immigrants who worked on the Kensico Dam or in tobacco in the beginning of the 20th century. Now there are still individual Italian cheese, pasta and cheese shops, but also Albanian, and Salvadoran places as well. Typical of New York, immigrant groups moving in or out.

The epicenter of food is 187th Street and Arthur Avenue. Start at Borgatti’s Ravioli and Egg Noodle shop. 

Borgatti's 'Famous' Pasta Machine (Photo credit:Borgatti's)

The same machine has been cleaving sheets of pasta (narrow or wide) since the turn of the 20th century. Look around while you wait for your fresh pasta, they also have great tomato sauce and ravioli. Next, walk to Teitel Brothers on Arthur Avenue, planted on a corner since 1915. You’ll be greeted with open vats of olives, anchovies and beans, guarded by the company cat part of the charm of this crowded deli. Make sure you pick up some salted anchovies, home cured olives and some imported Italian home cured olives and some imported Italian dried pasta, really the only kind worth buying

Move on past the fish store, if they will open clams for you on the sidewalk, have them with lots of lemon. Then move on to Madonia Bakery, this is the place for bread with bits of cured pork, family sized Italian loaves, sfogliatelle and cannolis filled to order. My favorite is quaresimali or jaw breakers. They look like biscotti filled with almonds and are hard as a rock.

Dip in wine/coffee or just gnaw on them.

Cookies at Madonia's Bakery (Photo credit: youropi)

Don’t stay too long because your next stop is the Arthur Avenue Retail Market created by Mayor Laguardia in the 30’s to get push carts off the streets. Still flourishing, you’ll find men rolling cigars when you enter. It’s amazing to watch them work, and they will roll to order. Moving along you’ll find two meat counters one selling offal, liver, kidneys, sweetbreads and other inner bits. The next counter is filled with huge pork chops, flattened scallopinis, aged steaks and rolled, stuffed veal roasts. Recipes and cooking opinions are free. On to Mike’s Deli, food adventurers make sure you accept a taste of aged prosciutto from the deli man who will slice a piece for you. Sample the home cured olives and definitely buy a large chunk of imported, aged Parmesan Reggiano. You can also get a giant sub made with 

mortadella and sopressata, amazing. But I like to move past the vegetable stand in the back to the opposite corner where you can get pizza like flatbreads with tomato, spinach, mushroom or cheese toppings. They also have freshly made entrees for the day. Get in line with the doctors and nurses from St. Barnabas and take your lunch to one of the tables covered with checked oil cloth. You’ll be eating in the middle of the market so you’ll be able to pick out aged balsamic from the stall across from you to take home. Just a note, this market is not to be confused with the over-the-top emporium Eataly, Mario Batali's food emporium (a wonder in itself) in theFlatiron section of Manhattan. It’s a local neighborhood supplier of food, gossip and sense of place.

Provolone at Calandra's (Photo credit uncredited Yelp review)

On to Calandra’s (back on Arthur Avenue) where they make their own ricotta, not that awful paste you find in tubs. The provolone hangs from the ceiling, and especially interesting is the provola, stuffed with butter. Make this cheese cake with the fresh ricotta your buy. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sicilian-ricotta-cheesecake/

Make sure you stop at Calabria Pork Store for dried mild or hot dried sausage. 

Sausages at Calabria Pork Store (Photo credit: The Infatuation)

They are all hung from the ceiling to dry and often have tags with special order clients names on them. They are wonderful sliced with wine. This is also the place for cotechino and other Italian deli meats like the pate-like N’duja. Get a chunk of guanciale to fry in dices to flavor tomato sauce. I hope you’ve noticed the many meat stores on the street with freshly killed (still fur covered) goats, rabbits and lamb. They sell regular meats as well, cut to order.

Although this area is all about food, dip into The Belmont Library and Enrico Fermi Cultural Center. One of four cultural centers in the NYC library system, this one highlights the Italian culture of Belmont.

We have only just explored the tip of this mozzarella. There are many wonderful shops and we didn’t even hit restaurants (see annotated list below). Please add this to your trip to New York, especially when you are visiting the Bronx Zoo or Bronx Botanical Gardens near by.

Restaurants:

Dominick's

- Old time “red sauce”, checked tablecloth and no menu. Just tell them what you like to eat.

