The Beauty of the Bean Bag

Written by Jake Silbert2 days ago in Stylell bean

Every few years, culture rediscovers the L.L.Bean tote bag, officially (and adorably) named the Boat 'n Tote. Every time it does, I say good: L.L.Bean's signature bag is probably the single greatest tote bag ever created.

L.L.Bean's tote so good that over 80 years after it was conceived as a method of lugging around ice blocks, we're still discussing its relevance while new generations come around to its simple brilliance.

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Anecdotally, I've been witnessing a real Bean Bag boom here in New York. Perhaps due to impressively overt ongoing demand for the derivative Trader Joe's tote, L.L.Bean's Boat 'n Tote is riding a wave.

Years after that whole Balenciaga Bean Bag situation, young people are still customizing their Boat 'n Totes with personalized embroidery — a service offered in-house by L.L.Bean — secondhand shops are slinging vintage editions, and the overt homages roll out en masse season after season, varying in form from paean to parody. Read more about it here.

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How an Arkansas City Became an Epicenter of the Biking World

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How an Arkansas City Became an Epicenter of the Biking World

Buoyed by the interests of the family behind Walmart, Bentonville has become an unexpected hub for cycling.

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WHY WE’RE HERE

We’re exploring how America defines itself one place at a time. The clack of a cyclist’s cleats, fresh off a ride, in the downtown square.

This is the soundtrack to Bentonville, a city of about 60,000 near the state’s border with Missouri that has dozens of immaculately kept trails for every level of biker.

“Pure joy — it’s the reason I got up at 6 o’clock this morning to be out here,” said Dani Shamburger, 33, pausing during an early Sunday ride in the woods a few miles from the city’s center. “It’s my sanctuary.”

The investment in biking has come largely from the billionaire Walton family and its business, Walmart, which is headquartered in Bentonville.

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Over more than a decade, Tom and Steuart Walton, grandsons of the Walmart founder, have steered at least $74 million through the family foundation toward the construction of 163 miles of paths and trails for recreation and competition. In Bentonville, Ark., a thriving off-road biking network has drawn residents and tourists alike into mountain and gravel biking.

By Emily Cochrane

Video by Rugile Kaladyte

Reporting from Bentonville, Ark.

April 13, 2025

Listen for the click of a bike gear, shifting in tune with its rider. Read more about it here.

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Why I’ll always believe in an honesty bar Why I’ll always believe in an honesty bar on x (opens in a new window)Why I’ll always believe in an honesty bar on facebook (opens in a new window)Why I’ll always believe in an honesty bar on linkedin (opens in a new window)Why I’ll always believe in an honesty bar on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save Why I’ll always believe in an honesty bar on x (opens in a new window)Why I’ll always believe in an honesty bar on facebook (opens in a new window)Why I’ll always believe in an honesty bar on linkedin (opens in a new window)Why I’ll always believe in an honesty bar on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save

Alice Lascelles

PublishedApril 15 2025

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I knew as soon as I clapped eyes on the honesty bar that I would like Updown Farmhouse in Kent – because nothing says “make yourself at home” quite like giving your guests free run of the drinks (and trusting them, moreover, to put it on their tab). I mixed a Martini, chalked it up to my room, and settled down to a game of Scrabble, soundtracked by tinkling jazz.

The honesty bars at Ett Hem are crafted by Studio Ilse

“We wanted Updown to feel very relaxed, like you were staying at a friend’s house, so having an honesty bar seemed like a natural thing to do,” says its proprietor Ruth Leigh. “Some nights you will go in there and there’s an impromptu party vibe, with people making friends and hanging out.”

Honesty bars are also an essential part of Ett Hem, Stockholm’s 25-bedroom townhouse hotel. It has three – one for each living room – crafted in brass and wood by Studioilse and stocked with local spirits and vintage decanters filled with ready-mixed cocktails. Read more about it here.

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This Wildly Creative Restaurant Turns Campfire Cooking Into Fine Dining LifestyleTravelChef and sommelier couple Nicolai and Eva Tram got off the foodie hamster wheel in Copenhagen—and built an unlikely Michelin destination, called Knystaforsen, deep in the Swedish forest.

ByAnn Abel,

Senior Contributor.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. He has a hint of Scandinavian self-deprecation, but he also makes a valid point.

