It was Snowpocalypse in NYC this week

18″ of snow turned into an impassable 3 ft. embankment once the snowplows got to work.

My upstairs neighbor and I decided to take things into our own hands and much to my surprise, we had an awesome time digging out a little pathway from our front door to the street. It certainly made our delivery guys happy.

It also goes to show, on a small scale, that nothing is impossible – especially when you surround yourself with a circle of friends, neighbors, co-workers who share a “can-do” attitude!

And on that note, Scroll down for this week’s Top 10.

1. Clubhouse Update: Over 2MM members now, up from 600K last month!

Gary Vee (above) just posted a 7-min video on the benefits of Clubhouse. It is worth watching. The two most important reasons to join: 1) to learn and 2) to schmooze at what he refers to as Clubhouse dinner parties. I get the learning part. I have been in a few excellent rooms lately, e.g., last night’s Conferences & Festivals for Event Pros moderated by Karen Hartline was top-notch but I have yet to pick up a warm, intimate dinner party vibe. When I’m in the “hallways” or the “rooms” of Clubhouse, I feel like I am at a major trade show/conference. Which is not a bad thing but may explain why Twitter Spaces is getting some traction for feeling more cozy (more on that below).

So who’s on clubhouse?

Per the Hollywood Reporter, the site is particularly popular among Black creatives while Vice reports Clubhouse is “booming with boomers.” I would say both descriptions are accurate.

And, of course, popularity breeds copycats

Twitter Spaces is already in beta and rumor has it Facebook, Instagram etc. are all developing voice chat apps as well.

“Compared to chatting on Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces feels like talking with a small room of friends”

Chris Cantino on Transistor

2. Word of the week: stonks

The man behind the recent shorting craziness is Keith Gill, AKA Reddit’s DeepF——Value. He got millions of newbies fired up about GameStop and Robinhood. And now he’s in a whole heap of trouble (lost his job, lost $13 million, being called to testify in DC). IT IS GOING TO GET UGLY ON REDDIT!!

Dave Portnoy’s hopping mad

Portnoy got Marc Cohodes, a famous (retired) short-seller, on his podcast to explain what was going on (link here)

Cohodes had this advice

”The lesson is going to be the market is not a game, the market is not a casino, it’s a serious thing for serious people, and if you’re wrong, be prepared to lose.”

MARC COHODES, Short Seller, Rocker Partners (April 2000)

3. The World’s Hottest Art Stars are signing up for major corporate gigs

Artists collaborating with fashion brands is old news. Bedfellowing it with cybersecurity companies or sports teams (Daniel Arsham/Cleveland Cavaliers) adds an interesting new twist.

Felipe Pantone, is the latest artist going corpo. He was recently enlisted by Kaspersky (a global cybersecurity company) to highlight the importance of data privacy in a connected age. WATCH VIDEO BELOW.

4. Massive Spike In Spirit Sales during Covid -Especially at the high end

“This has been unlike any other recession that we’ve experienced. In the U.S., ultra- and superpremium spirits are gaining share at faster rates than in the pre-Covid time periods.”

Lawson Whiting, chief executive, Brown-Forman

Diageo also reported a big jump in U.S. spirit sales for the second half of 2020, driven by higher-end booze.

• Its tequila brands Don Julio and Casamigos grew North American sales by 55% and 137%, respectively. (Source: Fox Business)

Overall industry numbers are up (per DISCUS):

• American whiskey sales rose 8.2%, cognac grew 21% and tequila and mezcal combined jumped 17%.
• Sales of ready-to-drink cocktails surged 39%, which executives said was driven by at-home entertaining, new product launches, and a desire for convenience.

Americans have long drunk more at home than Europeans do. Even before the pandemic, four out of every five alcoholic drinks in the U.S. were bought in “off-premise” channels, rather than in bars and restaurants. That trend has accelerated.

And that has been great news for Drizly. The online alcohol retailer saw its annual sales grow 350%. Last Tuesday Uber acquired the company for a cool $1.1 billion!

5. Are You Among The 25% Of People Who Are “Supertasters”?

I’m writing about this specifically for my friend, Anne L (photo below). For as long as I have known her, she has been a “picky eater.” And she has always told me it’s because she’s a supertaster – and I never believed her. Until now! Take this quiz from Buzzfeed to see where you rank.

While NOT A SUPERTASTER, I am famous for my “spicy food stamina”

6. And while we’re on quizzes: take the 23 and me Covid Test

If I read my results correctly, I have a relatively small chance of getting a bad case of COVID. Among research participants with my characteristics who got COVID, only 7% required hospitalization.