Roberto’s

- A really wonderful contemporary take on traditional food. If they have rabbit, order it.

Zero Otto Nove

- A quite new and lovely restaurant with a surprising, enclosed back “garden”.

Umberto’s Clam House

- Eat this here: linguine with white clam sauce.

Edigio’s Pastry Shop

- Arrange your shopping bags around you, take a deep breath and order an espresso and something with pignoli nuts on it.

Cookbooks to inspire you:

The Classic Italian Cookbook

by Marcella Hazan

Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen

by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

A CITY A WEEK...HELSINKI, FINLAND

by STUDIO TRAVELER

[A for those of you who got this week's email alert--make that 'City', I'm not the best proof reader...]

Helsinki has been much on my mind lately and in a way that is not unlike time spent wondering what an old flame’s up to these days. It’s a city that has lived in my imagination for a very long time--long enough, in fact, to have its own little rotating carousel of mental images.  Merrimekko’s crazy, crayon-red poppies.  Alvar Aalto’s Savoy vase. Iittala’s Teema dishware. Gravlax on rye with a sprig of dill.  Cloudberry cakes.  Saunas.  Summer solstice parties. Blond and gorgeous wood.  Blond and gorgeous people. The midnight sun.  And a particularly lovely image mentioned by a friend whose mother was Finnish--candles placed in the snow at 3:00 p.m. on an already dark Christmas Day. This one has stuck with me for a very long time now with its power to make the darkness of mid-winter sound as warm and magical as that of those endless Finnish summer days.
Both traditional and modern, invitingly cozy and yet earthily elegant in their simplicity, all these images have that certain something so often to be found in the Finnish aesthetic…natural materials, sleekly simple forms, a relationship to the out of doors…
Lately though Helsinki has begun to strike me as being more contemporary than traditional and/or modern.
Guggenheim Helsinki Finalist: GH-121371443. (Submissions were submitted and remain anonymous) (Photo credit: Malcolm Reading Consultants)
The Helsinki Guggenheim project may be the most obvious—some might say flashy and still others might say suspect—evidence of a city determined to join the international cultural conversation in a new and bold way.  This on again/off again project is not without controversy but for now at least it is on again.  In December 2014,  the 6 competition finalists for the building design were announced.  The ultimate winner of the architectural competition is to be announced in June, 2015.  There is a chance even then that the building will not be built.  The Helsinki City Council has reserved its final decision over its portion of the funding until after the competition winner is chosen.  Even if there are never bricks and mortar, though, the ambition that has fueled this six-year battle to bring the Guggenheim to Helsinki is impressive and seems to indicate a city interested in re-positioning itself as cultural hub. 
Fish, stick and rock, the New Nordic brings new meaning to 'locally sourced' (Photo Credit: The Washington Post)
 While the fate of Helsinki's Guggenheim project remains uncertain, the city is already very much a major player on another contemporary front--the New Nordic food movement.  Sadly the 2 Michelin starred Chez Dominique has now closed—for the very simple reason that the chef/owner Hans Välimäki said he was ready for something new--but the food scene is still crowded with excellence and innovation.  There are currently six restaurants with one Michelin star: Ask, Demo, Luomo, Olo, Pompier and The Chef and The Sommelier; each with their own unique take on the New Nordic.
Kamppi Chapel (Photo credit: The Inspirationalist)
While a bit harder to define, Helsinki’s collaborative approach to civic life feels just as 'of the moment'.  Take, for example, the sensitive fusion to be found in the Kamppi Chapel, a joint project between the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Social Services Department of the City of Helsinki.  It functions both as an ecumenical and a secular space with representatives of the church and the city in attendance and 'available for conversation' as it says on the chapel's website. This could have gone so wrong but instead it is considered a rousing success by any measure including the fact that it recently had its 500,000th visitor a scant two years after completion.
Even in this moment of change however there still one constant to be found in Helsinki, providing the city with a throughline running from traditional to modern to contemporary and that constant continues to be visual design. No doubt the depth of this aesthetic tradition informs and directs not only the present but what lies ahead in the future for this most appealing of cities. As the New York Times recently noted of Helsinki--
'Aesthetics fuel a new cool' ...
Seems to me the NYT got it just about right.
BTW, for 2 interesting and contrasting views on the value of
Guggenheim Helsinki project check out these links

