fortune--2020-07-03--Prepare for departure: What you should know about summer travel in 2020

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Some regions across the United States are reopening their economies, but the threat of COVID-19 is still very real and very prevalent. Nonetheless, after months of lockdown and with summer in full swing, many Americans are desperate to get out of their homes for any kind of vacation, long or short.
But fears of infection, foreign travel restrictions, and the desire to avoid a quarantine period—either while in transit or at home upon return—will likely keep most of those who pack their bags closer to home, suggests eMarketer senior analyst Jasmine Enberg.
“Domestic travel—particularly car trips—will be the most popular form of leisure travel this year,” Enberg says. “And that will depress digital travel sales in 2020, as domestic trips tend to cost less than international travel.”
The market research firm projects that digital travel sales (online bookings for accommodations, air travel, car rentals, cruises, etc.) in the U.S. will drop by 44.7% in 2020 with total sales tallying $115.27 billion—compared with $208.44 billion in 2019. Digital travel sales will likely not reach pre-virus levels until 2022, when they are expected to grow by 49.7% to reach $208.8 billion in the U.S.
Still, strong growth is expected post-vaccine, and many experts—including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—have suggested that a successful vaccine could emerge in late 2020 or 2021. Thus, eMarketer forecasts digital travel sales growth of 21% next year in the U.S.
Choose your travel companions wisely. Getty Images
On the road again
Road trips—local and long distance—will dominate domestic travel in the United States this summer. Some people are turning to RVs and campers—even when they never thought they were those types of vacationers. That’s because many people feel safer in the car, inside controlled environments, and are now more aware of maintaining social distancing. For some Americans, the car is their easiest and safest (and possibly most affordable) transportation option.
Credit card alternative Affirm says it saw travel spending jump 86% from April to May, and travel is trending up about 30% week over week since June 1. Affirm—which has 5.3 million customers, more than half of which are millennials or members of Generation Z—recently conducted a survey of 1,500 consumers between the ages of 18 and 39, and the results suggest travel is still very much in the cards this year.
The big takeaway: Prior to COVID-19, the top priority for respondents was feeling relaxed on vacation, with feeling entertained coming a close second. Now, feeling safe is nearly just as important as feeling relaxed. And almost half of those surveyed (49%) say they will travel with their own car more often when local shelter-in-place mandates lift.
National parks and beach towns are going to be attractive destinations as travelers aim to take advantage of fresh air and nature amid warmer temperatures. But major cities like New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., will probably not see the throngs of tourists they usually do at this time of year. The most obvious reason is population density, which can make social distancing difficult, leaving many tourists uncomfortable about large crowds during a pandemic.
Instead, look for a shift toward smaller cities. Many travelers who are adamant about going somewhere—maybe anywhere—are desperate to avoid crowds. So this could be a prime opportunity for the smaller, more rural communities to get back on their feet and attract tourists like never before.
“As we continue to social distance, we’re seeing many travelers searching for destinations outside of dense city centers,” says Elizabeth Monahan, a spokesperson for Tripadvisor. Travelers are 218% more likely to take a trip where they can relax compared with before the pandemic, and nearly two-thirds (59%) report they would prefer to go somewhere off the beaten path versus a popular destination, according to the online travel company. “This means travelers are looking to escape to beautiful nature and beach destinations that are great for relaxing away from crowds—especially those on the water,” Monahan explains.
Still, some big cities are going to try to get people back by making some streets pedestrian-only so that they have the ability to social distance.
Passengers arrive in the U.K. wearing protective clothing. Getty Images
No more Eurotrip for Americans—for now
For some lucky Americans, summer can be synonymous with a European vacation. Unfortunately, that’s just not happening this year.
The European Union announced on June 30 that it would begin reopening its borders for nonessential travel (including tourism and business) to a select list of countries—and the United States was not among them as cases and deaths of COVID-19 continue to climb stateside at a dangerous clip.
“The EU is determined to ensure a coordinated approach, however, there are big divides within the bloc over whom to open up to and when, and the decision-making power ultimately lies solely with individual capitals,” says Christian Nielsen, chief legal officer at AirHelp, a Hong Kong–based claims management company defending passenger rights.
For example, some countries—including Denmark and Malta—are still closed to select EU member states, and are unlikely to allow travel from outside the bloc before Europe’s Schengen area is fully open. “This type of agility could potentially also be applied the other way around, and we could see that the EU opens its borders to certain states in the U.S. and not others during the summer,” Nielsen says.
In any case, a return to more flights on the schedule are not the only things expected to increase, Nielsen warns. Age-old problems like flight delays and cancellations are also likely to go up once travel picks up again.
“As we cannot be certain when the COVID-19 pandemic will be fully under control, we believe it would be helpful to take a ‘wait and see’ approach if you’re thinking of traveling internationally this summer and fall,” Nielsen says. “However, as more and more countries are reopening their borders in the coming weeks, it seems likely that intercontinental travels may resume in autumn.”
As a result, Americans are not only encouraged but already much more inclined to travel within North America this summer and perhaps through the rest of 2020.
“We’re seeing that short-haul travel is top of mind, with over a quarter (28%) of consumers more likely to take a short international flight (three to four hours) to their destination post COVID-19,” Tripadvisor’s Monahan says. “In the U.S., the most popular international destinations consumers say they want to visit first are neighbors Mexico and Canada.”
Will the Winnebago make a comeback? Getty Images
Reconsidering hotels over Airbnb
Shorter trips to destinations closer to home are also a recurring theme. Nearly half (44%) of consumers say they are more likely to take a road trip, and two-thirds (61%) say they are most comfortable taking a road trip for three to five days, according to Tripadvisor. Monahan says this is possibly because people feel these types of trips are less risky, as they typically involve contact with fewer people than other forms of travel.
“Travelers around the globe—the U.S. included—have shown an increased interest in outdoor activities, so we’re seeing a spike in camping, hiking, and canoeing as people begin to think about future trips,” Monahan says.
Nearly nine in ten (86%) consumers say cleanliness is of utmost importance when choosing accommodations, according to Tripadvisor. Guests are looking for amenities such as hand sanitizer, and they’re concerned with how rooms are disinfected as well as the use of temperature checks for employees. And possibly reflecting months of confinement, rooms with a view are also popular, with a surge in searches for rooms with an ocean view and those along beach and boardwalk fronts.
Nevertheless, Lindsay Myers, a Los Angeles–based budget travel commentator, warns against the assumption that hotels will see a surge as anxious travelers shy away from home-sharing platforms like Airbnb.
“People may be hesitant to stay at hotels for the time being. Hotels cannot ensure absolute safety while on their premises,” says Myers. “You may pass someone in the hallway, share an elevator with people, or not know the health status of others staying at the hotel. All precautions can be taken, but there is just too much foot traffic for travelers to have a feeling of safety while staying there.”
Instead, Myers suggests recreational vehicle (RV) sites and campgrounds will see a rise in popularity this summer, as “you can never run out of places to visit while in the RV.
“This style of traveling is completely contactless. The majority of people are not going to want to interact with anybody while on the road,” Myers says. “With RVs, there is no need to eat out at restaurants, interact with a hotel clerk, or come in contact with someone at the airport when you are safe in the RV. Everything you need is traveling right along with you. You are safe inside your own vehicle while hitting the open road.”
In North and Latin America, Tripadvisor has seen a spike in searches for campgrounds, ranches, and beach motels, as well as lodgings featuring a variety of outdoor activities, such as boating, skiing, canoeing, and horseback riding. Affirm also says accommodation sales went up by 119% in May 2020, compared with the month prior, with many consumers favoring merchants such as cabin rental firm Getaway and Great Wolf Lodge, a chain of hybrid hotels and indoor water parks.
For those able to travel to and within Europe, accommodation searches for lodging types such as cottages and castles, along with hotels featuring skiing, hiking, and fishing, are also trending.
Some airlines strongly advise wearing a mask, others require them. CDC guidelines advise everyone to wear a mask in public when social distancing isn’t possible. Getty Images
Airline surcharges will make a comeback
As travel started to shut down in March, most major airlines were generous in dropping change and cancel fees (even if the actual process of getting credit or your money back was arduous for many fliers). Don’t expect that practice to last forever. While your frequent-flier miles and status should be safe through at least 2021, surcharges for changing or canceling a ticket will eventually come back. But for the time being, travelers still have a chance at scoring record-low fares.
“I don’t think cancellation fees will come back anytime soon. Commercial airlines are not in a great position financially, and to entice travelers they will remain flexible as long as they can,” says Gregg Brunson-Pitts, a former White House travel director as well as CEO and founder of Advanced Aviation Team, an on-demand private jet charter brokerage in Washington, D.C. “In terms of private charter travel, good providers will be transparent in terms of cancellation and pricing flexibility, regardless of a pandemic.”
Given the uncertainty right now, AirHelp’s Nielsen warns travelers should be prepared for the fact that airlines’ different policies often can be subject to change. Passengers whose flights were canceled owing to the pandemic but who do not wish to postpone their travel are supposed to be entitled to full refunds or an equivalent travel voucher, depending on their decision, Nielsen notes. But in the early months of the pandemic, some airlines provided clients with vouchers only, even though the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a statement mandating the offer of a refund. While passengers in Europe can get compensated for long delays, denied boarding, and cancellations, U.S. passengers are covered only for overbookings or long tarmac delays under domestic law.
“U.S. consumers might have increased flexibility in terms of changing and postponing travel plans without paying fees,” Nielsen says. “This move can be expected from airlines that think they’re losing customers who are unsure about whether they will really want to travel again.”
Pack light, pack smarter
Passengers should prepare themselves for some substantial changes while flying during a pandemic, from knowing what to pack to what to expect from now on at the airport.
First and foremost, travelers should familiarize themselves with new safety and hygiene procedures before heading to a respective airport. For example, at many airports, travelers will have to scan their boarding passes themselves instead of handing it over to the TSA officer as before. It is also helpful to know what to expect during the security check to help speed up the process: Even if you’re wearing a face mask, be prepared for the possibility that the officer will ask you to adjust it during screening. Also, be sure to practice social distancing proactively.
“Generally speaking, because there are less people traveling, air travel in some ways is a bit easier right now. More patience is required because TSA is operating at a limited capacity. Masks are a must. Food options will be more limited in airports,” Brunson-Pitts says. “If you’re traveling internationally, be prepared that things could change at any minute—including required quarantine periods and other local and state restrictions. It’s a very fluid situation and will probably remain so through the summer.”
Hand-carry regulations may also have changed. Nielsen says it’s extremely important to pack hand luggage strategically to make it through security in the fastest time possible. At many major airports, items like food need to be carried in a clear plastic bag and separated from the rest of one’s hand luggage during screening. It’s advisable to organize hand luggage using packing cubes so that you can place all necessary items—such as a boarding pass and items like toiletries that need to be removed for X-ray screening—at the very top of your bag. And make sure to read up on what you can bring on a plane, which might vary by airline and destination.
“Knowing your rights and rules in different situations while traveling is crucial now—not just in cases where you experience flight problems like cancellations, but also to speed up security screening,” Nielsen says. “If your airline cancels your flight, you might be entitled to ticket reimbursement and even financial compensation of up to $700. However, if you missed your flight because you were delayed during security screening, there is no law that can help you recover your costs.”
The in-flight experience is going to be very different as well—from compulsory mask-wearing to new seating arrangements, promoting social distancing (for those airlines still accommodating it). But not everyone will be allowed to travel: Passengers with symptoms of COVID-19 or the flu might be prevented from boarding. Still, Nielsen notes, they may be entitled to financial compensation.


