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ZONEIL MAHARAJWriter Maharaj thought he’d made a grave mistake when he recently traded the Bay Area for Las Vegas. Until he went Downtown. The bohemian culture and reasonably priced booze reminded him of home. Writing about the murals of this year’s Life Is Beautiful festival (“Wonder Walls,” Page 53) allowed him to experience Downtown’s transformation frsthand. “It’s great to see how art has become so embedded in the landscape and how folks interact with it. I couldn’t imagine a Downtown Las Vegas without it.” Follow him on Twitter @zoneil.

VICTORIA CASCIOLAHairstylistCasciola is recognized globally as one of the beauty industry’s most sought-after artists. Her styling graces the pages of top fashion and trade magazines such as W, More, InStyle, People, Real Simple, Modern and Beauty Launchpad. “I love when I am the chosen hair artist for Rated. They always keep you on your toes, and you never know what to expect on location. This particular piece (“Wonder Walls,” Page 53) couldn’t have been a better ft for me. Down-town culture and music is the perfect formula to give the artist in me inspiration to create.”

LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERSWriterWhen Townsend Rodgers moved from New York City to Las Vegas 10 years ago, part of what drew her was our city’s unique, sometimes surreal landscape. So she enjoyed celebrating some of Vegas’ most incredible design in “Design Stars” (Page 42). “Every day, on my way to work, I drive past a pyramid, a palace and the Manhattan skyline,” she says. “Where else in the world could that happen?” Follow her on Twitter @lissatrodgers.

contributors

JESSE J SUTHERLANDSenior Graphic DesignerDon’t let the serious photo fool you—Sutherland is ecstatic to call himself Rated’s senior graphic designer. He continues to discover new, exciting locations across the city, making him proud to call Vegas home. This month, Sutherland was one of our eyes on the ground at Life Is Beautiful (“Snapshots”, Page 88). “This was my frst year attending Life Is Beautiful. Three days of music, food and art … What more could I ask for?” Follow Sutherland’s design and photography on Twitter and Instagram @JesseJSuth and on his website at JesseJSuth.com.

GENEVIE DURANOManaging EditorAfter long days spent behind a desk, Durano welcomed the chance to stretch her legs for a couple of days at one of the swankiest hotels on the Strip (“36 Hours in The Cosmopolitan,” Page 46). To get the full experience, she didn’t leave the resort the entire time. “The Cosmo has great energy, but one of the best moments was walking around very early in the morning when the crowds had gone,” she says. “You really notice all the beautiful details that make this place special.”

Tickets and information 702.693.7871 • bellagio.com/bgfa

November 14, 2014 – May 25, 2015

Imperial Tsesarevich Easter Egg, 1912. Lapis lazuli, gold, diamonds. 4 7/8” H x 3 9/16” dia. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Bequest of Lillian Thomas Pratt. Photo: Katherine Wetzel ©Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Jeweler to the CzarsFABERGÉ Revealed

14 vrated.com

Ryan T. DoheRTy | JusTin WenigeR

pResiDenT michael skenandore

vice pResiDenT, finance rey alberto

assisTanT conTRolleR donna nolls

eDiToR matt jacob

cReaTive DiRecToR sherwin yumul

vice pResiDenT, maRkeTing & evenTs kyle markman

maRkeTing cooRDinaToR maureen hank

geneRal accounTing manageR erica carpino

michael skenanDoRe puBlisheR

associaTe puBlisheR christy corda

eDiToR-in-chief melinda sheckells

cReaTive DiRecToR ben ward

managing eDiToR genevie durano

associaTe eDiToR jessica acuña

copy chief paul szydelko

copy eDiToRs sean defrank

eDiToRial inTeRns cassidy bowman, ian caramanzana, melissa holmes, jacqueline konesavanh

conTRiBuTing eDiToRs grace bascos (dining), geoff carter (culture), xania woodman (beverage)

conTRiBuTing WRiTeRs danny axelrod, kat boehrer, casey brennan, camille cannon, devin howell,

