Good Morning & Hello Friday (from Austin!)

• EXHAUSTED!! I’m a huge tennis fan as some of you might know. This week I have been up until 1 or 2 am every morning watching some of the most brilliant tennis I’ve seen in a long while. The most thrilling match was between Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Jannik Sinner of Italy. It was epic (longest match ever in US Open history). We will be watching these two young men battle it out for years to come (#1 below)
• Tired or not, I did make it to Austin where I had an amazing dinner at Launderette last night. AND, with the encouragement of the wait staff, cooked up a spontaneous plan to attend my first EVER football game (UT vs. Alabama!). So excited!!!

And with that, please scroll down for all the major happenings of the week (#1-3), along with a slew of great, but random, trends (#6-10).

THREE MAJOR THINGS!

1. US Open: absolutely TRANSCENDENT, with one weirdo incident!

1. I always recommend getting the daytime GROUNDS TICKETS. This year, I attended twice: Monday (opening day) and Friday (with my friends Richard and Jourdan, pic above). What I love about the grounds tickets is how easy it is to immerse yourself in the vibe of the occasion, players walk right by you on their way to the courts or practice, the crowd is awesome (along with a few celebs), and, of course, I do watch a bit of tennis. But truth be told, I much prefer to watch the actual tennis from the comfort of my home since the best matches usually don’t start until very late and don’t end until the wee hours of the morning.
2. With Serena “evolving” and Rafa seemingly done, the TENNIS CHANGING OF THE GUARD continues. It was exciting to see so many young, new players stepping up.
3. And now for the weird and uncouth: YouTube star JiDion, got a haircut while seated in the front row during a night session match between Nick Kyrgios and Karen Khachanov. Fortunately, this prankster did not get to enjoy the spotlight for long. He was removed pronto by security. He had previously been banned from Wimbledon for blowing an airhorn during a quarterfinal match between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. What an idiot!

JIDION GETTING A HAIRCUT AT THE US OPEN 🤣 @Jidion6 pic.twitter.com/wNbTMyIFsF

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 7, 2022

2. Tin Building: love the “clap in” by Jean-Georges!!

1. I’ve been to the Tin Bldg several times but had never experienced the official “clap-in” from Jean-Georges and staff. At the moment it’s occurring at noon on Thursdays thru Sunday! I’m not sure how much longer they will do this but it’s MAJOR!
2. I also managed to check out The House of the Red Pearl, the “secret” (but not really) Chinese restaurant on the 2nd floor. It’s behind a curtain, at the back of Mercantile East.
3. I snagged a seat at the bar. So far have only had the wontons (amazing) and the cumin lamb (good but not great when compared to the spicy cumin lamb at Xi-An Famous Foods in Chinatown). But LOVED the vibe and the staff. Will definitely be back to work my way through the menu.

TIP: Check the opening and closing hours of the Tin Building. Due to staffing issues, it’s not yet open every day and also closes early. And one final tip. If you happen to spot the very handsome gentleman (below) and he’s not busy with a guest, ask him if he would show you around. His name is Daryl Dismond and he’s the official Tin Building Ambassador.

3. FINALLY FIXED MY WIRELESS printer WITH This $10 USB cord.

1. I bought the HP OfficeJet 200 mobile printer a few years ago. It worked for a few months and then got glitchy and never printed “wirelessly” again!
2. I don’t print much but when I do have the need it is pretty urgent, e.g., for my green card immigration situation.
3. After doing much in-depth research, I was about to buy another printer but held off because I read so many reviews with complaints about the wireless not working. One guy said it takes him less time to just drive down to Kinko to print something out than it takes him to constantly troubleshoot the wireless problem with tech support.
4. Once I noticed that most printer problems came down to the wireless not working, I also noticed how many reviewers mentioned a workaround using a USB printer cable. Now why none of these companies have resolved the wireless problem is beyond me but I finally had an answer to my printer problems.
5. I ran over to Best Buy, picked up a $10 USB printer cable and voila! PROBLEM SOLVED. Printer now works like a charm. What a relief.

TWO TRAVEL TRENDS

4. The latest from Soho House: Mollie’s Motel & Diner in Bristol UK (reminds me of the original WeHo Standard)

1. Launched in 2021 but this is the first I’ve heard of it. I’m a huge fan of the retro-cool motel trend (just stayed at one in Bozeman).
2. Interesting pivot for Soho House – and one I totally approve of. Hope they start doing something similar in the States.
3. Per the review in the Daily Mail, the vibe is Scandi/Cali.