fortune--2020-07-04--8 wines to sip this summer

8 wines to sip this summer

Trump goes big with July 4 D.C. event as rest of U.S. scales back festivities

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It only took a few years, but rosé has become synonymous with summer weather wine. And while there are many delightful bottles of pink-hued wines on the market, there are other summer friendly varietals to consider as well, from Albariño to Sancerre.
Here’s a sampling of eight bottles to consider opening during dinner on the porch or small, socially distant gatherings.
The Très Chic Rosé Courtesy of Le Grand Courtâge
Le Grand Courtâge: Le Grand Courtâge produces Blanc de Blancs Brut and Brut Rosé, which are sold in both 750-milliliter and 187-milliliter bottles, and an annual vintage of its still rosé wine, Très Chic Rosé. A blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Cinsault grapes, both varietals—vinified separately for optimal expression—thrive in the windswept soils and Mediterranean climate. The grapes were pressed directly, yielding a brilliant pale pink hue. The resulting juice was fermented at 16 degrees Celsius (61 degrees Fahrenheit) in stainless steel vats to preserve the aromatic freshness, then aged for three months on fine lees and gently stirred. The coastal terroir produces a rosé with flavors of red berries, citrus, and tropical fruit, balanced by floral notes and a nice length on the finish. It pairs well with both cheeses and spicy food. SRP: $19.
The 2018 Napa Valley Fumé Blanc Courtesy of Robert Mondavi
Robert Mondavi: A richer style of Sauvignon Blanc (with a small blend of Sémillon grapes), the 2018 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Fumé Blanc is bright with refreshing notes of grapefruit, green apple, peach, melon, and a subtle hint of jasmine. Bottled in April 2017, all of the juice was barrel-fermented for added richness and complexity, with 5% in new French oak for added texture and complexity. The winemaker suggests pairing it with main courses, such as rosemary chicken or pork chops. SRP: $23.
The Dog Point 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Courtesy of Dog Point Vineyards
Dog Point Vineyard: In addition to the distinctive taste profiles found in the wines, Dog Point stands out from other producers in New Zealand for hand-picking 100% estate fruit at low yields—virtually unheard of in the country—farming organically, green harvesting at times to improve the flavor concentration, and fermenting partially with indigenous yeasts. The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc is wonderfully expressive, silky in texture, and blooming with perfumed aromas characterized by freshly squeezed citrus, completed by flinty and smoky tones. SRP: $25.
The 2019 Saignée Rosé Courtesy of Big Cork Vineyards
Big Cork Vineyards: Just launched in June, the Saignée Rosé is a fruit-forward blend of Malbec and Cabernet Franc grapes. With notes of strawberry jam and a nice balance of acidity, this rosé is ideal for summertime pairings with a creamy goat cheese. SRP: $26.
The 2019 Sancerre Courtesy of Langlois-Chateau
Langlois-Chateau: One of the leading producers in France’s Loire Valley, the winery’s Sancerres are bright, intense, and expressive in depth and minerality from its chalk and flint terroir. The grapes that went into the 2019 Sancerre come from a selection of the best vineyard plots as well as from sustainably managed vineyards, resulting in a wine that is serious and complex, while remaining delicate and approachable at the same time. SRP: $27.
The ‘By The Bay’ Blanc de Blancs blend Courtesy of Chandon
Chandon: The Napa Valley winemaker’s newest sparkling wine just debuted in May. A reserve Blanc de Blancs, “By The Bay” was named in homage to the vineyard’s proximity to the San Pablo Bay. A blend of 92% Chardonnay and 8% Pinot Blanc grapes grown primarily at Chandon’s Carneros estate vineyard, this cuvée is crafted in the traditional method with 42 months on the lees. Approximately 15% of the blend is aged in French oak barrels to add a subtle toastiness and complexity to the wine. SRP: $30.
The 2017 ‘Blindfold’ Chardonnay Courtesy of The Prisoner Wine Company
The Prisoner Wine Company: A bold Chardonnay blend, the 2017 Blindfold is clean, refreshing, and vibrant, filled with juicy citrus flavors balanced by notes of butterscotch and toasted hazelnut. The finish is rich and creamy with flavors of lemon zest and caramelized sugar. SRP: $32.
The 2019 ‘281’ Rosé Courtesy of Château Minuty
Château Minuty: Inspired by the Saint-Tropez coast in summer, the number “281” in the name of the 2019 Château Minuty 281 stands for the royal blue Pantone color down the side of this bottle. The bottle’s designers suggest the rich hue reflects the same shade in the sky as far as the eye can see on a delightful afternoon as the wind blows by the seaside vineyard. Within the Minuty portfolio, the 281 is the most complex and rich rosé. Ideal for a cooler evening on the coast, the pale wine offers intense aromas of citrus fruits and white flowers, balanced by great depth with a pronounced mineral structure. Pair with scallop risotto, grilled prawns, or baked John Dory fish with fennel. SRP: $90.


fortune--2020-07-04--10 books on American history that actually reflect the United States

