The Gentleman's Field Guide to Familiar Territory
(Begin where you already are.)
A well-cut suit recalls boardrooms, long lunches, missed trains, and martinis that became dinner. The territory may be familiar, but the conditions are always changing. A tie for one stop, an open collar for the next. The trick is knowing your way around.
How to Spend an Afternoon Without Wasting It
(An increasingly valuable skill.)
There is considerable pressure these days to optimize one's time. We respectfully decline. An hour spent walking the river, reading half the newspaper, finishing none of the crossword, and accepting that one will never quite understand why the tram remains so fascinating is not an hour lost. It is simply New York behaving as intended.
On the Matter of Staying Put
(Even while moving through the world.)
Look as Though You've Been Here Before
(Because eventually, you have.)
Have you ever considered that there are, we suspect, two kinds of well-dressed men? The first dress for the occasion. The second dress because life has the fortunate habit of inventing one. He loosens his tie in the taxi rather than at the table, knows which shoes to wear and patterns to mix, and has one bench along the East River that he privately considers his own. He buys pretzels from street carts without worrying about mustard, waves to a doorman in a building where he has never lived, and arrives at dinner ten minutes early, since being rushed has never improved an evening.