Good Morning and Happy Friday!

Memorial Day Weekend was a bit of a wash-out in NYC but I still got the travel bug.

It was misty and rainy on both Saturday and Sunday which made me contemplate my upcoming trip to the Faroe Islands (famous for being the islands of wind and rain). I also stumbled across a NEW Nat Geo trip that I am now signed up for (see #1 below).

1. RAINY NYC had me WISHing I WAS already in THE FAROEs

I’ll be staying on our ship, the NatGeo/Lindblad Explorer, but hopefully getting to check out the Hotel Foroyar (top pic). LOVE this kind of architecture.

• The Foroyar, built by the well-known Danish architects Friis & Moltke A/S, has a grass roof that is quintessentially Scandinavian. It was specially designed and adapted to the Faroe Islands landscape. I’ve previously stayed at a similar hotel, the Storfjord in Norway.
• The Faroe Islands will be THE hot travel destination of 2022/23. And you can quote me on that. Why the Faroes? Because savvy travelers are looking for undiscovered places and the more remote, the better. Remember you heard it here first!
• I also came across a new trip from Nat Geo (Africa by Private Jet). My trusty travel agent, Pablo Cruz, snagged one of the last single occupancies for me. As noted earlier, after having several trips canceled due to COVID, I am now trying to keep my enthusiasm in check and stay super flexible. Nevertheless, I am very excited about this trip especially since every location on the itinerary is new to me from Fez to Accra, Cape Town, Victoria Falls, Zanzibar and Rwanda.

2. ‘Vacci-cationers’ are keeping Los Angeles hotel occupancy above 70%

• Per LA Business Journal, the resurgence of travel is fueled by staycations, low room rates, and the “drive market,” i.e., guests who are driving from California, Las Vegas, Arizona, and Texas.
• L.A. occupancy rates jumped to 62% in May, from 43% in January. For nine weekends in a row, hotels in Los Angeles County have been at least 70% full.
• Hotel Erwin in Venice has made $60,000 in revenue over the past five months off its “vacci-cation” package — vaccinated guests get 30% off a two-night stay, plus four mini bottles of booze and an insulated to-go cup for drinking on the beach.
• New properties making buzzy debuts this year include the Pendry West Hollywood — a new complex with private social club, rooftop bar and restaurant, condos, and a hotel managed by Montage Hotels and Resorts, The Shay at Ivy Station in Culver City, and a new downtown outpost of Proper (pic above).

3. Decluttering is no fun when GoodWill begs you to stop donating your stuff

So frustrating to toss perfectly good things but….

• I asked my friends if any of them wanted any of my giveaways but they are all in the same boat and equally frustrated/challenged by what to do with their “stuff.” So much easier to buy stuff than it is to get rid of it.
• I tossed a lot but have also done three Housing Works runs. And I must say the staff is NOT clamoring to see more of me or my stuff!
• The decluttering process is, however, a great barometer of how your priorities are shifting, e.g., much of what I’m tossing has to do with hosting large dinner parties. I know that I am at a stage in life where my entertaining will be done primarily at restaurants or social clubs.
• Major lesson learned? We all have way too much stuff!! Having gone through this process several times, I recommend taking Gary Vee’s advice and “Stop buying dumb sh*t.” And secondly, don’t sign up for one of those ridiculous “buy now, pay later” schemes. This is a pet peeve of mine but I just saw this new spot from Klarna on twitter where they try to entice you to buy anything you LOVE right now, on the spot, and just pay for it later. NO, DON’T DO IT. Totally irresponsible on multiple levels. You’ll thank me later!

4. But not everyone’s a declutterer. That’s why the Self-storage industry is still booming.

The self-storage industry is closely related to life events and socio-economic factors:

• Top reasons why people turn to self-storage: moving, home improvement, downsizing, and changes in household composition.
• There’s an interesting correlation between new apartments built and demand for self-storage space. Why? Because people prioritize location over space when it comes to selecting an apartment. Self-storage provides a way to enjoy living large even when apartment sizes are shrinking.
• Dallas and New York added the most apartments in the last decade as well as the most self-storage spaces. Rounding out the top 5 self-storage markets are Houston, Chicago, Phoenix.
• There are more self-storage facilities in the U.S. than there are Best Buys, Lowe’s, Home Depots, Walmarts, McDonald’s, and Subway locations combined. (Source: AZBigMedia)

5. Another start-up bites the dust: 3rd major failure for the world’s largest tech fund

SoftBank – especially its Vision Fund – has had a tough time of it lately.

• Katerra is the second company backed by SoftBank’s Vision Fund to shut down this year.
• The investment firm’s 3 biggest failures: Katerra, WeWork and Greensill Capital.
• Katerra doesn’t even have enough money to pay severance packages or unused paid time off.
• This is another cautionary tale from the start-up world where many things look better on paper than in practice. And I’ve been a big fan of Masayoshi Son but I’m shocked at how easily this very smart man gets conned by smooth-talking tech-hustlers.

