Magazines
Real Simple
For Ren Marasco, October 13, 2007, was a wonderful, low-key 31st birthday. She, along with her husband, Natale, and several friends, had spent the evening at a local pizzeria sharing old stories and jokes over a bottle of red and a margherita pie. At 9 p.m., she was still in high spirits, excitedly chatting with her mom on the phone while Natale drove them home. Then, as they turned onto their street in rural Ashley Falls, Massachusetts, Ren thought she saw smoke. Suddenly her stomach dropped. “I knew something terrible had happened,” says Ren… Read more
Berkshire Living
Knitting a New Life: Profile of Karen Allen
A ruptured vocal chord prompted Karen Allen’s move to the Berkshires, but it’s cord of an entirely different nature that keeps her here. Best known for starring in Animal House and opposite Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Allen first visited the region in 1981 to play the role of Gittel in Berkshire Theatre Festival’s revival of Two for the Seesaw… Read more
Hop To It! On tap at the region’s brewpubs: fresh, artisinal beers and great grub
Bill and Christine Heaton realized they had a challenge ahead of them when they entered the 2005 Wing Fling. The couple had recently purchased a defunct brewpub in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and decided to introduce themselves to the community by participating in the Pittsfield YMCA’s annual fundraiser, offering chicken wings, not beer. “We had our name out,” Christine recounts, “and more than one person said, What’s a brewpub?” Read more
Tapas Time: Three Spanish restaurants celebrate small plates
Before chef Luis Zambrano opened Viva in Glendale, Massachusetts, he did the requisite research, reading up on Spanish cuisine and visiting Spanish restaurants in Boston and New York City. But he also wanted to gain some serious hands-on know-how, so, in 2004, Zambrano went straight to the source. With Spanish grandparents, the Colombian-born chef could have worked in a restaurant owned by a family member, but, he says, “They would have babied me.” Instead, he did a stint in a hundred-year-old tapas restaurant in the town of Tarragona in Catalonia, owned by a friend of his uncle. “My uncle told him, That’s my nephew, treat him like crap,” quips Zambrano… Read more
Rocky Mountain High: Open spaces, rustic materials, and stunning vistas send a breath of fresh air
“I grew up in the projects of Brooklyn,” recounts Stephen Schoenfeld, standing in the airy great room of his expansive open-plan home. “I never had grass, only concrete walls. We had a two-bedroom apartment; I shared a bedroom with my sister for years.” Today, it’s hard to imagine these humble origins, a sharp-as-can-be contrast to his six-thousand-square-foot mountaintop home in North Egremont, Massachusetts. Instead of concrete, walls of windows provide panoramic vistas spanning Monument and Canaan mountains, Catamount Ski Area to the west, and Prospect Lake below… Read more
Swing Time: These daredevils fly through the air with the greatest of ease
Suzi Winson hit her mid-life crisis right on schedule. Rounding the forty-year corner, she lost her long-term beau. Her father died a year later, and she felt a need to jolt herself with a new life direction. But, as the petite blonde explains, “I couldn’t buy myself a sports car because I never learned to drive.” Instead, she chose to address her fear of flight—and transportation in general—by tackling the flying trapeze… Read more
Old School, New Spa: New Marlborough couple transform an eyesore into a relaxation retreat
Alison Gimmel was expecting two for her morning yoga class, but Kipp was a no-show. Over dinner the night before at the Old Inn on the Green, proprietor Bradford Wagstaff had invited my husband to experience the beauty of hydraulics by trying out some of his big toys: an 11,000-pound crawler/excavator and a hundred-horsepower crawler/loader… Read more
To the untrained eye, Carl Rosenstein’s Becket, Massachusetts, property bordering October Mountain State Forest looks like many in the Berkshires—a modestly scaled, woodsy house set in a secluded spot on a private dirt road. But anyone who has spent time in Asia or studied Eastern traditions may detect distinct, if subtle, meaning in the landscaping; the circular clearing adheres to the form of the Chinese yin-yang symbol…. Read more
