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Buzz Feed
5 days ago
- General
- Buzz Feed
28 Products To Make Your Home Look More Put-Together
A set of glass soap dispensers to make your guests go, "Ooh, that's fancy," when they use your bathroom or hang out in your kitchen. These look so much more elegant than regular plastic containers, and they even come with waterproof labels! A pack of two invisible floating shelves if your bathroom sink doesn't have adequate counter space for your "get ready with me" makeup or nightly skincare routine. These are super slim, and the raised lip on the edge ensures your things are nice and secure. A cable management box for those who have WAY too many cords and want to keep them out of sight and out of mind. It's got ventilation holes, so you won't have to worry about overheating, but it still protects wires from any curious pets or young kids. Or, a bookish disguise to hide your Wi-Fi modem or other electrical eyesores. Not only will it look like you're an avid reader, but it'll make it seem like you are organized to a tee. A set of bedsheet organizers so you don't have to tackle the avalanche of poorly folded sheets and duvet covers that look like they're about to engulf you if you grab them from the bottom. This organized system keeps your linen closet tidy and simplifies things when it's time to change the bed. Or, a bedding holder that features an adjustable indicator strap, making it easy to sort your blankets, comforters, and sheets for your king, queen, full, and twin beds. No more guessing — grab the right set every time and save yourself the headache. A set of airtight food containers to keep all your dry goods organized and let you know when you're running low on your fave cereal. These come in a variety of sizes and with chalkboard labels. Big subtweet to whoever decided that flour should be packaged in a non-resealable, easily punctured paper bag, SMH. A leaning blanket ladder — a super chic way to store and showcase your cozy throw blankets instead of just tossing them in a basket or leaving them on the couch. Plus, it's got padding on the top, so it won't scratch your walls. A vertical shoe tower so your Crocs, Birks, and Hokas have a place of honor in your house, and by place of honor, I mean right by the door, but without getting in your way when you're headed out of the house. Or, a chic and slim entryway shoe cabinet to ~sneak-ily~ hide those sneakers and slip-on shoes in a way that matches your boho aesthetic. This is great for small spaces and can store up to 12 pairs. A set of customizable drawer organizers, because we all have that one drawer where we just shove our stuff in and hope it closes. This set comes with 25 pieces and endless ways to organize! Finally, a junk drawer that will no longer be a ~junk~ drawer. A spice rack organizer so you can make sure your favorite chicken seasoning doesn't get lost in your narrow kitchen cabinets. If you're guilty of stacking as many spices as you possibly can and forgetting about half of them, then this is for you. An under-the-sink organizer because even your cleaning supplies deserve to be in a somewhat clean and organized state. The bottom shelf slides out for easy access, and the L-shaped design is great because it doesn't get in the way of those pesky pipes that take up so much space. A pantry door organizer — handy for those times when you go to the grocery store on an empty stomach and bring back a LOT more dry goods than you planned on. The shelves are adjustable, so don't worry about that family-sized box of fit! An unassuming broom organizer equipped with five slots and six hooks, because even if you have a small apartment and an even smaller closet, you still need a lot of cleaning supplies. That messy pile of brooms and dust pans shoved in the corner is a thing of the past because you've just turned the back of your door into a functional space saver. A cabinet door organizer so you can really flex some "I've got my life together" vibes when you open a cabinet and pull out the aluminum foil... without pulling eight of its friends out with it. A 50-pack of velvet hangers to elevate your closet, making it feel like your own lil' boutique instead of a cramped storage space when you're choosing your perfect OOTD. These are super thin, so they take up less space than your collection of random mismatched hangers, and the velvet prevents clothes from constantly slipping off. Shelf dividers so your closet can finally look a little more organized than usual. This'll keep your sweaters with your sweaters and prevent things from falling over when grabbing from the bottom. A water bottle organizer because there's no shame in buying a sixth emotional support water bottle in the span of three months, but there is the embarrassment of that messy cupboard that unleashes an avalanche of water bottles every time you open it. Cheers to using vertical cabinet space more effectively! Some adhesive shower shelves if you need a better place to keep your shampoo, conditioner, and body than the tiny corners of your bathtub (where they usually fall over anyway). These are renter-friendly and can hold up to 40 pounds. A sink caddy organizer so your sponges, soaps, and brushes can have a place of their own rather than being left in the sink with the never-ending pile of dirty dishes. It's even got a draining spout, so any excess water will go back in the sink rather than all over your countertop. A bamboo storage bag and food wrap organizer for storing plastic baggies, foil, plastic wrap, and wax paper all