Good Morning and Hello Friday!!

• My big news this week is that after two years of NOT traveling, I survived my first trip. As a matter of fact, I thoroughly enjoyed it (despite the Austin airport fiasco).
• I also got a big lesson on the importance of getting to the airport ridiculously early. Plus, the need for Global Entry (which I can’t do until my 10-year Green Card Renewal comes through). It’s been languishing in USCIS covid-delay-hell for over 13 months. I’ve had to hire an attorney to expedite the process!!
• This coming week, I am off on Trip #2. Heading to AZ to see Brad’s shows in Scottsdale and Tucson and then heading to Vegas for opening night of Lady Gaga’s “Jazz and Piano” residency.
• Doubtful I will get to do a SNAPSHOT: PHOENIX next week but look for a surprise post from The Vault (a look-back at what was trending in April 2015 or 2016 perhaps?).
• And with that, please scroll down for more on what we can anticipate as we all get back to traveling this summer.

1. [WATCH] VIDEO

2. Austin Airport was a nightmare: Line to get to TSA was 1.2 miles long at 5:30am

The worst of it happened when I was leaving on Sunday, March 27 (the 9th busiest day in the airport’s history).

• By Monday, the situation was not quite as dire – but still crazy enough to warrant intense media coverage.
• I was convinced I would miss my flight (and the next non-stop was not until 6:30 pm). However, TSA pulled off a great recovery. They had us all line up in pairs, shoulder to shoulder which sped up the lines, and when it finally came to going through security, it was a breeze. They skipped the whole shoes off, laptops out, requirement.
• Miraculously, I made my flight with a few minutes to spare.

But this airport problem is happening all around the country – and it will get worse over the summer.

• Nationwide, 2.3 million people passed through an airport security checkpoint this past Sunday, compared with 1.57 million on that day last year (up 46%).
• In Las Vegas, more than twice as many people (3.3MM) flew through Harry Reid International Airport this February compared to the same month in 2021 (1.6MM).
• NYC forecasts a 70% increase in tourism (56MM) in 2022, including 8 million visitors from abroad (although big spenders from China are missing).
• United Airlines said they’ll be flying more than 18 million people during this year’s spring break period, which is a 70% increase over last year.

#MyTake: Global Entry is a MUST. I’m stymied waiting for my 10-year Green Card Renewal to be processed. Hopefully my lawyer will be able to expedite (fingers crossed🤞🏻🙏🤞🏻). I also highly recommend getting to the airport at least 2 hours before your domestic flight. That’s what I will be doing this coming week when I head to AZ. The same worker shortages facing every facet of the hospitality industry is hampering airports. AUS, for example, is desperately trying to hire more workers but even with a $2,000 signing bonus, they’re coming up empty.

3. Hotels, restaurants, retail, private clubs, Uber — ALL scrambling to find workers!!

• Everyone is struggling to get enough qualified workers. At Soho House Austin, the staff is terrific but there are too few of them. Servers/bartenders/housekeepers all in extremely short supply.
• I did notice, however, that two of my favorite restaurants in Austin (Uchi and Jeffreys), were fully staffed with topnotch teams in all capacities from bars to kitchen to waiters.
• This was also my first time using Uber in almost 2 years. While half of my drivers were fabulous (and driving full time), several were shady. One insisted I sit in front and grilled me about my marital status, another suggested I pay him in cash instead of going through the Uber app.
• Life guards are similarly in short supply all over the country. In Austin, the Barton Springs public swimming pool remains shut two days of the week because of the lifeguard shortage.

4. The “Gerontocracy” — What Austin’s most celebrated resident has to say.

I’ve been fascinated by Musk for years, read every book on him, listened to him on podcasts, etc. Here are highlights from a new interview with him by Mathias Dopfner, the CEO of Axel Springer.

“I don’t think we should try to have people live for a really long time. That would cause asphyxiation of society because we will be stuck with old ideas and society wouldn’t advance.”

Elon Musk (Source: NDTV.Com)

• Musk believes we’re living in a “gerontocracy,” i.e., a government largely controlled by people who are much older than the majority of the population. In his view, the US has a “very, very ancient leadership”, which makes it “impossible to stay in touch with the people”.
• Although founders of the US established minimum ages for holding local office, they did not include maximum ages since they did not anticipate humans living for so long. Musk adds, “I think for political leadership, you want to be ideally within 10 or at least, 20 years of the average age of the population.”

