Child’s Bike Seat
People in Berlin bike everywhere, and many parents have extraordinarily fancy bike contraptions for transporting kids. (Sometimes three at a time!) So far, we have only a traditional Hamax bike seat for our two-year-old, and that’s been great for making excursions while avoiding crowded public transportation. But how much fun would it be to have one of these e-chariots? —Caroline Winter, reporter, Bloomberg Businessweek
Catan Over Zoom
I learned to play this Monopoly-meets-Game of Thrones board game while staying with friends in Vermont in February, and bought my own set when I got back to Australia. Throughout the pandemic, the four of us (Christy and Eric in Vermont, Katja in New York, and me in Melbourne) have got together over Zoom and FaceTime to play for hours during their Saturday evenings/my Sunday mornings. Each of us duplicates the board, and we debrief about the pandemic, life, and our choices of food and beverages. It’s become the highlight of our weeks. —Jason Gale, senior editor, Bloomberg News
Homesick Challah
I moved with my family to Hong Kong at the tail end of 2019, and it’s an understatement to say that this is not the overseas adventure we’d anticipated. Covid-wise, we’ve been quite lucky, but even knowing how bad things are at home, there’s plenty we miss, including Saturday morning challah french toast. (Turns out challah’s not a staple of Hong Kong bakeries; go figure.) Then a friend pointed me to Joan Nathan’s challah recipe, first published in the New York Times in 2001. Working from an office usually gets in the way of Friday bread-baking, but working from home, even at a desk under my son’s loft bed, has its advantages. I halve the recipe so I can bake it in my tiny counter-top oven, and there’s still plenty left over for French toast. —Janet Paskin, senior editor, Hong Kong, Bloomberg News
Vermouth
As lockdown wore on, I may have realized three martinis in a night is not the best way to make time rush faster. That’s when I switched to just vermouth on ice. Not that rancid bottle of Dolin Dry that went with my gin (keep your vermouth in the fridge, kids!), but fancier, more craft brands such as Lo-Fi Aperitifs Gentian Amaro, a red wine-based bottle which completely changed my opinion of vermouth—so brisk! so complicated! so refreshing! Before long, I had bought up my local store’s supply, falling in love with bottles like Cap Corse Mattei Blanc, Cocchi Americano, Casa Mariol Vermut, and Tempus Fugit Kina L’Aero d’Or. And I’m still discovering more. —Justin Ocean, deputy editor, Bloomberg Pursuits
A Guidebook for Griffith Park
A new book about one of America’s largest urban parks from the founder of ModernHiker.com. Although I’ve lived near this Los Angeles oasis for decades, it led me to parts I didn’t know, from a remote wooden bridge on the Hogback trail to the peak of Bee Rock, a surprisingly arduous climb. “Discovering Griffith Park” is full of history as well, from Playboy’s Hugh Hefner saving the Hollywood sign to the complicated life of Griffith J. Griffith, park benefactor and attempted murderer. —Chris Palmeri, Los Angeles bureau chief, Bloomberg News
Pirate-Themed Game
The least-expected silver lining of the pandemic has been Forgotten Waters, a witty and beautifully designed pirate-themed role-playing board game. Its online extension let me gather with my old Toronto crew for some grog-guzzling, booty-looting, and over-arrrr-ticulation. —Jeremy Keehn, features editor, Bloomberg Businessweek
Vinyl Records
The screens—online school, scrolling Twitter, streaming music and movies. What a relief late in lockdown to have come late to vinyl. For more than a decade, I’ve driven past a faded Seattle record store called Golden Oldies. One evening, I walked by and left with an armful of LPs. They’re marvelously tactile, resolutely non-digital—and they do sound better. I play them on a basic Audio-Technica AT-LP60X but now find myself wondering about the Fluance and the Denon and the 2M Ortofon Blue needle … —Peter Robison, senior reporter, Bloomberg News
Walking, Walking, Walking
Restricted to a small circle around our house in London, needing to get away from the place where I now both live and work, I rediscovered the joy of walking. Early in the morning in the half-light, at dusk, on sunny days, rainy days, windy days. Slowing down and watching the seasons change, tentatively and then more effusively greeting other walkers, feeling a slightly bloody-minded shared sense of purpose (especially on days when the ground is slippery and the wind cuts through you, no matter how many layers you wear), finding a connection to where I live. Sometimes listening to a podcast, sometimes just the sounds of the park. Walking is also … free. —Rosalind Mathieson, executive editor, international government, Bloomberg News
Local Pet Rescue
Having a new furry friend to help occupy time, thoughts, and energy during the pandemic has been a lifesaver. Westminster Dog Show, here we come! —Hannah Elliott, car columnist, Bloomberg Pursuits
Posh Candles
We all need a bit more light in this year, so I started buying candles. My go-to brand has been Posh Candle, which make soy-scented ones. They come in jars that carry such inspirational phrases as “Black Girl Magic” and “Boss Lady” that have relaxed me during and after busy work days. Whether I’m burning it or just leaving the cap off, the candles fill my apartment with aromas such as brown sugar, lemon, and eucalyptus. What’s more, the company was founded by a Black woman. —Jordyn Holman, retail reporter, Bloomberg News