The Weekend Opener
from Andrew Tuck
Slow to try new things? Sometimes all we need is a little encouragement to grease the wheels
Let me bring you up to speed on the cycling. What do you mean you missed that column? A couple of weeks ago I revealed my awkwardness at having to purchase cycling clothing to go…
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Travel is transformational – that’s why Monocle always has its sights on the horizon
This morning we begin the 48-hour drive south from London to Palma de Mallorca, dog in tow. The other half was working in New York all week and only got home on Friday morning.…
How a wily fox terrier taught me that old dogs can learn new tricks
The dog is 13. She celebrated her birthday on Friday by going to the vet to get her doggy travel documents. Then, in just a week’s time, she will join us on the drive…
Souvenirs and trinkets are to be celebrated as tickets to the past. But please, say ‘no’ to bald teddy bears
I had an aunt who never married or had children. There were suitors. Tennis partners that had been around for decades. They would often be at her house when we visited, dashing, and with…
Abu Dhabi puts its faith in the power of architecture to bring people together
By the time we finished the final interview at our pop-up Monocle Radio booth at the Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit and recorded a special edition of The Urbanist (you can listen in here), it was still only…
For this year’s Quality of Life Survey, Monocle is taking a different tack. Here’s why
What makes a good city? That’s a question that Monocle has grappled with since its launch. Why? Well, in 2007, as we surveyed the multiple city surveys that were already in existence, we were…
Want to improve your city? Buy a plant pot
You can use our mews as a cut through if you are on foot or a bicycle but a strategically placed bollard means that cars can’t. So, apart from the occasional van dropping off…
Industrial design needs to clean up its act and save the rest of us the trouble
When did planes get so filthy? If passengers don’t hand over their garbage to the crew before landing, then all the pressure falls on a cleaning team that’s given just minutes to prepare an…
Even as Monocle expands its news coverage, print still has its finger on the pulse
Here’s what happens. We send the magazine to press on a Monday and then, about a week later, we get to see the first copies in our various offices. Next, they start dropping on…
Managing overtourism doesn’t mean throwing the backpacker out with the bathwater
I don’t know how I persuaded them but they gave their permission. I was 16 years old when my parents agreed that, if I saved enough money, I could buy an Interrail card and…
How to have the perfect restaurant moment? Breeze in, wind down
Last Friday I headed to Palma. It was for a mission: to bring the partner and hound to London by car, ferry and train. They had been there for several weeks, enjoying a very…