One wintry morning a few years ago, a couple walked across the parking lot of The Orchards Hotel toward their car. A man was scraping snow and ice off a late-model Mercedes-Benz; when he saw the couple approach a nearby car he rushed over and began to brush the snow from their windshield. Assuming that this windshield-wiper was a hotel employee, the husband handed him a tip, which the man adamantly refused…Read more
Green with a Twist: A pioneering, energy-efficient home enters its third decade in style
From the dirt road leading to it, the little house on the edge of a rolling field looks like the most traditional of Capes. This impression is dispelled by the interior’s anything-but-conventional angles and open floor plan. The Lanesborough, Massachusetts home of Tom and Stephanie Hoadley is modern, minimal and airy, with unexpectedly high ceilings and decor that departs from the New England vernacular. The central stairway hooks off to the side, then twists… Read more
Healing Lifestyles & Spas
Barefoot Luxury in Central America: Costa Rica
There’s a phrase used throughout Costa Rica as a greeting, farewell, and general expression of happiness: “Pura vida!” Translated as “pure life,” it means, loosely, “Life is good.” And why not? “Ticos,” as Costa Ricans call themselves, enjoy Central America’s highest standard of living, a higher literacy rate than the United States… Read more
Coast to Coast Wellness: Memoir of a spa trip across Canada
Among the lessons learned with every spa visit is the joy of slowing down. Most of us are trapped on a treadmill of stress; just stepping out of our busy days and into the sanctuary of a spa reminds us to breathe deeply and enjoy the moment, to be taken care of instead of being the caretaker… Read more
I’m standing at a long table with about thirty other adults, calligraphy brush in hand. I dip my brush in the bowl of ink, slowly exhale, and pull it across a blank sheet of paper, lifting it at the edge on the inhale, and bringing it back to the left edge. I repeat these brushstrokes with complete concentration… Read more
Boston is a city of contrasts: historic cradle of the revolution and modern hotbed of technology; home to patrician Brahmins and retro punks; land of the triumphant Patriots and the heartbreaking Red Sox. An academic center since the founding of Harvard in 1636, Boston today boasts more than fifty colleges… Read more
Jumpstart Bootcamp at Red Mountain Spa
“Oh cool, you’re going rock climbing,” exclaimed Kipp, as my beloved perused the itinerary for the Jumpstart Boot Camp at Red Mountain Spa in Ivins, Utah. Rock climbing? Having never attempted even an indoor rock wall, I couldn’t imagine hanging off the side of a cliff, pulling myself up by my fingertips… Read more
I’m standing on the edge of a narrow platform, twenty-five feet above the ground, reaching out to grab a bar with my right hand while my left hand clings to the rail of the ladder I’ve just ascended. Legs shaking, I bring my left hand to the bar, push my hips and chest forward, and, at the sharp cry of “Hup!” jump off the platform… Read more
Ceramics Monthly
Everybody Wins: Unique collaboration benefits artisans, galleries, and schools
It has never been easy to make a living through handmade ceramics, whether you’re an artisan, a gallery owner, an arts center, or a school. Here is an example of how all four constituencies came together to promote the art and culture of their region. The trick? It would need to be economically feasible and advantageous for all parties, to expand the potential audience for everyone involved, and benefit those participating in a way otherwise not achievable. In short, it would require a lot of creativity and cooperation… Read more
Interval World
The Wine Enthusiast
The Westchester Wag
Newspapers
The Boston Globe
Cafeteria-style yoga: Kripalu crafts its own renewal in the business of mind and body
Return visitors to Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health are in for a few surprises this summer. Famous as a retreat center for spiritual seekers, and the largest yoga educational center in the United States, Kripalu is engaged in some soul-searching of its own. A new leadership team is making changes… Read more
When the sap rises, the sugar house gets steamy: Vermont’s Maple Open House Weekend
Vermonters know that as the snow begins to recede, the sap begins to run. the warmer days and still-cold nights signal more than mud season; it’s maple sugaring time. For centuries, New Englanders have celebrated the end of winter and the start of longer daylight hours with “Sugaring off” parties… Read more
