You deserve a little treat

Hi, it's Chris, and winter is hard. But it doesn't have to be with these little treats. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hi there, it’s [Chris Rovzar](, editor of Pursuits. A lot of times we start this newsletter with a jet-setting story about some [gorgeous hotel we’ve recently visited](, or a thrilling restaurant where we tried a truffle that [changed the way we feel about funghi](. Because we’re Pursuits, we cover capital-L Luxury. But let’s be real: For most of us, winter is not the season of luxury. It’s cold, it’s dark and frankly, it can be depressing. Two weeks ago, as I saw many of my friends posting on Instagram from [powdery Aspen]( and [glittery St. Barts](, I was stuck in Brooklyn, as usual, where it was neither powdery nor glittery—it was mostly just gray. To add insult to injury, my husband was traveling for work so I was on my own parenting my sick pre-schooler. One of the pools at Gundari, a new resort in Greece, which would be a very nice place to be—as opposed to wherever you are right now. Source: Gundari Oh, and also I had jury duty. The day I was supposed to serve, I couldn’t find my summons slip—somehow I had kept it for months, but then, as tends to happen in apartments where three-year-olds live, the key item disappeared right when I need it. When I showed up to the courthouse, they wouldn’t let me in the building. As I stood outside aimlessly, a long line of people waiting for court appearances began to stretch down the sidewalk behind me. During this time, two (2) people I know walked by and asked me if I needed help. Finally, a nice cop took pity on me and got me in the door, and I was able to complete my civil service. So at the end of that very long week, with my daughter finally put to bed feeling better, and my husband home and loading the dishwasher, I sat down in my quiet apartment in front of an episode of [The Crown](, and I ate a big bowl of Häagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream. And boy, did that feel like a luxury. That’s why this week I wanted to write about lowercase-l luxury. Because, actually, that’s what tends to make our life better on an ongoing basis: treats that you look forward to in your everyday life, or hacks that make getting through the day easier—even enjoyable. That evening in front of the TV, I had doused my ice cream with [Williams Sonoma Dessert Sprinkles](, a delightful product I learned about in March 2020 when my colleague [Nikki Ekstein]( decided to ask everyone in our office about the [little luxuries we were using to get ourselves through]( the early days of the pandemic. Things are a lot better than they were then, but I loved that list Nikki made; it just felt so applicable to actual life. So I’m resurrecting the idea now. Here are a bunch of daily luxuries we’ve written about lately or have brought joy to my own life. - Nachos with plantain chips. When you’re cheese, everything in the world looks like a tortilla chip. So why are we not being more creative with our nachos? For this year’s Super Bowl, Roy Choi and Jon Favreau’s Chef Truck in Las Vegas started slinging plantain chips with warm garlic cheese sauce ([recipe here!](), and if you think any of the words in this sentence sound un-fun, I feel sorry for you. - A rich fragrance. I wear cologne every day as a personal pick-me-up, even if I’m not leaving the house—and I’m not alone. [Gen Z is boosting the prestige fragrance industry]( because it’s the only fancy thing they can afford. I alternate between fragrances, but lately I’ve been loving the woodsy, lemony [Brunello Cucinelli Eau de Parfum for men](. Brunello Cucinelli Pour Homme. Photographer: Shawn Michael Jones for Bloomberg Businessweek[Â]( - Chocolate-covered popcorn. I tell everyone who will listen about the greatness of [Laderach’s milk chocolate-covered popcorn](, and people don’t believe me. “Why are you telling me about this random fancy snack?” they ask. “I’m just standing next to you on the 6 train.” But anyone who actually tries it knows I’m right: the bite-size nuggets are a perfectly addictive mix of salty and sweet. We even included it in our Valentine’s Day [luxury gift guide]( this year, because everyone agrees with me that it’s the best, and also because I’m the boss around here. - A salami bouquet. True story: I have given multiple people in my family [salami bouquets as gifts](, and I’ll tell you what, it’s something people want to talk to me about for a long time afterward. A successful gift is one that haunts you, I always say! Pursuits writer [Kat Odell]( included one in her list of [unorthodox presents]( for Valentine’s Day, and I didn’t even force her to. - A spritzy substitute for rosé. You know what’s more annoying than Dry January? People complaining about Dry January. [Get yourself in the habit]( of sipping a tasty, relaxing beverage at the end of the day that doesn’t involve alcohol and give the rest of us a break. [These 11 non-alcoholic options are all Pursuits-tested and approved](, but I especially recommend Katy Perry’s raspberry-forward, lightly-carbonated [De Soi Très Rosé](. The 