Insiders’ Guide to the Downtown Phoenix Vibe
As recently as 1950, the city of Phoenix comprised an area smaller than the island of Manhattan with just over 100,000 residents. In those days, the “Valley of the Sun” was a desert oasis, verdant with palms and Japanese gardens – and a playground for…
The Moment of Caravaggio
Caravaggio brought the boys into the shadows. It is Caravaggio who serves as muse for the nubile Lotharios and sultry street hustlers who gaze seductively across the canvases and photographs of time. A master of chiaroscuro, Caravaggio depicted boys (and…
Umami Away the Winter Blues
Hard to believe, given all the foods in the world, but it’s generally recognized that our palate can only discern four primary tastes: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter (as well as any combination therein). Not so fast. More than a hundred years ago, the…
The Vintage Modern Home
Winter nights – and the imagination turns to home renovation. There you are, comfy cozy in bed reading a glossy shelter magazine – only to glance around your living space and sigh with resignation. Why can’t our own rooms look like the ones in the…
The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier
Some people live like they have all the fun in the world. Jean Paul Gaultier, for example. Think about it: playing dress-up with Madonna and Kylie and doing runway and blending perfumes – and always doing everything with that impish, manic charm and…
Comme des Garçons + Artek = Standard
There’s a “High” Episcopalian church in midtown Manhattan fondly known as “Smoky Mary’s” – and sometimes referred to as “Bells and Smells,” pet names that have been given for the abundance of incense burned up and down the nave. Incense so heavy as to…
Adopt an Olive Tree for the New Year
Want to do something for the environment – and get something in return? How about adopting an olive tree? Nudo is a cooperative of nine local olive-farming artisans in a small hilltop village in the Marche region of Italy – and its Adopt An Olive Tree…
Bruce Sargeant and His Circle: Figure and Form
For those of us who recognize the antecedents of Bruce Weber and Herb Ritts in the 19th-century works of Thomas Eakins and other visual artists who champion the male form (and particularly in natural settings in various stages of undress), it’s…