TeamLab Planets quickly made a name for itself after opening its doors in 2018. It holds the Guinness World Record for the most-visited museum dedicated to a single group or artist, bringing in more than 2.5 million visitors from April 2023 to March 2024.
A popular second location in Tokyo, known as teamLab Borderless, focuses on digital art.
Both museums were launched by teamLab, an international art collective that includes artists, animators, engineers, mathematicians, and architects among its specialists. Together, they work to “explore the relationship between the self and the world,” according to the museum’s website, although global brand director Takashi Kudo said they have an even bigger goal.
“If these exhibitions cannot reach an emotional height, then we have failed,” he told The New York Times in 2024. “We have to reach people’s hearts.”
On July 6, 2019, federal agents arrested Jeffrey Epstein aboard his private jet, which had just landed in New Jersey from a trip to Paris.
At the same time, another set of FBI agents raided his mansion in Manhattan. They took photos of everything, from a taxidermied tiger in the library, to framed pictures of Epstein with Donald Trump, Pope John Paul II, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman scattered across his desks.
The agents also seized more than 70 computers, iPads, and hard drives, as well as boxes of shredded paper and financial documents. They sawed open a metal safe and found even more hard drives, along with a binder of CDs, 48 loose diamonds, and a Saudi Arabian passport with his photo.
Six weeks later, after Epstein killed himself in jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, agents raided his US Virgin Islands estate, where they seized even more electronic devices and documents.
On January 30, the US Department of Justice put much of that material on the internet.
It created an immediate explosion of news. The public already knew that numerous powerful people in politics, business, and academia spent time with Epstein even after he had already registered as a sex offender, in 2008. The files demonstrated a vaster scope than previously known.
Emails show Tesla CEO Elon Musk and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made plans to visit Epstein’s island. Epstein exchanged crude emails with Virgin founder Richard Branson and other businessmen. The UK’s ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, resigned from the Labour Party after the files revealed a photo of him in his underwear and emails showed him sharing government secrets with Epstein. Kathryn Ruemmler announced she would resign as the top lawyer at Goldman Sachs after emails showed years of warm — and at times intensely personal — emails between her and Epstein. The documents disclosed that prosecutors investigated sexual abuse allegations against Leon Black, a billionaire acquaintance of Epstein, but did not charge him. A financial document which had been kept secret since Epstein’s death showed he asked his girlfriend to marry him and planned to give her $100 million and all of his properties.
The records also include a number of unsubstantiated tips sent to the FBI, which include unproven allegations about President Donald Trump.
Before the release, the public knew there was more to the Epstein story.
A glimpse of the Epstein files was shown in the criminal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, which I covered for Business Insider, in Manhattan federal court in 2021. Victims testified about how Epstein and Maxwell would name-drop Trump, Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew, showing them how many friends he had in high places.
After the jury found Maxwell guilty of trafficking girls to Epstein for sex, I filed my story, and then got drinks with a few other journalists who covered the five-week trial, including Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald journalist whose stories about Epstein’s abuses led to his arrest.
It had been a grueling trial, filled with horrific testimony from women who had recounted the darkest moments of their lives. The trial took place in December, requiring journalists to show up at 4 a.m. in the 20-degree weather to get a seat in the courtroom.
We were happy for the trial to be over and for the jury to reach its verdict. But a question hung in the air. Was what we heard at the trial really all there was to say?
Questions about Epstein and his sex-trafficking operation continued to persist in the years following the trial. How did Epstein get so rich? Was there any truth to rumored connections to the CIA or the Mossad? Did Epstein traffic girls to some of his powerful friends, as some victims alleged? Did he really kill himself in prison, as authorities concluded, or was he assassinated to cover up an elite pedophile ring, as some theorized?
