Lauren Van Der Laan sees the dancefloor as a spiritual necessity — not a preference, a need — and she’s organized her life around that.

She’s a creative director by day and a DJ with Moving Company, the collective that throws pop-up parties at Joe’s Pizza, on the Brooklyn Bridge — basically anywhere that feels unexpected and deeply New York.

“Nightlife builds community and encourages genuine human connection,” she says. The kind you can’t get from an algorithm, or standing on the dancefloor yapping instead of, you know, dancing.

For Co-Sign Vol. 006, Lauren shares her favorite spots in Brooklyn to go when you want to move your body.

THE CO-SIGNS
Vol. 006: Lauren Van Der Laan

Where to go in Brooklyn when you actually want to dance, according to Lauren.

Greenroom, 195 Morgan Avenue, Bushwick

One of the best sound systems in New York, hidden away in a former plant nursery. No phones allowed, this dancefloor is for dancing.

Gabriela, 90 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg
Started by New York’s main man, Eli Escobar. Such a fun room, he always brings in real selectors for a good evening of dancing.

Nowadays, 56-06 Cooper Avenue, Ridgewood
Some of the best parties in New York happen here. It’s sweaty, it’s sexy, it goes all day and night.

Signal, 175 Morgan Avenue, Bushwick

Excellent curation for the real music heads. The club feels intimate, yet large enough to get lost in the crowd. The lineups here are always stacked with amazing DJs, and people are here to dance.

Public Records, 233 Butler Street, Gowanus
A beautiful soundroom, a second room that doubles as a dining room, and a high-end cocktail bar with vinyl DJ sets. You can have an entire journey in one night without ever even leaving the club.

Nightmoves, 295 Grand Street, Williamsburg

The door is notoriously hard for a reason. Started by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, this place has kept its integrity. With mostly vinyl DJ sets, natural wines, and a vintage feeling light up dancefloor, you just can’t go wrong.

Basement, 52-19 Flushing Avenue, Ridgewood
This might be one of the best clubs in the world. Where queer nightlife thrives in NYC.

Refuge, 366 Ten Eyck Street, Bushwick
A sound system that is an audiophile’s dream and a ‘floating’ floor that prevents aching knees after long hours of dancing.

H0L0, 10-90 Wyckoff Ave, Ridgewood
Great curation, with their indoor/outdoor/restaurant leaving lots of room for fun and play.

333stag, 333 Stag Street, Bushwick
Great for if you’re out late. Ehm, I mean early... ;)

Jupiter Disco, 1237 Flushing Avenue, Bushwick

You never know what you’re gonna get at this wacky little club. Fantastic for a goofy night out.

Knockdown Center, 52-19 Flushing Avenue, Ridgewood
A diverse lineup of bookings and always enough space to dance. Good for big groups. The day parties in the Ruins during the summer are amazing.

Elsewhere, 599 Johnson Avenue #1, Bushwick
A NYC classic. Three rooms with different DJs (and the rooftop in the summer!), there’s something for everyone there. Great for exploring with big groups, as you’ll all end up on your own journeys.

Mansions, 46-63 Metropolitan Avenue, Ridgewood
A little carpeted dance floor where music leans more towards the electronic and the alternative. Great for drinks and dancing.

Click for Lauren’s Google Map of NYC →

THE CITY INTERVIEW

How did you end up in NYC, and what made you stay?
I moved here for college and never left. The energy in the city is palpable. As they say, the city never sleeps, and you can always find something to do. New York City is the meeting point of culture, art, and fashion. It’s a city that pushes you to continuously grow, and I’m constantly amazed at what I learn every day.

How has living in NYC shaped your sense of self, your creative practice, or your worldview?
The ability to be free and be whoever you want to be. You can show up exactly as you are; there is space for everyone. Beyond that, the melting pot of cultures has always been inspiring to me. I have friends from all different walks of life and it’s so cool to learn about their cultures and beliefs. As someone from a multicultural background who grew up in a largely homogenous country, New York has inspired me to stand firm in my duality, to continue pushing past the norm, and embrace my complexities.

On your best days, what does living here feel like?

Exhilarating. It’s a run-in with friends on the street. It’s leaving your house at 10 a.m. for an errand and ending up back home the next day at 6 a.m. It’s riding over the Williamsburg Bridge and staring at the skyscrapers. It’s a sweet, sticky summer day.

What’s one thing people consistently misunderstand or get wrong about NYC?
New York gets a bad rep for being lonely and difficult to navigate. Although that can ring true at times, that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. A lot of New Yorkers don’t have family nearby, so we rely on our friends and our neighbors to help us out in a pinch. People offer small kindnesses all the time. The sense of community runs deep in this city, so even though you may be lonely, you’ll never be truly alone.