Richard Armstrong Interview in De Zeen
and
Michael Sorkin Interview in ArchDaily





A CITY A WEEK...CAPE LOOKOUT, NORTH CAROLINA

by STUDIO TRAVELER

Image credit:WikiImages
Cape Lookout may strike seasoned readers of ‘A CITY A WEEK…’ as a mistaken choice since, at least in terms of this blog’s framing device, there is simply no there there.  There’s no city, no town, not even a village.  In fact, if you don’t count raccoons, river otters and shore birds, there’s nobody there, at least nobody permanent.  A few odd 
souls do rotate through on National Park Service duties or NC State’s marine biology program, but otherwise there are no human inhabitants. Mostly it’s just an empty sandy spit at the tip of a chain of islands. 
I usually manage to resist the urge to write about anything other than cities out of that ever-helpful notion of the disciplined approach--to be about everything is to risk being about nothing--however, I can’t quit thinking about a recent trip to Cape Lookout and so have decided to indulge in this ever so slight variation in theme—and it is, ultimately, ever so slight. Cape Lookout has the allure to be found in all great destinations—whether empty and wild or crowded with built things--and that is it cannot be imagined up out of other experiences. It is only truly available at first hand…
The easiest way to introduce Cape Lookout is to envision the map of the coast of North Carolina.  It’s that hook out in the ocean just before the Outer Banks takes their sharp turn westward towards the mainland.  This whole long line of an island is most properly known as South Core Banks.  The Cape Lookout portion begins at the 1859 lighthouse and extends south--all the way to that hook.
The island is an absolute stunner year round.  Great fun for an outing and, in fact, in the summer it is usually jammed packed with folks there for the day.  Its unique allure is most strongly felt, however, in the winter with its miles and miles and miles of beach littered with shells, gorgeous and intact, there for the taking.  There are also other, more mysterious remains such as the ancient and still unidentified shipwreck that is now on the beach—its sudden appearance as mysterious as its origins. 
It takes about an hour—maybe an hour and half—to walk from the lighthouse down to the island’s tip.  The surf keeps up a constant roar.  There’s the sea haze even on bright days.  No company but your companions. It is really truly like a walk out to the end of the world—or perhaps it is more accurate to say to the end of a world, one that is more pristine, less ravaged than our own.  I can’t say I begrudge the modern world even with its burdens but it is nice to take a break from it every so often and feel the profound freshness of a new experience. That is the rare and valuable thing to be found on a winter's day on Cape Lookout.
If you’d like to see for yourself--and don’t happen to own a boat--then there are at least two easy options.  One point of departure is in the coastal village of Beaufort and the other is on the more isolated but equally appealing Harkers Island.  Both ferries are operated by same local concern and schedules can be found by clicking here:
Island Express Ferry Service.


