San Francisco Social Diary

May 20, 2013, 6:28 am

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The Asian Art Museum (AAM) of San Francisco presented the exhibition China’s Terra Cotta Warriors, one of the greatest archaeological finds of our time.

TERRA COTTA WARRIORS AT ASIAN ART MUSEUM by Jeanne Lawrence Through the end of May, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is exhibiting terra cotta warrior statues from the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang (259-206 BCE), who unified the country in 221 BCE. The exhibit explores the emperor’s reign and influence. Qin leaders, much like the Egyptian Pharaohs, were buried with their wealth so they could carry it into the afterlife. Discovered in 1974 in Xi’an in northern China by farmers digging a well, Emperor Qin’s riches-filled tomb is guarded by more than 7,000 life-size terra cotta warriors, horses, chariots, and more than 10,000 weapons, with more excavation continuing today.

The exhibit, China’s Terra Cotta Warriors, was the last stop on a worldwide tour of the warriors.

TheAsian Art Museum of San Francisco stands across the plaza from City Hall.

Replica of a chariot and horses discovered in the tombs in Xi’an greets the visitors as they arrive in the foyer.

The exquisite bronze horses and chariot are considered masterpieces.

MY TRIP TO XI’AN, CHINA While living in China, I’ve visited the original terra cotta warriors several times over the years. Archeologists have carefully excavated the pits where rows of warriors were discovered. Some are in good condition, but others are damaged, and a protective cover was built to protect that which is unearthed. The find was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and is sometimes referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum is located 22 miles from Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province.

My daughter Stephanie Lawrence and I visited thepits where the majestic terra cotta warriors have stood through the centuries.

The figures were created with a series of clay molds, then finished by individual artists, so no two are exactly alike. As the statues were made piece-by-piece and then put together like a puzzle, some are missing a part or two.

TERRA COTTA WARRIORS EXHIBIT The AAM has eight warriors and two horses on display along with more than 100 artifacts of the era. The exhibit is organized into four themes—Immortality, Innovation, Archaeology, and Unification—exploring the emperor’s vision and his contribution to historical and modern-day China.

The rank and position of each warrior can be gleaned from its placement in the tomb, hair and clothing styles, and weaponry such as swords, spears, and crossbows.

Each figure is positioned correlating to his duties; this kneeling figure is an archer preparing to shoot an arrow. Varying garments include tunics, armor breastplates, fish scale armor, hair and headwear, and footwear.

In addition to foot soldiers, there are also cavalry leading horses and chariots.

A General wearing his ribbons. The soldiers are remarkably lifelike and each one has an individual head, hairstyle, and facial expression. Finished by skilled artisans, the details of the heads, faces, and hands are unique and are thought to represent real soldiers.

An ancient limestone suit of armor. The exhibit gives museumgoers the opportunity to view the warriors up close and in detail, while in their home in Xi’an, one can only see most of them from afar.

The cavalry horses include a saddle, but stirrups were not in use at the time.

This photo illustrates the vivid colors the warriors were originally painted, but with exposure to the elements most of the pigment has been lost This display explains how the warriors were built from individual clay pieces.

The exhibition was enhanced with more than 100 artifacts from the era.

A life-size bronze crane (left) and swan.

This intricately decorated vessel is in remarkable condition.

One of many bronze ritual vessels.

You can take home your own terra cotta warriors, as there’s a wonderful selection of figurines and many books on the subject in the museum’s store.

ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW On my last visit to the exhibit, I was joined by my friend Tatiana Sorokko, who chaired the AAM Maharaja Gala (2011). It’s always fun to go with another person since you get another viewpoint. While I was studying the captions and thinking about their historic significance, Tatiana, an editor for Harper’s Bazaar, was considering the figures’ role in fashion. She whipped out her iPhone and sent a photo of the detail of the sleeves of a general’s uniform to her favorite designer in New York, Ralph Rucci. She wanted Ralph to design a dress for her using these sleeves as inspiration. Ralph was also fascinated by the chained armor; I wonder how he’ll recreate it?

In its 35 years, the San Francisco Decorator Showcase has raised more than $12 million in student financial aid, of which 22% of the high school’s student body benefits.

SAN FRANCISCO DECORATOR SHOWCASE The 2013 San Francisco Decorator Showcase kicked off with a sponsors’ opening night preview party at the historic Herbst Manor in the exclusive Pacific Heights neighborhood. The show is open until May 27. The Georgian mansion, built in 1899 by Ernest Coxhead, has more than 8,000 square feet of spacious rooms, a dramatic grand stairway, outdoor terraces and gardens, and sweeping panoramic views of San Francisco Bay and the city. With so much space, the 27 selected designers had room to let their imaginations fly. In the lovely garden, guests enjoyed drinks and plentiful hors d’oeuvres provided by McCalls caterers. Guests nibbled on caviar, oysters, and rack of lamb—if only I had known there’d be so much food, I would have planned on dinner there. Benefitting San Francisco’s University High School Financial Aid Program, the SF Decorator Showcase selects a different estate every year, and then invites a select group of interior and landscape designers to transform spaces within the site.

A view of the Pacific Heights neighborhood across the street from the mansion.

Sponsors Fazilat Jalili and Sarah Gallivan with Showcase Chair Jane Prior.

Designer Catherine Kwong in her Mick Jagger-inspired living room.

The salon, designed by Matthew Leverone, is an example of the house’s common thread of lightness and modernity.

Phillip Silver, of Bigelow + Silver, took an Eastern approach with the master bedroom’s furniture placement, “allowing energy to flow and giving the room clarity.”

The theme of designer Heather Hilliard’s dining room was “graphic and contemporary.”

Heather Hilliard in the dining room she designed. Designer Alison Davin anchored the “Family Kitchen” with a long farm table and warm touches.

The “Birds of Prey Garden Courtyard,” designed by Davis Dalbok (left) of Living Green Design, features Japanese-inspired metal leaf prints created by artist Jane Richardson Mack (right). Alexander McQueen and the San Francisco Ballet provided inspiration for designer Jaimie Belew’s atelier alcove.

Vernon Applegate and Gioi Tran went for a bold look in this teenage girl’s room. Designer Shelley Cahan brought a luxurious, graphic sense to the dressing room.

The “Maker’s Mark Retreat,” designed by Kelly Hohla, is an “homage to the urban artisan.”

Hohla’s room features a lovely dusty gray palette combined with stark metals and soothing blue details. Designers Eche Martinez and Martha Angus in their bright and playful “Danger Zone,” a children’s playroom.

Designer Christine Michelini transformed a small attic space into a unique “Writer’s Retreat.”

Antonio Martins used antique tools on the walls of the atelier to pay homage to craftsmen.

The atelier’s antique touches make it feel like an archeologist’s study.

Designers Karen Villanueva and Julia Marinho turned the “Penthouse Retreat and Terrace” into a soothing in-home spa.

Outside the penthouse space, guests enjoyed Champagne and caviar and stunning city views from the terrace.

The terrace provided a gorgeous view of the Bay, with a glimpse of Alcatraz.

SERGE SOROKKO GALLERY OPENINGS It was a busy season for the Serge Sorokko Gallery: It hosted a stunning exhibition of work by New York-based painter Hunt Slonem, followed by an impressive selection of works by Belgian mixed media artist Isabelle de Borchgrave. For each artist, fans turned out for a private opening night reception, enjoying cocktails, hobnobbing with the artists, and getting a first look at the works on display.

Serge Sorokko and artist Hunt Slonem in front of Hunt’s painting, Chandelier 8.

Serge Sorokko, artist Isabelle de Borchgrave, Tatiana Sorokko, and Werner de Borchgrave.

HUNT SLONEM The Worlds of Hunt Slonem featured more than 30 of Hunt’s latest neo-expressionist paintings, and marked his return to the Sorokko Gallery after 16 years. Influenced by life in New York and his personal aviary of 30 to 100 live birds, the artist’s paintings frequently convey an appreciation for nature. His bird and rabbit paintings, especially, are favorites among collectors. Hunt’s work is often seen in the culinary scene. One of his early works (and also his largest) is the 86-foot-long birds mural in New York’s Bryant Park Grill Restaurant. West coast chef Gary Danko, who catered the gallery preview, is a longtime friend and fan: Some of Hunt’s paintings hang in his upscale San Francisco eatery, Gary Danko. Hunt has also designed the wine label for Napa Valley winery Amuse Bouche’s 2009 Merlot.

Artist Hunt Slonem, Tatiana Sorokko, and Greg Lopez.

Jody Thelander and Luba Troyanovsky.

Don Howerton, Alec Holmes, Sharon Carnicelli, David Nash, and Philip Dwelle.

Hunt Slonem with Patty Mozart, in front of her new acquisition.

Hunt’s popular rabbit series is influenced by his birth year—the Chinese Year of the Rabbit.

Clockwise from top left: Lincoln; Morphos; Sonya Molodetskaya poses with her artsy handbag; Chandelier.

Doves and Guardians.

April was a big month for Hunt. In addition to the opening of his show at the Sorokko Gallery, he was honored with the “Award of Excellence” from the Horticultural Society of New York at its annual Flower Show Dinner Dance, and received a “Lifetime Cultural Achievement Award,” created in his honor, from the Louisiana State Arts Council and Governor Bobby Jindal. ISABELLE DE BORCHGRAVE Next at the Sorokko Gallery, the internationally renowned Isabelle de Borchgrave displayed her works of paper. She crafts three-dimensional, tactile masterpieces that beg to be touched. Influenced by international travels, the colors and textures of her work reflect the many locales she’s visited.

Isabelle de Borchgrave with Derek Barnes.

"My work is a confluence of influences—paper, painting, sculptor, textiles, costume, illusion, and trompe l'oeil," she says. I was first introduced to her work during a fabulous retrospective at San Francisco’s Palace of the Legion of Honor Museum in 2011. Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave was the museum’s most attended show that year.

Suzanna Jackson, Elisabetta Viani, and Tatiana Sorokko.

Gorretti Lui and Isabelle de Borchgrave. Daniel Diaz and Katya Sorokko.

Serge Sorokko, Kristen Fiori, and Robert Flynn Johnson.

Marianne Woo, Sue Kim, and Irene Woo.

Isabelle de Borchgrave: New Paintings and Sculptures included a selection of the artist’s paintings, works on paper, paper sculptures, and bronzes—the first time her bronzes have ever been displayed in the U.S.  Her gorgeous pleated gowns, created with paper, were inspired by fashion designer Mariano Fortuny’s early-20th-century “Delphos” dresses, finely pleated silk frocks based on classical Greek statues.

GUCCI CELEBRATES ITS ANNIVERSARY AND THE BAY LIGHTS The Italian luxury brand Gucci held a party at its San Francisco flagship store to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the brand’s horsebit shoe—the iconic equestrian-style loafer with a double ring and bar motif. Hosted by the city’s movers and shakers Sloan and Roger Barnett, Sabrina Buell and Yves Behar, Jean-Pierre Conte, and Alison and Mark Pincus, the evening was tobenefit the “The Bay Lights,” the stunning light installation on the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.

Gucci celebrated the anniversary of its horsebit loafer at its flagship store in San Francisco’s Union Square.

With this stellar committee and with PR wiz Allison Speer’s help, all the “beautiful young things” showed up and it seemed more like an exclusive cocktail party than a typical store event. Visiting New Yorker Aileen Agopian (Sotheby’s Senior International Specialist of Contemporary Art), accompanied by colleague Jennifer Beiderbeck (Director of theSan Francisco office), was impressed by how fashionably the guests were dressed at this glamorous and high-energy party.

Allison Speer and host Alison Pincus, co-founder high-end décor retailer One Kings Lane.

The classic horsebit loafer, next to a photo of actor Dustin Hoffman sporting it in 1970.

A photo of actress Jodie Foster skateboarding in a pair of horsebit loafers in 1977, surrounded by some spring colors.

The classic Gucci horsebit loafer debuted in 1953 and was soon seen gracing the feet of celebrities such as Clark Gable, John Wayne, and Fred Astair. In 1985, the iconic shoe was adopted into the permanent collection of the costume institute at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Today the loafer is available in numerous materials—suede, patent leather, and python—and it was announced that you can now even customize the shoe, so it really is uniquely yours. Ricky Serbin, of online luxury retailer 1stdibs, exclaimed, “Talk about ‘light on his loafers. To me, Gucci shoes are the most comfortable.”

Hosts Sabrina Buell and Sloan Barnett. Summer Tompkins Walker, Ricky Serbin, and Jennifer Raiser.

Guests were only too happy to snap up the latest styles. Inset: Ricky Serbin picked out “Floral,” a painted canvas pair, but left empty-handed as it sold out quickly. Instead, he is waiting for them to be shipped from Italy.

Of course Florentine-born Maria Manetti Shrem was in attendance, as she once established 12 Gucci stores at the now closed but much missed upscale department stores Joseph Magnin. Other Gucci party guests included Adria Bini, Willie Brown, Glen and April Bucksbaum, Carla Emil, Ken Fulk, Peter Hirshberg, Jenna Hunt, Sonya Molodetskaya, Alison Sonsini, Steve and Mary Swig, Jeana Toney, Alexis and Trevor Traina, and many others.

Alison Pincus, Jean-Pierre Conte, and Vanessa Getty.

Lindsay Bolton and Jeanne Lawrence. Maria Manetti Shrem and Summer Tompkins Walker.

Kimberly Bakker, Don Stephens, and Denise Ivory.

Mansoor and Fati Farmanfarmaian. John-Paul Cross and Stuart Maschmeier.

Jeanne Lawrence, Jennifer Biederbeck, Aileen Agopian, and Becca Prowda.

Susan Dunlevy, Diane Chapman, and Meriwether McGettigan. Charlot and Gregory Malin.

Xiaojun Lee and Ali Turner.

David and Jocelyn Sandler. John and Lana Adair.

Suzanne and Carson Levit with Laura Sweeney.

John van Camp, Judy Rodgers of Zuni Café, Maria Manetti Shrem, Rolando Beramendi, and Jeanne Lawrence.

Diane Chapman, Dorka Keehn, Michael Purdy, and Jay Jeffers. Jean-Pierre Conte and Hillary Thomas.

THE BAY LIGHTS Unveiled in March 2013, artist Leo Villareal’s “The Bay Lights” is the world’s largest LED light sculpture. Spanning the west side of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, it consists of 25,000 tiny twinkling lights programmed by Villareal in a dazzling array of never-repeating patterns and only costs about $15 a night to operate—a real bargain. You can read more about “The Bay Lights” in my previous column here.

Photos by Jeanne Lawrence, Drew Altizer, Darryl Kirchner, Serge Sorokko Gallery, Rebecca Kmiec, Christopher Stark, Drew Kelly, and Lucas Saugen. *Urbanite Jeanne Lawrence reports on lifestyle and travel from her homes in San Francisco, Shanghai, and New York, and wherever else she finds a good story.

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Washington Social Diary

May 23, 2013, 8:07 am

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The front door looks like its been there for decades, even though only for a month or so.

THE PLACE TO BE RIGHT NOW: LE DIPLOMATE by Carol Joynt The couple who may be Washington's biggest foodies also happen to be the President of the United States and the First Lady. If it’s hot, happening and culinarily impressive, Barack and Michelle Obama book a table and have a date night. Regardless of what you may think of the First Couple, this is, to quote food goddess Martha Stewart, a good thing. It’s especially exciting for Washington, where the last first couple to be restaurant habitués were President George and Barbara Bush— in the 1980s. Washington's restaurant scene is popping, and presidential patronage is an extra pop. Given their appreciation for what’s happening in the DC food scene don’t be surprised if Le Diplomate isn’t soon on the Obamas agenda. Why? It is without equivocation the happening spot, where to be seen right now. If you can’t score a table at Le Diplomate you may as well pretend you are allergic to French food.

Le Diplomate at the corner of 14th and Q Streets in Washington.

A visit to the new bistro is the talk of the town — as in how to get a reservation, who can get one, and who do I have to know to get one? For a number of weeks, as it was being built, and when it first opened, and in the days after, I listened to friends, colleagues and the foodie corps go on about getting into or trying to get into this restaurant, and then the generally  positive experience once there. I was intrigued. I love a hot restaurant. Who doesn’t? It says so much about a city. So, you know, I went, with healthy skepticism (can anything be that fabulous?), and was rewarded.

Le Diplomate's classic bistro menu. The deservedly acclaimed bread basket.

The bread station.

New Yorkers will appreciate my skepticism. I am a devoted fan of Balthazar since it opened in 1997. I’m so hopelessly besotted that I take the Acela up to NYC solely to have a midday meal at the Soho staple and then return on the late afternoon train, wondering, “why can’t we do that in Washington?” Attempts have been made but missed the mark. Along comes Stephen Starr who, fortunately, had the same goal. He has created and owns a collection of restaurants, STARR Restaurants, with most of them in Philadelphia but also Morimoto and Buddakan in New York, and others in Atlantic City and Fort Lauderdale and Bal Harbour. He says he always wanted to open a restaurant in Washington. When he found the location on fashionable 14th Street, he says he knew it would be the ideal spot for the Parisian bistro he wanted to create. And so, voila!

Could be Paris, but it's 14th Street in Washington. The service is generally attentive and informed.

I’ve only been twice to Le Diplomate but both visits were a pleasure. The first, with my son, Spencer, was dinner. He had oysters. I had escargot. We both had very nice steak au poivre, plus crispy pomme frites. The bread is as swoon-worthy as I’d been told. It’s a good basket with good butter. My eyes locked on to the foie gras parfait as it was delivered to other tables and so, when I returned for a Sunday lunch, it was the first thing I ordered, followed by a salad of butter lettuces and sliced breakfast radishes. My friend Jim Spellman had an egg white omelet, made to his liking with mushrooms. They have a decent $9 by the glass Loire Valley sparkling wine, and it’s a generous pour. The cocktails are compelling, particularly the bourbon-based Pompidou Plombier. There’s also a Tête-à-Tête made with, get this, Grey Goose, Hendrick’s Gin and Lillet, plus saffron and fleur de sel. Few restaurants serve Champagne cold enough for my taste — too often the bottles are kept in the white wine fridge rather than on ice — but when I requested “colder” our server smilingly obliged.

A laugh at Sunday brunch. Reading material for the solo patron.

A view toward the greenhouse rooms.

Since my visit to Le Diplomate was not as a critic but with Balthazar as the measure, given all, they matched up well. Designer Shawn (Chateau Marmont) Hausman has the French bistro look and feel nailed; chef Adam Schop’s kitchen produces tasty food.   If there’s any learning curve it is one that happens at so many new DC restaurants: getting the staff up to speed. Unlike New York and L.A., food scenes where the service is notable, in Washington our servers aren’t typically pulled from the acting ranks, (Bradley Cooper excepted) and performance ready, but instead have their eyes on careers in law, lobbying, Congress, the White House or academia. In this town public service is an entertainment career. There are exceptions, of course, but you gotta give ‘em a break. On that basis, the service at Le Diplomate is very promising.

The oyster selection.

The salad verte with butter lettuce, sliced breakfast radishes and red wine vinaigrette.

Bistro french fries, as they should be.

The health-minded egg white omelette.

The special lemon dessert served at brunch. By all means eat the rind, too. Another brunch-only dessert of chocolate and mocha and hazelnuts.

If you can, go right now. There’s no way of knowing if the Obamas will become patrons, but on the night I had dinner, White House social secretary Jeremy Bernard was at a nearby table, with Hillary Rosen. Scouting, perhaps? If and when the first couple show up it will light the after-burners on the restaurant’s fame, making reservations more challenging — for a time. We expect, though, that it’s here for the long haul, a welcomed addition to a part of town already known as a boulevard of excellent eats.  For the record, here are some of the restaurants that make up the impressive list of where the Obamas have had a Washington date night or dinner with friends: BLT Steak, Mintwood Place, Birch & Barley, Jose Andres’ Minibar, Fiola, Cafe Milano, Komi, Smith Commons, Bourbon Steak, Rosa Mexicano, Lincoln, Kenny’s BBQ Smokehouse, Eatonville, Boundary Road, Equinox, Restaurant Eve, Del Ray Pizzeria, Oyamel, Blue Duck Tavern, 1789, Ted’s Bulletin. Book a table at any one of these places and you'll be pleased. The list does not include their many forays out for burgers and ice cream, but the Obamas, and their daughters, are keen for both.

Le Diplomate has become a popular neighborhood gathering place. The scene in the bar on a Sunday afternoon.

And, I apologize for not having a photo of the foie gras parfait. When mine arrived I devoured half of it before I realized I’d forgot to snap the pic. It is that good.  Le Diplomate 1601 14th Street NW 202-332-3333

The late afternoon view in Le Diplomate.

TWO PARTIES, TWO GUESTS OF HONOR, TWO PICTURES When we walked into the Renwick Gallery for the book party for Richard Haass, my date made an astute observation: "So this is what it looks like when billionaires host a book party?" I'm not sure if everyone on the  invitation ranks as a billionaire, but the principal host, David Rubenstein certainly does, and the others have wealth and influence of one sort or another: Katherine and David Bradley of Atlantic Media, historian Michael Beschloss and Afsaneh Beschloss, Norma and Russ Ramsey, Kristin Mannion and H.P. Goldfield. Haass, who is head of the Council on Foreign Relations, is also husband of ABC News executive Susan Mercandetti.

Portrait of wealth and influence: David Bradley, Michael Beschloss, Afsaneh Beschloss, Kristin Mannion, Richard Haass, David Rubenstein, and H.P. Goldfield.

The champagne was from Veuve Cliquot, there were two beautiful buffets of rare roast beef, lobster rolls, smoked salmon, pasta, salads and vegetable tart, plus assorted pastries. Really, all that was needed was one photo, of the hosts and the guest of honor, but here's who else was there: Ambassadors Peter Westmacott of Great Britiain, Michael Collins of Ireland, Kim Beazley of Australia, and Michael Oren of Israel; senatorKay Hagen; just-nominated US trade representative Mike Froman; acting energy secretary Dan Poneman; Liz Sherwood Randall and Puneet Talwar of the National Security Council staff; USAID deputy director Donald Steinberg; former Maryland lieutenant governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend; and former congresswoman Jane Harman of the Woodrow Wilson Center. Also: Linda Webster, Wolf Blitzer, Maureen Orth, Evan Thomas, Terrence Smith, Susie Trees, David Sanger, Martin Indyk, Tim Bartlett, Paula Dobriansky, Margaret Warner, Jim Hoagland, Strobe Talbott, Dan Glickman, Carol and Ken Adelman, Richard Burt, Gerald and Eden Rafshoon, Amanda Downes, Christianne Ricchi, Bob Barnett, Shelby Coffey, Tammy Haddad, Jim Kimsey, Bill Allman, Christopher Ullman, Gloria Borger, Susan Blumenthal.

The Isham home, site of a book party for Walter Cronkite IV's "Walt."

A week or so later, another notable party and another notable photo. Walter Cronkite IV is the grandson of, well, who else? He's two years out of Hamilton college and is an associate producer at the CBS News Washington bureau. His boss is Christopher Isham, who is married to Jennifer Maguire. They are a lovely couple with an attractive and cozy home in Cleveland Park. They hosted a book party for "Walt" to celebrate his book, "Cronkite's War: His World War II Letters Home."

Walter "Walt" Cronkite IV, with his host and boss, CBS News Washington Bureau Chief Chris Isham. Cronkite greets a guest.

Walt wrote it with his history professor, Maurice Isserman, after visiting the University of Texas, where the papers of grandpa Walter Cronkite are kept. When we asked if he was doing a big book tour, Walt said, “Not too much. Actually, I have to work.” Well chosen words in the home of the boss.

Grandson and grandfather.

Photographs by Carol Joynt. Follow Carol on twitter @caroljoynt

Charleston Social Diary

May 24, 2013, 6:48 am

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Azaleas along White Point Garden, Charleston, SC.

Spring in Charleston: Part I by Ned Brown "You want to know why Atlantic City will never be as successful as Las Vegas?" My old friend, John Russo, a former New Jersey State Senator opined to me on the golf course. Russo continued, "Because the tourists going to Vegas at least have to buy a plane ticket and a hotel. A free bus ride from Paramus gets you to AC." So what does this have to do with Charleston, South Carolina? On one hand the Charleston tourism public relations machine likes to paint us a quaint, historical, elegant European-like small city that transports you blissfully back in time.

Pedro's giant sombrero greets those entering South Carolina.

The truth is that they want the hordes traveling Interstate 95 to take a short detour on their way north or south. In fact, there is a Charleston Visitors Center on I-95 just as you cross into the state from North Carolina. So, right after you've played putt-putt under Pedro's giant sombrero at South of the Border, come take a Charleston buggy tour, get an ice cream cone and buy a t-shirt that says "I Learnt History in Charleston" (just kidding on that one).

One of the many tour buses blocking traffic and belching exhaust along the waterfront.

Quaint Charleston is a forgone illusion. The streets during the weekends from March to November are clogged with traffic, with at least two dozen tourists standing on nearly every corner. Layer on top of this 2,000 people arriving downtown every weekend to take a $250 per person 5-day Carnival cruise (if it doesn't breakdown mid-sea), and you get the idea. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for anything as chichi as Palm Beach, but do we want the Paramus Mall?

Carnival Cruise ship docked in downtown Charleston. Inset: How many Charlestonians feel about the takeover by Carnival Cruise Lines.

The Charleston city leaders believe the "The more the merrier." To those with homes downtown, it often means "More is less": less privacy, less elegance and less of what we moved to Charleston for in the first place. The inhabitants south of Broad Street have become like those period actors at Colonial Williamsburg surrounded by thousands of day-trippers peering into their windows and gardens. Charleston was recently featured in the April issues of Town & Country, Architectural Digest and Elle Décor. I wish we would see more of their readers as visitors and fewer from Guns & Ammo.

A typical group of tourists on a carriage tour

Enough of the bad, now for the good ... Recently, we had several events of note, that the average tourist never hears about: A weekend visit by the French Heritage Society, the annual Gibbes Museum Women's Council "Art of Design" garden luncheon, and the Charleston Antiques Show (sponsored by the Historic Charleston Foundation). I also have a few comments about Charleston Fashion Week. A great way to celebrate the coming of spring to Charleston is the annual Gibbes Museum luncheon hosted by its Women's Council that celebrates design in all its forms. Last year, Carolyne Roehm regaled the crowd with her tips on flower and home design.

Checking in for the Gibbes Luncheon. Two attendees wearing black and white geometric patterns.

This year, the lunch, and the design of the same went into an all new direction. The guest speaker was Cathy Horyn, Fashion Critic for the New York Times. The luncheon itself was designed by Washington, DC and Charleston event planner, Christina Baxter of CiBi Events, who played-off the black and white cubist theme of the crossword puzzle, which also is the hot spring color combination this year. Even the tables were custom-made black or white squares to simulate the puzzle.

Clockwise from above: Black and white cubist-themed tables set to simulate the Times crossword puzzle; Centerpiece of colored papers and flowers; Mousseline of smoked trout.

Cathy Horyn delivering remarks with fashion slides.

