Top 10 List: From Underground Hotspots To Kith Collabs To Influential Podcasts

A few of you have asked how I pick what to cover on ZandlSlant. Besides exploring what’s new and happening in NYC, I also use a customized Google news feed to explore topics starting to trend nationally and globally. Ideally, things that have the potential to influence the broader culture.

Which brings me to this week’s quotes. Here are two serving as my North Star at the moment:

  • Kierkegaard’s “life is a hard teacher; she gives the test first, the lesson after.” What will be the ultimate lesson of 2020 I wonder?
  • And there’s this to ponder: “there is no ‘safe’ only ‘safer.'” That is certainly true.
And on that note, Scroll down to check out this week’s Top 10.
1. Secret, UNDERGROUND Hot Spots

COVID has ushered in a new era of speakeasy, hush-hush establishments that are difficult to locate and even more difficult to access. Of course, that only makes them more desirable. Two recent examples:

i) CLUB RHUBARB

I heard about Club Rhubarb through artnet’s WET PAINT (my favorite art world gossip site).

Tony Cox has reopened his tiny project space Club Rhubarb, ensconced away in a hush-hush Chinatown location, with a show of gloriously psychedelic work by Joe Roberts, a true weirdo gem of an artist who drops a lot of acid and collaborates with Supreme …

NATE FREEMAN, SR. ART BUSINESS REPORTER

I became ridiculously obsessed with trying to wrangle an invite to this under-the-radar, artist-run gallery operating out of a storied loft in Chinatown. I followed Club Rhubarb on Instagram and DM’d him to see if I could get on the list to see the show, but try as I might, I could not get an invite. C’est la vie.

ii) Schellz Pizza Hole DTLA

Schellz got on my radar through The Pete and Sebastian Show (see #2 below).

  • In a recent episode, Sebastian Maniscalco was regaling his friend, Pete, about the amazing pizza he had tried from a secret pizza spot in downtown LA.
  • Schellz only makes 16 pies a day and to get one you have to reserve a spot on his order list via a DM on Instagram. It’s pick-up only and you pay in advance via Venmo.
  • The pizza guy sounds a bit like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. And that’s interesting because, to me, the Pete and Sebastian Show is the podcast version of Seinfeld (the sitcom).
  • And if any of my LA friends have tried this pizza let me know if it’s really “all that” or it’s just hype.
2. The Pete & Sebastian Show

This is my favorite new podcast, and as it turns out, it’s also a great source of trends: everything from the pizza above to “glow in the dark” face masks that Sebastian noted were all the rage in Vegas. He was there recently doing a private gig for high rollers at the Wynn (the Wynn also flew him and his pals there and back on their private jet).

Sebastian first got on my radar through Joe Rogan but then I stumbled on the podcast he does with fellow comic, Pete. I’ve now watched every episode. I like it so much I’ve even subscribed to it on youtube. I don’t want to miss a single crazy moment with these two (and, btw, their podcast normally runs an hour vs. Rogan’s 3-hours plus).

  • I’m calling it the “new” Seinfeld.
  • These guys are hilarious and much like the Seinfeld characters, they talk about mundane guy/family/work stuff. The hour just flies by. It’s comedy gold but it also has substance.
  • They drop the F-bomb a fair amount but it’s not a raunchy podcast otherwise. Just two great Italian guys, best friends, who turn to each other for guy advice on everything from being nervous about getting a first massage at a spa (Pete’s wife got him a gift certificate but he’s been too anxious to use it), to what it’s like to get a hip replacement to homeschooling the kids during the pandemic.
  • As all top-notch comics, they are inordinately observant of everything going on around them. Lots of insights from these two on things they’ve noticed while out and about. Very helpful.
  • HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
I also love Tony Hinchcliffe, a young comedian out of Ohio, who I also discovered on Joe Rogan.
  • This week I came across a podcast he did with Ryan Sickler where they talk about Tony’s family background. Again he’s Italian, same as Pete and Sebastian. This episode has Tony retelling the story of how he discovered, at age 10, thru observation and smart detectivery, that the neighbor, a married mafioso, was really his father. It is touching, funny, totally relatable on so many levels. Priceless. Highly recommend.
3. Meet the Owner: Theodore Mauritz, M23 gallery

I met Theodore a few months ago while exploring galleries in the Two Bridges neighborhood, the hottest new art scene in NYC.

