Along with the draw of a major Native American art events, a slew of new restaurant and store openings make Santa Fe a top contender for that last-minute escape.

Every August, international aesthetes descend upon Santa Fe, New Mexico for the famed SWAIA Indian Market. This weekend, spread out around a central leafy plaza, the market plays host to a world-class roster of Native American artists: Aric Chopito's traditional Zuni Pueblo textiles, including a fringed rain sash; Russell Sanchez’s earthy San Ildefonso pottery; Shan Gorshan’s double-woven Cherokee baskets; and Sonwai's chunky 18-karat gold and silver jewelry pieces, which are also on display at the oh-so-perfectly curated Shiprock Gallery, to name a few. While the seasonal market will draw huge crowds, the city is worth exploring beyond the main plaza, offering a slew of new openings to keep you inspired, well-fed, and well-rested.

Fittingly, this weekend, ZOHI, a new contemporary Native-American-owned space is opening as well. “We wanted to bring a resurgence of Natives selling their own art,” says its founder, Zoe Urness, an Alaskan Tlilngit and Cherokee photographer perhaps best known for her image of a U.S. military veteran at Standing Rock, wearing a gas mask and clutching an American flag. Along with her Navajo partner, Lehi Thunder Voice Eagle, her space will be showcasing work by the filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, who has created a virtual reality piece based on the Standing Rock experience; works by Steven Paul Judd, Santiago X, and Gregg Deal; and Jacque Fragua’s politically charged street art.

And then there’s the fashion. Last month, cult Japanese label Visvim moved into a light-flooded Victorian house, where it combines a Zen aesthetic with a deep homage to Native cultures. From designer Hiroki Nakamura, the brand’s first womenswear outpost features high-rise leather moccasins alongside Japanese furniture and antique pottery. For Western ware, the beloved Santa Fe Vintage has an adobe home on East Palace Avenue with reworked indigo Mali cloth, cowboy boots, vintage denim, and turquoise jewelry.

Collecting all those beautiful crafts and fashion can work up an appetite—luckily, new bars and restaurants have you covered. The unfussy Mexican spot Paloma offers bone marrow tacos, grilled whole sea bass and mezcal-based cocktails, while the locally loved French café Clafoutis’s new storefront features airy croissant sandwiches and niçoise salads with white anchovies. For something sweet, drop by Dolina for dreamy slices of banana cream pie, Eastern European baked goods, and a fortifying espresso. Healthy açaí bowls, turmeric juice shots, and biodynamic seeds are on tap at the bright white-on-white Modern General—so are garden tools, cotton baskets, and ceramic mixing bowls. Just behind it, the cheery, salad-focused Vinaigrette serves peach burrata, kale Caesars and summery rosés.

After all the hustle, wind down at the Four Seasons Rancho Encantado’s new partnership with EQUUS, which uses horses for well-being and therapy sessions. Wellness is nothing new in Santa Fe, but harnessing the power of the herd and horses in an open paddock helps guests gain insight into their own personalities—in the season of the eclipse, even the most ardent new-age cynics could become believers.

The Luxe Life: Tips for Making Your Mark As a Luxury Brand

Cracking the luxury market can be an intimidating step for new brands. Gloria Gammo has some tips for taking your brands to new heights in luxury.

The word ‘luxury’ comes complete with its own (Louis Vuitton-monogrammed) suite of connotations – from the covetable to the downright unattainable, luxury brands exist in a different echelon, and for many businesses, cracking the luxury market seems far out of reach.

While it takes on different forms for different people, there are common characteristics. Regardless of whether your brand provides a service, an experience, or a product, to really embody ‘luxury’ you must incorporate the winning trifecta of personalisation, exclusivity, and value recognition into everything that you do.

So where do you start? It’s all about knowing your market.

Do your research

Dive deep to identify your target consumer segment. Before we started My Proposal Co we had both spent more than 10 years working for luxury brands in travel and event management. We knew exactly how our customers liked to be treated, and what high notes to hit to ensure the experience wasn’t just enjoyable, but luxurious.

Working in your chosen industry for other luxury businesses helps give you an insight into where your luxury brand could carve out its niche. But it’s not enough just to identify your
market – when setting out to launch a luxury brand, it’s important to do your groundwork on why consumers are drawn to luxury in the first place.

Perceived luxury

A recent study identified four dimensions to the perception of luxury:

• financial (the value of the product expressed in dollars),
• functional (the quality, uniqueness and reliability of the product),
• individual (the customer’s personal orientation on consumption), and
• social (the idea of conspicuousness and prestige value to affect social standing).