in one place instead of their bulky individual boxes. This comes with labels to identify your wraps and bags, and the dispenser cutters give a precise cut for all your food wrapping needs. A set of glass jars with bamboo lids so all your bathroom essentials, like your hair ties, cotton swabs, and flossers, can be neatly displayed on your bathroom counter and within reach. They even come with labels if you're wanting to be ~extra~ organized. An adjustable ceiling garage rack if you've been searching for a way to store all your stuff without just randomly stacking bins on the ground. No need to look further — just look up! A toy organizer that'll keep all your kids' books, plushies, dolls, cars, and literally anything else off the floor and out of your way. This is low enough for your little ones to grab their stuff (and maybe put it away??) and comes with an anti-tip kit to ensure there are no unwanted boo-boos from a fallen organizer. A six-tier plant stand to beautifully display those plant babies that are growin' like it's nobody's business. This vertical stand has multiple shelves and is wholly made of bamboo. A makeup organizer so luxurious and grand that it looks like a modern-day Disney princess would use this. You can store all your lippies, powders, and mascaras in it to save valuable counter and drawer space, and it'll look so chic sitting out! A TV cord cover if you want to hide those annoying cables that hang down from your mounted TV. It easily sticks onto the wall and makes it look so much nicer. Pro tip: You can even paint it the same color as your wall to make it look even better.
Business Insider
23-07-2025
- Business Insider
I spent 3 days exploring Acadia National Park with my boyfriend. Next time, we'll do 4 things differently.
A beach day spent in the sun with a good book and a quick dip in the ocean? Sounds perfect. A walk through the woods? Not really my speed. So, when my boyfriend and I started planning a summer getaway to Bar Harbor, Maine, I was skeptical about visiting Acadia National Park. Still, Acadia is one of the town's main attractions, so we knew we had to check it out. To my surprise, the three-day trip changed my perspective on the outdoors. I didn't become a hiking aficionado overnight, but the scenery was beautiful. We enjoyed checking all of the touristy must-dos off our itinerary, from a beginner-level hike around Jordan Pond to a more challenging trek up the Gorham Mountain trail. Although we had a great time, we definitely made some mistakes as total national-park newbies — and next time we visit Acadia, we'll do a lot of things differently. When we visited in June, I packed lots of shorts, tank tops, and my brand-new Hokas. However, I quickly realized that layers would have been much more ideal for the changing and sometimes unpredictable weather in northern Maine. The days started off cool but then turned muggy, especially when working up a sweat sneakers weren't optimal, either. After a few slips and near-falls on the park's muddy grounds and wet rocks, my boyfriend and I both agreed that we should've stopped at the store downtown for a pair of real hiking shoes with better grip. We should have made reservations for restaurants and certain landmarks. We arrived at Acadia National Park with a set itinerary, but we didn't realize how many restaurants — and even activities — required of these activities was watching the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the eastern seaboard. While eating dinner at a restaurant, our server explained that we'd need a vehicle reservation in order to drive to the mountain.A quick Google search taught us that, unfortunately, there were no available slots to watch the sunrise during our three-day trip. Luckily, we were able to book a time to see the sunset — but catching the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain will be a top priority on our next hadn't made a reservation to visit the historic Jordan Pond House, either. When we stopped by after a 3-mile hike, we were told we'd have to wait over an hour to be much as we wanted to enjoy its iconic popovers and tea with a view of the pond and mountains, we just couldn't wait to eat. Next time, we'll hike some of the less-crowded trails. As first-time visitors, we hit many of Acadia's famous, tourist-loved spots: Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond, Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, and Bar the views were stunning and well worth the hype, these places were all quite crowded, which made it tough to find visiting the quieter Gorham Trail, however, we were able to soak in the nature around us. We only saw a few other hikers as we trekked to the that we've seen all the big names in Acadia, we decided that next time, we'll try to find more secluded spots for picnics and more advanced hikes with fewer travelers. We should have gone for more than three days. Our biggest regret is not spending more time exploring the park and all of its beauty. We saw and did a lot in three days, but there's still more we'd like to explore next time, like Schoodic Peninsula and Bass Harbor Head national-park trip may have been spontaneous and out of my comfort zone, but it surprised our mishaps, regrets, and bona-fide tourist moments, my boyfriend and I have started talking about making it an annual trip — and luckily, we now know a lot about how to make our next visit smoother.
Business Insider
23-07-2025
- Business Insider
I spent 3 days exploring Acadia National Park with my boyfriend. Next time, we'll do 4 things differently.