  • We were both masked up, and it was brutally hot, so our conversations were brief but I was so impressed by his curatorial vision, I put the gallery on my monthly rotation.
  • Another notable trait of Theodore’s – and why I believe he will go on to great success as a gallerist – is his generosity in making connections. He’s an amazing facilitator of downtown culture. He doesn’t just Instagram his own artists and shows, he shares what’s good at galleries all over downtown and that is a highly admirable, and much appreciated quality.
  • I’ve seen three exhibitions at his gallery and each one highlights Theodore’s commitment to contemporary sculpture, always with a tech angle.
  • If art is your thing and you’re in the downtown area, please check out M23.

Vladislav Markov

Connor McNicholas

Sean Donovan

4. KITH / BMW M4 Design COLLABORATION

Whoa!! This is super cool. Discovered while walking past the Kith Store in Nolita after brunch this past Sunday (thank you, Sheri Rosenberg for brunch and for suggesting the stroll).

Per Slash Gear, BMW collaborated with New York lifestyle brand Kith to create this limited-edition 2021 BMW M4 Competition x Kith.

  • Strictly limited to 150 units worldwide and with base prices starting at around $110,000.
  • This exclusive BMW M4 features special design elements that were personally curated by Kith founder Ronnie Fieg.
  • This includes a new and special BMW roundel badge, something the carmaker hasn’t done since October 1917.
5. ESPRESSO MARTINIS are back!

Everywhere I go people are ordering them – whether at lunch at La Mercerie (left) or at dinner at Peasant (right). I’ve also seen them at Dante and at the Standard Cafe.

Anybody else observing this? Imbibing? I know I have added them to my drinks’ repertoire!

6. COVID RAPID TESTING BOUTIQUES

The chic boutique vibe comes from the previous tenant (Nest Fragrances & Candles). Left to their own devices, RAPID TEST opts for a cheap banner and a sandwich board.

  • Costs for tests run between $250 and $300. They provide both swab tests and antibody blood tests.
  • I’m not sure how confident I feel about the service. But my neighbor got tested there this week and was happy with the service.
  • Rapid Test told Bowery Boogie they’re planning to be around for at least 6 months.
7. Is religion making a comeback?

As a lapsed Catholic, I am surprised by this turn of events but this week alone, three major developments suggest we are definitely in the midst of some sort of a religious revival.

i) Matthew McConaughey Opens Up About being Christian in Hollywood (Oct 22, 2020)
ii) Kanye West talks about his religious transformation (Oct 24, 2020)
iii) Amy Coney Barrett, deeply rooted in faith, is confirmed to the Supreme Court (Oct 26, 2020)
8. Ghost (aka virtual or cloud) kitchens finally get some traction

I’ve written about this concept before (most recently March 2019) when Travis Kalanick launched his startup, Cloud Kitchens (and purchased space in LIC in the loft building where I previously lived).

Since then, however, there has been little in the way of coverage. And then the pandemic hit and suddenly nothing is hotter than ghost kitchens.

