1. The #1 thing that happened this week (Wednesday night to be precise) is that I got to meet, and sit next to, the one and only Alice Waters. I’m writing this a day later and I am still buzzing. (#1 below)
2. Also, watched a few podcasts that resonated with me in MAJOR ways and provided important lessons on experiencing life more fully (thank you Greg Garcia #2 below).
3. Casey Neistat moved back to NYC! I’m a big fan of his and his vlogs – all paeans to the city (#3 below). I’ve never found anyone whose views of NYC so exactly mirror mine, from his outsize loyalty to the city (in good times and bad) to his praise of the city as his muse.
4. Other topics covered this week: the Indian renaissance (# 7), upcycling clothing (#6), and a reality check on mortgages from someone who was happy to get one at 9% back in the 90’s (#9).

And with that, please scroll down to check out this week’s latest.

THRILL OF THE WEEK

1. Sat next to Alice Waters at Corner Bar – big fangirl!!!

• Dinner at Corner Bar (one of my favorite restaurants) on Wednesday with Dean Churack.
• As usual, we sat at the bar. After about 30 minutes, a woman was seated next to us and I noticed the staff was in a bit of a tizzy about her – including Ignacio Mattos/ Mattos Hospitality Group (F&B for the hotel and all its restaurants).
• After the woman accidentally picked up Dean’s phone, we started chatting and learned she’s from Berkeley. Immediately, my spidey senses kicked in, and I just KNEW, this was Alice Waters (who as it turns out had been one of Ignacio’s mentors back in the day).
• She was very kind and very generous in allowing us to take a photo with her. WOW, major for me.

LIFE LESSONS/UNLIKELY SOURCES

2. Greg Garcia (creator of My Name Is Earl) offers excellent life advice – and he’s super FUNNY!!

1. Greg Garcia, a good friend of Nate’s, is a fabulous podcast guest. Not only does he have a wicked sense of humor, but he’s extremely perceptive and gives some great advice on how to stay tapped into life (in big and small ways).
2. The discussion Greg has with the guys about his compulsion to experience things firsthand vs. just idly watching them on TV really resonated with me. He and I are on the same page when it comes to always being on the lookout for new adventures and unusual happenings.

“You have to keep getting out of your comfort zone to experience life. If you start being a success, it’s easy to get complacent. You’ve got to continue to say yes to things, experiences, and then also get outside of your comfort zone and just do things for the heck of it.”

Greg Garcia (at 20:00-ish on the Nateland Podcast)

3. Casey Neistat is back in NYC

And this 7 min video that he posted earlier this week already has 1.4MM views!! It is so good – I hope you have time to watch it!!

1. CASEY NEISTAT has been an idol of mine since 2017 when I saw him speak about creativity at the NY Public Library.
2. Since then, he and his wife and kids moved to Los Angeles where he surfed a lot. But he missed NYC. That love of NYC (despite its warts and flaws) endeared me to him even more. It’s how I’ve felt about the city from the day I arrived, from Australia, in the early ’70s.
3. As of this month, Casey and fam are back in NYC – and here’s one of the many wonderful things he has to say about it.

“I looked up MUSE on Google. MUSE is a personified force that is the source of inspiration for a creative artist. I have never been so sure of anything as I am that NYC is my muse… my source of inspiration.

Casey Neistat, on his return to NYC (2022)

ENTERTAINMENT/FASHION

4. New Podcast ALERT: Comedy Pinata

1. Do NOT get turned off by the ad read at the start of Steve Byrne’s fabulous new podcast (bills do have to be paid!).
2. The premise of this podcast is for comics to break down clips from other comedians (to analyze, not to destroy). This episode includes Katt Williams (HYSTERICAL), Jim Gaffigan, and Ron White.
3. Seeing John Crist lip synch and mime Katt Williams’ act is golden! For those of you not familiar with Crist, he is a former Christian comic who had a fall from grace but is now back big time on the secular circuit. As it turns out, Katt Williams was the very first comic Crist saw and who he credits with inspiring him to become a comedian.
4. If this content is to your liking, you might also enjoy this episode breaking down Dave Attell’s act. I had never seen Attell before but now totally get why Dave Chappelle considers him the GOAT.

5. Timberland Stoop Experience

1. I don’t quite get this “experience.” But it’s happening throughout NYC neighborhoods every Saturday thru November 19. I caught this one on Division Street in Chinatown. Aside from the fact that the location was opposite HBX (the Hypebeast store), I don’t understand what Timberland was hoping to achieve or how they would measure success.
2. What I do understand is that there isn’t much hype around Timberland at the moment so this is an effort to generate buzz. But who really sits on stoops anymore?
3. Having Scarr’s pizza is a plus, as is having a DJ and that giant boot is awesome for social media. On the other hand, attracting dozens of little kids to draw shoes at worktables outfitted with paper and crayons, is not likely to attract the Supreme or Aime Leon Dore crowd. But, I could be wrong.

