If you’ve never had a French Taco before, you are seriously missing out. I lived in France for 4 years and I assume because we lived in the middle of the French countryside, we were never introduced to the mouth-watering deliciousness that is the French Taco. Fast forward 15 years, I visited my friend in Lyon and I’ll never forget the day we walked into a French Taco joint and tried one for the first time.

The best thing about travelling is to be reminded that there are other ways of doing things. People think differently Over There. They dress differently, live differently, respond to the present moment differently. It might be that they queue for everything. They sleep under heavy duvets. They eat funny biscuits, and butter that tastes like unsalted cheese. They sit in hot saunas and plunge into freezing cold seas for their health.

Hello readers and friends, In the last newsletter I wrote about my inspiration for Where You End, an essay that happened to coincide with a reading binge (and in some cases, rereading) of Patricia Highsmith, including what is arguably her best and best-known novel: The Talented Mr. Ripley. If you’re not familiar with the story, here’s the gist: at the behest of a wealthy New York businessman, drifter-grifter Tom Ripley sets of to “Mongibello,” Italy (based on the Amalfi Coast resort town of Positano) to track down the businessman’s son, Dickie Greenleaf, and bring him back to the States.

In just the last few years, a slew of “listening bars” have opened across New York City. A growing trend that finds its historic roots in the jazz kissa — Japanese cafes designed for close listening to jazz music — these bars are sophisticated, often chic spaces designed for soft-toned speaking and careful attention to music. Most have drinks, and many offer food. But the focus, above all else, is total immersion in the journey of the sounds.

Happening in the Back Row chat: paid subscribers can sound off on the news that has eclipsed New York Fashion Week so far: Sarah Burton is leaving Alexander McQueen! Become a paying Back Row member to join the discussion. There was always something about Emily Weiss. She’s the kind of “It” girl who seemed to have both taste and pure drive flowing through her veins, and thus the unusual ability to envision something and then manifest it.