mike grimala, zoneil maharaj, jaymi naciri, liz powell, lissa townsend rodgers,

stephanie rivers

senioR gRaphic DesigneR jesse j sutherland

conTRiBuTing gRaphic DesigneRs lisa cheung

gRaphic Design inTeRn brien mccrea

senioR conTRiBuTing phoTogRapheR anthony mair

conTRiBuTing phoTogRapheRs elizabeth buehring, jon estrada

inTeRacTive DevelopeR herb akinyele

inTeRacTive pRoDuceR nicole ely

engagemenT eDiToR zoneil maharaj

DigiTal sales manageR nicole scherer

accounT manageR brittany quintana

DiRecToR of pRoDucTion/DisTRiBuTion marc barrington

aDveRTising manageR james bearse

DisTRiBuTion cooRDinaToR jasen ono

SAL E S @ VR AT E D . COM V R A T E D . C O M E DI TOR IAL @ VR AT E D . COM

f ace bo ok . com / ve g asr at e d T wi t t e r . com / ve g asr at e d

Vegas/Rated® is a registered trademark of Sandow Media, LLC and used in partnership with WENDOH Media Companies. Vegas/Rated (ISSN 2162-6340) Vol. 4, No. 3 is published monthly by WENDOH Media Las Vegas, NV.

3 0 7 0 W E S T P O S T R O A D , L A S V E G A S , N V 8 9 1 1 8

7 0 2 . 7 9 8 . 7 0 0 0

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“SLEEK AND STUNNING”BON APPÉTIT

THE DYNAMIC PAIRING OF MASTER SUSHI CHEF KATSUYA UECHI AND

DESIGN IMPRESARIO PHILIPPE STARCK HAS ARRIVED ON THE STRIP.

RESERVATIONS: 702.761.7611 | SLSVEGAS.COM

RUSTIC AMERICAN CUISINEBY Executive Chef Brian Massie

BURNING 5PM DAILY

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Made Well

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Lobby Bar, Caesars Palace

Formerly known as the Galleria Bar, the simply named Lobby Bar

sits adjacent to Caesars Palace registration. Sporting a recent million-

dollar renovation, the spot features a menu with a selection of cocktails

designed by Las Vegas libation expert Tony Abou-Ganim. With its low-slung

armchairs and crystal chandelier, it’s just the kind of place to enjoy your frst cocktail on the Strip. If single

malts are your poison, Lobby Bar has a full menu. The Macallan Experience

offers tastings of the entire range from the whisky label, but it’s the

Macallan Fine Oak Experience section that’ll pique your interest, featuring

15-, 17- and 21-year-old options. caesarspalace.com

QUENCHERSThirst

By Liz Powell Photography Jon Estrada

JusT FOR MARy

Diversions in Las Vegas evolve with visitors’ demands. For example, Gen X and Y want more than just gaming—done! Cocktail bars with pages of mixology-driven concoctions greet these discerning travelers as the traditional lobby bar slowly becomes a thing of the past. Here are a few of our favorite places to get the party started.

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BEHIND BARS

Bound, The Cromwell

A boutique hotel experience located center Strip, The Cromwell offers Vegas-style amenities in a small-scale resort setting. Belly up to Bound by

Salvatore and order from the Salvatore Calabrese-penned menu. A London-bred mixology powerhouse,

Calabrese mixes old-school classics with an entire menu of espresso beverages meant to give you more

than just a caffeine buzz. The circular bar is awash in gold tones and open 24 hours, so the extraordinary

cocktails know no timetable. thecromwell.com

Petrossian, BellagioNew additions to the scene may be glamorous, but you can’t forget a classic, and Petrossian at Bellagio is the ultimate white-glove cocktail experience. The vest-clad bartenders are more than happy to shake up an old fashioned, but if you want something more creative, ask for the bartender’s choice and be delightfully surprised. Petrossian is awash in old-school luxury, right down to the grand piano featuring rotating performers daily. bellagio.com

Monkey Bar, SLS Las VegasThe paint on the walls has barely dried, but SLS Las Vegas already notched itself a space among the cool kids. Banking on its L.A.–chic-driven food-and-beverage program, the hotel is full of places to linger and sip. The cozy Monkey Bar, across from check-in, is the happening place to satisfy your frst thirst. Kick back on the patio with a cocktail or smoke one of the many cigars from the extensive menu while being surrounded by portraits of gorillas in suits. slslasvegas.com

CAViAR CubE MARTini

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« is the »Magic NuMber

Two

Zarkana audiences see doubleBy Melinda Sheckells

Photography Anthony Mair

on the marquee

the scene

true south

Dirty South saddles up Life Nightclub’s mascot, a disco-ball unicorn. He returns to the SLS Las Vegas November 28.

