Arts + Culture

Driven By Curiosity

Haley Geffen's search for the human story Article by Cat Rolfes In a month dedicated to exploration, of places, ideas and the parts of ourselves we don't always see, filmmaker Haley Geffen feels like a natural fit. The six-time Emmy Award-winning director and co-founder of Coed Studios has built her career on a simple instinct: look closer. In an era when attention is measured in clicks and seconds spent scrolling, Geffen is drawn to something more enduring. Her work explores the emotional...

Life + Culture

Built on Belief

Thirty Years of Art and Community Article by Cat Rolfes | Photography by Provided Before the first curtain rose, before the familiar hush settled over an audience, the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts existed only as an idea. Concrete was still being poured. Steel beams stretched toward the sky. Construction crews moved across a site that represented something more than a building project. It was a community's belief that the arts deserved a permanent home on the North Shore. As the...

Travel

A New Way to Roam

Authentic, immersive journeys created for travelers in their 40s and 50s Article by Robyn Cohen | Photography by Provided One of the things I appreciate about travel is the opportunity to experience a destination beyond its landmarks. While iconic sights have their place, it's often the neighborhood cafés, markets, family-run restaurants and everyday interactions that leave the strongest impression. Over two decades in the travel industry, I've seen growing interest in journeys that offer...

Arts + Culture

Lit & Local

Indie and local books that are bound to inspire Article by Cat Rolfes | Photography by Provided HOME By Margot Dallas • Illustrated by Barbara Kowalska Some books invite young readers to explore far-off places. HOME invites them to understand why those places matter. This 50-page visual poem by Margot Dallas, brought to life through the soft watercolors of illustrator Barbara Kowalska, guides children through habitats around the world: forest floors, ocean depths, cloud forests and...

Life + Culture

Beyond the Blooms

How the Chicago Botanic Garden Is Quietly Shaping Chicago’s Future Article by Cat Rolfes | Photography by Provided For many longtime members, the Chicago Botanic Garden lives in a familiar register. It’s where seasons announce themselves with tulips or asters, where grandchildren learn the difference between oak and maple, where a Saturday afternoon can unfold without agenda. Beauty, yes. Calm, certainly. But that picture, however cherished, is incomplete. What most visitors don’t see from...

Local Services

The Modern Dad

Curated gifts beyond the expected and ordinary Article by Cat Rolfes Father’s Day gifts tend to fall into familiar territory, but the dads worth celebrating rarely do. This year’s guide leans into that idea, curating a mix of elevated essentials, immersive experiences and design-forward indulgences that feel considered rather than conventional. From statement pieces that redefine the home gym to quiet luxuries he’ll reach for every day, each selection is rooted in craftsmanship, performance...

Life + Culture

Scott Turow’s Unfinished Business

Indie and local books that are bound to inspire. Article by Cat Rolfes | Photography by Audrey Snow Owen Scott Turow has spent decades exploring the uneasy space where law and human behavior collide. In Presumed Guilty , published Jan. 14, 2025, he returns to Rusty Sabich, the character who first defined his voice and helped shape the modern legal thriller. The novel marks the third installment in the Rusty Sabich trilogy, following Presumed Innocent and Innocent . Now in his 70s, Rusty...

Health + Wellness

The Longevity Architect

At Point Zero Wellness, Dr. Daniel Domoleczny builds the structural resilience and mental clarity required for a lifetime of vitality. Article by Cat Rolfes If the internal chemistry of a man is the roadmap, then the physical body is the vehicle that must carry him forward. Alignment matters. So does balance, breath, and the quiet strength to recover well. At Point Zero Wellness, Dr. Daniel Domoleczny focuses on that external architecture: the structure that allows longevity to feel not just...

Life + Culture

North Shore Summer Guide

The Sun-Drenched Circuit: A Field Guide to the North Shore’s Summer Rituals Article by Cat Rolfes There is a specific frequency to summer on the North Shore. It isn't merely a season; it’s a series of curated experiences. From the 50th anniversary of Glenview's Summer Fest to the boutique intimacy of the Winnetka Music Festival, the social calendar is a masterclass in community spirit. Whether you’re hunting for an heirloom mid-century vase at a sidewalk sale or the perfect bunch of organic...

Health + Wellness

The Precision Health Strategist

Dr. Faris Murad is moving North Shore men away from reactive crisis care and toward a data-driven era of internal optimization. Article by Cat Rolfes | Photography by Maria Ponce Berre Men on the North Shore are quietly renegotiating their relationship with health. Not in the performative, New Year’s-resolution sense, but in a more sober, midlife way—one that asks harder questions: How long can I keep doing this? Why am I exhausted when nothing is technically wrong? What does “aging well”...