21. Brooklyn whales and CEO fails
A weekend of eating too much, reading too little, and capitalism doing its thing.
Today’s letter includes: whale watching in Brooklyn, my brutally honest review of Opus, Erewhon coming to NYC but only if you have $36K, Waymo in NYC (and why I hate that I love them), and a bunch more business news.
Hi friends.
The mark of a good holiday weekend is eating too much and working out zero. And oh did I eat. Here's this weekend's food rundown:
GupShup - bomb Indian food in the East Village, the original restaurant from the co-owner of Bungalow, Jimmy Rizvi. It's like Temu Dishoom and scratches the itch in the interim before we get one of our own (if that ever happens -- honestly I've been hearing rumors for years).
Gio's Jambalya pop up at Doppelganger - Gio has been in a few of my sister's films because he is a very funny comedic actor. He also is a butcher at Prospect Butcher Co.
Randazzo's Clam Bar - We were in Sheepshead Bay for Whale Watching; this was the obvious next step.
L&B Spumoni Gardens - Solid every time. The Brooklyn Heights location tastes just as good as the original. Love that they imported talent from Bensonhurst to keep the vibes consistent. Our waitress was an absolute gem, declaring "Drop the alfredo," when asked if we had ordered too much food. We were happy to comply.
My apt - We blew up a kiddie pool on our terrace and had a "pool day," which included Caprese on homemade sourdough with tomatoes from the garden.
Brooklyn West Indian Day Parade - Hit up street vendors for a delicious Jamaican festival (sweet fried dough) and cheated on my vegetarianism with an Oxtail Empanada.
Brooklyn Suya - My fave takeout spot. Simply chef's kiss every time. Eggplant, kale, rice, plantain, tons of Suya seasoning.
With the rest of my free time, we went whale watching because you can do that in Brooklyn (s/o to Christina for knowing this was a thing)! And yes, it's real — we saw 3 humpback whales, dolphins, and a minke whale all within view of the city shores. Additionally, we saw a friend of a friend DJ at Cafe Kitsune, hung out with my husband's family (hi again Maria!), and hosted on the terrace 3 out of 4 days.
I finally finished the excellent book The Idiot by Elif Batuman, which I first rented from the library on Libby, then had to borrow from my friend Megan because apparently I read at the speed of a sedated sloth. But I refuse to be shamed by my inability to choose serious literature over trash TV after a long day of selling my soul to capitalism.
Ben and I watched A24’s Opus, which was just ok overall - I suppose I could have preempted that outcome from it's 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But I do love Ayo Edebiri, and seeing her interact with John Malkovich is inherently intriguing. The reviews are a bit harsh IMO given that this was director Mark Anthony Green's first feature film. The top Letterboxd review reads: "Oh, hey, it’s Blink Twice! I mean, The Menu. I mean, Midsommar. I mean, Don’t Worry Darling. I mean, Get Out. I mean-" It has 11,274 likes.
Was the plot a little bit derivative? Ok, yeah. But I still thought there were interesting elements to his directorial style that show promise. For one, the costumes were great, which makes sense as Green is an editor at GQ Magazine.
The casting was also interesting and well done - from Ayo and Malkovich (who actually sings!) to Juliette Lewis, Young Mazino (Beef, The Last of Us), Tony Hale, and some stunning Native American actors like Amber Midthunder and Tatanka Means. He's clearly inspired by some filmmakers I love — Brian DePalma, specifically the extremely unhinged Phantom of the Paradise, although there was also some camera work that reminded me of Sisters. And there was Cronenberg-esque body horror in the form of Kim Kardashian’s former personal assistant, Stephanie Suganami’s organs bursting out of her orifices. So that's my review no one asked for.
Anyway, back to the real world. Long weekends are so restorative. Wouldn't it be crazy if we had one every week? Here's looking at you, 4-day work week research. But even with studies showing a 4-day work week benefits both employees and employers, it's unlikely to happen here in the US unless it's driven by AI gains, which Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says will "probably" happen.
Atomix (this year’s 12th best restaurant in the world) October reservations drop today at 3PM ET. You're welcome.