As of the last few weeks, my newsfeed is chock-a-block with ghost kitchen startup stories:

  • SoftBank just announced they were investing $120 million in a new ghost kitchen concept from 29-year old Alex Canter’s Ordermark. Canter’s family owns LA’s Canters Deli. He started Ordermark to manage the restaurant’s back-of-the-house chaos caused by a profusion of delivery-service orders. (Source: TechCrunch)
  • Debuting November 4 in Plano TX: Pancakes With Benefits. This fun ghost kitchen concept specializes in designer pancakes delivered with syrups, fruit, and other toppings. Those are the “benefits.” (Source: Dallas CultureMap)
  • ClusterTruck, which first opened in Columbus, OH in 2017, is expanding its ghost kitchen locations in partnership with Kroger, Matt and Tony’s, Mario Fazio’s, and Fazoli’s. (Source: ColumbusUnderground)
9. MOBILITY DATA: the post-pandemic economy’s most closely watched indicator (Source: MarketWatch)

“Mobility data is just literally tailored to analyze a virus.”

Jens Nordvig, founder Exante Data (A data-focused economics research firm)

Mobility data, i.e., anonymized foot-traffic information gleaned from millions of mobile phones, will be among the post-pandemic economy’s most closely watched economic indicators.

  • Mobility data is particularly well suited to measuring activity when new restrictions are imposed or relaxed, as well as around events, including demonstrations.
  • When the Federal Reserve found all its usual models and economic statistics useless because they were just too delayed, they turned to SafeGraph for up-to-the-minute data to formulate the Dallas Fed’s popular Mobility and Engagement Index measuring deviation from normal mobility patterns as a result of the pandemic.

“We monitor quite a lot of what we think of as nonstandard, high-frequency data. That’s become a very important thing, even more important than usual in the work that we do.”

Jerome Powell, Federal Reserve Chairman (July 29 news conference)

  • Mobility data was credited with pinpointing a trough in economic activity in mid-April even as traditional data continued to deteriorate.
  • The increase in mobility coincided almost to the day — April 15 — when the first batch of $1,200 stimulus checks began hitting Americans’ bank accounts. That stood in contrast to official economic data at the time that remained unremittingly awful. Monthly data isn’t well suited to capturing inflection points.
  • Many mobility data providers have made raw data available for free to academics, health officials, and others in the public sphere.
  • The information is also highly sought after (and paid for) by hedge funds, investors, and businesses.
  • The personal mobility data being used most aggressively shows individuals visiting stores, going back to offices, and maintaining social distancing.
  • Businesses are relying on this data for insights and decision-making, e.g., which retail locations to keep open, the impact on mall traffic if an anchor store closes, whether consumers are visiting stores for a specific purpose — making it a “destination” — or as a “convenience.”
  • Real-estate firms are using the data to understand how individual neighborhoods are recovering to determine rent levels.
  • Public health officials are using the data to monitor compliance around lockdowns and the spread of the virus.
  • Researchers at the University of California, Davis, used mobility data to measure whether the number of people traveling outside their home during the pandemic varied by income. They found that before the pandemic, the wealthiest were the most mobile while the poorest were the least mobile.That flipped after stay-at-home orders went into effect and nonessential businesses closed, with the wealthy staying put and the poorest traveling the most.
10. Halloween’s Top Trend: ‘Tunnel of Terror’ haunted car washes

From Mesa, AZ to Richmond VA to Huntington Beach CA, to Lexington KY, drive-thru haunted car washes are a HUGE hit with people of all ages but especially families. Typical wait times are over an hour and cost about $20 (but you get free candy and tons of entertainment).

Huntington Beach
Lexington KY, a car-full of giggling kids living their best life, pandemic or not
And that’s a wrap

Wishing you all a fun Halloween (maybe at the car wash?). For the first time since 1944, there will also be a full (blue) moon visible across the entire U.S. on Halloween night, Oct. 31.

Hard to believe next week’s post will be dated November 6th plus Daylight Savings ends this weekend.

But it’s the upcoming Election that is the really big event of the year. By this time next week we’ll hopefully know who the next president will be. In all my years in America, I have never seen so much anxiety (well-deserved) about the outcome. Fingers crossed all goes well.

One last quote – with special resonance this week:

“It’s easy to wallow in the darkness but right now what we need is hope.”

Maria Hines, Chef/Owner Tilth, Seattle
And with that, my friends, it really is a wrap. Stay safe everyone!

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