Ten minutes into the hike up Harvey Mountain in Austerlitz, N.Y., and Sydney was struggling on the trail. His arthritis was acting up, he had skipped breakfast, and he was having trouble keeping up with his group. It was clear he needed to stop for a rest, a drink, and a bite to eat. So his companion, Michaela Hewett, pulled a bottle of water from her daypack, poured a bit into a collapsible bowl, and placed it on the ground along with a snack…Read more
Off leash, relaxed, and ready to play: Camp’s a romp when owners unwind with their canine pals
My boys were excited when we left the house on a sunny Friday afternoon in June. Especially when I opened the car door and told them they were going to camp. Then again, they always get excited when they go for a ride in the car. Usually it means they’re going to see friends, or meet some new ones. Little did they know how right they were this time… Read more
A converted barn in the Berkshires has New York flair
Karen Allen says she wants to simplify, but it’s going to be a tough task. The actress who shot to fame as the ingénue in ”Animal House” and starred opposite Harrison Ford in ”Raiders of the Lost Ark” bought a home in the Berkshires in 1988, and she has been filling it with an eclectic mix of things she loves ever since. You can tell she’s a collector as soon as you enter the house… Read more
Summer destinations? Greater arts and minds
With the kids’ summer camp or school plans squared away, it’s time to concentrate on vacation planning for adults. While a week in the Berkshires offers the familiar cultural and recreational attractions — Tanglewood, Jacob’s Pillow — two prestigious educational institutions have set up programs for adults offering rigorous learning experiences amid the region’s natural beauty and cultural bounty… Read more
Wine Business Monthly
Christmas came early for Massachusetts liquor retailers
On November 26, 2003, the day before Thanksgiving, Governor Mitt Romney approved an economic stimulus package for the state of Massachusetts that included a provision legalizing statewide liquor store sales on Sunday, and a battle waged by one western Massachusetts retailer drew to a close… Read more
The Berkshire Eagle
Laurie Anderson touches down at MoCA
When I reach Laurie Anderson by phone in her lower Manhattan studio, she immediately apologizes for the background noise. It’s not some high-tech gizmo she has rigged up to incorporate into her distinctive music; it’s helicopters circling above the building. She also tells me there are 15 police cars outside… Read more
New England Wine Gazette
On-line
Rural Intelligence
Tony Margherita: The Massachusetts man behind the band Wilco
Tony Margherita has managed Wilco since the band first formed in 1994. The band arrives in North Adams for its second Solid Sound Festival, June 24 – 26, taking over the MASS MoCA campus with a stellar line-up of musical acts, including The Levon Helm Band and Thurston Moore in addition to two Wilco performances… You’d think Margherita might be a bit stressed out with this major event just days away… Read more
Art for Animals: More than a rock & roll benefit
Lovers of animals, food, art, and music converge in Hudson this Friday as Club Helsinki hosts Rock & Roll Rescue, a star-studded benefit for Art for Animals, an organization dedicated to helping animal rescue groups and educating young people about humane issues through the arts. Art for Animals dates back to 1998, after journalist Elizabeth Hess, then an arts writer for the Village Voice, took a ride in New York City’s animal ambulance, which resulted in a cover story that revealed the dire fate of dogs and cats who ended up in the city’s shelter… Read more
In Great Barrington, a store that’s worth its weight in salt
Talk about your niche markets. In May, the HimalaSalt shop, devoted primarily to pink salt from the Himalayan mountains, cropped up next to The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington. While more geographically focused than the ballyhooed global salt shop, The Meadow, that opened this January in Manhattan, HimalaSalt offers much more than you can shake a grinder at… Read more
Luna 61: Vegetarian fare with Asian flair
Throw a rock in this region and you’re likely to hit a yoga teacher, reiki master, herbalist, massage therapist, or other holistic practitioner. Which makes it seem odd that vegetarian restaurants are so rare here. Many local dining establishments do serve up a meatless option or two – notably Chez Nous in Lee, where co-owner and pastry chef Rachel Portnoy, herself a vegetarian, has some sway in the kitchen over her traditional-French-chef husband, Franck Tessier… Read more