Describe the soul of NYC in three words.
Electrifying. Playful. Resilient.

CO-SIGN WORLDWIDE

The sexiest hotel you’ve ever stayed at:
The Standard Miami.

The most beautiful place you’ve ever visited:
I honestly find a lot of beauty in the mundane things, but the most beautiful place I’ve ever been has to be Colombia. The flora and fauna are so diverse, the people are so warm, and the food is amazing. I still have so much to see, but I’ll never tire of being there.

Overrated destination:
Los Angeles, sorry not sorry.

A place you’ve gatekept — until now:

I gatekeep the best parts of Amsterdam for those closest to me, but De Engelbewaarder on the Kloveniersburgwal on a Sunday is just one of the most amazing experiences. They have a live jazz band inside a pub in a canal house. You can just go and watch the music with a drink, or alternatively, their dinner menu is fantastic, and they have an array of board games as well.

Underrated destination:
Toronto. Fabulous food scene, great vintage shopping, and some very cool and lovely people.

A destination, hotel, or experience still on your bucket list:
So basic but, Japan! I’ve been dying to go.

The greatest city in the world right now:
New York, always and forever.

Julian Shapiro-Barnum grew up in Brooklyn, left, and moved back the day after he graduated college. His shows — “Recess Therapy” and the upcoming late-night show “Outside Tonight” — are basically love letters to the strangers he passes on the street.

He describes his favorite kind of New York day as “a spiral towards blissful insanity,” the kind of day where plans fall apart and the city just drags you along for the ride.

For Co-Sign Vol. 005, he shares the places in NYC where anything can happen.

THE CO-SIGNS
Vol. 005: Julian Shapiro-Barnum

Cobble Hill Cinema — 265 Court Street, Cobble Hill

I grew up going to this theater. It is old and has magic in it. My favorite place to see a movie.

Su’juk — 216 Greene Avenue, Clinton Hill
Best vintage ever. Hand-picked and carefully curated, I love the owners and staff alike.

Formosa — 43 Underhill Avenue, Prospect Heights
My favorite dumplings and the aesthetic is immaculate. Get them pan-fried if you know what’s good for you!

Rialto Grande — 644 Franklin Avenue, Crown Heights

Best bar for a mess around with friends. Anything can happen after Rialto Grande. Sexy without trying.

Lincoln Station — 409 Lincoln Place, Prospect Heights
My favorite coffee shop in Brooklyn! Perfect energy and has amazing food.

Eyval — 25 Bogart Street, Bushwick
EAT HERE. This Persian restaurant has some of the best food in the city and I crave it constantly.

Frog — 358 Marcus Garvey Boulevard, Bed-Stuy

This bar has live music, food pop-ups, great wine, and pool! Frog is a party.

Ogliastro — 784 Washington Avenue, Prospect Heights
Best brick oven pizza in the city. Comfort food to me. I’ve been eating there since I was 11!

Bklyn Burro — 200 Brooklyn Avenue, Crown Heights
You want a good ass burrito? Go here. It is fast, affordable, and maybe the place I eat at more than any other. I’m a burrito snob and they pass the test.

Dean CrossFit — 66 Rockwell Place, Downtown Brooklyn
The best gym in the city. Everyone who goes is a gem and everyone who works there ROCKS. If you want to get a good workout, take a class at Dean Crossfit. You will not regret it.

Naval Cemetery Landscape — Williamsburg / Navy Yard

This place is simply unlike any other spot in Brooklyn. It’s like stepping through a portal into the countryside. Go sit there for hours.

Margot — 69 Lafayette Avenue, Fort Greene
Yum, yum, yum. Margot is my go-to spot for a nice dinner. The menu evolves and changes. I always have something that sticks with me for a long time.

Son Del North — 177 Orchard Street, Lower East Side
Second burrito rec! GOOD LORD is this good. I will go out of my way for this burrito, and I couldn’t recommend their steak burrito enough.

Unnameable Books — 600 Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Heights

My favorite local bookshop. It’s open until 11 at night! What other book shop does that?? Go here on a date!

Julian’s Google Map of NYC →

THE CITY INTERVIEW

How did you end up in NYC and what made you stay?
I’m from here! I grew up in Brooklyn. When I was 10, I moved to Philadelphia, then went to college in Boston, and the day after I graduated, I moved back. There’s no other city like Brooklyn.

How has living in NYC shaped your sense of self, your creative practice, or your worldview?
All of my work is very inspired by NY. I’ve always been so interested in the stories of strangers. Walking around the city makes me curious beyond belief, and all of my projects hinge on me cashing in on that curiosity. My show “Recess Therapy” is so inspired by my own childhood here, and my latest show, “Outside Tonight,” [debuting in June] is a late-night show set on the streets of NY.

