Good Morning and Hello Friday

NYC is back, baby! I know I’ve written about this before BUT what I observed this past weekend was NEXT LEVEL It started at 9 am on Saturday with a visit to SUMMIT One Vanderbilt – jam-packed with people from all over the country (pic/video above as well as #4 below). Afterward, a stroll along Fifth Avenue where Christmas decorations are already going up. But nothing prepared me for how buzzy and energetic downtown felt. Ray’s Bar at the corner of Chrystie and Rivington has become the epicenter of cool – along with Freeman’s, Loreley, and the new Airbnb hotel in Freeman Alley. It was a sight to behold. [The same seems to be true for other metros including LA where traffic is officially back to pre-pandemic levels and leisure travel and road trips are exploding.]

I also want to do a big shout-out (once again) to Ann Handley. She writes a great newsletter that often gives me a boost of inspiration. She’s got a huge following (which is inspiring in and of itself) but it’s her credo about how and why she writes that really struck a chord with me as a fledgling content provider. Note: these are Ann’s actual words, not mine:

• Feed yourself first. I get as much joy out of writing this newsletter as I hope you get reading it.
• Purpose defines goals. My purpose here is to nurture and have fun. That keeps me focused on what matters.
• Obsess about the writing. 4 drafts over 2-3 days. I want each paragraph, sentence, word to earn its keep. If it’s not adding anything, I cut it from the team.
• Spend time on building subscriber relationships. Connecting with subscribers individually matters.
• Call out the good work of others. Share the love. 

And finally, a quick update on Koshadillz x Fat Joe. I wrote about their serendipitous meeting last week and am happy to report that Koshadillz is inching ever closer to the inside. Within 2 weeks of meeting Fat Joe, his gig rate has gone from $100 to $10,000 (now that may be an exaggeration but in following him on Instagram, he’s definitely got momentum). And what I particularly admire about him? He’s all about “making hay while the sun shines.”

Read on. Enjoy.

1. [watch] video

Apologies that the video and the blog don’t quite match up this week. A few things didn’t make the cut. Note to self: write first, video last.

2. NYC, Paris, London, Rome here we come! travel is back.

1. Per Tripadvisor, 55% of Americans are planning to travel this winter with New York City the #1 destination as well as home to the most-booked experience this winter. Other popular destinations include Orlando, Vegas, Key West, and Miami. Internationally, Paris, London, and Rome are the top three for Americans.
2. Business and First class seats on flights to Miami from Europe and South America are completely sold out. Overall, MIA is poised to see the highest traffic ever recorded in airport history. Available seats for the current quarter are now 10% higher than the same period in 2019.
3. Utah is looking forward to welcoming back international visitors. Per Vicki Varela, managing director of Utah’s Office of Tourism, they spend more, stay longer, and they travel really respectfully (the latter is considered one of the most important things for Utah’s tourism economy right now – especially when you consider how unruly Americans have become!).

3. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and top destinations are NYC and Cancun!

1. Per Travel Pulse, NYC and Cancun rank highest among Americans’ Top 10 Thanksgiving travel destinations based on an analysis of 2.3 million travel itineraries with roundtrip flights departing U.S. airports around Thanksgiving. NY’s appeal was based on Broadway shows and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Other popular cities include Seattle, Boston, Atlanta and Dallas.
2. Meanwhile, per AAA, 53.4 million Americans will travel for Thanksgiving mainly by car (90%). However, airports will be notably more crowded compared to last year with domestic air travel up by nearly 80%.
3. AAA also expects 4.4 million Southern Californians to travel this Thanksgiving, making it the second-busiest Thanksgiving travel volume on record for the region. Top destinations: San Diego, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Santa Barbara/Central Coast.

4. Summit One Vanderbilt is the hottest new tourist destination in NYC

• Whether you’re a tourist or a local, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is a must-see! And tickets are hard to come by – most likely even more difficult as we head into the Holiday Season. Without promo discounts etc., they run about $60 per person. The whole experience is extremely well-run and organized. You must be vaccinated and they’re diligent in checking for proof. However, as a result you are also not required to wear a mask (altho many visitors still do).
• It’s the one observation deck in NYC where the interior is every bit as fabulous as the exterior views. SUMMIT art and creative is by kenzo digital and architect is Snohetta.

5. Trendspotting: GREAT ARTICLE IN ARTSY FEATURING BRAD KAHLHAMER (#2 ON THE LIST)

• Per Artsy, Native Americans are becoming increasingly visible within the cultural mainstream. From Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, to hit television shows and podcasts like Reservation Dogs and The Red Nation to major gallery and museum exhibitions.
• Brad recently signed with Garth Greenan Gallery, whose solo presentation of his work at this year’s Armory Show completely sold out. Next year promises to be MAJOR for Brad, with back-to-back solo museum shows at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and the Tucson Museum of Art, and a debut solo exhibition with Garth Greenan Gallery that fall.
• KUDOS TO BRAD!!!!

