In Rome, It’s Luxury vs. Squalor

On a recent June evening, guests in the magnificent dining room of the Palazzo Vilòn feasted on a Baroque-themed dinner amid centuries-old mirrors painted with cherubs, inlaid marble floors and a ceiling so lavish, the table’s surfaces were mirrored to savor the frescoes. The interior designer toasted the new hotel, calling it a temple to…

Forging ‘Great Relationships’ Over Watches

This is another in an occasional series of conversations in which The New York Times invites watchmakers, collectors and fans to discuss, well, almost anything they please. In April 2022, Jason Gong, a diversity, equity and inclusion expert with 20 years of experience working in corporate America, united his lifelong passion for watches with his…

A Party With a Lot of Baggage

“Nothing has a vibe anymore,” Carlos Quirarte said last Thursday, quickly adding the disclaimer that “people use the word vibe, or whatever, way too much.’’ As a restaurateur and urban Pied Piper who, over the past decade, has turned one establishment after another — the Smile, Le Turtle, Ray’s, Jac’s on Bond — into outposts…