BlacOak Wine Club & Tasting Room Founders.
After a challenging week at work, nothing beats meeting up with your girls to decompress over a couple glasses of pinot noir at your favorite local wine bar. In the interview below, Dukes shares a few tips and why you should put BlacOak Wine Club & Tasting room on your radar for the next for GNO….
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At The Betsy Hotel. Photo Credit: Instagram @charusurimusic
Charu Suri has been playing the piano since the age of five and performing since the age of nine. She composed while she was a student at Princeton University, went to grad school for music, and never gave up on pursuing her passion. Supporting our commitment to celebrating women who are making moves in the world that inspire and empower other women, Charu chats with PGRW about music, travel and inspirational colors…..
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Time is the greatest luxury to me. While I recognize money can help you access time to do certain things, having money does not automatically make you appreciate how valuable time can be in your life. Now the owner of a popular Parisian bistro, it was the summer before my freshman year when I met Julie for the 1st time. She was on campus with a group of students from Paris visiting NYC for a few weeks and I was participating in the University’s EOP prior to entering my 1st year of college…..
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An AMAZING hotel location on a Lake Huron island! I was lucky to arrive right when the crisp autumn colors begin creating the perfect picturesque scenery for this time of year. An unmatched waterfront location nestled in a quaint corner of the main street, Hotel Iroquois is a short walk from the dock’s topaz blue waters and offers easy access to many of the island’s great restaurants and sites…..
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Me taking an ice cream break at the Jersey City Mural Festival.
Graffiti is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.
The link between hip hop and graffiti evolved as a competition, much like the breakdance moves that my cousin practiced on cardboard in my grandparents’ backyard in his early teens. Graffiti flourished in hip hop culture as a way to tag your “crew” on the subways of New York City….
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“Feed me tacos and tell me I’m pretty” - White sangria and shrimp tacos at Aqua Restaurant in Duck, NC (one of several small towns that make up the Outer Banks).
Historic lighthouses, towering sand dunes, shipwreck diving sites and wild horses that have inhabited the area for over 400 years; the Outer Banks has become one of my favorite East Coast beach vacations. The year-round surfer’s haven offered the perfect backdrop for my family’s vacation………
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Located in the northern part of South America, the flight time to Rafael Núñez International Airport from New York City was just under 5 hours. I loved that our hotel was inside the ancient-walled city, a section of Cartagena overflowing with palm-filled plazas, brightly painted colonial buildings and fabulous floral archways. Everything within Cartagena’s Old Town is within walking distance…
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Country music had a big presence in my childhood home. My grandfather loved listening to Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers. Contrary to popular opinion, country music has had a place within the African-American community with early country music being infused with the blues. The African-American influence on country music starts with the banjo……
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During the 3 hour tour, I learned that in the mid-1800’s, over the hills above Lynchburg, there was a Tennessee farm owned by a preacher who had a small whiskey distillery as side hustle. Nathan Green aka “Uncle Nearest” was the enslaved black man who distilled the whiskey using a special charcoal filtering technique used to clean water in West Africa. Still used today, his method of filtering whiskey through sugar maple tree charcoal became known as the famous ‘Lincoln method’…..
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Fashion Brand Consultant, Tamiko White, cruising on the Hudson River in a Misa Hylton Caftan for our friend’s birthday celebration.
It officially feels like summer in New York City and I had an AMAZING afternoon yachting! A 78-degree June day offered the perfect opportunity to celebrate a friend for her birthday. As a woman of color, I am cognizant of the many different threads that are woven into the history maritime experience….
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Upon pulling up to the outdoor hotel comprised of luxury tents and decked out Airstream suites, I quickly discovered that the only thing better than waking up to the sunrise gleaming through your tent is doing so from a swanky, campsite bed with a chic en-suite bathroom. For the unenlightened, “glamping” aka glamourous camping, is the luxurious cousin of traditional camping….
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Tapping into the real Morocco is a journey that lies far from the elaborate touristy suites and buzzing restaurants of the north. Found deep in the southernmost region, where the ungenerous stone begins to surrender to the saffron gold dust of the Sahara….
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Speaker, author and confident coach, Taria Pritchett challenges women to reevaluate the way they are living and be mindful about how something being “off” can impact all areas of your life. In between hosting workshops and private/group coaching sessions, Pritchett has been featured on FOX 29’s “Q Show” and continues to gain momentum from her Tedx talk. I had an opportunity to connect with Pritchett over a decade ago when I booked a client for an expo that she organized at the University of Delaware a few years ago.
Before Pritchett became an entrepreneur dedicated to helping women retrain their mindsets, she used an opportunity to study abroad as a college student….
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Let’s toast to staying “in the pink!”
Although there weren’t any presidential themed ice breakers or trivia, it felt good to take a break from a soul crushing morning of Zoom meetings to celebrate the historic moment with friends virtually. Hands down, we all agreed that Michelle Obama brought the FIRE with the sharpest OOTD and Lady Gaga’s voice was outstanding….
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While creating community has always been Tanesha’s gift, being able to incorporate her global life experience into The Black Freedom Colony has expanded her skills. “I am learning that community building takes the proper application and balance of education, clarity, love, patience, grace, hard lessons and boundaries”……
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On a recent trip to Tulum, Mexico I discovered a tree house concept that is all grown up with a sexy makeover. In my search for a retreat from the more party centric vibe of the region, I stumbled upon an oasis at the Azulik Resort that came with a “tree-mendous” view! Rising from the jungle floor above the thick tree canopies, the eco-friendly adult retreat is tucked away at the beginning of Tulum’s main beach drag……
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When I found out Pablo Escobar’s 24 room mansion was now taking reservations, it quickly inched up my Tulum “to-do” list….
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Being swept away in the waves of Tulum’s famous turquoise beaches and exploring the well-preserved ancient Mayan ruins I eagerly embraced the way I was choosing to lean in as the world is experiencing a massive shift….
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Sightseeing in Canada as a preteen during a family vacation with my uncle, aunt, grandfather and cousins (grandmom aka “The Original Pink Girl” acting as photographer. I’m sure I insisted on taking the pic in front of the PINK flowers.
Some men hear women empowerment and instantly think, anti-men and that is so far from the reality for me. What better woman to have in your corner than a woman who lives up to her own actions? While I unapologetically embrace my feminine energy, I wouldn’t be who I am today without the men who had my back since childhood and continue to support me as a woman. It takes a strong man to accept somebody else’s children and step up to the plate that another man left on the table……..
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Me soaking up the sun at Von Thun Farms
It’s that time of year when you gaze up at the sunny blue sky, inhale the remnants of summer wafting through the autumn air and seek out the best places to get your sunflower fix before the season is over. The end of summer and the beginning of fall, I celebrated my first sunflower season with an instant “happy boost” at Von Thun Farms’ pretty field of blooms…..
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