What’s one thing people consistently misunderstand or get wrong about NYC, and what do they miss out on because of it?

Every issue people have with NY is true. I think its problems are part of the reason I love it. I love how bad it smells, how chaotic and overstimulating it is, how cold the winters are. The bad is what informs the good. Ying and yang. The awful of New York informs and highlights the bliss.

On your best days, what does living in NYC feel like?
A perfect day in NYC is a quest, or a romp, or a spiral towards blissful insanity. My favorite days here are ones where things seamlessly trail into each other. I’ll bike to Chinatown to meet a friend, run into another group, end up in Prospect Park on a picnic, blink, and we’re at a bar, or a restaurant, or a concert, or a house party. The borders between activities and places are thin. When does Bushwick end and Bed Stuy begin? I’ll never know. I love a Saturday for this reason. I love a summer night.

Describe the soul of NYC in three words.
Unpredictable, packed, curious.

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The sexiest hotel you’ve ever stayed at:
This little cabin in the woods in Madrid! I wish I could remember the name!

The most beautiful place you’ve ever visited:
Belize. The most insane waterfalls you’ve EVER SEEN.

Overrated destination:
LA. I don’t even want to have this conversation, but I do not want to be there ;)

Underrated destination:

Segovia. They have a freaking ancient aqueduct!!!

A destination, hotel, or experience still on your bucket list:
I’m DYING to go to Albania. The beaches look insane.

The greatest city in the world right now:
NEW YORK CITY BABY!

A place you’ve gatekept — until now:
Honestly, the Naval Cemetery Landscape is something else…

Scarlett Lindeman’s Mexico City is lived in. The chef and co-owner of Cicatriz, a neighborhood fixture in Juarez, she’s drawn to “hole-in-the-walls, decidedly uncool spots, and classic, storied stuff.”

Lindeman would rather champion the projects of fellow chefs and friends than chase hype. “I do not give a damn about the newest, trendy hot spot,” says Lindeman. “Let’s see if it still exists in three years.”

For Co-Sign Vol. 004, she shares the spots in CDMX she keeps coming back to.

THE CO-SIGNS
Vol. 004: Scarlett Lindeman

Lonchería Mely, Roma Norte

Every visitor to Mexico City should try comida corrida at least once. I eat it a few times a week. Comida corrida is a set-price, three-course menu that changes daily from spot to spot, served at homey, inexpensive restaurants called fondas; every neighborhood has a few. The meal always starts with soup: chicken consomme or a vegetable soup, followed by a “sopa seca” or “dry soup” meaning rice, spaghetti, or salad, then a heartier main from a short roster of dishes. If you don’t have a Mexican mom to cook for you, this is the easiest way into homey, textbook Mexican flavors in a choose-your-own-adventure meal. At $5 a pop, no less.

Lonchería Mely is a locals’ favorite. The kitchen is particularly good at frying, so the tacos dorados and tostadas for their weekend pozole are hot and crispy. This lonchería is just one of thousands of fondas serving their immediate neighborhood. Look for any handwritten menu on a board or in any public market for others.

Shaanxi Sabor, Amp Granada
Regional Chinese cuisine in Mexico City is thriving. There is a robust diaspora largely serving their own community, due to increasing Mexico-China relations and the installation of Chinese tech companies here. Noodle shops abound and there is a flurry of places opening north of Polanco and in the Viaducto neighborhoods. For when you get tired of eating tacos.

Makes me feel like I’m back in NYC in Flushing, Queens.

Bar El Sella, Doctores

Cantinas are traditional drinking establishments that sometimes, as is the case with Bar el Sella, serve very good food. Order the bone-in chamorro to taquear, chorizo en sidra, and the quince paste and cheese dessert that is doused in amaretto and lit on fire. Go with friends when you want a lengthy, lubricated meal of classic flavors in a room full of doctors on their lunch breaks.

Tacos de Canasta Los Famosos, Coyoacán
A true Mexico City style taco, almost always eaten on the street, from the back of a bicycle, for breakfast or early lunch. They translate to “basket” tacos, because they are pre-filled and layered, warm, into (traditionally) a basket. Soft, filled with mushy fillings like beans or mashed potatoes or stewed chicharon, and eaten with the hands, they certainly may not sound appetizing but they 100% are. Bright green salsa and pickles cut through the grease. I love them. It’s not necessary to go to a specific location for them. If you see a man with a basket on the back of his bike and a big tub of salsa on a street corner, they are most likely tacos de canasta, and you should eat two immediately.

