Good Morning and Hello, Friday!

Who would have known that “retirement,” a word/concept that I shied away from for years, could become such a hot ticket?

And not only for my retired boomer friends. As it turns out, there are plenty of 40-and-50-year olds who are eager to join our weekly jaunts to galleries and restaurants, as well as our urban walks, and citibike rides. The Retirement Club is absolutely next level when it come to discovery, exploration, and making new friends.

Many of my friends who are close to 60 are incredibly curious about this thing called “retirement.” I sense a culture shift and a reframing of this next phase of life. As opposed to previous generations, those now in their 50’s will ultimately redefine retirement and aging with far fewer negative associations. People will still be judgemental about older people but it’s entirely up to us whether or not we let it stick.

It’s taken me a few years to get to this point. But I can honestly say that this is now THE MOST FULFILLING AND HAPPIEST TIME OF MY LIFE (so take that COVID)!

And just as I was writing this, Connie Ottmann’s fabulous blog (It’s a 60’s thing…taking a gap year in NYC) landed in my inbox. It included the best, and most timely, quote:

“Your 40s are good. Your 50s are great. your 60s are fab. Your 70s are F*@ing awesome.”

Helen Mirren

AND ON THAT NOTE, SCROLL DOWN FOR THIS WEEK’S TOP 10

1. Retirement Club is on fire!

A major social happening every Friday!

But, there are also Club activities on Mondays (when the Metropolitan Museum is open), on Tuesdays (big for leisurely lunches at Ludlow House), and sometimes even on weekends. The only days I NEVER make daytime plans are Wednesdays and Thursdays (my writing days).

• The Retirement Club started randomly with me selecting a few things to explore every week and then posting about them. It was during the pandemic and people were freaked out so I purposely didn’t put people on the spot by asking them to join me. Before long, however, people were reaching out, wanting to get on board.
• Most surprisingly for me, is the number of friends who are nowhere near retirement age, who find what we’re doing super interesting and ask to join for specific events.
• PLUS, now that we’ve gotten our weekly groove on, friends are challenging themselves to come up with new things to explore, e.g., we have tickets for the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at the Botanical Garden in May. There are also several new restaurants we’ll be checking out including the Nutopian Embassy in Tribeca developed by Dustin Wilson and Austin Johnson who opened BG Men’s store restaurant ‘Goodman’s’ in Jan 2020. Per our friend Joe S., “the meals were amazing!”
• The other day, while listening to the NATELAND podcast with its 3 hosts (ages 40’s, 30, and 50’s), a discussion arose about what age they would want to remain “forever.” There was some back-and-forth about their 20’s but they all ended up saying their present age was best.
• I realized my answer would be my present age also. I have never been happier or more fulfilled than I am currently. The only caveat is my arthritis – would I want to be 5 years younger for that reason? In some ways yes but it was in those early retirement years that I was really struggling with “purpose.” The more I thought about it, the more I knew the answer was NO, I would not want to be five years younger. I love my life, my friends, my ability to do EXACTLY what I want to do at this very moment in time more than anything.

2. Speakeasies are back!

The NYC speakeasy scene seem a bit gimmicky even as the newest spot reports a 1500 person waitlist (so what do I know?). Boise, on the other hand has definitely got it going on. WHOA!!!

La Noxe, located in the 28th Street subway station (7th Ave). 1500 person wait-list!!

“It really blew up on TikTok. The bar’s three-person team has been scrambling to keep up with reservation requests ever since a clip revealing its unlikely location circulated in late March. Some have even tried to make reservations for the 30-person space — currently operating at 50 percent capacity, per New York law — as far out as 2022.”

Mariko Gale-Perie, Co-Founder (Source: NY Post)

The Little Shop, a hidden speakeasy disguised in the back of a bodega (Source: SecretNYC)

• The speakeasy is in the South Street Seaport.
• It was created by Philippe Boujnah (who lives above the space) and Anna Bazhenova.
• Make reservations through Resy.
• Address: 252 Front Street, New York

Press & Pony opened six years ago as a craft cocktail bar. Then it got super popular with standing room only crowds and orders for Fireball shots. The owner was not happy.

