I first heard about the novel coronavirus on January 19 in my home in Shenzhen. Just the day before, my office had closed for the Chinese New Year break. At the time, the situation didn’t seem very serious, and like many, I was preparing for my holiday travels. On January 23, I traveled from China…
Imagine escaping to an island paradise where bags of money fall out of trees and a talking raccoon can approve you for a mortgage. With the world in the grip of a pandemic, that’s exactly the sort of escape that has captivated so many — not in their fantasies, but in the world of Animal…
Scott and Jessica Davis have never managed to stay in one place for long, and with every move, they have found a home with a distinct style. “We lived in a co-op in Brooklyn, then a Tudor house in L.A., then a Dutch colonial in New Jersey, and then, prior to this, an 1879 Victorian…
MADRID — At the end of January, a German tourist became Spain’s first coronavirus patient. At the time, the health threat seemed for the nation as remote as the tiny Spanish island of La Gomera, where he was treated. Two weeks later, the German walked out of hospital, and Spain celebrated being again “virus free.”…
TOKYO — For months, Japan has confounded the world by reporting a relatively low rate of coronavirus infections without imposing the kind of stringent measures used by other nations. As the country now declares a state of emergency in the face of a worrisome rise in cases, medical experts are wondering whether the move on…
Serious question: Do seasons even count when you’re spending weeks cooped up inside? If you want to bring some spring vibes to your WFH situation—and give your sweatpants a rest—Anthropologie is taking 40 percent off seasonal essentials, a.k.a. fresh-air favorites. Whether you want to look cute during your video conferences or elevate your home cooking…
This is about the song my mother used to sing, “Shake Hands With Your Air Raid Warden.” It’s about living through scary times with children, and what you tell them when the world does not seem like a safe place. And of course, it’s about my mother, and maybe about her generation, which certainly grew…
This is not the time to embark on a new restaurant project. But Adam Leonti, whose recent career has had its share of disruptive events, is forging ahead with one. Having closed Leonti on the Upper West Side in January, he is now the executive chef for Sofia’s Panificio e Vino, formerly Sofia’s of Little…
Future researchers can rest easy: Know Your Meme, Urban Dictionary, Creepypasta and Cute Overload have all been preserved by the Library of Congress. So has the band website for They Might Be Giants and the entire published output of The Toast, the humor site that shut down in 2016. And while the Library of Congress…
JERUSALEM — Singing outdoors. Participating remotely in a relative’s Zoom Seder. Leaving apartment doors open so solitary neighbors can hear the recitations. Israeli Jews are seeking novel ways of celebrating this week’s Passover holiday, traditionally a festival of freedom and community, after the government announced strict curfews to limit social gatherings. On the first night…