1
MEALTIME IN NO TIME
“I’ve wanted to be a home cook for as long as I can remember, though I’ve yet to become a
consistent one. I blame lack of time and—if I’m being honest—energy. The ‘prep’ part of Dini Klein’s virtual
menu planning service, Prep + Rally, cuts down time significantly, down to one hour, actually, not including
grocery shopping (which you do once a week from the provided shopping list). The ‘rally’ part, in the form of
all the ingredients needed to put together an easy dinner already being in the fridge, helps on the energy
front big-time. The menus are updated weekly with dishes that range from salmon burgers to hearty quiches,
with the option to tweak according to your family’s tastes (veggie, kid-friendly, etc.).” —Kate Wolfson, executive editor
PREP + RALLY,
meal plans from $12 a month or $100 annually
2
READY, SET, VOTE
”Plan Your
Vote, an artist initiative of Vote.org, has rallied the art world to develop an incredible free library
of voting advocacy images, and they’ve also made the get-out-the-vote process a whole lot more striking.
Tasked with creating Instagram-square-size visuals, the roster of participating artists is impressive to say
the least: Jenny Holzer, Calida Rawles, Patti Smith, Dyani White Hawk, Marilyn Minter, Katherine Bernhardt,
Wangechi Mutu, Guerrilla Girls, and Tom Burr, to name a few. The full lineup of seventy-plus artists—and all
their easily downloadable (and shareable) images—is on the site. The campaign has also partnered with art
institutions across the country, including the Guggenheim, LACMA, MoMA PS1, the Underground Museum, and the Walker
Art Center, many of which have installed voter info buttons that take you directly to the site, where you can
register to vote, triple-check your voter registration, request an absentee ballot, and set an election
reminder. My personal favorite, from Hank Willis Thomas, has a simple yet impactful message: “Not voting is
actually voting.” —Simone Kitchens, senior features editor
3
ORANGE YOU GLAD
“Did you know September is National Yoga Month? To celebrate, Alo Yoga released a
bright-tangerine collection, and I have to say: Putting on the cheerful set, lighting some candles, and trying
a yoga class on the Alo Moves platform was a (deep) breath of fresh air for me. I
haven’t done any yoga since before COVID, and with everything going on right now, my sleep has been suffering
and my anxiety is through the roof. Alo Moves has a great variety of classes, and for me, the ‘yoga for sleep’
series really does the job.” —Sandra Slusarczyk, associate fashion editor
ALO YOGA REAL BRA TANK,
Alo Yoga, $72;
ALO YOGA 7/8 HIGH-WAIST AIRBRUSH LEGGING,
Alo Yoga, $78
4
SUREFIRE SHOT
“Toward the end of the summer, I added something new to my morning routine, which is normally
just a green smoothie and a matcha latte. I started taking a shot of Morningside Naturals Woodroot Tonic. It’s
a blend of 100 percent organic ingredients like cayenne, ginger, ashwagandha, chaga, and more. While I think I
do an okay job eating healthfully, I’m often in a food rut or eating the same ingredients mixed together in
different ways over and over again. Because of this, I’m a big fan of anything that knocks out a bunch of
superfoods in one fell swoop—that way, if all else fails that day, I know I’ve checked off this one box.”
