I source mine from The Monocle Shop in London’s Chiltern Street: bright-yellow A6 Leuchtturm1917 pocketbooks; hardcover, dot-grid paper. And I suggest that you do the same – or find your own paper-and-pen solution. Because while I am not one for pet causes (unless it’s actual pets, then I am all in), I am a firm believer in keeping a diary.

My discipline is simple. Every morning, without fail, I find a few minutes to write down what happened in the previous 24 hours (this would have stumbled as a pastime if I had attempted a bedtime routine). Sometimes when I am on a plane, away on holiday or just in the mood, I will write several pages; other times we are in the land of the haiku.

But something is always committed to page – blue ink, nib nipping across the paper. Sometimes the news or events edge into what’s written; other times it’s just about work, the banalities of daily life, friends. Why the commitment? That’s hard to say. The diaries are not written to be read by anyone else (please feel free to put them in the recycling after I am gone). Indeed, you would need a code breaker à la Bletchley Park to crack my handwriting (even when I try to decipher some pages, I struggle to unravel the scrawl). But that doesn’t matter because it’s not like I spend my evenings reliving the delights of 2011 or wondering what I was doing on this day in 2015. Instead, once a diary is fat with recollections, thoughts and, may I say, the occasional amusing aside, I close its elasticated strap and put the yellow notebook on a shelf along with all the others.

So why, then, the recommendation to take up the habit? Because it orders your thoughts, makes you focus on what’s important, lets you see how various narratives weave not only across the pages but through your life too. And, one day, when your memory might need jogging, it will be there – an off-stage prompter.

You could keep a digital diary, sitting there on your desktop along with your household accounts, but give paper a go and start today. We are only three days in, so let’s make this a year that you hold onto – in ink. And, no, your partner cannot read them.

To read more columns by Andrew Tuck, click here.

At 06.05 on bracing December morning, a Metal Shark catamaran departed the St George neighbourhood on the northeastern tip of Staten Island and crossed New York Harbor to Bay Ridge in southern Brooklyn. Aboard was a mixture of transport activists, local politicians and members of the general public. It was the first time that a passenger ferry had completed this particular journey since 1964, when previous boat services were discontinued upon the opening of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The new route is one of the first measures to be implemented as part of the 2025 NYC Ferry Network Optimisation Plan, a comprehensive revamp of the city’s ferry system that will continue into 2026 and beyond.

The waves and wipeouts of NY ferries so far

Few cities are more naturally suited to ferry transport than New York, an archipelago whose densely populated boroughs are connected by highly navigable waterways. The earliest recorded ferry service was run by a man called Cornelius Dircksen, who in the 1640s rowed a passenger boat between Brooklyn and what is now Lower Manhattan. Operating on demand, travellers signalled their desire to cross by blowing a shell horn hanging from Dircksen’s tree.  

By the first decade of the 20th century, hundreds of thousands of journeys were made by ferry each day on the East and Hudson rivers. But ferry ridership declined as more bridges and tunnels were built and the number of private motorcars increased. By the 1960s, almost all of NYC’s regular ferry services had been discontinued.

In the early 2000s, waterfront neighbourhoods such as Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Long Island City grew rapidly despite poor subway access, making ferries a promising transit solution once again. The 2011 East River ferry pilot hit its three-year ridership goal in just 14 months, prompting the city to launch the NYC Ferry system citywide in 2017.

The ferry network was an exceptional addition to the city’s public transport system. For the same price as a trip on the dilapidated subway, riders could embark upon high-speed aluminium catamarans with onboard concessions offering premium local snacks and beverages. It was a deal that seemed almost too good to be true, and in a sense it was: the service required a substantial subsidy that turned out to be much higher than initially estimated. In the early years of the service, each ferry ride cost the city about $10.70 (€9.13) to operate; by 2024, this had been reduced to around $8.55 (€7.30) per trip, partly by raising the price of tickets.