Civil lawsuits generated new revelations. A judge in New York unsealed documents from a long-running case that Epstein’s most outspoken victim, Virginia Giuffre, filed against Maxwell. Groups of victims sued big banks, accusing them of ignoring red flags about Epstein’s finances. (Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan each settled class-action lawsuits with victims; similar lawsuits against Bank of America and BNY Mellon are pending.) JP Morgan and the US Virgin Islands government filed lawsuits in which each accused the other of facilitating Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation. And a compensation program identified 150 victims.
The lawsuits delivered a steady drip of details: how Epstein trafficked girls and hushed them up with money, more names of people in his orbit, and the financial red flags waved before banks. A Justice Department inspector general report analyzing the circumstances of his death concluded that poor management at the federal jail created the conditions that allowed him to kill himself. Another Justice Department report criticized Alexander Acosta, the prosecutor who gave Epstein a plea deal in 2007 on light charges, for “poor judgment,” but found nothing that substantiated a vast conspiracy. (The latest file release includes a copy of the robust indictment prosecutors had initially drafted, with 19 victims.)
As theories about Epstein continued to swirl online, the Justice Department refused requests by journalists and Epstein’s victims to make the files public.
On a credenza in his Manhattan mansion, Jeffrey Epstein kept photos of himself with some of the most powerful people in the world.
US Department of Justice
By the 2024 presidential campaign, speculation about Epstein had reached fever pitch among members of Trump’s political base, who had for years been steeped in other conspiracy theories, including QAnon. Podcasters and journalists pressed Trump to promise to release the Justice Department’s vast trove of Epstein files.
The issue was potentially awkward for Trump. Epstein was affiliated with prominent Democrats, including Clinton, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, and diplomat Bill Burns. But Trump and Epstein had been friends in the 1980s and 1990s, both spending time together in the Manhattan and Palm Beach social circuits. Epstein also forged close ties with Steve Bannon, Trump’s former White House advisor, in the months before his arrest on sex-trafficking charges.
Shortly after Trump won the presidential election, Giuffre — who was a teenager when Maxwell recruited her from Mar-a-Lago, where she worked, and brought her to Epstein for sex — urged him to release the files.
“We need someone who despises these sick people with the power to help make it easier to hold these monsters accountable, no matter how much $$ they have,” she wrote on X. “God bless you and Thank you for caring!”
When Trump took office in January 2025, the job of releasing the Epstein files fell to his attorney general, Pamela Bondi.
For months, Bondi promised but failed to provide any substantial new information about Epstein. Then, in July, the Justice Department and FBI abruptly announced they would not release any more Epstein files after all. On Truth Social, responding to backlash from his supporters, Trump praised Bondi, called the Epstein files a “hoax,” and urged his supporters to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”
Todd Blanche, the No. 2 official in the Justice Department, and Trump’s former personal lawyer, traveled to Florida to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence, for reasons that remain unclear. Then she was mysteriously transferred to a nicer, lower-security prison also for reasons that remain unclear.
By law, the Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the Justice Department to make public everything they have about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell — even a photo of them riding horses together in the countryside.
US Department of Justice
Trump’s and the Justice Department’s perplexing handling of Epstein brought fresh attention to the story. I spoke to four people who had access to the Justice Department’s files, and who said there was no trace of intelligence material, which would have been the case if Epstein or Maxwell’s crimes were tied to the CIA or Mossad. The New York Times produced deep investigations into Epstein’s ties to JPMorgan and how he accumulated his wealth by exploiting his network and his complicated relationships with his two main patrons, Black and fellow billionaire Les Wexner. The Wall Street Journal found a copy of a 2003 book of birthday well-wishes, prepared by Ghislaine Maxwell, which included an apparent letter from Trump.
These developments together created the perfect storm and prompted Congress to take ook action.
In August, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department for its Epstein-related records. It also issued subpoenas throughout the year to Epstein’s estate, former Justice Department officials, Clinton, and banks where Epstein had accounts.
Republicans and Democrats on the committee released tranches of various “Epstein files,” most of which came from his estate. It put out a copy of the “birthday book.” prepared for his 50th birthday. A letter attributed to Trump is accompanied by a crude illustration of a female body, calls Epstein a “pal,” and says that “enigmas never age.” Trump is suing The Wall Street Journal over a story it published earlier about the letter, which his lawyers maintain is a fabrication.
