In this well-reported, entertaining, yet depressing story, Adam Iscoe reports on how hard it is to snag a table at a trendy restaurant in NYC. The city’s restaurant reservation ecosystem is far from democratic, and services like Appointment Trader (an online marketplace for people to buy and sell reservations) and memberships like Dorsia (an exclusive...

Cameron Gordon moved to Los Angeles for the same reason that so many other transplants do: to make it in Hollywood. He realized it’d be cheaper to sleep in his car than rent a hotel room, and eventually, he spent $15,000—his life savings—on three ambulances, one of which was good enough to drive around and sleep in. In this LA Times profile, Jack Flemming...

Alex Wigglesworth gives us a fascinating portrait of Danielle Wall, who has dedicated her life to rescuing rattlesnakes. Set high in the desert, this story exudes the Wild West—but modern-day environmental issues are what disturb these snakes. Later that afternoon, after she ribbed the construction crew, Wall drives into the backcountry of...

Growing up, you might have confessed your angst to a paper diary, a blog, or maybe Myspace. Now, as Jessica Lucas reports for The Verge, teens can turn to AI chatbots to pour out their woes. But what are the emotional and societal consequences of relying on bots for support? Are the kids going to be alright? Eventually, Aaron turned to his...

The whole “I did X so you don’t have to” rarely delivers on its promise of sparing you horror—no one asked you to watch every Hallmark movie in a single week without getting up from the couch—but I have to admit that this one got me. As well-chronicled as Elon Musk’s descent into edgelorddom is, it’s also nearly impossible to appreciate his deeply unfunny...

This story was funded by our members. Join Longreads and help us to support more writers. Leyton Cassidy | Longreads | May 7, 2024 | 5,821 words There is a moment—an imperceptibly fast one—when a human’s relationship to the natural world changes. For some, it is the slipping of a rock underfoot, a flash of lightning, the loss...