To some consumers, social dimensions such as the popularity or exclusivity of the luxury brand might be the most important, signalling wealth and status among their peer groups. To others, luxury goods might serve as a financial investment and must meet their standards of superior quality. To others, luxury brand consumption might stem from hedonistic or materialistic motives that express their individual self.

What does this mean for you? To start, luxury brands should encompass their consumer’s values to justify a purchase. Understanding these value dimensions in the context of your own customers is key to implementing appropriate marketing strategies.

Once you’ve identified and understood your market segment, it’s time to implement your brand strategy and promotion techniques. These need to be clear and consistent from the outset, so your brand maintains its integrity and appeal.

Revel in the ritual

With the growing trend towards experiential luxury over pure product luxury, it’s key to create luxurious rituals around the consumption of your product, allowing customers to really experience your brand.

One example is Porsche, which innovated its delivery process by allowing customers to pick up their new car right off the assembly line in Germany – it’s personalised, exclusive, and tailored to appeal to the desires and interests of luxury vehicle consumers.

Inject some mystery

Prestige brands differ from mass brands in that they won’t compare themselves with competitors – rather they aim to elevate their own brand by communicating stories (often laced with mystery) to give the brand an air of myth. Think the enigmatic persona of Coco Chanel, still leveraged in Chanel’s marketing to this day. Create your own myths and legends, and use these in every touch point – from your products, to brick-and-mortar (or online) stores, to your marketing.

Maintain control

In a world where outsourcing and automation are words du jour, luxury brands do it differently. Luxury is about the personal, and quality control is paramount. It’s also crucial to have full control of distribution or delivery of your product or service: this is where the one-on-one service comes in.

Tania and I are on-hand for our clients 24/7 from day one, throughout the proposal planning, and on the actual day. Providing this support is all part of delivering a seamless experience.

Don’t advertise, communicate

Luxury brands communicate a story to build a dream, providing a covetable lifestyle that consumers wish to recreate. This communication can’t be measured by short-term sales increases – it’s a long game. It’s why we don’t do any outbound marketing at My Proposal Co. Instead, we focus on communicating the brand’s story, and our customers come to us.

Scrap the price tag

Brands need to understand that for clients, price is not the motivating factor. Instead, it’s about the four value dimensions mentioned above. When we set up our business we didn’t want price to be a factor – we don’t put prices on our website and there are no set packages or standard items on offer because we provide a tailored service.

Treasure the one-on-one

Treat every client as a VIP, develop direct, one-on-one relationships with your clients. For us, forging a genuine connection with our clients is crucial because it allows us to tailor their proposals to their personality. The real luxury isn’t in the diamonds and caviar, it’s being able to deliver a creative, one-of- a-kind experience. It’s all about nailing those luxurious details for a personalised, lavish experience.

5 Tips To Squeezing Health Into A Busy Work Schedule

The adoption of a fast-paced lifestyle has increased the number of lifestyle-related ailments like chronic neck and back pain, diabetes, obesity, Vitamin D deficiency, and others. The situation is amplified with the increase in pollution, toxins, and even stress in our surrounding environment.

Hence, it is important we start making the right choices and taking care of our health, by adopting a balanced lifestyle.

For those of us who have a desk job and work for more than eight hours at a stretch staying healthy can get challenging.

Some of the common challenges we could be facing include:

• Working until late, leading to unhealthy eating choices, like fried snacks, chips, instant noodles etc.
• Lack of exercise, leading to fatigue at work.
• Lack of time to pack lunch boxes.
• And often, not getting the time to plan or think about our health and food.
• So here is a plan on how you can help fight the above challenges and work towards leading a healthy lifestyle.

Keep a safety box of (healthy) food

A lot of times, our meal times could go way off from routine, because of meetings or travel. We might not have time to get a good dose of nutritious food at those times.

Here is where you create a ‘safety box’ which has an assortment of healthy food and keep it on your desk or wherever is the place that you are trapped most of your working hours.

This box would contain healthy food options like

Energy bars, dry nuts, bowl of fresh fruits etc. The key is food on-the-go, which you can simply grab and eat.

Plan and prep meals for the week

To avoid the temptation of takeout food, we suggest you use the days that you are off to plan and prep meals for the entire week. Keep some sauce ready, chop up some vegetables and greens, and keep some cooked whole grains handy – pack them up in different combos in the fridge and have your own customised salad bar throughout the week. Or whip up an easy fresh fruit, oats and yogurt parfait for a quick breakfast jar.

