2012 VW Passat

We take a ride in the first Passats to come off VW's new energy-efficient factory line

Introducing a new streamlined body while lowering the price, the 2012 Volkswagen Passat sleekly updates previous models. The big advancement being that it’s now made stateside at the German automaker’s new sustainably-minded factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee. My recent visit to the plant included a detailed overview of the manufacturing process there, which begins with building the cockpit and continues until all 2,300 parts (excluding nuts …

Julie Rofman Jewelry

Colorful geometric beadwork in an artistic update to the classic friendship bracelet

Call them jazzed-up friendship bracelets or modernist beadwork, Julie Rofman’s colorful cuffs reinvent hippie tropes—even if the Northern California studio overlooking the ocean where she makes them might suggest otherwise. With Andrew Bird or NPR streaming and a horse grazing next door, the Massachusetts native draws on her background as a painter to create intricately-patterned pieces with subtly shifting shades and finishes. This attention to …

The Burgermat Show

London's one-night-only art exhibit and pop-up dinner dedicated to all things hamburger

One of the few meat menu items that even tempts health nuts and vegetarians, burgers are not just a ubiquitous dish but in recent years have been taken to new culinary heights. Burgerac, a burger detective on the creative blog of the same name that’s dedicated to the sandwich itself, as well as burger-inspired art and design, sniffs out the best of these around London …