Kelly Brilliant loves to travel and explore new destinations, but she is always happy to return to Martha’s Vineyard, her “happy place for peace and fun.” The Brookline resident, co-executive director of The Fenway Alliance — a consortium of more than 20 cultural organizations (including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Huntington Theatre, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra) in the Fenway, is gearing up for the nonprofit’s 25th anniversary of the Opening Our Doors Day festival on Oct. 12, a day of free cultural experiences. “We work to help our community in all ways, with issues like public safety, environmental advocacy, and free food distribution … but what is closest to my heart is access to the arts and culture. Every Bostonian should feel that these great institutions are part of their heritage — that the MFA is theirs, the BSO is theirs…” Brilliant said in a recent phone call. “I think it’s especially important for young people to participate and help us shape programming [so we can] constantly learn how to make the festival better.” Many of the festival’s programs — there are more than 25, she said — center around Indigenous People’s Day, and activities will kick off with a youth parade at noon. “This is a day to show people that the arts are for them and that everyone in Boston is welcome,” said the community leader, advocate, and organizer. Originally from Beacon, N.Y., Brilliant lives in Brookline with her husband, Michael Kim, founder and principal of MKA Architecture LLC, and has an adult stepson, Nathanial Kim. We caught up with Brilliant to talk about all things travel.
If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?
There are so many potential places in the world I have not yet seen, but would like to. That said, I have booked my second trip to Venice, Italy, at the end of December through New Year’s Eve. I am so excited to revisit that unique [and] environmentally fragile city with two of my closest friends. The art, architecture, music, food, people — I believe Venice is a place everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.
Do you prefer booking trips through a travel agent or on your own?
Utilizing the services of a good travel agent sounds luxurious, efficient, and possibly expensive. I’ve never done that, but I’m certainly intrigued. I enjoy researching places and organizing trips; I’m often the planner for my husband and our friends’ gatherings, which I enjoy, but it would be nice to let someone else be the chief organizer once in a while.
Thoughts on an “unplugged” vacation?
I’m sure going totally “unplugged” would be great for my mental health — not to mention my eyesight — but I do not have the discipline. This year, I was proud of myself for checking my emails much less during a five-day vacation, which, I realize, is pathetic.
What has been your worst vacation experience?
I’m not a cruise person. Guess how I discovered that? My dad wanted us to all go as a family many years ago, knowing he didn’t have too long on earth. So we all went. For me, it was tough sledding. Still, there were some very funny moments with my teen nieces. We experienced my first and only “men’s sexy leg competition” together, for example, and attended as a whole family a wildly fun “White Hot” New Year’s Eve party on the ship. Still, apparently I have a touch of claustrophobia, which is not a good quality in a “cruiser” and, beyond that, I do really like to choose my own adventure — on land large enough to roam.
What is your favorite childhood travel memory?
Going to dinner at the Clark Cooke House in Newport, R.I. Growing up, my dad would take my mom, sister, and me every year during the first week of August. He always wore a full suit, and we all got dressed up. When my sister and I were young, we thought we had died and gone to fancy heaven. This year, my husband sweetly took me back to the restaurant in June for a visit while we were in Newport for the Flower Show, which I highly recommend, by the way. It was peak nostalgia, which I am a true sucker for.
Do you vacation to relax, to learn, or for the adventure of it all?
A bit of all of it. I often find little mini-adventures when I’m able to relax enough — generally on Martha’s Vineyard, where we have a small property in Oak Bluffs. Stumbling upon a beautiful new vista or bumping into a person I haven’t seen in ages when I’m wandering there on my own. Recently, my husband and I heard Senator and Reverend Raphael Warnock [of Georgia] preach in the Oak Bluffs Tabernacle, with accompaniment by the wonderful Martha’s Vineyard Chorus. I shed a few tears, laughed, and had a few moments when the hair on my arms stood up. He brought spirit and hope. We also heard local musician Will Dailey at an intimate house concert for about 35 people on a woman’s deck in Chilmark — proceeds for that event went to cancer research — and also an impromptu song by the amazing Jennifer Holliday at a beautiful house party fund-raiser for the Boston Arts Academy … all in one weekend! These special moments are just some of the things I love about the Vineyard.
What book do you plan on bringing with you to read on your next vacation?
I just finished “Villa Coco” by Andrew Sean Greer while I was on Martha’s Vineyard. It was a hilarious and touching vacation read! I highly recommend.
If you could travel with one famous person/celebrity, who would it be?
Oprah. She seems like fun, and you know you’d be traveling in style. I also sense we’d share the same percentage of need for fun and downtime. I’d be in awe of her dropped pearls of wisdom that I can now only enjoy on Instagram. Also, there was a time that I might have the late Anthony Bourdain as I’m pretty much a cult fan of his. Now though, I’ve read too much about him and the rigors of his travel to realize many of his required trips were far from fun, and I know I could not have kept up with the drinking! Still, I thank him for showing so many of us other parts of this world.
What is the best gift to give a traveler?
A work of fiction centered on the destination. I read all the Peter Mayle books centered on Provence before I went to that beautiful area. I think you learn so much about a place through good fiction. It’s one of the reasons I love to read. Fancy travel tags are nice, too.
What is your go-to snack for a flight or a road trip?
I’m not a big snacker, but Michael and I often share the very good sandwich of ham, butter, and mustard on a baguette by Cutty’s in Brookline Village on our way to Martha’s Vineyard. It now reminds me of arriving on the island — my happy place for peace and fun.
What is the coolest souvenir you’ve picked up on a vacation?
A beautiful strand of yellow Murano glass beads my husband purchased for me at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice. I so recommend visiting that museum if you go to Venice — her collection is incredible, and the villa on the canal location cannot be beat.
What is your favorite app/website for travel?
I don’t really have one. I like to Google and see what comes up.
What has travel taught you?
That there is true value for your spirit, mind, body, and soul in slowing down and soaking in pleasurable moments. Also, keep your apertures open for mini-adventures and great photos!
What is your best travel tip?
Plan a few activities — cultural, social, and recreational — but always allow some time in your calendar for spontaneity, as more often than not, that’s when the really good stuff happens.
Juliet Pennington can be reached at writeonjuliet@comcast.net.