Good Morning & Hello Friday!

• Compared to last week, I am once again in good spirits (as I discuss in the wrap up video – #10). I don’t know who to thank for this ability to “move on” when things get me down but it is one of my best traits.
• Also, thrilled to be traveling again (even though it’s all domestic). Have trips planned for later this month to LA, Nashville in July, and Bozeman, Montana (at a super cool hotel) for my birthday in August. (#1, 2).
• And HUGE gratitude to Dr. David Middaugh of El Paso Manual Physical Therapy for providing the most helpful exercises for hip arthritis. I’m back to walking 20K steps (7 miles) a day. It’s pretty amazing (#9).

Please scroll down for this week’s Top 10 (#5 will undoubtedly be controversial but bear with me)!!

1. Celebrating my birthday AT THE LARK in BOZEMAN this year!

• I’ve always loved Montana and when I discovered The LARK (a boutique hotel on Bozeman’s Main Street), I immediately made a reservation. The hotel’s website is phenomenal. Especially the info section from the hotel “guides” – check it out here. I’ve never seen a hotel website offer a similar service in such an authentic, “insidery” way.
• Things I am particularly interested in checking out based on the guides’ recommendations: the Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture, the Eli Ridgway Gallery, the Rialto and the Verge Theater (for live entertainment), Head West for cool western wear, cocktails at Devil’s Toboggan and PLONK. And I also plan to check out Bozeman’s new social club, The Ponderosa.
• Bozeman is HOPPING. The airport saw a record-breaking year in terms of travelers with an 82% increase over the last five years.

And, of course, if this inspires any of my travel crew to join me, I would be thrilled to see each and every one of you!!!

2. But before then, I’ll be in LA (staying at the new Holloway House)

LA Friends!! Help Me Out!

I’ll be arriving in LA on 6/28 and departing 7/2. I will be car-free (Ubering) but have been advised that traffic is BAD so am trying to build my itineraries accordingly.

Please, please send along any tips on what I’m missing, what may not be worth my time and effort, watchouts, as well as anything else I should be aware of before I hit LA.

Day 1: Tuesday 6/28

1. Arrive mid-afternoon
2. Dinner with Robert C. (birthday!!)

Day 2: Wednesday 6/29

1. Platform Culver City/ Margot Rooftop Restaurant – the only retail I currently have on the itinerary (!?)
2. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
3. Jeffrey Deitch Gallery: Nadia Lee Cohen Show
4. Dinner: Mother Wolf (with E & J, and KL)

Day 3: Thursday 6/30 (scouting with Kara K)

1. Frogtown/Elysian Valley (check out Spoke Bicycle Cafe, La Colombe Cafe, Wax Paper)
2. Lunch with PW at Japanese American Cultural and Community Center/ Little Tokyo Area
3. Downtown Proper Hotel with lobby mural by Abel Mac.
4. Apple Tower Theater
5. Matte Black Coffee (Joshua Vides design)
6. Soho Warehouse
7. Bike Shed Moto
8. Saffy’s (dinner?)
9. Eat Your Drink (?)

Day 4: Friday 7/1

1. Neuehouse Venice, hardhat tour (Jon D?)
2. Santa Monica Proper Hotel
3. Gjusta/Gjelina (lunch/dinner?)

Day 5: Saturday 7/2

Early morning departure.

Again, any and all recos are welcome. I’m also looking for feedback on the viability of my daily itineraries (is any of it too ambitious given traffic, etc?)

3. June 8: Jean-Georges’ Tin Building opens at NYC’s South Street Seaport.

1. The Tin Building, a two-level 53,000-square-foot marketplace (curated by Jean-Georges Vongerichten), will be one of New York’s buzziest openings!! Roman & Williams is doing the interiors so you know it’s going to be gorgeous!!.
2. It includes at least a dozen restaurants, and a central market offering locally sourced seafood, meats, cheeses, and fresh produce. It will employ 700 people.
3. Howard Hughes Corporation also recently took a minority stake in Jean-Georges Restaurants, investing $55 million to fund growth for his expanding global empire.

#MyTake: Every now and again, the stars align for the perfect deal. This strikes me as such an occasion. Huge respect for both JGV and the Howard Hughes Corp. Both stellar companies. What they’ve done, individually and collectively, in turning the Seaport District into one of the most desirable destinations in NYC is remarkable. And importantly, I see as many locals as tourists, enjoying the area which makes it even more outstanding.