11 nonalcoholic drinks we’re loving right now. Photographer: Joanna McClure for Bloomberg Businessweek - Spicy things that you can get at CVS. We have [Blue Diamond Bold Wasabi and Soy Sauce Almonds]( and [Gold Emblem Abound Spicy Sriracha Popcorn]( on tap at my house at all times. They’re incredible, and I will take no further questions at this time. - Slush boots. I’m from [Maine](. I am a lifelong [L.L. Bean duck boot]( loyalist. But while they are inarguably adorable, and pair equally well with a pair of Carhartts or a tuxedo, even I must admit that they’re not very good in wet snow. The tread on the bottom of the sole isn’t deep enough, which can lead to slipping. Thankfully, a bunch of brands are developing a new category of footwear for our warmer, muckier winters: slush boots. [We rounded up the seven best](, and I must say I’m partial to the [Camper Pix]( with leather and recyclable soles. - This cute lil electric screwdriver. [The Skil 2.0 gets into corners](! It looks like a one-eyed Pixar character! Awwww. The Skil 2.0 electric screwdriver. Photographer: Frank Frances Studio/2024 - The best fly rod you’ll ever swing. Yes, [$1,098 is a lot of money for a fishing rod](. But a hobby that gets you out into the wilderness for entire days on end, where you have to leave your phone in a waterproof pouch where you can’t reach it for hours? That’s priceless. And Pursuits writer [Kyle Stock]( says that [the latest from Orvis can turn even novices into talented anglers](.  - Some pampering for your eyes. I am currently very into [Dr. Sam’s Flawless Nightly Eye Serum](, which has a gentle retinoic acid to renew the sensitive skin around your eyes, niacinamide to brighten the area, and collagen-boosting ascorbyl glucoside. In the mornings I throw on a pair of [Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Hydra-Gel Eye Patches](, which temporarily soften my smile lines and plump up my orbital bone area. (I’m so sorry for using all those skin words, I’ll never do it again.) - An FBI hat. If you’re not reading our [“Distinguished Travel Hacker” series](, you’re missing out. That’s where we interview professionals who regularly traverse the world for work and solicit their advice. These people have some bananas tips, and [my favorite recently was from David Alwadish](, who wears an FBI hat whenever he flies somewhere and checks into a hotel, because it makes people treat him with deference. “I think there’s no doubt that it makes people look and wonder. And when they’re wondering, they err on the side of respect,” he says. “I’m looking at everybody, and they’re looking back at me very carefully.” I bet they are! This image probably accurately reflects how our wine critic Elin McCoy felt after tasting 3,000 bottles of wine. Source: Vendors - Our Top Shelf Society and Watch Club newsletters. These little delights come out once a month and are full of news and recommendations, [from foamy beers and new Champagnes]( to [wild new timepieces]( and charming tales of vintage watch collecting. - Wines under $50. Every year, our wine critic [Elin McCoy]( heroically tastes thousands (3,243 to be exact) of bottles of wine so you don’t have to. She then narrows it down to 50 that are under $50 for a year-end list that you should honestly print out and save. [Here’s her list for 2023](. Bigger luxuries to look forward to Do you ever have those years where you get through the holidays and suddenly you realize that in terms of your planned vacations, you’ve reached where the sidewalk ends? That was us this year. After a wonderful trip to [Los Cabos in Mexico](, we realized that the entirety of 2024 was yawning ahead of us with zero travel plans except for a summer house rental in Connecticut. When I looked around for someone to blame for this mishap, I was told, “This is your responsibility” by my husband, who works in health care, not luxury travel—and by my daughter, who is three. So I’ve got to get cracking. And if you haven’t, so should you. [Luckily, we’ve got lots of ideas for you.]( [The Seven Most Exciting Hotel Openings in Europe in 2024]( Here are the properties we’re keeping an eye on, from opulent suites in London’s posh Knightsbridge to an all-villa resort on a Greek island. [Top Five Destinations Where US Travel Dollars Will Go Furthest]( Asia leads the list of regions with the most favorable exchange rates this year, followed by South America. [The Nine Most Important Resorts Opening in the Caribbean and Mexico in 2024]( Luxury hotel brands are building everything from all-inclusive wellness resorts to boutique oases in popular tourist hubs. [The Most Enticing Hotel Openings in Greece Are on Uncrowded Islands]( This summer, bypass the throngs of tourists in Mykonos and Santorini for one of these five luxurious new resorts. [How to Plan a Trip to See the Olympics This Summer—Without Going to Paris]( Events are taking place across France and its overseas territories, including Tahiti. Here’s what to know. What else I’m consuming Wow, New York Magazine really nailed it this week with not one, but two riveting confessionals. First, there’s Emily Gould’s