Cárcamo de Dolores, Chapultepec Park

In the second, lesser-traveled section of Chapultepec Park is a hydraulic waterworks installation from the 1950s with an excellent Diego Rivera mural that was originally underwater; now that it is drained, it is much easier to see. The combination of public infrastructure and mid-century art is delightful, as is the surrounding area, an oasis of calm. Rivera also made the sculpture of the sprawled out rain god, Tlaloc, out front.

Cinemex, multiple locations
Cheap tickets, air-conditioned rooms, plush seats, and crazy popcorn flavors. Go see a movie; most are in English with Spanish subtitles, but make sure you check before. If you want arthouse cinema, Cineteca is an obvious option as much for the architecture as the film, but Cinemex is easy. There are multiple locations.

Jellyfish, Roma

My chef friend Tyler Henry’s coffee house/reading room/cocktail bar. It smells so good in here! I come here to read, flip through cookbooks, think, and listen to whatever spaced-out jazz is playing on the decks. An analog space in the best way. I always leave my cell phone at home for a self-prescribed digital break for an hour or two.

Hospital de Jesús Nazareno, Centro
Founded by Hernan Cortes in 1524 this hospital is over 500 years old, in the heart of downtown, on a busy street. Walk through a shoe story on the ground floor to gain access to the central courtyard and garden that holds a respite from the insanity of Centro Historico. Up a flight of stairs are stunning murals by José Clemente Orozco in dark tones and creamy pastels.

Charco, Centro

A restaurant with a great view in the literal shadow of the main cathedral in Centro Historico. Come for cocktails, a comfortable bathroom, and a sunset when you are charging around downtown. The chef, Ricardo Verdejo, is a young talent.

Pulques y Curados La Crema y Nata, San Diego Ocoyoacac
Juan Escalona, who has just published a book on pulque, “Que Viva el Pulque” (go buy it!), showed me this spot under the freeway in Tacuba. The campechano pulque is crisp, slightly sweet, and super fresh. I don’t like curados, pulque blended with fruit juices and purees, but I’ll happily drink them here.

Bosforo, Centro
The O.G. mezcaleria, 15 years old and still going strong. Arturo and his team serve up some of the best pours of ancestral mezcal and his music selection can’t be beat. This bar is a city treasure.

La Polar, San Rafael

This is my favorite bowl of birria (beef, sheep, or goat rubbed with adobo and stewed until brothy) that rights me when feeling sick, hungover, or physically off, it is a balm. They have been serving it up since the 1930s. Sometimes there are two bands playing at once inside of the restaurant, which isn’t great for a hangover, but it sure is fun.

Jardín Ramón López Velarde, Roma Sur
This park is much less frequented than Parque Mexico and Parque España, but I think it’s a sleeper hit. I go here weekly, if not more, for walking, bird-watching, sitting on a bench, and if you have young kids, a spanking-new playground. Mercado 100, the organic farmers market, is here on Sundays in the upper, western corner.

Lina, Roma

A real nice place to have an elegant dinner. Mariana Villegas ran the show at Contramar for a few years before opening her first solo project and has an adept hand with seafood. Vegetables shine too. I go for a drink and a snack at the bar or when friends are in town for dinner.

Tianguis, Doctores
Tianguis, the open-air bazaars on the street that wind through different neighborhoods on different days, are cultural artifacts thriving in the modern era. I normally hit up the Sunday Doctores tianguis due to proximity to my house, which has a nice mix of antiguedades, new shit, vegetables, housewares, and clothes. I like digging through the piles of clothes, “pacas” sold in bulk, and hunting for old cast iron.

Fugaz, Roma

Casual lunch for interesting food and good wine. Giuseppe is the man.

Metro Stop La Raza, Vallejo
The metro system is a marvel and you should absolutely ride it (avoid it). Many stations have different themes and art pieces. The transfer tunnel at this metro stop has a science exhibit called “The Tunnel of Science,” installed in 1988 to teach commuters about space. It’s like a mini planetarium you can walk through (600 meters) while making the long ass transfer to the yellow line. When I want to feel corny and dip into space, but also, the 1980s.

**For a Google map of Scarlett’s CDMX, click here.**

THE CITY INTERVIEW

How did you end up in CDMX, and what made you stay?
After years of cooking in Los Angeles and New York City, I left kitchens to pursue a PhD in sociology. My research remained centered on food, specifically, how Mexican migration to the US shapes foodways there. I was working on the dissertation, came down to write and do research, and never went back. Nine years ago, I returned to the kitchen to open a restaurant, Cicatriz, in Colonia Juarez. Turns out, I’m a better chef than sociologist, but it still informs my thinking.

