strategy | branding | writing
This may be one of those things where the idea of the thing is better than the thing itself, but who said you can’t take the best bits of inspiration from both the present and the past to collage together an idea of Grant Park then and now? And let’s be clear: I’m not not…
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What a novel Description A timeless story of the “improbable-but-true serendipity” of one’s 20s told through the eyes of a clever, independent newcomer to New York in 1937. (New York Times, 2011) Why Rarely have I found a novel where I want to dive into the world of the characters so immensely. I had to…
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What. Historically renovated motor hotel in Santa Fe Description. El Rey Court is instantly charming from Cerrillos, a main road in the Baca Area of the Santa Fe Railyard. The hotel was recently given some love by “husband-and-wife creative team Jay and Alison Carroll, [who] redesigned the storied adobe motor inn in partnership with Austin-based…
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What Actress and model Description “Garner’s studious dedication to understanding, and ultimately embodying, the characters she plays, along with her appreciation for art, is a product of her upbringing in the Bronx, in a family where creativity, discussion and debate were feverishly encouraged. ‘I would describe my childhood as highly creative and loud,’ Garner says.…
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If I’m making noodles, it’s pad thai all the way and this super simple recipe brings in a tangy sweetness and heat! Plus this version is vegan and gluten free. (This recipe has been adapted from 101 Cookbooks Sunshine Pad Thai (Vegetarian) write-up.) The basics {Trader Joe’s Edition} (GF) Organic brown rice spaghetti pasta 1…
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What Place: wine bar & bookshop Description “Part wine bar, part sophisticated bookshop, part cultural concept, Lucian marries a variety of things in life that are often romanticized—art, culture, wine, prose and food—in Buckhead at the corner of Pharr and Peachtree roads. “ Why Lucian is as striking from the outside as the inside, and…
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2022 Resolutions
Image: Harvard Business Review
Howdy, welcome to my quick guide to some great wines I’ve tried recently. You may notice some trends: I tend to prefer drier, minerally white wines and roses, and spicy, tannic and structured reds. All said, I lean toward an adventurous pallet, so hopefully you agree this selection is wide reaching. Wines are listed by…
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Quit your bitching. This is generally seen as good advice. Find me a person that wants to be seen as a whiner. But, what if I said bitching is good business. I’m serious. Being able to articulate issues is an art form. Being able to pitch problems, now that’s an even more lucrative art form.…
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Atlanta Dairies
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What A core Vietnamese dish with an inventive future and fascinating history, tracing back to street vendors in Hanoi and a touch of French colonialism influence. Description “It’s beef noodle soup; it can’t be that complicated,” calmly jokes Andrea Nguyen, a well-known Pho expert and author of The Pho Cookbook. In the introduction of her…
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What Driftwood, Texas based distillery, bar, and spirit brand Description Who built the business: “Judson Kauffman, former Marine fighter pilot Brent Looby, and former military intelligence analyst Ryan Campbell” met at The University of Texas’ McCombs MBA program with a shared entrepreneurial passion. The trio became the first in the nation to develop a now…
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What Food & drink in Grant Park Description “Full Commission is an all-day southern gastropub serving counter service coffee, espresso, and breakfast in the morning with full-service bar and dinner in the evenings. On the weekends we serve full service brunch in the mornings.” Voyage ATL Why The space, service and food speak for themselves…
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I take great pride in my birth year of 1993. I came of age in the time of cat-eye glasses, the Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Limited Too, Linsey Lohan, bell bottoms, glittery plastic accessories, and Mathew McConaughey rom coms, what’s not to love. This likely explains my shameless satisfaction with The O.C. It lovingly represents…
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Personal branding can serve a business purpose, but don’t let this overshadow an equally important purpose: having fun. Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you say you’re bored, then you are boring”? Well the same philosophy applies to personal branding, and more specifically how you plan out content creation for personal branding. So let’s…
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Located away from the buzz of the French Quarter in the Lower Garden District, it invites a slower pace and sense of place. —Vogue What Historic, personality-driven hotel developed with inspiration from musician Saint Vincent Description “This spring’s opening of the Hotel Saint Vincent, in New Orleans’s Lower Garden District, represents a next act for…
