Good Morning & Happy Friday!

• Feels a bit silly to be so excited about the opening of a Target but I kid you not, nothing makes me happier than having a well-stocked household goods store within walking distance (#1 below). Going hand-in-hand with the opening of my new Target, I have also given up my Amazon Prime Membership. Not worth it for the money (#2).
• I also discovered a new fashion brand (not new, but new to me). It is way too pricey and completely inappropriate for me, but I LOVE it. I am going to check out their store on Howard Street this weekend (#9). Fingers crossed I make no foolish purchases, i.e., buy something that makes me look like a clown!
• Many of you have asked about the status of my green card renewal. There is no news and in this case, no news is not good news. I have sadly canceled all my upcoming international trips. USCIS wins!! However, I do have travel plans for Nashville later this month, Bozeman in October, and Miami as soon as the new Soho House in Wynwood opens.
• And finally, big shout out to my favorite news site, Axios for 2 very insightful, must-read stories. The first is about how overall news engagement has plummeted as we increasingly tune out hard news. The second is on the major demographic realignment going on within our two political parties. Fascinating — and true — based on my observations.

And with that, please scroll down for this week’s TOP 10.

1. At last! a wish come true!

1. I’ve been writing about the arrival of this Target store in Soho for over a year. This week, as I walked by (from a sweltering hot search for billionaire popsicles – see #3 below), I was stopped in my tracks by the above signs!! My heart jumped a beat. So exciting.
2. It’s probably weird for some of you to imagine anyone getting this excited about Target. But believe me when I say I am delirious about it because it means I can finally do all my household shopping in one fell swoop. Sometimes, living in downtown NYC, almost feels like living in a remote, rural area without access to essentials. I can get fancy sneakers and fine cheeses but I can’t get laundry detergent. I don’t talk much about the environmental impact of all these boxes and boxes of deliveries we each get every month. But it bothers me. It’s why I schlep around the city in my quest to find household items. As a rule, I give up after three tries and more than half the time, end up placing an online order.
3. I will not be in NYC for Target’s Grand Opening but you will find me there, bright and early, doing my August household shopping the minute I return from Bozeman!

2. CANCEled my AMAZON PRIME! Here’s why.

1. I didn’t use ANY of the Prime Services (e.g., streaming). Not a one!!
2. My Amazon orders have dwindled because I prefer Walmart and Target. When I do place an order with Amazon, it always qualifies for free shipping.
3. My weekly Prime savings at Whole Foods rarely amounted to more than $2 – way less than the annual membership fee.

3. . Ice Cream Truck Sells Billionaire Popsicles … Musk Is top Seller!

1. Mschf (the Brooklyn-based art collective) created an ice cream truck with billionaire popsicles for sale (only in Santa Monica and NYC).
2. I trekked out in the blazing hot sun to check it out in Washington Square Park – nada!!! Nowhere in sight. Total bust.
3. In Santa Monica, however, per TMZ, Elon Musk was the #1 best-seller.
4. Staying on the topic of ice cream, Oatly is also celebrating National Ice Cream Day with pop-up truck events in LA, NYC, and St. Louis.
5. Oatly’s non-dairy frozen dessert bars are 100% plant-based and will be given out on Sunday, July 17. Look for the truck (pic below) to get your FREE sample.

4. Trending: Food Halls, Pickle Beer, Cornish Pasties

1. Food halls show no signs of slowing down. The latest to open is the 29,000 sq ft Warehouse Food Hall in Boise housing 10 eateries and 2 bars. In NYC, meanwhile, Jean–Georges Tin Building in the South Street Seaport area continues to be delayed due to staffing issues (they’re looking for 700 people and even with $500 signing bonuses it’s been a slog). That said, the interiors look gorgeous (done by Roman & Williams).
2. Pittsburgh’s annual Picklesburgh festival is where you’ll find Pickle Beer! It was created by East End Brewery in collaboration with Primanti Brothers. (Source: Pghcitypaper)
3. In SLC, the newly opened Dough Miner Cafe introduces Cornish hand pies — an ‘adventure food’ — to Utah. Pasties were a favorite of mine in Australia so I hope they catch on in SLC. (Source: SLTrib)

5. NYC friends: Chinatown Block Party this Sunday! Let’s support!

1. I’ve recently started to get involved with Think!Chinatown, an intergenerational non-profit based in Manhattan’s Chinatown. They are doing some really cool stuff!!
2. At Sunday’s Block Party, they’ll be playing Canto- and Mandopop from the 1940’s-00’s (as well as more current selections from the 80s-00s).
3. Prisca Choe will be exhibiting her stained-glass acrylic installation, a playful family of depictions of women pulled from genre paintings from the Joseon Dynasty to uplift the influence of women.
4. 8OX SET is a creative collective of multidisciplinary artists based in NYC exploring the ideas of culture, legacy, and belonging across borders and generations. Converging from a variety of fields including events, film, journalism, photography, music, and beyond.