When COVID hit, the bar closed. An opportunity to reset! Now Press & Pony has reopened with a hidden entryway and secret elevator code:

• The main door is permanently locked. The only way to find the bar is by heading around the corner, descending into the basement-level Devil’s Den — and getting the nod from bartender Tavis Huff. From there, you’re guided to a dark hallway, where you punch in a secret elevator code and ascend to craft cocktail nirvana.
• There are two ways to get the code. You can make advance reservations at the Press & Pony website. Or you can roll the dice and ask Huff to call up and see whether there’s any room. (Source: Idaho Statesman)

3. CELEBS/ENTERTAINERS GETTING INTO HOSPITALITY

Justin Timberlake Is Backing a Luxe New Supper Club in Nashville

• The Twelve Thirty Club, a three-story experience headlined by food and music, opened on April 14th. (Source: Williamsonsource)
• Justin Timberlake is not only an investor, he will also be involved in curating the music and the vibe.
• The project is being spearheaded by Phoenix-based restaurateur Sam Fox.

Pharrell Williams just opened The Goodtime Hotel in Miami (on April 15) in collaboration with nightclub mogul David Grutman

• Watch the video, it’s good!

4. Talking about hospitality, Big shout out to Joel Voisard!

I know Joel (and his wife Anna) through friends and was thrilled to see him get such well-deserved coverage for the work he’s done to help restaurants during the pandemic.

• Joel has been offering his services as a carpenter to build outside seating spaces (the only way many eateries managed to survive).
• Juliet and Justine Masters (below), the owners of The Edge in Harlem, say that the space created by Voisard went a long way in helping them to survive the pandemic.

“Joel was recommended to us by another restaurant owner in Harlem. It was a very easy conversation with him, and we felt like we could work with him. He was reasonably priced, and he showed up in his beat-up old red truck with the wood sticking out the back, so there was something telling about that.”

Juliet Masters (Source: AMNY)

5. NYC Restaurants are booming: visits up 50% since January (Source: TimeOut)

As most of you know, I LOVE restaurants. I eat out at least 4 days a week so it’s warmed the cockles of my heart to see restaurants coming back so strongly.

And big shout out to 10 of my favorite spots. Always fully booked. I’m so happy for the chefs/owners, even if it means I sometimes can’t get a reservation!

• Peasant (my favorite Italian)
• Fish Cheeks (amazing Thai)
• Wayan (Cedric Vongerichten’s fabulous Indonesian/French spot)
• The Fulton (Vongerichten Sr’s glorious seafood spot with the most amazing views)
• ATLA (great non-traditional Mexican, amazing cocktails)
• Freeman’s (not so secret anymore but still a hot spot, in the alley by my house)
• Peak at Hudson Yards (OMG – my favorite spot for a luxurious and leisurely late lunch)
• Orsay (on the UES, old-school French with the best Ile Flottante dessert)
• Sistina (also on UES, Italian, really difficult to get a res for the outdoors)
• Ludlow House (private club, THE BEST, great staff, good food and the best vibe)

6. Mark Cuban on Steve-O’s WILDRIDE podcast. Killer Insights and so fun!

Here are 3 reasons why Ep #51 is worth watching:

1. Mark Cuban is a huge fan of Steve-O (and vice versa, it’s a mutual admiration society). And it’s just fun to see Cuban fan-boying Steve-O (who can’t quite believe he’s talking to one of his idols).
2. Mark Cuban’s POV on NFTs and crypto is very insightful , as is everything he shares on his day-to-day life and business practices, e.g., at every meeting, he writes “LISTEN” on his notepad to make sure he actually listens more than he talks. I need to do this!!!
3. Steve-O is hysterically funny. I especially love his comment about having a “condiment disorder” (like me, he can never get enough hot sauce on any of his foods which is why he now has his own brand).

7. 3X as many crypto BILLIONAIRES ON Forbes 2021 list as last year

• There are nine new crypto billionaires on the Forbes list, for a total of 12 (depending on whether you count the Winklevoss twins as one or two entries.) That’s up from just four in last year’s Forbes World’s Billionaires list.
• 29-year old Sam Bankman-Fried is the wealthiest, with a net worth of $8.7 billion. He founded trading firm Alameda Research and FTX. He recently won the naming rights to Miami Heat’s home stadium for 19 years. Cointelegraph recently ranked Bankman-Fried as the third most influential figure in crypto for 2020.
• Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have a net worth of $3 billion each and started investing in Bitcoin in 2012. They sued Mark Zuckerberg for IP theft in 2004 and won a $65 million settlement which they used to invest in Bitcoin. They started the crypto exchange Gemini in 2014, and they purchased Nifty Gateway in November 2019.
• Brian Armstrong is the CEO and co-founder of Coinbase and his net worth has gone from $1 billion to $6.5 billion within 12 months. Coinbase IPO’d this week with the company’s valuation topping $86 billion which exceeds the value of the NYSE ($67 billion). Armstrong may well top the crypto billionaires’ list next year.
• Source: Cointelegraph