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Your greatest regret at the end of your life will be the lions you didn’t chase. You will look back longingly on risks not taken, opportunities not seized, and dreams not pursued. Stop running away from what scares you most and start chasing. — Mark Batterson I love this quote. I admit I enjoy chasing…
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“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” — Maya Angelou I woke this morning exhausted—Not physically, but emotionally. Rather than forcing an early wake-up call, I stayed in bed until it felt like a good time to wake up. Around 6:30am, I went through the ritual of turning…
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Learn Curious how Cabbagetown’s artistic, closely-bound community has preserved its homes and heritage over the past 100+ years? Recommended reading includes How a Mill Settlement Evolved into Cabbagetown, A brief history of Cabbagetown, and an overview of the neighborhood’s historic homes. Experience Park at Euclid and Druid at the edge of Inman Park. While walking…
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What Historic home in Inman Park, Atlanta’s first planned neighborhood. Description “Inman Park is architectural eye candy. The neighborhood is made up of mansions dating from the late 19th century, including a famous Beaux Arts estate once owned by Coca-Cola magnate Asa Candler. But even Callan Castle can scarcely compete with the King-Keith House for…
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What best-selling author. Latest novel: Visible Empire Description In Hannah’s own words, Visible Empire’s gripping and beautifully interwoven stories center around “immediate loss” and how her protagonists navigate the aftermath. Why Invisible Empire was amazing, and while listening to the Archive Atlanta podcast, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed reading Visible Empire coincidentally…
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What place, mixed use art and film location (*for a full description keep scrolling.) Why Gallery hopping by its very nature is meant to unfold semi-unplanned. But I also believe engineering a great ‘stumble upon’ moment takes behind-the-scenes planning. So here we are with our gallery gameplan: We had a series of five studios to…
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What Austin-based hospitality group Description This design-centric, dog-friendly hospitality group hosts guests at Hotel San Jose, Hotel Saint Cecilia, the Austin Motel (all on South Congress in Austin, TX), Hotel Havana, The Phoenix Hotel and Hotel San Cristobal Baja. They’re known for being community-centric, locally rooted, and in their own words, “proud to build business…
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What Special travel guides that aim to capture a local sense of place Description Wildsam was founded by Taylor Bruce in 2012 with a strong belief in the transformative power of wonder, particularly wonder captured through travel. In their own words, Wisdom seeks out “these real and rooted things, what’s truly authentic to a place.”…
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What An art installation created in by Judy Chicago in 1979 Description As the name suggests, The Dinner Party features elaborate place settings for 39 historic and mythic female icons including Sacajawea, Sojourner Truth, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Empress Theodora of Byzantium, Virginia Woolf, Susan B. Anthony, and Georgia O’Keeffe. Touring 6 countries, this incredible installation…
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What A candle company with a unique mission: to bring you back to the places and memories through scent. Description Homesick was founded by the young entrepreneur Nate Schmiedehaus, and includes a line of scents reminiscent of destinations (think states, cities, countries) and moments (American Summer, Twenty Four, Winter Mantel, etc.) Why My best friend…
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What A favorite music podcast where host Hrishikesh Hirway speaks with a musician and unpacks how one of their songs was made Description For Song Exploder‘s 200th episode Hrishikesh Hirway speaks with Yusuf / Cat Stephens as he describes his new 2020 version of hit Father and Son, originally released in 1970. Why This is…
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Beyond new resolutions and fresh mojo, I look forward to January for the forecasts. I get giddy to dive head first into Pinterest Predicts, Ford Forward, Pantone’s Color of the Year, and the hundreds of other corporate reports that take their best guesses at what’s coming in the new year. But this year, I’m far…
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What Person, Interior Designer, Creative Director and much much more, Athena Calderone Description “Armed with an eye for the unexpected, founder Athena Calderone created EyeSwoon as a form of visual expression, a place to transform ordinary life into a feast for the eyes. Through these creative journeys, EyeSwoon lifts the curtain on inspiring food, design…
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What Place, Fire Island Description A favorite blog, Escape Brooklyn, provides an excellent snapshot of this unique corner of the world: “Fire Island is a 31-mile barrier island just off the southern coast of Long Island. Its proximity to NYC–paired with picturesque beaches, cute neighborhoods, fabulous rental homes, and the radiant LBGT culture–make this a…
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JENNIE LEE GRUBER 