The planned upgrades

One of the main goals of the Ferry Network Optimisation Plan is to make the service more economical. Some routes will be split, others merged, and extensions added to reduce the number of empty seats on rides and provide more direct connections to areas where jobs are concentrated, such as Midtown Manhattan. A pilot extension of the South Brooklyn service will run on summer weekends in 2026, and will be evaluated later in the year to determine its long-term viability. There will also be physical improvements to existing landings and to fleet maintenance and capacity.

As a mode of public transport, the ferry system presents unique challenges. Inclement weather causes boat rides to be delayed or cancelled far more than buses or subways. Certain routes are subject to wild seasonal swings in ridership, attracting day-trippers in the summer but seeing a steep decline in numbers during the off-season. However, these special challenges are complemented by singular charms. Nothing else on the New York transit system compares to a late-summer churn along the East River on the top deck of a New York ferry.

Fancy another inside line on the changing face of New York? Click here to read about how the city’s scaffolding is getting a glow-up.

It has been a somber start to the new year in Switzerland. Some 40 people are dead and more than 115 are injured after a fire tore through Le Constellation bar in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana as New Year celebrations took place early Thursday morning.

The severity of the event has triggered a major emergency response. Thirteen helicopters, 42 ambulances and 150 emergency responders were deployed after the Valais State Council declared a special situation to allow authorities to mobilise all necessary resources without delay. With many foreign nationals among the victims – and Switzerland’s hospitals overwhelmed by the number of injuries – the response has extended beyond the country’s borders.

Monocle’s editorial director, Tyler Brûlé, joined Monocle Radio’s The Globalist from St Moritz and The Briefing from Zurich to comment on the mood in Switzerland.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Listen to the full broadcasts on Monocle Radio.

The fire seems to have started from champagne-bottle sparklers that were held close to the ceiling and ignited the sound-proofing. How has Switzerland reacted?
In papers such as NZZ, graphics have helped to provide an accurate picture of how the bar would have ignited. We know that there is tight legislation around so many things in Switzerland but it seems that there could have been insulation that was not up to code. This is still speculation, of course, but speculation that is appearing in much of the Swiss press.

The first thing that the Swiss authorities called for on Thursday, both at a cantonal and at a federal level, was solidarity. Immediately, there was a call for people to be sensible on the slopes, on the highways and in daily life because the medical system has been overwhelmed. We’re talking about some 115 people injured, 80 of them critically, and people in comas.

This is a small country, with a population of about 9 million. There are hundreds of thousands of other people in the country for the holiday as well. Switzerland has some of the most respected medical centres in the world but it only has two major burns units and they were immediately overwhelmed. The Burns Unit at the Children’s Hospital in Zürich has also been admitting adults because the system is overwhelmed by the number of injuries.

The helicopter rescue system here means that you should never be more than 10 minutes away from a hospital and that kicked in yesterday.

You have been travelling around Switzerland from St Moritz to Zürich. What’s the mood like across the country?
We’re in a period where there is a little bit of disbelief and and quite a measured tone. People are asking, ‘How could this happen in Switzerland, the country that is famous for its building codes, for its safety, for its risk aversion?’ But I think there’s something else, another dynamic, which is that this country can’t cope with this.

The other aspect is the press. I would say that the Swiss press, like everywhere, can be very quick to start pointing fingers. There is a search for answers. But that search is often rather accusatory. That is not the case right now. I think that there is a real sense of shock.

On Thursday, his first day in the job, Swiss president Guy Parmelin had to go to Crans-Montana to tour the scene and be part of the second press conference in Sian for what is being described as one of the worst disasters in the country’s history.

What does this mean more broadly for Switzerland, for a small nation that prides itself on alpine life, hospitality and safety? So many eyes are on the country right now.
There has certainly been lot of focus on the speed and the swiftness of the organisation and all of these Swiss values around the recovery operation. This is a nation that generally gets on very well with its neighbours and is often a unifying force diplomatically.