#MyTake: Musk operates on a different level than most of us. I may not agree with everything he says, but it is folly to dismiss what he espouses. On the topic of the geronotcracy, I’m reminded of how exciting it was to see a young president in the White House!

5. And one final Austin note: Tesla’s Cyber Rodeo happening next week!

• Tesla announced it would hold a Cyber Rodeo to commemorate the opening of Gigafactory Texas (where the Model Y and Cybertruck will be produced).
• Tesla plans to hold the event on April 7 at 4 pm. 15,000 guests have been invited. (Source: Teslarati)
• The last “Giga Fest” was held at Gigafactory Berlin.

#MyTake: So cool!!! And so jealous of anyone who actually is on that invite list!

6. Lever Club NYC: opening soon!

• Lever House, one of NYC’s most iconic 1950’s landmarks, is getting a $100 million facelift and its centerpiece is an indoor-outdoor, tenants-only hospitality suite on the third floor with a focus on wellness and collaborative-work facilities.
• The Lever Club will feature 15,000 square feet of outdoor space in two landscaped terraces flanking an additional 15,000 sq ft indoor complex with private restaurant, conference rooms and health/wellness facilities.

#MyTake: This boutique building is pioneering a new way to “office.” If done correctly, it will be very attractive to smaller businesses especially as Midtown East continues to dial up its cool factor.

7. Sound Bath Meditation: The new wellness trend?

• Sound Baths have been around for a while but in the last year, they’ve moved into the mainstream (pandemic stress and all!)
• And it’s happening from coast to coast. My friend Joycie Weatherby, in LA, started hosting monthly Lunar Sound Bath Experiences last year.
• In Nashville, Ann Sensing and Jo-Jo Jackson are leading outdoor sound baths as part of a Wellness 360 Program in the Blevins Japanese Garden Pavilion at Cheekwood. (Source: NashvilleScene).

#MyTake: Although meditation/yoga etc., is not my thing, I do understand how the concept of “healing” might be especially relevant right now. On TikTok, #soundbath has over 37MM views. So although I see it as a fad, there’s no denying its appeal.

8. Vuori opens its first NYC store in Soho

• Vuori got on my radar through the NATELAND podcast. The whole crew of comics from the podcast, along with their wives, swear by the brand (and were wearing it prior to getting the ad reads). The brand has also been increasingly popping up on my Instagram feed.
• Sales tripled last year and are on track to double this year.
• Vuori plans to open 15 stores in 2022 including 2 in NY. Currently they only have stores in California, Colorado and Arizona.
• It was founded in 2014 by Joe Kudla as a men’s yoga line. By 2018, the brand had pivoted to men’s and women’s premium activewear. Their top product is the performance jogger and the big selling point is the softness of the fabrics.

9. best Korean soft serve in Phoenix (where the Temps will be in the 90’s when I arrive next week)!

• I’m especially intrigued by Snowtime which serves the special Korean dessert known as ah-boong. It comes in a fish-shaped waffle cone, filled with Nutella, custard, or sweet red beans, layered with a perfect swirl of matcha or taro soft serve, and topped with matcha dust!
• Also planning to check out Dessert in Desert for their matcha green tea soft serve on a green cone with Pocky toppings, or taro soft serve with mochi on a purple cone. The menu also includes Tornado deep fried potatoes, a popular street food in Korea. (Source: PhoenixNewTimes)

10. 2nd booster shot! Thank you Robert Cameron for tipping me to this!

• And thank you to CVS for going the extra mile for me to check on the approval and literally give me the shot the minute the CDC signed off!!
• As it turns out, I am also among the half of Americans who have never had Covid! Per Bloomberg (paywall), scientists are now wondering whether those of us who’ve avoided coronavirus so far might actually be immune to the virus altogether.

#MyTake: Having managed to avoid getting Covid over the past two years (although I took no extraordinary precautions and barely curtailed my social life), I now plan to keep living my life exactly as I have always done. Staying healthy remains a priority and includes maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, socializing and, of course, staying vaccinated!

And that, my friends, is a wrap.

I’m heading to AZ next week and will definitely be getting to the airport way early. I am excited about my re-introduction to travel (this time including a car rental). I’m not sure I’ll have time to do a post while I’m away – but look for a surprise post from The ZandlSlant Vault!!