I'm not a big hiker, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I visited Acadia National Park in Maine. I was surprised by how much I loved my three-day trip, but there are a few things I wish I'd known. Next time I visit, I'll pack lots of layers and make restaurant reservations ahead of time. I'm many things, but I've never been a hiker. A beach day spent in the sun with a good book and a quick dip in the ocean? Sounds perfect. A walk through the woods? Not really my speed. So, when my boyfriend and I started planning a summer getaway to Bar Harbor, Maine, I was skeptical about visiting Acadia National Park. Still, Acadia is one of the town's main attractions, so we knew we had to check it out. To my surprise, the three-day trip changed my perspective on the outdoors. I didn't become a hiking aficionado overnight, but the scenery was beautiful. We enjoyed checking all of the touristy must-dos off our itinerary, from a beginner-level hike around Jordan Pond to a more challenging trek up the Gorham Mountain trail. Although we had a great time, we definitely made some mistakes as total national-park newbies — and next time we visit Acadia, we'll do a lot of things differently. I wish we'd packed better for the weather and terrain. When we visited in June, I packed lots of shorts, tank tops, and my brand-new Hokas. However, I quickly realized that layers would have been much more ideal for the changing and sometimes unpredictable weather in northern Maine. The days started off cool but then turned muggy, especially when working up a sweat hiking. My sneakers weren't optimal, either. After a few slips and near-falls on the park's muddy grounds and wet rocks, my boyfriend and I both agreed that we should've stopped at the store downtown for a pair of real hiking shoes with better grip. We should have made reservations for restaurants and certain landmarks. We arrived at Acadia National Park with a set itinerary, but we didn't realize how many restaurants — and even activities — required reservations. One of these activities was watching the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the eastern seaboard. While eating dinner at a restaurant, our server explained that we'd need a vehicle reservation in order to drive to the mountain. A quick Google search taught us that, unfortunately, there were no available slots to watch the sunrise during our three-day trip. Luckily, we were able to book a time to see the sunset — but catching the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain will be a top priority on our next trip. We hadn't made a reservation to visit the historic Jordan Pond House, either. When we stopped by after a 3-mile hike, we were told we'd have to wait over an hour to be seated. As much as we wanted to enjoy its iconic popovers and tea with a view of the pond and mountains, we just couldn't wait to eat. Next time, we'll hike some of the less-crowded trails. As first-time visitors, we hit many of Acadia's famous, tourist-loved spots: Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond, Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, and Bar Island. Although the views were stunning and well worth the hype, these places were all quite crowded, which made it tough to find parking. When visiting the quieter Gorham Trail, however, we were able to soak in the nature around us. We only saw a few other hikers as we trekked to the summit. Now that we've seen all the big names in Acadia, we decided that next time, we'll try to find more secluded spots for picnics and more advanced hikes with fewer travelers. We should have gone for more than three days. Our biggest regret is not spending more time exploring the park and all of its beauty. We saw and did a lot in three days, but there's still more we'd like to explore next time, like Schoodic Peninsula and Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. Our national-park trip may have been spontaneous and out of my comfort zone, but it surprised me. Despite our mishaps, regrets, and bona-fide tourist moments, my boyfriend and I have started talking about making it an annual trip — and luckily, we now know a lot about how to make our next visit smoother.
Time Out
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
NYC Summer Streets is back this month and bigger than ever, with 22 miles of car-free roads
Clear your calendars and dust off your sneakers: NYC Summer Streets is rolling back into town and this year it's stretching further, louder and more joyfully than ever before. Kicking off July 26 and running for five Saturdays across all five boroughs, the citywide celebration will transform more than 22 miles of traffic-jammed roads into a human-powered playground of free fitness classes, live performances, art installations and plenty of icy freebies. In honor of the city's 400th anniversary, this year's edition is doubling down on scale and energy, with more than 400 blocks of car-free bliss. For the first time, you'll be able to walk, bike, jog—or cartwheel—your way from the Brooklyn Bridge to Inwood without seeing a single traffic light turn red. The Manhattan mega-route, open Aug. 2, 9 and 16, includes a Harlem activation along Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd with community programming and live entertainment. The series kicks off July 26 in Queens and Staten Island. Expect waterfront views along Vernon Boulevard and a new Staten Island route on Forest Avenue, complete with giveaways from Coca-Cola, Siggi's yogurt and FIFA's Skyline to Shoreline Tour. On Aug. 23, Brooklyn and the Bronx close out the season with routes along Eastern Parkway and the Grand Concourse, respectively. And if you're the competitive type (or just need a reason to break in your new Hokas), the New York Road Runners Start Line Series is bringing free 2.5-mile and 5K community races to Queens and Brooklyn. Summer Streets will also pack plenty of memorable moments along the route this year—think a giant inflatable soccer darts game from Brooklyn FC, photo ops with larger-than-life NYC letters, slushie samples from mushroom coffee brand RYZE and an interactive sculpture called Collective Bloom that turns your literal energy into art. There's even a 'Grand Lawn' pop-up at Park Avenue and 40th Street courtesy of Grand Central Terminal, complete with lawn games and snacks. Everything's free. It all happens rain or shine. And Citi Bike is even throwing in free 24-hour passes during the events (just use code LYFTSUMMER25).
