1. The ugly shoe that conquered America.

Few shoes have been more polarizing than Crocs. Just a few years ago, they were mocked as fashion disasters, embraced only by nurses, chefs, and toddlers who valued comfort over style. But today? They’re a fashion icon, with collaborations from Balenciaga to Barbie and celebrity endorsements from Justin Bieber to Nicki Minaj. The brand raked in a staggering $2.7 billion in 2022, proving that comfort—and a little camp—can sell big.

So, how did Crocs become cool? A mix of nostalgia, high-fashion collabs, and the rise of self-expression through Jibbitz charms turned them into a Gen Z staple. Once mocked, now meme-ified and embraced, Crocs prove that in branding, perception is everything. With the right mix of irony, function, and pop culture magic, even the ugliest shoe can become iconic.

2. Heart of the heartland.

Imagine driving 3,000 miles with nothing but a camera and curiosity. That’s exactly what photographer Richard Sharum did, turning his lens on the overlooked stretches of Middle America. His book Spina Americana—named for the spine-like stretch from the Canadian to the Mexican border—captures moments most of us would miss if we just flew over.

Sharum’s black-and-white photographs read like found poetry: a migrant worker’s careful hands picking oregano, a bowling ball held with quiet reverence in Nebraska, Texas teens catching their breath after baseball practice. Stripping away color, he shifts the focus from place to feeling, revealing the shared humanity in everyday life.

3. New York’s neon fades to black.

For nearly eight decades, the White Horse Tavern's handcrafted neon sign was as much a part of Greenwich Village as the literary legends who drank beneath it. This year, that warm glow went dark – replaced by a cold, clinical LED replica that sent preservation purists into a full-blown panic. The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission even fired off a warning letter, proving that in New York, even signs have their own fan clubs.

But the White Horse is just one casualty. From the iconic marquees of 30 Rockefeller Plaza to the storied Apollo Theater, vintage neon is disappearing fast. What was once a defining feature of New York's urban landscape has been reduced to a mere 300 surviving signs, with about a dozen blinking out each year.

One sign maker captured it perfectly: LEDs are to neon what MP3s are to vinyl. Sure, they might look similar in a photograph, but up close? There's no comparison. As New York's nightscape continues to transform, one thing becomes clear: sometimes, progress comes with a dimmer switch.