On your best days, what does living here feel like?
Small islands of pure beauty amid chaos.

How has living in CDMX shaped your sense of self, your creative practice, or your worldview?
Living here for 12 years has slowed my pace considerably. It’s not so much about being more patient but radically restructuring your relationship to time.

What’s one thing people consistently misunderstand or get wrong about CDMX, and what do they miss out on because of it?
Mexico City is not Condesa and Roma. There are 23 million people here, spread out over 575 square miles. Those attractive neighborhoods are lovely, no doubt, but do not define the city.

Describe the soul of CDMX in three words.
Frenetic, miraculous, inexhaustible.

CO-SIGN WORLDWIDE

The sexiest hotel you’ve ever stayed at:
I’ve got some high hopes for São Lourenço do Barrocal & Monte Alentejano in eastern Portugal but haven’t stayed there yet.

The most beautiful place you’ve ever visited:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There’s nothing like it. Such beautiful people too.

Overrated destination:
Paris. Ugh.

Underrated destination:
Salt Lake City, Utah. Utah contains more national parks than any other US state with extreme diversity in bio-climates, so you can rock climb, mountain bike, hang glide, hike, swim, raft and more. A good craft beer scene, old school burger joints, a vibrant LGBTQ community, and a new airport.

A destination, hotel, or experience still on your bucket list:
Turkey, Southeast Asia, Japan. Please take me!

The greatest city in the world right now:
São Paulo, Brazil or Porto, Portugal. Both would be excellent locations for James Bond car chase scenes.

A place you’ve gatekept — until now:
I would have disclosed a special birria stand in Villa de Cortes, Mexico City, but they did not survive COVID. I will forever miss them.

Brianna Holt’s Paris is unhurried. The author of “In Our Shoes,” whose work has appeared in The New York Times, GQ, and Vogue, is pulled to places that invite a slow burn, shifting between café days and wine bar nights.

For Co-Sign Vol. 003, she shares the places she returns to for writing, people-watching, and letting the night unfold.

THE CO-SIGNS
Vol. 003: Brianna Holt

Where to go in Paris when you’re feeling a little decadent, according to Brianna.

For Writing

Soho House Paris, Pigalle (9th arrondissement)
Velvet armchairs and a rooftop pool hidden behind an unassuming facade. I love writing here and then ending a session with a glass of wine or 15 minutes in the sauna.

The Hoxton Hotel, 2nd arrondissement
Sunlight flooding the courtyard and the soft hum of laptops and coffee cups. It’s where I go when I need the feeling of productive anonymity.

Merci, 3rd arrondissement
A no-laptop café and bookshop with an assortment of pastries, cakes, and coffees. I love it because it reminds me that not every creative moment has to be productive to be meaningful.

For Natural Wine

Chambre Noir, 11th arrondissement
Dim lighting, small tables, and a changing menu of light bites. Wine bottles serve as both the decor and the dessert here.

Rojo, 3rd arrondissement
Spanish-leaning small plates and natural wine poured generously. It feels warm, social, and just a little bit chaotic in the best way.

Le Baron Rouge, 12th arrondissement
Standing outside with a glass in hand near the Marché d’Aligre crowds. Their wine and cheese options are endless.

Septime La Cave, 11th arrondissement
A tiny wine cave that feels like a hidden jewel box. An absolute must-visit for anyone wanting a great wine experience in Paris.

For Dining

Mary Celeste, Marais, 3rd arrondissement
Natural wine, oysters, and a buzzing corner location. It always feels like the start of a very good night.

Le Coyote, 3rd arrondissement
Low lighting and plates meant to be shared. It feels cozy, queer, and slightly American.

Early June, 10th arrondissement
Seasonal plates and soft lighting. Eating here feels like being let in on a neighborhood secret.

Red Sauce, 10th arrondissement
American-Italian comfort food in Paris. It feels nostalgic and indulgent, like a tiny piece of home. In the evening, the restaurant transitions into a nightlight spot.

Marla, 18th arrondissement
Most vibey hidden gem for dinner. Come for the shared plates, stay for the cocktails.

Café Charlot, Marais (3rd arrondissement)
Classic Paris café energy with people-watching built in. Be prepared to spend hours here.

For Drinking

Deviant, 10th arrondissement
Low lighting, loud music, and a slightly rebellious energy. It feels like Paris after midnight.

Le Progrès, Marais (3rd arrondissement)
Crowds spilling onto the street with glasses in hand. It feels chaotic, social, and impossible not to love. Be prepared to run into someone you know.

La Perle, Marais (3rd arrondissement)
A legendary corner terrace perfect for long afternoons. It feels timeless and effortlessly cool. My first stop before a night of going out with friends.

