#most expensive restaurant in the world 2018

[quinnlarrabee]

The Sparkle Pony Recession

“I’ve gotten fewer offers this year,” says Carli, a 27-year-old Instagram model, fitness influencer, and TikTok mental health advocate, who is slightly less attractive over Zoom than she is on any of the channels listed on her Linktree, as Zoom’s FaceApp integration is still in R&D. “Like yeah, it’s free, but I may have to fly commercial, and I’m literally sharing a single RV with two girls who I’ve only seen on TikTok–and they don’t even have as many followers as me.” Lingering supply chain issues, tech devaluations, and the end of crypto have dealt the broader Burning Man economy a number of blows the past two years, but they have landed the hardest on its most vulnerable commodity: Sparkle Ponies. 

“2022 was how it should be,” continues Carli. “I had two RVs at two different camps and a hepa filter AC yurt at another camp for my mushroom journeys.” Her phone vibrates. She opens it, raises a finger and types furiously. A full two minutes of silence pass. She lifts her head, rolls her eyes, and smiles briefly with only her mouth. “One of my sponsors,” she says, and makes a masturbatory gesture with her hand. “Anyway, people on the outside don’t get it. They think it’s just one big party, but like, it’s a job. I got paid to show up at each of the camps because my aesthetic helps build their brand and better compete with Robot Heart for IG exposure. Appropriate accommodations, cash compensation, an outfit budget, and private travel are what I expect. It’s a fair value exchange,” she says earnestly. “The Burn is more than just a festival, it’s a part of my livelihood, and 2023 is not looking good.” This dispirited sentiment is ubiquitous among younger, architecturally attractive, sort-of-single (mostly) women who therapeutically consume psychedelics and much older men, are never not showing midriff, and always expect to be hosted by the best camps at Burning Man (and everywhere else in the world).

For those of you who haven’t attended Burning Man (hi, grandma! RIP!), you may be unfamiliar with the term sparkle pony. 

A Burning Man sparkle pony is a younger-looking, typically (but not always) female person (but not always) whose fungible currency is her outer appearance, who travels to Blackrock City with nothing more than a toothbrush, a spare thong (but not always), and two exceptionally large aluminum wheeler suitcases stuffed with costumes that are almost too large for any means of conveyance but a cargo ship. Sparkle ponies emerged from primordial vibes when Burning Man commercialized, scaled and became an expensive, coveted experience that younger, architecturally attractive (mostly) women wanted to attend but did not want to pay for. Much in the same way that architecturally attractive (mostly) women are able to source complimentary food and beverages from unattractive strangers in restaurants and bars, they began showing up at Burning Man without practical supplies or any kind of skill, clad only in sequined fur bikinis, in the hopes of being taken in by a camp (which is sort of like neighborhood, a cult, and a CPG brand all rolled into one) that wants to raise its vibe by increasing its population of architecturally attractive (mostly) women. 

More than any other component of the Burning Man ecosystem, sparkle ponies understand that Burning Man is a gift-based economy and expect everything at Burning Man to be gifted to them. 

Sparkle ponies exponentially increased in number and entitlement between 2018 and 2022 when the volume of dry powder in venture capital exploded and tech valuations became hilarious. Newly wealthy, early-middle aged men who wanted to be towered over and findomed by mostly naked, architecturally attractive (mostly) women in sequined fur bikinis and white, platform boots wearing the identical shiny Steampunk captains hat and mirrored heart sunglasses gifted to them by one of the aging 6’5 Robot Heart guys, who are never not just a bit frustrated by the quality of the sound at every DJ set and are perpetually tuning the speakers on their art car (“the Stradivarius”), began sponsoring multiple sparkle ponies in the hopes of winning the ephemeral physical affection of one or more of them. 

“It’s a funnel,” explained Tyler Kipperton, who founded a pre-revenue autonomous net-zero generative AI rocket company and achieved partial liquidity through a secondary offering that was completed in early September, 2022 with a family office in Europe and a holding company in China. “I figure if I fly in thirty sparkle ponies and put the best ten of them into an RV with an AC unit that doesn’t have a hepa filter, at least three of them will move in with me, and one of them will be into me when she sees me in black eyeliner and my Caravana Aztec poncho.” Tyler’s phone vibrates. He opens it, raises a finger and types furiously. A full three minutes of silence go by. He lifts his head, rolls his eyes, and smiles briefly with only his mouth. “One of my investors,” he says, and makes a masturbatory gesture with his hand. “I’m going to slay a whole heard of ponies at this Burn,” he says earnestly. “I am optimizing the shit out of my sparkle pony funnel.”

Tyler’s shrewd equation perfectly illustrates the economic problem: the number of viable sponsors has declined, but the number of sparkle ponies in a typical sponsor’s top of funnel has increased, which means that most sparkle ponies will be un-camped this year at Burning Man. 

“I get that people are upset about homeless - sorry, unhoused people in New York and California,” says a sparkle pony who–for the sake of anonymity–goes by her Playa name, Glittabug, “but the weather in these places is pretty chill, and there are homeless shelters. What’s going to happen to me at Burning Man if a camp can’t find me? There aren’t homeless shelters in Blackrock City, and it’s super hot and sunny during the day, and I’ve heard that the nights used to be really kind of cold,” she says with grave concern. “I think this is the most urgent housing crisis in the country right now. Why isn’t President Kennedy talking about this? Where’s our bailout?” 

“These young (mostly) women don’t have a firm enough grasp on basic economics,” observes Janet Yellin, secretary of the treasury for the United States of America. “Rather than trying to change the reality that there are fewer buyers in the economy, they should be focused on increasing their curb appeal so that the remaining buyers – Sergey Brin, Elon Musk and Eric Schmidt – select them during golden hour at Distrikt’s first set on the last build day, which is when sparkle ponies typically arrive.” 

Some of the more savvy sparkle ponies have taken the challenge and are upping their game by raising the height of their white platform boots, increasing the density of sequins on their bikinis, and adding extensions to their hair extensions. 

“We’re seeing a veritable sparkle pony arms race,” says Lloyd Austin, secretary of defense for the United States of America. “There is a run on glue guns at Blick Art Supplies in New York City, Miami, and California, and the crafting aisle is entirely empty at Walmart in Austin,” he said. “The nation’s sequin reserves are at their lowest since 1973.” 

“I’m going to outshine them all,” says Glittabug emphatically. “No one will sparkle more than me during golden hour on the last build day. “The thing about Sergey is that he’s like, really smart, but he’s basically just a magpie,” she continues. “You know those birds that like, pick up shiny objects and bring them back to their nest? That’s what he does. Only he brings them to his boat.” Glittabug hasn’t looked up from her glue gun, which she is using to add sequins to the rear string of her thong that will be entirely swallowed by her ass cheeks. “I will blind that motherfucker into setting me up in an RV with a hepa filter AC unit.”

