Savor the Moment

On our first morning in Lisbon, we bought bread from a bakery across the street. They had a small table with two chairs next to the door to enjoy a casual coffee. When we entered the shop, a young woman sat there, eating a snack of pasteis sabores, little cakes with savory fillings of fish or cheese.

Something unusual happened here, and it struck us only after we returned to our apartment. She sat there without a phone in her hand, immersed in enjoying the scenery of the Rua da Prata and the delicacies in front of her.

The Portuguese use their smartphones as much as anywhere else in the world, so she was an exception there, too. However, life is slower in Lisbon than in New York. You find plenty of places to rest and savor the moment throughout the city. Many have quiosques nearby, small booths selling snacks and beverages, including full bar service.

Last year, we fell in love with Ale-Hop, a chain of gift shops from Spain. It could be compared to Five Below without the (loose) price limit and close-out vibe. Or to the Danish chain Flying Tiger (which unfortunately closed in the US during the pandemic) for a younger demographic. You can buy all kinds of things there, but for a large part, they promote an empowered, less digital lifestyle with pretty notebooks and other stationary products. Their offerings are not for everybody, but we can hardly go inside without buying something.

You could say that these gift shops sell all unnecessary products and come with an environmental price. On the other hand, shopping is a fun activity, and shops that are creative and surprising have become rare in our cities. So if anybody wants to open the first Ale-Hop in the USA, we would be regulars there!

Song Pick of the Day

Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube, Apple Music, or Spotify for the 50 latest Song Pick of the Day features, or subscribe here to receive them in your mailbox in real-time. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.

Windser goes back to a disturbing childhood memory in his new song. "It felt incredibly healing to tell this story because line by line it is autobiographical," he says about "Abandon.”

If you want to see it like this, “Love Trap” is the one million and first love song by BNNY. And it is toxic.

There’s more! Emily Makis and DJ Lens take you to the "Danger Zone" with serious Saturday night club vibes. Listen here.

"Curious Mixtures" is the perfect title for a Hannah Rose Platt song. Listen to her story from her upcoming concept album, “Fragile Creatures,” about a mysterious healer who helps women in the dark of the night.

There is a story behind “Out of My Head,” an "over-the-top fantasy involving sex and cars" by NYC indie rockers Dream Prescription.

Flora From Kansas holds on for the one true love in "Wait For You" from her debut EP "Homesick.”

London duo Prima Queen "a fun take on the chaos of modern dating" for you with their new song "Oats (Ain't Gonna Beg)." Their debut album, “The Prize,” comes out on April 25.

New Albums Out This Week

• Cornelia Murr - Run to the Center
• Hachiku - The Joys of Being Pure at Heart
• Yves Jarvis - All Cylinders

Nine Photos of Delicious Experiences

This time, I decided not to cook in the evening but to go out and enjoy what Lisbon offers. A (seafood) meal for two, including a high-quality bottle of wine, comes for easily half the price tag you’d pay in New York or Munich, Germany. Granted, the presentation might be simpler, the ingredients more straightforward, and the service more direct, but we had a wonderful experience every evening. And, of course, we treated ourselves to one Pastel de Nata per day, the famous custard tarts. Enjoy nine sweet and savory impressions below:

(1,2) Grilled fish platter at Licorista et O Bacalhoeiro, a scruffy, traditional Portuguese restaurant. The experience was super fun, especially since we were there on a Friday evening and could see the restaurant being taken over by a large group of 40-somethings, ready for a nice night out.

(3) Seafood and rice at Bacalhau at the Rua de S. Paulo 170.

(4) Custard Tarts at Pasteis de Belem, savoring them while waiting for the bus.

(5) A favorite of ours we enjoyed already last year: a charcuterie platter at Carmo Rooftop.

(6) Seafood Rice at Marisqueria Uma, in the same street as the restaurant mentioned in 1&2, and equally unique! They serve only fish stew with rice, and that is all they serve. It was a delicious and joyful experience, thanks to the delightful staff and fellow patrons. (It doesn’t happen every day you meet a commercial airline pilot and his wife, who reside in Dublin, Ireland.)

(7) Irresistible! Freshly shucked oysters and bubbly at Ostras Sobre Rodas near the Monument of the Discoveries.

(8) Coffee and Pasteis de Nata at Manolo Bakes.

(9) An afternoon spent writing and enjoying the atmosphere at one of the quiosques at the Avenida da Liberdade, called O Melhor Bolo de Chocolate do Mundo, supposedly offering the world’s best chocolate cake. Well, for us, the vibe there certainly was world-class, with dancing on Sunday and curious business meetings around us on Tuesday.