6. Top Jobs for Class of 2021. WORTH A READ!!!!

• Healthcare occupations outrank computer jobs as the hottest jobs for 2021 with nurse practitioners the fastest-growing.
• San Jose, Washington, D.C., and Seattle metros boast the most well-paid and in-demand positions for fresh graduates.
• Ohio metros like Dayton, Cleveland and Toledo are top locations for one-third of the hottest jobs for college grads.
• Kudos to Rent Cafe for this EXCELLENT report on the job market and where the opportunities lie for those just starting out. (Source: RentCafe Blog)

7. Naomi Osaka shines a light on how unhinged we’ve all become

I’ve written about people’s crazy, obnoxious behavior before. It shows no signs of abating (and I blame the media for much of it).

• In sports, post-game interviews (especially of the losing teams/players) are absolutely cringe-worthy. The media goes out of their way to taunt athletes into saying something embarrassing or crazy that will then go viral. I’ve witnessed it in Naomi Osaka’s case. The media likes to think of themselves as serving some lofty goals when in fact, their primary goal is to create conflicts and meltdowns that will go viral, get millions of views and line up their next gig.
• The Miami Herald just wrote a totally irresponsible piece on how to crash hotel pool parties (without having to be a guest or paying for any hotel services). How exactly is that going to end well? Big brawl is what I see, maybe a shooting – which the Herald will then cover breathlessly while claiming to be shocked and appalled when they created the situation.
• Work burnout is another leading cause of mental breakdown. 44% of workers nationwide report they are more burned out now than they were a year ago. And I can’t imagine how burned out flight attendants, fast-food workers, cops, and EMTs are these days. Making matters worse: many low-income patients are being cut off from their therapists who have had problems getting credentialed to accept Medicaid. 
• Amazon is rebranding its warehouse employees as ‘industrial athletes’ in an attempt to fix burnout and on-the-job meltdowns (and yes, they do walk up to 13 miles per day and burn 400 calories per hour, but still!). Amazon suggests workers prepare for the athlete’s life by changing their diets and sleep schedules and making sure they’re not dehydrated by keeping an eye on the color of their urine. It also suggests that employees buy shoes “at the end of the day when [their] feet are swollen” to avoid tightness and blisters. (Source: The Verge)

8. and that is – perhaps – why Smoking is back

I see lots of vaping but I’ve also noticed cigarette packs strewn around my neighborhood

• When I’m on litter duty, I generally pick up between 5-10 empty packs a day. It’s always at the end of the block where the homeless guys congregate.
• One of the guys told me he smokes 3 packs of Newports a day. At $16 a pack that’s a big chunk of change. Sometimes, he sells them as loosies for $1 apiece.
• George Hahn is also a smoker. He spends so much time talking about his sobriety and healthy eating that the smoking vice almost got by me.
• Ben Affleck is another smoker. Much in the news lately, cavorting with JLo, and always cigarette in hand.
• Per the Guardian, the number of smokers has reached an all-time high of 1.1 billion.
• Smoking increased for men in 20 countries and for women in 12.
• Ten countries made up two-thirds of the world’s smoking population: China, India, Indonesia, the US, Russia, Bangladesh, Japan, Turkey, Vietnam, and the Philippines. One in three tobacco smokers (341 million) lives in China.

9. The stylin’ girls of NYC: teal hair and hats are in!

On Monday at Little Island Park and the Highline:

• The teal hair trend is EVERYWHERE in NYC at the moment. It is also called “Mermaid Hair” or “anime-girl hairstyle.” I’m even seeing women in their 40s going for this look.
• It’s been around (on celebs) for a while but this year, I’ve spotted it on more people than usual. It’s good for selfies I’ve heard.
• Hats are also big this year. I especially like the Miley Cyrus look sported by the girl on the right (above).

10. top media finds: Indian and Filipino comics. Check them out!!

Hasan Minhaj – this video is only 2 mins long. Watch it, it’s hysterical.

Aparna Nancherla: 4 mins, fabulous!

Jo Koy: He cracks me up. I may try to see him when he comes to Brooklyn later this year. (9 mins video/ a little raunchy but extremely funny)

And that’s a wrap for this week. But wait, there’s more!

I’ve been inspired to try out video again. It’s not my strong suit but having now watched George Hahn’s Live Instagrams every morning, I’m challenging myself to give it another try. Seeing myself on video is pretty cringey but here goes anyway.

And that’s it, my friends. Have a great weekend everyone! And Richard and Jourdan – I’ll see you guys at PEAK today! Cannot wait!