Los Angeles Times
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
With the new Vin Folk, Hermosa Beach becomes a culinary destination
'Hi, I'm chef Jude. I'll be taking care of you this evening.' A young man in pristine chef whites greets our table at Vin Folk, a petite, bucolic restaurant on the northern edge of downtown Hermosa Beach. He has an earring in each ear and a grin that reaches his eyes. I wonder if he may have lost his way to the kitchen. 'We're a chef-driven restaurant,' he says. 'You'll see that most of us are wearing chef coats.' He launches into a speech about how the restaurant is attempting to do away with the traditional 'front of the house and back of the house' system. It's an explanation that takes at least a minute. Then he asks if he can take our drink order. I inquire about a bottle of white Nebbiolo. 'Oh, I don't drink yet,' says Jude, confirming he's not yet old enough to legally consume alcohol. 'But I'll get a staff member more familiar with the wine list.' The future of L.A. dining might indeed be found in this teensy dining room. Located just a block from the strand, it's a bright spot in an area dense with acai bowls, coffee shops and sports bars. Half the diners on any given evening are couples dressed for a night out. The other half are seated on the patio, with dog leashes wrapped around their wrists, Hokas and flip-flops on their feet and the look of someone who may have spontaneously wandered over from their oceanfront home. The dining room crackles with the hopeful, earnest energy of a start-up company, ripe with possibility. And with food that has all the technique and precision of a tasting menu restaurant with less of the fuss, it is without a doubt the most exciting place to eat in the South Bay in recent memory. The menu is a jaunt through chef-owner Kevin de los Santos and chef-partner Katya Shastova's backgrounds and travels, each dish attached to one or more specific 'memories' that your chef will share throughout the evening. The mussels tart ($25) is both precious and picturesque, the kind of plate you feel compelled to pull out your phone for and photograph, even if you don't normally do that sort of thing. Inspired by a summer trip to Europe before opening the restaurant, the two remember traveling through Portugal, dining on tins of fish, bread and wine. The dish is a love child of mussels in escabeche and pot pie, with a diamond of puff pastry that acts as a golden, high-walled bed of crust on the plate. Nestled in the center is a smoked fennel cream studded with bits of crunchy fennel and smoked clams. Arranged in a neat row over the top are mussels in escabeche — plump, tart and tangy. A curled nub of pastry is playfully arranged at one corner of the diamond like the lip of a steel tin. You shatter the flaky crust, sending shards of pastry into the rich cream and mussels, the combination at once rich, acidic and balanced. The bivalves may be painstakingly placed with multiple pairs of tweezers. And throughout the evening, the staff will yell a taut, loud, 'Oui!' to confirm tickets in the kitchen. But this is not a place that takes itself too seriously. De los Santos and Shastova are making an effort to mentor the staff with a style of service they learned while working at Somni, Aitor Zabala's fine dining restaurant now located in West Hollywood. At Vin Folk, which opened in November, staff are trained in multiple positions, both in and out of the kitchen. Everyone helps with prep, then De los Santos and Shastova play a game of chess with the staff, placing members in positions where they may be strongest. 'We are teaching them,' says Shastova. 'You go through everything because we believe it's important to learn every single detail of the restaurant if you want to have your own one day.' It's a system that breeds an enthusiastic crop of chefs who beam with pride at the presentation of each dish, all hands having contributed to its creation. It also makes for a cozy, often crowded dining room, with the back of the restaurant occupied by chefs clustered together in the open kitchen, hovering over plates of food. The headcheese toast ($15) is a loose interpretation of the patty melt at Langer's Deli in Westlake. It's a slice of head cheese made from slow braised pork head and shoulder over a piece of Hokkaido milk bread with a spoonful of sauerkraut and a piece of New School American cheese. On the side is a smidgen of mustard so hot it makes your nose tingle. The melted, almost waxy cheese catapults the toast into another dimension of richness. A modicum of mustard yanks the flavors back to earth. A bowl of pritto ($20), according to the chef who served the dish, is the