If Uber really wanted to make the world a more chic, more civilized place, it would make the Fiat 600 Multipla the only car permitted in its fleet. Say good-bye to all those tinted-window Kardashi-Wagons that clog our streets; bid arrivederci to streams of sad-faced people being transported in their rolling sarcophagi of self-importance. Because nothing would make a bad day vanish faster than a ride home in the 600. Created by Fiat in the 1950s as something of an Italian version of the Volkswagen Microbus, Marinella customized them for resorts, and this one features details that evoke elegant midcentury yachts: there’s a bow-shaped nose and mahogany bumpers and trim. There’s even a rear deck with a picnic basket. When’s the last time you found one of those in an Uber? (Price upon request, StuartParrCollection.com )

After living in New York for a while, you learn that there are really only two types of coffee. There’s the cup that gets you out of bed in the morning, flinging you away from your only desire (recumbent bliss) and toward your fate (caffeine-fueled indentureship). And then there’s the cup that you have on a Saturday afternoon—the one you brew because you have time, just because you damn well can. Here at Air Mail, we’ve discovered a machine that’s built for both needs: the Miele CM6350. Granted, at $2,299, it better be a double threat. And it is, coming equipped with such perks as a built-in cup warmer, bean grinder, and milk frother. Fortunately, there is also one thing it does not have—a surly barista at the controls. That alone makes it worth the price. (mieleusa.com)

Writer Joe Nocera spent the most boring evening of his life having drinks in the home of a new neighbor in Southampton, Long Island, a psychiatrist and monomaniacal name-dropper named Ike. Later, Nocera found out that Ike didn’t actually own the estate where he threw lavish parties—it belonged to a patient that Nocera had mistaken for the gardener. Over almost a decade, Nocera pieced together the bizarre, disturbing tale of Dr. Ike. Is the shrink next door still in practice? To find out, you have to listen to the podcast on Wondery. (wondery.com)

Ten years ago, it would have been unthinkable for a German TV series to be set in Nazi Germany during the war and not focus on the Holocaust. Season Two of Charité, titled Charité at War, on Netflix, is about the medical staff of a leading teaching hospital in Berlin from 1943 to Hitler’s suicide, in 1945. The characters are based on real historic figures: a fervent Nazi psychiatrist who dabbles in eugenics, a famous surgeon who plays ball with the regime but is intent on saving patients that the Gestapo would prefer to exterminate. Charité at War takes a complex look at collaboration, not unlike the French drama about the occupation, Un Village Français, which is on Amazon Prime and is also superb. (netflix.com)

Over the last few years, cyclists who have gotten fed up with fighting for respect on city streets, or avoiding speeding trucks on country highways, have increasingly sought out the tranquility of rural back roads. To cope with these often unpaved routes, riders developed a hybrid ride: the gravel bike, which typically combines the modified frame of a traditional touring bike with the durability (and tires) of a mountain bike. Think of the Pivot Vault like a Land Rover Defender. It handles gritty roads, and looks good too. The frame is sturdy yet lightweight, its wheels are compatible with multiple tire widths, and the seat post is equipped with Iso Flex technology that isolates the seat from the frame, thus minimizing bumpy rides no matter what terrain you test it on. ($6,699, pivotcycles.com)