A CITY A WEEK...NEW ORLEANS

by STUDIO TRAVELER

As we lay another year to rest it is hard to resist the urge to speculate on what lies ahead. As a travel planner this comes with a built-in complication. 2015 is in many ways past all speculation.  Trips have been announced, itineraries set.  Boatloads of hard work and preparation are still to come but an essential aspect of ‘what’s next’ for the coming year has long since been decided.  So it is in these waning days of a difficult, yet personally rewarding year, that I find my speculation lies not in 2015 but in the year beyond that, in the still distant 2016 and with new and newly interesting places.  Along with all the known-to-be-wonderful cities like New York, Los Angeles, Berlin and London, some new spots have been increasingly on my mind.  My short list right now has on it two resurgent American cities--New Orleans and Detroit--and two cold, northern European cities--Helsinki and Reykjavik.
Even for a travel planner it is a bit early to make decisions about actual destinations for the year after the year not yet arrived.  These cities are not  ‘under consideration’ so much as  ‘caught my eye’ or ‘found myself thinking about’; places where the cultural energy just seems to be bubbling up in new and interesting ways.  Places where things are not yet set so there is the extra promise of the new and the unexpected.
With only room and time to write about one city per post, I’d like to start with that most festive of American cities in honor of tomorrow night's fun.  That town is, of course, New Orleans.  Detroit, Helsinki and Reykjavik—we’ll come back to you in the new year...
New Orleans—so does it really take a travel planner to point this one out?  No and yes.  I—like two centuries worth of other people—have always had a weak spot for this beautiful destination, a food town, a fun town, a music town, a visual stunner, Degas’s ‘other city’—who could not love it?  
It has also been—and long before Katrina came to town to just about finish it off-- a very tough place to live with its high crime rate and its crumbling infrastructure.   I have to admit to wondering in the wake of the hurricane’s destruction if this would be New Orleans’s coup de grace.  Maybe this below sea level port city was designed to flourish in centuries and economies that have now passed.  It happens to cities.  In fact, it happens all the time.  But nine years after Katrina, it seems clear that there is an ever-increasing gathering of cultural steam.  
Beasts of the Southern Wild was my first clue though I am sure the evidence was all around if only I’d been paying attention.  This 2012 independent film--the one that introduced Quvenzhane Wallis to the world--was made by Court 13, an artists/ filmmakers/everything collective based in New Orleans.  The film has a particular blend of raw energy and visually sophisticated power that could only spring from this native soil.  Post-apocalyptic and really interesting.  It made me wonder what else was happening down there.  I have since increasingly come across things that further piqued my interest. I’ll mention just a few.  There’s the really engaging ‘musical architecture’ (The Music Box;  The Music Box: The Kiev Outpost; Chateau Poulet) being done by New Orleans Airlift,  another only-in-New-Orleans artists collaborative that blends a street art sensibility with residencies for artists of international stature. 
The Joan Mitchell Center, an arm of the  Joan Mitchell Foundation, is now permanently headquartered in the Treme section of New Orleans and it also has a focus on artist residencies.  
Since 2008,  New Orleans has hosted its own biennial—though since it happens roughly every 3 years it is usually referred to as its ‘biennial’.  The exhibitions in the current  Prospect 3 are up through mid-January and while this iteration has been met with decidedly mixed reviews, it continues to be big and ambitious and, perhaps equally  important, it continues to use venues throughout the city. I always think this ‘we’re all involved’ is good for any city’s soul and I don’t remember it being much a part of pre-Katrina New Orleans with the obvious exception of Mardi Gras.  The Inside Arts New Orleans site now lists 15 art museums and institutions in addition to the city's flagship New Orleans Museum of Art as well as a staggering 48 galleries.  Many of these galleries are located in the newly revitalized Warehouse district as is the Contemporary Arts Center and the new, wildly popular National World War Two Museum. 
There is an equally new something going on with the food scene. I’ll mention a few restaurants that seem to be in the groove of ‘only in New Orleans meets post-Katrina’.   Doris Metropolitan is a sleek new steak house with a menu that successfully and somewhat improbably draws on the co-owners’s Isreali heritage. The menu at Oxalis’s  is a lively blend of  gastropub fare with  Cajun flavors and Peche is giving older oyster bars in this bi-valve-obsessed city a run for their money with its impeccable sourcing of all sea living things.  Peche has also just won two James Beard awards.  Ryan Prewitt for Best Chef in the South and the establishment for Best New Restaurant (as in 'the nation'…). Move over Galatoire’s, Camellia Grill and Central Grocery.  There’ll be no laurel-resting in this town no matter how fine these old school spots remain.  There is a new style of cooking come to town and it is at its best and most creative…

It is heartening in its own way to know things aren’t all prettied up yet either. This new iteration of New Orleans now nearly 10 years in the making still has plenty of foment and mystery.  Take it from Court 13.  As it says on their website, ‘Court 13 exists where life is mysterious and springing wild’.

I most definitely could not have said this better myself…

But this I can say--Happy 2015 and to all that lies ahead!

 Cheers and now have some oysters...you'll be glad you did.





A CITY A WEEK...BRESSANONE, ITALY

by STUDIO TRAVELER

I was recently asked if I had a favorite destination, a question that for a travel-besotted person like me comes close to being asked which child I’d choose. It turns out though that I had a ready answer—the Italian alpine town of Bressanone, introduced to us a few years ago by the very talented and knowledgeable Libby Lubin of ITALIAN JOURNEYS.