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With a new album and flm on his list of accomplishments,

DJ-turned-auteur Dirty South plans on staying With You

Internationally touring DJ, producer and recent father Dirty South can now add a new title to his résumé: flmmaker. His movie, With You, is currently available on iTunes and the corresponding album will be released on November 4. The short independent flm runs 38 minutes

and tells the story of forbidden love between the two main characters, an alien girl and an artist. Rated caught up with Dirty South at Life Nightclub in SLS Las Vegas, where he is a resident DJ through the end of 2014.–KAT BOEHRER

Why did you decide to make With You, and how does it tie into the album? I made the music frst. It inspired me to make the movie because when I fnished the frst 10 tracks, I listened to them and it sounded like the soundtrack to a movie. I was already falling in love with cinema anyway. I got my frst camera, and I was messing around and learn-ing about flmmaking. Subliminally I was making a soundtrack without realizing it, because that’s what I was into at that point in time.

What was that process like? [The album] inspired the story of the flm—the lyrics in the songs, the emotion behind it. I started working on the script and putting a team together. I flled most of the scenes [with songs] because the idea was to score the flm with the album. It wasn’t like, “Oh, let me make 10 music videos.” It was like, “Let’s make a movie and use those moments from the songs to make the scenes.” I was missing some scenes—some songs—so I went back and made two more tracks for the album. I edited the whole thing together, the music was put into the movie, and it all just fell into place. It was really awesome to see it come to life just how I imagined it.

How long did it take to fnish? The album took about three months, the movie four months, so the whole thing was really fast. I had 16- to 18-hour days where I was just really dedicated. I had a baby in the middle of all of that, so I was like, “Shit, I’m going to fnish this.” I really had to work.

What role did you play in the making of the flm? I co-wrote the story with another guy [James De-voti]. Also, I directed, edited and mixed the sound and the music. Not just the music, but the actual sound of the flm. All the background noise—people walking, footsteps. All of that stuff will have to be added afterward. I had people help, of course. Ryan Colucci, who produced it, also helped with the script.

Do you plan to continue making flms? Music is very important for flm, and music is something I’ve done my whole life. For me, this is the next step. Whether I’m flming movies, scoring other people’s movies or scoring my own movies, being involved in both [flm and music] is perfect.

phOTOgRAphy ElizAbETh buEhRing

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GiadaSometimes good design is about accepting that what’s there is better than what you could put in its place. At Giada, the star is the panoramic Strip view—from Caesars Palace’s statuary to the Bellagio Fountains—with giant retractable windows integrating the outdoors into the dining room. Adding a third dimension are pasta stations, a pizza oven and windows into the kitchen that give diners a preview of coming attractions. Chef Giada De Laurentiis and her husband, fashion designer Todd Thompson, worked with Los Angeles’ Studio Collective to create the space, which is also personalized with family photos and memorabilia from her grandfather Dino De Laurentiis’ flms. In The Cromwell; thecromwell.com/giada