“Our satellites have already picked up light reflecting from the bikini tops that are currently being beta-tested by sparkle ponies in Venice Beach, Las Vegas and Williamsburg,” says Secretary Austin. “Given the increase of UFO activity, we are actively concerned that the light reflected off of sparkle ponies could attract non-Earth entities and spark – er, no pun intended – an interstellar conflict.” 

Some Silicon Valley entrepreneurs see the sparkle pony arms race as less of a threat and more of an opportunity. 

“I think every sparkle pony has the potential to be an energy source,” says Elon Musk. “We can convert them from a resource suck – er, no pun intended, who just lay around complaining about the absence of raw milk and asking people to take photos of them at golden hour, into a value add,” he says, squinting his eyes and looking up at the sky to showcase his enhanced jawline, the way he does when announcing The Next Big Thing and making excuses for the poor performance of one of his companies. “Power generation is an issue on the Playa. Those generators are fucking loud and filthy. We can turn sparkle ponies into a mobile, dynamic power grid, where each one is covered in tiny reflective Solar City solar panels and given a Tesla battery backpack to wear. When they go to bed at sunrise, everyone just plugs into a sparkle pony.” Elon smiles at his use of double entendre. “It’s a win-win-win,” he continues. “sparkle ponies get space in an RV with a hepa filter AC unit, camps get clean energy generated by architecturally attractive (mostly) women, and Burning Man’s reputation among the 1% as a consumptive, filthy, hedonistic, drug-fueled orgy for the .01 percent is slightly mitigated.” At this point Elon looks even higher up into the sky, precariously stretching the skin on his protruding jawline. “Fuck–if we clustered them together as a solar array, we could literally make Burning Man a net zero event.” Elon abruptly ends our Zoom call. 

A notification pops up on Twitter–er, X from @elonmusk. 

“ATTENTION ALL #SPARKLEPONIES. I will fly you to #burningman from #teterboro, #vannuys or #haywardexecutive and set you up in an RV with a #hepafilter AC unit that is stocked with #rawmilk at a #turnkey camp with bottomless #belugacaviar. We need your sparkle to power the Burn!” 

Within seconds, Eric Schmidt re-posts Elon’s tweet (Xeet?), his first social media utterance in nearly a year, with the caption, “same offer + 24 hr hair and make-up staff and invite to my decompression party in LA. DM me.” 

Seconds after that, Barbie’s official IG channel posts the following:

“Attention younger-looking architecturally attractive (mostly) women who want to attend Burning Man but do not wish to pay for it! You are the true Barbies of the world, and we have dedicated 1% of the proceeds of the feature-length commercial that Mattel funded to create a homeless camp for sparkle ponies who have no Playa sponsor. Our camp, called Pink Plastica, will provide RVs with hepa filter AC units, all the raw milk you can consume, and unlimited bio-degradable glitter to every single younger-looking architecturally attractive (mostly) woman we select from our funnel of applicants. The only requirement is that, in addition to your white platform boots and heart-shaped Robot Heart sunglasses gifted to you by a very tall bald retired arms dealer, you wear the pink sugarpuss cowgirl outfit featured in Barbie, which we will gift you for your use during your time at Pink Plastica. To redeem this offer, simply scan the barcode on the inside of a new Barbie doll box and upload a selfie with your Instagram handle. If selected, we will DM you within 5 days with a tail number and the coordinates of Pink Plastica. Shine on, sparkle ponies!”

“We have not seen a bailout of this magnitude since 2008,” says Janet Yellin. “It seems we will narrowly avoid a sparkle pony recession thanks to predatory wealth and opportunistic consumer marketing,” she continues. 

“I’m going to accept each of the three offers,” says Glittabug. “Burning Man wouldn’t feel right without three camps,” she says as she scans the barcode on the inside of the Barbie box she has torn open. She tousels her hair, turns on her ring light, makes a fish gape expression with her mouth, and takes a selfie. “And Pink Plastica sounds like a dope place for a mushroom journey.” She smiles briefly with only her mouth. “Will you hand me that glue gun?” she asks.

I hand her the glue gun and watch her add sequins on top of the sequins on her sequined Steampunk captains hat. I imagine what her life must be like: free food and illicit substances, constant adoration and coddling laced with only trace amounts of disdain, and absolutely no responsibilities other than her skin and fitness regimen. Relative to people who attend Burning Man and actually contribute their creativity, physical labor or financial resources, sparkle ponies, who contribute nothing but sparkle, have it pretty good for completely replaceable depreciating assets. I wonder for a moment what it would feel like to get a text with a time and a tail number from a doughy, elderly tech bro who would cart me around the Playa on his e-bike like a trinket and feed me and eight other sparkle ponies frozen grapes injected with molly water.

“Will you hand me the Barbie box with the barcode, and could I borrow your ring light?” I ask as I practice my fish gape. Sparkle ponies are mostly women, but not only women.

Is someone you love a sparkle pony or sparkle pony sponsor? Share this with them as a helpful resource.

[hazygrains]

November 23 – 26, 2022 - Pt. I

At long last, Asis and I finally visited El Nido, Palawan from November 23 to 26, 2022. The whole family was initially supposed to go there in 2018. We already had our tickets, but due to budget constraints and other unknown reasons, we, siblings, and our partners decided not to go. My parents were the only ones who got to travel at that time. Another time was in 2020, when the pandemic upended everything. And finally, after two years, we were in El Nido, all thanks to my sister, who booked and gifted us these promo round-trip tickets ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

Technically, we stayed in El Nido for only two days. The other two days were meant for travel time, to and fro. It was honestly exhausting to have to spend a day just to get to your destination. So time-consuming, but what can mere peasants do? We’re not wealthy enough to fly directly to El Nido.

Nov 23, Wednesday – We left home around 9 am, and arrived in Puerto Princesa around 3 pm. Thank heavens, the flight was smooth, no delays. But damn, we were overwhelmed when we got to NAIA Terminal 4 airport. It was extremely crowded, with tons of delayed flights, making it one of the worst airports in the world. Buuuut yea, it was really nice to ride an airplane again. We don’t always get to air travel, so being up in the sky is somewhat special to me. I'm truly amazed at how vast and beautiful the world is from a bird's-eye view. Being up in the sky always makes me feel tiny, like a speck of dust. Such a strange and amazing feeling.

Anyhoo, we rode a shared van when we arrived in Puerto that would transfer us to El Nido. The ride usually took 5 – 6 hours, but since we had to wait for other passengers, it took us 8 hours more or less. There was also a stopover where we had our dinner. We were also surprised at how nice the roads were in Palawan—much better than the roads and highways here in the metro. Must be nice to actually see proper outcomes to where our taxes go (」°ロ°)」 So yup, we arrived at our Airbnb at almost 11 pm.

