Harmattan by Roads Fragrance

By Mark Thompson on March 12, 2014

Each year in West Africa, the dry and dusty wintry wind known as the Harmattan blows in from the Sahara, creating a mystical haze not unlike a dense fog. Eyes closed, the air is redolent – and in the case … Read More

Open: An Antwerpen Weekend

An Antwerpen Weekend

By MRNY on March 9, 2014

This northern Flanders city of half a million residents was once the richest European city – or as locals point out with pride, the “New York of the 16th century,” an economic hub of trade and cosmopolitanism – and diamonds. … Read More

Sweden’s Master Painter Anders Zorn at NY’s National Academy Museum

By Mark Thompson on March 6, 2014

One of the most successful artists of the Gilded Age, and one of the era’s most favored celebrities, Anders Zorn (1860-1920) was a portraitist of such skill and influence that only John Singer Sargent rivaled Zorn in popularity. The National … Read More

Wales Celebrates Dylan Thomas in New York

By Mark Thompson on March 3, 2014

Any literary New Yorker worth his or her salt knows that the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas often frequented the White Horse Tavern – although many also mistakenly believe that Thomas died at the well-known Village bar as well. 2014 marks … Read More

Lightscape by Ulrich Lang New York

By Mark Thompson on March 1, 2014

When you first enter someone’s home, your nose knows before your eyes do just who lives there. Similarly, the first whiff of a fragrance by Ulrich Lang reminds you that you are in the hands of a gentleman. To wear … Read More

Five Good Reasons to Visit Ontario for WorldPride Toronto

By Mark Thompson on February 26, 2014

Nearly thirty years before the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in the United States, Upper Canada banned slavery in 1834, enabling escaped African-Americans to settle in Toronto. In 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world to recognize same-sex marriage. … Read More

Open: Paracas, Peru and the Nazca Lines

Paracas, Peru and the Nazca Lines

By Mark Thompson on February 23, 2014

A three-hour drive south of Lima, Paracas is a weekend resort for many upper-class Limeños who keep beach homes here – and yet, Paracas is also a fishing village evocative of the South of France in the years before tourism … Read More

Open: Curacao Blue

Curacao Blue

By MRNY on February 20, 2014

It’s the blue you’ll remember. A blue so resplendent that even as your homeward-bound plane climbs to cruising altitude, you’ll crane at the window for one last look at that mesmerizing blue water that makes Curaçao such an exceptional isle in the south Caribbean. … Read More