Classique, 9th arrondissement
Perfectly balanced cocktails and dim lighting. It feels elegant without trying too hard.

Serpent à Plume, 3rd arrondissement
Cocktails in a dramatic, vibey setting. It feels like stepping onto a glamorous film set.

Le Mansart, Pigalle (9th arrondissement)
Bustling terrace and late-night energy. It feels young, social, and endlessly lively.

Hôtel Grand Amour, 10th arrondissement
A dreamy hotel bar with lush interiors. It feels romantic, cinematic, and slightly surreal.

**For a Google map of Brianna’s Paris, click here.**

THE CITY INTERVIEW

How did you end up in Paris and what made you stay?
I first lived in Paris during the summer of 2023 and fell, somewhat predictably, in love with the city and its people. That summer planted the idea that Paris might one day become more than a temporary chapter, and I began quietly researching long-term visa options.

By August 2025, the timing felt right. I had reached a point in New York where my life felt full, but also strangely complete, as though I had taken that chapter as far as it could go at that moment. As a writer, stagnation is the quickest route to creative paralysis, and I felt an urgent need for new rhythms and new questions. Paris, a city I already knew and where I already had community, felt like the most natural place to begin planting new roots. I was also craving distance from the American political climate and the emotional fatigue that comes with living inside it.

On your best days, what does living here feel like?
On my best days, living in Paris feels like existing in a space where my nervous system is not constantly on alert.

How has living in Paris shaped your sense of self, your creative practice, or your worldview?
Living in Paris has forced me into a slower, more deliberate pace of life. That slowness has been both a gift and a challenge. It has required me to stretch in unfamiliar ways: learning to communicate in another language, navigating social customs that don’t always come intuitively, and building daily structure without the structure of a traditional full-time job.

But in that stretching, I’ve found expansion. My creative practice has become more observational and patient. Living here has made me more comfortable with uncertainty and more attentive to the small, everyday rituals that shape life.

What’s one thing people consistently misunderstand or get wrong about Paris, and what do they miss out on because of it?
Americans, in particular, tend to hold a highly romanticized vision of Paris from the media we consume. We imagine it as effortless, cinematic, and extremely charming. In reality, Paris can be a difficult city. Bureaucracy is slow and often opaque. Daily life requires patience, persistence, and a tolerance for inconvenience. Building community takes time, and the city does not always reveal itself easily.

But it’s precisely this resistance that people miss out on. When you move beyond the fantasy, Paris becomes richer and more textured. It’s a city that rewards endurance, curiosity, and humility.

Describe the soul of Paris in three words.
Layered. Enduring. Inspiring.

CO-SIGN WORLDWIDE

The sexiest hotel you’ve ever stayed at:
Domaine de l’Astragale à Saint-Tropez. Secluded af and makes you feel like you’re on a honeymoon.

The most beautiful place you’ve ever visited:
The Amalfi Coast — made me feel like I was on the set of a White Lotus season.

Overrated destination:
London. The food was pretty bland and the weather was always grey.

Underrated destination:
Mallorca. It’s basically an artist hub that hasn’t been overrun with tourists.

A destination, hotel, or experience still on your bucket list:
Lake Como, Italy. Every time I see a friend there, I get fomo.

A place you’ve gatekept — until now:
Sandhamn, Sweden. I’ve never been somewhere so peaceful and relaxing. You could hear a pen drop here.

The greatest city in the world right now:
New York City, forever and always. There just isn’t any city in the world that compares.

Dewey Saunders’s LA is deliciously analog. The artist and designer creates layered, referential imagery for magazines like Nylon and Rolling Stone, and artists from Future to Anderson .Paak — work shaped by the cultural language of the city he lives in.

For Co-Sign Vol. 002, he shares the places in LA that make the city feel like a living archive.

Read more

Éva Goicochea’s New York isn’t subtle. An architecture and history obsessive disguised as someone who “just likes a beautiful place,” she gravitates toward dramatic spaces with a distinct point of view: sculpture gardens, Beaux-Arts dining rooms, and Victorian glasshouses.

That design-forward lens tracks. In 2018, Goicochea founded Maude, the minimalist sexual wellness brand whose sculptural objects — some of which have even been sold at the Louvre — occupy the space between form and function.

For Co-Sign Vol. 001, she shares the places in New York that make the city feel cinematic.

THE CO-SIGNS
Vol. 001: Éva Goicochea

Where to go in NYC when you’re feeling cinematic, according to Eva.

Noguchi Museum Garden, Long Island City
Basalt sculptures and raked gravel at Noguchi’s 1985 industrial sanctuary, a quiet reset that makes the rest of Queens feel like static.

