The most charming girl in NY

Middlebrow party report / NYT Metro Diary strategy / NYT discovers MAN-TLE

I’m trying to get over my fear of the weight room this summer, so last week I finally paid a trainer to come to my Y and show me how to use a few machines (we took a lot of videos, which was key). Never thought I’d be this person but now it’s me, some assisted pull-ups, and Casey Johnston’s Liftoff: Couch to Barbell against the world…

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Last night I went to Middlebrow’s party held in celebration of their 100th podcast episode, which brought together a nice mix of audio folks, writers, comedians, plus advertising creatives and other distinctively better-coiffed members of the creative economy. We were gathered in Chinatown at Vitra, a furniture showroom (or, quite possibly, an events venue masquerading as a furniture showroom, as a banker visiting from London theorized) which immediately became the center of conversation for its unexpected hugeness, soaring ceilings, capacious view of the Manhattan Bridge, and even better, its abundance of funky, comfortable seating options. (Let’s be honest. You and I would both like to sit more at these things, no?) Taking a turn on the $30,000 Verner Panton Living Tower, apparently popularized by Lil Yachty, was itself an excellent icebreaker. (No surprise that the producer behind this party was none other than your fave and mine, Rachel Yang.)