France announced that it has 20 burns unit beds on standby and people were also evacuated to Italy and Germany. Israel was quick to send part of its rescue team to the scene, which is highly skilled in identification and rapid DNA testing. It was airborne by late yesterday morning as there might be Israeli victims among the dead and injured. Poland has just said that it will take up to 14 burns victims. So that’s one part of the story.

The flip side of it, though, is this that this country relies on people filling its slopes, valleys, hotels, restaurants and bars during their cross country skiing trips. This is a period when these places need to make money. You could argue that the ski season is not as stable as it used to be, so there is a bit of a feast or famine.

When you think about Switzerland, you imagine about a law-abiding, rule-abiding nation. We will have to ask whether the building codes were adhered to, was a blind eye turned to anything, was this place supposed to be renovated this coming July or 24 months from now?

I’m speaking to you from one of the other big alpine resorts in this country. There are ways that things happen in mountain regions all over the world, in closed valleys, and oftentimes it’s not so above board.

Listen to the full comments from Tyler Brûlé on ‘The Globalist’ and ‘The Briefing’ from Monocle Radio.

What comes after a major industry shakeout? The dust settles, energy shifts and creativity blossoms – at least that’s my wish for the year ahead. After one too many high-profile firings and hirings inside the most revered design studios in Paris and Milan – Loewe, Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Jil Sander and Bottega Veneta are among the brands that reviewed their leadership teams this year – a new generation of designers and executives is now installed in leadership positions. Some have already teased their new strategies with debut runway shows, films and ambitious campaigns. There’s been a lot of excitement and heated debates among fashion professionals about the results but the market in 2026 will give the real verdict in the form of shop-floor sales. 

Which brand is worth keeping an eye on – or buying shares in – come the new year? Whether you are interested in stock or leather goods that will retain their value, Hermès makes for a safe investment. The company has continued to grow despite macro-economic headwinds and it maintains cultural relevance, even while refusing to engage in trend cycles, celebrity tie-ins and other predictable marketing tricks. The appointment of its new men’s creative director, Grace Wales Bonner – who is known for designing everything from best-selling Adidas trainers to artisanal tailoring – will raise its stock even further.

I’ll also be looking closely at Versace, which has been bought by the Prada Group for $1.38bn (€1.2bn) and given a full facelift. It might take more than a year to turn the business around and find a new creative lead but this is a success story in the making: its new collections, shifting the focus to daywear and joyful colour palettes, will soon translate to profit.

The many HR changes taking place raised a lot of questions about who our era-defining designers are. Is it possible for modern-day fashion brands – many of which now turn over close to €20bn per year – to still nurture the next Coco Chanel and take creative risks? 

Interestingly, the house of Chanel seems to be setting the agenda today as much as it did in the 1920s when its founder started reworking men’s silhouettes and using jersey materials for the first time. Its newly appointed artistic director, Matthieu Blazy, is defining the uniform of today by reworking the house’s codes, from the tweed jacket to the classic cotton shirt and the quilted leather bag. He makes a compelling case that creative talent can still thrive in today’s corporatised fashion landscape – and after a successful debut, 2026 will no doubt be his year.  

The very definition of luxury is also being questioned: beyond a logo and price tag, it is becoming more closely tied to quality or personal memory. It’s why an Ascot Chang shirt, customised during a trip to Hong Kong, or a well-cut trench coat by Japanese label A.Presse now hold as much (if not more) value as an item with a recognisable logo. 

The independents are set to influence how we get dressed as much as the mega brands but it’s our job to seek them out and look beyond our screens for new discoveries and inspiration. I keep returning to a conversation with Canadian-born designer Erdem Moralioglu, whose eponymous brand has remained independent for the past two decades: every Friday, he locks his phone away and goes to the library to sketch, read and flip through magazines. As online noise reaches a crescendo, that might be the most revolutionary action you can take in the new year – both for your taste and your mind. 