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It’s often remarked that history is written by the winners. It’s also an unmistakable fact that most history lessons taught in schools are often told from white and male perspectives.
While the Fourth of July is usually a day for both celebration and relaxation for many Americans, the national mood is quite different this year. In that spirit, here is a suggested reading list of books about American history from perspectives that aren’t often included in elementary, high school, and college textbooks.
Courtesy of Counterpoint
Lauret Savoy explores how the unfolding history and concept of race in the United States have marked her—as a historian and environmental studies and geology—and the land itself. From earthquake fault lines to Southern plantations, from National Parks to American Indian reservations, Savoy mediates through a series of essays rooted in her own mixed heritage (of Native American, African, and European descent) about the relationship between diverse landscapes and diverse communities, and how these environments shape the socioeconomic fabric of the country.
Courtesy of St. Martins Press
Children of Fire: A History of African Americans by Thomas C. Holt
University of Chicago professor Thomas C. Holt presents a sweeping history of generations of African Americans, from the arrival of the first slaves in North America in 1619 to the election of President Barack Obama in 2008. Holt treats each generation with deference and individuality but simultaneously blurs chronological lines often established by white scholars. (For example, the same people who lived through the Civil War and the end of slavery also dealt with Reconstruction and decades of Jim Crow laws to come, and yet they are often treated as two separate generations of Black Americans.)
Courtesy of W. W. Norton & Company
These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore
If you’re looking for one comprehensive book—but one that doesn’t tell the same old story—Harvard professor and New Yorker contributor Jill Lepore’s one volume of history could be a good starting point. These Truths goes all the way back to 1492, but Lepore approaches the history of the United States—and by extension, North America—with an eye of skepticism, asking amid centuries of racial subjugation, whose truth are we really telling when understanding American history and politics?
Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee
Professor Erika Lee, the granddaughter of Chinese immigrants who entered the United States through Angel Island in California and Ellis Island in New York, provides a comprehensive and diverse history of Asian Americans, who are often lumped together in homogenous fashion when referenced (if at all) in high school history books. Looking back to the first sailors who made the trans-Pacific crossing in the 1500s—well before the arrival of Chinese laborers working on the railroad in the 1850s—The Making of Asian America examines a variety of Asian and Pacific Islander immigrant journeys, and how their lives contrasted with their American-born descendants.
(Also worth reading: Lee’s latest book, America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States, which traces xenophobia as a political movement back to prejudiced anger over the influx of Irish Catholic immigrants in the mid-19th century, eventually paving the way to greater crimes against people of color, including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Japanese internment during World War II, and present-day mass deportations of immigrants from Latin America.)
Courtesy of Penguin
The Women’s Suffrage Movement by Sally Roesch Wagner
Comprised of historical texts spanning two centuries, The Women’s Suffrage Movement is a comprehensive, intersectional anthology—one with a determined focus to shun white feminism and illuminate BIPOC voices. With a foreword by Gloria Steinem, the collection includes writings from some of the most famous suffragettes—such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony—but also many more women’s rights advocates long overlooked on account of race, including Ida B. Wells and the Forten sisters, a trio of abolitionists from a prominent Black family in Philadelphia.
Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
The Gay Revolution by Lillian Faderman
Through interviews with politicians, military figures, and members of the LGBTQ community, scholar Lillian Faderman delivers a punctuated history of the last 70 years of the fight for gay and lesbian rights in the United States. Starting in the 1950s—when when gays and lesbians were treated as criminals and psychiatrists labeled them as mentally ill—Faderman’s history spans the civil rights protests of the 1960s, the counterculture of the 1970s, the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s, all leading up to the fight for marriage equality in the 2000s and 2010s.
Courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux
How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr
In How to Hide an Empire, Northwestern professor Daniel Immerwahr tells a different story about the United States that is often overlooked: the one going on outside state borders. Immerwahr tracks American imperial ambitions, from Puerto Rico to the Philippines, and how the treatment and exploitation of overseas territories still influence U.S. foreign and military policy.
Courtesy of Beacon Press
An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz
Covering more than two hundred years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is an intersectional history of the shared struggle for African American and Latinx civil rights. Scholar and activist Paul Ortiz presents a more comprehensive, more proactive history of Black and Latinx communities and leaders, which stands in stark contrast to the typical reactionary narratives often depicted in mainstream history books. Ortiz links racial segregation and the struggle against Jim Crow laws to the labor organizing in the second half of the 20th century, while highlighting how Black and Spanish-language newspapers, abolitionists, and Latin American revolutionaries coalesced around movements in the U.S., Central America, and the Caribbean.
Courtesy of Penguin
Americana: A 400-Year History of American Capitalism by Bhu Srinivasan
Well before Wall Street, capitalism has been at the core of the development of America, from the landing of the Mayflower to the birth of Silicon Valley. Media entrepreneur and author Bhu Srinivasan looks back at four centuries of American enterprise, tracing each major era through technological developments and the corporations they fueled, from the telegraph to the World Wide Web.
Courtesy of Anchor Books
One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is known for his smart, droll, but shrewd narrative style, with a slew of nonfiction books covering histories of home life and the human body to a laboring personal account of hiking the Appalachian Trail. Bryson brings it all in One Summer, a succinct title for a history book that covers one specific summer in American history—which included Charles Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic and Babe Ruth closing in on the home run record with the New York Yankees—all at the height of the Roaring Twenties and on the eve of the Great Depression. This is an unbelievably fun ride that at a few pages in, you will forget it’s a history book.


fortune--2020-07-04--Trump goes big with July 4 D.C. event as rest of U.S. scales back festivities

10 books on American history that actually reflect the United States

While public health officials are urging Americans to avoid large crowds and hold more muted Independence Day celebrations amid a spike of coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump is going big for what he is promising will be a “special evening” in the nation’s capital.
Trump is set hold his “Salute for America” celebration Saturday with a speech from the White House South Lawn that he says will celebrate American heritage, a military flyover over Washington, and an enormous fireworks display that is expected to draw thousands to the National Mall.
The celebration comes one day after Trump kicked off the holiday weekend by travelling to Mt. Rushmore for a fireworks display near the iconic mountain carvings George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The president delivered a fiery speech in which he accused protesters who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a “merciless campaign to wipe out our history.”
Trump is taking part in the big gatherings even as many communities have decided to scrap fireworks, parades and other holiday traditions to try to prevent further spread of the virus that they fear could spurred by large holiday gatherings.
Still, Trump insisted on moving forward on holding big gatherings–including the Mt. Rushmore event for which South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, insisted social distancing wasn’t necessary and masks were optional. Trump spent little time in his Mt. Rushmore address reflecting on pandemic, which has killed more than 129,000 Americans.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions that mass gatherings like the one scheduled for Washington present a high risk for spread of the virus.
Trump’s Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who has stepped up his call for Americans to wear a mask in public, on Friday punted when asked during an interview whether he would caution a loved one from attending such large gatherings.
“It’s not a yes or no,” Adams told NBC’s “Today Show.” “Every single person has to make up their own mind. There are people going to beaches, going to barbeques, going to different environments and they are going to have to look at their individual risk.”
Trump has been aching to see the nation return to normalcy, and has been willing to push the envelope further than many state and big city mayors are willing to go.
Last month, he held his first campaign rally since early March in Tulsa, Okla. Trump is accustomed to jam-packed crowds, but the BOK Center was only about a third full for the president’s first rally of the coronavirus era. Days later, he addressed a packed megachurch for a Students for Trump event in Arizona. Few attendees at either event wore masks.
Interior officials said they would hand out 300,000 face coverings to spectators who gather on the National Mall. Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt said visitors would be encouraged to wear masks and keep a six-foot distance from one another. There was no indication that would be mandatory, despite the recommendations of health officials.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said she didn’t have the right to shut down the holiday spectacle because it’s on federal land, warned the federal government about the obvious dangers of such a large crowd. On Friday, she urged the city’s residents to be smart about how they spend the holiday.
“Just because someone invites you to a party doesn’t mean you have to go,” Bowser tweeted Friday.
Elsewhere, governors and local officials pleaded with residents to take precautions as they celebrate the holiday.
In California, which has seen a surge of cases in recent weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom asked residents not to gather with people they don’t live with and to avoid crowds. Fireworks shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sand Diego and elsewhere in the state were canceled to keep big crowds from forming
“Happy Fourth of July weekend, and wear a mask,” Newsom told his state’s residents.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker urged businesses and residents to comply with public health measures over the July 4 holiday weekend, warning that precautions were essential to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Pritzker warned he won’t hesitate to close down businesses that don’t abide by capacity requirements, and he encouraged people to avoid large crowds and wear face coverings.
“Letting our guard down now would fly in the face of the progress we’ve made over many months,” Pritzker said.
Some Americans are hoping to make do with their own firework shows.
At Casey’s Fireworks Friday in Columbia, South Carolina, mostly masked shoppers wove through aisles, selecting their own explosives after some annual July Fourth shows were cancelled due to COVID-19.
Health officials there have seen a spike in cases that has the state trailing only Arizona and Florida in the 14-day average of newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases adjusted for population.
The fireworks shop, like many around the country, has been unexpected beneficiary as more Americans have decided to put on their own shows. The spike in sales started around Memorial Day.
“This whole COVID thing has been really bad all around,” said Forest Casey, a fourth-generation fireworks salesman at the family-owned shop. “But for whatever reason it makes people really want to buy fireworks.”
South Carolina has some of the most liberal fireworks laws in the nation. Stands across the state sell pyrotechnic bricks that launch a dozen or more shells with explosions that rival a small town’s annual show.
Some said they are trying to make the best of the situation. Jamie Parrott, a local pediatric neurologist, said he intends to stay at home with his grandchildren, setting off fireworks safely and eating hamburgers.
“We’ll muddle through,” Parrott said.


fortune--2020-07-04--The U.S. Constitution needs an overhaul. Here’s how California can help

Cities still have a place in the post-pandemic world—but they have to be different .
Here ’ s how