6. Travel trends gaining traction

1. Solo travel is booming with individual bookings leading industry sales as more people opt to explore new destinations by themselves vs. wrangling their friends to join them.
2. Central America now beats Europe as the #1 destination for solo travelers who are hosteling. Bookings are up 40% since 2019, largely attributable to solo female travelers. (Note: hostels are NOT my thing but Central and South America turned out to be my last international trip before the pandemic.) The top countries for solo female travelers who are hosteling are Mexico (up 79%), Costa Rica (up 60%), and Guatemala (up 55%). Source: TravelOffPath
3. DTLV Arts District is expanding by 56%. There are more galleries and restaurants popping up along with hotels (The English Hotel opened in February). Based on my first visit to the Arts District earlier this year (pics below), I’d say it was the best part of my visit to Vegas. Seeing it develop is a Net Positive! Source: 8newsno

7. Top 3 Geekiest US Cities: NYC, Los Angeles, Vegas

1. To mark Embrace Your Geekness Day on July 13, Lawn Love ranked 2022’s Geekiest Cities.
2. The rankings are based on the 200 largest U.S. cities, using metrics like stores selling comics, video games, trading cards, and board games. Also, the number of geek Meetup groups, costume shops (for cosplayers), and whether the city has hosted events like Comic-Cons and Renaissance festivals.
3. I was shocked that New York topped the list, earning 25.25 more points than the next geekiest city and bringing home the gold in the Costumes, Collectibles, and Community categories. NYC has more comic book shops and video game stores than any other city ranked. (Source: LawnLove)
4. And for those of you wondering about the difference between geeks and nerds, austinculturemap explains below.

A geek is one who is obsessed with collecting materials and following trends about their subject of interest, while a nerd is one who is educated and intellectual about a certain topic or subject area. Nerds focus more on a wider breadth of knowledge (and usually have a more technical or scientific knowledge base), while geeks focus on collecting and trends that go with pop culture.

Rob Weiner, popular culture and humanities librarian at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

8. KURU Footwear among the fastest-growing online shops.

1. KURU’s niche is “stylish shoes for foot pain” creating and selling orthopedic shoes that don’t look orthopedic. Their patented KURUSOLE provides superior arch support and enhances the natural cushioning of the user’s heel. 
2. Founded in 2009 in Salt Lake City by CEO Bret Rasmussen, KURU Footwear is a 100% direct-to-consumer company on a mission to eliminate foot pain.
3. Per Newsweek, KURU was classified as an “extremely high growth” company based on total sales, traffic, and a quality assurance evaluation of the website.

#MyTake: Huge opportunity but I don’t trust that my online order would be the correct fit. Anybody wearing these? If so, let me know about your experience ordering, getting the right fit, etc.

9. Chris Leba’s R13 Denim brand keeps popping up on my Instagram.

1. I‘m obsessed with this brand although I know I’m not young enough, skinny enough, or tall enough to carry it off but I just love it.
2. It was founded by Chris Leba in 2009. Available online but also at Bergdorf’s and at the R13 store on Howard Street (I will check it out this weekend). Very pricey! It has a major cult following but still only a $6MM business from what I can tell.

10. Grouse Male Mating Dance: PLEASE WATCH THIS, SO weird and cool!!

• Audubon posted Liron Gertsman’s (@liron_gertsman_photography) video of these Sharp-tailed Grouse males dancing and chirping at a lek—and filmed this spectacular moment that won him the Video award in the 2022 #AudubonPhotographyAwards.
• It’s just one of the many reasons why I love birding!!

And that’s a wrap for today!

Happy to also report that I am fully recovered from my poison oak misadventure. This weekend promises to be festive and fun starting with a visit to the Virgil Abloh show at the Brooklyn Museum and, weather permitting, the Chinatown Block Party. And that’s it for this week, my friends. Wishing you all a great weekend!!