BOLDFACERS

Trusting your Gut

“Trust your intuition,” Suzanne says. “If someone doesn’t honor who you are or value your desires and wishes, it’s time to re-think the relationship.”

Spa Daze

Whether it’s a manicure, pedicure, massage, or the works, when Suzanne needs rejuvenation, she punches out and checks in to Interlocks Salon & Day Spa in Newburyport. Since opening in 1988, Interlocks has grown to a staff of more than 50, and garnered recognition and awards both in Boston and on the national level.

Interlocks Salon & Day Spa
58 Merrimac Street
Newburyport, MA
(978) 465-3010
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Dirt-Digging

For more than a century, Corliss Brothers Garden Center and Nursery has been making the North Shore a little greener, and a whole lot prettier. So when Suzanne wants to treat herself, she heads there. “When I want to indulge, I know where to go,” she says.

Corliss Brothers Nursery
31 Essex Road
Ipswich, MA
(978) 356-5422
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Pipe with the Plover

“In the summer, I love going to Crane Beach in Ipswich,” Suzanne says. “It is expansive and beautiful.” Expansive is right. Crane Beach was once part of the summer estate of Chicago industrialist Richard T. Crane Jr., whose wife and family donated the 1,200-acre plot in 1945. It’s one of the prettiest spots on the coast, even when the notoriously ravenous greenhead flies are around. “There is something about the way it is shaped that seems to keep the voices quiet and the breeze audible,” Suzanne adds. “Lots of birds.” She’s not kidding: Crane Beach is one of the world’s most important nesting grounds for the endangered piping plover. So tread lightly, bring your bug spray, and enjoy the view.

Crane Beach
Argilla Road
Ipswich, MA
(978) 356-4354
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A Bookstore Gem

Located in the renovated Tannery mill in the heart of Newburyport, Jabberwocky is a full-service independent bookstore that gets Suzanne’s seal of approval, as well as regular visits when she’s in town. The shop is a huge supporter of local writers, sponsors a regular Friday-night reading series, and has a terrific selection of used books in its Green Room.

Jabberwocky Bookshop at the Tannery
50 Water Street
Newburyport, MA
(978) 465-9359
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Art On Fire

“Newburyport has a fabulous arts community and wonderful artists,” Suzanne says. “I have several favorites if that is possible, but immediately I think about Alan Bull and Karen Dardinski.” Both are well established in the Newburyport art scene, and Dardinski runs the art gallery at the Firehouse Center for the Arts. “I have this great painting by Karen Dardinski of the Buddha that really inspires me,” Suzanne adds. “When I see it, I am reminded about the potential greatness in the world, and that it is often something small and barely recognizable.”

Firehouse Center for the Arts
One Market Square
Newburyport, MA
(978) 462-7336
firehouse.org
alanbull.com

Down East, Uplifting

When you live year-round in an oceanside summer playground like Newburyport, what do you do for a vacation? If you’re Suzanne Dubus, you get away ... way away, like four-and-a-half hours away, to the Moosehead Lake region in north-central Maine. The area is an outdoorsman’s paradise without the crowds, perfect for a calming self-imposed summer exile. “During the summer I adore Moosehead Lake,” Suzanne says. “Even on the hottest of August days, there are very few boaters or swimmers, and sometimes you feel like you have the entire lake to yourself!”

mooseheadlake.org

Plan Your Winter Escape

The southernmost of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean, Grenada holds a special place for Suzanne, who visited the exotic, mountainous country with her husband. “I loved the farmers’ market, the quiet beaches, and the rainforest,” she says. “Mangos literally line the road!”

grenadagrenadines.com

Naturally Yummy

Whether it’s all-natural ingredients for dinner or a healthy, on-the-go lunch — the salads, grocer chicken wrap, and “anything tofu” get her highest marks — Suzanne hits the Natural Grocer on High Street in Newburyport. “I really try to shop for organic produce, and although the place is small, they have a nice variety of cheese, produce, and frozen food,” she says. “It’s always a great place to go at the end of the day — when you decide not to cook — to pick up some of the lunch leftovers for dinner.”

The Natural Grocer
334 High Street
Newburyport, MA
(978) 463-8713
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East of the Border

Heading north to sample south-of-the-border cuisine might seem a little backwards, but Suzanne insists Agavé Mexican Bistro is well worth the ride. Whether it’s real Mexican or spicy Tex-Mex, this affordable cantina is tops. “The food is authentic, fresh, and delicious,” Suzanne says. “One of my favorite meals is the shrimp-and-avocado salad with one of the house margaritas.”

Agavé Mexican Bistro
50 State Street
Newburyport, MA
(978) 499-0428

Java JA?

Fowles in Newburyport is half newsstand and half coffeehouse/diner, but Suzanne says it’s all good. “In Newburyport there are so many wonderful choices, but best place for breakfast is Fowles,” she says. “It’s excellent, simple fare, and the breakfast burrito is fabulous for those days you know you won’t be having lunch.”

Fowles Newburyport Coffeehouse
17 State Street
Newburyport, MA
(978) 463-9824

To My Daughter

Keywords: Philanthropists

Dear Allegra,

There you are, standing next to me, a bold smile on your 8-year-old face. You love to act, beat me at tic-tac-toe and play with your cousins. You are fearless and innocent and happy, and I hope you always stay that way. I am writing this letter to tell you why.

We come from sturdy stock, you and me. Your grandfather, Andre Dubus, was a famous writer, famous not only for his gift with words but also because of his feisty spirit. He sang at the top of his lungs to Frank Sinatra, and he ranted just as loudly about politicians that were unfair to the poor. We sometimes said he was big in body but bigger than life, too!

One day, he was in a terrible car accident, and he lost both his legs. But from his wheelchair, he moved mountains. He helped young girls who were abused to learn how to read and write. He tried hard to not feel sorry for himself and to lead an important life through his books and his family, all with a twinkle in his eye.

I also have had my share of troubles. I knew a man before your father. He was not very nice to me, Allegra. He hurt me and he said mean things that made me feel terrible. I was scared to be with him, but more scared to leave him. But I did. And when I did, I felt better. And stronger. I wanted to help other women to stop being scared and sad. I wanted to teach them what I learned and what your grandfather learned—life is short and very uncertain.

Every day, you see me to go work at the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center, in Newburyport, where I am the executive director. I help women, mothers, children and men who think they have nothing but who could have everything. I try to help them understand that they do not have to be hit or yelled at. I have wiped tears off the face of a single mom who is terrified to be alone, and held the hand of a little boy who wishes his dad was not so mad all the time. My job is to help those people find a job, a home, a lawyer or a doctor. Sometimes, my job is to just be a friend.

You may not understand everything in this letter right now, and that is okay. We can talk when you are older. All you need to know is how much I love you, how proud I am of you—and me—and of every woman, man and child who fights for a life filled with promise. May we all share a future as big as the smile on your face, my Allegra.

Love,
Mom