Natalie Theodosi is Monocle’s fashion director. Keen for more? Listen to her interview with Erdem Moralioglu here.

Read next: Fashion’s 2026 reset: What the industry leaders are forecasting for the year ahead

By subscribing to Monocle, you gain access to over 1,000 hours of original radio, 500 newsletters, and up to 15 publications, all for less than a year of espressos.

Join us in 2026 for fresh perspectives that go beyond the headlines.

Subscribe today.

I recently made a radical change in my grocery shopping: I stopped using the self-checkout scanner. No Luddite, I had initially embraced the technology as it trickled into shops. Shorter queues, no waiting behind other customers as they fumble for their payment. But I have soured. On a purely functional level, self-checkout machines are wanting. There are the hectoring prompts and clamouring warning sounds. There is the routine failure of the scanner to read a bar code (smudged glass, a wrinkled label). The tedious scrolling through menus to identify your purchase as a Bartlett pear or a concord grape. Inevitably, something will go wrong and the whole system will malfunction, requiring the assistance of a human supervisor to whom you sheepishly explain the possible reasons you have failed.  

But there is also something more deeply problematic about them. They represent another erosive step in the gradual withering away of public interaction in favour of a world of “frictionless”, machine-guided transactions. The very fact that I am in the shop rather than ordering from my couch might seem like some archaic ritual; indeed the aisles, where I once might have encountered a neighbour gathering supplies for dinner and had a brief chat, are now besieged by “e-shoppers” doing someone else’s grocery run, identifiable by the badges around their necks and the ruthless way that they move through the shop.

Certainly, a surfeit of small talk can be an annoyance, especially in a city. As the sociologist Erving Goffman famously observed, urbanites tend to live by a strategy of “civil inattention”, whereby we subtly acknowledge each other’s presence but then avert our gaze to preserve a sense of privacy in public. And yet think of how many of these small moments, this social glue, that we are losing. The newsstand where we could communally glance at the headlines and chat with the proprietor is replaced by the private screen; the record shop with the opinionated clerk is replaced by anonymously curated “for you” streams. The entertaining conversation with the quirky cab driver (I once had one tell me about his personal philosophy called “superhumanism”) replaced by an Uber driver who already knows where you are going and who you can request to be silent (then there are the driverless taxis, where the only chat is a recorded safety announcement). Returning to Goffman, we often don’t even have that initial acknowledgement – we’re staring instead at a glowing screen.

The urbanist Greg Lindsay, after stating that Americans now spend an hour and a half more at home (and presumably on screens) than they did in pre-smartphone days, and noting the rise of so-called “ghost kitchens” and “dark stores” – with no footfall, just web traffic – argued that “the physical world has become increasingly vestigial to the digital one”. And in the same way that AI, as studies imply, might impinge upon our cognitive abilities, the technologically mediated urban environment might be weakening our civil muscles: our ability to simply be with other people in public.

It sounds like a small thing but I am here to reclaim the joy of a life with social friction. I have made it a New Year’s resolution to always choose engagement. At the food shop recently, the clerk, noting that I had Scotch bonnet peppers in my cart, queried what I will be making. She was, it turned out, originally from Jamaica and what might have otherwise been a cold exchange of electrons became two strangers finding common ground – in this case, over the delights of jerk chicken.

Tom Vanderbilt is a regular Monocle contributor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Read next: It’s time to bring the literary café back to the heart of European society

Over the past year, many art institutions have refreshed their look or even given themselves a new name, to varying degrees of public approval. Short and snappy is evidently in vogue: The Courtauld Gallery in London, for example, has adopted a Madonna-style mononym, Courtauld. The Museum of London, which reopens in late 2026, has been slowly relocating from its former London Wall site to the old Smithfield market in Farringdon; along the way, it has shed a preposition and become the London Museum. 