Bazaar Meat By José andrésDesigned by Philippe Starck, this carnivorously oriented restaurant’s cues were taken from the butcher shop and the hunting lodge. The space opens with a wall of pomo murals in the style of Frans Hals or Camille Corot, and a sleek front bar aglow with light and covered in abattoir-white tiles. The murals continue into the dining room, and the tile extends over a meat-carving station where guests can watch that lovely jamón ibérico go under the knife. Antler chandeliers and mounted silver crocodile heads hover over tables and comfortable, wide-backed chairs adorned with a variety of animal prints or paintings of beasts—smirking sheep, a dog in sunglasses. José Andrés may be serious about his food, but his décor is defnitely whimsical. In SLS Las Vegas; slslasvegas.com/dining/bazaar-meat

delano FoyerDelano Las Vegas is inspired by its location, but you’ll need to look beyond the neon and past the city limits to recognize it. The centerpiece of the valet entrance is an enormous split boulder from the Nevada desert that is millions of years old and weighs more than 100,000 pounds. Walk between the two halves into a space that combines rustic materials with sleek fnishes and fows seamlessly from 3940 Coffee+Tea to the Franklin lounge to the check-in desk. An installation by Korean artist Jaehyo Lee is a constella-tion of tiny stones that echoes the giant one at the entrance and adds to the soothing, natural- luxe atmosphere. In Delano Las Vegas; delanolasvegas.com

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FizzThis chic Champagne lounge takes inspiration from both its menu and location. The high ceilings and pale palette give the sensation of foating in a giant Champagne fute, while the bronze-and-glass design four-ishes echo the style of Caesars Palace back when Ann-Margret was playing the showroom and Evel Knievel was jumping the fountains. Sir Elton John’s husband, David Furnish, is Fizz’s creative director, and the space is embellished with photography from the couple’s personal collec-tion, including works by David LaChapelle and Steven Meisel. Designed by Todd-Avery Lenahan of TAL Studio, Fizz recently won the Nightclub, Bar and Lounge category at the annual Hospitality Design Awards. In Caesars Palace; fzzlv.com

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DESTINATION

Previous spread, left: Te public art program PAUSE debuted with the work of Yoko Ono and has featured renowned artists such as Marilyn Minter, Jose Alvarez, David Shrigley and, most recently, Tracy Emin with her series “I Promise to Love You.” On exhibit now are the works of Laurie Simmons and Emin.

Previous spread, right: Te award-winning Monarch is a 4½ -minute digital narrative that morphs images into a kaleidoscope of colors and forms that expand and contract along the foor-to-ceiling video columns in the lobby. Te efect is a mesmerizing display that leaves you transformed, just like the images you see before you.

Right: Te Cosmopolitan is the only property on the Strip with a boxing ring in its gym that guests can use. During my lesson, I tell instructor DeShawn Reese up front that I’ve never punched anyone or anything in my life. He smiles and says, “Tose are the worst ones. Tey have all this hidden aggression.”

Below: According to dealers, dice is the one game in the casino in which the player determines the outcome. If you don’t know how to play but want to get in on the craps action, you can always ask for a quick tutorial. Or, just follow what the person with the highest chip stack is doing.

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A s far as writing assignments go, this is a plum one: Spend 36 hours in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas without leaving the property. For someone who is not a gambler, staying inside a casino this long might seem

daunting, but The Cosmopolitan has sensibilities far different from its Strip counterparts.

For one, the resort is imbued with a playfulness that’s largely absent from its neighbors. This is most evident in its aesthetic (see: enormous sculptures of dogs and stilettos, and the multistory Chandelier Bar), its portfolio of restaurants, its entertainment lineup … the list goes on. All come with a sly wink that what you’re experiencing is a shape-shifting idea of what art and beauty are. The very DNA of The Cosmopolitan speaks to the kind of traveler who wants to be entertained and stimulated.

Time here is a chance to explore the beauty that can be found in its long hallways, the nooks and crannies, the avant-garde bars and lobbies. I feel a little like Alice, lost in a wonderland of sights and sounds and tastes. The doorway to this land opens with the video art installment PAUSE, which transforms the 65-foot marquee into a giant digital canvas. In the lobby, eight foor-to-ceiling columns project a video of morphing female forms, signaling that what awaits inside bends all notions of reality.

Have art, Will CHeCk inThe guest rooms are just as artful, with Fornasetti wallpaper in the closets and art books on the coffee table. The view from the terrace is a stunning reminder that in this city, beauty comes in many forms—dancing fountains, a replica of the Eiffel Tower, a blue sky, an ocean of neon blinking as far as the eye can see.