Cut back on caffeine

A common drink to get that instant boost of energy is coffee. Instant coffees or even sodas will provide the much-needed relief but they will backfire on your health in the long run.

You probably cannot completely do without coffee, especially after a long meeting, but avoid drinking caffeinated drinks few hours before you are about retire for the night and sleep. Instead, opt for a glass of warm milk along with dry fruits or even a glass of turmeric milk.

This allows the body to recover and flush out the toxins especially since caffeine stays in the body for at least three-five hours. You can always switch to green tea or even healthier options like fresh fruit juices.

Incorporate exercise as and when you can

While there are some organisations that have office gyms and yoga studios on their premises, most people don’t get the time to take advantage of such benefits. That doesn’t mean that you cannot exercise. Skip the traditional and opt for innovative exercises that you can include in your daily schedule. Cycle or walk to your work, use the stairs, skip your social media and take a walk for 30 minutes to connect with someone after lunch, or take your meetings and one-on-ones as a walk down the road.

And then, of course, there are the basic ones like stretching, leg circles, chair squats and knee lifts and much more that you can practice when you are sitting on your chair.

Get a healthy dose of realism

Even with the best of intentions, sometimes our body is too tired from hectic work schedules that it simply refuses exertion of any kind. The mind, too, gets affected and the result is sadness, and a constant feeling of fatigue.

What is important is to realise the truth. If unconventional work schedules don’t let you exercise, just be truthful to yourself. Instead of going to a full-fledged gym and eventually letting go of your membership midway, do something that you love. Take your dog for a walk. Go for evening walks with a friend. Play with your children. Try something new and you will feel rejuvenated and refreshed.

Working long and maintaining a healthy life is not easy, but it is not impossible. However, you might have to squeeze in some healthy habits to live healthier and stress-free. Try these simple steps first and don’t forget to smile.

Greenwich women step out for fitness and fun

GREENWICH — On Tuesday’s cool morning, a group of women in activewear came up around the bend at Cos Cob Park to wrap up their last MeFit session.

They were chatting, laughing and talking about their FitBit Zips — electronic fitness and health trackers clipped to their clothing — which were made available to them courtesy of the Greenwich Senior Center, on their way to reconvene and celebrate completing the center’s six-week fitness program.

The Fitbits “clock our mileage, our steps,” said Barbara Mould. “It’s great because I had one but never used it, and since this class started, I use it every day.”

Suzanne Testani, the center’s program coordinator, said that the decision to buy the Fitbit Zips is an effort to bring state-of-the-art programming to Greenwich residents. The center bought each teardrop-shaped Zip for $65.

At the end of the step-based program Tuesday, participants were able to purchase the Zips they used for a discounted price, $25, or return them to the center for future program use.

Clad in a bright pink top with matching leggings, Lete Miranda said she didn’t focus too much on the technological aspect of the program. Miranda focused on how she felt energized by being part of the exercise group.

“I have (a Fitbit) at home as well and I sort of know how it works,” Miranda said when she came up the pathway at the front parking lot with Dottie Brower. “But I was always looking forward to coming with the ladies (and Program Coordinator) Suzanne (Testani) — I feel like I’m chillaxing when I go.

“I feel stronger,” she said, “more motivated.”

Motivation came for Kathy Cullen in facing the challenge of healing after injury, without pushing her limits.

“I had to beg my doctor to join this group,” said Cullen, who came up the bend with a baseball cap and sweatshirt. “I had (rotator cuff) surgery in April.”

Peg Hroziencik said keeping active at any age is important. In addition to participating in MeFit, she swims with Mould at the YMCA and YWCA, and walks almost three miles with her church regularly.

“Even a short walk,” Hroziencik said, “keep moving every day. Try to do something.”

The hour-long class, which began at 9:15 each Tuesday morning, was inspired by studies that show group exercise yields positive results, Testani said. MeFit complements other group classes she teaches at the Senior Center.

“It’s nice to get together with a group of women,” Brower said. “We laugh and we talk. We have fun.”

Before Cos Cob Park, the group walked at Bruce Park, around the Havemeyer Park track, and at the Senior Center this summer — with terrains increasing in difficulty as the program progressed.

“We had some guests who brought their (grandchildren),” Testani said reflecting on the program. “We let people walk their own pace ... It’s just another way for Greenwich residents of all ages to enjoy the great outdoors.”

7 Ways to Get On the Water in Traverse City This Summer

It’s never been easier to get on the water in Traverse City. Set sail on a historic schooner, speed into the sunset on a jet ski or test your balance on a paddleboard. See for yourself why this bayside town got voted number one boating town in the nation by BoatU.S.—it also made the top 10 list for best beach towns.