Horyn did not disappoint the 300-plus ladies (and a few gentlemen) who attended this fun, stylish event. She provided an insightful commentary on the world of fashion, who is up and coming, and who is fading. Horyn said that the biggest challenge for even young talented designers is building a sustainable business over the long haul. She is chagrined when a celebrity like Jessica Simpson (with few design skills) can launch a clothing line, and immediately do $300 million in sales, while true talent struggles. Horyn is also not above poking fun at herself. She told a story of her good friend and fashion mentor, the late Bill Blass, when she asked Blass, "Bill, I'm thinking of doing something different with my hair, what do you suggest?" Blass wryly responded, "My dear, have you thought of using a comb?"

Joanne Harth (Women's Council Pres.), Cathy Horyn, and Beth Price.

Pat Altschul with Johnny Maybank.

Tater Beak, Annie von Rosenberg, Barbara Kratovil, Anne Barnes, Lane Becken, Sally Smith, Juliana Falk, and Harriet Smartt.

Ayoka Lucas, John Pope, Pat Altschul, Ann Long Merck, Tommy Bennett, Lee Van Alan Manigault, and Cathy Horyn.

Matt McKeown and Emily David of Event DRS.

The Gibbes luncheon was kicked-off the night before when Patricia Altschul hosted a sponsors party at her magnificently restored Isaac Jenkins Mikell House; Mikell was a prominent 19th century cotton planter. Pat enlarged the kitchen area and added a comfortable, sunny and informal dining area where her posse of hounds are free to roam. The formal part of the house was designed by Mario Buatta, with Pat's excellent taste apparent, and it is a real Charleston showcase that a rare few have the opportunity to see. DPC has been invited as a house-guest numerous times, but apparently gets longitudinal displacement going below 34th street.

The Jenkins Mikell House. Guests on the Jenkins Mikell veranda.

Angela Mack (Exec. Dir. Gibbes Museum) and Patricia Altschul.

Christina Baxter with Joyce Hudson (Gibbes Lunch Chair).

Up next on the events list was a group visiting from the French Heritage Society. Now these are the type of tourists we love. Celebrating all things French, Greg Joye (Executive Director of the FHS), CeCe Black (Events Chair of the FHS), Elizabeth Stribling (Chair of the FHS), Fernanda Kellogg and two dozen of their fellow Francophile pals took in the Huguenot influence on Charleston. The FHS weekend began with a cocktail reception at the elegant downtown south of Broad Street home of Lou Hammond (not to forget her faithful dachshund, Presto IV), which is filled with an excellent array of various French period antiques.

George Read discussing the framing and demonstrating the signed provenance of a French chair.

George Read, former Sotheby's auctioneer, and now a Charleston based dealer/appraiser took the FHS group through a history of French antiquities while they munched on mini-crabcakes, pimento sandwiches (crusts trimmed, of course) and sipped champagne. When the group got to Hammond's dining room, Reed gave a brief lecture on the history of dining. My favorite part is the era when the French adopted napkins from the British, the Brits were so incensed that society abandoned napkins, and began using the tablecloths to cover their laps, and wipe their faces after each course!

Annette Friedland, Jaqueline George, Paula and Drew Drury, CeCe Black, and Sheri Wechsler.

Randall Robinson, Drew Drury, Fernanda Kellogg, and Kirk Henckels.

David Sadroff, Barbara Wolf, Harriet Ross, and Michael and Jacqueline George.

French Heritage Society NY Chapter atop Charlie and Sally Duell's Edmonston-Alston House. Left to Right: Dayle Duchossois, David Orthwein, David Sadroff, Cetie Ames, Barbara Wolf, Jolyon Grant, Joan Grant, Elizabeth F. Stribling, Guy Robinson, Michael George, Jeanne Lawrence, Sheri Wechsler, Charles Duell, CeCe Black, Jacqueline George, and Sallie Duell.

The 10th annual Antique Show benefiting the Historic Charleston Foundation is one of those jewels that keeps getting better each year. HCF's mission is the preservation of Charleston's architecture, history and culture. Many of the board members and staff are from families that have lived in Charleston since the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and they care deeply about preserving what makes the Holy City (named as such because of the multitude of places of worship) so special. Each spring, the Foundation organizes an exquisite antiques show, far smaller than New York's, but no less elegant. Prominent dealers from all over the country make the antiques show a spring season "must do" event, combining business with pleasure, and now reconnecting with old friends.

Entrance to the Charleston Antiques Show.

A sliver of the fair and its visitors.

For those of you who have visited Charleston, know the second most prevalent business establishments, after restaurants, are antique shops. I had the pleasure of bumping into my long-lost pal, Anne Sutherland Fuchs, former President & Publisher of Vogue, and then a Hearst magazine exec, who was making her first foray to Charleston. I subsequently had coffee with Anne in Lou Hammond's kitchen, where she told me she was having the best time, and just adored the city.

Lou Hammond, Stephen Gates, and Anne Sutherland Fuchs.

Peggy Rash (Collectors Circle Chair), Kitty Robinson (Pres. & CEO HCF), and Jill Almeida (Antiques Show Chair).

Dick and Vereen Coen with John Pope.

Cindy Lenhardt with Peggy and Jack Crowe.

Which brings me finally to the 7th annual Charleston Fashion Week. I hate to admit it, but I am from the Alice Roosevelt Longworth (TR's daughter) school, who famously said, "If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody (or anything), come sit next to me." Actually, I do have some nice things to say about the fashion show: its a fun four days of partying, and the media staff handling the obstreperous press (like moi), are absolutely first-rate and very professional. I also got to view the show most nights with my pal, television and film producer, Whitney Sudler-Smith, who is about to film a new Bravo show on southern gentlemen; and one night with the beautiful M.K. Quinlan, Style Editor for the award-winning Garden & Gun magazine.

Style Editor, M.K. Quinlan. Linda Lucas with grand-niece, Ashanti, taking in the show.

As an aside, one night after the fashion show, men's designer and southern etiquette guru, Cooper Ray, held his own show and party at the old Charleston Library, and previewed his latest collection. Now that was a lively crowd and great fun. First off, my thoughts are: Paris, Milan and New York have "Fashion Week"; Charleston has a regional fashion show, which is also sponsored by a local car dealer — not a forward fashion statement. This was my third year attending the show. Its mission is to showcase emerging designers. The concept has real potential; unfortunately, the execution seems stuck. I am reminded of the observation Cathy Horyn made at the Gibbes lunch that what young designers need most is a sustainable business.

Cooper Ray's Men's Fashion Show at the old Charleston Library.

Karen Klopp with designer Cooper Ray.

When I spoke with Anne Fuchs about fashion shows in general, she commented that shows are only successful when there is a "business pull-through for the designers"; this coming a very successful fashion magazine publisher and savvy businessperson. I mentioned this issue to the show's owners, and commented that I followed up with some of the designers months after the show is over, and they are still struggling for business. I also suggested that there be bigger prize money for the winners, and more spread-out between all finalists. I really do hope the fashion show grows and improves, as we have seen over the years with Spoleto and recently with the Wine & Food Festival. Abby Lorick and Cynthia Rowley in surf pose One group I have to commend is Belk's Department store, which is like a regional Macy's based in Charlotte, NC. Yes, yes, I know; we normally don't associate NYSD's readers with Macy's. However, I had the opportunity to speak with Kathy Bufano, Belk's President of Merchandising & Marketing (and a former Macy's exec), and she said to me, "We view Charleston as an emerging, young, hip fashion center, and we want to be here early." She's correct about young and hip; the College of Charleston has become one of the hottest schools (for attendance) in the country. To their credit, Belk's put in a "pop-up" store for March-April on King Street (the major shopping area) featuring many of the new designers at the show along with a new collection designed by Cynthia Rowley. And speaking of Ms. Rowley, here is another person who has absolutely fallen in love with Charleston. First off, I learned that she and her assistant, Abbi Lorick, are avid surfers, and nearby Folly Beach is a big surf mecca. Cynthia designed a must-have line of women's surf wetsuits for Roxy that are sexy, fun and functional. Cynthia was taking-off the next day for a family safari in Africa, but we discussed a follow-up trip (with her family) back to Charleston in the near future for private plantation touring and surfing. Next up, Part II: a spring luncheon at Dick Jenrette's spectacular Milford Plantation.

Gibbes photos courtesy of Julia Lynn Photography. Antiques Show photos courtesy of Carrie Naas Photography.

Washington Social Diary

May 30, 2013, 6:59 am

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The steps in Rose Park, which appear in the Jackie video, looking much the same today as they did in 1957.

THE KENNEDYS IN GEORGETOWN AND ON VIDEO — THEN AND NOW by Carol Joynt Gems come in all kinds of packages. Last weekend one arrived in an email from a neighbor, David Abrams. The gift inside was a link to a circa 1957 video of Jackie Kennedy and JFK. Better still, it was Jackie in Georgetown, taking a walk around the village with her dog, visiting the dry cleaner, the butcher, and a nearby park. Just when we think every last little bit of Kennedy imagery has been unearthed, here comes something new and fresh. Among Georgetowners, these images are experienced as a home movie; the Kennedy imprint on the village remains that strong. In it Jackie is an adoring young Senate wife. JFK is honing his candidate-to-be self but what jumps out is that he’s oh-so-young. Their dynamic together is he’s "the man" and she’s the nurturing helpmeet. If there’s anything more going on, or less, it doesn’t show. She’s charming and beautiful. He’s self-possessed and purposeful. If you watch “Mad Men” you’ll experience a Megan and Don flash frame, but then, of course, Megan and Don are derivatives of Jackie and Jack. The house on P Street where Jackie and Jack Kennedy lived in 1957. The show is called “Home” and it’s hosted by Arlene Francis. It takes place at the Kennedy home at 2808 P Street, one of a few in Georgetown where he, they or she lived before and after the White House. The questions aren’t hardballs, but still Jackie answers them directly and candidly. It goes quickly. Only 9 minutes. It’s mostly Jackie, who is joined by Jack at the end. The microphones they wear are laugh out loud funny, and the cars are date stamped, but substract Jackie’s “little miss senate wife” mode  and put it in HD color, and it could almost be today. She was always modern. The best part of the video is Jackie taking a walk around her neighborhood. “I love living in Georgetown,” she says, nearly skipping along the bricked sidewalk with the dog, gliding down the steps at the park, and then on a path that overlooks Rock Creek. By today’s reduced standards, she’s dressed to the nines. She’s poised and excited for what’s coming with her husband’s political career. She knows something is coming. She hits her marks while followed by a film crew. As she talks to Arlene Francis, Jackie is trying out a persona, the one that would lock-in as her public and famous self. That’s what makes it compelling. We see her in that brief cut of time, call it pre-fame, when she still had something of a private life, before the onslaught of the global frenzied glare that never allowed her to hide in its shadows, except when she shut the door on it. (And even then, those who got behind the door still talked.) Once the 1960 presidential campaign started there was never privacy again. Not as you and I know it. The persona Jackie has in this video is not one of a celebrity, which reminds us she never sought that role. Mere celebrity was too small, empty and without purpose. She saw the world as a bigger stage and herself as a bigger player. Arguably she created modern celebrity — the fact that a famous person could be a cash cow for media scrum in hot pursuit — but that happened to her. She didn't seek it.  She learned to game it, though, and became a master.

This lovely young woman, in this soft, faded moment, also cannot foretell the sadness to come. She had a wild and difficult father, a demanding mother and a dashing husband, and that was about it for emotional challenges at this point. Sadness would come, and come, and come. I shared the video and received a range of comments in return, but a poignant one was this, “On a sad note, during their time (at 2808 P), Jackie gave birth to their first child, who was stillborn ..."  We know that but for the gleaming beauty of this young couple, their vitality, and the aura of “Camelot,” in truth so much of the Kennedy arc is catastrophe and heartbreak. That little happy moment in Georgetown was just that. That little happy moment.  Christopher Kennedy Lawford and CJ. Which brings us to the other video I have to share. It is an interview I did last month with Christopher Kennedy Lawford on “The Q&A Cafe,” which was taped in Georgetown only a handful of  blocks away from the P Street house. We talked for almost an hour and he tells his harrowing personal story pretty well himself without me spilling much of it here. In brief, Chris Lawford is very much a Kennedy. His mother, Patricia Kennedy, was JFK’s sister. His father was actor Peter Lawford. Both his parents were addicts. He became an addict, too. His life, at least until he was 30, was a hyper coaster of family tragedy, parental drama, and lots of drugs and alcohol. He got it back on track almost 25 years ago and he’s worked to keep it there and what helps him is being an author, activist and advocate in the field of addiction and recovery. He’s a father, currently not married, and likes to spend as much time as possible on Hawaii — far, far away from the world he knew growing up a Kennedy. He’s attractive, well-spoken and likable. He has the Kennedy charm gene. Lawford has his own Georgetown story, too, from when he was in college. Georgetown is where he took a head first dive into heroin addiction.  A few nights before I interviewed Chris I was at a party where I had a conversation with his cousin, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, daughter of Ethel and Robert Kennedy. I mentioned the upcoming interview and Chris’ two books. Kathleen — like her late aunt Jackie — was very direct and candid. In the interview, right at the top, I share it with Chris. A little family moment. Her words weren't mean, only telling, and another glimpse into this complicated family.

Photographs by Carol Joynt. Follow Carol on twitter @caroljoynt

South Florida Social Diary

May 30, 2013, 7:03 am

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However daunting for some being considered the best in the world might be, orchid world phenoms Robert Fuchs and Michael Coronado's backyard landscape mixes the native with the exotic, making for an out of this world refuge as much a part of the Florida Everglades as the Amazon Rainforest.

Tropical Splendor: Orchid oasis, Key Lime roadhouse & Wild Bird sanctuary By Augustus Mayhew Last week’s planned day trip to a wild bird sanctuary in Key Largo turned out to be a bit more when I realized it had been years since I last stopped in at R.F. Orchids, home to the world’s leading orchid couturiers, Robert Fuchs and Michael Coronado. I called ahead, and yes, Fuchs and Coronado were not in Lhasa or Tegulcigalpa but would be in town for the Redlands International Orchid Show at the nearby Fruit and Spice Park. Esteemed Columbian orchid grower Gustavo Aguirre of Orquídeas Katía in Medellin was in the guesthouse for the weekend and would also be showing at the Redlands festival. The 90-minute drive to R.F. Orchids was longer than I remembered, as the orchid domain is as far west southwest of west Miami as you can be without being in the Everglades.“The last frontier,” said Robert Fuchs. The one-and-only Robert Fuchs. R. F. Orchids has been recognized with prestigious awards from the Royal Horticultural Society in England, the Japan Grand Prix, South African Orchid Congress Shows, and from orchid societies in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. A life member of the Royal Horticulture Society of Thailand, Fuchs is also a fellow with the Royal Horticulture Society in London. Dubbed "the king of orchids" by The New York Times, Fuchs was recently the first orchid grower to be inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. Sublime spectacle Ever since Robert Fuchs was awarded every best of the best award possible at the 1984 International Orchid Show held at Coconut Grove’s Dinner Key, his Vanda orchids have made him the world’s orchid kingpin, a title and enterprise he shares with Michael Coronado, his life partner and business associate. Thus, in June 1990 when a Miami Herald headline read “Thieves take $97,000 in prized orchids,” Fuchs’ loss shook the highly-competitive uber-secretive orchid world from Bangkok to Rio. Someone had stolen what had taken Fuchs a lifetime to create. Regarded as some of the world’s rarest prize-winning specimens, the hybridization of this valuable stock could transform a shady mediocre orchid enthusiast into a world-class purveyor. At the time, Fuchs and Coronado could not have imagined that their ensuing tangled escapades and courtroom dramas would a decade later become a plot line for The Orchid Thief, a best-selling non-fiction book by Susan Orlean. Later, the book became the basis for the film titled Adaptation. In the film, Meryl Streep played Susan Orlean and actor Chris Cooper, as John Laroche, received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. “There was some literary license in the book,” laughed Fuchs, who I found much more approachable and affable than how some accounts have portrayed him. Fuchs transformed his family’s backyard hobby into an international global orchid conglomerate. At 13, he joined his father on orchid safaris in Central and South America. For his high-school graduation, he wanted only one thing, an orchid greenhouse. I first met Fuchs sometime in the mid-1980s at one of the International Orchid Shows in Coconut Grove. I recall his inspired sense of stagecraft and how my jaw dropped admiring the Vanda Ogden Phipps. Years later, he, along with Coronado, have remained resourceful and innovative, maintaining the necessary standards for creating the most beautiful orchids in the world.

The entrance to R. F. Orchids. Built on his grandparents' homestead, R.F. Orchids opened in 1970 as a weekend endeavor. It was not until Fuchs won the 1984 World Best in Class Award for his Vanda Deva Robert, along with numerous other medals, that he quit his job as a school teacher to become a full-time orchid grower. "Everything had to be rebuilt after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. We lost all our royal palms, our greenhouses. Mike and I were fishing in Hawaii when I telephoned our house sitter and asked if the hurricane had done any damage. She was hysterical. Then, when she told me the royal palms were gone, I knew we were wiped out except for the house. We flew as far as Orlando where we had to rent a car. Actually, we took a van. When we drove up, I couldn't believe it. My whole life seemed gone. But, there was never a doubt, we would rebuild," said Fuchs.

Michael Coronado, vice-president of R.F. Orchids since 1985, handles the growing and hybridizing aspects of the business. When he is not supervising RF's nurseries in Thailand or reorganizing the company's shop at the Ocean Reef Club, Coronado landscapes residential and commercial projects, specializing in orchid gardens. Having recently completed a distinctive tropical look for Christian Louboutin's new Midtown Miami boutique, Coronado was key in developing "Orchid Camp," a series of educational classes about orchid growing. An accredited orchid judge, Mike has also participated in numerous World Orchid Conferences and the Chelsea Flower Show.

Fuchs and Coronado's formula for success has carried over into nearly every aspect of R.F. Orchids' operation.

R. F. Orchids are renowned for their intricate designs and bold colors.

When I asked about seeing the 1984 award, Fuchs invited me over to their house adjacent to the nursery.

At the entrance, a stained glass window overlooks an orchid tableau.

Inside the family room, the tropical Tiffanyesque-window adds some late morning light.

Just as I was taking a photo, the sun came out from behind the clouds and shone through the glass, reflecting a bright play of color on the marble floor. Above the fireplace, Vanda Memorial Fred Fuchs, named for Fuchs' grandfather, painted by New York botanical artist Angela Mirro.

The family room glass showcase is filled with 30 years of awards and medals from everywhere in the world.

The 1984 Grand Champion award at the 1984 Eleventh World Orchid Conference put Fuchs in the international spotlight. Fuchs holds a Reserve Champion Award from the 15th World Conference won in Rio that was set in a carved crystal base.

Orchidalia

As you might imagine, Fuchs and Coronado have collected a spectacular array of orchid-themed ceramics.

A teapot from Beijing. A Deco-styled vase from Amsterdam.

A vase from Paris.

Hunting trophies adorn one of the family room walls.

Cages of colorful birds surrounded the pool and pond area. Our plans to depart for the Redlands International Orchid Show were interrupted when Hattie, a five-foot alligator, found her way into the pool instead of the nearby pond.

Hattie, the alligator, was center stage in the pool as Fuchs summoned some of the staff over to remove her to the pond. Not an easy task, it turned out.

Finally, Hattie was netted.

Hattie made her way over to the pond to join the Brazilian catfish.

Between the pool and the pond, there are numerous sensational orchid tableaus, some with hundreds of spikes.

Vibrant vandas were in bloom.

The scene overlooking the pond. A serene look towards the lagoon.

A view from the Bali-styled pool house towards the lagoon.

Tropical tableaus

A garden vignette.

A lookout over the lagoon and waterfall where Hattie went for an afternoon swim.

Redlands International Orchid Show at the Fruit and Spice Park 24801 SW 187 Avenue, Homestead

From R. F. Orchids, it was only a short drive to the Fruit and Spice Park, a 37-acre botanical park that was hosting the Redland International Orchid Show. The F & S Park features 500 varieties of rare fruits, herbs, spices, and nuts, including 80 types of bananas, 70 varieties of bamboo, 40 varieties of grapes, 50 different species of mangoes, 15 varieties of jackfruit trees, and other exotic edibles.

Completed in 1944, the F & S Park was the work of William Lyman Phillips, a landscape architect with the Olmsted firm before moving to Florida in the 1930s where his designs could be found in Palm Beach as well as the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in South Miami.

While Robert checked out the other orchid exhibits, Michael Coronado was setting up the R.F. Orchids display tent for the festival.

R.F. Orchids for sale at the Redlands Festival.

Distinctive orchids are part of the R.F. Orchids brand.

Some of them appear to be alive. A flowering banana plant in the Fruit & Spice Park.

"I found some rare dendrobiums from Thailand that I've bought. So, we'll pull the van around, pick them up and get you back to the nursery," said Fuchs, who appeared to speak with nearly every exhibitor.

Back to the R.F. Orchids Nursery

The commercial entrance into the orchid shop and greenhouses. After driving me back to the nursery, Fuchs returned to help in the set –up at the F & S Park.

The orchid shop has some sensational offerings.

This nearly 9-foot heart-stopping Vanda was priced at $500.

The greenhouses offer orchids in every price range.

The greenhouses offer orchids in every price range.

The presentation is museum-quality.

A Vanda blooms at R.F. Orchids where fuchsia, magenta, and midnight blue blooms fill the greenhouses. R.F. Orchids are recognizable by their size, colorations, and leaf systems.

Ivy stands guard in the gift shop area.

Surrounding the shop and greenhouses, Seminole Indian chickee huts add to the Old Florida ambiance.

On 6 June, the TLC channel will feature a wedding staged at R.F. Orchids.

The landscape around the public areas is sensational. Coconut palms are covered with orchid spikes.

Water lilies add atmosphere around the waterfalls.

RF Orchids Nursery 28100 SW 182 Avenue Homestead, Florida 305-245-4570 Toll free orders: 877-482-6327 www.rforchids.com Ocean Reef Flower Shop, Fishing Village at Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo: FlowerShop@rforchids.com

Within minutes of leaving R.F. Orchids, I was once again surrounded by miles of anonymous subdivisions before arriving at Florida City where the two-lane Overseas Highway is a 25-minute drive to Key Largo. Even on a week day in the early afternoon, traffic was congested and frantic as Audis and BMWs did everything but fly over RVs and pick-up trucks towing fishing boats. Yikes. And, since it had been more than two decades since I had driven to the Florida Keys, the 6-foot chain link fence on both sides, some topped with barbed wire, for the entire drive was also surprising. My research indicated it was done for "wildlife management." Thus, there is no longer anywhere to stop and take a photo, drop a fishing line, or put your toes in the water, until you arrive at one of Key Largo's "resorts." That is, once you've maneuvered around the clutter and congestion of septic pipes being installed. While I initially planned to spend the night, and unable to decipher online what "resorts" were actually on the ocean or the gulf, I drove into and drove out of several "resorts." Not for me, I sensed, though apparently ideal for fishing and diving enthusiasts. After lunch with the locals at Mrs. Mac's Kitchen and visiting the Florida Keys Wild Bird Sanctuary, I was satisfied making this a day trip. Mrs. Mac's Kitchen 99336 Overseas Highway, Key Largo

If you've spent too many years café sitting in Tuscan piazzas and Spanish plazas, or are weary of "small plates" or "farm-to-table," a stop at Mrs. Mac's Kitchen may be appealing.

Mrs. Mac's Kitchen reflects the rapidly disappearing roadhouse style of architecture.

Inside looked ready for World of Interiors magazine or a scene from Cops. While the Caesar Salad needed a little more attention from Mrs. Mac, the grilled key lime wahoo was yum as was the iconic key lime pie.

Florida Keys Wild Bird Center Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary 93600 Overseas Highway, Tavernier www.fkwbc.org

I arrived a few weeks too late, perhaps, to catch many of the seasonal birds. Also, much needed carpentry work was underway on the boardwalk.

A bird primer.

The FKWBC also has an avian hospital across the highway where injured birds are treated.

The sanctuary's gulf front. By now, it was mid-afternoon, so many of the birds may have been napping.

Seen along the birdwalk.

The pelicans were especially territorial along the birdwalk.

A view towards the gulf.

At home in the Florida Keys.

Palm Beach – Under Construction As the last of the Rolls Royces and Bentleys head back North, the concrete trucks have begun to roll as Palm Beach's hardhat construction season gets underway.

947 North Ocean Boulevard. Looking as if it may not be ready for the 2014 Season.

A Regent Park re-do in progress.

James D. Berwind is in the midst of new waterfront construction on Island Road.

Pool work on El Bravo Way.

Overlooking the Audubon Islands on South Ocean Boulevard, Thomas Peterffy's lakeside villa appears to be nearing completion. While most adjacent property owners have indicated support for the deepening of the channel, thus providing deepwater dockage, Peterffy's neighbor Damon Mezzacappa has voiced concerns about privacy.

1200 South Ocean Boulevard. At La Billucia's entrance, impressive new plantings add unmistakable grandeur for its new owners Jeffrey and Mei Greene.

On Everglades Island, John Ben Ali Haggin and Naoma Donnelley Haggin's house was recently demolished.

A few improvements on El Bravo Way.

Final touch-ups are on the punch list for this El Bravo Way façade.

Photographs by Augustus Mayhew. Augustus Mayhew is the author ofLost in Wonderland – Reflections on Palm Beach.

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San Francisco Social Diary

May 31, 2013, 7:17 am

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The San Francisco Exploratorium, an interactive science museum, recently opened at Pier 15 on San Francisco’s waterfront, with the city’s downtown district lit behind it.

SPRING IN SAN FRANCISCO by Jeanne Lawrence THE EXPLORATORIUM One evening, some friends and I headed over to Pier 15 to try out the new Seaglass Restaurant at the newly opened Exploratorium museum that enjoyed its grand opening on April 17, 2013. The beloved Exploratorium was based for 40 years in the Palace of Fine Arts, a building dating back to the 1915 San Francisco World’s Fair. It is an interactive museum of art, science, and human perception, founded by Frank Oppenheimer in 1969 to make science fun for all ages. The Exploratorium needed an update. Instead of renovating the old space, after much discussion, it was decided to move it to the Embarcadero, the stretch along the city’s eastern waterfront. I predict it’s going to be one of the most popular destinations for all.

The new San Francisco Exploratorium features a $300 million, 330,000-square foot complex.

Located near the Ferry Building, Pier 39, and Fisherman’s Wharf, the science center is more accessible than its former location.

Across the street from the Exploratorium is Coit Tower, one of the city’s landmarks.

Because of its central location on the Embarcadero, the popular Exploratorium is expected to draw even more tourists, as well as locals, than before its move.

With 1.5 acres of public outdoor space, visitors can stroll along the new walkways and plazas, which have a marvelous view of the city and bay—a beautiful reuse of the formerly dilapidated piers.

DINING AT SEAGLASS RESTAURANT Created by Executive Chef Loretta Keller and Operational Partner Clay Reynolds (both of iconic Coco500 restaurant), the glass-enclosed Seaglass restaurant seats nearly 200 diners and offers a stunning view of the Bay, including Treasure Island and the sparkling Bay Bridge. Seaglass is a welcome addition to a neighborhood where there’s a shortage of good eating options and is a destination to consider even if you’re not visiting the Exploratorium.

