I love magazines! They’re my reading-on-the-go. Rather than waste time commuting, waiting in line or waiting period, I read magazines to keep informed and current. I always learn something new, enhance what I already know, or at the very least, find some entertainment. Most months I check out the New Yorker, Real Simple, Vogue, Bazaar, Prevention, Martha Stewart, Mac World, and if I’m getting my hair cut, Hairstyle. However, I do have my must-reads. 

My absolute favorite is Vanity Fair because of the great writing that fill its pages. Contributing editors like James Wolcott, Lisa Robinson and Michael Wolff always have something interesting to say. The recent story by Bruce Handy “Don and Betty’s Paradise Lost” reveals the inner workings of my favorite television show, Mad Men, but more importantly, profiles the genius behind it, writer Matthew Weiner, and sheds light on his creative process. And although I read just one Michael Jackson story after his death, I have a feeling I read the best: “The Boy Who Would Be King” written by Lisa Robinson, who interviewed and spent time with him for the last twenty-one years. Aside from the feature stories, I like the “Fanfair” section, subtitled  “30 Days in the Life of the Culture” because it brings me up-to-date on books, music, movies, tech, fashion, beauty and travel.

Also, I appreciate what the financial writers put forth in Smart Money. With the rules changing minute-by-minute, they help me make sense of it all.

In my effort to learn both sides of the story, I rely on NewsWeek. Might be its thoughtful writing, its new format, or its awesome editor, Jon Meacham, that keeps me coming back.

And I always read Town&Country for my fantasy life. I just finished flipping through December’s “200+ Amazing Gifts” and I covet every one of them. However, I would forego them all to spend a single afternoon in the Biku tea lounge, an Indonesian restaurant/tearoom/bookshop/antique store  (page 107).

—Chris