“Go to my website or use the hashtag #LetsGetTheCalOuttaHere!” shouts Gwyneth Paltrow in the Netflix series The Politician. Running for governor a platform of leading California’s secession from the United States, Paltrow’s character wins 98% of the vote.
This may be fiction, but California independence is gaining cultural currency and real-world urgency. Our own real governor, Gavin Newsom, frequently describes California as a “nation-state,” to make the point that the Golden State must act like an independent country to protect itself during the biggest pandemic in a century.
While conventional wisdom remains that California would never leave the union, who can put faith in conventional wisdom anymore? Polling suggests one-third of Californians support their state’s peaceful withdrawal from the nation. And there are relentless fights between the state and the White House over California’s attempts to protect its immigrants, women, healthcare, water, housing, environment, and elections.
Those battles are partisan, but electing a Democratic president is unlikely to bring state and nation together. The cause of the rift between Californians and Americans goes well beyond the political to the structural, the cultural, and the constitutional.
California is a modern democracy with a powerful initiative process that allows its highly diverse population to amend its constitution directly. The U.S., in contrast, is a majority-white country that clings to a 1789 constitution that permitted slavery, is nearly impossible to amend, and prohibits election of the president by popular vote.
The power of the U.S. presidency is largely unaccountable; one person in the Oval Office can start nuclear war without anyone else’s permission. Other branches are also sheltered from democratic interventions. Too much power lies with a U.S. Senate that gives California’s 40 million people the same two senators as Vermont’s 625,000. Difficult controversies are decided by a Supreme Court of highly politicized, life-tenured judges.
None of this makes California’s departure from the union likely. But it guarantees state-federal conflict, and more frequent California attempts to escape the union. How best to manage California’s independence bids in the years ahead?
The essential answer is: peacefully. To ensure peace, Calexit must be something that majorities in California and the United States both want. To reach such a double consensus, California must create a process that reconsiders the future of the entire United States. If California is ever to decide to leave the U.S. and form a new country, it must try to transform the United States into a new country first.
Right now is an auspicious time for reconsideration. With protestors toppling statues of the founders and institutions pledging to end systemic racism, the place to start is by replacing America’s original system—the Constitution.
This suggestion will enrage Americans who deify their constitution. Americans assume, wrongly, that the end of our current constitution would mean the end of freedom and democracy.
But it’s not true: Ending one republic does not mean the end of a nation. It means starting a new republic. The French are on their fifth republic.
California, the nation’s most creative and populous state, is the perfect place to start rewriting the U.S. Constitution. California should convene scholars and representatives from as many states as possible to draft a new American Constitution. Such a body would examine constitutions all over the world and create the most advanced 21st-century governing system possible.
A new constitution offers the opportunity to re-found the United States under present-day ideals of human rights and justice. Instead of a constitution that started in slavery, we could have a constitution that barred discrimination of any kind. Women could be officially equal. A new constitution could provide for truly national elections, national referenda for major decisions (like going to war), and proportional representation to end our polarizing, winner-take-all political culture. The new constitution could commit America to environmental protection of the planet.
Once that document is drafted, California voters would decide whether to approve it. Once approved, the proposed constitution would be sent to the other 49 states, asking them to adopt it. The other states could accept our constitutional proposal, or amend it, or call a constitutional convention, under Article V of the current constitution. If the process results in a new constitution, California will have given its country a new lease on life; the U.S. could stop measuring policies against centuries-old precedents, and start planning for the future.
If other states rejected the document, California could choose: Stay within the U.S., or attempt to negotiate a peaceful exit.
The good news: If the state sought independence, it wouldn’t have to draft a new constitution. It could simply use the constitution it drafted for the U.S. as its own governing document.
In this scenario, California could walk away in good conscience, having done everything it could to save America from itself.
Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zócalo Public Square.


fortune--2020-07-04--It’s not just about Washington—racist team mascots persist all over the country

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Activists and allies have long called for the Washington football team to retire their name, a word that in modern usage is defined as a racial slur.
It now appears that call may be answered.
On Friday, the team issued a press release distributed via Twitter announcing a “thorough review of the team’s name,” which “formalizes the initial discussions the team has been having with the league in recent weeks.” The statement cited “recent events around our country and feedback from our community.”
“This moment has been 87 years in the making, and we have reached this moment thanks to decades of tireless efforts by tribal leaders, advocates, citizens, and partners to educate America about the origins and meaning of the R-word,” said Fawn Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), in a statement of support. “NCAI looks forward to immediately commencing discussions with the league and team about how they will change the team’s name and mascot, and a prompt timetable for doing so.”
Part of the feedback mentioned by the team may have been financial.
On July 1, Adweek reported that Nike, FedEx, and PepsiCo each received letters signed by 87 investment firms and shareholders worth a combined $620 billion asking the companies to sever ties with the Washington team as it is currently named.
Two days later, FedEx, the title sponsor for the team’s home stadium in Landover, Maryland, issued a statement confirmed by NBC News, saying enough was enough. “We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name,“ FedEx said.
FedEx paid $205 million in 1998 for the team’s stadium naming rights to in a deal that runs through 2025, according to the NFL. FedEx founder, chairman, and CEO Fred Smith, is a team minority owner.
Nike has made no public statement but seems to have made a commercial one. Washington team’s apparel has disappeared from its e-commerce site, as has any reference of the team itself. “Furthermore, its shopping filters also omit Washington, and its search function pulls up other teams but no results for Washington,” reports NBC Sports. Nike is the team’s official uniform supplier, as well.
If the team is renamed, it will be powerful victory for advocates and a dramatic turnaround for the team’s majority owner Dan Snyder. In 2013, facing an ongoing federal trademark lawsuit over the disparaging nature of the name, Snyder was adamant. “We’ll never change the name,” he told USA Today in 2013. “It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”
The lawsuit, led by five Native Americans, was dropped in 2017 after a 25-year fight.
The wounds associated with the name run deep.
While supporters point to a long-ago history when the term was not yet considered a slur, modern research indicates that all Native American mascots, and the cosplay they inspire, are harmful—and not just to Native Americans.
At the heart of the current argument is a 2013 report commissioned by the Oneida Indian Nation titled “The Harmful Psychological Effects of the Washington Football Mascot.” The research it cites shows that when exposed to Native American mascots, Native American adolescents experience a decline in self-esteem and mood and a noted loss of belief in their community and personal achievement.
“Native Americans are the only group in the United States subjected to having a racial slur as the mascot of a prominent professional sports team,” wrote Michael A. Friedman, the clinical psychologist who compiled the report. The damage is amplified by a multi-billion annual marketing machine that “not only repeatedly exposes Native Americans to a harmful stereotype, but also implicitly condones the use of this term by non-Native Americans, which if performed on an interpersonal level would possibly constitute harassment or bullying.”
The stereotypes affect non-Native people, too.
“The social science research and literature on this is pretty overwhelming that the use of these caricatures is bad for everyone. Particularly, it’s bad for children,” said Bryan Brayboy in an interview produced by the Global Sport Institute at Arizona State University.
Brayboy, a professor of Indigenous education and justice, said Native-themed mascots normalize racism. “For non-native kids, it largely inures them toward racism toward Native people. It ends up giving them the sense that Native folks and peoples are a thing of the past or are to be caricatured, so they are less likely to have empathy with Native peoples, and they come to see us as these relics of the past and stereotypes rather than vibrant, viable, productive human beings.”
These arguments are not new.
In 2005, the American Psychological Association (APA) called for all schools and teams to stop using American Indian mascots, symbols, and all related images. “The symbols, images and mascots teach non-Indian children that it’s acceptable to participate in culturally abusive behavior and perpetuate inaccurate misconceptions about American Indian culture,” they wrote.
And while many did, hundreds persist, and heated debates over racist school mascots continue to play out across the country.
As the Washington team begins their review, it’s worth noting that there is precedent. In 2015, California became the first state in the country to pass a law banning the use of the racial name as a school team name or mascot.
Dahkota Kicking Bear Brown, a student-activist who supported the legislation, dreaded game day against the Calaveras High School football team, whose name was the slur and inspired racist chants from his own team’s supporters.
Brown saw the law as a new beginning: “I hope everyone can move forward positively and select a new mascot inclusive of all students to represent their campus community.”


fortune--2020-07-04--How to watch the July 4 partial lunar eclipse

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Independence Day revelers who turn their gaze skyward for fireworks this weekend (assuming they’re not canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic) may notice another spectacle.
Late Saturday night and early Sunday, a partial lunar eclipse will take place. Across most of North and South America, the astronomical event will start at 11:07 p.m. ET on July 4 and last until 1:52 a.m. ET on July 5.
Variable weather conditions may obscure the sky, depending on people’s locations, but the best viewing time should be around 12:30 a.m. ET.
People across western Europe and Africa may be able to glimpse the phenomenon, though it will be harder to discern as morning twilight washes over those parts of the world. Elsewhere, in Eastern Europe, Asia, and the northernmost reaches of Canada and Alaska, the event will not be visible.
What you’ll see
The nighttime effect will be a subtle one.
The moon will appear slightly darker than usual as it passes through the outer part of Earth’s shadow, called the penumbra. Even for those with good vision, the faint shading of a corner of the moon—called a partial, penumbral lunar eclipse—can be hard to see.
The visual is less dramatic than a total lunar eclipse. During this other type of eclipse, the Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the moon, and light refracted through the planet’s atmosphere casts a bloody, reddish hue on its surface.
At least two lunar eclipses happen every year. This will be the third lunar eclipse of 2020 and the first one visible in the Americas since last year. The next one, also a penumbral lunar eclipse, will take place on Nov. 30.
Coincidentally, Jupiter and Saturn will also be prominently visible this weekend. Look for the two planets, which will appear as bright star-like points of light near the moon in the southeasterly sky.
When’s the next lunar eclipse?
Lunar eclipses only occur during full moons. The full moon of July is colloquially known as a Buck Moon because it appears around the time that young male deer grow their antlers.
A lunar eclipse requires the Sun, Earth, and moon to form a straight line in space. Astronomers call this celestial condition syzygy.
The next total lunar eclipse will take place next year. On May 21, 2021, the moon will completely pass through the Earth’s shadow, imparting a crimson glow that will be visible to most of the Americas, Australia, and eastern Asia.


