11 Best Gins for a Refreshing Gin and Tonic All 21 Six Flags Parks in the U.S., Ranked This is the first year The Manual is giving awards to our favorite spots in eight cities across America. These are places that we think are doing great things for their neighbors, town and overall community. Each winning brand/location will receive a Manual Award sticker to proudly post in their establishment. Follow along with us and our friends at Moore & Giles, as we travel across America discovering the best these cities have to offer.While The Manual is well known for covering hot spots all around the nation, New York City is home base for many of us. While it is getting ridiculously expensive to live in, and Hedge Funders are attempting to rule the roost (80s flash back!), the urban adventurer can always find a quality piece of beef, a barber that remembers your name and some great brands to explore. Of course Brooklyn is where it’s at these days so you will find our awards stretching to that borough too. Next time you head to The Big Apple, use this post as a guide and you won’t be disappointed.Best Restaurant:The Beatrice InnSome of us remember this restaurant as NYC’s most debaucherous club in the 2000’s but like us, the space has matured and we would much rather spend an evening feasting on Chef Angie Mar’s 60-day dry tomahawks, 45-day dry aged burgers and cherry pies with beef fat crust than doing shots. The interior is cavernous and cozy for a romantic night or dinner with old friends. Just remember, go hungry or go home.Best Bar:TorstWe all like a good dive bar but when in New York, do it up. Torst is the slickest looking bar in town but it’s not all show. Danish co-owner Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø couldn’t find a stylish spot with great beers so he opened Torst to satiate his needs. Ends up all of New York is equally as excited about the wood-clad bar. Their impressive draft line is rotated every two weeks and the taps are operated by a serious ‘beer control panel’ they call the ‘Flux Capacitor (learn more here). Oh, and on Sundays they have a pig roast. Need we say more?Photo courtesy of Signe BirckBest Coffee Shop:IntelligentsiaTucked away in the awe inspiring High Line Hotel (formerly a Theological Seminary built in 1895), Intelligentsia opened an outpost with on point baristas, delicious single origin espresso plus the awesome people watching in the lobby. They also have a 1963 Citroën H-Van outside on the patio that has been reconfigured as a coffee truck for a to-go cup. But we suggest taking a seat outdoors and soaking up the vibes of this new Chelsea establishmentBest Local Brew:Brooklyn BreweryEver since 1987 Brooklyn Brewery has been satiating locals lips with quality beer. While the brew was made in the Matt Brewing Company in upstate New York for the first ten years, in 1996 they bought a former matzo factory in Williamsburg and started making magic right there in Brooklyn. In 2009 they expanded and their Brooklyn Brown Ale and Brooklyn India Pale Ale have been big winners but you really can’t go wrong with any of there thirst quenching beers.Best Shop:The LodgeLocated in the East Village, The Lodge is a refreshing change to the ever increasing chain stores in Manhattan. Come in and surround yourself with Made in America beauties such as Chester Wallace totes, Throne watches and American Trench socks. They keep the man ball rolling with grooming products from Fellow Barber, Baxter and Blind Barber. And there is always whiskey served. Always.Best Barber Shop:Decatur & SonsThe City is inundated with a plethora of new barber shops for the recently well coiffed dude. But some don’t take reservations, some are too hip to bother with and others are full of assholes. That is why we are such fans of the low key, friendly Decatur & Sons in Chelsea Market. All of the barbers here provide excellent cuts, trims and shaves in their cozy little shop without attitude. Just book online and look forward to a quality experience.Best Local Brand:Craft AtlanticWhile we cover our fair share of lumber jacky outdoor wear, we are still fans of looking sharp and stepping up our game. Especially when we are traveling. That is why we are such big fans of Craft Atlantic. While their pieces are handsome, they also incorporate natural and high-tech yarns, technical innovation and great streamlined design to take us from the boardroom to the bar.To visit in person head to 115 Greenwich Avenue New York, NY. Editors’ Recommendations This Indoor Market Takes You to Japan Without Ever Leaving New York City If You Haven’t Visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, What Are You Waiting For? The Barbershop Renaissance and Men’s Grooming Revolution, According to Fellow Barber’s Sam Buffa 
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Generation Y outspends older Canadians on luxury travel fashion and dining
by News Staff Posted Jun 19, 2012 4:11 pm MDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email MARKHAM, Ont. – Young and trendy members of Generation Y are outspending older Canadians in the luxury markets for fashion, travel and fine dining, according to a report released Tuesday.The American Express Business Insights report, based on spending data collected from 2009 to 2011, found that Canada’s luxury segment has been more resilient to economic uncertainty than markets in Europe and the U.S., dominated by demand from younger people.“Optimism amongst Canadians appears to be on the rise as luxury spending increased,” the credit card company said in a release.“What has proven most surprising is that in a soft job market, younger Canadians are dominating Canadian luxury spend growth in the core areas of fashion, travel and fine dining.”Luxury spending among young people has increased in recent years even as they face piles of debt from more schooling than prior generations, weak job prospects and an unemployment rate that is about twice the national average.The findings also suggest the Canadian luxury segment was less impacted during the height of the economic downturn and recovered more quickly than in the U.S. and Europe, which have yet to return to pre-recessionary spending levels in the market.Canada’s luxury segment was down about nine per cent in 2009, compared to a 14 per cent decline in the U.S. and 10 per cent drop in Europe.“What we’ve seen in Canada is that, even during economic uncertainty, consumers are not shying away from luxury spending,” said Colin Temple, vice-president and general manager of merchant services at American Express Canada.Canadian luxury spending has increased since 2009 and younger Canadians have ramped up spending faster during the survey period than their older counterparts.“The luxury market is turning its eye to the younger generation,” Temple said.“This demographic set has become integral to business growth as older generations start to exit the market.”Gen Y members, which the report identified as those born in 1983 or later, spent 33 per cent more on luxury fashion from 2009 to 2011, increased travel spending by 74 per cent and dropped 102 per cent more on fine dining.Meanwhile, older generations which once dominated the luxury market showed a slowdown in spending growth over the same period.Gen X, those born from 1965 to 1982, increased spend on luxury fashion by 33 per cent, travel by 15 per cent, and fine dining by 31 per cent, the report found.Boomers, Canadians born from 1946 to 1964, increased spending on luxury fashion by 24 per cent, travel by six per cent, and fine dining by 15 per cent, while seniors increased spending on luxury fashion by two per cent, decreased in travel by three per cent and decreased in fine dining by one per cent. Generation Y outspends older Canadians on luxury travel, fashion and dining