I’ll be the first to admit that the minute before or the minute after, I might have named a different ‘favorite’.  After all, I sort of live my life in permanent pining for New York City; can be moved to tears—and by that I mean sobs--watching the opening credits of Philadelphia with its lush, extended scenes of my beloved adopted hometown; I am prone to feeling that I might stop breathing each time we drive away from Santa Fe and generally have to fight the impulse to leave the house for the airport every single time I create or revise an itinerary to, well, to anywhere.  In short, I got it bad…and yet, there is no denying the unique allure of Bressanone, with its 10th century cathedral, its perfect cobbled streets, its 360 views of the majestic Dolomites, its abundant cafes serving the region’s delicious cuisine, German-inflected but with a certain lightness of Italian touch.   And then there is the local white wine, as clean and delicious as any I have ever had—and so much a part of local life that it was on offer at an open air pancake breakfast—a fundraiser for the elementary school, no less--in the market square on the Saturday morning of our visit.  This felt not the least bit Bacchanalian but rather deeply civilized, warm and convivial. 
Beyond the town limits lies an extensive cable car network running from the valley floor up to peaks where there is a seemingly unending network of trails—hiking in the summer, skiing in the winter.  The town though--and this is perhaps one of its most satisfying qualities--is not simply a postcard town come to life.  It has none of the cloying snow globe taint of self-consciously preserved quaintness.  It is a living, breathing town and, in fact, quite prosperous with plenty of industry and professional services encircling its ancient core.

Even amongst this heady array of charms, however, there is one particular favorite among favorites for me and by all evidence for many, many others and that is the HOTEL ELEPHANT.  The precise nature of its powerful appeal can be hard to identify.  It is old and elegant and run by the 8th generation of its owner hoteliers. It has a Michelin recommended restaurant with a perfect little second story terrace overlooking old town.  The breakfasts may be quite simply the best I have ever had. Delights to be sure but variations of ones that are often to be found in hotels of a certain quality.  There is something else about the Elephant.  It is just one of those places in this world that is special--special enough, in fact, to take up a permanent spot in one’s memory.


Having visited in summer, we long to visit Bressanone in winter—in fact, the notion of the holidays at the Hotel Elephant may have become our family’s version of the promised land.  One day this may actually happen but in the meantime just dreaming of it is happy sustenance. 

This year will not be our year, however, to spend the holidays in Bressanone or anywhere else but rather it is a year for hearth and home--and who could complain of that? In fact, dear reader, I wish the same for you and yours. There will be plenty of time for traveling in the new year.  For now, it’s good to be home….
Merry Everything…
Christmas 2014 AT






A CITY A WEEK...THE BUENOS AIRES ITINERARY

by STUDIO TRAVELER

BUENOS AIRES 
OCTOBER 18 to 24
offered in partnership with KPE ARTS
$4250
CLICK HERE FOR ITINERARY AND DEPOSIT OPTIONS

I am so excited--how can I not be since I am planning a trip to a another fabulous 
destination with Kristin Peterson Edwards of kpeARTS?  We think that Buenos Aires rocks and, in fact,
 we're so excited about all things Argentine that we've added the option of a four day trip to 
Salta in northern Argentina. We hope you'll click on the above for more details on for this upcoming adventure.

...and I hope you will CLICK HERE for a link to Kristin's blog.  You'll be in the know like never before....

A CITY A WEEK...THE LOS ANGELES 2015 ITINERARY

by STUDIO TRAVELER


LOS ANGELES 

offered in partnership with Preservation Greensboro, Inc.

SEPTEMBER 23 to 27, 2015

for
Itinerary and
Deposit Instructions

I know I say this about, well, about a lot of places but I really do love LA.  It is such a great town and one that is full of surprises.  It has so many top-tier art museums that we can't seem to fit them all into this 4 day trip.  Apologies in advance to at least one LA treasure, LACMA, but if we also want to take in LA's architecture and gardens--and we do!--then we need some give in our schedule..even so, we'll only have time for a wonderful in-depth, intoxicating and rich sampling of what LA has to offer in 'buildings and grounds'. 
And the only thing that can make 4 jammed packed days in Los Angeles over the top better is to travel with Benjamin Briggs.  If you have traveled with Benjamin then you know that he is a resident expert in all things--and if you haven't, then I hope you will come along this time and see for yourself.  It's going to be a great trip!