—Cait Moore, senior programming manager
MORNINGSIDE NATURALS WOODROOT TONIC,
Morningside Naturals, $39
5
TAKE-HOME TREAT
“I know a lot of people say this, but I really miss restaurants. I do takeout a couple times a
week, but to be honest, it’s rarely filled that longing for a truly delicious meal. There is one meal that has
come close, and that’s the takeout dinner from Bavel, one of my
favorite LA institutions, which GP wrote about
recently. The meal comes perfectly prepared and boxed with a notecard for at-home prep. All my favorites
were included: the how-do-they-make-it-so-creamy hummus, the flavor-packed lamb shawarma, and the mellow
sweetness of a custard dessert. I’m already looking for another excuse to treat myself to this special at-home
dining indulgence again.” —Ivy Benavente, senior buyer, beauty and wellness
BAVEL MULTICOURSE MEAL,
Bavel, $49 per person
6
BEST SKIN IN BROOKLYN
“I’ve really missed the feeling of lazily browsing in a boutique, but I didn’t feel safe doing it
until last weekend, when I ventured into the newly opened Shen Beauty
in Brooklyn. It’s gorgeous (the plywood-wrapped design is from chic NYC design firm Mythology), and it’s
stocked with an incredible array of clean brands, including goop Beauty. Founder Jessica Richards left no
stone unturned when it came to rethinking how to shop safely for beauty during a pandemic. There are socially
distanced mirrors with smart lighting tech that makes shade-matching foundation foolproof, individual
painter’s palettes so that each customer can sample anything without shared testers, and ultrasoothing
treatment rooms designed with sanitizing UV lights. So whether you miss Shen’s best-skin-ever custom facials;
the fantastic microblading treatments, brow services, and lash tints; or just leisurely beauty browsing, get
yourself to Brooklyn—and grab a GOOPGLOW Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator while you’re at
it.” —Brianna Peters, assistant beauty editor
7
SPICE WORLD
“Royal Cinnamon is like no other cinnamon on earth. It tastes as good as kid’s cereal, like
cinnamon that’s been surreptitiously mixed with sugar, but in fact it’s just the freshest, most superb, pure
cinnamon you’ve ever sniffed or licked off your finger. Burlap & Barrel shortens the supply chain by sourcing
from small farms known for their high-quality yield and sending trucks directly to those farms—eliminating
middlemen that can hold up the process and cause the spices to sit on shelves for months or even years,
degrading in luscious flavor. I sprinkle it in my oat milk lattes, over pillowy buttermilk pancakes, and into
bubbling Moroccan chicken stews. The cinnamon was my gateway, but I’ve since fallen in love with the brand’s
smoky paprika, which has supercharged my grilled chicken dry rub. But back to the cinnamon. It’s a beautiful
flourish to the day. I bought it for so many friends and new acquaintances who I sensed needed some comfort
that one of the cofounders, Ori Zohar, reached out to me, probably wanting to see if someone could really
freakishly buy that much cinnamon. This cinnamon makes my life better, and I love it so much.” —Megan O’Neill, senior beauty editor
BURLAP & BARREL ROYAL CINNAMON,
Burlap & Barrel, $8
8
BOXED IN
“With dinner and drinks at our usual Venice haunts off the table for now, my husband and I
recently decided to step up Taco Tuesday on our deck with one of Pass the Salt’s cool hosting kits. You get
blood orange cocktail fixings, hand-stitched Oaxacan coasters, and all of these epic little tablescape
additions that make it look like you put in waaay more effort than you actually did—shhh, no one has to know
you ordered takeout. Our friends thoroughly enjoyed a game of ‘Can you tell which is the grasshopper salt and
which is agave worm?’ (It really is salt blended with agave worms and toasted red grasshoppers.) Tip: It’s
best played after the mezcal is served.” —Alyssa Nelsen Geiger, senior creative copywriter
PASS THE SALT DOUBLE DATE NIGHT BOX,
Pass the Salt, $30 per guest ($120 total)
9
FITNESS QUEST
“I recently found out that all it takes to turn me into a virtual reality person is trying VR
exactly one time. Now I’m three weeks into doing VR workouts with Supernatural, a fitness app on Oculus Quest.