6. WhyHotel: A New pop-up hotel?

• WhyHotel is an alternative hospitality service provider founded in 2017 that creates pop-up hotels. The company uses yet-to-be leased units in new apartment buildings as fully furnished hotel suites. The company is headquartered in Washington, DC.
• Their first pop-up hotel was a pilot program which included 50 empty units at The Bartlett in Pentagon City, VA, owned by Vornado Realty Trust. WhyHotel then spun off of Vornado Realty and became an independent, venture-backed startup in the summer of 2017. In reading some of the reviews, many guests had no idea they were booking into residential buildings – and were NOT happy about it.
• In May 2019, WhyHotel announced a new business arm called Hospitality Living, which blurs the lines of home and hospitality by providing guests with the comforts of a home-like space, blended with the convenience of a traditional hotel experience.
• Most recently, they acquired The Cadence, in Nashville, which will launch their first Hospitality Living property in that city.

I have so many questions about this, e.g., how is it different from Airbnb? Has anyone reading this stayed in one of these pop-up hotels? I’ll be the first to admit I just don’t get this fascination with traveling Airbnb-style. I LOVE HOTELS. The vibe of staying at cool hotels, meeting like-minded travelers, and chatting with the staff to tap into the local scene, is the best way to experience a city for me!! I see absolutely no reason to travel in order to stay in someone’s apartment (might as well stay at home then). BUT I know I’m an outlier with this line of thinking. Let me know your pros and cons.

7. Duolingo’s new TikTok videos get 100 million views and 15 million likes, a 1,900% increase in 30 days.

“A big part of Duolingo is that we make language learning fun, and I think that quality specifically was such an awesome opportunity to link to TikTok because TikTok is meant for entertainment, it’s meant for people to have fun, brands are there to entertain, they’re not just there to sell — brands that try selling things don’t really tend to resonate, but if they entertain, people love it.”

Zaria Parvez, Duolingo Social Media Coordinator

• Zaria Parvez runs the team behind the company’s TikTok account which garnered more than 73 million views across the 25 videos it has posted over the course of the past month.
• Interestingly, it was not until the company’s East Liberty offices reopened in September that everything clicked. The reunification of its staff led to experimentation of new ways to use the account to interact with its then-paltry 50,000 followers (now up to 1.4MM).
• It also added two key new ingredients; incorporating a full-body costume of Duo, the company’s green owl mascot, and using on-trend songs or sound effects. Their most-viewed videos have jumped to 9.5 million plays and 1.6 million likes.
• Michaela Kron, U.S. marketing lead at Duolingo, views TikTok as her company’s playground, a place to have fun, test and learn, and see what works in order to build from there. (Source: PittsburghBizJournal)

8. 1-900-ice-cream: when Nicholas Morgenstern does a shout-out, you’d be a fool not to listen!

• Nick visited Ryan Fitzgerald, the founder of 1-900-Ice-Cream in Philly last week. He came away super impressed – especially with the process Ryan uses to create and produce his flavors.
• But Nick was equally impressed with how Ryan has used social media and “Drops” to make the brand go viral and create an online frenzy (similar to how street wear brands have built their businesses).
• Per their (very bare bones) website, they produce 3-6 new flavors in cycles that are then “dropped” weekly through Instagram and email lists.

Here’s a short YouTube video of Ryan from back in 2019 that explains the background and concept (and promotes the Infinity car in the process, the whole thing is very meta).

9. broken heart syndrome caused by stress: up 80% over the last decade

• Hospitals are finding more cases of what’s called broken heart syndrome (the medical term is Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy).
• It’s often caused by stressful situations and extreme emotions.
• The Journal of The American Heart Association analyzed more than 135,000 cases between 2006 and 2017. Women make up 90% of the cases.
• In the 50-year-old age group, doctors saw a 12 times higher rate than in prior years. Since Covid hit, rates are even higher.
• The good news is the condition is usually temporary. Most cases go away within a couple of months, and an EKG can help doctors find the heart issues.

The Mayo Clinic lists several things that could prompt broken heart syndrome, including divorce, a frightening medical diagnosis, losing your job. It says even losing or winning a lot of money, public speaking, and a surprise party can trigger it. (Source: AZ Family)

10. And then there’s this: ‘Buddy Benches’ to help kids signal they’re stressed and need a friend. I mean what could possibly go wrong?

• The benches are meant to serve as a safe space for kids who are having a tough time and need someone to talk to. All a student has to do is take a seat on the bench out on the playground, and teachers or other students can join them to talk about what is bothering them.
• The Boise Sunshine Rotary Club paid for and installed the “Buddy Benches” at area elementary schools.
• I know they mean well – and perhaps I am way too cynical – but I just can’t imagine that this is a good way for kids to signal they need a friend. If anything it makes kids even more vulnerable either to bullies or not always well-intentioned adults.
• BOISE this is a bad idea! (Source: ktvb7)

and with that, it’s a wrap for this week.

But not before I share a few photos from last Sunday’s cruise up the Hudson to West Point. Great guided tour of the grounds, saw lots of cadets and had a far too short visit to West Point’s outstanding military museum. Our return trip to NYC, at sunset, was MAGICAL!!!

And that’s it for this week, my friends. Have a great weekend everyone. Going to be a rainy one in NYC – perfect for nursing my cold and getting ready for an action-packed week.