fortune--2020-07-04--The Statue of Liberty’s origin in photos

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This weekend is July 4th, and though it’s a time to celebrate—safely—the United States’ Independence Day, it’s also a time to reflect on what freedom and liberty means. The Statue of Liberty has been an enduring national symbol to personify that very abstract idea.
“Liberty Enlightening the World” arrived in the New York Harbor from its journey from France, disassembled in 350 pieces, on June 17, 1885. More commonly known as the Statue of Liberty, it was the largest statue at the time, towering over the Brooklyn Bridge and Trinity Church, and symbolized a message the country is still striving to attain today: liberty for all.
Rising 305 feet tall from its pedestal to torch, the statue weighs 450,000 pounds; 88 tons of brass were used in its structure. The length of one hand is more than 16 feet while her index finger measures exactly 8 feet. The colossal statue was a gift from France and the brainchild of French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi to symbolize America’s message of liberty to the world, something he constructed while depressed at the ruins and wretchedness in his native land after defeat by Germany in the Franco-Prussian War.
The New Ulm Review in Minnesota recounted, “’Liberty Enlightening the World!’ What a priceless blessing personal liberty is. It is the shrine at which people, ground under the heel of tyranny in the older worlds, worship with a fervency that Americans can scarcely realize.”
Liberty was still seen as a controversial topic in the 19th century. It suggested violence and revolution to many people, but Bartholdi used classical images of a powerful, honorable national authority to overcome the ideology.
The colossal statue was, and still is, a symbol of independence for all, but it’s an ideal that has seemed ironic and unattainable for centuries.
In an early model, Bartholdi depicted Lady Liberty holding broken chains in her hand referring to the emancipation of slaves in 1863 . But in the final model, the chains were replaced with a tablet dated July 4, 1776 nodding to the Declaration of Independence. Bartholdi then placed the broken shackle and chains beneath Lady Liberty’s feet—they are basically impossible for visitors to see at most angles. Though it nodded to the emancipation of slavery in the U.S. and symbolized an enlightened approach to liberty, the country is still striving to attain the liberty for all it promotes.
Scroll below to see how the Statue of Liberty was built and constructed.
A model of the Statue of Liberty’s head on display in the garden at the Champ de Mars at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1878. Construction on the project began in 1876, but the head was put on display to help raise money to complete the project of building Lady Liberty. Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis/Getty Images
Artisans at Bartholdi’s Parisian warehouse construct a full scale model of the Statue of Liberty’s left hand in 1882. Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images
A view of the Statue of Liberty’s foot during construction in Paris before its journey to the United States, circa 1883. The entire statue was completed and assembled in Paris between 1881 and 1884. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
View of the Statue of Liberty enclosed by scaffolding, while under construction, seen from the Rue de Chazelles in Paris, circa 1884. Paul-Joseph-Victor Dargand/Frederic Lewis—Getty Images
The feet of the Statue of Liberty arrive on Bedloe’s Island in 1885. The island was renamed Liberty Island in 1956. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Construction on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe’s Island. The U.S. was responsible for building and funding the 89-foot stone pedestal, while France focused on the statue itself and its transportation. Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of The World in New York City, played an important role in persuading the American public to contribute to the project. National Park Service


fortune--2020-07-04--Cities still have a place in the post-pandemic world—but they have to be different. Here’s how

The U.S. Constitution needs an overhaul .
Here ’ s how California can help

Over the past few months, coronavirus lockdowns have impacted cities and communities all over the globe in dramatic ways. This has raised the question: Is there still a place for cities?
The answer is not simple; it requires us to learn from what has happened over the past few months and rethink how we leverage technology to reimagine what cities can be, and the critical role they play in our collective future.
What has COVID-19 taught us?
Reimagining work. The recent shift to work-from-home workforces has major implications for our cities, businesses, and individual health and happiness. At the start of the pandemic, businesses within cities were focused on getting their employees working remotely and securely, with access to the appropriate tools. As the reality of the pandemic as a long-term shift sets in, businesses will need to learn how to sustain a remote working model and manage a hybrid (home- and office-based) workforce. We’ve also seen telehealth and distance learning take giant leaps forward, potentially making health and education more accessible to a wider population. Technology is playing a key role, as the World Economic Forum has observed. While initiatives like the Connected North program, which provided remote learning for far-flung Inuit communities across Northern Canada, were underway before COVID-19, post-pandemic access to remote learning, medicine, and employment will be much broader.
Glocalization: Governments and the private sector are working smarter and more closely together. In cities around the world, COVID-19 has forced renewed attention to health and wellness, and put a premium on connectivity, collaboration, and public health data. While different towns, cities, and states have taken multiple strategies and approaches, the bottom line is that we have worked together as a nation and a world to curb the spread of the virus. Together we are researching vaccines, and innovating in new ways. This teamwork can and should shape how we move forward. We were on our way to a smart, connected future before the pandemic; this has shown us we need to get there faster.
Cleaning up the environment. Data from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), and other sources indicate dramatic reductions in nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants around the world. From China to India to the U.S., the world is experiencing air pollution levels not seen since the first half of the 20th century. That is so far back in history that many have never even seen this level of clean air. Prior to COVID-19, some cities had been using technology to shift traffic patterns, drive down pollution, and improve life for people. But this growth has been slow and unevenly distributed around the globe.
The importance of human interaction: Connection with people is an inherent aspect of our human society. We seek out and lean on human interaction when we are experiencing the stress of life’s challenges. This biological programming drives us to gather in groups, usually shielding us from mental and physical harm. Today, we are faced with a community challenge. The new threats of COVID-19 and political unrest challenge us to be creative in how we maintain our social connections and manage our mental and physical health. As we start to open up our cities again, we will all need to adapt our social distancing strategies to ensure we meet our basic human needs of physical, social connection and interaction.
Redefining our post-pandemic cities
We are now faced with an unprecedented pivot to address what we have learned. And technology is helping us to redefine post-pandemic cities. The challenge is: How do we work together to manage that pivot? Over the past six months, one thing has become clear: Even though this is one of our most trying times as a global community, it also has the possibility to be one of our greatest moments. The progress we’re making as a collective in fighting the virus and rethinking our way of life is something many didn’t think possible at the beginning of 2020. In effect, I see one possible future—a future where people, powered by innovation and technology, pull together to improve our cities and communities.
Now more than ever, the world needs brave solutions
The fight against COVID-19 is far from over, but there is already a premium placed on “smart” initiatives that leverage innovations such as quantum computing and digital twinning for solutions like smart street lighting and automated water meters. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the climate crisis to the well-being of all life on earth, I believe that technology holds the key to solving some of the world’s greatest problems.
Lessons for global leaders
Leadership now needs to increasingly focus on long-range targets, as well as on achieving short-term quarterly profits. For example, business leaders looking at achieving the UN Development Program’s 17 goals for sustainable development now have reason to renew their efforts. Those who have previously dismissed such efforts as unrealistic or aspirational have reason to reconsider their objections.
This is a departure from traditional thinking and a challenge for conventional leadership. As we emerge from this pandemic, it’s important that we learn from the bold commitments and brave solutions the world has undertaken over such a short time.
Reimagining our cities of the future
As our cities reopen, we have the chance to reimagine them. I absolutely believe that cities will continue to be our social centers, our cultural hearts; but now we have the chance to make them cleaner, safer, smarter, and more innovative than ever thanks to the promise of technology. Our evolving relationship with cities will require increased computing power as we continue to process exponential amounts of data, and require better connectivity and more advanced networks.
However, we will also relieve pressure on the environment, as the supply chain linked to the relationship we once had with cities is redirected. We will preserve what we love about cities and build upon the lessons we’ve learned from the coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 has created a significant challenge for all of us, but it has also shown us what we as a human team can accomplish working together—a better world and cities that give more than they take.
Jason Goodall is global CEO of NTT Ltd.


fortune--2020-07-04--101 Great Things About America (2020 Edition)