Loretta Keller and Clay Reynolds offer casual dining at Seaglass and takeout at the Seismic Joint Café in the Exploratorium.

Seaglass features a multicultural, seasonal menu showcasing fare that is locally sourced from small producers.

A casual café, Seaglass has food stations spread around, cafeteria-style, including a cocktail bar, raw bar with sushi master, a rotisserie chicken station, pizza, and more.

PLAYING AT THE EXPLORATORIUM After dinner, we were delighted to discover that the Exploratorium was still open, as we had arrived for “After Dark,” a program on the first Thursday of the month during which the museum stays open from 6 to 10 p.m. The regular event features a cash bar, screenings, and more for visitors over 18. (We qualified.) The first interactive science museum, the Exploratorium in its new incarnation “remains the most important science museum to have opened since the mid-20th century,” reported The New York Times in April.

The new kid-friendly science museum is three times larger than its former home, with a 200-seat auditorium. Its goal is to be the first net-zero-energy-use museum.

Visiting the cavernous exhibit hall when the groups and young children aren’t there is quite different and for us a more enjoyable experience.

Though we didn’t have much time to “play,” we enjoyed our quick tour of the well-conceived, engaging new facility.

Sampling some of the 600 motion-filled interactive and educational exhibits, we were like little kids in an amusement park.

Many of the exhibits involve intriguing hands-on explorations of physics and motion.

The museum is a must-see on your next trip to San Francisco, whether or not you have children to bring along.

I was surprised by the number of young people enjoying the exhibits; perhaps this will be the new “date night” destination.

GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE CEREMONY On another spring evening, I attended the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize award ceremony at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House, where six environmental activists and heroes were being honored. Established by Richard and RhodaGoldman in 1989, the Prize, known as the “Green Nobel,” is now in its 24th year. The late philanthropic couple had decided that protecting the environment was an area in which they could make the greatest impact.

Environmental activists were honored with the Goldman Environmental Prize at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House.

The Goldman Prize honors activists who undertake grassroots environmental efforts, often at their own personal risk. With a cash award of $150,000, it is the largest award given in this area. To date, the Goldman family foundation has donated over $700 million to various causes and prizes have been awarded to 157 environmental heroes from 82 countries.

In this civic-minded city, this award ceremony is always a big draw and one of the most important environment events of the year.

THE GOLDMAN FAMILY At the beginning of the ceremony, the Goldman family welcomed the crowd. Foundation President Doug Goldman asked for a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, which had taken place earlier that day. He stated emphatically that the next generation of the Goldman family will continue awarding prizes. His siblings JohnGoldman of San Francisco and Susan Gelman, of Washington D.C., and their families are all deeply involved with this program

Foundation PresidentDoug Goldman. John Goldman.

Susan Gelman. Philippe Cousteau, grandson of famed scientist and conservationist Jacques Cousteau, was the MC.

Tickets to the event were by invitation only, and in environmentally aware San Francisco, every one of the 3,200 Opera House seats was filled.

PROGRAM The MC was the environmental advocate and CNN correspondent Philippe Cousteau, grandson of scientist Jacques Cousteau. The evening featured video profiles of the honored activists and stirring speeches that conveyed the message that even the smallest voice can make a difference. The honorees’ stories of courage are emotionally moving; individually and collectively they have made an impressive impact.

We were treated to At the Edge of Change, a short film of excerpts from photographer James Balog’s feature-length documentary Chasing Ice, which reveals undeniable evidence of climate change.

Using time-lapse cameras, Balog compressed years of change into seconds and captured disturbing images of the disappearance of ancient mountains of ice in the Arctic.

RECIPIENTS The six individuals honored include South Africa’s Jonathan Deal, who led a campaign to keep hydrofracking out of the Karoo region; Iraq’s Azzam Alwash, who restored lush Iraqi marshes that had been destroyed under Saddam Hussein’s reign; Italy’s Rossano Ercolini, an elementary school teacher whose campaign about the dangers of incinerators led to a national zero waste policy; Indonesia’s Aleta Baun, who organized hundreds of peaceful protesters to stop destructive marble mining operations on the island of Timor; American Kimberly Wasserman, who led a successful campaign to close down two of Chicago’s dirtiest coal plants and continues to transform the city’s old industrial sites into public green spaces; and Colombia’s Nohra Padilla, who fights for the rights of her country’s marginalized waste pickers and successfully had them integrated into Columbia’s legitimate recycling program.

Each year the prizewinners are selected from the six inhabited regions of the world.

These regions include Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America.

INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE

In this year’s entertainment portion of the award ceremony, colorfully dressed dancers from the Kyoungil Ong Dance Company performed “Sounds of Korea.”

The Korean-American dance company aims to use dance andmusic to foster cross-cultural understanding.

RECEPTION AT CITY HALL After the award ceremony, everyone was invited to join the Goldman family across the street at a reception at San Francisco’s City Hall.

Invitees waited patiently in very long lines to express their gratitude to the Goldman family and to meet the prizewinners.

At the reception, guests were offered gigantic baskets of dim sum, sushi, and desserts.

Austin Erik Hills Jr., Ann Moeller Caen, and Austin Edward Hills.

The guests enjoyed the meeting theKyoungil Ong dancers that had performed.

ON TO THE NATION’S CAPITOL The next day, the Goldman family members flew to Washington D.C., for a smaller ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Building, where they met with San Francisco Congresswoman and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and others.

The Ronald Reagan Building in Washington D.C.

John Goldman, Susan Gelman, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, 2013 South African Goldman Prize recipient Jonathan Deal, and Doug Goldman.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi with the 2013 Goldman Prize recipients. From left to right: Nohra Padilla, Aleta Baun, Azzam Alwash, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Rossano Ercolini, Jonathan Deal, and Kimberly Wasserman.

Lisa Goldman, 2013 Iraqi Prize recipient Azzam Alawsh, and Jennifer Goldman.

Patrizia Lo Scuito, 2013 Italian Prize recipient Rossano Ercolini, and John Goldman.

HEARST’S NEWELL TURNER HOSTS A BOOK PARTY In town for the Decorator Showcase, New York-based Newell Turner, editor-in-chief of Hearst Design Group since 2012, joined interior decorator Kendall Wilkinson to co-host a book party in honor of chef and House Beautiful food columnist Alex Hitz’s new book, My Beverly Hills Kitchen. This was the second book party I’d attended for Alex; this time the venue was the stunningly decorated Nob Hill home of Cheryl and Ralph Baxter. The newly retired CEO of Orrick, one of the largest law firms globally, Ralph couldn’t be in attendance: Instead, he was in his birthplace of West Virginia, contemplating a run for Senate. Stay tuned.

Newell Turner, Cheryl Baxter, Kendall Wilkinson, and Alex Hitz.

When the Baxters’ last child left the nest, they decided to keep a pied-a-terre on Nob Hill and enlisted Kendall Wilkinson, the eminently qualified decorator with 20 years in business and a staff of 16, to turn it into an Art Deco-themed home. In her Pacific Heights store Kendall Wilkinson Design & Home Kendall offers an eclectic mix of luxury home goods, including her own line of Lucite furniture, pillows, and candles.

Marcia Monro, Gail Glasser, and Jeanne Jackson. Kendall Wilkinson and Mariam Maficy.

Chef, author, and House Beautiful columnist Alex Hitz who splits his time between New York and Los Angeles. Tina McCutcheon and Fruzsina Keehn.

The Baxters’ fabulous home comes complete with spectacular Bay views.

Newell Turner now oversees Hearst’s three shelter publications:Elle Décor,House Beautiful, and Veranda. When Newell, a Mississippi native, introduced Alex, who comes from Atlanta, the two joked that somehow southerners always seem to find each other. Newell, who is based at Hearst’s Manhattan offices, told guests, “I try to come to San Francisco anytime I can—and I’m not just saying that to be polite.” Discussing San Francisco’s influence on American design, Newell said, “I've been interested in California decorating for years, because I believe that a distinctly American ‘look’ synthesized here in the ’60s and ’70s.”

Gregg Lynn, Kendall Wilkinson, and Glenn Risso. Adam and Emily Kates.

He went on to explain that the American aesthetic took shape on the East Coast and was heavily influenced by European traditions, but it changed as the population moved westward. Design on the West Coast, and in San Francisco in particular, was influenced by the Far East and the more casual California lifestyle, which blurred the lines between indoor and outdoor to blur.

Christine Gardner and Gregg Renfrew. Kate and Matt Powers.

Newell paid tribute to some of the prominent California decorators of the 20th century, among them Michael Taylor, John Dickenson, Frances Adler Elkins, and Tony Duquette, who all played an important role in developing a distinctly American style. “There was a European or cosmopolitan sensibility to their decorating,” he said. “But there was also a playfulness in scale and materials—rough juxtaposed with refined, expensive with inexpensive, and high-brow with low-brow, in addition to the influences of Hollywood.”

Jeff Edwards and Jeff Spears. Ken Hagen and Maryam Muduroglu.

Allison Speer, Andrew Gn, Jeanne Lawrence (wearing a Gn creation), and Alex Hitz.

Suzanne Levitt and Leslie Thieriot. Shirley Robinson and Meriwether McGettigan.

Guests included the Singapore-born, Paris-based fashion designer Andrew Gn, in town with his 2013 pre-fall collection at the Betty Lin boutique on Sacramento Street in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. When we were introduced, I didn’t catch Gn’s name above the cocktail chatter until he said, “You’re wearing my jacket.” Of course after that we were best of friends. I love his clothes and so I’m sorry I missed his trunk show the next day, hosted by his admirers Juliet de Baubigny, Carolyn Chang, Yuri Pascarella, Allison Speer, and Akiko Yamazaki.

In his book, Alex shares some of his best southern recipes.

Guests enjoyed the passed appetizers selected from Alex’s recipes.

The high-energy book party crowd included young socialites, design hobbyists, and fans of Alex, Kendall, and Newell. “It was a perfect combination of good food, design, and fashion,” said Kendall. “The stars were aligned tonight.” As you can see, the crowd was full of visitors from around the world, all in love with design in some way.

Chelsi Lidell, Emily Kates, and Maggie Waltemath. Beth Kupper, Max Armour, and Cheryl Baxter.

Alex Hitz and Kendall Wilkinson.

Jeanne Lawrence, Drew Altizer, and the Goldman Environmental Prize. *Urbanite Jeanne Lawrence reports on lifestyle and travel from her homes in San Francisco, Shanghai, and New York, and wherever else she finds a good story.

San Francisco Social Diary

June 6, 2013, 6:53 am

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A fairytale gala kicked off choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella ballet, which opened to rave reviews in San Francisco and next heads to New York’s Lincoln Center.

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET CINDERELLA GALA by Jeanne Lawrence The San Francisco Ballet closed its 2013 season with a gala event for the U.S. premiere of British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella. Gala co-chair Stephanie Ejabat, designer Riccardo Benavides, and co-chair Suzy Kellems Dominik. A collaboration between the San Francisco Ballet and the Dutch National Ballet, the performance was based on the classic folktale with a score by Sergei Prokofiev. It included huge puppets, sets that incorporated video, and costumes by Julian Crouch, whose credits include operas and the Broadway musical The Addams Family. Wheeldon, who joined the prestigious New York City Ballet corps at 19, began choreographing for the company at 23. He’s won several awards for his work for them and other eminent companies. In 2007, he and dancer Lourdes Lopez co-founded the NYC and London-based ballet company Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company. COCKTAIL RECEPTION & DINNER The sold-out evening began with a cocktail reception in the War Memorial Opera House, followed by dinner catered by McCall’s in a gorgeous tented pavilion designed by Riccardo Benavides, creative director of Ideas. Ballet-goers dressed in a romantic and royal mood, many of the ladies showing off bright, feminine frocks and a few completing the fairytale look with tiaras.

Amy Burnett, Stephanie Ejabat, dinner chair Shelby Gans, Suzy Kellems Dominik, Kelli Burrill, Sandy Katzman, Karen Sonneborn, and Elizabeth Fullerton.

Christopher Wheeldon and Patricia Kelly. Rosemary Baker with David and Susan Dossetter.

Christine Suppes. Deepa Pakianathan. Naomi Sobel and Denise Littlefield Sobel.

Patrick King and Carolyn Chang. Gary and O.J. Shansby with Alan Morrell.

Lily Samii, Jacques Pantazes, and Elizabeth Bruckmann. Moanalani Jeffrey and Scott Marlowe.

Jim and Sandy Katzman with Lina and Lawrence Lam.

Robert Mailer Anderson with Charlotte and George Shultz. SF Ballet Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson and his wife Marlene.

Randy Hynote and Adrienne Mally. Kat Taylor and Tom Steyer.

Rosemary Baker, Karen Caldwell, Tanya Powell, and Betsy Linder. Robert Mailer Anderson and Nicola Miner.

George and Ann Mauze, Donald Van de Mark, and Alison and Michael Mauze.

Rachel Brass and Richard Foster. Patricia Ferrin Loucks and Charlie Loucks.

Jorge Maumer and Carolyn Chandler. Edward and Jennifer Lee.

Marlene and Jim Sullivan. Richard Barker and Sharon Seto.

After cocktails, guests were led through a gateway flanked by ornate mirrors and oversized candles and past a breathtaking life-size moss-covered carriage pulled by topiary horses under a twinkling tree of crystal cherry blossoms.

Sloan Barnett and Allison Speer. Kate Harbin Clammer, Alex Chases, and Erin Glenn.

Joy Venturini Bianchi and Alan Morrell.

Christina deLimur, Tanya Powell, and Patricia Ferrin Loucks. Bandel and Paula Carano.

The sparkling look and romantic feel of the cocktail hour carried over into the Riccardo Benavides-designed dinner tent, which was highlighted by pink uplighting and more than 40 low-hanging crystal chandeliers fit for a castle. A twinkling 20-foot faux oak tree in the center of the tent suggested an enchanted forest, with life-size topiary fairy godmothers clad in pastel gowns of pink and green roses standing sentry in corners and on tabletops. Striking centerpieces with clocks and mushrooms referenced Alice in Wonderland, and owls, cabbages, and moss baby bunnies hidden in floral arrangements were a nod to Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit. The merger of childhood fantasy and grown-up glamor was magical.

AFTER-PARTY After the performance, party guests returned to the tent, where they enjoyed drinks and dessert and music from DJ Clouse.

Kirsten Skipper, Kevin O'Connor, and Marybeth LaMotte. Edward King and Justin Fichelson.

SF Ballet principal dancers Jaime Garcia and Frances Chung with Chris Kazaks and Makiko Harris. Corps de Ballet members Myles Thatcher and Madison Keesler.

Gus and Martha Spanos. Bill and Jennifer Brandenburg.

Elaine and David Shun. Rufus Olivier and Kimberly Braylock.

Kay Links and Parker Kunz. Hooman Khalili and Brianna Anthony.

At the stroke of midnight, the royal ball became fairytale history.

CINDERELLA COMES TO NEW YORK This fall, the San Francisco Ballet is bringing Wheeldon’s Cinderella to the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center (formerly the NY City Ballet) October 23–27. ZAC POSEN FASHION SHOW FOR SF BALLET A week before the San Francisco Ballet premiered Cinderella, the Auxiliary produced its 32nd annual fashion show and fundraiser featuring American designer Zac Posen’s 2013 fall collection, sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue for the last 16 years.

Fans of Zac Posen at the Fairmont Hotel.

Honorary Chair O. J. Shansby, Fashion Show Chair Claire Stewart Kostic, and Luncheon Chair Patricia Ferrin Loucks welcomed more than 500 guests to the late morning cocktail reception followed by a luncheon and live auction and raffle. Actress Jane Seymour was a special guest,and the benefactor party host was Jacqueline Sacks. It’s fitting to have a “ladies’” luncheon in the legendary Fairmont Hotel, as it was designed and decorated by women: Julian Morgan redesigned the building in 1906 after earthquake damage, and at one time decorator Dorothy Draper redesigned the interior, though it has since been redecorated.

The Fairmont San Francisco is a member of the National Register of Historic Places.

The hotel and its luxurious lobby have been featured in numerous films, including Petulia and The Rock.

The Fairmont’s doorman William seems to know all the locals.

Jennifer Brandenburg, Fashion Show Chair Claire Kostic, and Luncheon Chair Patricia Ferrin Loucks. Yurie Pascarella and Urannia Ristow.

Urannia Ristow, Barbara Brookins-Schneider, and Jeanne Lawrence.

Rhea Friend, Honorary Chair O.J. Shansby, and Barbara Brookins-Schneider. Actress and former ballet dancer Jane Seymour.

Sally Debenham and Joy Bianchi.

The fashion show, the day’s major draw, featured a collection of elegant and feminine suiting as well as dramatic dresses and gowns, all in warm colors (with the occasional jewel tone thrown in) and all of course displaying Zac’s signature craftsmanship.

Cheryl Fordham, Zac Posen, and Claire Kostic.

After the show, many of the gals headed down to Saks at Union Square to have Zac help them with their fall season wardrobe. Me, I’m still trying to get my spring wardrobe together. The live auction featured some unique and tantalizing items, among them lunch with actress Jane Seymour at her studio in Malibu, a special dinner at the Walt Disney FamilyMuseum with his daughter Diane Disney Miller, and an invitation to attend Peter Mondavi Sr.’s 99th birthday gala at Charles Krug Winery.

Lisa Goldman and Mary Beth Shimmon. Shelby Strudwick and Jane Burkhard.

Susan Dunlevy, Allison Speer, Sloan Barnett, and Angelique Griepp. Paula Carano and Komal Shah.

Deann Spaulding and Lorna Meyer. Carole McNeil and Diane Chapman.

DRAMA LEAGUE AWARDS LUNCHEON It’s going to be a busy fall for Ideas Creative Director Riccardo Benavides, the talented event planner responsible for the Cinderella party here and in New York in the fall. He has opened a Manhattan branch of his firm, Ideas, and will design the décor for the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute’s Gold Medal Gala benefit, hosted by Oscar de la Renta at the Waldorf-Astoria. While Riccardo was in New York, I invited him to join me at the star-studded 79th annual Drama League Awards luncheon, hosted this year by actors David Hyde Pierce and Debra Messing. As a former Drama League board member, I never miss this very special event as it can only happen in New York City as Broadway is here.

The annual Drama League Awards luncheon honors those in the theater community.

Actors Debra Messing and David Hyde Pierce hosted the Drama League Awards luncheon.

Bernadette Peters, winner of the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater award.

Every table in the Marriott Marquis Times Square ballroom was filled with theater-lovers.

The nominated performers, directors, and producers from both Broadway and Off-Broadway all sit on the stage and get a chance to say something to the audience. It’s a wonderful way to meet the stars and keep abreast of what shows are current and which performers are in town.

At the Drama League Luncheon, the nominated stars of Broadway and Off-Broadway sit on the stage for all to see.

Each nominee stands up and shares their thoughts, wisdom, dreams, and humor.

Audience members determine who receive the awards, which are the oldest theatrical honors in America. The award categories include best play, best musical, best revival, acting, directing, distinguished achievement, and “unique contribution to the theatre.” Riccardo met a few of his favorite performers, including actor Nathan Lane, who took the Distinguished Performance Award for his role in The Nance. Nathan, who described himself as “a sassy fellow,” was speechless when he accepted the award—probably for the first time ever.

Nathan Lane humbly accepted the Distinguished Performance Award for his role in The Nance.

San Francisco’s Riccardo Benavides with actor Tommy Tune, multiple Tony Award-winner.

Jeanne Lawrence, Cece Black, and San Diego’s Paula Black.

Photos by Jeanne Lawrence, Drew Altizer, and Jessica Fallon Gordon. *Urbanite Jeanne Lawrence reports on lifestyle and travel from her homes in San Francisco, Shanghai, and New York, and wherever else she finds a good story.

Washington Social Diary

June 12, 2013, 6:38 am

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Marjorie Post's descendants at Hillwood's annual gala: Sam and George Iverson, Ellen Charles, Ellie Rose Iverson, Anna Rose and Andrew Iverson, and Nedenia C. and Stanley H. Rumbough.

THE PRELUDE TO SOCIAL DETOX by Carol Joynt The weeks of late May and June have felt more like March and April in Washington, and not only due to the flukey and often cool weather. The calendar that marks the capital’s social life did not take a break nor did it slacken with the Memorial Day holiday.  Much like the major league hockey and basketball play-offs, which go on and on and on, the party and gala whirl has kept up a swift pace. Presumably it will calm after July 4th. It has to, because the summer scenes demand a population of willing and eager revelers, too.  Since so few people who live in Washington are actually from here, the town scatters in every possible direction — the beaches, the lakes, the mountains and a lot of home towns. Which means, happily, less congestion on the streets and in the restaurants, and the social gatherings that happen turn toward the more personal and private. It is a welcomed respite.  My goal for the summer is a simple one: social detox. But since happenings are still happening, here are some of note from the last week or so.

Bipartisan baseball: Republican congressmen Jeff Denham of California and David McKinely of West Virginia listen to Democrat Diana DeGette of Colorado.

Bipartisan Baseball Even though it’s not a laughing matter, it’s easy to make jokes about the dysfunction of Congress. Set the jokes aside for a moment to at least appreciate two House members who took it upon themselves to try to come up with an antidote. Republican David McKinley of West Virginia and Democrat Diana DeGette of Colorado felt the antidote was an evening out at the ballpark. And it sort of worked. McKinley approached DeGette with the idea of getting their colleagues over to the nearby Washington Nationals Park, where they could nosh on franks, sip sodas or beer, enjoy a game and talk to each other, become better acquainted, perhaps even communicate more amicably. Invariably, on the night of the game, votes were called both before and after the first pitch, but still about 40 members and another 400 Congressional staff found time for several innings of the Nats vs the Mets. They paid about $35 a piece for their own tickets.

DC's House representative, Eleanor Holmes Norton, with Bob Tanenbaum, whose family owns the Nationals.

Nationals VP Gregory McCarthy greets New York congressman Eliot Engel.

Congressman John Barrow of Georgia with Nats GM Mike Rizzo.

The Nationals pulled out all the stops. When the bus arrived from the Capitol, there  was a group of greeters that included MLB officials, team VP Gregory McCarthy,  and Bob Tanenbaum, whose family owns the team, and who said the event was a dream come true for him. There was a brief reception (in the Roosevelt Room), with a cash bar and a buffet of ballpark fare. That’s where the group was joined by Tanenbaum’s wife, Marla Lerner Tanenbaum, and General manager Mike Rizzo, who shook hands and stayed for quite a while. The members signed a base that could be used later for an auction, if they wished. On the field, before the first pitch, McKinley and DeGette were introduced and presented with a bat by manager Davey Johnson.

Reps. David McKinley of West Virginia and Diana DeGette of Colorado.

DeGette signs a base.

Reps. David McKinley, Diana DeGette, and Jeff Denham in the President's Club after meeting with wounded warriors.

Handing out Nationals caps.

At the bottom of the 3rd inning, members of Congress give a wave with wounded warriors.

DeGette considered the game only a first effort. She believes the old patterns of Congressional socializing — weekend dinner parties — are just that, old patterns from a bygone era. “Back then all the members of Congress were men with stay-at-home wives, and the wives organized the dinners. It’s never going to be the way it was again.” Now, she said, the members of Congress are women as well as men, everyone works, and there’s a lot of weekend travel back to home districts. “We have to find new ways to get together, and this is one of those ways. We want to grow this, do it annually, and eventually get the whole House here.” Most of the members returned to the Capitol before the game ended, dismally for Nats fans, with a 10-1 Mets win.

A beautiful night for a baseball game, even though the Nats lost to the Mets 10-1.

The Tudor Place Garden Party The Tudor Place Garden Party has changed  over the years but it’s still one of Georgetown’s best parties, drawing out even the most reclusive of cave dwellers, core Washington society. And hats, lots of hats. It is a fundraiser for the historic Tudor Place mansion, which sits on a hill overlooking the village. The setting is lush, breezy and serene. Even though it’s distinctly American, the landscape and straw-colored stucco of the mansion makes it appear as if it was transplanted from Tuscany. For a number of years the party was truly a lawn party, with guests standing on the sloping expanse of green, sipping cocktails under the giant old trees, with a view of the handsome house in the background. There was a tent, but it was planted on the grass. There were many tables arrayed about the lawn, huge flower arrangements and several bars serving premium brands.

The front entrance of Tudor Place, which appears transported from Tuscany.

Thomas Peter, the homes original owner, was Scottish -- thus the bagpipers.

Guests check in at Tudor Place.

Name tags for the taking.

Now it is a more formal and structured affair — less garden party and more routine tented fundraiser, with the tent erected on a raised floor, limited use of the lawn and fewer tables under the trees. There were some who grumbled, and I guess I’m one of them, but most didn’t. When I mentioned to another guest that I missed partying on the lawn, she observed, “it has to be done this way or else all the old people would go rolling down the hill.”  The party raised a record $250,000. It honored Phillips S. Peter. The home was built in 1816 for his ancestor, Martha Custis Peter— granddaughter of Martha Washington— and her husband, Thomas Peter.

Phillips Peter, the evening's honoree, and board president Timothy Matz, greet the guests.

Phillips Peter addressing the guests.

Jane Matz and Fran Kenworthy.

Jessica Zullinger of the Tudor Place staff talks with a guest.

Jack Evans, DC council member who is running for mayor, with his wife, Michele. Tudor Place board member Elizabeth Powell.

Bob Berendt and Ellen Charles, a former Tudor Place board president.

Guests check out the green-themed cocktail at Tudor Place.

Myra Moffett with her son in law, Dr. Terrence Keaney and her daughter, Mary Moffett Keaney. Marcia Carter.

Paul Frazer, Dr. Tina Alster, and Rev. Stuart Kenworthy.

Barbara Crocker and Christian Zapatka.

Dr. Tina Alster and Barbara Crocker.

Tudor Place garden party co-chair, Page Evans. Frederica Valanos.

Pam and Powell Moore.

Leslie Buhler, executive director of Tudor Place, and Phillips Peter.

Kevin Chaffee. Kevin Chaffee with some of the more colorfully attired guests.

Shane Harris talks with Paul Fraser and Dr. Tina Alster.

The forma, structured tent at the Tudor Place Garden party. Look through at the center and the mansion is slightly visible. No fear of any old people rolling out of it and down the hill.

It was a beautiful tent, but it was a lot of tent.

Tables on the lawn near the mansion.

Where once there were many tables on the lawn, now only a couple.

The sloping lawn under the big trees.

Hillwood Annual Gala It was one of the prettiest evenings of the spring for the annual gala at Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Washington home, Hillwood, which, like Tudor Place, is a popular museum and tourist attraction. Like Tudor Place, the evening was very much in touch with nature and history and drew the swells. Unlike Tudor Place, though, we did, literally, party on the lawn, and it was splendid — thanks to the weather, colorful table settings, exuberant flower arrangements, good food and good wine.  This year’s gala opened a new exhibition, “Artfully Living,” which features examples of how Post enjoyed the good life. For example, her pink bomb shelter, which is open to the public for the first time. As those things go, it is spacious and, for its era, equipped for every possible subterranean need. Of course, after all the dire warnings of the '50s and '60s, we learned soon enough that bomb shelters weren’t going to save us from much more than the rain.

