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vespa-gts-250ie
We're buried in stuff. All of us here at the Gadget Lab are; it's part of the job. Every day, something new and shiny and better than any product that's ever been produced is trotted out for us to touch and test and scrutinize. Some of these items are great. A slim few of them are spectacular. But every once in a while, something comes along that ingrains itself into our lives until we can't imagine how we got along without it.
The objects collected here are those change-of-life items — the products or things we love as much as you can love an inanimate object. They enrich our lives in small but profound ways. Some of them are new, others have been around for years. But each is a tiny window into our lives. We present this list of 12 treasures so that your life might become enriched, too. Or at the very least, to give you some ideas about what to get for that certain someone.
Vespa GTS 250ie
Three years ago, I told my wife I was planing to buy a 1979 Vespa P200 scooter. She informed me that when it broke down and I called from the side of the road, she would refuse to drive out and pick me up. She then said the greatest thing she's ever uttered since, "I do." She said: "We should just buy a new Vespa." I routinely tell people that the Vespa ($6,100 MSRP) was the best city purchase we've ever made. It's powerful enough to carry my 200-pound body up the steep San Francisco hills. Yet it's nimble enough to work its way through the city's debilitating traffic. But maybe the most important feature is that you can park it anywhere. A huge plus in a densely populated city like SF, where there are more cars than parking spaces. I ride the Vespa every day. It's how I get to work, take care of quick errands and enjoy the city without being trapped inside a bus or car. It's the ultimate urban vehicle and buying it is one of the best decisions I've ever made. And sometimes I let my wife use it. — Roberto BaldwinAll photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired 
