Nobody has ever written like Joseph Mitchell and nobody ever will—even he couldn’t do it anymore, and suffered writer’s block for decades before dying at age 87 in 1996. But what the New Yorker writer left behind is some of the finest prose of the 20th century, focusing primarily on the eccentrics, scalawags, seamen, and other denizens of New York’s dank corners. Legions of nonfiction writers revere him, which is a tad surprising since Mitchell blurred fact and fiction, improved dialogue, and even made up characters, or, as he called them, “composites.” No matter. It is the writing that counts, and Modern Library has done a splendid job collecting some of his best pieces in this handsome volume, with exquisite black-and-white illustrations by Joana Avillez and an acutely perceptive introduction by Josh Safdie. ($29, penguinrandomhouse.com) —Jim Kelly

For years, Charleston has been quietly climbing the ranks as the premier Southern city for lavish living. That trajectory only continues with the Cooper, the city’s first luxury waterfront hotel. (Cue Etta James’s “At Last.”) Named after the river it overlooks, the 191-room building bridges Charleston’s cobblestone streets with its own private marina. There, a fleet of boats awaits, offering yacht charters and fly-fishing excursions. The experiences on land are just as tempting: tennis lessons, run clubs, and a 7,000-square-foot spa that has a restaurant-size menu of massages and skin-care treatments. Guests are in good hands—Lukus Grace, the hotel’s manager, hails from roles at the storied Hotel Bel-Air. So sit back and let the Southern hospitality do the heavy lifting. (thecooper.com) —Maggie Turner

The day has finally come. Jamie Haller, known for her quietly cult women’s footwear that feel broken into from the first try, has now made the perfect shoe for men. Launching this week, the men’s penny loafer is crafted in Italy using sacchetto construction and comes in oxblood, black, brown, and Italian suede. The effect is familiar in the best way: soft, precise, and immediately wearable. It’s the shoe you end up in all the time without remembering the moment you decided to buy it. (from $725, jamiehaller.com) —Jennifer Noyes

“Well, that film has disappeared,” Agnès Varda said in 2009 about Nausicaa, her 1971 response to Greece’s 1967 right-wing military junta, which was confiscated from the production lab by the French government and never finished. Equal parts documentary, fiction, and autobiography—Varda herself was half Greek—the film follows Agnès (France Dougnac), an art-history student at Paris’s L’École du Louvre, who, after housing a Greek refugee-journalist, begins exploring her own heritage. Woven into the narrative are interviews with Greek exiles and theatrical skits—including one featuring a girl named Democracy threatened by her authoritarian mother, played by Varda’s own. Other cameos include Gérard Depardieu and his ex-wife, Élisabeth. This balletic conversation between activism, identity, and politics, from the “godmother of the French New Wave,” was thankfully preserved by the Royal Cinematheque of Belgium and makes for her most obscure yet necessary watch. (criterionchannel.com) —Eve Eismann

Located within the storied Art Deco walls of the former Larrabee Sound Studios, where Prince and Cher once recorded, Mic Drop is a new Santa Monica hot spot for the karaoke junkie. The space has 13 private, tech-forward studios and a main stage designed for those who prefer to perform under a concert-grade spotlight. Between sets, one can indulge in caviar service and a stellar wine list while navigating a 60,000-song catalogue. It’s a sleek, thoughtfully engineered escape that makes for a great night out with friends. (micdrop.la) —Rachel LeSage

It’s always bizarre walking into an upscale supermarket in New York—a city surrounded by water and mere miles from the Atlantic—only to discover a seafood selection hailing from Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, even the South Pacific. So the existence of Montauk Catch Club—dedicated to providing home cooks with hyper-local, dayboat-fresh fish from Montauk fishermen—did not come as a surprise so much as manna from heaven. The chef Savannah Jordan, a Le Bernardin alum, started it with her business partner, the fisherman Parker Hollinger, in 2020. You can find the club at select farmers’ markets in the area, but to me the most convenient and reliable way to shop is to simply sign up for their e-mail newsletter, which comes with each week’s catch order form—that way, the fish is delivered straight to your door. In addition to whatever filet strikes your fancy, I recommend stocking up on their divine Thai yellow-curry soup. (montaukcatchclub.com) —Julia Vitale