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
This Fourth of July, people from coast to coast were supposed to fire up the grill, crack a cold beverage, and crank up the tunes in celebration of yet another Independence Day. Some of you—hell, many of you—will still do so in honor of America’s 244 trips around the sun. But you’ll be doing it in a socially distanced way from the comfort of a home likely subject to lockdown orders thanks to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Holiday concert? Canceled. Fireworks? Fuggeddaboutit. Summertime ballgame? Yer outta here!
That’s okay. On the 10th anniversary of our first-ever list of “100 great things about America,” the editorial staff at Fortune is once again here to help you remember the people, places, things, and ideas that make the United States worth celebrating (even if a few more of us could stand to wear face masks).
As with our prior lists, there are only a few rules. The first: We claim no ranking or exclusivity to this list, so spare us the kvetching when you weigh in at feedback@fortune.com. The second: Deceased folks are disbarred—simple as that. Finally, we suspended our usual “no repeats” rule since our annual observation of this Fortune tradition has been a bit spotty. (One too many cold ones, we’re afraid.)
Oh, and one more thing: This list was originally the brainchild of former Fortune top editor Andy Serwer, who as it so happens also decided this year to revive the lost tradition over at Yahoo Finance. Great minds, Andy. Here’s to America—and to you.
Who and what made this year’s list? Read on to find out.
Contributors: Megan Arnold, Kristen Bellstrom, Daniel Bentley, Maria Carmicino, Lee Clifford, Geoff Colvin, Scott DeCarlo, Mia Diehl, Josue Evilla, Nicole Goodkind, Robert Hackett, Armin Harris, Matt Heimer, Alison Klooster, Verne Kopytoff, Michal Lev-Ram, McKenna Moore, David Z. Morris, Sy Mukherjee, Andrew Nusca, Brian O’Keefe, Aaron Pressman, Rachel Schallom, Jonathan Vanian, Bernhard Warner, Jen Wieczner
1.) #MeToo movement
A movement that started in the U.S. and went on to rock the global patriarchy.
2.) Athleisure
Because Americans invented—and reinvented—casual dressing.
3.) Bagels
The perfect breakfast—and sometimes lunch—carbohydrate, this dense and chewy classic has yet to be replicated, let alone improved upon, outside of America’s borders, European bakeries and pastry shops be damned. Just try being jet-lagged—or worse, hung over—in a foreign airport and you’ll never miss home so much. Sure, the bagel may have originated in Eastern Europe, but it was perfected in New York and New Jersey. Besides: What more could you possibly want out of life after enjoying an everything bagel? (Another, maybe.)
4.) Baseball caps
Baseball is fine. Baseball hats? Amazing.
5.) Basketball
Invented out of thin air (by a Canadian!) in America, now the most popular sport in China.
6.) BBQ
Sliced brisket at Hill Country BBQ on June 16, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Bill O’Leary—The Washington Post via Getty Images
Carolina vinegar or Memphis-style sweet sauce. Pulled pork or beef brisket. Dallas or Kansas City. We love to argue about it. We love to eat it. And it’s all-American.
7.) Beyoncé
The most powerful force in music today.
8.) Big-box stores
Not all good to be sure, but great for stocking up during, say, a pandemic.
9.) Blueberries
Low in calories and high in antioxidants, these super-healthy berries are native to North America. The U.S. is the world’s largest producer of them. And they’re delicious in muffins and smoothies. Pretty great.
10.) Bob Dylan
A production still from “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” on Netflix. NetflIx
He is a sage, a whisperer of the times. From “Like a Rolling Stone” to “Murder Most Foul,” he is able to capture things about society in a way that only American folk music can.
11.) Bourbon whiskey
It is delicious.
12.) The California coastline
The rugged coastal headlands of Big Sur California. Alan Majchrowicz—Getty Images
Eight-hundred-and-forty miles of waterfront that includes deserts, redwood forests, cranky sea lions, Marine Corps helipads, and much more—and almost all of it publicly accessible, thanks to state laws that put public access first.
13.) Carole King
She broke the gender barrier in modern pop-music songwriting, and she did it the American way—by writing better songs that kicked the boys’ club’s butts on the Billboard charts.
14.) The Census
Everyone in the U.S. has a chance to get counted, and therefore determine congressional representation and federal funding. And it’s happening now.
15.) Cocktails
Were they created in the U.S. by the pioneering bartender Jerry Thomas in the mid-1800s, or much earlier in Europe? Whatever the case, Americans put the modern mixed drink on the map.
16.) Coffee to go
Whether you prefer yours Frappuccino-style (a.k.a. “a sheet cake in a cup”), or as a flat white over ice, America has all the options covered. And no matter your rush, you can always get it to go and take it with you–which is, after all, when you need coffee the most.
17.) Corn on the cob
This quintessential summertime treat was here before most Americans’ ancestors—and today, the U.S. leads the world in corn production. It’s also a key ingredient in bourbon. Any questions?
18.) Dolly Parton
The podcast Dolly Parton’s America was a surprise hit last year—but it shouldn’t have been a surprise, because this dynamic country singer-songwriter is a national treasure. If giving the world “Jolene,” “9-to-5,” and Dollywood weren’t enough, Parton has donated more than 130 million books through her Imagination Library.
19.) Domestic beer
Get out of here with your imports. Whether you prefer a taste of the Rockies or something more hop-ular, only American brew will do.
20.) Drive-in movie theaters
“Jurassic Park” screening at the Wellfleet Drive-In Theatre in Wellfleet, Mass., on June 25, 2020. The drive-in originally opened in July 1957. Craig F. Walker—The Boston Globe/Getty Images
Who knew we’d need them more than ever in 2020? For movies, graduations, and now even live concerts, drive-ins are the (socially distanced) way to go.
21.) Fall leaf peeping
A great American tradition to watch the forests shed their summer greens and put on a multihued display that outstrips even a Monet painting.
22.) Fender
Founded in Southern California and found on stages around the world, this guitarmaker’s latest digital moves give us hope that it’ll last for generations to come.
23.) The First Amendment
People kneel and raise their fists in the air for eight minutes and 46 seconds—the time that George Floyd was pinned under a police officer’s knee—during a march and protest to mark the Juneteenth holiday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on June 19, 2020, in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images
Freedom of speech. The right of the people to peaceably assemble. Still driving progress in 2020.
24.) Frank Lloyd Wright
The architect who gave the world some of its most beautiful buildings.
25.) Free ice water (at restaurants)
In the U.S., restaurants almost uniformly give you endless cold water in large glasses. That’s the dream.
26.) Frenchmen Street, New Orleans
When the barf-brigade party bros chased the real musicians off of Bourbon Street, this is where a lot of them landed. A great place to hear N.O. brass bands, big band jazz, creole and cajun folk, and everything else that makes up the primal stew of modern American music.
27.) Fruit pies
“American Pie” is a hokey song but American pies are unquestionably delicious.
28.) GMC Hummer EV
The most American vehicle on the planet is revived as a 1,000 horsepower, zero emissions pickup truck. How’s that for a Hollywood-quality comeback story?
29.) The Grateful Dead
The quintessential 1960s hippie band whose mix of rock, blues, bluegrass, and jazz has transcended the decades since. We miss you, Jerry!
30.) Gritty
Flyers mascot Gritty entertains fans during the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers on January 21, 2020, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Kyle Ross—Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The idiosyncratic, delightful, and vaguely threatening mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team is exactly what sports fans need when professional leagues have been sidelined from the pandemic. The roles of America’s superego and ego may be up for debate, but there is little doubt that Gritty is the country’s id.
31.) HBCUs
Historically black colleges and universities have been pillars of the Black community and have given Black Americans the opportunity for higher education when no one else would. From Morehouse and Spelman to Cheyney and Hampton, HBCUs have been, and remain, massive contributors to American culture at large.
32.) High school marching bands
Like a brass-heavy, nonfatal train wreck you just can’t look away from. Who thought this was a good idea? And yet you walk away with an unironic smile on your face. Awesome.
33.) U.S. higher education system
Sure, the financial aspect is a bit…funky, shall we say. (Fortune is, ahem, a family publication.) But the United States is still the uncontested best place in the world to get a college or post-collegiate education. For now: Continuing cuts to public university funding, the increasing parsimony of well-endowed private schools, and restrictions on the ability of international students to come here are looming existential threats to one of America’s most singular advantages.
34.) Hot dogs, corn dogs, and chili cheese dogs (with curly fries and a cherry Coke)
Sara Lee brand Best Kosher Hot Dogs and State Fair Corn Dogs are free for the eating during the American Meat Institute’s Annual Hot Dog Day Lunch in the courtyard of the Rayburn House Office Building July 23, 2008, in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images
When it comes to the hot dog (née wiener or frankfurther), even COVID-19 can’t stop American demand for cheap meat on a bun. As for corn dogs, we cede the floor to Fortune’s Michal Lev-Ram for an anecdote: “I moved to the U.S. when I was in third grade and still remember my first time eating a corn dog for school lunch. I had no idea there would be a hot dog inside when I bit into it. I totally remember my mixture of disgust and pleasure at the discovery, and wonderment for why this concoction was put on a stick to begin with. But to this day it’s one of my favorite memories of my first few days in America.” And a chili cheese dog with curly fries and a cherry Coke? “No other nation on earth could possibly have created this,” our own Geoff Colvin notes. As usual, he’s right.
35.) Immigrants
From the kitchens of New York City’s best restaurants to the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, you don’t have to look far to see the immeasurable contributions that immigrants make to life in the United States.
36.) Jazz music
From the pioneering and progressive stylings of Miles Davis to the approachable (if not bland) Kenny G, jazz is a uniquely American creation that resonates with seemingly everyone, from academics to Average Joes. Plus: We wouldn’t have hip-hop as we know it without jazz; numerous hip-hop hits contain jazz samples dating back decades.
37.) Jewish deli food
Katz’s Delicatessen in the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York. Katz’s Deli opened in 1888 and is famous for a key scene in the film “When Harry Met Sally”… as well as its delicatessen cuisine. Richard Levine—Corbis/Getty Images
Cel-Ray soda, whitefish salad, smoked salmon…it’s too good to be true. Our pick? Katz’s Delicatessen, a New York City institution just a brief subway ride away from Fortune headquarters. “I don’t even eat beef and I scarf down an entire pastrami sandwich when I go,” our own McKenna Moore says. “I’ve been craving it from Brooklyn for the entire pandemic!”
38.) Khan Academy
Founded by Louisiana native Salman Khan, this Silicon Valley nonprofit creates free online video lessons covering an array of subjects and available in dozens of languages. A free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere? We dig it.
39.) Killer Mike
Run the Jewels frontman Killer Mike at All Points East Festival in May 2019. Joe Quigg—Ray-Ban via Getty Images
Killer Mike is a hip-hop artist and social activist whose influential collaborative Run the Jewels has never shied away from tackling issues of systemic inequality, racism, and various other American ills. His songs are bangers and his social justice sermons speak to an American tradition of speaking out on behalf of the oppressed—even if it’s uncomfortable. As protests raged in Atlanta, Killer Mike gave a passionate speech to its city council speaking to the pain of Black Americans while cautioning that residents shouldn’t burn down their cities, especially if such activity afflicts those who are already aggrieved. Why is Killer Mike so interesting? Because the man embodies American contradictions. (He delivered a speech urging peace while wearing a shirt that said “Kill Your Masters.”) Rage and empathy can be a duopoly, but Killer Mike’s lyricism captures the moment and feeling in a way few other things can.
40.) LeBron James
King James overcame inner-city poverty to become the greatest (male) athlete of his generation—as well as an entrepreneur, public educator, and activist.
41.) Leslie Jordan
This Tennessean actor’s Instagram is one of the very few not positively awful things to come out of the pandemic.
42.) Lin-Manuel Miranda and Hamilton
How great is a composer-lyricist-composer-actor-rapper who can turn a historical figure—a former Treasury Secretary, no less—into a Broadway sensation? Five-plus years later, the musical Hamilton remains one of the most moving pieces of art Broadway has ever produced—and Miranda its multitalented creator.
43.) Lizzo
It’s practically illegal to be upset when listening to Lizzo’s music. She is the singer-songwriter we needed at this time.
44.) Lobster rolls
Who would ever think that a food once intended for prisoners would be so damn delicious?
45.) Long highways
The interchange between the 105 and 110 freeways in Los Angeles on May 1, 2020. Patrick T. Fallon—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Call ’em highways, freeways, or turnpikes, but five of the world’s 10 longest such roadways are located in the U.S. And there’s nothing more American than hitting the open road. (See No. 68.)
46.) Mamma Mia
The music of a Swedish music group leads to a British musical that becomes a popular American movie franchise set in Greece. We know.
47.) Marfa, Texas
This little art town in middle-of-nowhere West Texas with a population of less than 2,000 represents the American ability to create something out of nothing and also our love of keeping it weird, even in socially conservative parts of the country.
48.) Marvel Cinematic Universe
It’s as if producers are saying, “We will continue to make these films whether you want to watch them or not.” (But who are we kidding—we will.)
49.) Mel Brooks