4. While we’re talking downtown foodie scene, Major kudos to Kristyn Onasch, Exec pastry chef at Le Gratin

• As most of you know, I’m a big fan of Daniel Boulud’s newest restaurant, Le Gratin, at the Beekman Hotel. Ate there 3 times last week.
• And as most of you also know, I love a good dessert. This week, my friends Joe and Francine and I, enjoyed three magnificent desserts: the gâteau chocolate (my fave!), tarte aux abricots with pistachio ice cream, and the fraises melba (sublime).
• And to cap off a great dinner, executive pastry chef, Kristyn Onasch (previously at Boulud Sud and Eleven Madison), dropped by our table to say hello. We were thrilled to meet the creator of so much deliciousness.

5. Elon Musk on Remote Work: “If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned! Those who oppose should go ‘pretend to work somewhere else.’”

• Elon’s not having it. We will see if he sticks to this plan or walks it back.
• NYC’s Mayor, Eric Adams, also just sent a stern letter to NYC’s 300,000 employees: ‘You are required to report to work in person.”
• In another recent article on tech company layoffs, remote workers were bemoaning being laid off via zoom calls. I thought it curious since zoom calls are central to what, supposedly, makes remote work so productive. Please explain why bosses should be expected to revert to in-person protocols when it comes to human resources?

#MyTake: Based on my personal experience with the work-from-home staffers at USCIS (citizenship/immigration), remote work is a TOTAL BUST. A run-of-the-mill 10-year green card renewal which has never taken more than a few weeks to be processed (renewed 4 times over 40 years), is now expected to take 2 years (and I am not even allowed to contact anyone at USCIS to ask about the status until July 29 which is 17 months from when I applied). This not only impacts immigrants and resident aliens, but also American citizens. Everyone is running into the same backlog and delays whether it’s for passports, visas, or green card renewals. Bottom Line: there are millions of people working from home and while I am certain many are extremely productive, based on what I’ve observed with government workers, the vast majority are anything but …. And that’s why I’m with Elon on this!!

6. Iceland’s tourism campaign taps into vacations + work — it’s pretty genius!

• Iceland’s tourism office has created a brilliant (and very funny) marketing campaign called “out-horse your email.”
• They claim the horses “are trained in the latest buzzwords, your boss will never know the difference.”
• WATCH THE VIDEO. Hysterical. Source: DigitalTrends

7. NFT update: Prada releasES NFTs for Cassius Hirst’s apparel drop (Damien’s son!). Plus, the scammy side of NFTs.

1. Prada launched 100 NFTs yesterday (6/2) along with its latest Timecapsule apparel release from Cassius Hirst, son of artist Damien Hirst. (Source: decrypt.co)
2. HOW IT WORKS: When making a physical merch purchase, buyers will receive a free airdropped NFT (Prada’s staying focused on selling physical items, with NFTs serving as a free bonus).
3. The Aura Blockchain Consortium, a nonprofit founded by LVMH, Prada, and Cartier is behind this latest NFT drop.

And then there’s the first-ever NFT insider trading case. (Source: CNBC)

• Nathaniel Chastain, a former product manager at the online marketplace OpenSea, was just arrested for insider trading on NFTs, “using confidential information about what NFTs were going to be featured on OpenSea’s homepage for his personal financial gain.” Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

#MyTake: The whole NFT thing is starting to turn me off. The most positive thing about them is their novelty factor. At the other end of the spectrum, NFTs are a boon to scam artists, swindlers and grifters, all of whom are out in full force. Most of us would be wise to steer clear.

8. hand-painted hats by Jenny Wantland (Tucson artist/designer). Ordering one today!

1. Discovered Jenny and her online store (LunaBloom), and these fabulous hats, through This Is Tucson.
2. The hats are not easy to get your hands on. She does one drop a week, generally 10 designs.
3. The next one is today (06/03 @ 10am AZ time). It’s on my calendar! The desert-inspired hats range from $230 to $250.
4. Since the shop’s start nearly three years ago, Wantland’s following has grown from 300 Instagram followers to more than 33K. The hats are popular with both locals and celebrities.

9. Update on my hip arthritis with major shoutout to Dr. David Middaugh of El Paso Manual Physical Therapy

• I first wrote about Dr. David Middaugh’s exercises for hip arthritis back in January of 2022 (#9 in this link).
• I’ve built a 20-minute regimen around 7 of his exercises and have been doing it daily for 5 months. Such an improvement! I am now routinely walking 15K-20K steps a day (up to 7 miles). It’s kind of miraculous. And Dr. Middaugh gets full credit.
• If any of you are starting to experience arthritis, please check him out on Youtube. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

10. Fire Escape Recap: apologies for the background noise!

And that’s a wrap for today! But so much is happening. Here’s just a small sample of what’s going on this coming week: seeing Nate Bargatze at the Beacon, celebrating Nettie’s bday at Neue Galerie’s hugely popular cabaret and dinner series, and on Friday (most exciting of all!!), Moonlight Tour of Greenwood Cemetery with a historian and an accordian player! And with that, wishing you all a wonderful weekend and a great week ahead!!