The Airbnb I found was nice and cozy, just a room with a co-shared kitchenette and bathroom. It was close to everything, but at the same time, it was far from the noise and crowd. Our host, Jhustine, was accommodating and responsive as well.

Nov 24, Thursday – We booked a shared island tour A with APE Tours, as it was the most popular one and recommended by Jhustine. Although it was a bit more expensive compared to other agencies, it was worth it. We arrived just in time at the meeting place with 17 people in our group. The boat was nice and pretty big, with an upper deck. The tour inclusions were light breakfast, lunch, light snacks, beverages, free photos captured during our island-hopping experience, use of life vests, masks, and snorkel, environmental and entrance fees to the sites, and fun and professional crews. The weather was nice that day with only a few brief showers and drizzles. We even saw a rainbow near the rock formations, which was magical. I also learned how to properly use a snorkel, although I was panicking at times due to the presence of many fish. I just made sure Asis was near me or other tourists while snorkeling. They also played beach volleyball on our last island stopover. The tour ended around 5 pm, and it was a wonderful experience being basked in the beauty of El Nido. Grateful to be there. ♡

After our tour, we returned to our Airbnb, freshened up, and got hungry again. We checked out Jhustine’s clear book of rules and recommendations and chose Gibu’s Bulalo Plaza because we were both craving broth and seafood. Their food was cheap and delicious! We also explored the area and found streets full of busy restaurants, pubs, and shops, almost feeling like we were in a foreign country. There were foreigners everywhere, with only a few local tourists. We came across a Ukrainian brewery that served craft beers—IPA and stout. We stayed there for a while, and Asis finished his beers. We also got to watch a FIFA game between Uruguay and South Korea, which was fun as there were Uruguayans in the pub cheering loudly for their team. Afterward, we went back to our temporary home and called it a day. ♡

[mitchell5jack]

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Dogecoin visits limited rally once Elon Musk tweets 'Baby Doge'

[marketing123456789]

Draught Beer Chiller Market Size and Share: Business Analysis, Upcoming Demand, Growth Outlook, Key Driver and Futuristic Scope by 2033

Demand for UK draught beer chillers is projected to grow at a robust CAGR of 5.9% CAGR between 2023 and 2033. The UK is one of the leading countries when it comes to sales of draught beer chillers.

According to Future Market Insights, the global draught beer chiller market size is expected to be valued at US$ 1,782.2 Mn in 2023 and further grow at 3.5% CAGR throughout the forecast period (2023-2033). Overall, draught beer chiller sales are projected to total a valuation of US$ 2,514.0 Mn by 2033.

Rising consumption of draught beer across the world coupled with rising need for efficient beer cooling solutions is a key factor driving the global draught beer chiller market forward.

A draught beer chiller is a highly efficient solution used to cool draught beers across several end-use industries. It is a type of refrigerator that uses a cooling system to lower the temperature of the beer. They help end users to keep beer cold and fresh.

Get Sample Copy@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-16222

A growing number of bars, pubs, and restaurants around the world is emerging as a crucial factor driving demand for draught beer chillers and the trend is expected to continue during the forecast period.

Similarly, innovation in beer cooling solutions and reduction in product prices will create lucrative opportunities for leading draught beer chiller manufacturers over the next ten years.

The most popular type of beer chilling system is the glycol chiller. Glycol chillers use a glycol and water mixture to cool the beer lines and taps. Despite being more expensive, glycol-cooled chiller are preferred by end user due to their more efficient nature.

Key Takeaways:

Based on type, glycol-cooled chiller segment holds a substantial share of the global draught beer chiller market.

By end user, bars and restaurants together hold the largest share of the worldwide draught beer chiller industry.

In terms of structure, demand remains high for counter-top draught beer chillers in the market.

Germany currently holds around 22.0% share in the global draught beer chiller market.

With a market valuation of US$ 650.5 Mn, the U.S. holds nearly 36.5% share in the global draught beer chiller market.

The UK draught beer chiller market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period.

“There are many factors that have contributed to the rise in popularity of draught beer chillers, but one of the biggest drivers has been the growing demand and consumption of draught or draft beer worldwide,” says a lead FMI analyst.

View Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/draught-beer-chiller-market

Who is Winning?

Top 5 manufacturers of Draught Beer Chillers are Zhongde Equipment Co., Ltd., Maxwell Food Equipment, BEVERAGE-AIR, Lanco Industry Co. Ltd, and MF Refrigeration.

The competition in the Draught Beer Chiller market is intense because the products are very similar. The main difference between the products is their price. Hence, key players are focused on reducing product prices as well as launching new innovative beer chilling solutions in the market.

Get More Valuable Insights

Future Market Insights, in its new offering, provides an unbiased analysis of Draught Beer Chiller presenting historical demand data (2018-2022) and forecast statistics for the period from 2023-2033.

The study provides valuable insight on the Draught Beer Chiller market based on type (air-cooled, water-cooled, and glycol-cooled), end user (breweries, bars, restaurants, and hotels), and structure (Counter-top, and Under Counter) across several regions.

About Food & Beverage Division at Future Market Insights

The Food & Beverage team at Future Market Insights provides all the necessary insights and consulting analysis to fulfill the unique business intelligence needs of clients worldwide. With a catalog of more than 500 reports pertaining to the latest statistics and analysis from the food & beverage industry, the team is happy to help with every business intelligence research and consulting requirement.

Draught Beer Chiller Industry Outlook by Category

By Type:

Air-cooled

Water-cooled

Glycol-cooled

By End User:

Breweries

Bars

Restaurants

Hotels

By Structure:

Counter-top

Under Counter

By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Oceania

MEA

About FMI

Future Market Insights, Inc. (ESOMAR certified, Stevie Award – recipient market research organization and a member of Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) provides in-depth insights into governing factors elevating the demand in the market. It discloses opportunities that will favor the market growth in various segments on the basis of Source, Application, Sales Channel and End Use over the next 10-years.

[naadbramhaidli]

Why investing in the food industry is good in India?

Everyone enjoys eating! In India, there are foods to suit everyone’s tastes, whether they prefer spicy, salty, sweet, or savory foods. This is why there are so many chances for innovation and creativity in the food industry.  Investing in the food industry in India can help you be a part of this wonderful industry.

Food enthusiasts are investing in the food industry to seek professions in this field because they understand India’s enormous potential. The fact that the food industry is not subject to recessions is the one factor that makes it the best. It stays consistent the entire time.

India has a strong agricultural economy and produces a lot of food grains. Food businesses have easy access to essential ingredients at the low cost necessary because of the large production of food grains. You may get started with a small investment because raw ingredients are widely available and inexpensive. Everyone is aware of how important and necessary food is.

India’s food industry has been expanding since 2018 at a CAGR of 9%. These days, there are cafes and restaurants on every corner of urban areas, and this tendency is increasingly spreading to Indian suburbs.