A uniquely American spirit, his Borscht Belt humor has defined what comedy means for multiple generations.
50.) Metropolitan Museum of Art
The largest art museum in the U.S. and one of the most-visited in the world. And for locals—New York State residents and students from Connecticut and New Jersey—the price of admission is still “as you wish.”
51.) Mike Trout
Baseball is coming back this month. (We hope.) If the games are actually held, check out Trout—that is, provided he’s willing to take the field. At age 28, the Los Angeles Angel has already established himself as one of the greatest players of all time.
52.) NASA
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing beside the United States flag. Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission, was launched on July 16, 1969. SSPL/Getty Images
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will turn 62 this month, and it’s still learning new tricks decades after it first put people on the moon. Witness the launch on May 30 of a private rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station—a historic collaboration with SpaceX (see No. 75).
53.) National Park System & National Seashore
These shining examples of the best of America’s landscape are more than mere parks—they’re national treasures. What’s more, you can visit each (or all 2,000-plus of them) for significantly less than the cost of an Amazon Prime subscription.
54.) New York City
Okay we’re a bit biased—Fortune is headquartered here. Because even when the city that (usually) never sleeps took a bit of a nap during the pandemic, it remained unquestionably the best, most alive city in the world. In lieu of Broadway, people gathered outside of hospitals to conduct standing ovations for health workers. Instead of taxis, bicycles cruised down the middle of Times Square. Even as the city became the early epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., its leaders still read the room—and New Yorkers’ don’t-tell-me-what-to-do-attitude—and stopped short of ordering “shelter in place” (but still convinced enough people to stay home by terming it “NYC on pause”) to shrink COVID-19 case numbers to among the lowest in the country. New York proved that, even besieged, it remains undiminished as the city where anything is possible.
55.) New York Mets
The New York Mets baseball team is, in a way, emblematic of the American spirit itself. We love to root for the underdog. We feel okay booing our own team. And when we do win? Man, it’s great feeling. (Editor’s note: Another great thing about America is the right to vehemently object. Go Phils.)
56.) Night + Market
This popular trio of Los Angeles restaurants led by 37-year-old Kris Yenbamroong is a fiery mashup of Thai street flavors and rock ‘n’ roll swagger—in other words, all American.
57.) Nike sneakers
Nikes are the new jeans.
58.) Old Navy flag T-shirts
The Fourth of July store to end all Fourth of July stores.
59.) Oprah Winfrey
No explanation necessary.
60.) Linguistic optimism
Most languages have far too many tenses—those dedicated to hypotheticals, conditionals, and different times. Americans easily get by with the big three: past, present, and future (and usually just the latter two). It’s a stripped-down confidence no nation can rival.
61.) Prestige TV
Actor Idris Elba in a 2002 still from “The Wire.” (Courtesy HBO)
Cinema may have originated in Europe, but it took American cinematic genius to create The Wire, Mad Men, The Sopranos, and the other series that have arguably topped film when it comes to storytelling power.
62.) Prolific authors
Nora Roberts, Janet Evanovich, Danielle Steel, Stephen King, and others keep us wanting more. (And more.)
63.) Public libraries
Even in a time of pandemic, local libraries around the country are meeting the reading and community-gathering needs of patrons, whether through ebook lending, online book groups, or even the distribution of portable Internet hotspots.
64.) Rap music
Built in America, it quickly took over the world. Rap is popular music.
65.) Richard Nelson’s Apple Family plays
The prolific Chicago-born playwright’s turf is contemporary politics as seen through the eyes of an upstate New York family, the Apples. Inspired by COVID-19’s transformation of American life, Nelson added to his existing four Apple plays with two that are set during the pandemic and performed from each actor’s home. Both were made available for free viewing online, although donations to support the hard-hit theater community are, as you’d expect, gratefully accepted.
66.) Rihanna
An immigrant from Barbados, Rihanna relocated to the U.S. in 2005 and hasn’t stopped putting out bangers since. As of 2019, she is the world’s wealthiest female musician, according to estimates. Before her 30th birthday, she launched cosmetics brand Fenty (her surname), and the world found love with the now gold standard for superior quality across a broad range of skin tones. Objectively too good for Drake, she’s put in the work, work, work, work, work for humanitarian causes important to her, including Black Lives Matter. So rain or shine, we stand under RiRi’s umbrella.
67.) Rivalries
Coke versus Pepsi. Red Sox versus Yankees. Musk vs. Zuck. In America, rivalries never go out of style.
68.) Road trips
A uniquely American vacation phenomenon—hated by children, loved by adults. Mile after mile of highway monotony (on some of the world’s longest roads; see No. 45), punctuated by stunning scenery, gas stations, greasy food, and history.
69.) Robert Caro
The journalist and author (The Power Broker, The Years of Lyndon Johnson) has demonstrated that he is ready and willing to research the history of our country for decades to unearth stories and bring them to us in an easy-to-understand folksy manner.
70.) Sandwiches
A muffuletta sandwich at Central Grocery in New Orleans on Aug. 11, 2015. Melina Mara—The Washington Post via Getty Images
Muffulettas. Hot browns. Cheesesteaks. Reubens. Patty melts. Turkey clubs. Travel around the world—or not; thanks, coronavirus—and it’s clear that the U.S. of A. has a clear edge when it comes to the alchemy between two pieces of bread. Brits invented sandwiches; Americans perfected them.
71.) Santa Claus
Sure, Kris Kringle has roots in most of Western Christendom, but the modern incarnation of Saint Nick comes from the 19th-century New York scholar Clement Clarke Moore.
72.) Satellite radio
Though it actually debuted in the Middle East, satellite radio never caught on anywhere like it did in the U.S. It’s a technology that combines Americans’ love of endless choice with our “my car is my home” lifestyle.
73.) Saturday Night Live
SNL: 45 years on TV and better than ever.
74.) Silicon Valley
The area in California, not the satirical television show. (We’ll be sure to save that for another year.) Yes, the Valley has come under fire lately for unethical data-collection practices and a general cavalier attitude toward business, but it remains responsible for some of the biggest technology breakthroughs in history. There’s a reason other countries say their tech hubs are the “Silicon Valley of [insert location here].”
75.) SpaceX
Founder and CEO Elon Musk may have grown up in South Africa, but his Los Angeles–area space company has American astronauts blasting off for space exploration from American soil again.
76.) Spike Lee
The writer-director we need more than ever at this moment in American history is back with a moving new film, Da 5 Bloods. There are plenty of great American directors, but who has poked and prodded and reexamined America and American history with more urgency than Spike?
77.) Spiked seltzer
“It’s just so good.” —An unnamed member of Fortune’s staff
78.) Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert and guest Kesha during his show on Jan. 10, 2020. Scott Kowalchyk—CBS via Getty Images
Few comedians are able to capture the absurdity of living in America like the CBS Late Show host.
79.) Steven Spielberg
America’s foremost maestro of blockbuster movies has never gone out of style—but he’s having a moment as rereleases of some of his classic films, Jaws and Jurassic Park, duke it out for the top spot of the box office at drive-ins. (See No. 20.)
80.) Streaming video
Netflix. Amazon Prime. Disney Plus. Hulu. We wouldn’t be watching British crime dramas, or Scandinavian murder mysteries, or Japanese yakuza shows, were it not for this American innovation. America brought it to the world—and now we need it to survive the pandemic.
81.) Summer vacation
American children take it for granted, but other countries—such as Germany—make their kids go to school in the summer.
82.) Tater tots
Whether the trademarked versions by Oregon’s own Ore-Ida or another variety, tots are arguably the most perfect form of potato that exists. Undeniably American, undeniably delicious.
83.) Tex-Mex food
Out of the Rio Grande Valley comes a delicious shared cuisine where Mexico’s tortillas, pico de gallo, and guacamole get friendly with ground beef, beans, and cheese. The ultimate comfort food.
84.) The blues
Blues guitarist Buddy Guy on the closing night of the 2019 Montreal Jazz Festival on July 6, 2019, in Montreal. Roberta Parkin—Getty Images
A uniquely American music form, and the root of most if not all modern music—especially rock ‘n’ roll. It is pain, joy, and poetry wrapped inside repeating progression chords and a soundtrack to the history of America.
85.) The dollar
The world’s reserve currency has given Americans access to immense cheap capital and helped finance our sometimes profligate public spending. But thanks to decades of steady hands on the tiller, the dollar has also given the world a stable, trusted medium of exchange, smoothing the rails for globalization and making everyone richer—including millions of regular people worldwide for whom cash dollars are a valued shelter from unstable local currencies.
86.) The iPhone
Apple’s ubiquitous device that kicked off the smartphone revolution may be manufactured abroad but it was, and still is, “Designed in California.”
87.) The Last Dance
Even if you don’t like basketball or Michael Jordan, the drama and excitement of watching the ascension of the 1990s Chicago Bulls basketball team (complete with the vintage ’90s soundtrack) in this ESPN documentary series will be the best 10 hours you’ll have spent in a long time. Plus: Nothing will make you feel more American than watching MJ in a beret stormed by rabid French fans in Paris.
88.) The Legacy Museum
Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson speaks to the media at the Legacy Museum in Montgomery on Jan. 17, 2020. Mickey Welsh—Montgomery Advertiser/USA Today/Reuters
Located in Montgomery, the museum and accompanying memorial opened in 2018 and was developed by lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson and his Equal Justice Initiative organization to examine slavery and its continuing effects, including the mass incarceration of Black Americans.
89.) The prairie
Sure, New Yorkers might not realize it—but there are thousands of miles of land in this country that are essentially empty. This lush land drove settlers to leave the East Coast and strike out to make their fortunes. Plus: Prairie fashion!
90.) Shopping malls
Nobody else builds temples to retail like Americans do. (Though the competition with parts of Asia is fierce.) Malls arguably peaked in the 1980s, but now the retrograde architecture is part of their charm.
91.) The Simpsons
Matt Groening with the Simpsons. Douglas Kirkland—Corbis/Getty Images
The Americans didn’t invent satire, but Matt Groening and company took it to another animated level. Turn on the TV in more than 70 countries and you’ll find Homer, Bart, Marge, and Lisa. The Simpsons is American soft power at its best, poking fun at enduring institutions and modern life.
92.) The Smithsonian
The Space Shuttle Discovery and Kermit the Frog are among the 154 million items belonging to “the nation’s attic.” Best of all: Its 19 museums, 21 libraries, nine research centers, and zoo are open to the public for free.
93.) The stock market
No other country in the world offers the opportunity to make money as easily, and with as little risk, as the United States. You could put all your savings in U.S. stocks, leave them there indefinitely, and come out significantly richer by virtually doing nothing, proven over nearly every medium-term time period.
94.) Theaster Gates
A Chicago-based artist and entrepreneur testing the idea that you can rebuild a ravaged community around visual and performing arts.
95.) U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team
Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan of the United States celebrate with teammates after winning the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup France final match between the U.S. and the Netherlands at Stade de Lyon on July 7, 2019, in Lyon, France. Jose Breton—NurPhoto/Getty Images
Four championships in seven tournaments. A murderer’s row of athletic talent. Pioneers of equal pay. Among the greatest teams that the U.S. has ever fielded in any sport.
96.) U.S. Postal Service
A United States Postal Service letter carrier wears a protective mask and gloves while delivering mail in Fairfax, Va., May 19, 2020. Andrew Harrer—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Even as the organization battles for its life, it remains a small miracle that you can send a letter to anyone anywhere in the country for 55 cents. A vital institution for connecting rural Americans to the rest of the country and a force for propelling Black Americans and military veterans into the middle class when private organizations weren’t as up to the task.
97.) Venture capital
It’s not without its shortcomings, certainly. But the American venture capital system, which over the past decade has been adopted as far away as Israel and Japan, has been a great exporter of Americans’ willingness to take risks and innovate. (It’s right there in the name.) We may not have many frontiers left, but capitalism itself can be a great adventure.
98.) Venus & Serena Williams
Serena Williams is hugged by her sister Venus Williams after the women’s singles round three match in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the 2018 U.S. Open Tennis Tournament. Tim Clayton—Corbis/Getty Images
The Williams sisters changed tennis—and sports!—forever, putting a distinctly American stamp on a game that’s long been associated with upper-crust Europeans.
99.) Willie Nelson
A quintessentially American songwriter who has embraced every genre from Tin Pan Alley to bluegrass to grunge to Aerosmith-style cheez metal. He changed the Nashville sound permanently—then left it all behind for more space (and better marijuana) in his home state of Texas.
100.) Wrigley Field
Old, obsolete, unforgettable.
101.) Yard & garage sales
This American tradition is not only climate-friendly—repurposing things!—but it’s cheap and fun.
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fortune--2020-07-04--Cosmetics industry titan Bobbi Brown eyes the next big wave in beauty