The Albertine, Upper East Side
Stanford White’s 1902 mansion and that hand-painted zodiac ceiling, flipping through glossy French art books like you’ve inherited old money taste.

Swan Room, Chinatown
Oysters under the limestone arches of the 1912 Jarmulowsky Bank, dinner that feels faintly ecclesiastical and deeply downtown.

New York Botanical Garden, Bronx
The 1902 Victorian glass conservatory during the Orchid Show, humid air and tropical excess while winter sulks outside.

The View, Times Square
New York’s last revolving restaurant, 1985 Jet Age optimism spinning Times Square into something almost civilized.

Metropolitan Opera House Lobby, Lincoln Center
Travertine, Swarovski chandeliers, and intermission people-watching that rivals whatever’s happening on stage.

Ford Foundation Garden, Midtown East
A 1967 modernist jungle tucked inside a glass box on 42nd Street, corporate America accidentally building paradise.

The Grill, Midtown
Mies van der Rohe’s 1958 Seagram Building and Dover sole carved tableside, International Style with a side of glamour.

Green-Wood Cemetery, Greenwood Heights
Gothic gates from 1861 and sunset at Battle Hill, mortality framed like a very chic landscape painting.

Experimental Cocktail Club, Chinatown
Up a narrow staircase in a 19th-century building, shadowy corners and a drink that tastes like someone obsessed over it.

TWA Hotel, JFK Airport
Eero Saarinen’s 1962 Flight Center and that sunken red conversation pit, Jet Age fantasy without ever boarding a plane.

The Met, Upper East Side
Lunch in the Lansdowne Dining Room overlooking Hunt’s 1902 facade, then golden hour at the Temple of Dendur, culture and indulgence in one sweep.

The Beekman, Financial District
An 1883 Victorian atrium stacked nine stories high, cast iron and candlelight that make downtown feel conspiratorial.

Argosy Book Store, Midtown East
Family-owned since 1925, creaking wooden floors and glass cases of rare maps that make Manhattan feel archival.

New-York Historical Society, Upper West Side
Founded in 1804 and still keeping receipts, portraits and city relics that remind you this place has always been dramatic.

For a Google map of Eva’s NYC, click here.

THE CITY INTERVIEW

How did you end up in NYC and what made you stay?
I went to college here and always had a sense I would come back. New York felt unfinished to me in a way that was motivating. Ten years ago, when it was time to properly launch Maude, Ian and I made a decisive move. We sold our house in Los Angeles, packed up our life, and relocated so I could build the company where the infrastructure actually existed.

New York is where the buyers, editors, and capital all intersect. If you’re building a consumer brand at the intersection of design and commerce, the conversations are happening here in real time.

On your best days, what does living here feel like?
On my best days, it feels cinematic and compressed. A morning in a sculpture garden in Queens. Lunch in a Beaux-Arts dining room. A hidden atrium jungle on 42nd Street. Opera lobby people-watching under chandeliers. The density of experience makes a single day feel expansive. You don’t need a flight to feel transported. You just need to walk.

How has living in NYC shaped your sense of self, your creative practice, or your worldview?
New York sharpens you. It rewards clarity and punishes hesitation. Living here has made me more decisive and more determined, even in the middle of February when the lingering snow on the ground is disgustingly dirty, and you have to look up to see beauty.

From a design perspective, you absorb architectural and historical lineage just by moving through it: Modernism, Gilded Age excess, industrial grit, constant reinvention. The city insists on ambition. It also teaches you that ideas survive here because they are strong, not because they are comfortable. There is a 15-minute movie at The New York Historical Society about New York from the 1600s until now. Every time I watch it, I walk out even more excited to be a New Yorker.

What’s one thing people consistently misunderstand or get wrong about NYC, and what do they miss out on because of it?
People mistake the intensity for coldness. They see the speed, the noise, the price tag, and assume it’s transactional. What they miss is the depth. The quiet public gardens tucked inside corporate towers. The centuries-old, family-owned bookstores that outlived every trend cycle. The neighborhoods that turn into villages if you commit to walking them. New York rewards attention. If you only skim it, it will skim you back. It is demanding, but it is not indifferent.

Describe the soul of NYC in three words.
Ambitious. Layered. Electric.

CO-SIGN WORLDWIDE

The sexiest hotel you’ve ever stayed at:
Venice Venice. Set inside the 13th-century Palazzo Ca’ da Mosto, one of the oldest palazzi on the Grand Canal, its raw plaster walls, contemporary art, and candlelit corridors feel equal parts Renaissance and radical. Water moves beneath your windows at night, and the whole place hums with that distinctly Venetian tension between grandeur and decay.