Nauticat

A sunset cruise aboard this catamaran tour boat is by far one of the most memorable ways to experience the bay. The Nauti-Cat offers four cruises daily, or rent the whole boat for you and up to 45 of your closest friends. Cash bar and bathroom on board. 231.947.1730.

Parasailing

Float up to 80 feet above Grand Traverse Bay for a seagull’s view of one of the biggest, cleanest, freshwater bays on earth. Try East Bay Parasail (231.633.3327) or Traverse Bay Parasailing (231.929.7272) for solo and tandem flights.

Powerboat

If you love speed and don’t want to miss an inch of Grand Traverse Bay’s 300 square miles, a powerboat is a must. Sail & Power Boat Rental has ski boats, pontoons and jet skis—plus all the kneeboarding, tubing and waterskiing paraphernalia you’ll need for a perfect afternoon. 231.922.9336.

Sailing

A sailboat is still one of the most nostalgic and romantic ways to experience the water. Great Lakes Sailing Co. has a fleet of more than 20 yachts you can rent— the largest fleet on Lake Michigan. Not a captain? You can hire one there too. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. 231.941.0535.

Tall Ship Manitou

This 114-foot-long, 1800s-replica schooner seems to have cruised straight out of a Great Lakes history book. The deck beneath your feet, the sails billowed above: unforgettable. Choose from three daily tours (noon, afternoon Moomer’s sail and the popular evening cruise), each two hours long., or specialty cruises such as the wine tasting and entertainment cruises.

Kayaking and Paddleboarding

Paddling the shoreline of Traverse Bay is a summer classic. Whatever your paddling pleasure, The River (231.883.7890) on Boardman Lake can connect you with rentals by the hour or day—canoes, tubes and rafts also available—for a trip from the lake to the bay. Paddle TC (231.492.0223), located in Clinch Park, offers kayaks and paddle boards and shore-to-shore delivery pretty much anywhere in Northern Michigan. And don’t forget about the crazy popular Paddle for Pints—a brewery pub paddle on Boardman Lake and River and West Grand Traverse Bay with stops at up to six breweries.

Charter Fishing

For the outdoorsmen and women, there are few thrills like chasing game fish on the Great Lakes. Traverse City offers options right at the docks, with the bonus that fishing amid the protection of Grand Traverse Bay offers more assurance of smooth waters. With nearly 300 square miles, a depth of 600 feet, and an abundance of lake trout, brown trout, steelhead and salmon, the bay offers fisherman all the species of desire. Charter fishing need-to-know: All bait and tackle are usually provided, a typical half-day trip runs about four hours and anyone over 17 who plans to fish will need a valid Michigan fishing license (day licenses run about $10). Three charters to try in TC: Big Kahuna, Daydreamer and Reel Fun.

Take the kids to … Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre, Devon

This quirky museum-attraction is filled with working vintage fairground rides, fairground art, try-your-luck stalls and a penny arcade. Board the 1940s ghost train, ride the speedy Edwards’ Golden Gallopers carousel (much faster than modern versions and with original carved wooden horses), spin until you’re queasy in a teacup or bump to your heart’s content on the 80-year-old Super Dodgems.

This is the home of the National Fairground Collection, and all the rides here have history, from the hand-turned Overboats ride (built in the 1870s) to the beautifully painted 1930s Edwards’ Chariot Racer, one of the first white-knuckle rides. The Rodeo Switchback, Supersonic Skid and Chariot Racer are all fast enough to keep older kids and adults amused, and for little ones there’s a Happy Caterpillar and a very sweet 100-year-old roundabout. Classic stalls include darts and cans, hook-a-duck and the popular Plate Smasher. At themed events throughout the summer, kids can learn circus skills or meet characters from the Wizard of Oz.

Fun fact 

The Moon Rocket ride, made in 1938, is the only surviving example of such a ride in the world. The centre spins anti-clockwise and the cars clockwise, creating an illusion of greater speed.

Best thing about it

There’s a charm to these vintage rides that you no longer find in modern fairgrounds. I particularly enjoyed peeking inside the sumptuous living wagon, or Palace on Wheels, of showman Charles Heal, but the Golden Gallopers and Dodgems were my daughter’s favourite by far.

What about lunch?

The Carousel Cafe serves standard fare: burgers, sausages and chips, nachos. The healthiest options were jacket potatoes (£3.50 child, £4.45 adult) or soup (£4.95). The children’s lunch box (£4.95) included half a white bread sandwich, Pom-Bear crisps, a tube of yoghurt, raisins, fruit juice and an apple. There are picnic benches outside for those who bring their own food. A nice selection of homemade scones and cakes starts at £1.95.