Waiters with trays of drinks at the entrance to Hillwood estate.

A jazz combo accompanied the cocktails on Hillwood's front drive.

Cocktails on the front drive at Hillwood.

Welcoming the 400 or so guests was Post’s granddaughter, Ellen MacNeille Charles, who is also president of the board. She was also celebrating her birthday, which included the presentation of a cake and a bouquet of flowers as well as a chorus of “Happy Birthday” from guests. Several of Charles’ children were there, too, as well as some cousins. Also board members, including Amy Bondurant, John Palmer, Barbara Boggs and Aubrey Sarvis, supporters Nancy and Richard Marriott and Phillips Peter, and Sophie Delattre, wife of the French ambassador, who Charles was meeting for the first time and called “a real delight.” Delattre was one of the last people to depart, walking with Charles through the gardens and past the greenhouse and commenting on how much she likes to take a break from the city’s hectic pace with a walk around the Hillwood grounds.

Among other refreshments the bars offered French rosé Champagne. The cocktail fare included rare roast beef on toast.

And pimiento sandwiches.

Marjorie Post's rose grade and greenhouse.

Susan Gage Caterers served a meal geared to Marjorie Post’s tastes, including salmon en papillote. There was rosé Champagne, too, as a nod to the pink bomb shelter. The flower arrangements were created from Hillwood’s own gardens and greenhouse because, along with the plane and the cars and the staff and the yacht and homes in Palm Beach and the Adirondacks, that’s part of the art of artfully living. In the exhibition there’s a wall panel that features an interview with Post, where she’s asked whether all the material possessions she has are more trouble than they are worth. Great answer: “It’s no trouble to me. You see, I have done this kind of thing since I was 18, and it rolls right off my back.”

The stairs down to Hillwood's pink bomb shelter.

Inside the pink bomb shelter, where rosé champagne was served during the Hillwood gala.

An array of orchid plants in the entry foyer.

The formal dining room at Hillwood.

Flowers on the table in the grand dining room of Hillwood. The flowers matched the table settings at dinner on the lawn.

All the arrangements were created with Hillwood's own bounty of flowers. At each table were old photographs of Marjorie Post living the good life.

Sophie Delattre, Amy Bondurant, and David Dunn.

Sophie Delattre and Ellen Charles.

Current and former Hillwood executive directors: Kate Markert and Fred Fisher.

Nancy and Richard Marriott.

George Floyd and Ellen Charles.

Guests en route to the dinner tent.

Servers from Susan Gage Caterers receive their last instructions before guests arrive at the tent for dinner.

Inside the tent before the 400 or so guests were seated.

The view before guests sat down for dinner.

Ford’s Theatre Gala Typically the Ford’s Theatre annual gala is graced by the presence of the President or the Vice President who, with their wives, sit through the whole show. Where the Clintons and the  Bushes were regulars, the Obamas have not attended with regularity, handing the role to Vice President Biden. Vice President Joe Biden at the Ford's Theatre gala. But this year Biden, just home from a 6-day trip to Latin America and the Caribbean, was too tired to stay the duration. He sent word to the theater shortly before his arrival saying he would only appear on stage, speak and then depart. When he did appear it was easy to believe he was exhausted. This usually exuberant man was unusually subdued and spoke practically in a monotone. That’s not Joe Biden. The show he missed hit on themes that are important to Ford’s Theatre, beginning with tolerance and equality. There was some dancing, and some singing — from Brian Stokes Mitchell, Denyce Graves, Clare Bowen and Sam Palladio  — but most of the program was spoken tributes to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, with his parents there; former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and basketball legend Bill Russell. Rice and Russell were each awarded the 2013 Lincoln Medal. The highlight was a tribute to a group of first responders —  David Kullgren of the Newtown, Connecticut, Police Department and Douglas S. Fuchs of the Redding, Connecticut, Police Department, who both responded to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings; Matt Patterson of the Lynn, Massachusetts, Fire Department, who coincidentally was on the scene and provided immediate assistance with the April Boston Marathon bombings; and Robert Payne, of the West, Texas, Volunteer Fire Department, who responded to the April feterlizer plant explosion and was only 35 yards away when the biggest of the blasts occurred.

Inside Ford's Theatre before the gala program began.

First responders who were honored at the Ford's Theatre Gala: Matthew Patterson of the Lynn, MA Fire Department, Sergeant David Kullgren of the Newtown CT Police Department, Robert Payne of the West, TX, Volunteer Fire Department and Douglas Fuchs of the Redding CT Police Department.

Attorney General Eric Holder presents the 2013 Lincoln Medal to Bill Russell.

Sam Palladio, of ABC-TV's "Nashville," with Condeleeza Rice, who received the 2013 Lincoln Medal at Ford's Theatre.

Eric Stonestreet with the parents of Matthew Shepard, Judy and Dennis Shepard, who were honored with a "Lincoln Legacy Project" tribute.

Ford's Theatre Gala master of ceremonies, Richard Thomas.

Brian Stokes Mitchell at the Ford's Theatre Gala.

At Ford's Theatre, a tap-dancing interlude from Omar Edwards (in white suit), John and Leo Manzari and, in the spotlight, Luke Spring.

Before the show, Biden did take a moment to meet backstage with the first responders. In remarks to the audience, he said, they “lost some of their brothers and sisters (and) saw some of the most horrible things anyone has ever seen.” The audience gave the first responders a standing ovation. The program was followed by a seated buffet dinner, from Design Cuisine, at the National Portrait Gallery. At our table was the evening’s director, Jeff Calhoun, down from New York with his husband, Michael Alicia, and also joined by his parents, Joyce and Robert Calhoun. Also at the table, John Irelan, scenic designer Adam Koch and singers Gregory Maheu and Kevin McAllister, who said they were disappointed they didn’t get to perform for the Vice President, but were pleased with the show overall and delighted, finally, to be having dinner.

At the after party, happy to be having dinner: John P. Irelan, Jeff Calhoun, the program's director, Michael Alicia, Joyce and Robert Calhoun, scenic designer Adam Koch, and ensemble performers Gregory Maheu and Kevin McAllister.

At the after party, John Irelan and Denyce Graves, who performed earlier at the Ford's Theatre gala.

Photographs by Carol Joynt (Tudor, Hillwood, and Nationals) & James Brantley and Margot Schulman (Ford). Follow Carol on twitter @caroljoynt

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San Francisco Social Diary

June 19, 2013, 6:48 am

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Acclaimed San Francisco-based interior design partners Jeffry Weisman and Andrew Fisher toured the Americas with their book, Artful Decoration: Interiors by Fisher Weisman.

FISHER WEISMAN’S ARTFUL DECORATION by Jeanne Lawrence After seeing what author friends go through to have a book published, I’m beginning to think the writing is the easy part. What really requires tenacity and stamina is promoting the book! Case in point: the whirlwind of activity that swept up San Francisco-based interior design partners Jeffry Weisman and Andrew Fisher as they launched their first book, Artful Decoration: Interiors by Fisher Weisman (Monacelli Press, 2013), with a foreword by Architectural Digesteditor Margaret Russell.

The first stop on the book tour was Gump’s in San Francisco, renowned for high-quality home décor, gifts, and other goods.

Showcasing 13 of the duo’s design projects, Artful Decoration demonstrates their flair for exquisite, unique styling and attention to detail. For two months I’ve been following the adventures of the pair as they’ve traveled from their Nob Hill studio to Napa Valley, Chicago, LA, New York City, and Mexico for book signings and parties galore.

A destination for shoppers in search of beautiful objects and furniture, Gump’s was a perfect choice to premiere the Fisher Weisman book.

GUMP’S BOOK SIGNING Fans showed up for the book-signing event at Gump’s, one of the country’s leading lifestyle emporiums. People snapped up the book, an intimate glimpse at Fisher Weisman’s designs for such diverse residences as a Nob Hill apartment, a Napa Valley stone winery transformed into a contemporary living space, a Sonoma County tree house, and a Moroccan-inspired retreat in Palm Springs. One of their most memorable creations is the design for their own Casa Acanto, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the 16th-century Spanish colonial town. The indoor-outdoor compound, originally an 18th-century tannery, is located right in the city’s historic center. (I’m sure everyone is hoping for an invitation!)

In Jeffry and Andrew’s Nob Hill pied-a-terre, the walls of the living room are covered by grand panels of antiqued mirror.

The duo designed not only this Sonoma residence’s interiors but also the furniture, including this stunning Acanthus Major Executive Desk, part of their new furniture line. In this Moroccan-inspired Palm Springs home, Fisher Weisman created a dining area that opens onto an entertainment room lit by exotic lanterns.

This former dining room in a Nob Hill penthouse was transformed into a unique library and home theater to better display antique books and objets d’art.

Would you believe this grand guesthouse with soaring ceiling is actually a tree house situated among a pair of fir trees in Sonoma?

The designers’ sprawling Mexican home, Casa Acanto, features a dining terrace shaded by a canopy of jacaranda trees.

Andrew’s original artwork is the centerpiece in this room at Casa Acanto.

The roof terrace of Casa Acanto’s guest casita offers stunning views of the surrounding town, especially at sunset.

At Gump’s. Andrew Fisher and George Jewett. Margo Graham, Leigh Edwards, and Kirsten Fisher.

Gary and O.J. Shansby. Andrew Fisher and Brenda Jewett.

Joy Bianchi. Nelson Bloncourt, Mary Moore, and Shay Zak.

Paul Weaver, Jack Weeden, and Vaughn Walker.

Belinda Head, Dan Worm, and Gail Defferari.

David Shearer, Anna Roth, Beatrice Bowles, and Terence Clark.

Suzanne Tucker, Fay McGettigan, and Meriwether McGettigan. Lucy Jenks, Stephanie Werner, and Carol Edgarian.

BOOK SIGNING AT WALT DISNEY FAMILY MUSEUM Another day, another book party for Jeffry and Andrew, this one a cocktail reception at the Walt Disney Family Museum in Presidio, hosted by the California chapter of New York’s internationally renowned Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA). The event brought in many other designers and architects eager to support their colleagues and enjoy a rousing talk given by Jeffry. A QUINTESSENTIAL SF DINNER PARTY After the ICAA reception, Suzanne Tucker, her husband Tim Marks (of Tucker &Marks Design), along with Michael Taylor Designs co-founder Paul Weaver hostedan intimate and lively dinner to honor the duo at Paul’s home.

A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows affords a sweeping panoramic view of the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, the downtown Financial District, and Angel Island.

Together with Andrew Skurman (with whom she co-founded the San Francisco chapter of ICAA), Suzanne has designed and decorated some of the most exquisite homes in the United States. Paul lives in the Kahn house, the architectural gem designed circa 1939 by modernist Richard Neutra. It sits atop Telegraph Hill, one of the seven hills on which San Francisco was built. The view is spectacular!

The locavore moment is strong in San Francisco, a culinary capital of the world. We dined on local sea bass, locally grown seasonal vegetables, and local wine from our friends at Napa Valley winery Clos Pegase.

The roomful of designers and architects included architect Dante Bini and his wife Adria, and Brenda and George Jewett III, whose family has been involved with the America’s Cup regatta for years. (It’s coming to San Francisco this summer).

Host Paul Weaver toast the authors.

Suzanne Tucker, who took over Michael Taylor’s decorating business and subsequently renamed it Tucker & Marks, Inc., has launched her own fabric line, Suzanne Tucker Home.

Andrew Skurman is an ICAA international advisor, author, and expert on French architecture from the 17th to 19th centuries. His Andrew Skurman Architects specializes in classical residential architecture.

Surrounded by good food and friends, animated conversation flowed.

Alessia Armeni, Paul Weaver, and Jeanne Lawrence.

Dante Bini, Jeffry Weisman, Adria Bini, and Paul Weaver.

George and Brenda Jewett.

The evening was a dream — a quintessential San Francisco dinner party in a sublime home with incredible Bay views, superb food and wine of the region, a relaxed atmosphere, after-dinner laughter, and a roomful of talented people. As a bonus: a full moon.

Andrew Fisher, Jeanne Lawrence, Jeffry Weisman, Alessia Armeni, Suzanne Tucker, Paul Weaver, and Tim Marks.

MORE BOOK PARTIES – NAPA TO LA Next it was on to Napa Valley for two more book parties, one hosted by good friend Catherine Schmidt and another at the luxury lodge resort Calistoga Ranch. The guest lists included many friends the designers had made in wine country when they owned a fabulous weekend home in Sonoma overlooking the Russian River. Then Jeffry and Andrew headed to LA for signings at Hollyhock, designer Suzanne Rheinstein’s chic furniture store, and the Michael Taylor Designs showroom—plus a panel about producing a book with designers Eric Cohler and Jennifer Post at the Pacific Design Center.

Andrew Fisher, Suzanne Rheinstein, and Jeffry Weisman.

Andrew Fisher, Fred Rheinstein, Madeline Stuart, and Jeffry Weisman.

Andrew Fisher, Architectural Digest editor-in-chief Margaret Russell, and Jeffry Weisman. Artful Decoration principal photographer Grey Crawford and Suzanne Rheinstein.

Roger Thomas, Andrew Fisher, and Ruth and Hutton Wilkinson.

Suzanne Tucker, Andrew Fisher, and Suzanne Rheinstein.

CHICAGO, DALLAS & NEW YORK Jeffry and Andrew then flew to Chicago, where Jeffry’s sister Laura Werner and her husband Michael hosted a party in their glamorous Gold Coast apartment, which is featured in Artful Decoration. The next stop was Dallas, where decorator Michelle Nussbaumer held a party at her Ceylon et Cie showroom. Finally, in New York City, there was an event at the Walters showroom in the Decoration & Design Building(the “D & D”) for members of the trade to get a first look at a new outdoor furniture line Andrew and Jeffry designed for The Wicker Works, a subsidiary of Walters. Fisher Weisman has also just introduced its own innovative “Casa Acanto” furniture line, a 27-piece collection, which they are marketing through a website of the same name.

The “Casa Acanto” furniture line includes the clever Veracruz outdoor dining tables, which come in different interlocking shapes with tops in Cumaru (Brazilian teak) or distressed concrete.

Desks and tables such as this Cloud Box Tea Table (left) and Oak Cocktail Table feature sculptural legs hand-cast from recycled aluminum.

NEWEL GALLERY A second party was organized by antiquarian impresario Guy Regal at the freshly redone Newel Gallery, which shows decorative and fine arts. Fantasy-like and visually stimulating, it is filled with exotic antiques. If you saw the recent film, Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf, you saw scenes shot at the Newel Gallery, whose pieces are often used in the store’s legendary and fanciful Fifth Avenue window displays.

Interior designer Stephanie Stokes arrives at Newel Gallery for the book signing.

The gallery was dripping with fabulous crystal chandeliers. Andrew and Jeffry decorated Newel Gallery’s large windows facing the street with Venetian grotto furniture, blackamoors, and stacks of Artful Decoration.

Newel Gallery’s sense of whimsy resonates with Andrew, for it is one of his special talents. He honed it working with the late legendary designer Tony Duquette and studying metalsmithing, drawing, and sculpture at the California College of Design. Jeffry’s more classical approach was developed at Stanford, where he studied art and design, and during stints at Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill and Gensler.He foundedhisown firm after returning to Stanford for his MBA.  Their different styles complement one another perfectly and result in unique designs incorporating pieces you won’t find in a catalogue. “They do really beautiful work, have terrific clients, and are so much fun to be with,” said decorator Ed Lobrano of New York and San Francisco. What more could one want?

Jeffry Weisman, Mandy Lee, P.D. Fyke, and Ellen Spilka.

Andrew Fisher and hotelier Bruce James.

Jeanne Lawrence and Jeffry Weisman.

Fisher Weisman’s editor at Monacelli Press, Anthony Ianacci, with Keith Scott of Chanel.

Stephanie Stokes, who just published her first book, Elegant Rooms That Work: Fantasy and Function in Interior Design, with fellow author Jeffry Weisman.

Guy Regal and Elle Decor editor-in-chief Michael Boodro.

Lisa McMahon with Newel Gallery’s Nicole Kapit.

Jennifer Flanders and Becky Birdwell. Newel Gallery provides props for movie and television productions and window displays worldwide.

A FIFTH AVENUE BOOK SIGNING Christy Ferer, CEO and founder of media services company Vidicom,hosted a final book signing that drew many fashion world luminaries to her art-filled Fifth Avenue apartment with marvelous views of Central Park.

Jeffry Weisman and Andrew Fisher.

Andrew Fisher, host Christy Ferer, and Jeffry Weisman.

Perfumer Paul Anthony Austin, Joan Jakobson, and Carl Adams of Brown Harris Stevens Real Estate.

Anika and Kenneth Natori, whose mother Josie Natori founded the fashion line Natori.

Sandra Horbach of the Carlyle Group, Jared Reichart of Tom Ford International, and Doug Gellenbeck of luxury brand Belstaff.

Jacques Correia of Ralph Lauren and Jeanne Lawrence.

Jeffry Weisman, Jeanne Lawrence, and Andrew Fisher.

Jeffry Weisman, Andrew Fisher, and Stephanie Stokes. Jeffry Weisman, Alex Brannian, and Andrew Fisher.

A very successful night!

Later, Jeffry and Andrew enjoyed a cozy dinner with friends on their last night in New York. The tour was over, but the selling of the books had just begun!

Photos by Jeanne Lawrence, Drew Altizer, Stefanie Keenan, Grey Crawford, Matthew Millman, and Edmund Barr. *Urbanite Jeanne Lawrence reports on lifestyle and travel from her homes in San Francisco, Shanghai, and New York, and wherever else she finds a good story.

Shanghai Social Diary in New York

June 26, 2013, 6:16 am

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The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) is currently presenting two fashion exhibitions highlighting Chinese designs, like this red Vera Wang wedding dress.

MUSEUM OF CHINESE IN AMERICA by Jeanne Lawrence New York – The recently relocated Museum of Chinese Art in America (MOCA) in Chinatown here has two wonderful fashioned-themed exhibits on view until September 29. I was among the guests Board Chair Patty Tang and Executive Director Helen Koh invited to a preview.

MOCA has relocated to a former factory redesigned by architect and Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer Maya Lin in New York’s Chinatown.

The sleek new MOCA, located at 211-215 Centre Street, turned out to be a hidden jewel—a former machine shop transformed into museum space by Chinese-American architect Maya Lin, the acclaimed designer of Washington’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial (she was just a 21-year-old Yale senior when she won the memorial’s design competition in 1982). Ms. Lin, Ms. Koh, and guest curator Mei Mei Rado accompanied us through a tour of the two exhibits, Shanghai Glamour: New Women 1910s-40s and Front Row: Chinese American Designers.

MOCA’s Front Row exhibit features modern garments by Chinese-American designers, such as these reinterpreted qipaos by (l. to r.) Zang Toi, Peter Som, and Vivienne Tam.

SHANGHAI GLAMOUR EXHIBIT The Shanghai Glamour exhibit includes clothing, accessories, posters, and other ephemera associated with Shanghai fashions of the ’20s worn by different strata of society. At a time when the city was considered the “Paris of the East,” female fashion represented quintessentially modern Chinese style. Twelve dresses in the exhibition are from the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, and three are from private collections in New York, passed on to the descendants of prominent Shanghai families who immigrated to the U.S. after World War II.

Guest curator Mei Mei Rado stands in front of one of the many posters that represent life in Shanghai in the first part of the 20th century, when the city was at its most glamorous. Shanghai Glamour displays accessories, posters, and lifestyle and period images from a time when the city was considered “the Paris of the East.”

The exhibit includes fashion items from private collections in New York that have been inherited by the descendants of Shanghai matriarchs who resettled in the U.S.

FRONT ROW EXHIBIT The Front Row exhibit showcased the creations of sixteen acclaimed Chinese-American fashion designers: Thomas Chen, David Chu, Melinda Eng, Jade Lai, Derek Lam, Wayne Lee, Humberto Leon & Carol Lim, Phillip Lim, Mary Ping, Peter Som, Anna Sui, Vivienne Tam, Yeohlee Teng, Zang Toi, Vera Wang, and Jason Wu. Front Row and Shanghai Glamour at the MOCA draw parallels between 20th-century Shanghai and 21st-century New York, both centers of fashion innovation with worldwide influence.

MOCA Executive Director Helen Koh gave us a private tour of the exhibition.

Luke Yang and Sharon Bush admire Vera Wang’s extravagant wedding dress in red, a symbol of good fortune in China.

Judy Price, founder of The National Jewelry Institute and Avenue Magazine, with Diane Shaffer, docent of Asian art at the Metropolitan Museum.

Keiko Nishida and Jeanne Lawrence.

In video interviews, Jason Wu (seen here) and other designers showcased at MOCA discuss the cultural impact of contemporary fashion.

MOCA Executive Director Helen Koh next to three reinterpreted modern qipaos. Vivienne Tam’s red and black felted wool cut-out dress.

L. to r.: Evening gown by Jason Wu, ensemble by Mary Ping, suit by David Chu, and dress by Jade Lai.

A display of outfits by Nautica founder David Chu (left) and Opening Ceremony’s Humberto Leon and Carol Lim.

Men’s and women’s garments by Phillip Lim. A studded leather ensemble by Anna Sui.

After the tour, we lunched across the street at the Meridian Hotel.

We dined under the restaurants skylight and chandeliers.

MOCA Board Chair Patty Tang and Executive Director Helen Koh.

Keiko Nishida, architect Maya Lin, and Missie Rennie Taylor.

We enjoyed our lunch in this lovely setting after viewing MOCA’s enchanting fashion exhibits.

SAVE THE DATE On November 14, 2013, MOCA will hold its annual Legacy Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street, honoring individuals for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the ongoing legacy of the Chinese in America. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg andformerVice Chairman of Citicorp Pei-Yuan Chia will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, and celebrity chef Ming Tsai will be honored with the Legacy Award.

Photos by Jeanne Lawrence *Urbanite Jeanne Lawrence reports on lifestyle and travel from her homes in San Francisco, Shanghai, and New York, and wherever else she finds a good story.

Washington Social Diary

July 1, 2013, 6:06 am

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It was a happy, festive evening at the 125th anniversary gala of the National Geographic Society.

A SUMMER CELEBRITY STAMPEDE by Carol Joynt As we ease into the slow weeks of summer in Washington, there at least have been some celebrity distractions from the heat and frequent rain. Just this past week, Tiger Woods was in town for his annual golf tournament, the AT&T National, which is sponsored by his foundation at the lush Congressional Country Club in Potomac, MD. This club, which is seriously sumptuous, has been host to PGA majors and other tournaments and is a favorite of Woods, who had to sit out the actual tournament due to a sprained elbow. He likes the proximity to the nation’s capital and to the military, because one of the core values of the Tiger Woods Foundation is to support and honor the military.

Brendan Marrocco of Staten Island, greeted by Tiger Woods and David Feherty at the opening day ceremony for the AT&T National golf tournament, which is sponsored by the Tiger Woods Foundation Tiger Woods at Congressional Country Club for the start of the AT&T National.

Among Tiger’s guests at the opening day of the tournament was an individual who has been highlighted in New York Social Diary before, Army PFC Brendan Marrocco of Staten Island. We first wrote about Brendan when we met him at Walter Reed Army Medical Center a year after he'd been wounded in Iraq. Brendan had lost his arms and his legs, but he had a steely determination to go forward, to rebuild his life and his body as best he could. Last December he underwent double arm transplant surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, the first patient to have that surgery at that hospital. He's now back at Walter Reed, doing rehab.

Pro golfer Jim Furyk talks with David Feherty as Brendan Marrocco looks on.

We made a point of saying hello to Brendan and his brother/companion, Michael Marrocco, at the opening ceremony. Brendan looked good. He said he is doing well, feeling fine. Tiger was attentive to him, and had him sit beside him in the front row, with other wounded warriors who are part of CBS sportscaster David Feherty's Troops First Foundation. When he spoke, Feherty said Woods' devotion to the military is an important side of him the public doesn't often see. When Tiger spoke he paid tribute to his father, who did two tours in Vietnam, and the men and women in uniform. "I just want to say thank you every day," he said.

In welcoming remarks at the first tee, Woods paid tribute to his father, the military and especially wounded warriors.

Who else has been in town? Let’s see. Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones blew through for the last U.S. concert of their current tour. They appeared at Verizon Center, which is Washington’s Madison Square Garden. The day before their concert, Verizon hosted One Direction, and the day before that, Bruno Mars and his band. During his stay we spotted Mars at his hotel in Georgetown, the Ritz-Carlton, looking as cute as a button. He sprinted through the lobby with the equally petite members of his band, just barely escaping some fans once he was identified. Still, he was good natured about it. This week Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, Darren Criss and Scotty McCeery come to town to help celebrate July 4th. Just on the other side of the block from the Ritz, there was an over-the-top movie premiere for “White House Down,” which has just opened nationwide, and making an appearance on the “white” carpet were the film’s stars, Channing Tatum and Jamie Fox. They were the draw, and draw they did.

The scene outside the Loews Georgetown theater an hour before the arrival of Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx.

Waiting for Channing and Jamie, under the freeway in Georgetown.

Though not quite “Day of the Locust” in its tone, a swarm of happy fans crowded around the Loews Theater, requiring police and other security to keep them at bay. It was the kind of scene where half way there I decided maybe I would wait and see the movie at a routine Saturday matinee. Compounding the frenzy was that there were two guest lists for the premiere, one belonging to Sony Pictures and the other to Equinox, which hosted a pre-party next door at Mate restaurant. It made getting in a little tricky, but in the end it all worked out.

Jamie Foxx and Channing Tarum at the premiere of "White House Down" in Georgetown. (Photo by Daniel Swartz)

To their credit, Tatum and Foxx not only showed up to pose before the ubiquitous “step and repeat” promotional backdrop, they did it with good cheer. My friend and colleague, Tanya Pai, who braved the media mosh pit, said Tatum was nice and, moreover, nicely filled out a navy blue suit. As you surely know, this young actor once upon a time earned his pay as a stripper – in real life – and then, after making it in the movies, played a stripper in a glossy, fictional (and entertaining) film, “Magic Mike.” Pretty cool for him to own it. As far as we know he has no parallel experience with the White House coming to pieces. In the film Foxx is the president and Tatum is a cop who finds himself in the position of having to save the world. Ah, summer movies.

