By Ilyssa Panitz Photography by Justin Negard and Gia Miller Why spend thousands standing behind velvet ropes at a Hollywood premiere or awards shows with the hopes of seeing your favorite celebrity when Westchester County is home to more than a dozen A-list four-legged ones? These local stars are far more accessible—ready for close-ups, meet-and-greets and, if you’re lucky, the ...

By Julie Schwietert Collazo Artwork by Tara Tassio If you’ve scrolled on Instagram or TikTok recently (and we know you have!), you’ve probably seen them: college admissions influencers who have a lot to say about teen volunteering. They agree with the conventional wisdom that says volunteering is important for teens (and for their college futures), but they have some controversial ...

By Liz Colombini Photography by Gil Vaknin There are animal tracks painted on the pavement at Green Chimneys. Follow them, and they’ll lead you past the gym, past the health center, past the dining hall and straight to the farm. It’s a fitting metaphor for how this extraordinary institution has always operated: if you want to reach a child who ...

Writing and Photography by Justin Negard When Dr. Harvey Cushing became a full-time neurosurgeon in 1904, brain tumor surgery still carried mortality rates of roughly 30 to 50 percent in most surgeons’ hands. But by 1910, Cushing reported a mortality rate of just 13 percent. “If you opened someone’s brain in 1900, they would just bleed out,” says Terry Dagradi, ...

Consider this your curated shortlist of nine standout discoveries from the latest health research. By Isabella Aranda Garcia Photography by Justin Negard 1. Our body’s “security guards” just won the biggest prize of all. Sometimes, our immune system fights off illnesses and diseases we may never know we had. Other times, our immune system mistakenly attacks our healthy cells, causing ...

By Gia Miller Artwork by Annie Kennedy Hey Dad, Earth’s been fun, but why does this museum have a whole wing for Americans? https://connecttomag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1-copy.jpg My favorite exhibit! They thought they were the best at everything. Then came exercise. And dancing. 1970s https://connecttomag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2.jpg Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived. Suddenly, bodybuilding…and tiny shorts. It was a lot. 1980s https://connecttomag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/3.jpg Spandex. Leg warmers. A perfectly ...

By Sophie Abt Artwork by Justin Negard The day before Megan Albert’s in-laws came to visit, she realized she had a problem. Albert, an interior designer and the owner of Fieldhouse Design in Pound Ridge, had just completed her home renovation, and her in-laws would be the first guests to experience the new space. She was excited for their arrival, ...

Dimmable lightbulbs with over 16 million colors, cork-infused wood flooring and towel racks that double as support rails are just some of the ways homes can improve the lives of family members with physical or neurological differences while avoiding that “hospital room” look. By Julie Schwietert Collazo    Design by Justin Negard While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was ...

Better living through chemistry: it’s not just for humans By Dr. Sarah J. Cutler    Artwork by Eliyahu Greenwald In my role as a veterinarian and director of At Home Vet Care and The Behavior Clinic for Cats and Dogs, as well as president-elect of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, I have counseled thousands of families regarding their ...