Matt Jurns studied library science at Kent State University. We made him read blogs for the first time. Yesterday, Matt read Texts From Last Night. Today he reads Curbed.

“Come see beautiful resorts at snow capped peaks!” Curbed cries. A link assures me that fifteenth-century French manors are up at auction. Having only just arrived, I’ve settled into the idea of that Curbed is a blog for the Robin Leach crowd, and am ready to begin perusing the glories of Louis XIV’s reign, when directly beneath the advertisement for the Sun King’s leavings I’m confronted with “Instructions for how to build a gingerbread brownstone”.

It seems incongruous. While further investigations have uncovered a photo gallery of Santa themed toilets, measurements for Boston’s narrowest house (a full twelve inches wider than New York City’s narrowest house!), and an article on people “paying millions to live in America’s saddest cities”, a general thread of opulence permeates the site.

Curbed has editors for the Hamptons and for Detroit. It tries to slum it with the common man, but hasn’t the knack for it. Curbed is a man buying pricey drinks at a cheap bar, dress shirt untucked and tie slightly loosened. He goes up for karaoke, and sings Cat Stevens badly. I wish he were at a cocktail lounge, singing a Tony Bennett song. He would be happier there, paying twice as much for half as many drinks; but a friend has asked him to come here, and he is trying to make the best of an awkward situation.