Nourished by New York in November

"Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going.” -Paul Theroux

We travel for enrichment, to see friends and family, and for exposure to new people and places, new ideas, and ways of being in the world. In this way, travel invigorates the mind and enlivens the soul (and makes up for the crowded airports, long drives, and hotels with thin walls and stiff sheets).

Short Beach, Nissequogue, NY

We recently returned from eight days in Long Island and Hudson Valley, New York. Darby’s mom, brother, and cousins live in a lovely part of the North Shore, near the waters of Long Island Sound. New York’s natural beauty may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words, “New York,” but it’s high on my list of favorite things about the place.

Unusually high standards for food and beverage and arts and culture are also attractive features of New York. It’s not just the city, many small towns near New York City are also loaded with the goods. While taking in the natural beauty of Long Island Sound, the Hudson River and Hudson Valley, and the Catskills, you can get an excellent taste of the local flavor at coffee shops, restaurants, art galleries, and museums.

This November adventure truly delivered on the local flavors page. We had incredible meals at The Trattoria in St. James, Brickmen Kitchen & Bar in Kingston, and Aroi Thai in Rhinebeck, plus great coffee at Village Coffee and Goods and Camp Kingston, both in Kingston.

We saw Lucas Nelson and Promise of the Real at Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston with Darby’s friend Gibby and his wife Stephanie.

Hudson River and valley from Olana, the hilltop home of Frederic Edwin Church

We also immersed ourselves in visual art with visits to:

• William Low’s Studio, Huntington, NY

• Dia Beacon, Beacon, NY

• Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

• Albert Shahinian Fine Art, Rhinebeck, NY

• Olana, Hudson, NY

• Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA

William Low and his wife Peggy (Darby’s 2nd cousin) are lovely people and generous hosts. William is an incredible painter of people and places, an illustrator, and a natural teacher. He gladly opened his studio, showed us his work and materials, and freely discussed his process.

Art at every turn

Just outside of Rhinebeck, we happened to catch “Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination since 1969” at Bard College’s Hessel Museum of Art on the final day of the exhibit. And what a fortunate thing this was. We did not know the exhibit or the museum existed until we pulled up and got out of the car. We simply wandered upon it.

As we approached the front of the museum, we saw a neon in the window that read, “Every American Flag Is A Warning Sign.” The words come from a poem by Demian DinéYahzi’ (Diné). Intrigued, I soon learned what else lay in store inside the building—one powerful and profound piece of art followed by another, in room after room.

The exhibit was curated by Candice Hopkins (Carcross/Tagish First Nation). She notes how the artists’ “work uses humor as a strategy for cultural critique and reflection, parses the inherent relationships between objecthood and agency, and frequently complicates representations of the Native body through signaling the body’s absence and presence via clothing, blanketing, and adornment.”

We needed a moment to gather ourselves following the exhibit. It was thrilling and unnerving, and our hats are off to the people at Bard College who opened their doors to this free-of-charge art experience.

Twenty or so miles north of Annandale-on-Hudson and Bard College is Olana, the hilltop home of Frederic Edwin Church, a prominent member of the Hudson Valley School of Painters, and a student of Thomas Cole, the brilliant landscape painter and the originator of the school and the American environmental movement.

Sculpture by Peter Rockwell, Stockbridge, MA

We also drove to Western Massachusetts and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. Rockwell’s talent and the depth of his work are on display in a major way in Stockbridge, and his son Peter’s playful sculptures dot the land outside. Inside the museum, the permanent collection of Rockwell’s works is something to value and behold. His work is iconic because he was consistently commissioned by some of America’s biggest corporations, but Rockwell’s work is expansive. He tackled tough topics with grace and pushed back on his clients when their instincts veered from his own.

The Norman Rockwell Museum is currently exhibiting, “Between Worlds: The Art and Design of Leo Lionni,” which showcases graphic design and advertising art direction, along with fine art. While Lionni’s lines are exceptionally clean, he blurred categories and arbitrary distinctions, injecting the business world with art, and the art world with a new sense of perspective.

For any student or practitioner of graphic design or advertising, the museum is an important curator of commercial works by legendary artists. People in the industry today often talk about how art and creative ideas are absent and they want someone to blame. How about we all accept our share of blame, learn from the masters of the craft, and commit to doing better in the future?

I also love the museum’s mission: The Norman Rockwell Museum illuminates the power of American illustration art to reflect and shape society and advances the enduring values of kindness, respect, and social equity portrayed by Norman Rockwell.

We Are People Powered

Last month I wrote, “We are social creatures, and we need more connections with nature and physical spaces where we can be together and help each other learn, grow, and heal.” I am pleased to report that our recent travels reminded us to not only “find the others,” but to cherish the others we’ve already found.

The people of New York

Lagniappe

1. Jorge Luis Borges once wrote that to live in a time of great peril and promise is to experience both tragedy and comedy, with “the imminence of a revelation” in understanding ourselves and the world. [source: The New York Times]

2. Nextdoor now has sites in 330,000 communities, reaching 53 million people. By contrast, the collective audience — print and digital — of all American newspapers is 24.3 million on weekdays.

3. How tough are the Ivies? Nearly 80 percent of all grades given to undergraduates at Yale last academic year were A’s or A minuses. At Harvard, 79 percent of all grades given to undergraduates in the 2020-21 year were also A’s or A minuses.

4. Mark Cuban wants Texas to legalize casino gambling. "Texas would crush it as a tourist destination," he said, adding: "If we get just online betting, I don't think that moves the needle at all, but resort casino betting ... Imagine creating a Venetian or Bellagio that you've seen in Vegas, or if you've gone to Macau and some of these other places, in Dallas in Austin or in Houston. [source: Austin Business Journal]

5. Community radio like WNCW in Spindale, KUAA in Salt Lake City, WWOZ in New Orleans, KMHD in Portland, and KUTX in Austin is the best radio. Please support your favorite broadcasters and sources of musical discovery.

Thanks for being here now,

I work with business and community leaders to help them shape their best brand stories and connect with new audiences. When you’re ready to run for office, grow a business, or spark a social change movement, please let me know.