After building and selling a billion-dollar makeup empire, it would be easy (and understandable) to pack up and retire.
But cosmetics legend Bobbi Brown is looking to push the industry forward with the launch of a new company meant to disrupt the beauty industry once again. EVOLUTION_18 is a beauty-inspired ingestible line—selling powders, capsules, gummies, and more with collagen and protein—inspired by Brown’s personal credo that beauty starts from the inside out.
Brown recently spoke with Fortune about her new business, EVOLUTION_18, and the explosion of wellness brands taking over the beauty and cosmetics industries.
The following interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
EVOLUTION_18 sells wellness supplements promoting better health for hair, skin, and nails. Courtesy of EVOLUTION_18
Fortune: Your original eponymous cosmetics brand grew into a multimillion dollar business, which you sold to Estée Lauder more than 20 years ago. In the last few years, there has been a considerable shift in consumer preferences from makeup to a focus on skincare and wellness. Your new brand, EVOLUTION_18, is more about “ingestible beauty.” What exactly is ingestible beauty, and why do you think consumers are leaning this way and away from traditional makeup and beauty brands?
Brown: It seems that people are recognizing that beauty really does begin from the inside out. Personally, my makeup routine has grown more minimal over time, always involves moisturizer, and rarely takes longer than five minutes. Everyone is different, but usually when you’re taking care of yourself on the inside, the better you look on the outside. And even more importantly, you feel better, stronger, and more confident. I think people are catching on—and skincare and wellness brands are, too.
The wellness industry is hotter than ever, but it’s also crowded. What inspired the launch of EVOLUTION_18? What makes it stand apart?
I launched my lifestyle-inspired wellness line, EVOLUTION_18, as a natural extension of my book Beauty From the Inside Out, which is all about how health enhances beauty. After spending more than 25 years talking to women about their health and wellness challenges, I became a certified health coach with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. This transition was a great opportunity to pursue something I’ve always been passionate about, and it’s been exciting to bring decades of corporate experience to a start-up. It’s an opportunity to really think outside of the box.
During the past few months with stay at home orders in place, you’ve been building the brand from your home. What has that been like? What has your day-to-day routine been like?
When the lockdown was announced and all my appointments, lunches, and in-person appearances were canceled, I was able to step back and evaluate what really matters.
Now I’m trying to keep everything simple. I’m doing housework between the Instagram lives and Zoom calls. And my team is scrappy and brilliant—they’ve made the transition to working from home easy. Once we’re back in the office, I’m looking to integrate even more flexibility into our culture. If something comes up and someone can’t make a meeting, they can Zoom in. And maybe I’ll be more willing to take that trip with my husband, since I know now that I can take calls and keep the business going from anywhere.
EVOLUTION_18 is available online, direct-to-consumer, but also via Walmart. How did the partnership with Walmart come about?
The partnership with Walmart came from a simple philosophy: health and wellness should be available to absolutely everyone. The products in this line-up, in particular, are even more affordable, and even more accessible to all. Plus, they’re delicious, easy to add into your daily routine, and really work.
EVOLUTION_18 by Bobbi Brown is available a select Walmart locations. Courtesy of EVOLUTION_18
Obviously, amid the coronavirus pandemic, consumers’ purchasing habits and practices are going to change. How does EVOLUTION_18 plan to adjust its business plan for the immediate future?
We’re learning how to be more flexible now than ever. EVOLUTION_18 launched two new products during the pandemic—Energizing Chocolate and Relaxing Vanilla—both during the quarantine. Because I was sheltering in place at home, my son Cody filmed me for a Facebook Live on launch day. I couldn’t get the packaging from the manufacturer, so I just used a clear jar with the powder in it. As with any entrepreneurial endeavor, you just make it work.
You’ve had an eventful and successful career in the beauty industry. What advice would you give for first-time business owners and entrepreneurs who are looking to get started in beauty and wellness?
With the rise of clean beauty and a heightened focus on wellness, it’s an exciting time for these industries—but they’re also pretty crowded. It’s important as a new brand to differentiate yourself. As always, don’t spend more than you have. And just do it. You don’t have to overthink it. Try it, and if it doesn’t work, try it differently. Stay flexible, stay open, be nice—and you’ll figure it out.