5. Adult changing stations for travelers AT Tennessee rest areas

“We see the needs of folks that may just need a little bit of help. Someone who has an elderly parent, or a family with a child or an adult with disabilities that wants to visit Dollywood or go to Graceland and travel Tennessee, because tourism is important to us, we’re letting them know that we see them.”

Brad Turner, Tennessee Commissioner of Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Source: WKRN News)

FIVE RANDOM TRENDS

6. In Phoenix “hotness” has become the city’s brand

1. Phoenix has always been hot. Arizona newspapers from early territorial days (the 1870s and 1880s), routinely quote articles from parts of the country afflicted with heatwaves – and ALWAYS considered it wimpy to be affected by the heat.
2. The Arizona Sentinel from July 25, 1874, states: “Two men did not die of sun stroke but of a whiskey. No man ever died of sunstroke in Arizona.” In the Graham Guardian in June 1896: “Prostration from sunstroke is so rare in the Gila Valley that when one does appear, it is a nine-days wonder and can hardly be believed.”
3. Even now, as climate change and punishing heat lead to a rise in heat-related deaths everywhere, headlines state that Phoenix is becoming inhospitable and people outside of AZ are bewildered that people still continue to move to Arizona. And yet, as the whole world starts to experience extreme heat, Arizonans believe they are more prepared for it than people elsewhere.

7. Pittsburgh’s Sixth Annual Garbage Olympics September 17

1. I need to organize something like this in NYC (anyone who has been following this blog knows how obsessed I am with garbage collection).
2. The Pittsburgh Garbage Olympics began in 2017 with five teams competing for an Oscar award for the most trash collected. Last year, more than 620 volunteers, spanning 46 neighborhood teams, were pitted against each other and collected 1,170 bags of trash, 375 automobile tires, 195 TVs, and 20+ bulk items.

“Each act of cleaning up litter isn’t just a single, isolated action; it accomplishes dozens of things, every single time. That act raises pride in our community. It makes our community safer. It makes our community stronger. It makes the land and water around us cleaner and healthier. And it discourages further littering by keeping it clean in the first place.”

Chris Mitchell, Pittsburgh’s Anti-Litter Specialist (Source: South Pittsburgh Reporter)

8. Marriage Proposal Planning is now a thing!

1. Amore Austin‘s wedding proposal service is GENIUS. Especially, in light of the fact that 1 in 3 women are disappointed in their proposal. The fellas have to step up their proposal game!
2. In the age of social media, only an Instagram or Tik Tok-worthy proposal cuts it.
3. And based on my last two trips to Austin, the city is teeming with young men of marriageable age who have the interest (and the means) to use this service.

9. married in Vegas at the Princess Diana exhibit? anyone else think this is a bonkers idea?

1. The Princess Diana “tribute” exhibition with over 700 artifacts of her life just opened in Vegas.
2. It “celebrates” her life (days after the 25th anniversary of her death in a car crash in Paris). One of the main attractions is a replica of Diana’s wedding dress with its 25-foot-long train. Visitors can walk over that train which is protected under glass.
3. David Corelli, the curator and producer of the exhibition, said the wedding area of the exhibit inspired the creators to offer guests packages for their own nuptials inside the “Wedding of the Century” room, which includes a full ceremony and a private dinner amongst regal memorabilia.

MY TAKE: I’m assuming the producer of this spectacle has forgotten what a horrible marriage Diana got into. For those of you that don’t remember, it culminated in her being dumped by her husband, Prince Charles when his affair with Camilla (which was going on even before the wedding!) came to light. And then she got killed by the paparazzi!

10. Does anyone aspire to live in a Diesel-branded condo?

1. Diesel’s first-ever luxury residential development is going up in Wynwood with condos starting at $520K, all the way up to $5MM.
2. Interestingly, the Ocean Drive article on the condo development includes a link that takes you to Twitter which then tells you “the account doesn’t exist.” That about sums it up.

And that’s a wrap for today.

Again, LOVING Austin and my stay at Soho House – even tho it is a gazillion degrees out. Fabulous dinner at Laundrette (pics below). And BEYOND EXCITED to see my first EVER football game on Saturday (UT vs. Alabama). It’s a big deal I’ve been told and my guide for this experience is my friend, Sheri, a dyed-in-the-wool Texan and UT grad/supporter. I’m in excellent hands for my Master Class in Texas Football Traditions!!