I left Rhode Island more than 20 years ago with little sense of looking back. It was a nice enough place to grow up; I have many memories of learning to ride horses or playing outdoors with my cousins and sister as a kid, going to plays and concerts at edgy alternative venues as…
Caitlin Blythe knew there was something better on the other side of the office door. An architect by training, she’d spent most of her young adult years in a traditional corporate environment, always knowing she’d rather be outside, traveling, cycling, and adventuring. For a study-abroad trip to chilly Scandinavia in 2015, where she’d…
I’m a creature of distinct habits, most of which make little sense to the rest of the population—like starting my day at 5:30 a.m.—but are strangely comforting to me (potato, potatoh). Among these is a summer schedule of regular walks, typically four to six miles, to begin the workday. Not only do these jaunts…
Travel has been catnip to writers for as long as writers have sought the perspective-opening qualities of exploring other worlds . . . which was pretty much since people first realized they could leave their homes and take a walk to visit places across the village. I travel often for work, but I…
I’m always looking for ways to piggyback vacation days onto business trips and speaking gigs, but sometimes the locations of business functions are something less than vacation-worthy. But when the organizers of the Women in Travel Summit announced that the 2018 conference would be in Quebec City, I knew I had a destination worthy of…
For an 85-year-old, Jacob’s Pillow is looking awfully good. This summer, the country’s longest-running dance festival announced a new strategic plan that will change the face of the organization, as well as shake up many of its decades-old habits. Dubbed Vision ’22 for its five-year range, the plan charts a roadmap for turning the…
I’ve spoken at a variety of conferences and special events, but one of my favorites is the Women in Travel Summit, cheekily knows as WITS. Although I spoke for the first time at WITS in April 2017, the reasons for my instant love affair with this conference are many, from the range of beginner to…
Do not adjust your screen. This cardiac-jolting design comes courtesy of Melbourne, Australia, cafe-by-day, tapas-bar-by-night restaurant Heartattack and Vine. This one put all of my decor writer skills to the test in coming up with synonyms for awesome, and is featured in full on the equally cool Ace of Space blog. If you joined us…
Ask Melissa Auf der Maur about her inspiration for founding Basilica Hudson, an eclectic multidisciplinary arts and events center in Hudson, New York, and she deadpans, “The building made us do it.” The structure in question: a 7,000-square-foot circa-1880 forge and foundry bordered by the Hudson riverfront and views of the Catskills. In 2010, Auf…
In my former life as the managing editor of digital and social media for a home decor brand, I was fortunate to travel to locations with incredible architecture, art, and design, and talk with dozens of talented interior decorators, architects, and textile and product manufacturers. Since you can take the gal out of design…