A Reflection on Taste, Influence, and the Enduring Power of Beautiful Things Not long ago, the answer seemed relatively simple. Editors decided what books deserved attention. Critics influenced what films we watched. Curators determined what hung on museum walls. Publishers, designers, and cultural institutions acted as filters, helping society determine what was worthy of notice. Today, those filters have largely disappeared. We live in a world of endless information, endles

August always arrives with a slight sense of urgency. The days are still long, hydrangeas are still in bloom, and dinner can still stretch well past sunset. Yet the first cool evening or unexpectedly quiet beach is enough to remind us that summer is beginning to turn. It is often the best moment to leave town. Not for a complicated trip or an overfilled itinerary, but for a few days somewhere that makes it easier to slow down. A hotel beside the water. A country inn surrounde