The Epstein files contain many birthday celebrations for Jeffrey Epstein, including a now-infamous book of letters from acquaintances prepared for his 50th birthday.
US Department of Justice
The most potent revelations came from tens of thousands of emails, text messages, and other files from Epstein’s estate. Some of those emails included cryptic references to Trump. In one email to Maxwell, Epstein called Trump “the dog that hasn’t barked.” In another, Epstein told writer Michael Wolff that Trump “knew about the girls.”
Larry Summers, the former treasury secretary and Harvard president, was removed or resigned from various positions after it was revealed that he sought the Epstein’s advice for pursuing an extramarital affair. Prince Andrew stayed in touch with the pedophile long after he previously said they cut ties. The House Oversight Committee also released numerous photos of Epstein hanging out with Branson, Bannon, Noam Chomsky, Woody Allen, and other powerful and influential people.
The flood of revelations now pale in comparison to what we’ve learned from the files in the Justice Department’s possession. At the time, they raised the question: Why was the Justice Department resisting calls to release the files?
Public pressure — including from Epstein’s victims, who wanted more transparency from the government — led to a flood of support for the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The law required the Justice Department to do what it had initially promised: release all of its Epstein files. It allowed minimal redactions to protect the privacy of victims and gave a 30-day deadline. In November, both houses of Congress passed the bill. Trump — seeing any veto would be overridden — signed it into law.
When the December 19 deadline arrived, the Justice Department published several hundred thousand documents. There were a lot of photos of Clinton, including one of him in a pool with Maxwell, and more photos of Epstein’s home and his friends. Emails between prosecutors provided insight into how they built the cases against Epstein and Maxwell, although many of them were redacted. There was very little information about Trump.
The redactions in the Epstein files often appear to have no rhyme or reason. Melania Trump’s face is redacted from a famous photo of Epstein, Maxwell, and Donald Trump.
US Department of Justice
In court filings several days later, the Justice Department revealed that it still had to review several million Epstein-related documents. It had blown past its 30-day deadline.
On January 30, Blanche announced that the Justice Department would keep its promise and release whatever Epstein files it could — millions more pages.
He said the department would withhold another 200,000 documents, asserting legal “privilege,” even though the law doesn’t allow for that.
The redactions in the files are inconsistent and baffling. Victims’ names, which were supposed to be kept secret, have been exposed. In one photo, Melania Trump’s face is blacked out, even though the photo — of her, Epstein, Maxwell, and the president — had widely circulated for years.
There are other odd omissions. The Epstein files have surprisingly few financial records. An interview with Kristin Roman, the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on Epstein’s body, is missing. There’s an incomplete record of prosecutors deciding which of his acquaintances they would face criminal charges.
Members of Congress who have been permitted to view the unredacted files have pushed the Justice Department to make more documents public. The House Oversight Committee is scheduling interviews with people who might know more about Epstein’s activities.
In July 2025, my husband, Zach, and I moved our family of four from the suburbs of Ft Worth, Texas, to Denver.
After nearly 10 years of marriage, two kids, and three work-related moves, it was finally time to settle in a place of our choosing. This time, we didn’t just want a change of scenery; we wanted a change of lifestyle.
But finding a house in the bustling city neighborhood of our dreams within our budget meant downsizing — drastically.
Moving from our 3,300-square-foot home to a 2,300-square-foot bungalow with 1,200 square feet of actual living space (the rest being unfinished basement) wasn’t easy. It meant swapping our large kitchen island for a small dining table. It meant no more master bath soaking tub, my refuge from life’s stresses on more occasions than I could count. And it meant my kids giving up their separate rooms to share one.
But what we’ve gained in the quality and quantity of time spent together is worth every bit of lost square footage.