A CITY A WEEK...THE PORTLAND, MAINE 2015 ITINERARY

by STUDIO TRAVELER


PORTLAND, MAINE :: A CULINARY ADVENTURE 
offered in partnership with Terri Maultsby and think.eat.grow

August 13 to 16*


for
Itinerary and
Deposit Instructions
* Please note that these are new dates

Sometimes it's hard not to believe in 'cosmic convergence'...take this week for example--
the most food-centric week in the American year also turns out to be the week we 
post the itinerary for our first-ever culinary trip to that crazy obsessed food mecca
Portland, Maine.  Offered in partnership with Terri Maultsby of think.eat.grow,
we think we've put together a pretty great--or should I say 'delicious'--trip... 

 ..but it did occur to us that since this is a 'first-ever' you might want more 
than just our word for it so please read on... 


Terri clearly loves food, and is passionate about sharing that love with others. I’ve left every shared meal with Terri amazed at the new flavors she’s introduced, confident in my ability to try to reproduce them, and hungry for more! To visit a food city with this food lover would be a weekend full of amazing tastes and memories.
                                                                                                       Mindy Oakley

If you are passionate about travel and discovering new things, the place to do this is with Studio Traveler, owned and directed by Adeline Talbot. The experiences we had were great, but most important was getting to know Adeline and being a witness to her expertise handling all of the different situations we confronted.  Needless to say, I am very grateful to have been part this!
                                                                                                             Marta  Tornero

...put us together and we think you'll find you are in good hands!


A CITY A WEEK...THE VENICE 2015 ITINERARY

by STUDIO TRAVELER

This is it!  
This week and for the next 4 weeks we roll out our itineraries for 2015.
We begin today with Venice and The Biennale. So without further ado...

CLICK HERE 
for
Venice and The Biennale 2015
June 7 to 13*
with Nancy Doll and Weatherspoon Art Museum
Itinerary and
Deposit Instructions
Highlights include visits to the Biennale's multiple venues as well as to the Punta Delle Dogana, the Guggenheim, the Byzantine treasures of Torcello; the master craftspeople of Murano, Palladian masterpieces and Giotto's Scrovengi Chapel frescos along with great food and 4-star accommodations.  
* Please note that these are new dates

 We are very excited to be revisiting this wonderful, magical, mysterious and art-filled city.  Apparently we're not the only ones.  Interest in this trip is already high and, since we pride ourselves on being the best in small group travel, space is limited. If considering this trip then we urge you to reserve your spot with a deposit of $250. 
Deposits are fully refundable until December 31st, 2014. 



Bill Culbert of New Zealand
A 2013 Biennale 'offsite' entry

A CITY A WEEK AND WHY...LONDON With Guest Blogger Timothy Warmath

by STUDIO TRAVELER


As I travel across the globe (but especially on my regular visits to the USA) I am often asked: “Is London kid-friendly?” I have a quick and enthusiastic answer: YES! As the readers of Studio Traveler prepare for a special trip of family fun over Christmas/New Year’s or Spring Break, 2015, the range of activities for kids (of all ages) is endless in London and surrounding areas.

From museums to shows to parks and everything in between, London has a multitude of offerings. Let’s start first with a special event every October (happening this week and every October in the run-up to Halloween) called The Big Draw (www.thebigdraw.org) This month-long festival is a celebration of artistic creativity. Kids can participate at special events including Big Draw at the Zoo (www.zsl.org;)  Kids at the Affordable Art Fair (www.affordableartfair.com;) and my favourite, special events at the Foundling Museum which documents the History of Abandoned Children in London from 1739-1954…it is an eye-opening and profound experience. (www.coram.org.uk)


Throughout the year, the range of activities for kids is truly extraordinary. Some of my favourites include experimenting in The Pattern Pod at the Science Museum (www.sciencemuseum.org.uk;) rambling over, across, through and below the Cutty Sark and The Great Map in Greenwich (www.rmg.co.uk;) or getting off-the-beaten track and exploring the hands-on (and sometimes weird) exhibits at the Horniman Museum and Aquarium (www.horniman.ac.uk.) 