Exit through the gift shop?

The small shop is beside the exit, selling vintage-style toys and fairground gifts starting from 99p. There’s a good collection of new and secondhand fairground art books on sale, too.

Getting there

Dingles Heritage Fairground is a mile from the A30 in west Devon, 35 miles west of Exeter, and seven miles east of Launceston. It’s well-signposted and makes an unusual stop en route to Cornwall.

Value for money?

Not bad: tickets are valid for a year with Gift Aid. Saver tickets, including 10 ride tokens, cost £12.60 adult, £10.80 child. A family ticket (two adults and up to four kids) without tokens is £28. Tokens are 50p each if bought separately (most rides require two tokens).

Opening hours

Open daily 10am-5pm, 17 March-29 October, though check the website before visiting.

Verdict

7/10. It’s fun but still a work in progress. More could be made of the transport and living wagons collection, which are tightly packed and cordoned-off in a separate building. It would benefit from a good outdoor play area too.

The City Gate, Exeter: hotel review

Exeter is so close to lovely beaches, Dartmoor, Exmoor, and pretty towns like Totnes and Chagford it’s a wonder many travellers know it mainly for the M5 services. Being a “gateway” to the West Country is almost an invitation to whizz through.

When the 18th-century Royal Clarence Hotel – often described as England’s oldest hotel – was destroyed in a fire last October, the city lost its most characterful lodgings. The City Gate – a Young’s pub with rooms in a listed redbrick former coaching inn, which reopened in May after extensive refurbishment – doesn’t make up for this loss, but it does provide the essentials for a short stopover. Its 14 bedrooms are smallish but smartly decorated, and the locale is of historical interest: the pub abuts the original Roman city walls and looks out on to the Iron Bridge, built in 1834.

My standard twin room had an easy-on-the-eye green and grey colour scheme that’s replicated throughout the building. Exeter used to be a centre for processing and exporting woollen cloth, a heritage celebrated in prints of sheep, a framed abstract worked in wool, bedside lamps made from glass containing balls of wool, and a small, metal sheep’s head sculpture.

A long desk contained a handsome steel floating-arm office lamp, a Krups coffee machine, a kettle with Joe’s teas, and welcome treats in the form of some fudge to nibble and a small decanter of sherry. The minibar had beer, whisky and fresh milk. The bathroom was smallish, but smartly done, with floor to ceiling white tiling, large mirrors, roomy walk-in rainshower and Algotherm toiletries.

The hotel is 10 minutes’ walk from Exeter St Davids station, and five from the city centre. The gothic medieval cathedral is impressive, and if you like your mercy seats and vaulted ceilings it’s worth the £7.50 entry. The Exeter Phoenix is an excellent small arts complex, with day courses and an interesting gigs roster. Exeter’s best attractions, however, are its waterways: a bike ride down the Exe to Topsham or Exmouth, or a paddle along the canal are highly recommended – hire from AS Watersports or Saddles and Paddles.

For a five o’ clock “bridger” try the Fat Pig, a stylishly unkempt gastropub just round the corner, which serves good wines and tasty ales.

The Young’s pub inside the City Gate is also stylish, in a slightly more corporate fashion. It has a long bar – serving local beers and ciders, and Plymouth gin – and a nice snug full of mismatched chairs and antiques. The nicest space, though, is the cosy, cool-looking Cellar Bar, which the landlords are offering to arts groups and open-mic nights free of charge. Once the pub’s wine store, it has original bare stone walls, with dark wooden tables, loungey chairs, and funky artwork on the walls.

The beer garden is vast, with space for perhaps 150-200 people to eat, as well as the 100 or so inside the pub. As the far end was drenched in evening sun, I took a seat outside for dinner.

Devon is a proud food county. Brixham crab on sourdough, and West Country lamb rump drizzled in caper and shallot dressing were delicious and generously proportioned. The wine list was short but good, with reasonably priced old- and new-world wines, and oddities such as Slovenian pinot bianco – though, sadly, none of Devon’s own crisp whites. Tim, the Dutch waiter, was chatty and charming.

The garden is already doing a roaring trade at weekends, when a craft beer stall and burger bar open, in addition to the main kitchen and pub.

Secondary glazing kept the traffic noise out at night, and though I could sense other guests moving around, I slept well through to breakfast – a perfect eggs florentine, with cafetière coffee, fresh fruit and cereals.