Canter Bridge

Man, this is getting tough. It used to be so easy to pick up a thick glossy weighted down in Bimmer and Movado watch ads and get right down to the business of sneering at the vanity of it all.

Condé Nast Porfolio has thrown me for a loop. The ads are there all right, page after page of them, setting up the easy criticism of the poseurs who linger over such stuff. Trouble is, there is some amazingly good writing in here as well. Man, this hurts!

A fine article on the House that Steinbrenner built in the Bronx goes down like honey. Some of the more investigative reporting that the magazine aims to establish its rep around is a bit trendy-left in its tone, but the editors sneak in some solid pieces that lack that stance as well: a fine piece on the presidential candidates’ top economic advisors, some engaging smallies on tech and gadgets, and a well-done if overly unsympathetic look at Lebanon’s Saad Hariri.

This magazine leaps out of the gate with strength and may have a future beyond the ads. Truth be told, the ads are a lot of fun too. You didn’t hear that here.