While The Manual’s goal is to enrich people’s lives with a suite of how-tos and best-ofs — to show men how to live a life that is more engaged — we also brought you a fair share of lifestyle news throughout the year. Here is a look back at the buzziest headlines and the coolest things we found in 2018.
Take a Bite Out of the Biggest Food and Drink News
- Anthony Bourdain Taught Me More Than Just How to Travel and Eat: Anthony Bourdain, chef, television host, and all-around badass, passed away in June 2018. The Manual’s Food and Drink Editor, Sam Slaughter, reflected on how Bourdain’s death affected him and countless others.
- 6 Expert Pitmaster Tips on How to Smoke a Brisket at Home: At Brisket King NYC, an annual barbecue festival in New York City, we caught up with some of the world’s top pitmasters and asked for their input on brisket.
- Whisky Is Coming: All Men Must Drink This ‘Game of Thrones’ Scotch: In partnership with HBO, international beverage company Diageo released a series of special-edition Game of Thrones whiskies that feature everything from White Walkers to the houses of Westeros.
- Are 24-Karat Gold Chicken Wings Worth the Hype? We taste-tested them to find out.
- Elon Musk Filed a Patent for Tesla-Branded Tequila: The founder and CEO of Tesla reserved the name “Teslaquila” to use for a future agave spirit endeavor.
These Are the Travel Stories That Really Took Off
- The TSA Wants You to Adopt Unwanted Bomb-Sniffing Puppies (Seriously): Roughly 20 percent of dog recruits don’t have what it takes and are phased into the agency’s Canine Adoption Program, where you can adopt them. For free.
- This Map Will Take You on the Same Road Trip in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: You can easily retrace the psychedelic road trip from Hunter S. Thompson’s novel. Mescaline, high-powered blotter acid, and cocaine saltshaker not included.
- Norway Lifts the Lid on the World’s Most Beautiful Public Toilet: Popping into public restrooms is rarely a highlight for most travelers, but Norway is changing that expectation with a series of rest areas that feature some of the most beautiful roadside designs.
- More People Disappear in the Alaska Triangle Than Anywhere in the U.S.: More than 16,000 souls — including airplane passengers and hikers, locals, and tourists — have disappeared within this specific slice of Alaskan wilderness since 1988.
- World’s First ‘Craft Beer Airline’ Scheduled to Takeoff from London: BrewDog, a Scotland-based chain of breweries, scheduled a craft beer-centered flight between London and Columbus, Ohio, in February 2019.
The Coolest Gadgets and Stuff of 2018
- The World’s Smartest Pop-Up Tent Just Got Smarter: Cinch, a pop-up tent, is a cinch (get it?) to set up and tear down. The company behind this smart piece of outdoor tech brought the design back to a crowd-funding platform for a second iteration.
- Live Like a Bond Villain on a Submersible Super Yacht: When you have Jeff Bezos money and James Bond villain swagger, you need the Migaloo, a completely customizable yacht that also happens to be a sub.
- 8 Scandinavian Clothing Brands You Need to Know Right Now: Little known outside their countries of origin, Scandinavian apparel brands may well be the secret behind this culture’s reputation for happiness.
- Indian Brings Race-Ready Motorcycle to the Street: Due to the company’s success on the dirt oval, Indian transported its flat-track race-winning formula to the street in the form of the brand-new Indian Scout FTR1200 Custom.
- 5 Stunning Watches from Baselworld 2018 that We’d Wear Everyday (If We Had the Cash): Baselworld, an annual timepiece fair in Switzerland, is — hands down — the best place to peruse the most stunning and innovative watches.
The Coolest Homes and Buildings We Saw in 2018
- Own a Piece of History: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Olfelt House is Up For Sale: The Olfelt House, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is one of the last homes that the famed architect designed and it was on the market for a brief time this summer.
- You Definitely Need This Scottish Castle with a Pub, Treehouse, 32 Bedrooms, and Six Cottages: Because the only thing cooler than owning a Frank Lloyd Wright home would be owning a castle in Scotland.
- Al Capone’s Miami Mansion Is on the Market: Or maybe it would be residing in one of the most notorious gangster’s Florida getaway?
- This Sprawling Irish Estate Puts the ‘Man’ Into Mansion with Its Own Go-Kart Track: Just kidding, we wish we had the down payment for a house that comes with a go-kart track.
- Your Office Building Isn’t Cool Unless It Has a Waterfall Running Down It: The Liebian International Plaza in China boasts an astounding 350-foot waterfall, making it one of the tallest man-made waterfalls on the planet.
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