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We’re spending our time on what matters
Our bigger house in Texas required more upkeep, and we were more than happy to give that up for extra free time on the weekends. Now, we spend our time visiting attractions such as the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We’re fostering our kids’ curiosity, exploring new places together. Our everyday life feels more special and meaningful because these shared experiences amplify our family connection.
The author’s new house is about a third the size of her previous house.
Courtesy of the author
We’re also getting out in nature more. Aside from weekend hiking and skiing adventures, our days revolve around outdoor living. We walk everywhere we can, including restaurants, parks, and even Trader Joe’s, which is beneficial because driving to Trader Joe’s means parking at Trader Joe’s, and nobody enjoys that. Our moods are lighter, and our stresses are reduced.
The first time we walked to a restaurant instead of driving, it felt like we were on vacation. Our lives had always been car-dependent, but that’s no longer the case. The kids laughed and raced each other down the sidewalk. We marvelled at the mature trees and brightly colored flowers lining 7th Avenue Parkway. There was no timeline or rushing, just the joy of being present. When we made our way home after an alfresco dinner at Postino, I asked my son if he liked walking to dinner. He asked simply, “Can we do this every day?”
We’re finding connections in our community
Zach and I frequently sit on our front porch while our boys play with neighborhood kids, a first for us. Having houses so close together makes it easier to meet people and form real connections. We know almost every household on our block, and we regularly visit with our closest neighbors. We even enjoyed our first block party in August, which fell on my eldest’s birthday, and according to him, it was his “Best birthday ever!”
The author’s child loved his backyard birthday party.
Courtesy of the author
Our boys run between yards while we chat with new friends. They are experiencing a childhood closer to the one we grew up with. They’re building confidence and finding their place, and that’s translating to more smiles and fewer tantrums. Zach and I are finding our village, and parenthood feels less solitary.
On a recent trip back to Texas for Thanksgiving, I texted our next-door neighbor to let her know we’d be out of town. Without even asking, she offered to take in our mail. It may be a small gesture, but that sense of community is priceless to us.
My boys have more freedom
Downsizing has also allowed our kids to play more independently in an outdoor space that feels safe and protected. We have an unobstructed line of sight to the backyard, and no matter where my husband and I are in the house, we can hear them if they need us. The result has been hours of creative play, building campsites and outdoor kitchens, playing soccer and baseball, and having water balloon fights or Nerf battles.
The author’s kids have more freedom and can play outside in their new home.
Courtesy of the author
Most evenings, my kids are in the backyard playing games and getting dirty. When the weather is nice, they run around with their friends down the street. I would never have felt comfortable not knowing every move my kids were making before, but here, where everyone is watching out, and I can wave at my kids down the block to signal when it’s time to come home, less space means more freedom.
Our downsized life isn’t always perfect. Despite all our decluttering efforts, we’re still left with more stuff than we can accommodate. We also struggle with the lack of privacy, and at times, our smaller shared space feels more claustrophobic than cozy. However, downsizing for an urban lifestyle has given us the opportunity to live beyond our four walls, and that’s worth more than any amount of space could ever be.
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I visited Copenhagen over the summer, but I added one night in Malmö, Sweden, to the trip.
The city just across the water from Copenhagen was one of the highlights of my entire trip.
I thought it offered a peek at true Scandinavian living.
For me, the most stressful part of planning a trip is narrowing down what I want to see, especially when I’m traveling to new countries.
I never want to miss out on anything, and when you only get a few days in a place, there’s no way to see everything. If I’m going somewhere I’m not sure I’ll get to visit again, I feel even more pressure to make the perfect itinerary.
I faced that exact conundrum when trying to decide which part of Sweden to visit as part of a trip to nearby Copenhagen, Denmark.
When I visited Copenhagen over the summer, I knew I also wanted to see some of Sweden.
I took a trip to Scandinavia in August 2025. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
In August, my husband and I set off for a trip to Scandinavia to go to a wedding in the small city of Helsingborg, Sweden. We planned to spend the majority of our trip in Copenhagen, as we were flying in and out of the Danish city since Helsingborg and Copenhagen are only about an hour and 20 minutes away from each other via train.
