This week, I’m hosting my 14-year-old niece, Anna, at my Flatiron apartment for a four-night getaway. She’s visiting from Minneapolis and it’s her first time in New York City since she was a child. Needless to say, I’m taking my uncle responsibilities very seriously.

As the only one of my siblings without kids, I’m in top running as the cool uncle—and Anna’s trip is my chance to secure the title. Rather than showing off a typical tourist version of the city, I decided that sharing a taste of my everyday life—and all of the unique opportunities that come with it—might be the best way to impress.

Starting with a few press events and invites, which are a big part of my everyday routine: on Wednesday night, Anna was my plus-one to a Trudon launch event, where we got to see glass blowing demonstration first hand in honor of the historical candle brand’s new line of diffusers.

The really hot ticket was tonight’s Love Above All Ball, a Pride celebration at Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room co-hosted by my friend Andy Baraghani. While I would have loved bringing Anna as my date to a cheeky black-tie soirée, a strict 21+ rule nixed that idea. I’m not too concerned, though, because we’ll fill our week with shopping for fresh produce at the Union Square Greenmarket, perusing local blooms in the Flower District, getting mani-pedis at a nail salon, and maybe even inviting my hairdresser Jay over for house-call haircuts.

And last night, we got our theatre fix with SIX, an acclaimed Broadway musical about the six wives of Henry VIII, with a friend of mine and her daughter who’s Anna’s age.

Not only am I excited to spend quality time with Anna, but I’m also a bit relieved to be back in New York after a busy month of travel—the reason I haven’t sent out a newsletter in a few weeks. Between the AIDS/LifeCycle ride (VERY successful and inspiring—thank you to everyone who donated!) and a trip to Casa Hormiga in Mexico with my Untitled Secret talent management team, I’ve barely had a moment to take a beat. Though Anna and I will be traipsing around the city and not exactly relaxing, it’s still good to be home.

Favorite links this week

THE MAN BEHIND THE BOB

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is famous for her iconic bob haircut, but her stylist, Andreas Anastasis, is finally getting the attention he deserves for shaping it. A recent New York Times article details his creative work and his fierce loyalty to his top client.

MALLS ARE ALIVE AND WELL

For years, people have said that malls are dying. Experts credited the rise of e-commerce as the mall’s demise, but a new book argues that this quintessential American shopping destination is here to stay.

AMERICA’S BEST SANDWICHES

Whenever I visit a new city, I always want to experience the food scene like a local. This Reader’s Digest list of the best sandwich in every state will help me seek out must-try delicacies like Italian beef in Illinois and pork roll in New Jersey.

DIPTYQUE LA DROGUERIE

For years, Parisian parfumerie diptyque has been my go-to for complex personal scents and compelling aromatic candles. Now that the brand is venturing into the cleaning space, I have new essentials to add to my repertoire.

La Droguerie is a line of sustainable, eco-friendly household cleaning supplies. Each product displays the company’s signature perfuming expertise with herbaceous aromas that enhance your home as you work to make it spotless. The initial five-item release is all but guaranteed to improve the experience of doing chores.

The orange blossom dishwashing liquid is mild yet tough on grease, while its accompanying beechwood brush features strong vegetable fiber bristles that will muscle through any stuck-on food. The collection also includes a vinegar-based multi-purpose cleaner for everyday surfaces—which has such lovely woody-green fragrance that I’ve found myself using it even when the surface in question doesn’t require a cleaning—a beeswax lotion to upkeep leather and wood, a ceramic oval to maintain wool and delicate textiles, and an anti-odor candle.

The impressively functional, biodegradable formulas are packaged in beautiful, reusable amber-hued vessels that deserve to be displayed on the counter. It seems that high-end cleaning products are a trend (I’ve also recently stocked up on Courteney Cox’s Homecourt line), and with such stunning, natural cleaning products like these on offer, my home might never be dirty again.

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