You put on the headset, grasp a controller in each hand, and choose your playlist, and you’re placed in insane
locations—like the crater of the Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia or Death Valley’s Badwater Basin—for full-body
cardio workouts. The premise is simple: You hit flying targets with your virtual bats (in real life, just the
controllers) and squat and lunge underneath the peaks of triangles that appear in front of you. It’s
challenging, but you pick it up faster than you’d think. You’re not jumping or stomping around, so your
downstairs neighbors won’t hate your guts. You need only enough space to lunge in each direction and swing
your arms around without hitting anything. I was a big Dance Dance Revolution nerd when I was a kid, and
Supernatural makes me feel like DDR did: I don’t even notice how good of a workout I’m getting until I’ve beat
my high scores and my legs are sore and I really need a shower.” —Kelly Martin, associate editor
SUPERNATURAL,
subscriptions from $19 a month or $179 annually
10
SIP RESPONSIBLY
“When I was pregnant, I was constantly looking for wine alternatives, especially on those warm
summer nights when I needed a crisp glass of rosé. My brother-in-law introduced me to Ghia, a nonalcoholic
aperitif made with botanical extracts. Think refreshingly bitter sips with floral undertones. I add a splash
of sparkling water and a squeeze of lime, and it does not disappoint. Months after baby, I’m still drinking
Ghia, because let’s be honest: I can’t handle a hangover and a newborn at the same time. Cheers!” —Jacqueline
Weitzen, senior director of communications
Photo by Nacho Alegre, courtesy of Ghia
11
FROM OREGON TO CALIFORNIA
“I am—like you—spending many more hours at home. I’m staring at my walls, furniture, and backyard, reimagining everything, and by month three of quarantine, I had set my sights on our lovely but unusual
backyard. Split into two levels with the bottom half a rolling hill, I knew this complicated landscape
couldn’t be a DIY project. I called OR.CA, an outdoor design company and studio, with not a clue of how anyone could fix
this dirt hillside. Founder Molly Sedlacek took on the great challenge of working with the earth instead of
demolishing it, respecting Mother Nature by using mainly raw materials in her conceptual designs. This is why
Sedlacek is a genius. She works up and down the West Coast, enabling a life without walls for every client she
meets.” —Diana Ryu, chief of staff
Photo courtesy of Cass Cleave
12
GET THAT PAPER
“During this time of social (and physical) distancing, I’ve taken to sending thoughtful notes to
friends on this gorgeous, hand-painted stationery from artist Larsen McDowell, who also creates whimsical
invites, dreamy wallpaper, and other covetable paper goods. Her personalized stationery is my go-to gift for
the special moments in my friends’ lives, and I’ve tasked her with inspiration images that range from de
Gournay chinoiserie wallpaper to jungle animals. She delivers every time.” —Noora Raj Brown, SVP of communications
BESPOKE STATIONERY,
Larsen McDowell Art, starting at $100
13
ON FAITH AND FAMILY
“Yaa Gyasi’s first masterpiece was an epic that spanned seven generations. Her second masterpiece
is a close-up. Transcendent Kingdom is about twenty-eight-year-old Gifty, who is trying to finish her
doctorate in neuroscience at Stanford when her mother is pulled into her second severe depression and travels
from Huntsville, Alabama (where Gifty grew up), to stay with her daughter. It’s about the big stuff: faith,
science, family, death, purpose, heartbreak, hope. I kept it together for a while. And then wept toward the
end—not really because of any particular plot event but Gyasi’s writing has a way of making you bare, of
breaking you open.” —Kiki Koroshetz, wellness director
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM BY YAA GYASI,
Bookshop, $26
14
PILLOW TALK
“I recently picked up a few new pillows by Tensira, a textile brand that I stumbled upon in a
small shop in San Francisco. The fabrics are spun, woven, and hand-dyed by artisans in West Africa, and I love
their lived-in, natural look. Now that we are spending a lot of time at home, I’m eyeing a few of their
mattresses to create some lounge spaces or nooks in our backyard.” —Monina Gaerlan, VP of business development
TENSIRA PILLOWS,
Goodee, from $29
15
GAME ON
“I’m not much of a gamer, but life during a pandemic has shown me the value of occasionally
unplugging my mind and plugging in a controller. The gentle tones of Animal Crossing dominated the zeitgeist
(and my living room) for the spring and summer, but lately I can’t get enough of the jewel-toned frantic
energy of Fall Guys on PlayStation 4, in which bean-shaped avatars race, fight, and jump through courses that
test your dexterity, reflexes, and memory—but not too much. It’s super simple to learn, and you can easily
play for ten minutes or two hours depending on how much of an escape you need from the outside world.” —Ethan LaCroix, director of project management
FALL GUYS: ULTIMATE KNOCKOUT,
PlayStation, $20