Channing Tatum, doing one of many interviews at the Loews theater in Georgetown. (Photo by Daniel Swartz)

While none of the more than 600 guests caused the same frenzy as Channing Tatum, the 125th anniversary gala of the National Geographic Society did have Hollywood wattage if not exactly glitz – director James Cameron and his wife, actress Suzy Amis. It also had as a guest and honoree an authentic superstar of true adventure – Felix Baumgartner, who jumped to earth from 127,852.4 feet up in the air, wearing only a space suit and, well, it has to be said, a very large pair. The dramatic backdrop of the gala dinner at the National Building Museum. To the explorers and scientists who make up the family of NatGeo, the Austrian skydiver is their Channing Tatum. At the pre-dinner VIP reception and any other spot where he stood still for a moment, Baumgartner was approached by guests eager to be in a photo with him. Who can blame them? He’s good looking, he’s charming and he’s fearless. He obliged amiably. Done up smartly in black tie he looked in every way like a gala circuit regular. But Baumgartner made clear earth was not his preferred zone. “The air is where I am at home,” he said. Another honoree was “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek. He wore a handsome white dinner jacket, which he joked about as being perhaps out of synch in a crowd of black dinner tuxedos. When a few of us asked him to strike a James Bond pose, guess what? He did. Good attitude. The NatGeo dinner was a welcomed high note to conclude the spring gala season, which, with a few exceptions, had been heavy with same-old, same-old. Kudos to this venerable, patrician institution. It took a sporting spirit to take on the National Building Museum, which is daunting. They filled it, they dominated it and they brought a breath of fresh air to the concept of a gala in a cavernous room that typically dwarfs any event held there – with the exception, maybe, of Reginald Van Lee’s wedding.

Another view of the dinner, with a scene of butterflies filling the floor to ceiling screen.

A view of the National Building Museum as guests began to come from cocktails to dinner.

The very non-vegan meal began with lobster.

The main course was bison.

The dessert was a Pavlova with fruit.

What the party designers did was hang a massive screen from the stories high ceiling. Think IMAX. They filled the alcove windows with smaller screens. They ran archival NatGeo films, which filled all the screens. As guests were served dinner, on the big screen, many times larger than life, and the little screens, were surfers, volcanoes, Amazon forests, baby wild animals, the Sphinx, the tundra, ice floes, Penguins. We were transported. It was enchanting. Cameron, who has been honored in the past as a new explorer in residence, was given two more honors this year, including Explorer of the Year for his dive last year to the deepest part of the ocean. In his remarks, though, he was more earthbound, focusing on his recent life and what he called an “epiphany.”

Suzy Amis with her husband, James Cameron. Felix Baumgartner, who jumped to earth in a space suit, was named Adventurer of the Year.

Cory Richards was named Adventurer of the Year in 2012 and presented the 2013 award to Felix Baumgartner.

The man who found the Titanic, oceanographer Robert Ballard. NatGeo host Boyd Matson.

Jeopardy host and NatGeo honoree, Alex Trebek. Susan Pillsbury.

Cameron’s revelation had to do with food and diet and a call to arms (or forks) of how everyone could help to protect the environment. “I want to challenge you people of conscience,” he said. “There’s one thing you can do: changing what is on the end of your fork. By changing what you eat, you will change the entire contract with the other species of the world. My wife and I went vegan a year ago. I feel like I was awakened from a long sleepwalk.” Cameron left the stage and, in an amusing bit of timing, waiters descended upon all the tables with plates bearing the entrée: red meat. To be precise, filet of farm-raised bison to be precise. At least that’s what was served at my table. No doubt arrangements were made for Cameron and Amis and any other vegans in attendance.

National Building Museum director Chase Rynd with Suzy Amis and James Cameron.

Steve Case, author Sally Bedell Smith, and Jean Case.

Philip Wood, general manager of the Jefferson Hotel.

Congressman Ed Royce and his wife, Marie Royce.

Keith Bellows, editor of National Geographic Traveler.

My immediate dinner partners were Kevin Chaffee of Qorvis Communications and Sarah Parcak, who is a triple hyphenate of adventure: space archeologist-Egyptologist-National Geographic fellow. She’s also a riveting dinner partner. Kevin and I just sat back and listened as she talked her trajectory from growing up in Bangor, ME, higher education at Yale and Cambridge University, marrying a fellow Egyptologist, becoming a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, trips to Egypt, starting the Laboratory for Global Observation and becoming a new mother.

Archeologist, Egyptologist and NatGeo fellow Sarah Parcak.

On another evening in another spectacular space, the Kogod Auditorium of the National Portrait Gallery, the cable TV industry held a party for hundreds of the people attending their industry confab called The Cable Show. If you watch a lot of cable TV, you would have felt transported.   The most cameras were trained on identical twin brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott, of HGTV’s the “Property Brothers.” Across the large room, Ricky Schroeder also drew a crowd. He stars in the Hallmark Movie Channel’s “Goodnight for Justice.” Nearby was Naomi Judd. Also in the room, Susan Lucci, the stars of “Devious Maids,” cable channel, and Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn, with her chief of staff, Dave Grimaldi, and, last but not least, and making his way through the crowd, an actual elected official, the almost always smiling, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy.

Inside the National Portrait Gallery's Kogod Auditorium. Check out the window in the middle, with the faces pressed against it. A close up.

Hundreds of cable industry execs and members of the Washington establishment sipped cocktails in the vast enclosed space while up above, from a large window in the Portrait Gallery, a group of tourists stared down at them. It would have been interesting to know what they were thinking as they observed this Washington party, particularly with SpongeBob SquarePants weaving through the crowd, official escort in tow. Is this what social life looks like in the nation’s capital? Well, yes. Sometimes.

ION television president Doug Holloway with FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.

Mark Cuban, owner of a cable channel and the Dallas Mavericks, opted for casual in his standard polo shirt.

The most in-demand photo op? The hosts of The Property Brothers, Jonathan and Drew Scott.

Caught. Jonathan and Drew Scott.

Lined up for some photo action: cable executives Abbe Raven of A&E, Michael Powell of NCTA, Nancy Dubuc of A&E, Anna Ortiz of Devious Maids, and soap star Susan Lucci.

Naomi Judd poses with Ricky Schroeder and his family. Naomi Judd up close.

Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Ricky Schroeder.

Schroeder posed happily for photos with many fans.

SpongeBob was so popular he had an official escort, staring down the camera on the right.

UP ON THE ROOF Last but not least, an invitation from The Washington Ballet to a “wee rooftop bash” at the Capella hotel in Georgetown. It was billed as a “small gathering for a few friends” and, happily, that’s just what it was – about 40 of TWB’s dearest and most generous supporters enjoying a sunny and pleasant summer evening. The occasion was to get them in the mood for the “British Invasion,” their ballet extravaganza planned for next year. Conversation focused on that and also what to do for their next gala, which celebrates American jazz. It will be tough to top their last gala, the Hemingway in Paris Ball at the Library of Congress, but they know that.

Looking across the Capella's rooftop pool to the party and beyond. (On the horizon is the Washington Monument).

Guests included: Indra Mehrpour, Clara Register, Ted Jewel, Hani Miletski, Dan Rose, Karen Hold, Terry Hazel, Carol Ruppel, Deborah and Braxton Moncure, Arthur Goldberg, Emilio Sacerdoti, Debbie Sigmund, Camilla David, Jane Cafritz, Sylvia de Leon, Maggie Sheedy, Septime Webre, Mary Bird, Sarah Gorman, Liz Sizer, Cristina Pardo, Liz Chu, Elizabeth and Kevin Wrege, Meb Gordon.

Washington Ballet board members Maggie Sheedy, Sylvia de Leon, the chair, and Jane Cafritz.

Elizabeth Wrege, TWB's Liz Sizer, Meb Gordon, and Kevin Wrege.

Dan Rose, Septime Webre, and Karen Hold.

Clara Register and Ted Jewel.

Indira Mehrpour in black with TWB staffers Cristina Pardo and Liz Chu.

Sarah Gorman and Mary Bird.

Among the food that was passed, gazpacho with shrimp.

Terry Hazel, Dan Rose, and Carol Ruppel are offered some salmon canapés.

Emilio Sacerdoti, Camilla David and Washington Ballet managing director Arthur Espinoza.

Sylvia de Leon and TWB artistic director Septime Webre strike a pose. Hani Miletzi.

Deborah and Braxton Moncure.

Jane Cafritz, checking in on her phone as Dan Rose and Clara Register look on. Deborah Sigmund, not letting a bum knee keep her down.

Photographs by Carol Joynt. Follow Carol on twitter @caroljoynt

An American in Madrid

July 10, 2013, 6:58 am

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Marta Alen in her Madrid nail salon, Escape.

An American in Madrid by Delia von Neuschatz Have you ever wanted to make some drastic changes in your life? Have you ever dreamed of just picking up and landing somewhere else for the foreseeable future or possibly for good — perhaps in Paris or the Cotswolds or Seville or Bora Bora? Have you ever thought of maybe even owning your own business along the way — a boutique, a B&B, a cooking school? “Impossible!” you say. “Too many obstacles.” “It’s just a pipe dream.” Well, it doesn’t have to be. Marta Alen is an expatriate New Yorker who not long ago, left her hard-charging Wall Street life lock stock and barrel and put down roots 3,500 miles away in Madrid by opening up a nail salon in Salamanca, the city’s toniest district. To be sure, it wasn’t easy, but, boy has it been worth it! It all started with Lehman Brothers. We all know the story: 2008, the stock market crashes, thousands of people lose their jobs. And while Marta managed to hang on longer than many, she did end up being laid off a year and a half later. So, in 2010, she found herself without a job and also without a boyfriend as she had ended a long-term relationship not long before. The Wall Street veteran was now at a crossroads. She had always wanted to own her own business, but taking the plunge was a huge gamble. There was no safety net. She was on her own. Plus, she had spent a dozen years trading stocks on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Was it wise to throw her hard-won career away? In any case, what type of business should it be? At first, Marta acted prudently by interviewing for other finance jobs. But for one reason or another, things didn’t pan out and she just really, really did not want to get back into that corporate life anyway. She was burned out. What to do? She had made frequent trips to Madrid in recent years because her mother, who originally hails from Spain, had decided to move there from New York. It was during her visits to the Spanish capital that Marta had noticed a niche that could be filled. There was a noticeable lack of good places to get manicures and pedicures.

Madrid is an elegant, livable city blessed with wonderful weather. Above is the Plaza de la Independencia.

As I know from my own regular visits to Madrid, there were no American-style salons that offered quick, hygienic, professional manicures and pedicures. It’s not as if these services didn’t exist but, it was a hassle to get them. You had to book them hours if not days in advance. You usually had to seek them out in hair salons or department stores. The choice of colors was typically limited to a tray holding a dozen bottles and sterilization of the equipment was half-hazard. The workmanship was often sloppy with polish ending up on the cuticles. There were also no little luxuries that New Yorkers take for granted like hand massages and hot towels. And customer service could oft be described as a contradiction in terms. After it once took 2 ½ hours for her to get her nails done, Marta had had enough. She thought there was a potential market in Madrid for superior nail services and set about gathering some data.

The large pond with a monument to King Alfonso XII in the Parque del Buen Retiro (or “Park of the Pleasant Retreat”), Madrid’s Central Park.

The well-manicured grounds of the Parque del Buen Retiro.

Madrid’s post office is deservedly named the Palacio de Comunicaciones. You’d be hard pressed to buy stamps in a more impressive spot.

The R&D was unscientific, to be sure, but effective. Marta, who is fluent in Spanish, set about familiarizing herself with the city. She canvassed the various neighborhoods and consulted with friends. She also assessed Madrileñas — how often do they get their nails done? How much do they spend? — and she evaluated the quality of services offered. After sitting through a lot of manicures and pedicures, Marta concluded she could indeed offer something better and had come up with a plan. She would open up a nail salon that offers “manicuras y pedicuras en estilo New York” in the upscale neighborhood of Salamanca. But first, she had to settle her affairs back home.

A few streetscapes in the wealthy neighborhood of Salamanca, located north of the Parque del Buen Retiro.

She returned to New York, and enrolled in an accreditation class in beauty school. She came up with a business plan and set up an LLC. After putting her things in storage and buying a one-way ticket to Spain, this native New Yorker packed up her bags and there you have it — it was Madrid or bust! On the ground in the capital is where the real work began and reality hit hard. Her first lesson about doing business in Spain came early. At the beginning, Marta had trouble just finding a broker who was willing to show her available spaces. Why? Because she had started looking during the month of August when everyone is on vacation and the city comes to a virtual standstill. When she did eventually find a space, there was the landlord to deal with. Lease negotiations took two months. And then, there was the architect. His favorite word seemed to be “no” and he spent an awful lot of time telling her what couldn’t be done until one day she had it out with him and told him she never wanted to hear that word come out of his mouth again. They got on just fine after that. Marta may speak the language and may have Spanish ancestry, but she is a New Yorker through and through. That’s a problem in Spain where, as she describes it, everything is still “mañana, mañana.”

This is one of my favorite shops in Madrid — Delitto e Castigo — on the fashionable Calle Claudio Coello in Salamanca. When I took this photo in the middle of a weekday, the shop was closed. It is closed every day between 2:30 and 5:00. This is true of many establishments in Madrid. On one hand, this policy contributes to Madrid’s relaxed charm. On the other hand, it can get frustrating, particularly for tourists. Marta says that this is slowly changing, however, with more shops staying open throughout the day. (The Tommy Hilfiger shop next door, as an example, stays open from morning til evening.)

Now comes the hard part: all the bureaucracy. The lawyers, architects and accountants that Marta spoke to, told her that people often give up after encountering the sea of red tape that has to be waded through in order to open up a small business in Spain. But still, she persisted. She hired an attorney and an accountant and pressed on. Everything has to go through the machinery of City Hall in Madrid and “you just have to be like a pit bull,” she asserts. A year and half after she made all the requisite payments and filled out all the requisite paperwork, Marta is still waiting for the licensing process to be complete. Her experience in getting her salon off the ground encapsulates all that is wrong with the Spanish economy, according to the entrepreneur. The government, with its endless bureaucracy, makes it very difficult to start a business. The process is long, expensive and frustrating. “Banging your head against a lot of closed doors” is how Marta describes the experience.

The shopfront at Calle Lagasca, 30.

Nonetheless, about seven months after she started looking for a space, Marta was ready to open her doors. She had hired a publicist, but unhappy with the results, or lack thereof, had to let the woman go. At that point, Marta just crossed her fingers and hoped that word of mouth would bring people across her threshold. She had settled on Salamanca partly because many of the women living in that prosperous enclave are generally well traveled and so, more open to trying new things. But they can also be cautious and cliquey. It took over a year for Marta to build a clientele.

The “wall of color” at Escape. It’s unusual for a nail salon in Madrid to offer so many choices of color and polish. Marta uses brands that are “three free.” Essie, Deborah Lippman and Zoya are free of three toxic ingredients — two endocrine disruptors, DBP and toluene, and the carcinogen, formaldehyde — found in most nail lacquers.

For Marta, hygiene takes top priority. Downstairs, the instruments are sterilized in a medical-grade autoclave machine.

The art work in the salon depicts New York.

That first year was marked by stress, frustration and fear. There were a lot of sleepless nights and tears, admits Marta. The venture was financed by some savings, a loan and the sale of a New York property. There was a lot on the line.

Marta sells things in her salon that are popular in New York, but not found elsewhere in Madrid like Hanky Panky undies and Shu Uemura eyelash curlers.

But now, 18 months later, “business is booming,” she says with a smile. That’s pretty impressive especially considering the woeful state of the Spanish economy which is seeing nearly 30% unemployment. With 80% of her revenue coming from a repeat clientele, Marta is justifiably proud of her customers’ loyalty. She attributes their allegiance to several factors: the quality of the services offered, the premium placed on hygiene and the fact that she strives to create a real retreat — a place where women can come and get away from their husbands and kids and the pressures of everyday life and just let their hair down, if only for an hour or so.

Marta’s employees: Vanessa, Manuela, Marta (same name, different person) and Yasmin.

Marta now has four full time nail technicians to keep up with the demand and has added to the roster of products she sells in her salon. Things have gotten to the point where she is considering expanding her services. She would like to begin offering facials, but wants to wait until she finds the right machines and the right aesthetician. Moreover, on the personal front, Marta has started dating a sculptor, the yin to her yang. Personal rewards also include becoming a part of the community, a part of the fabric of life in Madrid. Neighboring shopkeepers regularly drop in for a chat and a cup of coffee and Marta returns their visits. And last but not least, there’s Lily, the Staffordshire bull terrier she adopted from a friend whose dog had unexpectedly given birth to puppies.

Sweet Lily accompanies Marta to work every day.

It’s also worth mentioning that just as Marta has benefitted, so has Madrid. She has stimulated the economy by giving work to numerous taxpayers throughout this process — a lawyer, accountant, architect and real estate agent, not to mention four employees. Governments in depressed economies like those of Spain and Greece should take heed and drastically minimize the administrative roadblocks that crush the job-creating, tax-generating entrepreneurial spirit. “So, if you knew everything then that you know now,” I asked, “would you do it all over again?” “Absolutely. Being my own boss has been totally worth it,” Marta replied without hesitation. What’s next for this nail maven, then? “Well, I would love to have an excuse to travel back and forth to New York,” she reveals. Gothamites, watch out! Pretty soon you may just see an Escape salon popping up somewhere near you.

Spellbound in New Mexico, Part I

July 11, 2013, 4:43 pm

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San Francisco de Asis Church, façade, courtyard and south elevation, c. 1772-1815. Ranchos de Taos. "... one of the most beautiful buildings in the United States," said Georgia O'Keeffe, as she was joined by Ansel Adams, Paul Strand, and a multitude of artists and photographers after them who have been captivated by the aesthetic presence of this iconic mission church.

Spellbound in New Mexico Part I: Millicent! Mabel! Georgia! Agnes! By Augustus Mayhew Before I left for a recent jaunt to Taos and Santa Fe, the Historical Society of Palm Beach County called and invited me to be a guest lecturer in January 2014. With Palm Beach's main industry being Society and women its principal disciples, I thought it might be entertaining to speak on the subject of Wonder Women: Society's Feminine Mystique, a look at the who-what-when-why of the women held captive during the past century by the resort's allure or at least the bridge games. In stark contrast, when I arrived at Taos Canyon, I found myself tracing the footsteps of exceptional women who had broken away from the social molds and expectations that grip Palm Beach. In forging their own uncommon identities, they each became significant legendary figures in cultural history. For Taoseños, social climbing is when locals make note of their elevation levels chatting up their last trek to Tibet or Nepal. One early morning on a drive from Arroyo Seco down towards Taos, I felt chills from the vast panoramic canyon views framed by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, an enthralling Himalayan moment where I felt apart from the world below and part of the magical, mythical, mysterious Taos that was, and still is Shangri-La for those that never leave this life with their head in the clouds.

San Francisco de Asis Church, west elevation, c. 1772-1815. Ranchos de Taos. In 2010, actor Dennis Hopper's memorial service was held here before he was interred at the nearby Jesus Nazareno Cemetery.

After a look at the remarkable lives and legacies of Millicent Rogers, Mabel Dodge Luhan, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Agnes Martin, I put together my observations on the what-is-what among Taos' 80 art galleries, numerous cafés, superb museums, and nearby mineral springs and mud pools, without a word of any Julia Roberts locals-tell-all stories that TMZ never blogged. From Taos, I took the ear-popping alpine High Road to Santa Fe, where in between wildfires I trekked to Trampas and Chimayo, "the American Lourdes." After checking in to the Hotel St. Francis, where I might have been the only guest without a Chihuahua, I went to LewAllen Contemporary Gallery at The Railyard where Palm Beach sculptor Jane Manus was opening a show. Then, whether hiking Canyon Road or Museum Hill, too often I found myself across the street from the St. Francis at Café Pasqual's "family table," what many consider the town's #1 café, although more than 200 other eateries claim the same top spot. Millicent Rogers (1902-1953) Millicent Rogers Museum 1504 Millicent Rogers Road Taos, New Mexico www.millicentrogers.org, 575-758-2462

Millicent Rogers Museum, gift shop. Taos. After years on the world's best-dressed lists and tabloid headlines from I-dos and divorces, Standard Oil heiress Mary Millicent Rogers Salm Ramos Balcom spent the last years of her life at trading posts, pueblos and tribal fairs dressed head-to-toe as a Navajo woman. Today, her sizeable collection of Native American turquoise, silver, pottery, and textiles is the central focus for an inspired museum dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Native American culture.

For the Millicent Rogers Museum, one woman's daily treasure hunts for rings, bracelets, belts, and crafts provided the foundation for a significant collection of Southwest culture. Millicent Rogers (1902-1953) may have only spent the last six years of her life in Taos but the coral necklaces and silver crosses she acquired, as well as the pieces created from her own inspired designs, have left a lasting legacy. As the granddaughter of Henry Huttleston Rogers, one of the Standard Oil Trust of 1887's original and largest shareholders, her share of his then $50 million fortune would have easily kept her on the world's best-dressed list and ensconced in Austrian castles and New York penthouses. Instead, following a sandstorm of marriages and a fling with Clark Gable, she donned moccasins and broomstick dresses and searched tribal markets for finely crafted turquoise jewelry. For her, Southwestern Native-American culture was a valuable contribution to America's heritage that should be preserved. Sixty years later, her acquisitions and design creations play a vital role in keeping indigenous crafts and traditions a part of our present culture.

Millicent Rogers has been the subject of a recent spate of books. As Jane Fonda's great aunt, Rogers is mentioned in several of Fonda's books.

Pictured above at her family's UES townhouse, Millicent Rogers developed rheumatic fever at an early age that later caused the complications that led to her early death at age 51 from "circulatory problems." Described as "composed and elegant" as a child, during her marriage to an Austrian count, she was known to wear Tyrolean hats, peasant aprons, skirts, and jackets. Courtesy Millicent Rogers Museum.

The photograph is believed to be her passport photograph taken in 1947, the year Rogers moved permanently to Taos. "Millicent Rogers is the last person who had any real influence on American taste," stated fashion designer Charles James. Courtesy Millicent Rogers Museum. Millicent Rogers and a friend photographed in Taos. With her Verdura and Schlumberger packed away, Rogers collected Zuni silver and Hopi shell jewelry. At one point, according to various chronicles, Taos' reigning doyenne Mabel Dodge Luhan was offended by Rogers' behavior among the local tribesmen and wrote Rogers a letter telling her to leave Taos. Interestingly, Dodge had married Tony Luhan, described as a "blanket Indian." Courtesy Millicent Rogers Museum.

Millicent Rogers Museum, entrance. In Taos, Rogers lived in an adobe house that today remains a family property of the family. The museum first opened in temporary quarters on Ledoux Street in the mid-1950s. Founded by Millicent Rogers' family including the recently deceased Paul Peralta-Ramos, the Museum has become one of America's most important resources for the study of Southwestern art and design. In the late 1960s, the Museum moved into its present home, an adobe house built by Claude and Elizabeth Anderson and later donated to the Museum. The building was renovated and expanded in the mid-1980s by renowned architect Nathaniel A. Owings, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. On July 27, the Millicent Rogers Museum celebrates its annual Turquoise Gala at Old Martina's Hall in Ranchos de Taos.

Millicent Rogers Museum, board of trustees plaque.

While the museum has received substantial collections during the past 50 years, Millicent Rogers' acquisitions are still the institution's core holdings.

Peter Seibert, the museum's executive director, brings a well-informed enthusiasm to the organization's mission.

Faith Hensley heads up the museum's financial management and public relations.

Carmela Quinto, curator of collections and museum coordinator, stands in front of a series of photographs by nearby Navajo students.

Jewelry Gallery The more than 1,200 pieces of jewelry collected by Millicent Rogers are the heart of the museum's Native American jewelry collection. Rogers' excursions into remote Indian Country resulted in an incomparable assemblage of Navajo and Zuni silver and turquoise, Hopi silverwork, and Pueblo stone and shell jewelry. Here are some views of the collection.

Silver, leather, and turquoise belts and buckles.

An elaborate turquoise squash-blossom necklace.

An antique silver concho belt, turquoise bracelet, ring, and belt buckles.

A vast array of turquoise bracelets and cross necklaces.

A turquoise bracelet of some dimension.

A silver buckle.

Antique turquoise bracelets.

A silver and turquoise necklace. A selection of sensational silver and turquoise bracelets.

Navajo and Zuni flasks and pendants.

Turquoise necklaces.

A more than century-old antique silver belt.

Silver necklaces.

Millicent Rogers' silver button collection.

The collection includes antique silver belts with leather inlays.

The gallery highlights pieces by gold and silver smiths forged from Millicent Rogers' designs.

Storage drawers are filled with superbly crafted jewelry and antique silver concho belts.

The collection is expertly archived.

The extensive collection reflects Rogers' avid interest in Native American crafts and apparently limitless resources.

A series of turquoise bracelets.

The exhibits are exemplary of the more than 6,000 crafts and artworks in the collection. The museum exhibits Native American and Hispanic textiles from the museum's permanent collection. During the 19th century, Native American patterns and processes changed with the influx of the Spanish settlers, railroad expansion, and the accessibility to commercial yarns and dyes. The collection includes chief's blankets, blankets with indigo-dyed yarns, and Ikat-dyed weavings.

Millicent Rogers' high desert wardrobe is on display.

Third-phase transition Chief's Blanket, c.1890-1895. Original Millicent Rogers Collection. The pattern represents the transition from blankets woven for a Navajo's personal use to textiles woven for trading posts and tourists.

Navajo diamond network blanket, c. 1880-1885. Original Millicent Rogers Collection. Handspun natural wool and aniline dyed red wool. Late 19th century "eye-dazzler" period.

This gallery exhibits a progression of textile motifs.

The Maria Martinez Gallery includes examples of the black-on-black pottery process introduced in 1919 by Maria and Julian Martinez. From the San Ildefonso Pueblo, the artisans were responsible for a revival of the San Ildefonso ceramic tradition Their early 20th century pieces were primarily plain red and black wares and decorated polychromes.

Pottery making techniques may have evolved and polishing techniques refined, nevertheless the resulting creations look much the same as they did 1,500 years ago.

Millicent Rogers Museum, patio courtyard.

Large-scale graphics enhance and clarify the exhibit spaces.

Gallery transitions are well-defined. "Watch your head," is the most often heard expression.

Contemporary artworks are also showcased.

The Museum has a superb collection of Hispanic religious art.

Contemporary artworks are also showcased.

Millicent Rogers Museum Archives & Collections

The museum's storage spaces offer extensive holdings available for research purposes.

The museum's immense Native American craft collection is utilized by researchers worldwide.

The archives include Millicent Rogers' personal scrapbook of photographs, including rare glimpses of Native American ceremonial festivals where photography is now prohibited. Archival photographs courtesy Millicent Rogers Museum.

The museum's gift shop has an array of Native American crafts as well as jewelry designs by Millicent Rogers. I met an Australian couple at my Taos B & B who bought their wedding rings at the Rogers gift shop.

Sierra Vista cemetery, Taos. On 1 January 1953, Millicent Rogers was interred here in her treasured Taos Canyon surrounded by the Hispanic and Native-American families who shared her place in the world. She was buried in a Schiaparelli designed Apache dress accessorized with one of her many stellar Concho belts.