essay, [“The Lure of Divorce,”]( which is a tale about the almost-dissolution of a marriage that is at once extreme and singular, but in which I suspect a lot of married people will secretly see a little bit of themselves. And then there’s the thrilling cringe orgasm that is [“The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger](” by Charlotte Cowles, wherein the magazine’s personal finance column walks through how she fell victim to a wildly implausible cash scam. If you haven’t read the Bloomberg Businessweek story [“Can AI Unlock the Secrets of the Ancient World?”](—please do. It’s this fascinating tale of how one investor in artificial intelligence technology decided to run a contest to see if any engineers could help develop a program to scan and read the Herculaneum papyri, a series of scrolls that were preserved by lava from the explosion of Mount Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago. Spoiler: it’s working. But the real fun lies in how they figured out how to do it. Photos courtesy Vesuvius Challenge I really like Ezra Klein’s podcast; it makes me feel like my calmest, geekiest friend is explaining the scary things in the world so they at least make a little bit of sense. [Last week’s episode about friendships](—and how dangerous it is that grown adults, especially men, are forgetting how to make them—really resonated with me deeply. Up higher I spoke about the little luxuries that helped me get through a frustrating week earlier this winter, but Ezra’s podcast reminded me that there was an even harder week in the fall. I was recovering from a surgery and couldn’t even lift my daughter, and my husband was again traveling for work. Every single day that week, a different friend of mine showed up at my house in the morning to push our stroller to nursery school, and yet another would meet me at the school to help with pickup. Yet others would come by and cook dinner. Having friends like that isn’t just a little luxury—it’s one of the greatest luxuries of all. Connect with Chris on [Instagram]( and [X]( You had some questions… Don’t forget to follow [Bloomberg Pursuits on Instagram](—every week we put out a call for questions based on which of our experts is writing this newsletter, and people send us their trickiest queries. I’m the watch expert on the team, so these are the ones that came in. What is your favorite women’s haute horology timepiece? This one comes from Laura in New York. I like the [MB&F FlyingT](, which was the first watch by [the outrageous Swiss horologer]( to be “inspired by women.” It won the Prix de la Complication pour Dame at the [2019 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève]( the same year it was launched. The movement features a [tourbillon]( extending upward in a column from the center of the watch, and the dial sits at a 50-degree angle so it’s really only readable by the wearer. In 2023, [MB&F partnered with the jeweler Emmanuel Tarpin](to make two diamond-encrusted special editions of the watch. MB&F and Tarpin’s FlyingT Blizzard collaboration evokes a snow globe. Source: MB&F Most affordable Piaget watch for ladies? I love these questions from women collectors! Well, to start with, the answer to this query certainly isn’t the [Piaget Polo79]( that I wrote about in the last issue of Businessweek. That hunk of solid 18K gold will set you back $73,000. I think the most inexpensive watch that Piaget considers a “ladies” watch is the 29mm [Possession watch in steel](, with a smattering of diamonds, for $5,400. That’s a quartz watch, though. If you are looking for mechanical, there’s the [36mm Piaget Polo Date]( with a blue calf strap and an automatic movement. That goes for $11,800 and is only available online. Brad Pitt wearing the most understated statement watch ever, a vintage Patek 2526 This isn’t really a question, but I love it. Yes, [Pitt wore an enamel dial dress watch from Patek Philippe in the 1950s]( at the premiere of his film One Love last week. Watch bloggers are excited about it because it’s so understated and because Pitt is known for having a wide-ranging and interesting watch collection. The subtlety of it is indeed refreshing when we’re seeing celebrities get really shouty about their watches—choosing [bright turquoise options]( and even [wearing them around their necks](. And if you read just one thing... Even Dakota Johnson (center) appears to get that Madame Web is very, very bad. Courtesy of Sony Pictures ...it should be [this review of Madame Web]( by Pursuits critic [Esther Zuckerman](. The latest superhero flop, starring a sheepish Dakota Johnson, is so bad it isn’t even fun to watch—a rare feat. But reading all of the hilarious reviews? Well, that’s a little luxury to go into the weekend. New for subscribers: Free article gifting. Bloomberg.com subscribers can now gift up to five free articles a month to anyone you want. Just look for the "Gift this article" button on stories. (Not a subscriber? Unlock limited access and [sign up here](.) Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Pursuits newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](