The Monday Media Diet with Aliya Khan

On Pakistani authors, Star Battle Go, and Chairish

Colin here. Today’s MMD is brought to you by Puck. I’ve been a subscriber for about a year to read people like our friend Lauren Sherman cover the fashion industry deeply, and also for William D. Cohan’s obsessive business and M&A reporting. They have insider coverage of media, tech, and Washington that reads differently from the national papers or the trades.

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Aliya Khan (AK) is a designer and hotelier. We are delighted to have her on the page with us this morning. Have a good week. -Colin (CJN)

Tell us about yourself.

Having done a few different things in my life I currently lead design strategy for the Lifestyle Brands at Marriott International. That means I have the amazing job of dreaming of the future of design and experience for my brands – which we then share with our partners all over the world to build the hotels you know and love. 

I love design. I love travel. This job allows me to combine what I love most in the world. 

Describe your media diet. 

Highly undisciplined and very reliant on mood, location and time of day…. (acknowledging my jetlag choices are often eyeroll worthy). Daily bites would be The NY Times, Al Jazeera, Business of Fashion and The Juggernaut – with a rich side of Instagram rabbit holes. Regular listens would be Today in Focus and Re:Thinking with Adam Grant. The later often levels me out. I still gleefully receive my paper copies of Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest and Elle Décor. 

What’s the last great book you read?

Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree. Translated by Daisy Rockwell. It took me a minute to get into it – but glad I stayed. Having read more than an average share of partition stories from the Indian Subcontinent – this one was different. I love her sarcasm. I could also imagine parts of the narrative in Urdu/ Hindi as how I thought they might have sounded in the untranslated version. 

What are you reading now?

I just started The Love of Stones by Tobias Hill. I like how he paints a vivid picture. You feel immersed in the vignettes he is laying out for you. 

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

I love Sundays. The paper or whatever is at hand with a pot of coffee are true joy in the quiet of the morning. I tend to do an overview skim and then settle in and go page by page. Sometimes I am still carrying around whatever on the Monday – but metro rides and the like are great for that carryover.

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

I am from Pakistan, and I love the growing flow of inspiring work that is breaking through. When I was younger it was all about Bapsi Sidhwa but today – there is so much to take in – Mohammed Hanif, Kamila Shamsie and Mohsin Hamid to name a few. I typically read electronically – but much of my Pakistani fiction is acquired from the booksellers of Karachi – and they bounce around in my bag from airport to airport as I enjoy each page. 

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone? 

193 un-remarkable yet essential apps. Star Battle Go is probably the closest thing to candy. 

Plane or train?

Plane. I have mastered the art of plane naps and starring out of the window for hours. Those windows at 35,000 feet tune out the noise and gives me space to think. Some people run on a treadmill for clarity, I stare out the window. 

What is one place everyone should visit? 

Sofia, Bulgaria. If Istanbul and Berlin had a baby, I think this would be the output. Actually, the entire country was this mash up of history and culture. The juxtapositions between architectural styles were jarring and yet completely logical. Nothing about my week there was precious. Everything was accessible. Language challenges were nominal – and the food was incredible. I ate Shopska Salad multiple times a day. 

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into. 

So many… and all too often. 

A recent rabbit hole started with a search of a Travertine coffee table for purchase on Chairish – that evolved into a few rounds of learning the decorative arts thanks to 1st Dibs, and eventually a deeper rabbit hole on the design of the Aesop Stores. Culminating in my purchase of a wonderful book written on them by Rizzoli. I still haven’t found a coffee table I like. In case you were wondering. (AK)

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Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN) & Aliya (AK)

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