Best Cities Awards

 

Conde Naste Readers' Choice Awards Best Cities

1. Bangkok ✔
2. Paris ✔
3. Istanbul
4. Rome 
5. Valletta, Malta
6. Shanghai  ✔
7. Tokyo 
8. Seoul
9. Sydney
10. Amsterdam
11. Stockholm
12. Vienna
13. Lisbon
14. Hong Kong
15. Capetown
16. Porto, Portugal
17. Madrid  ✔
18. New York  ✔
19. Jaipur, India
20. Singapore   ✔

 

As I'm thinking about a trip in January, I happened to see that the Conde Naste Traveler Best Cities list was released.   I've check marked the cities I've been to -- 6 out of 20.  I will add Tokyo soon.

I was really surprised to see Bangkok as number one.  I like the city, but question if it should be number 1.  It's more modern than I expected but still feels chaotic and somewhat third world.  I don't agree with NYC as number 18 - should be at least in the top 5.  Certainly higher than Shanghai.  I thought Singapore would rank higher.  So orderly, safe and clean -- a model of urban efficiency.  So many things I wish we would copy from Singapore -- such as the $750 fine for not  picking up after your dog.  Caning would be so much more effective for crimes like shoplifting and minor vandalism than probation. 

I don't hear so many positive comments about Paris or Rome.  Where's London? Toronto?  Vancouver? 

Reading List Addition

 

Newly released book.  Thom Tillis is making the talk show rounds.  The only Republican senator who stood up to Trump a little bit.  Trump's circle is cracking.  I have a hold at the library.  

What I'm Watching

 

 

Actually it's what I want to watch.  This documentary film was released less than three weeks ago.    The truth is coming out about Gaza and it's worse than anyone could imagine.

Naked Skeletons in the Closet

 

Some of you may have heard of Troye Jacobs.  He is a 26 yo prolific gay porn star.  Originally from North Carolina, he has a degree in theatre from Elon University.  He graduated in the midst of the Covid lockdown and when his theatre aspirations in NYC didn't pan out, he made a living with OF and studio porn.

Now fast forward a few years.  He wants to exit porn and pursue his long standing dream of working in theatre.  He was cast in a production by Cape Fear Regional Theatre Company in Fayetteville, NC.  On the day of the first rehearsal he was summoned to the director's office and told his contract was terminated.  No reason given.  He asked if it was because of his previous work.  "We won't say anything if you don't say anything," he was told.

I've often wondered what are the long term consequences of being a porn actor.  There are so many of these actors it's shocking.  I guess we now know what can happen.  Which begs the question, how long should this guy pay a price for his porn career?  One obvious point:  Fayetteville NC was the wrong place to get his first real theatre job.  This probably wouldn't have happened in almost any major US city, or anywhere in the northeast or California.  Main stream theatre  in less conservative areas may look upon this type of work less unfavorably.

For some people this career might be worth it.  If you can make enough money to retire by the time you age out at 35 or 40, that might be appealing to many people.  I suspect the majority of these actors don't get fabulously rich.  Young people don't always make the best decisions, and don't think a few chess moves ahead.  Lack of money is a powerful motivator too.  Now let's see if this guy can rehabilitate his image and get a real theatre job.  The first job will be the most difficult.

American Scoundrel

I just finished reading this book, a new biography of Roy Cohn.  Cohn was Trump's lawyer from 1973 until the mid-80's.  I have to say, he had a super interesting life.  Graduated from Columbia Law School at age 21.  He was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in NYC right after law school.  At 24 years old he was one of the prosecutors who sent Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair.  At 26 he was Chief Counsel to Senator Joe McCarthy's Senate Subcommittee on Investigations.  He beat out Bobby Kennedy for the job.  Upon return to NYC at 27, he was honored for his work at a dinner attended by 2,000 people.  The excitement didn't end.

Jeffery Epstein didn't come into Trump's life until the mid to late 1980's.  This is after Cohn's death in 1986 at age 59.  The parallel I see between them is how connected they were.  Both amazingly well connected to the elite class, Cohn more so.  People are willing to overlook evil when someone is powerful.

Cohn was evil and unethical -- his influence on Trump is obvious today.

My bf said "why are you reading about Trump's lawyer who died 40 years ago?"  He made an indelible mark on U.S. history, that's why.  This just released book is worth reading. 

 

46 Days!

 

 

We are 46 days away from a momentous election.  I'm encouraged to see that there are some candidates who seem to be honorable people who will work for the people.  We need these people to stop Trump.

Abdul El-Sayed          Michigan

James Talarico            Texas 

Jon Ossoff                   Georgia

Roy Cooper                North Carolina 

Who else? 

When I was in school we learned that freedom of religion was one of the most important rights of everyone in the U.S.  It is sickening to see Trump and others use Abdul El-Sayed's faith against him. 

Another callout -- Senator Elizabeth Warren (and others) introduced a bill to bar private equity from owning physician practices. 

The Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians Act would ban corporations and private equity from owning physicians.

The bill is modeled on the landmark Oregon law that physicians have already used to successfully challenge corporate takeovers.

Back from NYC

 

 

I'm back from five days in NYC.  It was a great trip.  Two Broadway shows, some 30k step days, new areas of the city and lots of good food.

It was so surprising to me how the U.S. Open and Fashion Week upended the hotel market last week.  I had three free nights I needed to use.  For the four nights beginning on Wednesday I booked two nights in Manhattan next to Rockefeller Center and one in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  I thought I would add a night to the Williamsburg stay and just pay for it.  I started watching the rates the week before and they were in the $400's.  I decided to wait.  Soon the rate was $750.  On the weekend it was up to $1200.  Monday/Tuesday the rate was still over $800.  I had to do something because I needed Wednesday night.  Even the Pod Hotel in Brooklyn and Manhattan was over $500.  I'm hesitant on two star hotels in NYC.  My bf kept pointing out $125 hotels in the Bronx -- no way. Finally I booked a hotel in the southern area of Brooklyn, near Sunset Park.  It was basic three star and I still had to pay $275.  I will be more careful about timing next time.  Two weeks ago there were good hotels in Manhattan going for $170.

It was good to explore other areas of the city.  I liked Williamsburg.  Domino Park was really nice.  We walked into L'Industrie for lunch with no wait.  I had no issue with Sunset Park either - it seemed safe.  We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant and my bf raved about it.  I had never been to Coney Island, so we took the 30 minute train ride to explore that area.

We walked from 48th St along the Waterfront Greenway (Empire State Trail) to 181st St in Washington Heights, and took the train back.

Once in a while you see crazy stuff on the subway.  Often it's some mentally ill person screaming, but worst case it's violence.  On one train ride there was a loud shirtless black guy who went up everyone on the train and said "You look like....."  He told people they looked like a bookmark or a transmission, and other bizarre things.   Everyone but one person looked down and ignored him.  He came to my bf, "You look like a bok choy."  I tried to keep from laughing.  We couldn't understand what he said to me.  The driver stopped the train and he had to get off.  

Soon I'm going to run out of magic tricks to get free or discounted hotel nights in NYC.   I'm not going to pay even $500, so I'll look at options that are one or two subway stops outside Manhattan.  Or find another city.  I could be content just staying in Brooklyn.  I don't want to stay anywhere near Time Sq again.  After five days I felt like I had enough of NYC.

No trips on the immediate horizon.