Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium in London adds rescued cats to your high tea experience. This doesn’t exclude coffee drinkers, but it certainly rules out those who aren’t feline crazy. Dinah’s dozen-plus cats walk, sleep, and play freely as you enjoy your high tea. Baskets filled with cat toys and brushes are within easy reach to…
Well, with one exception, I would say that the wild parakeets of London carry their own majesty. But aside from meeting these marvelous birds, my London adventure this summer with my husband to visit our daughter, was anything but the London I’ve known in the past. Here’s our daughter in Hyde Park…
Ten years ago, our beloved Hal Taussig, my boss at the time, sent me on a Swiss Untour as part of my job. Quite a perk! Hal wanted me to experience his travel company in action, so I could prepare the board of the UnTours Foundation to one day inherit the business. Elizabeth (right)…
When I wanted to set up a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) for the UnTours Foundation, Hal said that was fine, but he didn’t want any funds invested in the stock market. That was like saying, “Of course you may host a dinner party, but no food may be involved.” He stumped me until I remembered…
Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman (left) presided over judging and participated in the award ceremony. Gabriel is second from the right. ……….Wash Cycle Laundry yet again! This time it has won first place and a $25,000 prize in a business competition sponsored by the Blackstone Group. We met Wash Cycle Laundry founder and CEO Gabriel Mandujano when he…
In recent years, Hal has been mentioned in a variety of books. The newest inclusion is in GOOD MORNING, BEAUTIFUL BUSINESS: The Unexpected Journey of an Activist Entrepreneur and Local Economy Pioneer by Hal’s friend, Judy Wicks. Read what happened in the late ‘90’s when Hal and Judy traveled with fellow business people to Chiapas,…
Apparently not! At least not when it comes to “crowdfunding,” which is the practice of funding a business or project by raising small amounts of money from large numbers of people. We think of it as a new idea, but the base for the Statue of Liberty is the result of crowdfunding, and I’m sure…
Photo by John Kratz cc UnTours and its foundation are two sides of the same coin – even when I am out of the loop. Earlier this year, we invested in Native Energy’s clean water project in Ghana. We like Native Energy for so many reasons including that it’s a pragmatic business dedicated to a…
While Hal and I may promote simple living, I realize that he and I have never turned down gifts of new clothing, including florescent, personalized ones! We are now prepared to join the Wash Cycle Laundry bike fleet and pick up and deliver laundry. Part of the design of the UnTours Foundation is to help…
Shannon was a gift to me from my board, which saw better than I that I was drowning in work after Hal retired. Shannon was hired to be my amazing colleague, which she is indeed! A film editor by training, Shannon worked on several of Ken Burns’ film projects. You can see some of her…