Still, we wanted to see a bit of Sweden during our journey, and we knew we wouldn’t have a ton of time to sightsee in Helsingborg because of the wedding. We also didn’t want to have to take a separate flight or spend a full day traveling, which ruled out Stockholm on the other side of the country.
After doing some research, we decided to spend one day and one night in Malmö, Sweden. Malmö is the third-largest city in Sweden and one of the country’s fastest-growing cities. I liked the idea of going somewhere that could offer a true glimpse at Swedish culture, and it was extremely convenient to get there.
Adding a day in Malmö to our itinerary seemed like a no-brainer.
Going to and from Malmö via train was a breeze.
I took a train to Malmö. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
My husband and I took the train from Helsingborg to Malmö on a Monday morning, which took about 40 minutes. We also took the train from Malmö to Copenhagen the following morning, which was only a 20-minute ride.
The train couldn’t have been easier. It ran in frequent increments, so we just bought tickets upon arrival at the station. It was lovely not to have to plan that part of our journey in advance.
The train was fairly crowded with commuters, but we still managed to find space for ourselves and our luggage.
I stayed at MJ’s, which was just a 10-minute walk from the train station.
I stayed at MJ’s. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
I considered a few different hotels in Malmö when planning our trip, but I settled on MJ’s fairly quickly. I appreciated that the boutique hotel was just 10 minutes from the train station and within walking distance to restaurants and bars.
The interior also has a floral, pink aesthetic, which appealed to me, and it was in my budget. A one-night stay in a small room cost 1,630 Swedish krona, which was about $170 when I booked our stay.
Walking to MJ’s from the train was easy, even with the luggage my husband and I were toting, and I loved the look of the hotel from the outside.
I couldn’t wait to see the hotel’s courtyard, which I had been ogling online.
The hotel had a pink courtyard. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
One of the things I was most excited about at MJ’s was its interior courtyard, designed for guests to dine and spend time together. It’s covered by a glass dome that features greenery for a touch of whimsy, and its pink walls give it a chic and romantic feel.
It was just as pretty in person as it was in the photos I saw online. When we arrived at the hotel, I saw people dining and chatting under tables with umbrellas.
I loved that the upper floors at MJ’s had open windows that overlooked it, so we could catch glimpses as we walked to and from our room.
I was delighted by how big my room was.
We stayed in a small room at MJ’s. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
I selected a small room at MJ’s for our stay, figuring we could handle limited space for just one night.
However, to my surprise, the room was large. It had a seating area by the front door, a large bed, and room for a desk and a wardrobe. Likewise, the bathroom featured a large vanity and tub.
I couldn’t believe how much space we got for the price I paid.
I was immediately smitten with how quaint and whimsical Malmö is.
A street in Malmö. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
For our day in Malmö, I didn’t create a strict itinerary. I mostly planned to wander the city with my husband, hoping to get a feel for what life in Sweden was like.
I was so glad I kept our schedule loose as we started exploring Malmö, as every street we turned down was beautiful and made me want to see more.
From the brick roads and cobblestone sidewalks to the colorful homes lining the streets, I couldn’t get over how stunning the city was. Greenery grew on many of the homes we passed, and restaurants and shops were often situated in courtyards, creating a sense of community from the architecture alone.
It was also easy for us to travel on foot everywhere we went, as biking and walking are popular forms of transportation there.
A visit to Malmö Saluhall was a highlight of the day.
I dined at Malmö Saluhall. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
After visiting Malmö Castle, a popular tourist destination in the city, we stopped for lunch at Malmö Saluhall, a food hall offering a diverse array of dining options.
There was a flower market set up outside it when we arrived, and when we walked in, there were stands with almost any food you could think of. I saw other tourists like me milling around, but there were also Malmö residents who had come to eat on their lunch break.
