Back when we were kids, we dreamed of having a sedan that was so big we could keep a little British roadster (rather than a spare tire) in the trunk. Now, we dream of keeping a bike in the trunk, so we can take in some cycling without having to rig up a bike carrier every time we have the urge. The Boston, from Montague, fits the bill, as it might be the sharpest folding bike we’ve seen in some time. Constructed of matte-black aluminum, it’s a single-speed with 700-cc. wheels and weighs only 24 pounds. Best of all, you can break it down in less than 30 seconds. ($699, montaguebikes.com/product/boston)
Eat
Via Carota
Jeff Gordinier’s new book, Hungry, is about Noma, the famously innovative restaurant in Copenhagen. But when he is in New York, the food writer heads to Via Carota for chef Jody Williams’s carciofi alla griglia. “The dish looks like the beau ideal of unfussy cooking—pale-green artichoke sections kissed with char and lounging on a plate with slices of lemon, grilled red onions, and an accompanying squirt of aioli.” Gordinier has had the dish about 50 times—including the night he got engaged. “Somehow ordering an Italian dish in New York City is my way of reminding myself of what it feels like to be back home in California.” (viacarota.com)
Listen
How To!
Chances are you’ve enjoyed one of Charles Duhigg’s monster best-sellers, The Power of Habit or Smarter, Faster, Better, both of which are enlightening and inspiring studies of how we do what we do—and how we can do it, well, better. In How To!, his debut podcast, he brings the same engaging curiosity to bear on questions we all want the answers to, whether we admit it or not. Such as: Just how do you rob a bank? Or: How the hell will I survive the coming pandemic? And: How can I learn to cook one perfect meal? The twist here is Duhigg relies on his journalistic talents, and partners with experts who inform and surprise us. (slate.com/podcasts/how-to)
Watch
Our Boys
When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli voters to boycott Our Boys, it was a sure sign that the series is fully worth watching. The 10-part show on HBO is a police thriller based on the true events of 2014 when three Jewish teenagers were murdered by Hamas militants and, two days later, the burned body of a Palestinian boy was found. As they search for the killers of the boy, Israeli investigators are thwarted by two irreconcilable and equally hostile constituencies: Muslims who seek a martyr and Orthodox Jews who cannot accept that any of their own could do such a thing. (hbo.com/our-boys)
Deploy
A Hair Whisk
Whether you’ve come to that chapter in your life where you have more hair in your comb than on your head—or you are blessed with a thick mane of hair—the Philip B hairbrush cleaner is an essential tool for your medicine chest. Think of it as floss for your combs and brushes. Made of stainless steel and featuring an oak handle (cut from reclaimed wood), it cleans the teeth on any and all implements in your hair kit. One request: if you have thoughts on keeping the stray hairs for a future re-weave, please don’t. ($30, net-a-porter.com)