ThisNiceLife OTG No.3
Miscellaneous items from NYC, San Diego, LA.
Just a short newsletter this week as I’m still traveling and the past two weeks have caught up with me in a major way. The “Autumn Style” series will return next weekend with the second installment that I’m really quite excited about, but at present I’m happy to share a look at what Mrs. Maness and I have been up to of late.
First and foremost…
We’ll be welcoming a little girl to our family come January. I expect that I’ll be incorporating quite a bit of the experience of becoming a dad into my writing and for those of you who have any words of wisdom, especially for the early days, please feel free to drop a line here.
While out here in Southern California I’ve taken the opportunity to drive a few things. A second round in Cadillac’s LYRIQ electric crossover left a much better impression than the first. I’ll be writing up that experience in full on The Motoring Journal in the coming weeks.
As far as palette cleansers for electric vehicle after taste go, an Aston Martin DB12 and Ferrari 296 GTS are hard to beat.
On the subject of things that don’t require a palette cleanser…
I enjoyed a superb seasonal riff on an Old Fashioned at the Commerce Inn’s bar while the Thom Browne team huddled nearby planning a NYFW dinner. Such a lovely and inviting space in the late afternoon, hard to imagine it packed full of celebs and industry types.
I’m not big on domestic wines, especially California reds, but Hallberg Ranch Pinot Noir(particularly the 2020) from Emeritus Vineyards holds a sentimental value to me. It was surprise to see it on the wine list at Los Angeles institution, The Golden Bull, so a friend and I felt obligated to enjoy it with our steak dinners.
While not native to Los Angeles or even North America, I’ll take any chance I get to enjoy a sandwich from the legendary Florence shop All’Antico Vinaio . That being said, apparently there’s one opening in Nashville in the not-so-distant-future. Not sure how I feel about that just yet. Maybe too much of a good thing? Probably a longer post to be written about the commodification of food that’s popular on IG/Tik Tok. No denying that it’s a damn good sandwich.
Don’t call it a comeback, but Abbot Kinney is showing signs of life. The addition of Todd Snyder(as well as J.Crew and Billy Reid) and the removal of Allbirds(goodbye garbage shoes) signals that the street GQ famously declared in 2012 as “the Coolest Block in America” might just have a redemption arc after all. I doubt it’ll ever recapture the authentic magic of the Jack Spade, Steven Alan and STAG era though. It still mostly feels like an outdoor mall where you have to dodge sketchy characters and watch your step, but at least some better retail is back in the mix.
It’s been a great couple of weeks traveling, seeing friends and family on both coasts, but I’m ready to get back to Nashville and settle into the rhythm of my favorite season. Wishing everyone a pleasant first day of Autumn and plenty of sunsets on crisp evenings like this one.