Prepositions seem to be falling out of favour across the Atlantic too. In a subtle change, the Philadelphia Museum of Art became the Philadelphia Art Museum in October. The switch was met with some derision and there was speculation that it might have played a role in the sacking of the museum’s director less than a month later. Was the rebrand worth all the fuss? And was the old one even that bad?

Such changes are often accompanied by new typefaces, logos and websites. “Art institutions are following the same de-branding trajectory that we have seen with corporate logos,” says Matt Johnson, the author of Branding That Means Business. “The move towards simplified names, reduced visual identity and stripped-down typography serves the same function that removing logos does for Birkin bags: creating insider knowledge that builds community through recognition.”

Indeed, scrolling the social-media pages of these museums, I’m surprised by how many of them use sleek monochrome profile pictures that don’t give away what these institutions are. If you’re not already in the know, this kind of branding won’t point you in the right direction. At first glance, the simplified griffin badge of the Philadelphia Art Museum (or Pham, apparently) resembles the logo of a sports team. Sure, online mystique might help to draw in a cool and curious new crowd – but museums should be for everyone. They aren’t a litmus test of taste. 

Refreshing your look is sometimes necessary. And, yes, we are reminded time and time again of the financial and political challenges that these organisations are up against. So, as we head into 2026, here are three things that museums should do to entice more visitors through their doors and keep them coming back.

1.
Open the archives
Many museums only display a small portion of the artefacts in their possession. While researchers might have the privilege of going behind the scenes to survey the rest, this isn’t something that’s typically available to the public. As Monocle reported earlier this year, some institutions are forging a new path – and the V&A East Storehouse is a great example of an organisation attempting to let everyone into its archives. 

2. 
Stay open later
Even museums that run late-night events still often get everyone out by 21.00 (as Monocle bemoaned in August). A late-night programme with interesting events and closing times that border on the ignoble would turn museums into cultural venues with a wider remit, expanding their reach and bringing in new crowds. 

3. 
Make ticket prices more flexible
Thanks to a private donor, the Jenny Saville exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery this summer was free for anyone aged 25 and under. The show was a favourite of mine this year and it was made even more special by the teenagers sketching in front of (and, at times, giggling at) Saville’s big, fleshy self-portraits. When making changes at museums, ticket prices should always be at the top of the list of considerations.

Sophie Monaghan-Coombs is Monocle’s associate editor of culture. To read more from Sophie, click here.

Upstate New York has quietly become the state’s hottest area, luring New Yorkers north in numbers that would have seemed unthinkable a decade ago. Once a sleepy agricultural region with a smattering of farms and quaint towns, the area was formerly earmarked for weekend getaways from the city. Speckled with holiday homes, few lived here full-time. As remote-working options have increased over the past few years, the open spaces of the Hudson Valley have seen an influx of approximately 80,000 New York residents moving upstate between 2019 and 2021, and urbanites continue to decamp north.

Local entrepreneur Erin Winter and her business partner, Taavo Somer, are behind some of the region’s most inviting hospitality spots. “The area has changed dramatically,” says Winter, with her establishments having no small part to play in its transformation. 

Sprawled across 89 hectares of pristine woodland, Innes is a Scandinavian-inspired country retreat that Winter and Somer opened in 2021 in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains. In nearby Kingston, the pair’s pizza restaurant, Lola, is a popular choice for dinner and drinks. Their most recent venture, Little Goat, a bakery, pantry and all-day café, opened in May 2025 inside a restored 18th-century townhouse in the village of Rhinebeck across the Hudson River. The establishment was born out of “selfish reasons,” says Somer. Co-founder of cult Manhattan restaurant Freemans and a former architect, Somer relocated upstate in 2016. “Being here mid-week, there were things I was missing from the city,” he says. “I wanted somewhere to grab a cup of coffee.” 