As spectacular as the exterior sights are, my time here is an indoor adventure. Wander around the East and West towers and you’ll fnd some-thing—paper collages, a steampunk owl, abstract

sculptures—that’ll stop you in your tracks. I end up at P3Studio, which hosts The Cosmopolitan’s artist-in-residence program. The space offers you an immersive experience with acclaimed artists, who stay for several weeks at a time.

During my visit, artist Lucas Michael is in residence. For his series “Camera Obscura,” he takes two Polaroid photos of visitors. One is posted on the wall and the other is given to you to take home. In exchange, you must write a secret on the wall, which Michael then obscures with a graphite pencil, making artist and spectator complicit co-creators.

“The secret is in exchange for trust and inter-connectivity,” Michael says. “Some are deeper

secrets than others, but all secrets are good.” I write mine on the wall, he reads it then covers it up. I tell him that in this day and age, it’s nice to have a good old-fashioned secret on a literal wall, not a Facebook wall.

DOWn tHe raBBit HOleIt turns out all that visual stimulation can work up an appetite. To fully live out the Alice metaphor, my companions and I opt for the mystery of Rose.Rabbit. Lie. Billed as a modern supper club, we quickly fnd out it’s quite the culinary adventure, with a mixology program to match. Executive chef Wesley Holton’s menu is inventive and—no lie—the rabbit is delicious. Not to miss? The snow-pea salad, egg custard, caviar tacos and the chocolate terrarium for dessert.

The place hums with a raucous, giddy energy as performers of the musical, dancing and comedic variety roam from room to room or play on the makeshift stage by one of the bars. And the best part is you’ll never have the same experience twice. We hear someone say, aptly, “If we do this right, it will be a night we won’t remember.”

Another standout meal is a lunch at Estiatorio Milos. From the open terrace I experience a lovely bit of sensory deprivation as I watch the crowds on Las Vegas Boulevard without hearing a sound. And, hands down, the three-course prix-fxe lunch special is the best deal in town ($22.14), seafood so fresh I forget I’m in the desert. As far as my taste buds are concerned, I am dining seaside on a Greek isle.

One-tWO punCHThirty-six hours indoors can induce cabin fever, so I head to the ftness center, where I take boxing lessons from one of the instructors, DeShawn Reese. Ten minutes into the hourlong session, I realize this is way more than I bargained for. (Was jump-roping this hard in grade school?) By the time I get into the ring to work on my right hook and uppercut, I’m ready to throw in the towel.

“Has anyone ever thrown up in your ring before?” I ask.

“No, and you won’t be the frst,” Reese says. At the end of the hour I hang up my gloves. I

could not have been a contender, and that’s OK. There is beauty in knowing your limitations.

“I’m done sparring,” I tell DeShawn. “I’m going spa-ing.”

And that’s how I fnd myself at Sahra Spa & Hammam, with the aim to soothe those aching muscles. The centerpiece of the Hammam experi-ence is the motherstone, a warm stone slab used in centuries-old practice of purifcation. Lead massage therapist Anthony Palma begins the

Red Flower Hammam Experience, a head-to-toe scrub and hydration treatment that paradoxically lulls me to sleep and wakens my senses at the same time. For 80 minutes, I master the art of relaxation.

all fun anD gamesWhen I fnally make my way to the casino foor, I am reminded of this town’s raison d’être. The excitement of the gaming tables is contagious. (So contagious, in fact, that a foor person had to stop

a lady with a stroller from entering the gaming area, exclaiming, “Ma’am, you can’t take a baby in there!”) I take craps lessons from a dealer named Alex, who runs through all the ways to bet and side-bet, but I only have one question: How do I double my money?

“I can tell you how to play, but I can’t tell you how to win,” he says.

Sound advice, and a winning way to end my stay. Before I wrap up my stay, I hit up the Art-o-mat for a souvenir, something to remind me that, beyond the purple haze of The Cosmopolitan, beauty is all around, if I only know where to look. cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

A weekend here is A chAnce to explore the beAuty thAt cAn be found in its long hAllwAys, the nooks And

cr Annies, the AvAnt-gArde bArs And lobbies.