While the Horniman Museum is one delightful day out, another that should always be considered is ‘The Making of Harry Potter’ at Warner Brothers Studio, just outside Watford (www.wbstudiotour.co.uk) This is a long day but a splendid one and the chance to see the sets and technology behind the films is an “Only in London Experience”

Eating across London is always a pleasure  - no matter your age – but here are many kid-friendly choices that won’t break the bank. As you explore London’s many parks and formal gardens, pop into any of the restaurants in Hyde Park, Regents Park or Holland Park (all are open year-round.) For a great café experience, try Huggle in Swiss cottage (www.huggle.co.uk;) Brother’s Grill at the ChickenShed Theatre –be sure to take in a show (www.chickenshed.org.uk) or the fantastic Polka Theatre Café (www.polkatheatre.com) with adult and kid-sized portions.

Lastly, you can never go wrong if you finish off a busy day of exploring the sights & sounds of London with a visit to M&M’s World on Leicester Square. It is a jammed with tourists from every corner of the globe – that in itself is an eye-opening experience – and the “Wall of Chocolate” has “trouble” written all over it….for your wallet and your waistline

MORE ON FOUR CITIES THIS WEEK AND WHY....VENICE; PORTLAND, MAINE; LOS ANGELES AND BUENOS AIRES

by STUDIO TRAVELER

Here it is the second Tuesday of the month,  the day we usually feature Camille Cogswell’s  ‘NYC/FINE DINING'. Poor Camille, though,  is under the weather so please check back next week for her post on The Simone, a wonderful new Upper East Side restaurant.  (It really does sound extraordinary!)

As sad I am to hear of Camille’s misery, this unexpected opening in the schedule does allow for a little follow up on last week's 2015 trip announcements.  The response to our trips has been amazing and we are tickled pink!!! Thank you to all who have been in touch.   We will be releasing full itineraries for each trip in December.  In the meantime, I thought it might be fun to share a little bit more on the ‘why…’ for these very special destinations.

VENICE AND THE BIENNALE  (JUNE 21 to 27, 2015) always seems to have a new level of magic during the Biennale, but it’s not just the timing that makes me particularly excited about this trip—it’s the talent of the Weatherspoon Art Museum Director Nancy Doll.  Nancy is that rare combination--exceedingly good at what she does and an incredibly nice human being.  This means that wherever she goes, she is likely to run into a friend. Take for example last year's trip to Venice; we bumped into Carey Lovelace at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum.  Lovelace and Holly Block were the curators for the US Pavilion’s exhibition--Sarah Sze’s ‘Triple Point’.  Carey was kind enough to suggest that she give our group a special tour the next day—and of course we said ‘yes’!  Seems like the extraordinary is just what happens when you’re lucky enough to travel with Nancy!

A View of Sarah Sze' Triple Point at the US Pavilion in 2013

PORTLAND, MAINE (AUGUST 6 to 9, 2015) is something new for Studio Traveler—a culinary tour.  With a partner like Terri Maultsby of  think.eat.grow it just seems like a logical choice—and so does Portland as our first-ever destination.  A few words from Terri on why--

 Bon Appétit called Portland America’s "foodiest small town.”  Why?  Because there’s a cohort of talented young chefs hard at work there building an innovative “gastro-tourism paradise.” Collaborating with artisanal farmers, discriminating fishermen, and talented brewers and distillers, Portland’s restaurants are energizing a food scene where eating well is both easy and an exciting adventure.

Our trip will revolve around eating really, really well but also include some serious foraging, harvesting and ‘hands on’ cooking experiences.  Need a little more to whet your appetite then check out this article from this past Saturday’s Boston Globe "Culinary Boon in Portland, Maine'.  Talk about a ‘culinary epi-center!...’

The entrance to 'Fore Street'; the restaurant that may have started it all in Portland
LOS ANGELES  (September 23 to 27, 2015)—To travel with Benjamin Briggs of Preservation Greensboro, Inc., is to travel with an expert on ‘place’--what makes a city interesting—and how that relates back to our own surroundings   We have already traveled to two great East Coast cities—Philadelphia and Washington DC--as part of a series called ‘American Art, American Gardens, American Homes’.  Now we travel west with Benjamin in late September 2015 to the City of Angels.  For now, I’ll leave the final word on this to Benjamin who observes

From an East Coast perspective, Los Angeles often receives little credit for history and architecture. However, Angelinos found financial success around the same time as Greensboro (North Carolina) , and their architecture reflects the early twentieth-century Craftsman and Romantic Revival Period styles of Fisher Park, Irving Park and Hamilton Lakes. You are sure to gain greater appreciation for our Carolina architecture by exploring the homes and gardens of the Roaring Twenties in Los Angeles!

