your dispatch in travel & parties & gallery shows
Sharing all the coolest plans for this weekend
This week we’re sharing a recap of our 5 years of coolstuff party, featuring the coolest gallery shows to see now, highlighting furniture, bike & book fairs and 2 cool new restaurants and introducing you to our cool friend: Erina Pindar of SmartFlyer.
Slice Haus
Believe it or not, New York City has a new slice shop. Slicehaus, the classic New York-style pizzeria opened this week in the West Village at 30 Carmine Street and features pies by master pizzaiolo Agostino Cangiano (previously of L’Industrie.) The menu focuses largely on classics with a handful of Italian sandwiches and seasonal slices. Check it OUT - 12p-11a daily!
Larry's Ca Phe Park Slope
One of our East Williamsburg faves, Larry’s Ca Phe recently expanded to South Brooklyn! The Vietnamese coffee shop from cool friend Tuan Nguyen will serve up the same exciting selection of unique coffee and tea drinks while also introducing a breakfast and lunch food menu in the new bigger space. Go support their new shop on Park Slope’s 7th Avenue!
Last week, we teamed up with Kid Pizza to throw a colorful, joyful, and pizza-filled night to celebrate 5 years of coolstuff.nyc!!! We wanted to take a beat to say thank you to all of the people who have helped us to build this little slice of New York – from supportive pals, to coolstuff.nyc cool friends, and the many brand & marketing folks that help put the coolest things on our radar. A special thanks to Kid Pizza, Cristobal Velasquez Photography, Everybody’s Type, Threes Brewing, Vistaprint, Lapo’s, Nomadica, United Sodas, Levain, Salt & Straw, and Primis Imports for helping to make this night a reality!
Warby Parker is hosting a v cool book fair to kick off Fall with titles curated by McNally Jackson Books. Pick up new reads, donate used books, grab a complimentary sweet treat and, of course, shop for frames, contacts, eye exams &&& more. You’ll have the chance to spin the Warby ~prize wheel~ to win super exclusive Warby school supplies (for the child in all of us.) Head to Warby Parker Bergen St. this Saturday from 11a-4p or Warby Parker 68th & Columbus next Saturday from 11a-4p to join in the fun - no RSVP needed!
Plus! 20% of all book sales will go to Warby Parker’s Pupils Project, a school-based vision program that provides eyeglasses to students around the U.S.
Veronica Beard’s Madison Avenue flagship has transformed their backroom into a NYC corner-store…and it’s so chic. The pop-up celebrates their new collection with cool merch & giveaways like pegboard snack walls, fresh flowers & scratch-offs to win freebies. This is the brand’s nod to the corner stores that anchor the city’s blocks. Running until the 22nd, there will be fun happenings as part of the pop-up like painted customizations from Lefty’s Right Mind today from 12-5p, embroidery by Apprvl NYC tomorrow from 12-4p, a bouquet building session with Popup Florist next Friday from 11-2p &&& a Fashion Stroll for CFDA next Saturday from 12-4p.
Meet Erina, COO & partner of luxury travel company, SmartFlyer. A traveler dating back to her earliest childhood days spent in Jakarta, Erina combines her rich multicultural background with a fervor for brand building in the luxury space. After receiving her degree in marketing, she settled in NYC and around the same time that Erina found a lack of fellow millennials in the travel agency community, she met Michael Holtz, founder of SmartFlyer. Together, they saw an opportunity to build a company that appealed to fresh talent with a knack for creating exceptional client experiences from start to finish. We caught up with Erina to hear how she got her start and her work as a mentor to future travel leaders.
Some photos Leila Brewster
How did your career in the travel industry begin?
I grew up with parents who believed deeply in the power of travel. They saw it as a way to learn, connect, and understand the world beyond your own experience. Those early trips didn’t just spark my love for exploration—they shaped how I see the world and laid the groundwork for what would eventually become my career. When we built the SmartFlyer brand, it was rooted in that same spirit of curiosity and resonance. I’ve always believed the most meaningful journeys begin when you put the traveler at the heart of it all.
Tell us about your role at SmartFlyer!
As SmartFlyer has evolved, naturally, so has my role. Today, I lead the team that builds our community and shapes experiences through the lens of travel. Our story began with a gap in travel planning. We envisioned a travel brand for today, shaped by people who truly live to travel, created for clients who seek more—more substance, more style, and more soul—in every journey. What began as a small idea and guiding light has grown into a global network of 250 incredibly talented advisors. Together, we design thoughtful, one-of-a-kind itineraries for a breadth of discerning travelers, always with the goal of making each trip feel personal, inspired, and a little over-the-top in the best possible way.
What’s your favorite part about the New York travel community?
New York always feels like the center of the universe—but especially in this industry. As a global gateway, it’s a place where people I’ve met from everywhere are constantly coming and going, making it uniquely connected to the rest of the world. That sense of movement and exchange creates a dynamic, ever-evolving energy within the local travel community.
But what truly sets it apart is the spirit of the people. For such a fast-paced city, the New York travel community is incredibly warm, generous, and collaborative. It’s a tight-knit group that thrives on sharing knowledge, celebrating each other’s wins, and showing up for one another. It doesn’t feel transactional; it feels personal. Some of my closest friendships have come from this world, which I think speaks to the kind of people who are drawn to travel: endlessly curious, relationship-driven, and united by a passion for connection—both with the world and with each other.
Can you share what your process for creating custom travel itineraries is like?
It always begins with the traveler. The best advisors are great listeners, not just to what’s being said, but to what’s perhaps between the lines. We take into account past journeys, current curiosities, and the quiet details that make someone feel truly seen and known. From there, it becomes a creative process of designing something that reflects who they are and how they want to feel. The destination is important, but the traveler is the inspiration—every great trip starts and ends with them at the center of it all.
You're also involved with American Friends of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town. How does art intersect with your work in travel, and why is this particular institution meaningful to you?
Art has always been one of the most powerful storytellers, and in many ways, travel is about seeking out stories, whether they’re told through a landscape, a meal, or a museum wall. My involvement with Zeitz MOCAA began from that shared belief in the importance of perspective, context, and representation. It’s not just a museum; it’s a cultural touchstone for the continent and a space that champions contemporary African artists whose voices deserve a global stage. Supporting the institution through American Friends of Zeitz MOCAA is one way I stay connected to the creative energy coming out of Africa, a region that’s been personally and professionally meaningful to me. Art and travel both ask us to pause, to look closer, and to be changed by what we see. I can’t imagine one without the other.
Follow Along
@erinapindar
@smartflyer
www.smartflyer.com
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