8. E-Scooter stores are where vape stores were in 2019.

Every block in downtown NYC now has at least one electric scooter store. Often in a storefront that was previously a vape store. Below are 3 in my immediate neighborhood.

Inokim Electric Scooter Shop (333 Bleecker Street)

• Founded by an Israeli industrial designer in 2009.
• In 2020, the company produced over 1,000 devices per month. Sold in 30 countries.
• Prices range from $1000 – $1900!

Dega – E-Scooters for New Yorkers, Spring Street, Soho (Rent only??)

Levy Electric Scooters, Ludlow Street

• $500 – $700
• Also available for weekly or monthly rentals
• The showroom, on the Lower East Side, is right by Ludlow House
• Zero information available about the company, the founders, etc.

9. fiber arts are trending. a backlash to NFTs and cryptoart?

In the last week, I’ve received three notifications about “stitch-ups,” and other shows dedicated to fiber art. PLUS just got word that a Yarn Crawl is back on the agenda for all Brooklyn knitters, crocheters and other “yarnistas.”

UNRAVELED: Confronting The Fabric of Fiber Art at The Untitled Space In Tribeca. Works from 40 contemporary women artists. (Source: TimeOut)

The erotic thread art of Sal Salandra at Club Rhubarb

• While the majority of fiber artists are women, Sal Salandra, who currently has a show at Club Rhubarb on the LES, is a queer artist based in East Hampton, NY, transplanted from the West Village. Sal works in the medium of thread painting, a form of embroidery which involves weaving long and short stitches through a canvas. He has spent fifty-five years as a hairdresser, and without a formal art education, is self-taught at his craft. (Source: OMG Blog)

10. It’s 420 week!

WEED MANIA is in full bloom: from LONG lines at dispensaries, to new show Chopped420 on the Food Channel, to new careers as budtenders to gifts and treats for humans and pets. Here are a few things that popped out at me as pot gets ever more legal.

Dispensaries are booming

“There’s still the sexiness of coming into the dispensary, seeing it for the first time, purchasing for the first time.”

Raul Molina, cOO at The Mint, which runs dispensaries in Tempe, Mesa, and Phoenix (Source: Phoenix New Times)

28-year old Las Vegas chef Daniel Stramm uses his culinary skills to incorporate CBD in the kitchen (Source: Las Vegas Weekly)

• On April 20, Stramm will appear on the premiere episode of Chopped 420, a spinoff of the Food Network’s popular Chopped food competition. Contestants will be tasked with creating a full-course meal composed of an appetizer, main course and dessert, all incorporating cannabis.

From Austin, TX: Redeemer Small Batch CBD (Source: Austin Chronicle)

• Founded by two women, Bailey Weickum and Jahna Martell, this local business is a wellness-centric family affair: Their supply chain involves CBD and CBG sourced directly from their family’s hemp farm.

Pittsburgh is big on weed-inspired gift ideas and doggie treats (although recreational marijuana is still prohibited)

Rick Perry, on the other hand, has moved on from weed to “magic mushrooms.”

And with that, my friends, it’s a wrap!

I am still thinking about that amazing trek around Central Park that Joe S. organized for Dean and I last weekend. We hit it in peak bloom. Absolutely magnificent and doing the walk with someone who is an arborist in all but title, makes it even more gratifying.

This weekend promises to be equally fun.

Saturday at Ludlow House for a Mars Band performance followed by dinner at Ducked Up (first time in over a year). And I am thrilled to be introducing my longtime friend, David Moreland, who has just moved back to the city, to my NYC crew.

Today (Friday) includes a massive gallery jaunt with one of my BFFs, Sheri R., followed by a late lunch at one of our fave “blasts from the past”, Odeon!!

Till next week my friends! As always, stay safe, stay well and remember to have some fun. Life’s too short not to!