We feasted on Italian-inspired crostinis before stopping by another booth for pastries and coffee. Everything was, unsurprisingly, delicious, and I loved that the meal came with a side of people-watching.
I found more whimsy at Folkets Park.
Folkets Park was a fun stop. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
After lunch, we made our way to Folkets Park, a family-friendly green space renowned for its vibrant and eclectic installations. There are also performances held there.
There were colorful playgrounds, oversize chairs, and shops inside. It was quiet since we were there during a school day, but I could imagine the area would be packed on weekends.
The colorful design felt so novel compared to the neutral colors I see at most American parks. I could have stayed there for hours.
I felt like I was getting a real glimpse at Swedish culture as I wandered through the city.
I wandered the streets of Malmö. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city, popping into shops and sitting on benches to take in the sights. I was charmed by the bookstores, flower shops, and thrift stores we entered, and it was fun to see locals and other tourists exploring the area.
I could tell the city was designed to be friendly to tourists, finding English writing nearly everywhere, but it still felt quintessentially European thanks to its architectural style.
I also spotted people sitting at cafés enjoying fika, a traditional Swedish snack break, in the afternoon. I loved catching a glimpse at a customary aspect of Swedish culture.
My favorite part of the day was people-watching during happy hour.
Happy hour was one of the best parts of the trip. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
Before we grabbed dinner, my husband and I decided to sit at one of the many outdoor patios in Malmö, as we wanted to enjoy the city’s ambiance.
We stopped at Mello Yello, a bar located in Lilla Torg, a square in the heart of the city, just a one-minute walk from MJ’s.
As I sipped on a beer, I watched coworkers gather for happy hours, families walk to early dinners, and friends meet up after long work days. The atmosphere was unhurried and communal throughout the square. It felt like we could sit for hours, and the staff would be happy to have us.
I also got to eat the cutest affogato I’ve ever seen.
I loved my dessert. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
After drinks, we spent the evening eating dinner, wandering through more squares, and grabbing dessert at Verde Gelato on our way back to our hotel.
My husband and I both love affogatos, so we would have loved them even if they came in plastic cups. Still, the adorable wooden tray and glass serveware made it even sweeter. The aesthetically pleasing touch was in perfect alignment with every other experience we had in Malmö that day, adding to its charm.
We ate them at bistro tables outside the shop, grinning at each other over bites of espresso-gelato goodness.
The city’s location on the water made it even more beautiful.
The views of the water were stunning. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
We were lucky enough to be in Sweden in late August, when the sun doesn’t set until around 9 p.m.
We took advantage of the brightness by taking a walk along the edge of the Öresund Strait, which separates Denmark and Sweden, as the sun went down. We had crossed over it on our train ride into Sweden, but it felt even more romantic and quaint up close.
When we returned to MJ’s after dark, the bar in the lobby had a party-like atmosphere going. I appreciated the fun energy, as well as the fact that our room was quiet a few floors up, allowing us to get a peaceful night of rest even as people mingled downstairs.
To top it off, the breakfast buffet at MJ’s was top-notch.
My breakfast was phenomenal. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
The elaborate breakfast spreads at all the hotels I stayed at in Europe amazed me, but MJ’s was among my favorites, and not just because I got to eat it in the pink patio.
There was fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, all sorts of pastries, and a parfait bar. I served myself a bit of everything, and I sipped coffee out of an adorable mug I wished I could take home with me.
It was the perfect end to our stay at MJ’s.
If you’re heading to Copenhagen, I highly recommend adding Malmö to your itinerary.
I loved my day in Malmö. Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider
My 24 hours in Malmö were among the most relaxing of my weeklong trip to Europe.
I was enchanted by the city’s architecture, green spaces, divine food, and charming restaurants. I loved my time in Copenhagen, too, but I thought Malmö offered a slightly slower pace that was more indicative of Scandinavian culture outside the bustling metropolis. I found myself wishing we had stayed there for longer than just a day.
If you’re hoping to visit Sweden on a trip to Copenhagen, I think Malmö is the perfect way to do it.
