What A New York Personal Shopper Does, And What It Costs
Three different business models trade under the same name, and only one of them charges you directly.
The Lifestyle Desk
Editorial Staff
The Lifestyle Desk covers dining, style, travel and how New Yorkers actually spend their money and time. Reporting under this byline is produced by the editorial staff of Manhattan Standard.
Articles by The Lifestyle Desk
A Field Guide To New York's Members' Clubs
What the categories are, how admission actually works, and what you are paying for.
How New York's Restaurant Reservation System Really Works
Release windows, walk-in policy and the resale market that has grown up around tables nobody can get.
How New York's Restaurant Inspection Grades Actually Work
The letter in the window is the result of a points system, and points are not all about hygiene.
What Goes Into The Price Of A Tasting Menu
The food is rarely the largest cost. Understanding the structure explains the price.
How To Read A Restaurant Wine List Without Guessing
The structure of the list tells you what the restaurant cares about, and where the value sits.
How To Judge The Quality Of A Suit
Three construction details separate a garment that will last from one that will not.
How To Work With A Tailor
Alterations are a conversation with a defined vocabulary. Learning a little of it changes the result.
How To Care For Clothes So They Actually Last
Most damage is done by laundering, storage and haste rather than by wear.
How Airline Status Actually Works Now
Elite programs have shifted from distance flown to money spent, which changes who benefits.
What Travel Insurance Actually Covers
The medical component is the reason to buy it. The trip cancellation component is where the exclusions live.
How To Actually Get Through New York's Airports
Three airports with different characters, and the ground journey is usually the variable that matters.
How A Mechanical Watch Actually Works
A spring, a gear train and an oscillator. The escapement is the clever part.
What To Check Before Buying A Pre-Owned Watch
Originality of parts is what determines value, and it is exactly what is hardest to verify.
How Watch Servicing Actually Works
What a service includes varies enormously, and so does what it does to the watch.
How To Buy Art At A Gallery Without Feeling Lost
The conventions are unwritten, consistent, and easier once someone states them.
What An Edition Actually Means
Editioned work is not a reproduction, and the numbering carries specific information.
How To Care For Art In A New York Apartment
Light, humidity and radiators do more damage than anything else in the room.
How Whiskey Labeling Actually Works
Several terms are legally defined and mean something precise. Others are marketing.
How To Taste Spirits Properly
Most of what you perceive is smell, and high strength interferes with it.
What A Cocktail Program Actually Costs A Bar
The spirit is a minority of the cost of the drink in front of you.
What Owning A Car In Manhattan Actually Costs
Parking is the dominant expense, and it is the one people leave out.
How To Buy A Used Car In New York
The state's used car lemon law gives buyers rights that many never learn they have.
How Electric Vehicle Charging Actually Works Here
Charging levels, connectors and the particular difficulty of a city where most people cannot charge at home.