restaurant's take on Taiwanese popcorn chicken. Chunks of zucchini and nuggets of Jidori chicken thighs are coated in potato starch and whipped egg whites for a delicate coating with a fleeting crunch. There's a dusting of togarashi powder hot with the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns. It's the dish that everyone at the table keeps coming back to, nibbled on absentmindedly while you contemplate a second glass of wine. Partner and beverage director Christina Montoya put together a short list of lesser-known, small producers. Wine inquiries are usually met by sommelier-in-training Idean Hashemian, who floats around the room, quick to offer a taste of Brooks Amycas white wine or the Trail Marker Wine Co. Chardonnay, depending on your order. He's patient and personable, demonstrating the same eagerness as the chefs, every pour accompanied by a tidbit about the winemaker. Without a full liquor license, the cocktails are either low or no alcohol. The Lower Negroni has the same bitter citrus bite as the classic Italian aperitif cocktail with the addition of warm chocolate bitters. The Zen-Cha Spritz with tea, cava and mint tastes like it's made to sip with an ocean breeze. The strongest dishes tend to be anchored by the chefs' most vivid memories. Beef tongue ($23) is an homage to Shastova's childhood in rural southern Russia. It's prepared the same way her mother made it: simmered for hours, then rested overnight in a pool of its own juices. The tongue is painted with a dehydrated tomato skin glaze that turns sweet on the charcoal grill, then splayed over a bed of grated tomato spiked with horseradish. It's fatty and exceptionally tender, with a rich, focused beefy flavor free of any offal tang. The roast chicken ($60), one of the few large-format dishes at the restaurant, is nearly upstaged by the black-eyed pea cassoulet beneath it. The beans are creamy and luxurious, saturated with a mixture of emulsified butter and chicken drippings. Pastry chef Lei Elmann and De los Santos turned their childhood breakfast memories of eating Koko Krunch cereal in the Philippines into the restaurant's most striking dessert ($20). It's composed of squares of milk chocolate crémeux that melt on the tongue, a 'soil' of chocolate crumbles, grated chocolate infused with guajillo and jagged hunks of cocoa crackers like fragments of puffed chocolate rice cereal. A smooth chocolate Amaro sauce is poured over the top, and off to the side is a small cup of warm milk. The dish is finished by grating asin tibuok over the plate, a bulbous mass of Filipino sea salt that looks like a fractured dinosaur egg. Swipe a piece of the cracker through the Amaro sauce. Pop a chocolate square into your mouth. Build a spoonful of chocolate soil. The intensity of the chocolate builds to a crescendo of cocoa, then subsides with a sip of milk. At times, not everything clicks, with some dishes feeling overly complicated or disjointed. A beef tartare ($22) meant to mimic the flavors of Chinese char siu involves a grocery list of ingredients including flax seed and beet root pulp crackers. The beets overpower the beef and muddle any nuance in the tartare. The garganelli ($30) feel tough and out of place in a sauce nantua that eats more like a thick paste than the classic crayfish butter cream sauce. And sometimes, the 'memories' shared when serving a dish can be a little distracting. During one visit, I was told the chili crab ($42) was inspired by the classic Singaporean chili crab, something De los Santos often ate in the Philippines and Singapore. It's a crab with global recognition, served throughout Southeast Asia drowning in a sweet chili sauce laced with dried shrimp paste and marbled with egg. Then, I was also told that it's an homage to the Santa Barbara crabbing boat that Shastova worked on for five months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those two disparate memories become a bowl of Venetian-style risotto with a small mound of rock crab meat sourced from that same crabbing boat and a fried egg espuma in the middle. During the near-minute-long explanation, we inevitably lost the plot of the dish. I dug in a spoon and tried to conjure the taste of Singaporean chili crab, the funk of the shrimp paste, ginger and chili. The risotto was impeccably cooked, each grain a plump oval glutted with crab stock and a compound butter infused with ginger, shallot Thai chile and tomato. There's a token resemblance to Singaporean chili crab, if any. But with a bowl of risotto this excellent, there's really no explanation needed. The food itself is the most compelling story, and with a dining room full of chefs this ambitious, I'm anticipating a happy ending.
