The Secret World of After Hours Magic in New York City

One of the most magical evenings you can spend in New York City, is also one of its most secret. Imagine walking down one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city, the famous Thirty Fourth Street, making your way past tens of thousands of people, who every day come to visit some of Manhattan’s most…

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The Night They Closed the Waldorf-Astoria

Last Wednesday saw one of New York’s oldest and perhaps its grandest of hotels, close its doors for the last time. The Waldorf Astoria had been an icon of old Manhattan glamour since it opened in 1931 as the largest, most spectacular hotel in the world. As opulent as it was luxurious, the Waldorf Astoria…

A Book Lover’s Guide to the Literary Bars of New York

For those who like their evening tipple with a literary twist, Manhattan is resplendent with bars where famous writers once visited. Whether to seek inspiration over a Sazerac, or escape over a Gin Fizz, some of these bars have become synonymous with some of the great writers of the 20th century, whilst others remain unnoticed.…

Hidden Under a Chicken Coop: The “Louvre” of Wine

One of the world’s most prestigious wine cellars isn’t where you think it might be. It isn’t nestled beneath a grand chateau or presidential palace, but buried in the backyard of an average Joe, a retiree of humble background who has been collecting the rarest wines, bottle by bottle for the past 50 years. Michel-Jack…

The Art of French Kitsch and its Eccentric Parisian Queen

As a decorator, the late Madeleine Castaing embodied over-the-top luxury and la vie bohème. As a patron, no – diva – of the arts, Castaing’s eye for excellence helped sponsor some of the greatest artists of all time, from Soutine to Modigliani. During the height of World War II, she opened an extravagant boutique behind…

Parisian woman with Turkish Veil on Rue de la Paix, 1914: A Short Story Challenge

It’s amazing to see how our minds can wander in different ways; how many variations of a story can come from a single picture. We recently proposed a new challenge for our readers to become the storyteller, prompted by a historical found photograph with a brief caption as the only clue: “Parisian woman with Turkish veil, seen…

The Tokyo Subculture of 1950s Rockabilly Gangs

They say rock’n’roll never dies, but there’s one slick-back haired subculture in a corner of Tokyo, Japan that’s making damn well sure of it. Suited up in full-leather gear and greased with obscene amounts of hair gel, the Tokyo Rockabilly Club has been gathering every Sunday in the city’s famous Yoyogi Park near Meiji-Jingumae station…

Meet the Italian Grandmothers Making the World’s Rarest Pasta

Pasta makes everything better. This we know. But in the ancient villages of Sardinia, where the art of handmade pasta is practically a sacred ritual, there are ancestral, mouth-watering secrets that even the finest fettuccine can’t hold a candle to. We’re talking about the most beautiful and intricate shapes you’ve never seen; braided, stretched, twisted…

The Palatial Ruins of the First Western Black Monarchy

Once known as the ‘Versailles of the Caribbean’, its hollow ruins are one of the few lasting remnants of a forgotten royal court – the first Black monarchy established in the Western world that rose from the ashes of the Haitian Revolution. The brief reign of the first and only King of Haiti is both…

Guinness Meets the Sapeurs of Congo

Three years ago, I wrote a little article exploring the sapeurs, a subculture of extraordinarily dressed dandies from the Congo. I can safely say it is one of a handful of articles I wrote in the beginning that really launched my blog, helping my readership to grow to numbers I could never have imagined. The story…