The Faster Lane
from Tyler Brûlé
Want to build a European powerhouse? Think more like Zara than Zuckerberg
Is it better to be late to the party or stay in your comfy, cosy place? On a flight to Stockholm this week, I read an interview with restaurateur Keith McNally that was pegged…
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Hold the phone: Getting personal on call matters
This is a tale of two calls: one crisp, familiar and efficient and the other more marathon in nature – at times deliriously frustrating – but one that also had an efficient outcome. Earlier…
Why a little recognition goes a long way in living a happy life
There was a lot of talk about blue zones during my travels this week. I’m quite sure that you’re familiar with the concept but if not, we’re talking about those pockets of the planet…
Facing the music: Japan Airlines is a perfect example of traditional in-flight service
There’s a certain ritual that comes with filing this column from Tokyo. It’s usually written pre-dinner from the sofa of room 4701 at the Park Hyatt. Normally, there’s a glass of wine and a…
In a world of digital distractions, places of disconnected charm are more important than ever
It’s the turn of the century: high summer and I’ve rented a compound of dammusi on Pantelleria. For the past week, friends and colleagues have been drifting in and out, local wine flowing and…
Thoughts that count: Reader answers on everything from hardware shops to US elections
This Sunday morning starts with a little awards ceremony for all the readers who chose to partake in a rather irregular recent series of The Monocle Weekend Edition. All participants dutifully responded within the…
The latest Monocle Weekend Edition Q&A competition
It has been one of those weeks that has raised a great many questions. From our Patrons dinner on Monday evening and a board meeting on Tuesday to a jaunt back and forth across…
Thinking outside the Ox: A new restaurant venture in Küsnacht
Over the past few months you’ve perhaps read the odd mention of my new side project along the lake from Zürich, a classic Swiss Gasthof in the heart of the neat, well-mannered village of…
Leader of the dance: Tales from The Chiefs conference in Hong Kong
Yesterday our editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, concluded his column by saying, “That’s a wrap.” For the purposes of his stretch of screen for The Monocle Weekend Edition, that was, in fact, true. But,…
Train-station kiosks are disappearing at an alarming rate. The importance of newsstands must not be diminished
Do you ever pause, take stock of your surroundings and ask yourself “What am I missing?” I did that a few minutes ago, while transiting through Zürich’s newly renovated main station. Switzerland’s federal railway…
From entertainment to hospitality, Lisbon is pipping Athens to the spot of best city in Europe
Cities are magical, maddening and mysterious places. If you caught last week’s column, you’ll know that I was more than a little seduced by the early spring charms of Athens. I know that a…
