#94: chen's watch repair, minetta tavern & daily mail
sent from jake's iphone with love
jake:
Hi I am Jake Bell. I am a creative strategist based in New York City (yeah there are enough of us I know) and I help brands cut through the noise to make a more meaningful connection with their audiences and ultimately sell more stuff by being really particular about branding, creative direction, copy, etc.
I also write a daily newsletter called
covering brands, marketing, business, culture, and the sickest founders, creators, and behind the scenes people you need to know about.A lot of my job requires me to be innately aware of what I like and don’t like (easy) but more importantly why I do/don’t like it. So when Joss reached out to contribute, I was super stoked to share some recommendations I am loving with her audience.
the man of the hour (or at least of this edition of this newsletter)
this is the online bit:
★
by Emily Sundberg ★I really cannot recommend Emily Sundberg’s daily Substack newsletter enough. Everyday she sends out a letter outlining some of the most relevant stories that live at the intersection of culture and business. Her writing is poignant and memorable, and I always feel so much smarter after reading it. Sundberg does a fantastic job of interacting with her paid subscribers, creating a sense of community, which is exactly what she’s doing on her new series ‘Guest Lecture’ where she will allow her subs to ask professionals (she just had on an a16z investor) questions. It's great. Go pay her $5 a month or whatever it costs now.
★ Daily Mail ★
A lot of people want a fair, balanced news source. I am not one of those people. I want exaggeration, drama, intrigue, and scandal. The number one place to get an IV drip of sensationalized news is the Daily Mail. The webpage is truly one of the worst minefields of ads to navigate on the internet, but once you get past that, the content is truly incredible. It's the perfect place to see pictures of Dua Lipa on another trip to Majorca and read about some twisted story from the flyover states. As I get older, objectivity is really less of a concern for me. Leaning in and believing something absurd is sort of fun! Try it. Who cares?
★ Cosmos ★
Pinterest is sort of cooked at this point. It's like the same images over and over again. But Cosmos is like if Pinterest grabbed quad cortados at Cafe Integral and wore Salomons and Carharrt Double Knees. The images are fresher and more interesting. The layout is super clean and minimal. Whenever I need a dope image for a newsletter cover, Instagram story, or moodboard I head over to Cosmos and get scrolling.
this is the irl bit:
☆ Public Hotel ☆
I am a remote worker sans the occasional power lunch or trip, and I also live in a small apartment with a workspace my girlfriend has likened to a child’s desk. But I live in the greatest city in the world and spending the entire day in your apartment is such a waste of the expensive rent. We are here to be outside! So oftentimes I will post up at Ian Schrager’s Public Hotel in SoHo. On the first and second floor, you can come in, purchase a cold brew and wifi, and work from a beautifully designed hotel amongst other creative brand strategists, art directors, and white collar laptop warriors. Wifi is $7, and Sweetgreen is nearby. It's fun to people watch and adds some structure to the day.
☆ Chen’s Watch Repair ☆
Recently I decided it was time I spend an exorbitant amount of money on a luxury watch. I am (at the time of writing this) about to turn 26 so it feels like a mature thing to do and my friends all have nice watches. I do not like new things. I would much rather wear a discontinued orange tab pair of Levi’s, or a Patagonia fleece from 1998, and I think seeing pristine handbags is so gauche. I knew I wanted a Cartier Tank of some kind and I wanted it to be about the same age as me. So I looked to my fav watch TikTok creator, Mike Nouveau, to see where he went. This journey led me down to a tiny storefront on Mott St. called Chen’s Watch Repair. The selection was pretty incredible. They had some sick vintage Rolexes, Tanks, and APs, as well as a variety of lower priced entry point watches. I negotiated with Mrs. Chen, who was tough but extremely friendly and knowledgeable. I ended up leaving with a beautiful Cartier Tank Francaise from the mid 90s at a pretty good price. So if you’re in the market for a watch, go to Chen’s.
☆ Minetta Tavern ☆
My friends tell me I am spiritually an old person, which especially manifests in my taste in restaurants. I love a classic Keith McNally restaurant, they all feel so quintessentially New York. While I love the Odeon, but find Balthazar to be too touristy, my fav is Minetta Tavern. The fare is classic French and my go-to is 3 dirty martinis and the steak frites. The room is dim, the booths are comfortable, and the vibe is electric. Oftentimes there is a long wait if you don’t have a reservation, which at most places is really annoying, but it's sort of a treat to get to just drink martinis at the bar and make friends with other patrons. I’ve had some great conversations there. There are not really any windows so the vibe is totally enveloping, like I am being transported back to an era I sadly missed. If smoking was allowed it would be truly heaven on Earth. I can confirm they really don’t like when you vape in there, but the maitre’d and I have made up since.
and now i must bid you adieu!