the retreat issue, no. 8

THOSE WHO KNOW ME, know that I am a workaholic. I actually only became this way when I moved upstate. In the past few years, I’ve launched three restaurants and a magazine, and am possibly working on another project, under way for next spring. Ask my husband or our kids, and they will all agree that I do not understand the word “relax.” My form of meditation includes organizing my desk or shopping for much-needed business supplies. On a good day, I’ll deep-clean the house or take a really long shower (because this is where I get my best ideas). I’m not proud of any of this. It’s just who I am. In October, inspiration hit and I came up with the theme of the eighth issue: Retreat. I wanted to be inspired by stories that would help me and others like me refocus our energies on pulling back to self-heal. I wanted to learn how to live more intently. To that end, this issue begins with an interview with someone whom I can relate to, Foster Huntington. Many of us are familiar with his blog and travelogues online. A wunderkind, he’s already published three books, including The Burning House and Home Is Where You Park It. More recently, Foster left his nomadic, fast-paced lifestyle and retreated to Washington state, where he hand-built and now lives in the “Cinder Cone” (named after his latest book), a treehouse hovering 35 feet above ground. While Foster’s story doesn’t actually take place upstate, his life and the choices he has made will be inspiring to anyone who wants to step away from the grind. Like Foster, many of the people we’ve featured in this issue—The B-52s’ Kate Pierson, Denny Brownell of the Red Rose Motel, Lisa Candela of Mystic Lodge—have turned their backs on the city to live life on their own terms. They have not only created their own worlds, but have opened them up to others, offering much-needed respite to weary visitors. 

Nhi Mundy, Editor in Chief

Michael Mundy, Executive Editor

Stephen Male, Design Director

John Paul Tran, Style Editor

Mimi Vu, Senior Editor

Mandy Coon, Market Editor

Esther de Jong, Advertising Executive

Isaac Lee, Abigail Wagner, Assistants