7. what SEARCHES ON GOOGLE MAPS REVEAL ABOUT OUR 2021 resolutions (Source: Google Blog)

This is a very cool way to find out how our everyday resolutions are holding up in the midst of COVID-19.

We’re Traveling but keeping it local

Last year, Maps searches for international destinations rose by over 65% compared to the previous month.

• This year, searches for countries outside of one’s hometown stayed flat.
• Searches for local bed and breakfasts increased by 20%.
• Ski resort searches doubled from last year!

NOPE TO Dry January (I don’t know anybody who did it this year!)

“Dry January” is consistently one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions.

• January 2020’s searches for wine shops and liquor stores plummeted by nearly 40% compared to the previous December.
• This year, those searches only dropped by 11% and 6% respectively, hinting that people were less committed to abstaining.

Healthy-ish eating

Searches for “healthy” options spiked by 46% at the start of January compared to the previous December.

But at the same time there’s another trend on the rise: people are looking for sweets.

• Searches for ice cream shops are up 10%.
• Last year searches for fast food restaurants plummeted by a whopping 20% in January, this year they dropped by just 1.5%.

8. Missoula, MT gets an influx of zoom/high-tech workers (Source: The Missoulian)

“The high-tech sector in Montana is growing nine times faster than the overall economy and pays twice the median wage.”

Christina Henderson, exec. dir. Montana High Tech Business Alliance

• Montana saw 3.4 million visitors in 2020, a 30% increase compared to 2019.
• The Missoula urban area’s median home price was up 37% ($350,000 in 2020 vs. $255,000 in 2016).

in this outdoor mecca, Keep an eye on this Missoula-based tech company:

onX has created digital products and apps that allow users to navigate without cell service while also viewing land ownership, topography and other layers on their phone or electronic device.

“In 2020, onX saw growth across its user base, as folks turned to the outdoors in increasing numbers. In fact, from March through May of last year, we saw three times the growth than in years past.”

Molly Stoecklein, Sr. Communications Manager onX

9. Savannah Superstars Bringing “The Grey” to Austin’s New Thompson Hotel

“Austin’s just booming. It’s about art, music, and all the things we love. The way it’s growing with such diversity was just compelling.”

Johno Morisano, Eater Interview

Dinner at Savannah hotspot, The Grey (in a former Greyhound Bus Station) goes down as one of the highlights of my 2017 trip to Savannah. The vibe, the cocktails, the food and, of course, my hosts (thank you Alice and Bob) made for an absolutely sublime night. The cherry on the cake? Chef Bailey was in the house working her magic in the kitchen. Listen up Austin! I hope you realize how lucky you are that these two picked your city for an outpost of The Grey!

10. 216 Bowery – The Most Exquisite New Building in NYC (imo)

I’ve been keeping an eye on this building (a former kitchen supply store) for a few years. It was acquired in 2016 by L3 Capital. The rebuild was “unveiled” in 2020. And I love that they were able to keep much of the facade brick intact (as well as salvage and reuse the remaining bricks) so that it matches the original from the 1870s beautifully. I initially thought it was developed to be boutique condos but it’s a commercial building! Tough times for retail and office space but this is such a unique property, I’m optimistic it’ll be leased before too long. Keeping my fingers crossed.

big shout out to L3 Capital and David Grider Architect for adding this beauty to our neighborhood

And that’s a wrap for this week.

Snowmageddon made for an unusually quiet week. Can’t say I’m crazy about having snow shoveling be the highlight of my social life!

That said, I did get to spend more time exploring Clubhouse. I also discovered a new favorite podcast: Steve O’s WILDRIDE. He broadcasts from his RV. It’s pretty genius. I especially love the episode with Rob Dyrdek. WOW what an entrepreneur. Some of you may remember him from his skateboarding days and for his MTV show, Rob & Big. How he turned his life around (through hypnosis) is a crazy, inspiring story all on its own. RESPECT!

And with that I’ll call it a day.

Lunch today with Joe and “supertaster” Anne at Soho House’s rooftop cabanas. Then to the Whitney. Saturday it’s dinner at Fish Cheeks (one of my faves) with Richard and Jourdan. I will report back on any discoveries I make along the way. Sunday it’s the Super Bowl. Since my Packers didn’t make it, it’s a bit of a non-event as far as I’m concerned.

And with that, my friends, adieu til next week. Stay well, stay safe but remember to always have some fun!