Mabel Dodge Luhan. Lured to "the magic state of New Mexico" by the romantic paintings of E. I. Couse, whose studio and house will be featured in the next chapter with a private tour by the artist's granddaughter, Mabel believed her house in Taos was "the last outpost of individualism." The Mabel Dodge Luhan Papers are at the Beinecke Library at Yale University. Photo courtesy of Library of Congress. Mabel Dodge Luhan (1879-1962) Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Historic Inn & Workshops 240 Morada Lane, Taos www.mabeldodgeluhan.com As generous as she was imperious, Mabel Gansen Evans Dodge Sterne Luhan was a noted author, art patron, heiress, salonista, and social martinet, who was known among the Greenwich Village-Provincetown set as the Gertrude Stein of Taos. Her books included Intimate Memories, Winter in Taos, and Edge of Taos Desert: An Escape to Reality. She entertained and supported almost an entire generation of the early 20th-century’s most significant artists and writers, including D.H. Lawrence, Georgia O’Keeffe, Ansel Adams, Martha Graham, Willa Cather, Lincoln Steffens, Marsden Hartley, Robinson Jeffers and Carl Jung.  While filming Easy Rider, actor Dennis Hopper became aware of the house and bought it, owning it until 1978.  Los Gallos, as she called it, is today a 12-acre historic inn and conference center offering retreat-style meetings and artistic, literary, and personal growth workshops. During my visit to Taos, I wanted to stay in the Ansel Adams Room but the entire Inn was fully booked.

The estate's traditional gated entrance is off Kit Carson Road only a few blocks from Taos Plaza.

These steps lead up to the Big House from the lower parking areas.

A view looking towards the entrance gate.

The birdhouses attract flocks of chirping birds.

Los Gallos, the Big House, a view form the entrance drive.

The Big House at Los Gallos.

Smaller guest houses and cottages surround the Big House.

The Big House, entrance doors.

Reception area, looking up towards a sitting area. In the reception area, a vintage LV trunk makes for a plant stand.

The upper-level sitting room. Mabel Dodge burned incense in every room and had the servants go through the house twice a day burning cedar branches.

The Inn's reception area.

The Inn's Diane de Fremery could not have been more helpful. "I think there is a plan to add a Dennis Hopper Room," said Diane de Fremery, who told me that Hopper had sold the house back to one of Mabel's sons.

D.H. and Frieda Lawrence were frequent visitors to the Big House. Lawrence's ranch outside of Taos is managed by the University of Mexico and can be visited by appointment.

Another view of the Inn's principal rooms.

The Inn's breakfast and dining room.

Mabel Dodge Luhan, Kit Carson Memorial Park. Her final resting place is only a few steps from her beloved adobe estate.

Georgia O'Keeffe (1997-1986) Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, 217 Johnson Street, Santa Fe www.okeeffemuseum.org Although Georgia O'Keeffe's last years were spent in a Santa Fe mansion under the watchful eye of her controversial protégé Juan Hamilton, her fascination with New Mexico stretched back 60 years earlier when Mabel Dodge Luhan offered the unknown painter a studio at her Kit Carson Road estate during her first visit to Taos. After years of back-and-forth from the East, it wasn't until after the death of her husband Alfred Stieglitz during the 1940s that she made the Ghost Ranch at Abiquiu, located near Taos, her permanent home and muse. Interestingly, although much of O'Keeffe and her husband's life revolved around photography, I cancelled my visit to O'Keeffe's remote studio and home because I objected to the O'Keeffe Foundation's policy that does not permit "photography or note-taking." However, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in downtown Santa Fe does afford a significant perspective of O'Keeffe's life and work.

Opened in 1997, the museum's collection of more than 3,000 artworks includes 1,149 of O'Keeffe's paintings, drawings and sculptures. The repository's Pueblo Revival style buildings were designed by Gluckman Mayner Architects, New York. By the time of her 1943 show at Chicago's Art Institute, O'Keeffe was considered "the greatest woman painter alive." Georgia O'Keeffe and the Camera: The Art of Identity is available in the gift shop.

Georgia O'Keeffe, 1918. Gelatin silver print. Alfred Stieglitz. We were all young once, even Georgia O'Keeffe. In 1916, Stieglitz gave her first one-woman show at Gallery 291. Too often "the Mother of American Modernism" is portrayed during her later years.

A view of one of the museum's principal galleries where photography is permitted. Some individual artworks are not permitted to be photographed.

Black Mesa Landscape, New Mexico: Out Back of Marie's, 1930. Oil on canvas. Georgia O'Keeffe. During the summer of 1930, O'Keeffe stayed in Alcalde, New Mexico at H & M Ranch, a guest of Marie Tudor Garland.

In contrast, O'Keeffe's sister Anita Young lived in Newport and Palm Beach. O'Keeffe visited her sister several times at her Palm Beach oceanfront estate Monsorrel.

Georgia O'Keeffe at Ghost Ranch, with skull, 1948. Gelatin silver print. Phillipe Halsman.

In the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, gift shop.

Another Church, New Mexico, 1931. Oil on canvas. Georgia O'Keeffe.

Agnes Martin (1912-2004) Minimalist painter Agnes Martin's works may be found in most of the world's major museum collections but her ashes will forever remain in Taos. It was in Taos during the 1950s that Agnes Martin created her first abstract works. And though she left to work in New York at the urging of Betty Parsons, Martin returned to her inspirational Taos. The Harwood Museum's Agnes Martin Gallery features seven of the artist's paintings created in 1993. This octagonal gallery was designed for Martin's work with benches crafted by Donald Judd placed below the central oculus. Living nearby during her later years, she is said to have often visited the gallery.

The Agnes Martin Gallery at the Harwood Museum of Art.

Agnes Martin's ashes are buried beneath this unmarked peach tree planted on one of the Harwood Museum's terraces.

Next: Spellbound in New Mexico, Part II: Taos, Taos Pueblo, Taos Moderns, Couse Studio, Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, & Ranchos de Taos.

Photographs by Augustus Mayhew. Augustus Mayhew is the author ofLost in Wonderland – Reflections on Palm Beach.

London Social Diary

July 12, 2013, 8:17 am

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Queen Elizabeth and Princess Beatrice at Ascot.

Back to London by Sharon Sondes After the long, long trudge through Heathrow airport to Passports and Immigration and the even longer wait in the queue at Border Patrol my mind began to wander back to the good old days. The days when the trip, the voyage, the getting there was all part of the fun. Especially the 3 1/2 hr. Concorde or the incomparable ocean liners of yesteryear before everything in life became so speedy and no one had the time to cross the pond for the 5 days it took. The view from Kooki's terrace. Bute enough of this daydreaming and back to London. One of our dearest friends, international hostess Kokoly "Kooki" Fallah, sent her driver Adil to fetch us and it was a relief to see his beaming face. We hit the morning rush hour and I was definitely beginning to feel very weary. I couldn't wait to have a bath and nap in Kooki's beautiful guest suite. It's always a joy to visit Kooki who makes one really feel welcome, loved and spoiled. Arriving at Kooki's magnificent flat, I still marvel at the gorgeous views from every room overlooking the lush green Queen's Gate Gardens full of summer blooms. Her talented decorator daughter Christina of Christina Fallah Designs deserves all the credit for Kooki's beautiful, antique-filled rooms. Kooki was getting ready to go to the Queen's Club, a private tennis club in West Kensington with grass courts. It's considered a warm-up for Wimbledon and that day Andy Murray (the eventual champion) was scheduled to play. The story behind Queen's Club's history is particularly interesting and worthwhile Googling. Geoffrey usually accompanies Kooki to anything "sporty," which both are crazy about. But on this day Kooki was going alone because she has organized a meeting for Geoffrey at noon with some of London's top money managers to present his new business venture, CompuMED, a unique scheduling system for the radiology industry. So that left me some private time to unpack, bathe, and jump into a big pile of the morning newspapers to catch up with the latest local news and goings on.

Kooki Fallah and Jacqueline Bisset entering Colbert on Sloane Square.

That night Sir Ian and Lady Lowson were taking us to one of the "in" chic restaurants called Colbert on Sloane Square. Reportedly named after the late movie star, Claudette Colbert, it was created by the brilliant British restaurateurs Chris Corben and Jeremy King. Colbert is their third major restaurant opening in the past year. The other two are The Delaunay in Covent Garden and Brasserie Zeidel in Picadilly. The duo still have The Wolseley, near the Ritz Hotel, but London's new super restaurant mogul, Richard Caring, has taken over their iconic and much loved Caprice and The Ivy. Caring has gobbled up almost all of our old restaurant haunts in London including everything that Mark Birley owned including such landmarks as Annabel's, Harry's Bar, Mark's Club and George.

Colbert's wall of '30s and '40s movie stars.

Colbert's interior.

The Lowsons brought their old friend of many years, Jacqueline Bisset. Jackie just wrapped her latest movie, also starring Gerard Depardieu, which is very loosely based on Anne Sinclair and her husband Dominique Strauss Kahn. You may remember he was alleged to have accosted a maid in a hotel in New York City, shattering his dream of becoming President of France. Colbert has an easy bistro atmosphere so the six of us had a relaxed, fun dinner.

Sharon and Sir Ian Lowson.

Lady Lowson and Kooki Fallah.

Sir Ian Lowson, Jacqueline Bisset, and Geoffrey Thomas.

The next day was Geoffrey's birthday and he was brimming over with excitement. Kooki took us for a birthday lunch to 5 Hertford Street, the only place to see and be seen in London.  After lunch Kooki, who's a bridge champion and a teacher, went to play cards at the Andrew Robson Bridge Club while I went to meet up with another great friend, Jennifer Loxton-Peacock. Neither one of us likes to make specific plans. We just enjoy "wandering." That day, however, we were on a mission: looking for the finest New Zealand Manuka honey, the newest rage in London. Manuka is supposed to be anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and healing. We found  it, settling on a jar of Manuka that is raw, unpasteurized, and quite potent with an active 16+. Our last stop before we went for coffee and catch up was John Sandoe, the best independent bookshop in London. The best bookshop anywhere! It's in the most charming little house in Chelsea, books everywhere. I have spent hours there and have to be dragged out. It defies description. Just go, or order their 2013 summer catalogue with their recommendations of what to read.

John Sandoe Books in Chelsea.

Jennifer's nephew is the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, who you may remember that Obama mixed up with R&B star Jeffrey Osborne. Her cousin, Rufus Wright, played the Prime Minister David Cameron to Helen Mirren's Queen Elizabeth II in the smash hit play "The Audience." It was getting late and Jennifer and I parted reluctantly with plans to meet up the next day. The next day was Royal Ascot. Unless you own a helicopter or have wings you have to leave London around 10 a.m. to get there on time. The traffic is a nightmare and what should only take fifty minutes can take much, much longer. Kooki, Geoffrey and I had been invited to a lunch hosted by Russian magnate George Piskov, his wife Tatiana, and Liz Brewer. George is the Chairman of the Board of Uniastrum bank and Liz is a madly successful PR honcho, London's answer to Peggy Siegal. The lunch was being held in Parking Lot One which is one of the poshest places to have a picnic type lunch at Ascot.

The tables at Parking Lot One, hosted by George Piskov, his wife Tatiana, and Liz Brewer.

The buffet spread.

Aside from the Piskovs, who are charming, the person I was most interested to chat with was Lady Colin Campbell, known as "Georgie." She is one of the most flamboyant and controversial aristocrats in England. She's also a talented author. She was sued by Lily Safra for writing the novel “Empress Bianca.” Lily felt the book's central character was based on her and had the book banned but bootlegged copies were passed around for ages. I digress, but Lady Colin is an exotic and fascinating woman. After lunch we went into the Royal Enclosure and were very excited to watch Palm Beacher and New Yorker Joseph Allen's horse, Declaration of War, win the Queen Anne Stakes (10 to 1 shot). And Joe's second horse, War Command, won the 4th race. Unheard of to win twice on the same day! The most touching event was the moment of silence observed for Sir Henry Cecil, the celebrated racehorse trainer, who just died of cancer. We left on the early side to beat the traffic, but I don't remember a more exciting day at Ascot.

Lady Colin Campbell. Lady Henrietta Rous.

Martha Milliken. Sir Benjamin Slade and friend.

Sharon Sondes and Liz Brewer.

Geoffrey in full regalia and hatless with Kooki and Michele Herbert.

More Mad Hatters at Ascot (clockwise from top left): Darius Daubaras and Aiste Anusaite Daubaras; Hamish Scott and Lyn Schlessinger; H.E. The Ukrainian Ambassador Mr. Volodymyr Khandogiy and Natalia Shevchenko; Svetlana Thomaides and Niki Cole; Sally Farmiloe and Baron Mark Burca; Nataliya Tutus.

Liz brewer and co-hosts Tatiana and George Piskov.

Clockwise from top left: Victoria Watson and Sir Timothy Cassel; Kamel Alzarka and friend; Victoria and Ian Watson; Liza Kurkova and Tatiana Piskova; Angela Scott Carnachan and Liz Brewer; Tatiana Piskova and Nancy Dell'Olio.

Svetlana Thomaides, Tatiana Piskova, Isabell Kristensen, and Liza Kurkova.

Animal Kingdom was favored to win the Queen Anne Stakes ... but didn't!

A moment of silence for Lord Cecil.

That evening, we went to 5 Hertford St where Kooki, Geoffrey and I had a fabulous dinner. Some of us remember when it was originally called Loulou's, which is now the downstairs nightclub. Decorated by noted designer, Rifat Ozbek, it is absolutely amazing! We organized to have a drink with my cousin Johnny Loeb and his wife Sharon, who were attending a reception for the Prince of Wales Foundation. While we were having our drinks, we ran into Julia and David Koch, Earle Mack, and Sunny Marlborough. I could definitely go there A Lot! It's so cool. We could certainly use a place like this in New York. There's almost nowhere to go anymore, especially uptown. Robin Birley, who created it, should come to America, and spread his magic there. Very Soon. An intimate nook at 5 Hertford St. Photo: Jonathan Becker for Vanity Fair. You can, however, in spite of the ban on photographs at private clubs, see it for yourself by Googling last August's Vanity Fair spread on the club. Google “5 Hertford St,” and look for the link captioned Photos: Loulou’s of London interiors and party guests, August, 2012. The Brits always claim they never have a summer. But whenever I'm there in June, I seem to bring on summer even if only for a few days. And the air conditioning in London is not always terrific. It was humid at Ascot, but still coolish. This day is humid too, but also  very warm. Kathrine Palmer and her constant companion, the noted historian and author of thirteen books, Peter Watson, were giving us a drinks party that night in their beautiful home in Cranley Gardens. Until this winter my sister Maureen and I hadn't seen Kathrine (she only uses one "e") since we were young girls in Monte Carlo. Our mothers were friends, and very strong women. You had to hold your own or they could roll right over you like tanks. So that's the way we met and became friendly and conspiratorial for several summers in Monte Carlo. Then as we grew older, we lost touch. As luck would have it I ran into Kathrine last June at Earle and Carole Mack's super fun reunion bash at The Ritz Hotel in London. Lady Anson, a cousin to the Queen, helped organize five big reception rooms at the Ritz to hold everyone Earle had known and invited from the 1960s up until June 2012.

In the drawing room of Kathrine Palmer and Peter Watson's beautiful home in Cranley Gardens.

It was spectacular and you could just feel everyone comparing themselves to everyone else.  That's just human, but you could also feel a lot of love and good energy flowing through the rooms. It was a once in a lifetime event, and everyone appreciated Earle for doing this for us. I recognized Kathrine at once and soon it was as if no time had passed. I was happy to learn they were coming to Palm Beach last January, and would enjoy having a dinner party. In return they insisted on giving us a lovely drinks party when we arrived in London this June.

Overlooking the garden.

The luscious garden.

And lovely it was. Everyone came. Earle Mack, straight from Ascot, still in his waistcoat with his gorgeous daughter Skylar looked extremely handsome, Carol arrived a little bit later looking very young and could have been Skylar's sister, Kate Ford, Kimberly DuRoss, Jonathan Moffat, Nadine and Lars Bolander, lovely Diana Quasha, Annette Tapert and Joseph Allen still ecstatic over his triumph at Ascot, The Honorable Edward Elson, Suzy Elson, Lady Tana Alexander Focke and her husband, Barbara Takla, Kooki,  Sally Metcalfe, The Honorable John Loeb, Sharon Loeb, Georgie Bronfman Havers, Ann and Martin Summers, Jane Ylvisaker, Diana and Philip Harari, Billy and Nina Lerner Judson, Serena Balfour, Kari Tiedemann, record producer Mark Ronson and his actress wife, the beautiful Josephine de la Baume.

Hostess Kathrine Palmer with Sharon Sondes.

Mark is my godson and when he was about 8 I took him to the late Gino restaurant in New York. Mark loved Gino so much they have just decorated their guest powder room with the Scalamandre Zebra wallpaper that covered Gino's walls for about 50 years! Carole Phillips came with her incomparable, jubilant Confrey. If you're ever lucky enough to sit next to Confrey at dinner ask him how a big fan of his musical talent Ava Gardner was in 1952, and who got the band fired from Les Ambassadeurs and Confrey hired, propelling him into a 60-year career as high society's favorite bandleader and the "Deb's Delight" in England. It was a wonderful party with so many interesting people. No one wanted to leave,  they were having such a good time, especially those who had claimed the garden for the evening. If Kathrine and Peter hadn't been leaving for their home in the South of France early the next day we'd probably still BE there.

Ambassador Earle Mack and his daughter Skylar.

Earle and Skylar.

Ambassador and Mrs. Edward Elson with author and historian Peter F. Watson.

Sharon Sondes, Billy Judson, and Carol Mack. Sir Ian Lowson and Lady Tana Alexander.

Janie Dejong and Hilly Pilkington.

Jane Ylvisaker and Carole Phillips.

Mark Ronson, Josephine de la Baume, and Kooki. Anne (Mrs. Martin) Summers.

Josephine de la Baume, Mark Ronson, and Geoffrey Thomas.

Joe and Annette Allen.

Earle Mack and Serena Balfour. Kate Ford and Sharon.

Finally a word  about our last dinner before we waddled, five pounds heavier — and I don't mean our carry ons — onto the plane to return to the US. Johnny and Sharon Loeb gave a small amusing dinner at Memories of China, a very popular place for parties. They have a private room with a huge lazy Susan in the middle of a table that can seat twenty and yummy food. So the next day it was Cheerio, Pip Pip and Toodle Loo to London for us. Kooki's off to her home in Marrakech, Sir Ian and Lady Lowson to Scotland where they have a grouse shoot in August, and everyone else to various ports of call around the globe.

Washington Social Diary

July 15, 2013, 3:23 pm

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First Lady Michelle Obama beams while posing with Mark Ein, Venus Williams and other members of the Washington Kastles (Photo: Rich Kessler).

AN ICON’S NEW LOOK, EXCITING TENNIS, AND AN EMBASSY PARTY AT A PRIVATE CLUB by Carol Joynt In this town we take the Washington Monument for granted the way Parisians view the Eiffel Tower, San Franciscans the Golden Gate Bridge, and New Yorkers the verve and glitz of Times Square. We pass by it; some of us daily, some of us many times daily, and occasionally even stop and stare. There will likely be more staring from now until about this time next year as the iconic obelisk undergoes work to repair damage done in the 5.8 magnitude earthquake of August 2011. Making the work possible is $7.5 million from Congress and a matching gift from the man with the ready check book, David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group. The top to bottom scaffolding, woven with tarps, is a stunning sight, especially at night when it is lit from within. Some call it the monument’s “condom,” I prefer to think of it as an homage to Christo. This shroud actually happened before. The monument was done up in the same apparatus from 1989 to 2000 as part of an earlier restoration project. I’m sure all involved hope this is it, however, for at least this century. Washington Comes Out For Tennis Even though the weather has been wet and warm we’ve had some beautiful evenings as July rolls along, and just in time for one of the most splendid events of the summer: World Team Tennis at Washington Kastles Stadium along the Potomac River on Maine Avenue. This is the baby of Mark Ein, a venture capitalist and philanthropist who is mentioned most often (too often for him) as the man who bought the Georgetown mansion of the late Katharine Graham. There’s a lot more to Mark than his real estate — businesses, boards — but his success with the Kastles could well surge as the bigger headline. And when I mention success, I mean real success: the young team, founded in 2008, was undefeated for 34 straight games over 3 years — more consecutive wins than the Los Angeles Lakers — a streak that was ended only Wednesday when they lost to the Texas Wild in Dallas. It’s excellent tennis but Mark resolved to also make it a good show, too, with courtside dinner tables and catered food and wine, cheerleaders, a rocking soundtrack. Not to forget the views and the breezes. So, there’s no surprise that in the stands are some of Washington’s best-known faces.

Venus Williams and Mark Ein meet the press.

Just in the last week, the fans have included First Lady Michelle Obama, DC Mayor Vincent Gray, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the first lady’s chief of staff, Tina Tchen; World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, who was with sports marketing impresario Jimmy Lynn; philanthropist Reggie Van Lee with Cora Masters Barry; Washington Nationals owners Ted and Annette Lerner; Sen. Kristen Gillibrand; former senator John Breaux; White House chef Sam Kass; AOL’s Steve Case and Jim Kimsey; Four Seasons general manager Dirk Burghartz, with Tom Healy of Strategic Resorts and Hotels; seniors world tennis champion Danny Waldman and his wife, Joanne Waldman; Daren Thomas of the Washington Performing Arts Society; Steve Olesky of the Washington Capitals; former St. Louis Rams linebacker Rocky McIntosh. Also a gaggle of media people, including Wolf Blitzer, Margaret Carlson, Luke Russert, Bret Baier, Mike Wise, and Brett Haber of the Tennis Channel.

Venus Williams after her press conference.

What do tennis champs snack on? French frieds, apparently.

First Lady Michelle Obama takes in the opening night of the Washington Kastles. Photo by Austin Smith.

The star power on the court is impressive, too. The Washington Kastles roster, headed by coach Murphy Jensen, includes Vanessa Williams (sidelined due to an injury), Martina Hingis, Leander Paes, Anastasia Rodionova, Bobby Reynolds, Alla Kudryavtseva, Kevin Anderson, and Raquel Kops-Jones. Andy Roddick came to town on Thursday, playing for the first time with the Springfield Lasers, and handed Washington their second defeat in one week. The two teams will meet up again in Washington this Wednesday. On Thursday, there will be a charity match featuring “bipartisan” members of Congress.  Regular games run through the month, followed by the championship rounds. It’s a fun evening out, and a deep understanding of tennis is not required. Talent is talent; a good show is a good show.

Mark Ein with members of his tennis team, Anastasia Rodionova and Leander Paes.

The four stages of a live TV interview in sweltering heat: Dianne Russini of NBC wipes her brow as Leander Paes looks on.

A little powder to blot the sweat.

Camera ready.

The interview is a  go.

Cheerleaders at a tennis match? Only in Washington.

The Joint Color Guard prepare for the National Anthem at the opening ceremonies.

With the First Lady, the Mayor, the Commerce Secretary and senior White House staff in attendance, there was a lot of security at opening night.

Enthusiastic fans in the stands.

Winston Bao Lord, playing hooky from his company, Venga, to help out the Kastles. Seniors world tennis champion Danny Waldman, who is a securities litigator with Arnold & Porter in his day job.

Former Louisiana senator John Breaux chats with friends before the match.

Dirk Burghartz, general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel, with Tom Healy of Strategic Hotels & Resorts.

On the left, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, in the middle White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, to the right, DC. Mayor Vincent Gray.

Engaged to be married, Sally Stiebel and Mark Ein.

Venus Williams gives a warm hello to DC Mayor Vince Gray.

DC Mayor Vincent Gray.

Cora Masters Barry and Reggie Van Lee.

Danny and Joanne Waldman.

Seated with Penny Pritzer and Valerie Jarrett, Tina Tchen, chief of staff to first lady Michelle Obama.

Daren Thomas of the Washington Performing Arts Society.

The first course at the court side tables: watermelon, tomato and goat's cheese salad from Design Cuisine

Dan Knise, in the white shirt, who is working to bring the Olympics to Washington, and his wife, Kathy Knise, in pink.

Mark Ein sits in for some live TV commentary.

The World Team Tennis tournament is broadcast live on cable.

A beautiful night for tennis in Washington.

The action on the court got competition from the dramatic sunset overhead.

A Party for Monaco at the Metropolitan Club In a world where the trend is for the super rich to try to pass unnoticed it’s probably not fashionable to declare devotion to Monaco, but so be it. I’m not one of the rich. I’ve always enjoyed that flashy little mini-country, aka “principality.” It’s a lifelong crush, or at least since my early 20s when it was the first stop on a first visit to the south of France.  It’s a much longer story, but I rendezvoused with a good friend for the occasion of the Grand Prix races. This will date me, but the race was won by the great Nikki Lauda. My friend had excellent rooms at the then Loews Hotel, overlooking the famous hairpin curve in the racetrack that is otherwise city streets. While he did business I wandered through new and old Monaco, falling in love especially with old Monaco.

Monaco Ambassador Gilles Noghès and his wife, Ellen.

Coming from New York and the West Indies, I was struck by the merge of urban and tropical and the gleaming orderliness of it all. Everything was well tended to, especially, of course, the rich, but also the gardens, the buildings, the beaches, the city streets. I’d also never seen so many ridiculous, and ridiculously expensive, cars parked in one place than that small patch of land that joins the casino to the Hotel de Paris and the Cafe de Paris. I didn’t ponder the controversies and politics of the place. I just liked its size and feel and combination of grandeur and village. I moved on to live in Antibes for the summer, but took the train back to Monaco periodically, and have visited several times since. To this day, every time I listen hear a tune by Francis Lai or Michel Legrand I am transported back to a little harbor side café with good rosé and an even better juke box. Photo tribute to Prince Albert and Princess Charlene. Washington’s Metropolitan Club doesn’t quite measure up to the charms of a European seaside café, but it does have some old world charm, and it was well-used by Monaco’s ambassador, Gilles Noghès, and his wife Ellen, for a party to honor Prince Albert II. Albert was only there in spirit, and a framed photograph, but a lot of Washington diplomats and socialites packed the club to drink Champagne and celebrate the anniversary of his ascension to the throne. It was also one of the last public appearances by Capricia Marshall in her role as Chief of Protocol. She is stepping down after being in the job since 2009.  There’s considerable speculation she’s resting up before a possible White House run by her friend, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “It is quite an honor to be here,” Marshall said. “I’m eking out every opportunity I can in my last few weeks of holding this privileged post, and so I am so pleased that Ambassador Noghès gave me this opportunity to be here this evening to share this special occasion.” The national anthems of both countries were sung, there were more speeches, including a little bit of marketing from Noghès, who noted that life is good in Monaco. “For a population of 36,000 there are 50,000 jobs,” he said, “and we have no debt.”

Protocol Chief Capricia Marshall makes remarks as Ambassador Noghès looks on.

Ellen Taylor Sisson sang the anthems of Monaco and the United States.

Coincidentally, the Metropolitan Club and Monaco have something in common, and no, it’s not nightlife. It’s age. Noghès said the club was created in 1863, “the same year the SBM — the Société des Bains de Mer, which owns the casinos and all the hotels around the square — was created to create Monte Carlo. So it’s a wonderful coincidence. Long life to the Metropolitan and to the SBM.” Among the guests: a group of ambassadors, including Claudio Bisogniero of Italy, Sergey Kislyak of Russia, Dino Patti Djalal of Indonesia, Gary Doer of Canada, Cecilia Nahón of Argentina, Mauro Vieira of Brazil, Antoine Chedid of Lebanon; Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Senators Bill Nelson of Florida and James Risch of Idaho; Congressman Ed and Marie Royce, Susan Eisenhower, Diane Bruce, Tim White, Michael and Susan Pillsbury, Mariella Trager, Randell Bumgardner, Gladys Boluda, Esther Coopersmith, Arturo Sarukhán, Togo and Gail West, Eli Whitney Debevoise II, Kate Irvin, Patricia Ellis, Elizabeth Bagley, James and Carolyn Aldige, Randall and Nancy Roe, James Thurber, John Sukenik, Jeffrey Bader, Rohini Talalla, Douglas B. Shaw, John B. Kelly, Aniko Schott, Charles and Evelyn Di Bona.