The food industry is the only industry that doesn’t get affected by the recession. The Indian food business industry is the sixth-largest in the world.

Here are some of the reasons why investing in the food industry is good for India.

It’s an essential

The fact that food is a necessity is the prime motivation for investing in the industry. Also, as food is essential for survival, eating comes first in the hierarchy of needs. People will always “need” food, unlike other industries based on people’s “wants,” like fashion or accessories.

It’s easily available

In addition to having a basic need for food, people frequently lack the time to make it themselves. For people with the busiest schedules, the food business offers practical and time-saving alternatives.

It involves a lesser risk

As they meet a basic human need, food-related businesses are much less likely to fail or run into financial difficulties than other business sectors. Customers will return as long as your dishes are good.

Now that you’ve made the decision, you should consider the best way to launch your business in the food industry. Food franchises offer a practical and economical means of investing in the food industry as you get the customer base of your franchisor. To start a food franchise, you don’t need a lot of money, and operational expenses are also low. Thus, you can invest less and make more money thanks to it.

If you want to invest in a food franchise, consider investing in the best. The Naadbramha Idli franchise is the most profitable food franchise in Mumbai. They have more than a hundred franchises across Maharashtra and get a great responses from their customers, making them the best Idli franchise.

Contact the Naadbramha Idli franchise for more details related to franchising opportunities.

[lettersfromcitizenjoan]

Joaning & My Current State of Affairs a Short Story The Vultures always came in Fall. I would sit in the garden and stare up at the blue cloud sky as they hovered spinning in a circle towards the sun, 20 or 30 at a time. I loved how free they look. My whole aim in life was to fly and be as free as them. Vultures aren’t beautiful up close, they have feathers everywhere except their heads. I’m assuming Jehovah designed them that way so they don’t get blood and guts in their feathers when they devour their carcasses,but I’m not sure, all I know is as soon as I got the chance to fly like them, I took it. First, I flew to Montreal, where people spoke french and I saw snow glitter under the street lamps at night and then flew back to St.Petersburg and then I flew to New York City and ate pizza in Times Square and saw my cousins in Brooklyn and then flew back to St.Petersburg. Then I flew to New York City again in the summer and saw my name on a wall at an art show. I flew to New York City again and again and again. I don’t believe I could ever reside in New York City but I certainly enjoy my time when I’m there. There’s always a tinge of excitement when you see the Empire State Building from the airplane window. I stayed at The Plaza and saw Lust for Youth play in Brooklyn and stayed at the St.Regis and sung along to a man on a piano playing jazz standards and drank blush wine at Bemmelman’s Bar in The Carlyle Hotel. I walked down Madison Avenue and got lost and followed. I explored the Lower East Side and danced in dark concert halls with my favorite Indie bands in Williamsburg and rode in Town Cars down Park Avenue, without a boy. I went back to St.Petersburg and reminisced on my time there when I went to warehouse shows and punk shows at the VFW and watched bands at the State Theater and Jannus and Local 662 and Ramblin Rose and Venture Compound and laughed and didn’t drink alcohol because I didn’t need it to feel good with my reoccuring acquaintances from all corners of the globe that I took surprise photos of and then one day I flew to San Diego to see John Maus and ended up hanging out with my favorite pro surfers in Costa Mesa instead and met the characters behind my favorite surf magazine in Newport Beach and went to Los Angeles the next day and bought a Gucci bag on Rodeo Drive and had dinner at Wolfgang Puck via dark winding roads in Bel-Air and sat by their fireplace after and admired the swans in the lagoon and took a Mercedes-Benz to LAX and flew back to St.Petersburg. Then shortly after I flew back to New York City and hung out with the boys from Newport Beach in the warmest bar filled to the brim with young and beautiful people on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where our time together was too short and shortly after partied with surfers again close to home and flew to San Francisco the next morning and finally got to see John Maus and ate some delicious Thai food at a suggested restaurant both days and shivered to death near the Golden Gate Bridge and got into an argument with a few passengers on the flight home and finally made peace with the drama of 2018 and the year before that I interviewed Panda Bear & Ernest from Washed Out and forgot to press the record button and lost the footage but I keep the regret buried deep enough to forget it and the memory tucked away for later and I also recall hanging out with cute guys in post punk bands and freezing to death under strings of cotton candy skies on long stretches of beach at dusk in California. I love the air in California its cool and dry as opposed to the heavy wet air in St.Petersburg. I had always thought the air was the same everywhere in the world but I was mistaken and before California and before my grandma rested from her time on earth, I finally flew to Paris, land of my dreams, where I went to the most expensive hotels to eat and drink Champagne and had dinner on top of the Eiffel Tower with a nice family of fellow Americans and danced in dark venues and caught a cold the morning I went to London to eat cheesecake from Harrods near a man playing a bagpipe near Big Ben and interviewed the lead singer of the Mystery Jets at a french cafe on the corner down the road from the venue and ran into a Dior model named Camille who was there for fashion week and she complimented my beret at Cafe de Flore and I strolled through the Jardin d’Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne and felt the breeze on top of the Louis Vuitton Fondation and had a $200 dollar lunch for one next to some fashion writers in Paris who left me their card and dressed in my finest sequin dresses and fur capes and bought perfume at Chanel and a wallet from Dior and after these things I rested. I slept and slept and slept and reminisced and got sad that I all the fun had stopped for a little while and looked forward to it all starting again and one day it did. One day I flew to LA again and saw that boy I couldn’t get out of my head again and he invited me to a bar but he had another woman and I waved at him again on the busy road and talked to other surfers at 54th street and enjoyed my time till sunset with a single firework in the distance then I flew to New York City at the suggestion of my driver and reminisced under the full moon and the glittering lights of manhattan and park avenue and the east river and may or may not have seen Helen Mirren in front of NBC Studios talking on her iphone on a Monday night and then flew to LA where I toured Warner Brothers Studios where so many of my favorite movies have been made and drank Martinis overlooking the Hollywood Hills at the Pendry Hotel and had Fried Chicken and the last Chocolate Souffle at The Beverly Hills Hotel in a green banquet with a section all to myself and sat in the warm California sun by a pool in West Hollywood and took the last flight out at 11:10pm back to the East Coast then flew to New York City again and stayed at the TWA hotel and had another wonderful night strolling the LES and someone in a group of strangers passed by me told me I was beautiful and how I took the subway the next day on purpose and got off at the first place the train stopped unaware of where I was and got dropped off in front of Madison Square Garden where I walked down the crowded streets and got pleasantly lost then got tired of being lost and hailed a taxi to the Vanderbilt Gates and walked through the manicured gardens behind it and took the last flight home again and shortly after that met my favorite skateboarder on a layover at PHX and hugged my favorite lead singer twice shortly after and after those things I sat in the garden my grandma worked so hard to leave me where I would dance with the trees as they wriggled in the wind and comforted the blue jays and the stray orange cat and the raccoons and watched how the sun rays strayed through their branches and made them more beautiful than I was expecting and I cried my heart out because I cry after all endings, especially the ends of long strings of fun times. I mourn for the end of this system, I mourn for lives of the people I love that do not serve God because if they choose not to change certain death is waiting for them, whether they accept my pleadings means their lives and I just wonder if I say enough or if I could do more, I hate to be a pusher but we’re running out of time. If I could say one thing it would be that the end of this current way of life will come with God’s vengeance that leads to a new beginning we all need. I listened to the dirge of the Grey Pigeons on the electric wires and I watched french films under the sparkling appearance of the Big Dipper and the full Moon and fought with my aunts and had a mental breakdown and observed the bright green Parakeets and fighter jets that would fly above my head at rapid speeds making the most obnoxious noises and how I’d sit for hours and think about all the things I’ve done so far & still hoped to do. Like tomorrow morning's sunrise, the future is coming for all of us...again.

