I’ve always loved reading magazines. Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve loved stocking up on the latest glossies whenever I head to the beach or on vacation—literally piling a stack of issues into my carry-on. To me, there is something so powerful about holding a magazine in your hands: the visuals, the smell, the touch. There is an immersive experience you get from a tangible publication that you simply don’t experience in digital form. It’s no wonder after going to school for journalism (Go Terps!), I landed in a career where the bulk of my time is spent interacting with magazines and newspapers.
As you can imagine, I jumped at the chance to be TOWN’s first-ever guest editor and was even more excited when I found out it would be for the Escape issue.
Let me tell you what I know about escape. Fifteen years ago this summer, I escaped the big city. My (now) husband and I left behind everything we knew and headed 725 miles south for this small city we knew nothing about . . . perhaps the greatest escape of my lifetime. One of the things I love most about Greenville is the proximity to so many amazing places—we can get to the beach, the mountains, the big city, or the countryside in a matter of hours.
This month Abby Keith escapes both mentally and physically to one of my personal favorite places for a solo getaway, Hilton Head Health, while Morgan McCallum chronicles yogi Laura Messer’s journey to help save northern white rhinos in Kenya. In Around the World in 8 Bites, Linda Lee finds the most authentic international eateries in town and takes us on a culinary tour of the world without ever actually leaving Greenville.
Some of us escape through a great book, others through meditation. Some of us escape corporate careers for work that allows our creativity to shine. Over the next 108 pages, we take you on a journey through people, places, and food. Whether you’re reading this in a lounge chair in your backyard or somewhere a thousand miles away on vacation, I hope this issue transports you somewhere magical.
But here’s another thing I have learned about escape. It’s great to get out there, travel, and experience the world, but every time my plane touches down at GSP, I think the same thing: there’s no place like home.
Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Taryn Scher