Gilles Noghès, Capricia Marshall, Ed Royce, and Marie Royce.

Tim White, Susan Eisenhower, Michael Pillsbury, and Susan Pillsbury.

Shamim and Said Jawad. Rose Rai Djalal, wife of the Indonesian ambassador.

Arturo Sarukhán, the former ambassador from Mexico, and Mariella Trager of Refugees International.

Togo and Gail West.

Diane Bruce.

The upstairs party room at the Metropolitan Club.

Last but not least, it wouldn’t be a July story without a picture of fireworks. I shot mine from the rooftop of Georgetown’s Capella hotel, which hosted a casual party for paying guests that included an open bar, buffet dinner and a spectacular view. While children splashed in the pool, the grown-ups did what grown-ups do: envied the kids in the pool.

Fireworks viewed from the Capella rooftop.

Pool in the foreground, fireworks in the background.

The July 4th crowd at the Capella party.

ENDNOTE: Several weeks ago I wrote about a new restaurant in town, Le Diplomate (NYSD 5.23.13), that was drawing anyone and everyone who could score a table. I predicted that soon enough the President and First Lady would show up. I still predict that will happen. In the meantime, last night, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, showed up for a Sunday night dinner for two.

Photographs by Carol Joynt. Follow Carol on twitter @caroljoynt

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Spellbound in New Mexico, Part II

July 16, 2013, 6:06 am

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Zuni Maidens – Hlelhponne Dance. Oil on Canvas. Charles C. Stewart, artist. Taos Art Museum at Fechin House. Have studied at the Art Students League in New York, Charles Stewart (1922-2011) moved to Taos in 1948, devoting the rest of his life to his art. In winter, Stewart went to Baja, where he was a founder of the Todos Santos art colony. Opened in 1994, the Taos Art Museum(TAM) moved a decade later to the historic Nicolai Fechin house, where it showcases the early 20th-century work of the influential Taos Society of Artists. With more than 600 artworks, the museum is at home at the Fechin House where its architectural features provide a perfect setting for the collection.

Spellbound in New Mexico, Part II: Taos By Augustus Mayhew With the Venice Biennale and Art Basel on everyone's June calendar, I must have been the only aesthete who fled to Taos and Santa Fe, missing, of all things, virtuoso Kanye West's particular form of visual art. Instead, I spent time at a place that may no longer be on the international art map, but instead, where art was/is aimed to hang on walls rather than amassed for tax/currency purposes and stored in vaults like cigars in humidors. While the artists and patrons who once made Taos have long since passed, their legacy surprisingly lives on among some of the town's present-day artists and galleries who find inspiration living in this remote, far-flung, high desert landscape with some of the most unearthly beautiful light I have ever felt. I arrived in Taos from Espanola on the Low Road with only the slightest suspenseful S-curves, passing along the whitewater rafters racing down the Rio Grande Gorge. Some mornings I could not resist being up at 5 a.m. to feel the light and watch the shadows. One night was spent watching a thunderstorm where I felt I could almost touch the clouds as lightening seemed to shake the trees. Although I have no plans of spending a winter in Taos, my next trip might be in late spring or early fall as the afternoon heat was intense. The spirit of Taos, though perhaps not as pure as when Mable Dodge Luhan held court, is still very much present.

At the suggestion of the Millicent Rogers Museum, I stayed at the pleasantly quiet Casa Benavides Inn, my first choice the Mabel Dodge House was booked. A compound of several adobe cottages with European-styled accommodations, the Inn is convenient and off Paseo del Pueblo, the town's version of the Montauk Highway.

Casa Benavides Inn, dining room. Quite wonderful breakfasts where the iced coffee was usually ready around 6 a.m. rather than the advertised 7 a.m. opening. The late afternoon batches of carrot-coconut cookies, pineapple cake, Mexican chocolate brownies, and lemons squares were tasty.

Along Kit Carson Road, Taos shops are predominately housed in territorial style commercial strips.

El Rincon represents the traditional adobe style, "the essence of Old Taos."

Taos Plaza.

Hotel La Fonda de Taos, lobby. La Fonda is located right in the middle of the town's busy plaza.

The historic Taos Inn. Quite charming, but take note, located on Paseo del Pueblo. Taos Inn, lobby. One night, there was jazz in the lobby. Fun.

Taos Inn, Doc Martin's restaurant. My dinner at Doc Martin's was fine. In general, I found Taos servers were sometimes very involved with each other's conversations, though not like South Beach.

A stop for the best iced coffee at Elevation Coffee between Taos and Arroyo Seco. Metal artist Frank Seckler has a gallery in Taos Plaza as well as a studio on Paseo del Pueblo where I took this photograph of his work.

Every time I passed by, the parking lot at Michael's and the Taos Diner were filled, as parking can be an issue in Taos.

Nachos Grande at Orlando's New Mexico Café, #1 on several lists, was everything I wanted. Sensational!

Orlando's New Mexican Café, Paseo de Pueblo, on the town's North End where I also had a delicious roasted beet salad at Gutiz.

"Happy Trails." Former Texas artist Thom Wheeler settled in Taos almost thirty years ago.

Taos Pueblo The Red Willow People (Taos means "red willow") no longer occupy the historic pueblo, just a short drive past the tribal casino. Instead, the pueblo is their public showcase and they live in surrounding houses. After paying the entrance fee, I paid the additional $6 camera fee. I didn't stay long, as I found, no matter the magnificent scenery and historic substance, I felt the circumstances and fate of the Red Willow People unsatisfying.

Taos Pueblo, entrance. Be ready for a dusty setting.

Taos Pueblo.

Taos Pueblo. The setting is stark.

During the 1930s, there was a tendency to portray Native American life as colorful and scenic. Courtesy National Archives. Museum of Modern Art, January 1941. Courtesy National Archives.

Taos Pueblo, c. 1925. Watching Indians Dance. Courtesy National Archives.

Taos Pueblo, June 2013.

Taos Pueblo.

I sensed there was a tendency among artists and photographers to idealize this particularly significant Taos pueblo.

The Taos Pueblo is sheltered by the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

A view to the south of another pueblo ensemble.

San Geronimo Chapel at Taos Pueblo. C. 1850.

San Geronimo Chapel, altar. C. 1850.

A view from San Geronimo Chapel's courtyard towards the pueblo and mountains.

Historic Taos

I stepped into this lane of shops on Bent Street late in the afternoon when the light was as spectacular as it was in the early morning.

John Dunn House shops on Bent Street. Fantastic!

Courtyard sign.

Letherwerks. Home to the "Original Taos Moccasins."

Letherwerks. A leather representational artwork titled, Across the Clouds, I See My Shadow Fly. Brad Martin, artist. $17,000.

Las Comadres.

Arroyo Seco A quaint mountain town-art colony a few miles north of Taos, Arroyo Seco may be best known for its residents, Donald Rumsfeld and Julia Roberts, who actually own adjoining properties. "Does anyone ever leave Arroyo Seco?" I asked Scott Carlson, whose pottery shop is on the village's main thoroughfare. "Not likely," he said.

Arroyo Seco, tile mural.

Arroyo Seco, garden.

Arroyo Seco, garden.

Arroyo Seco. The local go-to for what-have-you.

Arroyo Seco. An architectural tableau.

Arroyo Seco. At Santo y Mas, I watched the owner place each of the roosters and objet d'art before he opened his shop.

Arroyo Seco. At Weaving Southwest the façade may not tell the story.

Arroyo Seco. Scott Carlson at work at his pottery gallery.

Arroyo Seco. A street side mural.

Arroyo Seco. A garden sculpture. Arroyo Seco. La Santisima Trinidad was far too up the hill for me.

Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs & Spa A scenic 45-minute drive from Taos, Ojo Caliente was enough of a relaxing pleasurable half-day escape for me that I want to plan on spending two days here the next time.

Though Verizon provided flawless service, a historic telephone booth is available.

Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, lobby. For non-guests, it was $18 for use of all the facilities for the day.

Congratulations Newlyweds! "We just had our honeymoon here at the springs."

More of these signs around the world would lift the quality of life in public places.

The popular mud pool where I did a sensational triple-double. I would mud-up, bake, and then mud-up again before rinsing in the mud pool and shower. Fabulous!

The arsenic pools were warm and rejuvenating.

I kept coming back to the Iron Pool where I did sense something going on with my central nervous and muscular system.

The Iron Pool at Ojo Caliente.

Ledoux Street Historic District & The Harwood Museum of Art Just a block or two downhill from the Plaza, Ledoux Street has an eclectic mix of galleries and cafes, including Larry Bells studio and the Blumenschein House, as well as the Harwood Museum of Art.

Historic Ledoux Street.

A crowd stampedes down Ledoux Street.

203 Fine Art. Gallerists Eric Andrews and Shaun Richel feature Taos' Early Moderns and Contemporary art.

203 Fine Art, main gallery.

Harwood Museum of Art.

The Harwood's director Susan Longhenry gave me an expert tour of the museum's superb collection.

The Harwood's exhibitions include significant works by Taos Society of Artists and Taos Moderns.

R. C. Gorman: The Early Years is featured in the Mandelman-Ribak Gallery.

Mud Mask, an early oil on canvas work by R. C. Gorman.

Fritz Scholder: The Third Chapter is a featured exhibition until September 18.

The Harwood has an exceptional Hispanic collection of classic retablos and bultos from New Mexico.

Mabel Dodge Luhan donated her Hispanic artifacts to the Harwood.

Jim Wagner: Trudy's House. Jim Wagner is considered a member of the "Third Chapter of Taos Moderns."

Jim Wagner: Trudy's House. Taos.

Jim Wagner: Trudy's House.

Taos Art Museum at Fechin House 227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos On August 24th, the Taos Museum will be having a Russian Night Gala and Auction to benefit the museum.

After a visit at Mabel Dodge Luhan's house, Russian artist-craftsman Nicolai Fechin moved to Taos and acquired this Mission-Adobe style house that reflects his art and craftsmanship as a carver.

The Taos Art Museum has an extensive collection of Taos Moderns.

Taos Art Museum, Fechin House. Doorway crafted by Nicolai Fechin.

Taos Museum, second-level sun porch.

A nude by patron and painter Duane Van Vechten (1899-1977) who first came to Taos during the 1920s. A work by Duane Van Vechten.

Parsons Gallery of the West & Robert L. Parsons Fine Art 122 Kit Carson Road & 131 Bent Street, Taos, www.parsonsart.com Of the Taos galleries I was able to visit, I was most impressed with the collections at the two galleries owned by Robert L. Parsons.

Gallerist Robert L. Parsons checks up on the New York Social Diary at his Bent Street office.

Sunrise at the Parsons Gallery of the West at the historic Wengert house on Kit Carson Road, once the studio and house of artist Victor Higgins.

Montecito Canyon. Oil on canvas, 24" x 30". Walt Gonske, artist. $11,500.

People Born of Endless Change. Oil on canvas, 30" x 36". Jerry Jordan, artist. $16,500.

Parsons' other gallery is located at the historic Ferdinand Maxwell house, 131 Bent Street.

Parsons Fine Art. Portrait by Nicolai Fechin (1881-1955). Parsons specializes in significant art from the Taos Society of Artists, Taos Founders, Early Santa Fe and Taos art colonies as well as 19th-century Navajo weavings and Pueblo pottery.

Parsons Fine Art.

While discussing this E. I. Couse painting, Parsons said I could not leave Taos without visiting the Couse Studio, veritably untouched since Couse died in 1936, which turned out to be across the street from where I was staying at the Casa Benavides Inn.

Couse-Sharp Studio & Couse House 146 East Kit Carson Road, Taos, www.cousefoundation.org Although the studio and house are only open by appointment and it was late afternoon, I somehow eventually knocked on the right door where I was greeted by Virginia Couse Leavitt, the famous artist's granddaughter, who happens to stay at the house during the summer months. What a pleasure meeting Virginia, whose father kept his father Eanger Irving Couse's studio and main house just as it was. After studying at the National Academy of Design in New York, Couse enrolled in art classes at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris before living in France for several years. Coming to Taos in 1902, Couse spent every summer there until 1927 when he moved to Taos permanently. He shared his property's attached chapel-studio with his mentor Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), who along with Couse and others, formed the seminal Taos Society of Artists. Couse's paintings were said to have inspired Mabel Dodge Luhan to come to Taos.

Sunrise at the Couse Studio and House on Kit Carson Road.

For many of his paintings, E. I Couse used the same two Native-Americans as models, Ben Lujan and Geronimo Gomez.

Joseph Henry Sharp, known as the ethnographer' of the Taos artists, pictured above in his chapel studio, stated: "If I don't paint them no one ever will." In this prolific effort, he painted thousands of Native Americans.

Virginia Couse Leavitt, whose grandfather E. I. Couse was a founder of the Taos Society of Artists. Couse Studio-House, entrance door.

Couse Studio-House, view of the south and east elevations facing the mountains beyond.

Couse Studio-House.

The Couse Studio & House

E. I. Couse's easel, painting, and brush drawer.

E. I. Couse's paint box.

The Couse studio, a view walking in from the interior of the house.

The Couse Studio, as it looked in 1936 and as it looks today.

Painting and frame by E. I. Couse.

Painting by E. I. Couse.

In 1914, the Santa Fe Railroad began using Couse's paintings as artwork for their calendars. Virginia Couse has kept some more recent additions to the house that her father had made.

French cemetery painitng by E. I. Couse.

Couse house, family room.

Couse house, fireplace mantle.

Couse House, pottery collection.

Pottery collection, close-up.

Couse House, family room sitting area.

Couse House, sitting area.

Couse House, dining room.

Couse House, door detail, crafted and designed by E. I. Couse. Couse House, dining room fireplace.

The Joseph Henry Sharp studio at the Couse House chapel.

Joseph Henry Sharp studio-chapel.

Portraits. Joseph Henry Sharp, artist.

Couse House, porch. A view beyond.

Ranchos de Taos

After I asked not to be seated in the lounge at the highly-touted Lambert's of Taos, the spiffy major domo sat me in the lounge. Without a word, I got up and left and drove down to Old Martina's Hall in Ranchos de Taos where the Millicent Rogers Museum will be having its upcoming Turquoise Gala. With the inspiring San Francisco de Asis Church across the street, I had the most delicious Provence mussels with 3-alarm chorizos and an array of summer vegetables.

San Francisco de Asis Church, courtyard view.

San Francisco de Asis Church. Ranchos de Taos.

Next: Spellbound in New Mexico, Part III: The High Road to Santa Fe, Trampas, Chimayo, & Old Santa Fe.

Photographs by Augustus Mayhew. Augustus Mayhew is the author ofLost in Wonderland – Reflections on Palm Beach.

San Francisco Social Diary

July 18, 2013, 6:36 am

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At the 49th annual San Francisco Debutante Ball, 25 young women were presented to society.

2013 SAN FRANCISCO DEBUTANTE BALL by Jeanne Lawrence For the 49th year in a row, 25 outstanding young women from the Bay Area, San Francisco, Marin, and Hillsborough were presented at the San FranciscoDebutante Ball. The 2013 event, held last month, was hosted by the Women’s Board of California Pacific Medical Center Foundation (CPMC) at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in Union Square. More than 600 guests were on hand to observe the young women cross the threshold to adulthood by making their “bows” to society.

The young ladies in white dresses paraded onto the ballroom floor.

The fathers of the debutantes looked dapper in their formal tuxedos.

Escorts brought the young women to their fathers, who presented them to the crowd.

Under chairs Pamela Healy and Peggy Jones, the Ball raised $160,000 this year. Always designated to benefit the hospital in a specific way, the funds this year will support CPMC’s Pediatric Emergency Department, the first of its kind in San Francisco, dedicated exclusively to infants and children from birth to 18 years. To benefit the hospital in another way, the CMPC committee encourages the debutantes to become the next generation of social volunteers. At this family-oriented affair, young gentlemen escort the girls to their fathers, who then present the young women to friends and family in the ballroom. The escorts then squire the girls for the evening, serving as dance partners and providing a shoulder to lean on when they need a brief respite from maneuvering around the room in their elaborate gowns and high heels.

Elizabeth Locke Burkett and her escort Maximilian Edmund Betkowski, with Carlie Jane Burkhard and her escort Thomas Reed Burkhard.

Connolly Catherine Bottum and Cooper Edward Harrington-Fei.

Gordon Getty presented his granddaughter, Ivy Love Getty. Terence Garnett and his daughter Morgan Elizabeth Garnett.

Steve Bottum and Connolly Catherine Bottum. Raymond Lynch and Cassidy Judith Lynch.

David Siegel and Rebecca Joan Santos Siegel. Nicole Katherine Vincelette and her escort, brother Cullen Vincelette.

Farhad Hariri and Caroline Niloufar Hariri.

Douglas Walker and Lauren Elizabeth Walker. William Cleveland Burkett and Elizabeth Locke Burkett.

Ted Storey and Ella Sanford Storey. Geoffrey Lines Tickner and Quincey Alice Tickner.

Phoebe Alexandra Boosalis with her escort, Henry Griffith Callander.

George Hecksher and Meaghan Jeanne Hecksher. Caroline Sutherland Douglas Dicioccio making her debut onstage.

The poised debutantes and their escorts wore matching pink bouquets and boutonnieres.

Each year the debutante group includes numerous “legacies” whose families have a long-time connection to the charity. This year’s group included Megan Weber, daughter of Karen Weber, a former Ball chair and a Women’s Board member, and granddaughter of the late Beezie Weber, also a Women’s Board member. Megan’s father, as was his father before him, is a doctor at the CPMC. Famed Mike Carney provided the music for the after-party thatkept the young ladies in their long white gowns twirling around the room with their handsome dance partners. In addition to passing the philanthropic torch to a new generation, debutante balls are a lovely occasion for  young men and women to become acquainted and enjoy a magical night they will no doubt remember for a lifetime.

Ball Chair Pamela Healy and Women’s Board President Jennifer Biederbeck. The evening’s dinner featured simple, elegant table settings.

Guests at the after-party enjoyed dancing to the music of Mike Carney.

Carlyn Heather Ann Williams and Rebecca Joan Santos Siegel. Quincey Alice Tickner and escort Alden Frankel.

Alexis de Raadt-St. James with her daughter Olivia Lauren de Raadt-St. James. Ryan Harrison Kase, Courtney Maureen Carter, Hailey Michelle Carter, and Chad Phillips Bell.

Ella Sanford Storey, Chase Giannini, Maximilian Alexander Banta, and Gabrielle Livingston Banta. Sophia and Adriana Banta were in attendance to support their debutante sister, Gabrielle Livingston Banta.

Cassidy Judith Lynch, Dillon Emerson Rich, and Nicole Katherine Vincelette.

Kiersten Cameron Hosie and Ariana Taylor Baum. Debutante Ivy Love Getty with her grandmother, Ann Getty.

Virginia Sarah Girard with her mother, Ann Girard. Marsha Monro, proud parents Ann and Daniel Girard, and Katie Jarman.

Francis Mullen, Carlyn Heather Ann Williams, and Heather Arst.

Emma Louise Rieser, Jack Joseph Benham, and Kiersten Cameron Hosie. Diana Vaughn, Karen Weber and her daughter Megan Elise Weber, and Dorothy Nesbitt.

Farhad and Mojgan Hariri with their children, Caroline and Nicholas. Ivy Getty and Colin Giannini.

Megan Elise Weber enjoys a dance with her father, Peter Weber.

Ann and Gordon Getty with Beth Townsend. William James Price and Olivia Lauren de Raadt-St. James.

Zachary Daniel Reynolds and Ariana Taylor Baum.

Nancy Kukacka and Jane Burkhard. Kelny Denebeim, Barbara Brown, Wendy Bolton, and Merrill Kaasper.

Chase, Cooksie, Beau, and Colin Giannini.

Haig and Lisa Harris. Bill and Leigh Matthes with Bob Emery.

Barbara Brown, Melanie Hoefer, and Elaine Smith. Harriet Love and Leigh Matthes.

Lynn Callander and Brett Lilienthal. Danielle Malott, Susan Malott, Linda Alm, and Morgan Malott.

Bill Matthes and Larry Baer.

Annie Matthews, Samantha Kaplan, Chiarra Davis, Olivia Larocca, and Maya Sommer. Bruno and Urannia Ristow.

Barbara Brown, Nancy Kukacka, and Billy Harris. Bruce and Barbee Callander with Jacqueline Erdman.

Craig, Pamela, and George Healy.

Craig Healy, Francis Mullen, and Jim Malott. Peggy Jones and Stacey Dobos.

In alphabetical order, the 2013 debutantes included Gabrielle Livingston Banta of Stinson Beach, Ariana Taylor Baum of San Francisco, Phoebe Alexandra Boosalis of Tiburon, Connolly Catherine Bottum of San Francisco, Elizabeth Locke Burkett of San Francisco, Carlie Jane Burkhard of Kentfield, Courtney Maureen Carter of San Francisco, Hailey Michelle Carter of San Francisco, Caroline Sutherland Douglas Dicioccio of Hillsborough, Morgan Elizabeth Garnett of Hillsborough, Ivy Love Getty of San Francisco, Virginia Sarah Girard of Hillsborough. Others comprised Caroline Niloufar Hariri of Sausalito, Meaghan Jeanne Hecksher of San Francisco, Kiersten Cameron Hosie of Belvedere, Cassidy Judith Lynch of Tiburon, Emma Louise Rieser of Mill Valley, Rebecca Joan Santos Siegel of San Francisco, Oliva Lauren de Raadt St. James of San Francisco, Ella Sanford Storey of San Francisco, Quincey Alice Tickner of San Francisco, Nicole Katherine Vincelette of Hillsborough, Lauren Elizabeth Walker of Ross, Megan Elise Weber of San Francisco, and Carlyn Heather Ann Williams of Belvedere.

Photos by Drew Altizer. *Urbanite Jeanne Lawrence reports on lifestyle and travel from her homes in San Francisco, Shanghai, and New York, and wherever else she finds a good story.

Washington Social Diary

July 22, 2013, 6:32 am

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Sitting beside Chip Reid of CBS News, Helen Thomas was in the front row — as always — at President Obama's 100th day press conference. "He's really trying to do the right thing," she said, "but he doesn't walk on water."

REMEMBERING THE REMARKABLE HELEN THOMAS By Carol Joynt Helen Thomas'death this weekend at the age of 92 was a cause for sadness and reflection among her family, friends and admirers. While those closest to her sensed it was coming, there was still a tug at the heart upon hearing the news. She had been in declining health and was seen out less and less. The sadness that followed the announcement encompassed the affection and admiration for her, a fearless reporter who was unwaveringly competitive and no-nonsense and who walked in history for decades. But it also was tinged with regret over the sudden end to her career and virtual exile that occurred after she was caught on tape making controversial remarks about Palestinians and Israelis.

Former White House press secretary James Brady, Sarah Brady, and their friend Helen Thomas at a dinner held by The Brady Center in May 2010.

While she apologized for the remarks, made in an impromptu 2010 interview on the White House lawn, her speaker's bureau instantly dropped her, the White House Correspondents Association rebuked her, several public appearances were cancelled and she resigned her job with Hearst Newspapers. Even the White House criticized her, though that did not alter her support for President Obama. "She was in failing health but maintained her interest in the latest political issues," said her close friend, historian and presidency scholar Dr. Martha Joynt Kumar in an email from her vacation in Hawaii. "Helen stayed close to her apartment but she ventured out from time to time to her favorite restaurant, Mama Ayesha's." Kumar, who is also my sister-in-law, said Thomas remained "ever sharp and interested in the latest political issues and news." She showed her "characteristic enthusiasm" by voting for President Obama as early as she could in the last election, meaning in October on the first day of voting.

At The Brady Center dinner, Helen was honored with the Sarah Brady Visionary Award. She began her speech: "I hate guns."

Kumar said she held her head high and moved forward with her life, but the tarnishing of her image and in particular the absence of support from those who managed her public life, "caused the downhill rush" of her professional life after the incident. Kumar last visited Thomas in February. "She knew her time was limited but she enjoyed the things she was able to do and the people who came by to see her." The piece below appeared on New York Social Diary in 2009.

The other night, in the private dining room of a K Street restaurant, 18 women who work in journalism, or close to it, gathered to honor a legend of the industry, who the invitation hailed as "the First Lady of the Press," Helen Thomas. Her diminutive but dynamic 88-year-old self walked in midway through cocktails to greet each guest warmly by name and with a hug and an appreciative smile. Teatro Goldoni's chef served a menu that included spring terrine, lobster risotto, tomato pasta, seared tuna, rack of lamb and vanilla-orange panna cotta. Helen served her friends amusing, dramatic and historic recollections of her 50 years as a White House correspondent. The anecdotes were priceless. You name the chief executive and she had a story to tell. For example, the night Sen. John F. Kennedy gave her a ride home after an embassy party. "Did he make a pass at you?" everyone wanted to know. Oh, no, Helen said. "Did you find him sexy?" Oh, no, Helen said. "He was kind of dull." Later, his administration would be the first she covered as a White House correspondent, and to this day she believes "he was a great president." She recalled President Lyndon B. Johnson"couldn't stand to be alone," and that her favorite press secretary was Pierre Salinger, because "he was a bon vivant, had personality and knew the right wines."

A view into the private dining room at Teatro Goldoni

Helen came to Washington from Michigan in 1942, the daughter of Lebanese Christian parents. She was a graduate of Wayne State University. Why did she come to Washington and take the plunge into journalism? "Growing up in Detroit, nobody ever told me it was a man's world. My parents never told me I couldn't be whatever I wanted to be." I told her I planned to write about the evening, and my memories of our friendship over the years. "Please embellish it," she said, laughing.  No embellishment is necessary. There was a time in American journalism, before journalists were called "the media," and before every beauty pageant contestant aspired to be a "news anchor," when the dominant force behind newspapers and radio and TV broadcasts were "the wires." Almost every country seemed to have a wire service, and they were, with their mantra of "a deadline every minute," the prototype for what became the 24/7 news cycle and ultimately the all-news cable TV. France had Agence France Press, the Soviet Union had TASS, the Brits had Reuters, and so forth. But the major players worldwide were headquartered in New York City - the Associated Press and United Press, which later became United Press International.

The menu...