Frank Lloyd Wright's Storer House in the Hollywood Hills

BUENOS AIRES (OCTOBER 18 to 24, 2015)—Move over Cuba, Cape Town and Burma--Kristin Peterson Edwards and I say we are on to the next great destination.  Buenos Aires has it all.  Old World charm and New World energy.  European culture meets South American vibe.  The contemporary art scene is revving up to make a major impact in the next several years while the food scene has already exploded. Did we mention the hotels?  We’re having a hard time deciding between luxury and hip—but will probably just spilt the difference and go with modern luxe.  It’s all there in this one truly fabulous destination.

A streetscape of Buenos Aires's  fine Colonial-era Architecture

Our trips are small—8 to 12 participants—if you are considering one of these 2015 trips you may want to reserve your spot now with a $250 per person deposit. We do want to give you maximum flexibility however--2015 is still as ways off  and we know that things can change.  For this reason all deposits are fully refundable up to December 31, 2014. 


FOUR CITIES THIS WEEK AND WHY...VENICE; PORTLAND, MAINE; LOS ANGELES AND BUENOS AIRES...

by STUDIO TRAVELER

Why these four cities...?  
This week that's easy...today Studio Traveler announces its 2015's  'open enrollment' trips.  We'll be going to these wonderful places in coming year and I can honestly say I don't think it is possible to be more excited about each destination.  I know it is not  possible to be more excited about my partnerships. Studio Traveler goes to 
VENICE AND THE BIENNALE with Nancy Doll of  Weatherspoon Art Museum
PORTLAND, MAINE for our first-ever culinary trip with Terri Maultsby of think.eat.grow
LOS ANGELES  with Benjamin Briggs of Preservation Greensboro
  BUENOS AIRES with Kristin Peterson Edwards of KPE Arts.   

 Click on a city below 

for dates and costs--and to reserve your spot with a deposit that is fully refundable until December 31st,  2014. 
I hope you will join us for an adventure--or two!  As I look ahead to year 4, I feel more confident than ever saying Studio Traveler truly offers the very best in small group cultural travel...
...how can this not be true since we have the very best travel partners and the most wonderful clients!






A CITY A WEEK AND WHY...BERLIN

by STUDIO TRAVELER

Today I am revisiting Berlin, the focus of my first-ever blog post this past spring.  That post focused on the complexity of the city’s many, many layers of history.  I was reminded again of this complexity when visiting the city last week.  Indeed, Berlin is a city with a number of different histories—its sudden rise as a 19th century commercial capital, its years under the Third Reich, its Cold War partition and now it’s blending into a complex present that includes not just this distinctly German past but its current life as a truly multi-national hub.  One finds people of every stripe and sort and from every corner of the globe living in this very low-profile and livable city. 
 
Ramble guide Boris Abel in front of the Bradenburg Gate


Berlin is not alone in laying claim to being a world destination.  London and New York certainly come to mind--so many different nationalities, drawn as often as not by hope--the hope of future possibilities. Berlin feels like a world capital in a different way.  It is for the present tense promise of an enjoyable life rather than the more typical lure of future-tense happiness that brings so many non-Germans here—and here to stay. 

A view of the Ai Wei Wei exhibition at Neugerriemschneider


All this brings me to the real point of today’s post and that is in city as richly varied as modern day Berlin, the most valuable asset one can have is an excellent team of guides.  If you have a limited time to make sense of the city, its many parts and its complex history and present realities then you are likely to welcome the help of the wonderfully well-informed.  

'Fallen Leaves' by Menashe Kadishman at the Jewish Museum


Having just returned from leading a trip with the very talented Kristin Peterson Edwards of KPE ARTS, I can recommend with absolute confidence the guide team headed by Norbert Witzgall and Ariane Pauls.  Together they’ve started  a new company called Ramble.  Ramble has as its primary focus arts and culture but trust me when I say that these two along with their excellent colleagues can provide the perfect introduction to Berlin in all its many facets. And while I have had the pleasure of working with several outstanding guides since starting Studio Traveler two years ago, it is a special pleasure to recommend Norbert and Ariane since Ramble is a brand new venture.   I predict great things ahead and hope you will keep them in mind when traveling to this great city.  I just know you will be as pleased as we are!