[travelling-around-this-world]

COSTA RICA 🇨🇷

Costa Rica is a country located in Central America that is ranked as one of the most visited international destinations. One of Costa Rica’s main sources of income is tourism. Costa Rica is a democratic and peaceful country and it has not had an army since the year 1948.

Although the country is small and it covers only 0.03 percent of the surface of the globe, it proudly shelters 5 percent of the existing biodiversity in the entire world. Twenty six percent of the country is composed of conservation and natural protected territory.

Furthermore, 2018 has become a magnet for meeting tourism with the opening of the National Congress and Convention Center (CNCC), which can welcome some 4,600 people to its meetings.

FUN FACTS 🔥

It's one of the happiest countries in the world

There is no army!

There are over 500,000 species of wildlife.

Of the 500,000 species, 900 of them are birds

Gallo pinto is a breakfast staple.

There are over 200 volcanic formations

Costa Ricans have a high life expectancy

Its the country with more biodiversity in the World

PURA VIDA

Pura vida, meaning “pure life”, is not only a common greeting, it’s also a state of mind. Pura vida encapsulates the laidback, friendly and welcoming vibe of Costa Ricans.

Everybody will tell you PURA VIDA 💫

1 DAY IN SAN JOSÉ

San Jose is the capital of the Republic of Costa Rica; it is the head of the province. The city is the political and economic center of the country. It crowds together more than half of the commerce and the services. It receives his name in honor to Jose of Nazareth, presumed father of Jesus of Nazareth.

The central corner of San Jose was founded the 7th of December in 1848. The population arises around 1737-1738.It has been Costa Rica's capital three times: in 1822, from 1823 to 1834 and from 1838 to the present time.It is a city with a very interesting mixture of history and modernity; although the center of the zone is almost vacated it becomes a crossing site during the day for more than a million people, which generates a road chaos and an increase of the contamination levels.

IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT SAN JOSÉ:

One day it's enough for visiting the city

We stayed at HOTEL SURA

Card payments are accepted everywhere

Barrio Amon and Barrio Escalante are the nicest one to walk through

You can easily walk everywhere

Lolita is the perfect place to go eating and to do happy hour

Make sure to rent a 4x4 car. We rented it at Budget 🚙

2 DAYS IN TORTUGUERO

Tortuguero National Park (TNP) is located northeast of Costa Rican territory and is one of the main tourist icons of Costa Rica since it is internationally recognized for protecting the most important green turtles nesting beach in the Western Hemisphere.

Away from the city and made up by an extensive network of rivers and canals, the access is possible only through small boats: this way the Tortuguero National Park is, a place unlike any other; where small communities surrounding Protected Wilderness Area, as Barra del Tortuguero and San Francisco, still retain their traditions and also enjoy the benefit of having the bicycle as their main transportation method, making the travel a true encounter with Caribbean culture.

🌴🐒Flora and fauna

• 734 plant species.

• 442 bird species.

• 138 mammal species (101 genera y 32 families).

• 118 reptile species (76 genera y 22 families).

• 58 amphibian’s species (27 genera y 11 families).

• 460 anthropoid’s species.

IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT TORTUGUERO:

We stayed at Hotel Icaco, right in front of the beach

You can arrive directly at La Pavona Embarcadero by car and let the car there (it's safe) - you dono have to book the boat in advance

The ride by boat takes 45 minutes

Once there make sure to do the guided KAYAK TOUR (or canoe) - It takes 3 Hours and it really worths, as you can see different types of animals 🛶

Try the restaurant Taylor's - If you Want a really nice (but quite expensive) dinner. It's the only dinner in the restaurant we did.

Watch the sunrise at the beach

2 DAYS IN LA FORTUNA

The La Fortuna region has always been beautiful, but it has not always been this calm. On a clear day, the majestic Arenal Volcano can be seen looming over this peaceful town. La Fortuna’s history is intimately connected with the region’s volcano. Now dormant, there was a time when it was awake and ferocious! On the morning of July 29th, 1968, Arenal Volcano violently erupted — spewing ash, rocks, and gas for three consecutive days. As the smoke cleared, the villages of Tabacón, Pueblo Nuevo, and San Luis were found buried under the debris, with 87 people dead.

Out of this tragedy, La Fortuna (The Fortune) was born as the central town in the Arenal Volcano area. The region has become a successful travel destination, and (like the whole of Costa Rica), is a champion of sustainability. As for Arenal Volcano, it’s now dormant, so you can enjoy its beauty up-close in the Arenal Volcano National Park without being in harm’s way.

IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT LA FORTUNA:

We stayed at ESSENCE AND SPA ARENAL, super cheap hostel but full of services: yoga, pool, laundry, spa and a delicious vegan cuisine

Make sure to try the HOT SPRINGS. There are also FREE hot Springs on the way to the hostel. Just 10 dollars for the car keepers are required

Walk around and hike the Volcano in the National Park 🌋

Try SODA MIMA and SODA LA COCINA DE MAMÁ. Soda are little trattorie, the best way to eat local, a lot and at a really good price - Skip restaurants!

2 DAYS IN MONTEVERDE

Monteverde is a small town in the mountain ranges of Costa Rica and a major destination for ecotourism in the country. About 3 hours from San Jose, it is one of our top recommended destinations in Costa Rica. Monteverde is the best place to experience a cloud forest. Cloud forests were given their name because you will see a thin veil of clouds just below the canopy. The clouds eventually dissipate into water on the leaves and drip down, watering the plants below. It is breathtaking to see from above.