Finding a good stop for a brew or lunch in Upstate New York isn’t difficult these days. In the hamlet of Pine Plains, chef Clare de Boer runs Stissing House. Co-founder of King, one of New York’s chicest dining spots, De Boer’s upstate restaurant is a wood-clad tavern with low-slung ceilings and giant fireplaces. Expect a menu replete with hearty country dishes such as roasted halibut with chanterelles or steak-and-ale pie. For some lighter fare, head to Eliza in Kingston to sample oysters and steelhead trout in a snug dining room. Looking to while away an afternoon? Try the family-owned Tenmile Distillery. Offering fine whiskey, vodka and gin made with local ingredients by master distiller and Scotsman Shane Fraser, the distillery offers tours and tastings as well as the occasional restaurant pop-up. 

The town of Hudson is still by far one of the ritziest points in the valley. Its high street is a tour of independent brands and artisanal produce. For American-made denim, stop by B Sides Jeans, while Talbott & Arding offers a choice selection of produce, cheeses and baked goods. If you’re looking for a bite, try Hudson Diner: a veteran of the town’s food scene. Recently renovated and refreshed, it still fields a menu with comforting classics, from burgers to patty melts. 

For those looking to stay a little longer, boutique hotel The Henson serves as a trusty base. A 16-room lodge where historic guestrooms are softened by big rugs and beds dressed with patterned comforters, the property also hosts restaurant Matilda. Another good choice is the countryside inn The Six Bells, a recent arrival that mixes a cottage-core aesthetic with liberal doses of Americana. Big brands have moved in too, including luxury hospitality group Auberge Collection, which opened its 65-key Wildflower Farms on a 140-acre piece of land complete with meadows, woodlands and orchards.

Despite all the openings, there hasn’t been an issue with filling seats. Back at Little Goat, Somer and Winter are eager to extend the opening hours so customers can swing by any day of the week. “There’s [so much] demand from the people,” says Somer. “They just want more.” 

This magazine is called The Escapist for a simple reason. When we plan a holiday, close our suitcase, put passport in pocket and head for the door, there’s usually a part of us that aches to get away from our usual routines, have the chance to see things afresh and feel different – to escape. Well, if that’s you, I think that we can help.

For this outing of our annual travel magazine, we dispatched writers to destinations far off the tourist trail, as well as to an old favourite that can be discovered anew if you just wait until its summer swell of visitors has abated. We also told our design editor to hit the road (in the nicest possible way).

As they returned to Midori House with tales of their adventures, it was nice to see how their excursions had left them a little giddy with joy, how they all wanted to show you pictures of the extraordinary places that they had been to and the people whose stories they had heard. Just a few days in a good hotel or a remote lodge, walking a trail to a lonely beach, can have this effect on any of us.

I’ll be honest: I began wondering why I hadn’t dispatched myself on one of these life-affirming missions. We sent Sophie Monaghan-Coombs, who runs Monocle’s culture pages, to the African island of Príncipe, a former Portuguese colony that sits 240km off the coast of Gabon. It took her almost three days to reach this tropical outpost from London but her report reveals why it’s worth making the trek.

Simpler to get to was Florence but our reporter Grace Charlton found a city of quiet restaurants and easy-to-explore neighbourhoods that is, in its own way, just as surprising as any remote island. In Japan, our Asia bureau chief, Fiona Wilson, made the journey from Tokyo to the Gora Kadan Fuji ryokan, stepping into a world of perfection, precision and beauty that transported her from the everyday to somewhere close to heaven.

Sometimes you just need the guidance of someone who can see things afresh to make you realise what you are missing. Liam Aldous’s report on Tangier unpacks the city in a way that immediately had me plotting a visit. Meanwhile, in Bulgaria, Chiara Rimella explored Sofia and discovered a place where young hospitality players and brand owners are busy making a hometown that they want to live in, not waiting for city hall or some global player to do the work for them.

Even if you aren’t straying far from home for the next few months, I hope that you will enjoy hearing from some key hospitality players in our interview series and discovering everything from the latest in pet travel to why there’s a luxury hotel boom in Baghdad. Come on, let’s escape while we can.

Tap here to buy your copy of The Escapist.