Johnny Motley

Brooklyn, New York

Writer at Freelance

Man of All Occasions | Scribbler - mostly travel, booze, food, and men’s fashion. Big fan of @tryramp

Articles

The Best Sunglasses For Men That Will Never Go Out of Style

1 day ago | coolmaterial.com | Johnny Motley |Beau Hayhoe |Brett Braley

As a wayward journalist in New York, I have a soft spot for the film Bright Lights, Big City—a neon-lit fever dream starring Michael J. Fox as Jamie Conway, a debauched yet oddly endearing writer. As Conway stumbles through nightclubs, office corridors, and women’s bedrooms across Manhattan, he sports distinctive sartorial armor: a tweed blazer, crisp khakis, and always, a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers—worn even indoors to mask his bloodshot, cocaine-blown eyes.
These 3 Cities Are Some of the Best Places to Experience Finland’s Famous Sauna Culture

5 days ago | matadornetwork.com | Johnny Motley

Helsinki Finland Wellness Insider Guides by Johnny Motley May 9, 2025 “Both of my parents were born in a sauna,” my friend Jukka told me as he ladled water over the red-hot rocks. Steam hissed and curled through the wooden chamber. “Traditionally, we also held funerals in saunas — so for a Finn, life began and ended in a sauna.” I’ve been a devotee of sauna therapy since my days as a Division I college wrestler, when my Russian coach took my teammates and me to saunas on recovery days. I came...
1 Hotel Hanalei Bay: America’s Coolest Babymoon

6 days ago | coolmaterial.com | Cooper Fleishman |Kaitlyn Rosati |Rachel King |Johnny Motley

The dolphins in Hanalei Bay first got our baby to kick. Then it was the majestic honu, those larger-than-life Hawaiian green sea turtles, inching toward the waves on Poipu Beach. After that, a monk seal sunning precariously close to way-too-amateur surfers. The rarer and more endangered the animal, the more active our boy’s feet became. We’d gasp in awe, and he’d start doing leg presses in utero. The Kauaʻi leg of our babymoon was meant to be dessert after the main course of O‘ahu.
The Best Bespoke Suits, Starting at $1000

1 week ago | coolmaterial.com | Johnny Motley |Brett Braley |Beau Hayhoe

“What can I get you?” asked Max Girombelli, the owner of Duca Sartoria, a bespoke suit purveyor in Midtown Manhattan, when I arrived at his atelier. “The choices are sex, drugs, or rock ’n’ roll.” He let the words hang for a second before adding, “Just kidding. How about a glass of wine?” With that, he uncorked a bottle of Sangiovese from his native Ancona, pouring generously.
5 Hidden-Gem Breweries to Visit in Upstate New York

1 week ago | coolmaterial.com | Kaitlyn Rosati |Rachel King |Johnny Motley |Caroline Lupini

Being home to the Finger Lakes, it’s no secret that Upstate New York is a prime wine destination. What flies further under the radar, however, is that beer lovers can also find plenty to love in various towns in Upstate New York. From historic breweries to more modern craft beer hubs, here are some of the best breweries in Upstate New York. Wondering where to stay? Check out our favorite off-season hotels in Upstate New York, as well as one of our favorite hotels in Lake Placid, Mirror Lake Inn.
The Best Hotels & Vineyards

1 week ago | coolmaterial.com | Rachel King |Johnny Motley |Caroline Lupini

Skip to Content Share Article Share through your preferred social media platform: Few wine regions are as globally recognized as Champagne, but navigating it can be a logistical challenge.
11 Iconic NYC Temples of Meat

1 week ago | coolmaterial.com | Johnny Motley |Caroline Lupini |Rachel King

During the dog days of the COVID lockdowns, I spent a lazy week on my couch in Texas binge-watching The Sopranos. Maybe it was the munchies, but I found myself captivated by the scenes set in old-school New York steakhouses—dark, smoky salons where Tony, Chrissy, and the Family cut deals, busted balls, and tore into charred ribeyes over red wine and Cognac.
5 Fresh Picks for 2025

2 weeks ago | coolmaterial.com | Beau Hayhoe |Johnny Motley

As the seasons shift, your tastes shift: The heavy stout beers of winter give way to lighter pilsners, the classic winter flannel downshifts in favor of lightweight chambray, and your sunglasses come out of retirement. Scents follow much the same direction: Spring, after all, has a freshness that brings the wearer back to life.
Exploring Copenhagen During Dark Season: World-Class Food, Saunas, and Culture

3 weeks ago | matadornetwork.com | Johnny Motley

As an awkward but ardent teenager, I found a kindred spirit in Hamlet — Shakespeare’s introspective and hopelessly romantic Danish prince. Later, in an introductory philosophy course, I encountered Søren Kierkegaard, and his haunting meditation on faith and heroism, Fear and Trembling, profoundly reshaped the way I saw the world. At the bar, I promised Andrea I’d return one day to revel in Copenhagen’s vernal joys.
Best Men's Skincare: 6 Must-Have Products

4 weeks ago | coolmaterial.com | Johnny Motley

Most of my ancestry is from the British Isles, which means I’m blessed with a bullet-proof liver but cursed with bargain-bin skin. As I enter my mid-thirties as an aging bachelor, the years of sunburns, cigarette smoke, and debauchery are starting to take their toll on my money-maker. The face staring back at me in the mirror looks a little less like Timothée Chalamet and a little more like Keith Richards with each passing year.