The three main reserves that protect the sustainability of the cloud forest covered mountains in this part of Costa Rica are the Monteverde Reserve, the Santa Elena Reserve, and the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. A quarter of a million tourists from all over the world come here to explore these biodiverse highlands. There’s a total of 755 tree species there, which means, that one square mile, The Monteverde Cloud Forest can have more species of trees than the entire Unites States of America. Visit Monteverde to experience what Costa Rica is all about: incredible biodiversity and environmental preservation.

IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT MONTEVERDE:

We stayed at GREEN TREE B&B, an amazing tree house - a unique experience to try

The road to Monteverde is hard - make sure to have a 4x4

On the road to Monteverde you will drive along the LAKE ARENAL. Make sure to do a stop there!

The entrance to the BOSQUE NEBULOSE is 25 dollars - it's a lot but it really worths, as you can do different trails and walk the whole day☁☁

2 DAYS QUEPOS/UVITA

MANUEL ANTONIO

The magic of the beach and the greenery of the forest come together in one place, and the result is a natural paradise. Not in vain the Manuel Antonio National Park is the Protected Wild Area that receives the largest number of national and international tourists.

In addition to beaches, the Park offers a very humid tropical forest where species of flora and fauna in danger of extinction coexist, a mangrove, marine environments, islands and a lagoon of 14 hectares.

In a short trip you can cross several paths that will take you through a primary forest. You will also have stunning views of the sea and you can enjoy the wildlife that is possible to find at any time.

UVITA

Just 1 hour from Manuel Antonio, Uvita is a small town that is easy to get around as it has paved roads throughout. The town has the main entrance to the national park and the beach, there are several restaurants, info centers, tour companies and the cheap hostels and cabinas. For someone who isn’t renting a car, you can stay in town with no problem and be in walking distance to supermarkets, restaurants, the beach, etc.

👉IT'S MUCH BETTER TO STAY IN UVITA THAN IN QUEPOS - less traffic, cheaper and less turists

IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT UVITA:

Stay at CASCADA VERDE HOSTEL, best hostel we've been in Costa Rica!

Go to Playa Uvita and Playa Hermosa - and watch the sunset from there ☀

Do the Dolphins and Whales Tour 🐬🐳

Eat a Palmito pizza in El Hornito Restaurant

2 DAYS CORCOVADO

Corcovado National Park is one of the most unique and biodiverse places on the planet and visiting the Peninsula is a real treat for the nature lover. It contains over five percent of the world’s animal population just within that small area, making it a popular ecotourism destination. For example, the national park is said to contain the entire ecosystem of insects that is found between Panama and Mexico. Additionally, National Geographic describes it as the “most biologically intense place on Earth in terms of biodiversity.”

Corcovado National Park is the backpacking experience of a lifetime. It encompasses the only remaining old growth wet forests on the Pacific coast of Central America, and 13 major ecosystems including lowland rain forest, highland cloud forest, jolillo palm forest, and mangrove swamps, as well as coastal marine and beach habitats.

There is a good chance of spotting some of Costa Rica’s shyest and most endangered inhabitants here; Baird’s Tapirs, Jaguars, Scarlet Macaws, Harpy Eagles, Red-backed squirrel monkeys and White-lipped Peccaries.

IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT CORCOVADO:

We Stayed at Baya Drake at Corcovado and DRAKE INN - super cheap, with bar, restaurant and swimming pool

Thanks to the hotel, we planned 1 day excursion in the Corcovado National Park. It costs 100 dollars per person but it really worths 🙏

You can arrive to Bahia Drake by boat or with a 4x4. By boat it takes 45 min and it costs 20 dollars

You can reach Corcovado only by boat! The ride is really hardcore - get ready!

[pinerfr]

Matt farrago

#Matt farrago license#

#Matt farrago professional#

The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame honors inductees in 33 categories.

#Matt farrago professional#

This location is the site of the longest operated professional sports franchise and ballpark in Suffolk County history. The first marker commemorated Bethpage Ballpark, the home of the Long Island Ducks. In August 2019, the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame debuted its historic marker program that honors locations of sporting significance within the county. Vaccaro also addressed portions of the annual induction ceremony and golf outing that provided greater recognition for the organization among supporters, inductees and the public. He implemented a rebranding initiative for the organization that included new logo, the development of a website and the creation of social media channels. The Hall of Fame underwent a significant transformation during 2017-2018 under the guidance of Executive Director Chris R. Since 1990, more than 315 inductees have entered the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame. Permanent exhibits are featured at Long Island MacArthur Airport, Bethpage Ballpark, home of the Long Island Ducks, and Huntington Town Hall. Soon after, traveling and permanent satellite exhibits began to appeare throughout Suffolk County. Thanks to them, the former boxer was buried in a marked grave in the Bronx on Saturday.During its early existence, The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame maintained a museum and education center that was located on South Ocean Avenue in Patchogue, New York. Help from the group has included not only the cost of funeral expenses, but also housing, phone bills, food, and prescription medicine, even for boxers who were once very successful, like current member Emile Griffith.īy the meeting’s end, another $500 was raised for Garrett, bringing the total donated by the association to some $2000. Other well-known boxers, trainers and managers. Over the years, Ring 8’s membership has included legends of the sport, such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Graziano, and Jack Dempsey, as well as many “She needs to be buried with dignity, not in Potter’s Field,” Farrago told the crowd of some 40 people. Garrett died on June 9, and money needed to be raised so she wouldn’t end up in a mass grave on Hart Island.Īt the end of their careers, most ex-fighters find themselves without a pension, health insurance, or any kind of safety net.

#Matt farrago license#

The first item on the agenda last Tuesday night was the funeral of Jackie “Tonawanda” Garrett ( pictured, via Boxing Confidential) the first female to box in Madison Square Garden and be granted a boxing license by New York State. It was a sobering reminder of why they’d gathered in this darkened backroom of a Maspeth, Queens, restaurant: “Boxers helping Boxers.” That’s been the idea behind the association since it was founded more than half a century ago. And if the Pledge of Allegiance didn’t get everyone’s attention, then his tapping his water glass ten times, in honor of members of Ring 8, the International Veterans Boxers Association of New York, Inc., who had died since last month’s meeting, certainly did. Things could have gone on like that for hours, for there was much backslapping and catching up to do, but Matt Farrago had to call the meeting to order. A group of old timers hovered around the appetizer table, loading up on toothpick-speared meatballs, and former World Middleweight Boxing Champion Vito Antuofermo, mini-Golden Gloves dangling from his neck, worked the room, which hummed with the accent of old New York. A few minutes before the meeting got underway, Tony Napoli, gold pinky ring flashing, signed copies of his mobster-filled autobiography My Father, My Don.

[pedia10-blog]

Read More > Top 10 Most Expensive Fine Dining Restaurants

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hello Steph! First, thank you for everything you do for this fandom!! I don’t know what we would do without you!! ♥️ I am looking to start my first novel length Johnlock fic. I found your list, and was wondering if you had a specific one to recommend to start off with? I’m looking for something that won’t make me too sad (the world does that on its own), and of course, lots of Johnlock!! Any recommendations would be appreciated, thank you!! Sending love!! *hugs*

HI NONNY!