The most beautiful place you’ve ever visited:
The Dolomites. Pale limestone peaks that glow pink at sunset, alpine air so clean it feels medicinal, and villages that look staged but aren’t. It’s dramatic without being loud, vast but somehow intimate. The scale of it recalibrates you.

Overrated destination:
Amsterdam. The canals are undeniably beautiful, but the contrast between postcard charm and the late-night undercurrent can feel oddly dissonant.

Underrated destination:
Milan (though, after the Olympics, it might not be so underrated). Not that it’s not celebrated, but against Paris or Rome, it has rationalist lines and a kind of quiet design confidence that doesn’t beg to be photographed.

A destination, hotel, or experience still on your bucket list:
I’ve been to Japan, but not to Tokyo. What appeals to me is the neon and stillness, the cedar baths and the concrete galleries. It’s a place where every detail feels considered and nothing feels accidental.

A place you’ve gatekept — until now:
Vigilius Mountain Resort in the Dolomites. Perched above Lana and reachable only by cable car, this wood-and-glass modernist hideaway feels suspended between earth and sky. Between the brutal quiet, alpine air, and architecture that disappears into the mountain, it’s the rare place that actually slows you down.

The greatest city in the world right now:
New York, forever and always. No other city compresses this much architecture, ambition, culture, and friction into such tight geography.

After a week-long trip that turned into two months of hotel hopping along the Mexican Riviera, my vacation fling–turned–boyfriend’s car sputtered out. When it became clear I wasn’t making my flight, we decided to do what two delirious kids drunk on dopamine do: spend another night together.

We frantically Googled and Yelped in the backseat of an Uber, trying to find a hotel that could serve as a home base for our final hurrah. It was a “romantic” resort with a 4.7 star Google rating for $550.

It was the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in. The pool was sardined with sweaty tourists. The sheets were damp and moldy, and the food was almost impressively inedible. As I sipped a watery mudslide contemplating the life choices that had brought me there, a realization took root:

The entire ecosystem of travel recommendations is broken.

The problem with relying on review sites like Google is that excellence is highly subjective. A hotel that gets a glowing review from a family of four is unlikely to land a high score with a single woman traveling alone. Review sites, with their tidy little ratings, can’t tell you what actually matters — how a place feels. They ask “Do most people like this place?” rather than answer “Is this place right for someone like me?”

Instead of offering solutions, social media presents another set of problems. Instagram and TikTok are a swamp of sponsored content thinly disguised as trustworthy guidance. Our feeds are flooded with influencers peddling “hidden gems” with millions of likes and AI slop sending everyone to the same six places. It’s why you can spend weeks cobbling together saves and screenshots and still land somewhere profoundly mid.

When the algorithm rewards illusion over honesty, the result is a kind of pornification of travel — images edited so aggressively they barely resemble the actual place. We end up chasing impossibly turquoise beaches instead of what we’re actually looking for: connection, curiosity, surprise.

So, what’s left to trust? Friends. Always friends.

Recommendations from friends sit in the sweet spot between trust and taste because they come from someone whose sensibility you share, whose incentive is supremely simple — they just want you to enjoy yourself.

Friends’ recommendations are a map of their unique tastes and hard-won wisdom: where they danced until 6 a.m., flirted with a sexy stranger, and cried over the perfect ceviche. Those stories, those recommendations, are what I want more of.

Somewhere along the way, travel stopped being about discovery and became about being on display — a mode of being perceived rather than a mode of perceiving. The commodification of travel has turned the world into content. We care more about how a trip looks on our feed than how it feels in our bodies. We chase overedited photos and overhyped restaurants, and in the process, we miss the messy pleasure of discovering a place — and discovering our place in it.

That’s why I’m starting Co‑Sign, a travel publication for people who travel to change how they see, not how they’re seen.

Each weekly edition follows cultural insiders through their world, tracing where they go, what they notice, and why it matters, along with Google Maps so you can explore through their eyes.

Travel is the lens, but the heart is resisting the algorithm with real recommendations from people whose taste you can trust: artists, writers, filmmakers, chefs, and other discerning creatives.

In other words, people whose Co‑Sign actually means something.

I’ve spent 14 years as a writer and editor, leading teams and shaping coverage as editor-in-chief at Mic and executive editor at Complex. My work has lived at the intersection of culture and politics, but my earliest beats were food and sex — pleasure as a way of understanding the world.

I’ve been dreaming up this project for over a year, but I’ve finally reached a point where hope outweighs hesitation. My goal is to create a community of people with terrific taste and messy hearts — unapologetic people who want to devour life like a ripe peach, even if it makes their hands sticky.

If you travel to feed your soul, not just your feed, you’re in the right place.

—S.