6. Upcycling clothes: from Juju Gear in Montana to Mana Fashion Services in Miami

1. Wore my JuJu Gear upcycled skirts this weekend and people seemed to like them (see pic in #5 above). I’ve ordered another shorter one (see above right).
2. Now Mana Fashion in Miami is getting in on the act. This week they’re hosting a zero waste workshop with artist and designer Pangea Kali Virga to teach people how to upcycle their own clothes.

7. Major Indian Renaissance: from fashion to food to the C-Suite!

1. The above BisouNYC pop-up was being set up on my street just before I left for Austin. It was one of the most beautiful retail displays I’ve seen in that space. Bummed I missed it. But it got me thinking about ALL the Indian influences I’m seeing lately.
2. For example, this week, great article in LA TACO about the growing popularity of Indian food in LA. The newest to open is Pijja Palace in Silver Lake (an Indian sports bar!!). In NYC meanwhile, Semma in the West Village was named best restaurant by both Bon Appetit and the NYTimes.
3. Indians also crushing it in the C-Suite, e.g., Satya Nadella at Microsoft, Sundar Pichai at Alphabet/Google, Arvind Krishna at IBM, Laxman Narasimhan at Starbucks, Indra Nooyi (formerly at PepsiCo), Leena Nair at Chanel, Shar Dubey at Match, Niren Chaudhary at Panera Bread, the list goes on and on.

8. Food Halls are Vegas’ new buffets

1. Per Eater, Aria is opening Proper Eats food hall later this year (see above) with 12 restaurants and bars including the first Seoul Bird outside of London, Egghead by Tao Group, and sushi eatery Temaki.
2. Resorts World’s Famous Food Street Eats food hall sounds fabulous (and makes me even more eager to stay at Resorts World on my next Vegas jaunt).
3. The Cosmopolitan’s got Block 16 Urban food hall and Park MGM, where I stayed earlier this year, has an Eataly food hall.

MONEY TRENDS

9. Mortgage Rate Reality Check

1. When I bought my apartment back in 1990 my mortgage was just over 9% and I considered myself lucky to even get a mortgage since I had only recently started my business.
2. It did take me almost 2 years to find a place to buy (affordability has long been an issue in NYC).
3. But what made me really proud (and happy) is that from year 1 of my 30-year mortgage, I made it a point to pay down the principal. I loved seeing my monthly payments go down each year as a result. But what I was most proud of is paying off that mortgage in 10 years vs. 30. I know that’s supposedly not a smart money move but it worked for me. Debt stresses me out.

10. Savvy NYers make $1K a day collecting cans

1. I live on the cusp of Chinatown and have watched (in awe) as old Chinese New Yorkers collect cans off the street and turn them into cold, hard cash.
2. The convenience store (see pic above) near Chinatown is a depot for somebody’s cans. I also know the Chinese man who lives in an apartment across the street from me who is out every morning and night with a shopping cart collecting cans and bottles. I’ve also routinely seen older Chinese women asking drug dealers on the corner for their beer cans – and wait patiently for them to chug down the last of their Budweiser so they can get the bottle or can.
3. The car (top pic) is owned by an older Chinese man and he uses it strictly for can storage. I see it parked at the corner of Rivington and Allen all year long. Once it is fully packed with cans (including on the roof) he drives to a redemption center to cash them in. Then, with the car empty, his recycling process restarts. He does not live in the car. When he gives up that spot every few weeks to redeem the cans, and somebody else snags his parking spot, he waits patiently in his car nearby, sometimes all day to regain his spot.
4. Per the NY Post, ambitious recyclers can accumulate 100 bags of returnables, which adds up to $1,000 in profits. 8-10K New Yorkers make money by collecting cans/bottles. Of those, approximately 100 earn their entire livelihoods through recycling. Millionaire landlord Lisa Fiekowsky is known for collecting cans and bottles in her Brooklyn neighborhood and redeeming them.
5. St. Patrick’s Day is the best day of the year for collecting, e.g., from 2 p.m. until 4 a.m., going from bar to bar, between just 42nd Street and 45th Street, a can collector can make $800, working alone, in one day.

And on that thrifty note, it’s a wrap for today.

This weekend is shaping up to be a great one – Greg Garcia would be happy to know how much adventure and fun I’m cramming into two days. Next week, by the way, I am once again seeing young jazz superstar, Samara Joy (at The Blue Note this time). As I said previously, if music and jazz is your thing, follow her on Instagram and check her out if she is performing anywhere near you. Absolutely stellar performer. And that is it for today. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.