Hmm, this is tough, because Novel Length is anything over 50K words, but some people don’t want to read “novels that short”. So I get a lot of requests for Epic novels over 100K, so like WOOO HOO LOL.

Hmm. How about I give you a few recs varying lengths, based on your requirements, and you can decide how long you want to go, since I list all my word counts on my recs?

First off, for when you become obsessed with the lengthy fics like I am now LOL:

Novel Length Fics: 50 to 100K (Nov. 2018)

Novel Length Fics: 50 to 100K Pt 2 (May 2020)

Novel Length Fics: 100K+ w. (May 2019)

Novel Length Fics: 100K+ w. Pt 2 (Aug 2020)

Novel Length Fics: 100K+ w. Pt 3 [MFL’s] (Dec 2020)

Next, here’s something for each range between 50 and 100K+ <3

BUT BEFORE I BEGIN: honourable mention because it IS my fave fic ever, and it fits your criteria minus the length so SORRY but please check it out:

A Promise Made to Be Broken by PlantsAreNeat (E, 37,018 w., 7 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Pining, Slow Burn, RST, Eventual Relationship, POV Sherlock) – A young John makes an ‘if we’re still single at 40, we’ll get together’ pledge to a woman who ends up all wrong for him. She keeps reminding him of the promise, and won’t let go of it. John asks Sherlock to pose as his boyfriend at a family wedding, so as to dash her hopes permanently. Sherlock, who has at last acknowledged his feelings for John, reluctantly agrees despite knowing how painful it will be to ‘have’ John, but not keep him.

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Okay, now the main event, of more-fluff-than-angst:

NOVEL LENGTH NOT-SO-ANGSTY FICS FOR NEWBIES

Spare Change by Ermerness (E, 51,966 w., 14 Ch. || Rich Holmeses AU || First Kiss / Time, Holmes Family, Virgin Sherlock, Anal, First Meetings, Bossy Bottomlock) – The Holmes family is one of the richest and most powerful in England. Sherlock spends his time flying around the world on the family's private jet drinking a lot and shopping at expensive boutiques as a way of trying to alleviate his endless boredom. His mother decides it's time he settles down with someone powerful, wealthy and well connected. John Watson happens to be none of those things.

Guilty Secrets by Ellipsical (E, 55,086 w., 16 Ch. || Post-TRF, Drumsticks, First Kiss/Time, Love Confession, Self-Sexual-Discovery, Anal, Rimming, Orgasm Denial, Butt Plugs, Cooking, Furniture Sex, Bath Sex, Rimming, Double Penetration, Prostate Massage, Anal Beads, Dancing, Romance, Tantric Edging, Internalized Homophobia, Case as Foreplay, Anal Beads, Tickling, Dancing, Dry Coming, Romance) – John has a prostate exam and discovers something surprising about himself. Experimentation follows. Sherlock wants to help. They're in love. You know the drill.

Bridging the Ravine by SilentAuror (E, 58,887 w., 3 Ch. || Post S4, Couple For a Case, Bed-Sharing, First Times, Confessions, Awkwardness, Sex Trafficking, Massages, Wet T-Shirt Contest, Group Therapy, Past Loss of Child) – Sherlock and John go undercover at Ravine Valley, a therapy centre for same-sex male couples in an investigation into a possible human trafficking ring. As they pose as a couple and fake their way through the therapy sessions for the sake of the case, it quickly becomes difficult to avoid discussing their very real issues. Set roughly six nine months after series 4.

Perdition's Flames by i_ship_an_armada (E, 63,435 w., 21 Ch. || Treklock AU, Est. Rel, Genetic Engineering, Angst & Fluff, BAMF!John) – Sherlock would do anything to save him. Risk anything. Give anything. His money, his life. His soul. What he does, though, is change both of their destinies forever. Genetic re-engineering is the only option left. It turns out researchers underestimated the life expectancy and potential abilities of genetically re-engineered subjects. The British government and what would eventually become the United Federation of Planets, however, had not. Part 1 of PF Universe

A Cure For Boredom by emmagrant01 (E, 81,665 w., 8 Ch. || Dirty Talk, Threesomes, Light Dom/Sub, Sex Club, Experiments, Anal, Mildly Dubious Consent, Rimming, Cheeking, Double Penetration, Mild Kink, Porn Watching, Voyeurism, Masturbation) – They’d never talked about sex in the year they’d known each other. Well, that wasn’t quite correct: Sherlock had never said a word about sex; John had bemoaned his personal dearth of it on many occasions.

Uphill by scullyseviltwin (E, 84,945 w., 18 Ch. || Olympics AU || Sherlock POV, Skier!Sherlock / Medic!John, Rivalry, 2014 Olympics, Happy Ending) – Sherlock Holmes is striving for gold in this, his fourth and final Olympics as a downhill Alpine racer.

A Study in Winning by Jupiter_Ash (E, 106,658 w., 11 Ch. || Tennis AU || John POV, Dirty Talk, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings, Happy Ending, Sherlock Speaks French, Switchlock, Wimbledon) – John and Sherlock are professional tennis players and it’s Wimbledon. One is a broken almost was at the end of his career, the other an arrogant rising star tipped for greatness. It should have been a straightforward tournament. It really should have been. How were they to know that a chance encounter would change everything? Part 1 of Tennis

A Further Sea by i_ship_an_armada & ShinySherlock (E, 125,492 w., 23 Ch. || Historical Pirates AU || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Doctor John / Pirate Captain Sherlock, Sailing, UST / RST, Masturbation, Action / Adventure, Mild Angst & Peril, Romance, Shaving, Molly/Janine, Bottomlock, Hand / Blow Jobs, Past Drug Use, Slow Burn, Mild Violence, Facial Shaving, Happy Ending) – Here be a tale of adventure for both body and soul, but beware if ye be not of stout heart, for this be piratelock, ya savvy? Luckless ship's surgeon John Watson takes a chance, and finds himself eye to eye with The Ghost, the scourge of the seven seas and a definite thorn in the side of the blaggard, James Moriarty. But when John finds there's more to this most cunning pirate than be meetin' the eye, he has to choose... is it a pirate's life for him?

The Horse and his Doctor by khorazir (T, 129,003 w., 13 Ch. || Horse / Vet AU || Magical Realism, Horses, Vet John, Horse Sherlock, Implied Alcoholism) – Invalided after a run in with a poacher in Siberia, veterinary surgeon John Watson finds it difficult to acclimatise to the mundanity of London life. Things change when a friend invites him along to a local animal shelter and he meets their latest acquisition, a trouble-making Frisian with the strangest eyes and even stranger quirks John has ever encountered in a horse.