The 30th Annual Webby Awards call for entries open next Tuesday, September 9th. If you have something to submit, get ready.
Netflix is choosing a side. Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings just gave Gavin Newsom 2 million for the redistricting fight and Netflix made a deal with Sesame Street, saving the show. Unlike the previous arrangement, in which new episodes premiered on HBO before eventually airing on PBS, this new agreement will allow Sesame Street to debut simultaneously on both Netflix and PBS. Now Newsweek reports that Newsom's team is "bragging" after a Netflix show just moved its filming from Texas to California after receiving the first round of the California Film Tax Credit.
The Affordable Art Fair NYC is moving to the Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea for their upcoming edition this fall, Wednesday, 9/17 - Sunday, 9/21.
Inappropriate workplace romances continue! It's never been easier to meet people outside of work, with the rise of dating apps and travel becoming extremely accessible. But CEO's can't seem to resist dating people below them at work. Nestlé announced it has parted ways with CEO Laurent Freixe, following a probe that found he had an "undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate." SMH.
Erewhon is opening in NYC. Emily Sundberg broke the news this morning. The catch? It's in a private club (Kith Ivy, a padel club on the roof and ninth floor of 120 Leroy Street slated to open late 2025). So you'll have to shell out $36K to make a visit.
Come to my happy hour (but only if you work in finance). Venture Capital firm a16z is moving their newsletters to Substack. I'm throwing a HH with a16z for finance folk on September 23rd. Only apply if you actually are a C-level executive at a bank, head of digital and innovation, fintech founders, and financial infrastructure operators - pls and thank you!
No more mall ear piercings. Claire’s filed for bankruptcy last month and this week they’ll begin closing 300 U.S. stores. Not terribly surprising.
Canadian luxury retailer Ssense also filed for bankruptcy. Apparently their lenders tried to force a sale and Ssense feels bankruptcy will "safeguard the company, retain control of our assets and operations, and fight for the future of this business." Not helping? Trump's tariffs. With the end of de minimus exemption for duties on packages under $800 many retailers will struggle to make it. That charge is going to get passed on to consumers, which means less people will be buying. Who will benefit? Cami Fateh reported some predictions on Feed Me:
"Potential winners are luxury resale sites like The Real Real (Nasdaq: REAL), which Ramírez is betting big on after the most recent CEO switch-up. TRR reported a Q2 revenue increase of $165 million, up 14% year-over-year. Discount retailers like TJ Maxx (NYSE: TJX), Burlington (NYSE: BURL), and Ross (Nasdaq: ROST) are also set up for success — as they often are amid economic uncertainty."
Time for some ambient beats on your commute. 8 Waymos have been set loose in Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn. This is just a temporary permit to test and the permit requires a driver behind the wheel at all times. I've taken full-on Waymos, no person sitting behind the wheel several times in San Francisco and I hate to say that I really like them. They feel luxurious, you can totally relax, they never smell or make you car sick. The flip side? They can take double the time to get to your destination as they default to caution allowing others to cut them off etc. and they can only take certain roads.
Other stuff: Alex Cooper's Unwell is casting for a sorority life podcast. Kraft Heinz is breaking up, undoing a decade-old megamerger. Anna Wintour has tapped Chloe Malle to take over Editor in Chief (which they're now calling "Head of Editorial Content") at American Vogue. The Cut's newest cover features Elon Musk's eldest child, transgender model Vivian Wilson. Klarna has confirmed its long-awaited IPO on the NYSE, after delaying a planned float earlier this year due to tariff uncertainty.
Rumor has it that Substack is suppressing free content. If you’d like to resist the algorithm pushing paid content only, then liking, sharing, quoting and restacking this newsletter will help! <3
The NYT says that the Hampton ultra wealthy are in full panic about Zohran. But more importantly, Love Island's Amaya Papaya confirmed she is from Brooklyn in the comments of a video where Zohran gleefully admits that he watches Love Island.
Thanks for reading! It would mean a lot if you gave this article a heart!
I also thought opus was mediocre and pretty Gory! Brilliant acting by John Malkovich.
Fab weekend!