Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/987764
letter editor STEVEN VISNEAU, SISTERBROTHER MGMT. 14 I am a child of Southern California. There is no doubt about it. Every week starting in June, my parents would open the gate to our backyard and host what they lovingly referred to as Cocktail Friday. We had an open-door policy all summer. From late afternoon until dusk, friends and family would come and go. Mom and dad would play cards and sip homemade margaritas, keeping half an eye on us kids as we splashed around in the pool. It is during summer when I miss California the most: driving to Santa Monica on a whim, just to see the pier all lit up in that perfect evening light; concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, homemade picnics in tow; dinner in the backyard every single night (I can still smell the scent of citronella and incense to ward off the wasps); entire days spent in Malibu, jumping into the waves at Zuma beach; long walks in the early morning along the bridle paths that meander through my hometown. With bronzed skin and bare feet, I took for granted my Los Angeles upbringing, and so this June issue holds quite a bit of nostalgia as it takes aim at the place I call home. This is the quintessential summer issue. Creative director Michelle Aviña commandeered the incredible John Lautner-designed Sheats-Goldstein Residence in Los Angeles, producing a dreamy feature where fashion and architecture collide. Built in 1963, few houses epitomize Southern California hedonism more. It is an icon of sexy design, wild parties, and Hollywood glamour — and Michelle captured all of it effortlessly. While in La La Land, we visit the new NoMad Los Angeles, a stunner of a hotel in booming Downtown LA — and for all you could want to know about the creative side of the city, Michelle has jotted her notes in diary form. Of course, this being our travel issue, there is plenty more wanderlust, from Jamaica (senior editor Lisa Collins Shaddock reports from Ian Fleming's GoldenEye) to a magnificent artist residency, Casa Wabi, in Oaxaca. And while this issue is packed with plenty of jet-set dreams, as you read this note, our Dallas publisher Briana Buxbaum has embarked on an Eat, Pray, Love-style journey all her own. She departed late last month on a trip to Spain, before heading to the Swiss Alps for an adventurous trek only someone with Briana's tenacity and curious spirit would undertake. After her European adventure, Briana won't be heading back to Dallas — or to PaperCity. Rather, she is packing up her car and driving home to Arizona, where she — like so many of us wish we could — plans on relaxing, reevaluating, and exploring new horizons. Briana is my go-to for natural healing, healthy remedies, and the occasional tequila and soda, but I most admire her bold decision to change course, embrace the unknown, and look toward her future with wild abandon. Isn't that, after all, what wanderlust is all about? Christina Geyer Dallas Editor in Chief christina@papercitymag.com