He means that he and his international team at Knystaforsen, in the dense forests of Halland, Sweden, aren’t just part of today’s global fire-dining trend. Ann Abel is a Lisbon-based writer covering luxury travel with a soulFollow AuthorApr 16, 2025, 05:27am EDTUpdated Apr 17, 2025, 05:58am EDTShareSaveComment

Nicolai Tram cooking at Knystaforsen

Eva H. Read more about it here.

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My Guilty Pleasure: The Peace of a Long Commute Arts & Culture / March/April 2025

My Guilty Pleasure: The Peace of a Long Commute

There are no dishes to put away, no tiny toddler socks to match, and no family calendar to organize

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 – by Carine AbouseifCarine AbouseifIllustration by Melanie Lambrick, Updated 9:01, Apr. 18, 2025 | Published 6:30, Apr. 18, 2025

The moment I step onto the platform, I take the deepest breath I’ve taken all morning. But on these mornings, as I choose the perfect seat (window, facing forward), flatten my bag in my lap, and slip my headphones on, I am almost giddy: a whole hour with nothing to do.

Perhaps it’s the eldest-daughter-working-mother of it all, but here, there are no dishes to put away, no tiny toddler socks to match, and no family calendar to organize. Once I step on board the subway, I’m ready to settle in.

At parties and dinners, I complain to anyone who will listen about this injustice (“more than an hour!”). Read more about it here.

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Reddit’s Favorite Fast Food Burger Only Exists In 26 States

By Cami Cox•April 12, 2025 12:15 pm EST

When you are looking for help deciding which dining spots to try, there is plentiful input right at your fingertips from sources like Reddit, Yelp, and TripAdvisor, where thousands of people have given feedback based on their own personal experiences. In ranking the best hamburger, users on Reddit cited a clear favorite: Culver’s.

Culver’s is a burger chain that first opened its doors in 1984 in a small town called Sauk City, Wisconsin. In the ensuing decades, the restaurant has expanded to include more than 1,000 franchises, but it only exists in about half of the United States (26 of them, to be exact, as of April 2025). Read more about it here.

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Want the coolest food in Japan? Head to the konbini Want the coolest food in Japan? Head to the konbini on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save Want the coolest food in Japan? Head to the konbini on linkedin (opens in a new window)Want the coolest food in Japan? Read more about it here.

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Is the Restaurant Good? Or Does It Just Look Good? At Papa San, the design is equally or more eye-catching than the food. And that may be the point.Credit…Lanna Apisukh for The New York Times

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By Priya Krishna

Published April 9, 2025Updated April 10, 2025

How many shades of pink and orange can you fit into a single restaurant? Or Does It Just Look Good?

Restaurateurs are finding that ambience and branding matter as much — and to many diners, more — than the food they serve.

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Grand Cayman’s Palm Heights Hotel Has Major Design Flair—And A Fetish For Books LifestyleArts

Grand Cayman’s Palm Heights Hotel Has Major Design Flair—And A Fetish For Books

ByPaul Jebara,

Contributor.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Bringing a dose of sophistication and polychromatic whimsy to the white sands of Seven Mile Beach, this brilliantly revamped 50-key hideaway has quickly earned an exalted status among design lovers seeking respite in the Caribbean.

Interior views of the hotel's two-bedroom beachfront terrace.

Brooke Shanesy

There were several factors that inspired Khalil to choose Grand Cayman for her first foray into hospitality: “[The island] is especially unique within the Caribbean due to the level of diversity, with over 100 nationalities living on the island despite a population of only 60,000,” she says. “The combination of all these factors was extremely compelling.”

With understated decadence and spirited nods to Seventies-era West Indies, Palm Heights would eventually emerge as one of the most desirable design and art destinations in the Cayman Islands. Paul Jebara writes on design, art and travel from New York.Follow AuthorMar 31, 2021, 06:04pm EDTShareSaveCommentThis article is more than 4 years old.

Palm Heights is a design lover's paradise-found filled with a spectacular curation of global finds, … Read more about it here.

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Inside Palm Heights, the A-List’s New Favourite Winter Escape

January 25, 2023XPinterestSave StorySave this storySaveSave this storySavePhoto: Brooke Shanesy / Courtesy of Palm Heights

Palm Heights, the 52 all-suite boutique hotel situated on the pristine white sand of Seven Mile Beach, is more White Lotus than White Lotus. Over the festive period, holiday-makers included Bella Hadid with her boyfriend, Chloë Sevigny (who threw her hen party here last year) and her family, Emily Ratajkowski, and Paloma Elsesser. The holiday is the hotel, and its roster of guests (which they prefer to think of as an extended family) becomes your community. Read more about it here.

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