In 1969, fresh out of high school, I begged my way into an entry-level job at the Washington bureau of UPI. The glass front door opened into a vast room – a quarter of a floor of the National Press Building – and a musical, magical din from the clicking and clacking of teletype machines, bells announcing breaking news, barking editors, old school phones that didn't beep gently but rang loudly, and a black and white TV perched precariously over the "national" desk. There was no air, only cigarette smoke. The day editor in the "slot" did wear a visor, did have fingers stained yellow from his Camels, the switchboard operator was named "Elsie," and the boss did post a memo that said "henceforth females will be permitted to wear pants to the office so long as they are part of a tasteful ensemble." My first days on the job were defined by eagerness and intimidation, and no two people intimidated me more than our White House correspondents, Merriman Smith and Helen Thomas. "Smitty" was an icon, he'd broken the story of JFK's assassination. Helen was a force of nature, blazing an unprecedented trail for women in journalism in general and White House coverage in particular. Between them they daily played a hardball game of beating the competition from the AP. That was all that mattered, because news coverage in general flowed from what the wire services reported, whether it was the major newspapers or the upstart networks.

Helen Thomas at the Obama press conference, front row, lower right in purple.

My job was "dictationist," a stepping stone to reporter, and we quaked when Elsie blasted over the P.A. system that Helen was on the line with a "bulletin" from the White House. You quickly slipped on your headset, rolled a carbon "copybook" into the black manual Smith-Corona, and poised your hands over the keys. No niceties from Helen. She just rattled off her story and you had to keep up. You never asked Helen to repeat a sentence. That was the kiss of death. As with all wire service reporters, she wrote her stories off notes and the top of her head, including punctuation and new paragraphs. It was an art form.  The only time she let down even a little, and sometimes even laughed at her own turn of phrase, was on Fridays when she phoned in her Sunday column, "Backstairs at the White House." In the era before faxes and computers, one of us kids would be sent to the White House press room on delivery or pick up missions. I loved this. It got me in the White House and into the company of Helen and Smitty. The first time I entered the West Wing was the end of the Johnson Administration, the last days of the old White House press room, a relic of earlier in the century. There was a dark and dreary wide hallway where reporters napped on big leather sofas outside Press Secretary Bill Moyer's office. The press room itself was small and cramped with desks. UPI and AP had choice positions, closest to the two wooden phone booths that had pay phones. Episodes were legend of reporters fighting each other to get into those phone booths. My favorite involved Helen: in a rush to beat AP with a breaking story, she got her dress caught on a door, the dress ripped wide open in the back, exposing what all, but she grabbed the phone and dictated her story anyway.

Everybody took turns sitting with Helen and getting their picture taken with Helen.

President Richard Nixon came into office and immediately moved the press out of the corner of the West Wing and into a fancy new press room over the old indoor swimming pool. There would be no more camping on sofas in the West Wing hallway. The press would now be sequestered. Sometimes Helen would let me tag along for a visit in the Oval Office or Nixon's "hideaway" in the Old Executive Office Building. There would be maybe six or eight of us, and Nixon would be right there, only a few yards away. Even though he was a famously controlled politician, this was before Watergate, and there was an intimacy between him and the reporters that disappeared once the scandal broke and, for many reasons, never returned to the relationship between the press and the president – any president. But back then in the Oval Office I watched as Helen casually chatted up Nixon, then would suddenly and slyly wing in a sharp question, get her answer and race back to dictate a fresh lead to the day's story, with me running behind her. That's how it's been for her all these decades, all these presidents, and so many historic moments.

Dinner host Janet Donovan with Helen Thomas and Martha Joynt Kumar.

CJ and Helen Thomas — a 40-year friendship.

Donna Shor tells a Helen Thomas story, with Vicki Bagley in the background.

Stephanie Green of The Washington Times, Helen Thomas, and Amy Artgetsinger of The Washington Post.

Helen was the only woman print journalist to travel with Nixon on his historic China trip. By then, I was her favored dictationist. She learned I could type fast and didn't open my mouth to ask questions. Helen was in Peking but dictated her stories by phone to me on the desk in Washington, and from there they were relayed to the world. It was exciting, even though when it was daytime in Peking it was the wee hours of the morning in Washington. In a thoughtful gesture, she brought me a copy of Mao's Little Red Book. Helen was objective and fair in her reporting, but privately she had strong opinions about politics and the men and women who ran the country. She was especially opposed to the Vietnam War. In 1970 I got a glimpse of her vulnerable side the April night Nixon announced to the nation a massive military attack on Cambodia. When our work was done, Helen invited me to Nino's, a popular late night pizza joint. We were joined by Frances Lewine, AP's White House correspondent and, coincidentally, Helen's best friend. They didn't carry their competition into dinner. In Helen's case, it was only sadness. She cried through the meal, her head in her hands, tears streaming down her face, ranting about Nixon and the bombing and the "senseless loss of lives."

The dinner for Helen Thomas at Teatro Goldoni Restaurant in Washington.

Helen has endured many bumps along her fascinating journey. Her UPI friend and White House partner, Merriman Smith, committed suicide in 1970. She married late, to Douglas Cornell who, like Lewine, was her competition at the AP. First Lady Pat Nixon scooped Helen on her own engagement. They held off marrying until 1971, after Doug left the White House beat. At the dinner, she claimed the delay was due to her own skepticism about marriage, but most people believe it was because she couldn't bear to be married to the competition – true love or no true love. Quietly, when Doug became ill with Alzheimer's, she took devoted care of him till his death while also handling her rigorous White House duties. Lewine died last year. I left UPI in 1972 to move to New York to work for Time Magazine. Helen and I would bump into each other here and there. Each time she asked me about my work, my family, what was going on with me, "are you in love?" So many questions. Meanwhile, she broke down barriers at the National Press Club, the White House Correspondents Association, and the Gridiron, wherever women journalists didn't get equal treatment. And, of course, she continued to break and make news. When UPI was sold to the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, she called it "a bridge too far," quit and now works for Hearst Newspapers. She's at the White House every day, and I hope she's there till her last day, sitting in the front row at a press conference, giving some president holy hell. The women paying tribute to Helen included co-hosts Janet Donovan and Christine Warnke, Vicki Bagley, Lynn Sweet, Donna Shore, Christine Delgary, Greta Brawner, Martha Joynt Kumar, Kelly McCormick, Mary Ann Akers, Gloria Dittus, Donna Leinwand, Nikki Schwab, Jan Smith Donaldson, Edie Emery, Stephanie Green and Amy Argetsinger.

Photographs by Carol Joynt. Follow Carol on twitter @caroljoynt

Washington Social Diary

July 29, 2013, 6:48 am

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Guests mingle on the terrace of the British Embassy.

A SUMMER PARTY FOR AN INFANT PRINCE By Carol Joynt There’s a reason why humans seek sun and surf in the warm weather months, finding bliss on a towel or a chaise, slathered with goo and half asleep under a trashy novel: we need to turn our brains off. It’s the best possible antidote to the work week or work year or the constant beaming into our subconscious of reminders that we live at the seemingly controlled edge of mayhem. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their newborn son, Prince George Alexander Louis. At the top of the grand stairs at the British Embassy, a large poster portrait of Kate, William and baby George. But then there’s England, that bastion of “keep calm and carry on.” Occasionally they remind us of what that phrase means, as recently as last week with the birth of Prince George Alexander Louis. In its most relatable peace time form the phrase is about a young father, Prince William, calmly carrying his day-old son out of the hospital, locking his car seat safely in place, getting behind the wheel and driving his family home – carrying on, so to speak – with the whole world watching. The planet tuned in because it’s the Royal Family, a reliable, ongoing, frequently televised mini-series. Still, props to any new father who can pull that off without breaking a sweat, regardless of whether he’s an heir to the throne and driving the family home to a palace. When the time comes, how will Prince Harry top that? For many women, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, certified her status as a superstar bellwether when she left the hospital in a clingy crepe de chine frock, unabashedly displaying that lingering tummy bulge all new mothers know very well. It’s normal, natural and nothing to hide. Still, refreshing. Here in Washington, the royal birth gave the British Embassy a perfectly reasonable excuse to have an upbeat summer party, and surprisingly, given the time of year, a good supply of all the usual suspects were on hand for the fete in honor of the infant prince. The grand British manse was done up with patriotic party flare – streams of Union Jacks, national colors in the planters, flags in the food, too, and many video screens showing happy royals, especially Prince William and Kate, as well as framed photos on just about every flat surface.

The party was held inside and outside the British residence, where there were plenty of full bars.

In celebration of the birth of Prince George, the Embassy strung up the flag, many times over.

No decorating opportunity was missed.

The party could well have been the first official social event for the little Prince here on this side of the Atlantic. Starting with the Ambassador, Peter Westmacott, and his wife, Susie, it galvanized the embassy staff in a pleasant show of team spirit that matched the marketing message on the posters and the gift bags: “GREAT Britain.” Courtesy of head chef Craig Harnden and his team, the menu was also spirited, a range of uniquely Brit party foods, including fish and chips, cucumber sandwiches, salmon on toast points, sausage rolls, mini-Yorkshire puddings with roast beef and, best of all, a gorgeous two-tiered cake, iced with white and baby blue fondant, celebrating the royal birth. There was endless sparkling wine, but also Pimm’s Cup, good scotch and all the other premium brands. Before Andy Warhol's portrait of the Queen, British Ambassador Peter Westmacott praised the monarchy. At the podium, Westmacott, cheerful as a new father, welcomed his guests, noted the sweet occasion and, especially, praised the monarchy, the Queen – in three years the longest serving monarch – and gave a positive report on the younger generation of royals, who he said are ideally suited for the 21st and 22nd centuries. Correctly, he noted, “Royals always make a splash here.” That they do. With one sentence he managed to age most everyone at the party: “The news we celebrate tonight leaves me with a strange feeling, because the Prince William I remember best is a 10-year-old, rushing around Kensington Palace.” Before inviting all to join him in raising a glass to the baby, Westmacott noted “the arrival of Prince George is a genuinely historic event.” That’s because it is the first time since the Victorian era that the monarch and three direct heirs to the throne have been alive at the same time. He also said that all in all, with the royal birth and the British economy showing some strong numbers, it had been a “good week” for the United Kingdom. What did people talk about, other than Prince George? The principal topics in Washington the last several days go like this: the Snowden affair, though a certain amount of ennui is settling in; “Carlos Danger,” aka Anthony Weiner, and his wife, Huma Abedin, and prompting every kind of tasteless joke one would expect. Weiner is hopeless, but not Abedin. I’m on the side of not treating her as a victim, because my sense is she does not see herself that way. How can any of us, ever, to try to walk inside another’s marriage?

Ambassador Westmacott moments before he asked his guests to raise a glass to Prince George of Cambridge.

Also discussed: quarterback Robert Griffin III, on which the mood of Washington will rise or fall in September when we learn whether his rehabbed knee is good to go; and what to do about this nasty business of the team name, the Redskins, which increasing numbers of people view as a liability, though they also recognize the intransigence of the team owner, Dan Snyder. He vowed to “never” change the name. How many times have all of us been told, “never say never?” Hmmm. We’ll see, Dan. Best moment of the party? A friend, book critic John Wilwol asking whether, were he alive, Christopher Hitchens would have been invited. I’d like to think yes, because this embassy is generally about inclusiveness among the British community in Washington, and the social secretary, Amanda Downes, is all about doing the right thing, but regardless the thought made me yearn for what we’ve lost: the chance to hear what Hitch would have to say in observing all the royal hoopla. It would be merciless, of course, and hilarious. (Not to mention his views on Carlos Danger).

The special cake celebrating the birth of Prince George Alexander Lous, with all his names spelled out.

At the top of the cake, blocks and a teed year.

At one of the buffet tables, the food looked just right for a party honoring a baby.

Even the traditional sausage rolls were tricked out with the Union Jack.

Fish and Chips, of course.

Baby Yorkshire puddings with roast beef and leeks. Lovely summer ice creams were served in baby-sized cones.

The ice creams were presented in ice adorned with herbs and strawberries.

Among those we talked with or spotted at the party: Ina Ginsburg, Valerie Jarrett, Howard Fineman and Amy Nathan, Kurt Schmoke, Joann and John Mason, Christine Lagarde of the IMF, Charlie Cook, Cynthia Helms, Ann and Lloyd Hand, Ed Mathias, Kevin Chaffee, Michael Elliott, David Brooks, Amb. Rudolf Bekink of Belgium, Andrew Oros, Amy Argetsinger, Judy Woodruff, Robert and Caroline Alderholt, Esther Brimmer, Anita McBride, Steve Clemons, Diana Villiers Negroponte, Sidney Blumenthal, Matt Frei, Grace Bender, Jackie Duberstein, Lucky Roosevelt, Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano, Roger Simon, Sophie Gilbert, Puneet Talwar of the National Security Council, Amb. Kenichiro Sasae of Japan and Nobuko Sasae, Al Hunt, Carmiel Arbit, Spencer Mahony, Judy Harris, John and Debbie Dingell, Robin Wright, Betsy Fischer, Jane and Calvin Cafritz, Bill Nitze, Sam Feist, Arnaud and Alexandra de Borchgrave, Michael and Meryl Chertoff, Roy and Abby Blunt, Chris Matthews, Norm Ornstein, Gail and Togo West, Sally Quinn, Renaud de Viel Castel, Craig Pascal, Victor Shargai, Major General Buster Howes, Commodore Eric Fraser, and a whole lot of other men in handsome uniforms and, beyond that, basically le tout Washington, at least the tout not plopped on a beach.

Book critic John Wilwol with his wife, arts critic Sophie Gilbert. Carmiel Arbit and Spencer Mahony, who is the embassy's East Coast regional director for trade and investment.

Bo Fraser, Maggie Titmuss, and Commodore Eric Fraser. Fred and Genevieve Ryan.

Craig Pascal and Victor Shargai.

Debbie Dingell, a consultant and wife of Rep. John Dingell, with Steve Clemons of Atlantic Media. James Adams with Ina Ginsburg.

Head chef Craig Harnden had reason to smile: he'd put out quite a spread for the occasion. As they left the party, guests were handed some gifts: a photo of Kate, William, and baby George, and a Union Jack carry-all.

Photographs by Carol Joynt. Follow Carol on twitter @caroljoynt

San Francisco Social Diary

August 1, 2013, 2:44 pm

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The Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, or “truffle dogs,” raised by Ken Monnens and Masao Jim Uyeda in their Napa Valley Twisted Willow truffle farm.

TRUFFLE DOGS IN NAPA by Jeanne Lawrence NAPA – On a spring Sunday morning, Ken Monnens and MasaoJim Uyeda hosted a brunch at Twisted Willow Farm, their home, the first and oldest Napa Valley truffle orchard. It boasts more than 600 hazelnut trees planted seven years ago, on whose roots the black truffles grow. The occasion was to celebrate the arrival of a new litter of Lagotto Romagnolo puppies, also known as Italian water dogs, the friendly and affectionate ancient Italian breed used to hunt truffles. Now that entrepreneurs Ken and Jim are breeding the dogs and growing the fabulous subterranean fungi, all you truffle-lovers (that’s everyone, isn’t it?) will now have a source for your supply — after chefs Thomas Keller and Gary Danko get first dibs.

Ken Monnens with two of his truffle dog puppies, soon to be acquired by loving families.

Ken Monnens, Jeanne Lawrence, and Jim Uyeda enjoy some playtime with the sweet and affectionate dogs.

THE TRUFFLE DOGS It is believed that all modern water retriever breeds (including poodles) have descended from the Lagotto Romagnolo, whose roots can be traced back to the 1400s. Though virtually any dog can be trained to hunt truffles, the Lagotto Romagnolo is the only breed recognized for sniffing out the delicacy. While pigs have traditionally been used for the hunt, dogs are preferable because they are easier to control and unlike pigs aren’t tempted to eat the object of their quest.

This working breed is loyal and obedient with a bright, happy demeanor. Easily trained and very affectionate, they become very attached to their owners and make good companions and family pets. Like a poodle, their thick, curly hair is often described as hypoallergenic, and they hardly shed a hair. In late May, the puppies left for their new homes after Ken and Jim’s Memorial Day “Puppy Pick-up Picnic.”

With roots dating to the 1400s, the Lagotto has remained a remarkably consistent and much-beloved breed through the centuries, as this Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (1591-1666) painting can attest.

Ken and Jim purchased their first truffle dog from Jim Sanford, considered the best Lagotto breeder and trainer in the U.S. He is the resident truffle dog trainer at the eastern Tennessee Relais & Chateaux, Blackberry Farm, which has its own truffle plantation. Pop and country singer k.d. lang dubbed the dog Roman while visiting Ken and Jim at their farm. She said the dog reminded her of an Italian warrior — strong and confident. Roman was sired by Sanford’s dog, Tom, considered to be king of the truffle hunters, thus making Roman, also a fine truffle hunter, the prince. A few months after acquiring Roman, Ken picked up a female Lagotto, Ambra, while visiting the world-famous Alba Truffle Festival in Italy.

Lagotto trainer Jim Sanford, at Tennessee’s Blackberry Farm, works with Roman, who sired the new litter born at Twisted Willow Farm. Jim Sanford spent twenty years training elephants and nine training horses before moving on to truffle dogs.

MEMORIAL DAY “PUPPY PICK-UP” PICNIC Over Memorial Day weekend, Ken and Jim held their “Puppy Pick-up Picnic,” celebrating the arrival of their new puppies (and their handoff to their new owners) and the harvest of summer fruits and vegetables of Twisted Willow Farm. Ken and Jim wanted the puppies to be picked at the Napa Farm and personally accompanied home by their new owners, who came from places as far-flung as Manhattan, Houston, Seattle, Montecito and St. Helena. (Jim said when he handed over the first puppy, he teared up: “It felt like giving away a child.”)

George and Patricia Noble, of Noble Family Wines in Napa Valley, came to visit the puppy they would later pick up over Memorial Day weekend.

At about eight weeks old, the puppies, already much bigger than at birth and with lots of wavy hair, are ready to go home with their new owners.

Ambra has spa time away from the pups. These water dogs are excellent swimmers, as they have webbed feet, and once served as rescue dogs for Italy’s aristocratic families. Female Kessa is all muddy after a long day of hunting for truffles.

TWISTED WILLOW FARM Twisted Willow Farm was the realization of a dream by its owners. After years in the corporate sector, Jim, a former international banking executive, and Ken, a branding expert whose firm creates identities, packaging, and marketing materials, decided to better balance their lives and spend more time in the country. The sold a large, labor-intensive Napa Valley hillside estate and then, in a single afternoon, found a dilapidated 20-acre farm on the Valley floor, which extends to the Napa River bank, negotiated, and closed the deal. I’ve watched them grow and develop Twisted Willow Farm, which now includes a barn-inspired house with a gigantic fireplace and open kitchen, a guesthouse, chicken coop, miniature ponies, an organic vegetable garden, and an extensive rose and flower garden.

The centerpiece of Twisted Willow Farm is a modern house modeled after a barn, surrounded by a profusion of roses.

The home has soaring, 23-foot ceilings and plenty of space for entertaining guests.

Polly Onet, Alex Chases, and Daniel Diaz.

Food expert Rolando Beramendi, who recently moved back from Italy to San Francisco.

Serge and Tatiana Sorokko cozied up at the informal get-together.

Alan Faigin, Laura Ruini, and Leslie Miretti.

Tom Sudinsky, Sandra Cooper, and Dr. Scott Sproles.

Polly Onet, Alex Chases, Daniel Diaz, and Jeanne Lawrence.

The farm is the perfect place for Jim and Ken to indulge their love of cooking and entertaining. They constantly ply friends with produce and flowers from their gardens.  “When I calculated our total faming cost, we’re eating $80 tomatoes,” Ken joked — but they’re flavorful enough to merit the cost. Jim and Ken say the relaxed Napa Valley lifestyle starts with great friends and includes sharing the finest fresh foods, perfectly paired wines, and laughter. Newcomers like visiting New Yorker Polly Onet, in town to rebrand and renovate Jamieson Ranch Winery, are always welcome.

Ken Monnens prepared a Sunday brunch feast of homemade waffles from a recipe by Thomas Keller, creator of the French Laundry and Per Se restaurants.

Tatiana Sorokko and other guests jumped in to help Ken in the kitchen.

Ken, Leslie Miretti, Tom Sudinsky, and Dr. Scott Sproles.

Alex Chases and Jeanne Lawrence.

After all that cooking, we were ready to eat!

TRUFFLE FARMING After brunch, Ken took Polly and me on a tour of the farm to see the miniature ponies and of course the famous truffle dogs and their new puppies. Truffles are the fungi that grow one to ten inches underground, on the roots of oak, hazelnut, and chestnut trees.

Jim Uyeda showed us the miniature ponies.

Though many assume that truffles, the very expensive, seasonal ingredient beloved by gourmet cooks, come only from Italy and France, they can be cultivated anywhere that has the right climate and environment. To learn the business of truffle farming, Jim and Ken have attended dozens of truffle seminars and festivals, from Alba, Italy to Oregon.

The ponies were very friendly (perhaps because we brought them farm-fresh carrots as snacks!)

New Yorker Polly Onet amidst the 360 rose bushes in the garden.

The trees and flowers, like this “Brandy Rose,” were in peak bloom.

Napa Valley has similar terroir as France’s Perigord region, famous for truffles (and foie gras!). Ken and Jim draw inspiration from that region and check the rainfall in Perigord so they can irrigate to better replicate its weather conditions in Napa.

Roman led the way as we wandered among the hazelnut orchards, where the truffles grow on the tree roots.

I was amused to see that Roman immediately kept his nose to the ground, constantly sniffing for the truffle delicacy as we strolled.

Twisted Willow Farm is an ideal place for its owners to entertain and celebrate with their many friends, and Memorial Day Weekend’s Puppy Pick-up Picnic was no exception.

In the front courtyard of Twisted Willow Farm, the plum trees were in full flower.

During the picnic, baby Wolfe met his new “little brother,” Perci the puppy.

Margrit Mondavi came to celebrate with Jim. The Napa Valley doyenne and dog lover is also a cookbook author and emissary for Robert Mondavi Winery.

Patricia Noble, Margrit Mondavi (with an appropriately patriotic scarf), and Donna Scala.

Ken Monnens shows Margrit’s latest book, Margrit Mondavi’s Sketchbook: Reflections on Wine, Food, Art, Family, Romance and Life (2012).

SCAMPAGNATA! A DAY IN THE COUNTRY In Oakville, Napa Valley, Rolando Beramendi hosted a group of 50 for a spring luncheon celebration he called “Scampagnata! A Day in the Country.” His inspiration was the British film, A Room with a View (1985), adapted from E. M. Forster’s novel, directed by James Ivory, and produced by Ismail Merchant. Beramendi wanted to re-create a Florentine country setting in the Edwardian period, when free-spirited Brits migrated there to escape the restrictive culture of the Victorian times.

Guests for the Scampagnata! Napa Editiondressed in their summer whites to match the mood of the film A Room with a View.

Maria Manetti Shrem’s Villa Mille Rose estate is a little slice of Tuscany in California.

The luncheon was set at the Tuscan-style Napa Valley estate “Villa Mille Rose,” home of Maria Manetti Shrem and Jan Shrem. A working farm, the almost completely sustainable estate features olive trees, vegetable gardens, fruit orchards, and vineyards. Beramendi was the ideal person to imagine and realize such an event. Raised in Tuscany and Argentina, holder of a degree in economics from UC Davis, a lover of fine foods and cooking, he is the founder of Manicaretti, a business importing artisanal Italian foods to retailers and restaurants nationwide.

The picturesque vineyards at Villa Mille Rose are set against a backdrop of Mount Saint Helena.

A bronzeHenry Moore statue stands guard over the property.

THE PERGOLA Originally, Beramendi had imagined a casual affair, guests picnicking on the grass, sitting on blankets, and dining on finger food. But as the number of guests grew, he opted instead for tables under umbrellas, much to our pleasure. The walkabout Sunday luncheon (passegiata in Italian) began under the wisteria-laden pergola, where guests sipped Prosecco infused with fresh strawberry or raspberry syrup.

Guests sipped Prosecco and enjoyed Italian appetizers on the bridge.

Maria Manetti Shrem and her niece Camilla Ruini welcomed guests.

OLIVE GROVE After cocktails, guests slowly strolled along gravel paths to the next stop, the olive grove. Here we sampled olives from Italy’s Puglia region that are called crudo (raw), as they are cured with water and salt alone.

In the olive grove, guests enjoyed the first bites of the day—artisanal olives from Italy.

These crudo olives have a texture similar to cherries and, Beramendi told us, produce some of the best olive oil.

Maria Manetti Shrem and Jan Shrem partaking of the olives and wine.

Beramendi said the day’s agenda was simply to go with the flow and move on to another spot when the energy began to diminish.

VEGETABLE GARDEN We sauntered off to the next station in the vegetable garden, where a gigantic Italian ceramic dish was piled high with the first and freshest spring vegetables of the season (pinzimonio in Italian), including the sweetest and most tender carrots I’ve tasted in a long time.

Guests congregated around the bounty of fresh vegetables, dipped in olive oil.

The bright, fresh produce was irresistible.

Rolando Beramendi, Gary Danko, and Jeanne Lawrence.

Ken Fulk.

Laura Manetti Ruini and Paul Weaver.

Jan Shrem surrounded by his “girls” in hats.

“Cal Performances” Director at UC Berkeley Matias Tarnopolsky, with Birgit Hottenrott.

UNDER THE UMBRELLAS The last stop was the terrace overlooking the rose garden, the hills, and the vineyards of Villa Mille Rose, where skirted round tables were set up under umbrellas and topped with vases filled with show-stopping roses from the estate’s garden in full bloom. The “star” of the all-Italian meal was a whole porchetta, a traditional centerpiece of Italian celebrations. Beramendi had researched local butchers and chose Napa’s The Fatted Calf to provide a roasted 50-pound pig. “We’re so lucky,” said Beramendi, in raising a toast. “Look what we have here: A great meal, the setting, the view, the light, the company — and we have time to stop and smell the roses.”

Rolando Beramendi and Maria Manetti Shrem admire the porchetta, a roasted pork belly rolled up like pancetta, with fresh herbs and wild fennel, and rubbed with salt.

Chef John Trunk and Beatrice Ruini.

Maria Manetti Shrem, Rolando Beramendi, and Tatiana Sorokko.

The all-Italian menu included panzanella di farro, a staple that the Roman Legion ate instead of rice. The hardy grain thrives in poor soil in Tuscany and grows without fertilizer or pesticides.

Adria and Dante Bini.

Rolando Beramendi toasted Maria Manetti and Jan Shrem for the wonderful day.

Charming Jan Shrem raised a glass to his bride of one year in celebration of their life together.

Ken Monnens and Jim Uyeda (at right) sadly left their Lagotto Romagnolo truffle dogs at home.

Luba Troyanovsky, Jeanne Lawrence, and Tatiana Sorokko.

Ken Monnens, Daniel Diaz, and Pam Kramlich.

Luba Troyanovsky, Greg Lopez, and Tatiana Sorokko.

Matias Tarnopolsky and Serge Sorokko.

John van Camp and Gary Danko.

Standing: Elizabeth Funk, Maria Manetti Shrem, Alex Chases, and Craig Card. Seated: Jeanne Lawrence, Rolando Beramendi, Neda Dion, and Erin Glenn.

The entire property of the aptly named “Villa Mille Rose” (house of a thousand roses) was lushly covered with spring blooms.

Photos by Jeanne Lawrence. *Urbanite Jeanne Lawrence reports on lifestyle and travel from her homes in San Francisco, Shanghai, and New York, and wherever else she finds a good story.