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guidethe

your key to the city

SHOP DINE HAPPENINGS PLAY

ANTHONY BONDI: ENIGMAThroughout NovemberOne day I walked into the now-defunct Downtown Las Vegas coffeehouse Enigma Garden Café and found Anthony Bondi sitting at a shaded table with a pile of papers and a large pair of scissors, chuckling to himself. Bondi is this city’s foremost collage artist, a man with a preternatural gift for taking a person or object out of their own environment and placing them into another bizarre, yet somehow more suitable, environment (as he himself did when he appeared alongside Anthony Bourdain on the Las Vegas episode of CNN’s Parts Unknown). He kept chuckling to himself, so I asked him what was so funny. “Nothing,” he replied. “I just love making collage.” Some of the results of that happy work—a collection of striking, monochromatic fyers for the very café where Bondi was hanging out that day—are on display in their original, hand-cut form at Sin City Gallery this month, and they’re beautiful. You can’t look at them without a delighted laugh escaping your mouth, maybe looking for new context. Sin City Gallery, 107 E. Charleston Blvd., Suite 100, 702.608.2461; sincitygallery.com

RJD2November 21What I know about the Philadelphia-based DJ and multi-instrumentalist RJD2 is probably far less than

you know, unless you didn’t know that his song “A Beautiful Mine” is the theme to the acclaimed AMC show Mad Men. If you didn’t know that, then let’s pretend I know what I’m talking about and move ahead. RJD2 was born Ramble Jon Krohn, which is too awesome a name to conceal with a pseudonym; he specializes in trip-hop and jazzy electronic beats, and I always dig on his tracks when I hear them; and he’s produced everyone from Murs to Aesop Rock to Yo La Tengo, which is promising indeed if you believe, as I do, that you can tell a lot about someone by looking at the people they hang out with. Tell you what: Let’s go down to Bunkhouse together and see what this guy is all about. It’ll be an adventure. Tickets $15, The Bunkhouse, 702.854.1414; bunkhousedowntown.com

CULTURE CLUBNovember 22It could be great, and it could be awful. Not gonna get your hopes up. Culture Club has been a stop-start affair since the late 1980s, regrouping and dissolving over and over again in a morass of hurt feelings, hired guns and heroin. But there’s no getting around the fact that this band made some songs—quite a few, in fact—that have stood the test of time. (I’ve never loved their bigger hits—“Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” and “Karma Chameleon” don’t connect with me—but “Time [Clock of the Heart]” and “Church of the Poison Mind” sound as fresh to me today as they did in their prime.) And

when you extract Boy George from the homophobia and manufactured controversy that surrounded him in the band’s heyday, you’re left with one of pop’s most distinctive and recognizable vocalists, ever. So, yeah, I can’t say what you’re going to get from this reunion show … but I do think it’s worth the investment to fnd out. Tickets start at $63, The Pearl Concert Theater in Palms Casino Resort, 702.944.3200; palms.com

DAVID SEDARISNovember 23David Sedaris is one of the fucking funniest authors alive. There, now I’ve said it. I’ve split my sides to his essay collections Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and Me Talk Pretty One Day. I have laughed a mad giggle at his guest shots on Craig Ferguson’s show. And I have coughed up organs—living human tissue!—while listening to his pitch-perfect interpretation of Billie Holiday singing the Oscar-Mayer bologna jingle. (Google it, and hold on to something.) He comes to The Smith Center probably to read from his latest book, Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls, but I can’t go for fear of loosening my spine or something. You go to the show and report back to me what he says, breaking up the anecdotes with mournful laments so I don’t rupture myself with the funny. Tickets start at $46, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 702.749.2000; thesmithcenter.com

Geoff Carter curates your entertainment to-do list for November and beyond

Black keys

Nov. 8

HiGHly Rated

For three days, the second edition of the art, culinary and music festival took over the streets of Downtown Las Vegas. Here are some of our favorite moments. Photography Jesse J Sutherland

LiFe iS BeautiFuL

The Guide Happenings

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