The Bang and the Clatter by earlgreytea68 (M, 137,049 w., 37 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Baseball AU || Slow Burn / Dev. Rel., Possessive/Obsessive Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Mutual Pining, Body Appreciation, Depression, Closeted Sexuality, Family, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Ogling Each Other, Anxious Sherlock, Panic Attack, Drunkenness, Talk of Forever, Big Feelings™) – Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it's a baseball AU. Part 1 of Baseball

Midnight Blue Serenity by BeautifulFiction (E, 151,907 w., 19 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Gay Bar / For a Case, Drugs, Pining, Case Fic, UST) – When Sherlock infiltrates a club in order to track down a serial killer, his altered appearance is enough to make John question his assumption that Sherlock is beyond his reach. However, is he the only one who appreciates his flatmate's charms, or is Sherlock at risk of becoming the next victim?

Gimme Shelter by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (E, 159,368 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || 70′s Surfer AU || Period Typical Homophobia, Hawaii, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Professional Surfers, Gay John / Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, John was a Sailor, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining) – All John Watson wants is the feeling of a freshly waxed surfboard under his feet and the hot California sun baking down onto his back. To finally go pro in the newly formed world of professional surfing and leave the dark memories of his past behind him as he rips across the face of a towering blue barrel. To lounge beside the beach bonfire every evening with an ice cold beer tucked into the cool sand beside him and listen to Pink Floyd and the Doors while the saltwater dries in his sun bleached hair. That's all he wants, that is, until the hot young phenom taking Oahu and the Hawaiian shores by storm steps up next to him in the sand in the second round of the 1976 International Surf Competition. (PUBLISHED AS ‘The Sea Ain’t Mine Alone’)

Mise en Place by azriona (M, 161,004 w., 28 Ch. || Restaurant (Kitchen Nightmares) AU || Sherlock is Gordon Ramsay / Celebrity Sherlock, Restauranteur John, Harry Plays Prominent Role, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, Cranky Sherlock, Bed Sharing, Slow Burn) – John Watson had no intentions of taking over the family business, but when he returns from Afghanistan, battered and bruised, and discovers that his sister Harry has run their restaurant into the ground, he doesn't have much choice. There's only one thing that can save the Empire from closing for good – the celebrity star of the BBC series Restaurant Reconstructed, Chef Sherlock Holmes. Part 1 of Mise en Place

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Hope you enjoy those!!! <3 PLEASE read them all, though, and THEN READ ALL THE ONES ON THOSE LISTS. Because once you start long fics, you get REALLY INTO THEM. Hah hah <3

[teanicolae]

Tender Run Through Memories: You are crazy, my child. You must go to Berlin (2018)

extracts from a Berlin travel guide i worked on during my first internship. i was spellbound by Berlin’s entrancing mix of rich culture & gritty club-scene. i fell in love with the city, bit by bit, and i spent one month reviewing its art, museums and vegan food. during my time there, David Bowie kept ringing in my ears, as it was one of his soul-cities 🌼 you got the width of my tongue name on the sun 🌷 velvet goldmine, you stroke me like the rain, snake it, take it, panther princess you must stay 🦋

Feature: Introduction to Berlin

Much has been written about Berlin’s blend of history, outstanding culture and infamous nightlife. Proclaimed the capital of cool, Berlin is where you can “go to all-night parties, attend a screening of an arthouse film and an anti-Trump demonstration within 24 hours”, as The Times noted. Some talk about Berlin’s fall from grace, wondering if the city’s growing popularity diminished its authenticity and turned the city into a growingly expensive tourist trap.

From Marlene Dietrich, who sang “I still keep a suitcase in Berlin” with a piercing longing, to the rebellious singer Iggy Pop, who called Berlin his home, many artists have voiced their love for Berlin.

“You are crazy, my child. You must go to Berlin” (Franz von Suppé)

Affordable, buzzing, wild and carefree, Berlin is a symbol for tolerance and open-mindedness. Unlike other metropolises in Europe, it’s a place where you can relax. Berliners do not rush. They take their time, basking in the sun with their low-cut T-shirts and heavily tattooed arms, flicking back their occasionally bright-coloured hair.

Nights in Berlin are freaky, intense and fiery. The club culture is exhilarating; anything goes. Berlin is a techno capital: notorious DJs, outrageous raves and 36-hour long parties. There are plenty of clubs to choose from, perhaps the most infamous being Berghain, which pays the same taxes as theatres and concert halls, as it is considered to produce work of cultural significance.

It’s magical to lose yourself in Berlin’s night scene, in the hazy beat of electronic music and in the half-clothed masses. There is a strong sense of acceptance. You are free to be yourself. You won’t be judged.

________________________________________________________________

“Berlin, the greatest cultural extravaganza that one could imagine” (David Bowie)

Berlin is a home to artists and a paradise to emerging creators, who come here to pursue their dreams. There are around 20,000 artists living and working in the city, lured by cheap rents, the city’s libertine energy and the massive studio spaces. The street art mirrors the city’s fantastic art scene.

Berlin is bursting with culture and history. It has 175 museums, even more than New York. It’s an open museum too: from the Berlin Wall to Checkpoint Charlie and to the Nazi book burning site at Babelplatz, Berlin’s unique history can be seen by foot.

________________________________________________________________

“Berlin is cheap, but sexy” (Klaus Wowereit)

Berlin is the cheapest capital city in Western Europe. While it is getting expensive, perhaps because of its touristy appeal, it is the perfect place for backpackers, artists and adventurers for now. You can get a cup of coffee for €2, a lunch for less than €10, a pint of beer for €2-4, a day travel pass for €6,50 and a decent double room in a hotel for €50 per night. What is more, some of the attractions of Berlin are free, such as East Side Gallery, Raw Tempel and Yaam Beach.

_______________________________________________________________

Paris is always Paris and Berlin is never Berlin! (Jack Lang)

Nonetheless, Berlin is constantly changing, you never know what to expect. You need to experience it yourself.

________________________________________________________________

Reviews: Art, Beauty & Vegan Food

Beyond Compare: How African and European Sculptures Carve the Essence of Humanity

There are few exhibitions as fascinating as Bode Museum’s “Beyond Compare”. “Beyond Compare” brings together, compares and analyses the sculptural traditions of two continents by displaying, side by side, 70 African sculptures, along with renowned masterpieces from Byzantium, Italy and central Europe.

Despite their radical stylistic differences, it is interesting to observe how the artworks touch the same themes. They illustrate the frailty of the human experience, exploring subjects such as death, beauty, motherhood, power, spirituality and love. Cultures apart, humans seemed to be moved by the same matters; it is remarkable to see the dainty, gothic sculpture of Madonna, Virgin of Mercy, appear next to a seemingly raw sculpture which represents a power figure from Congo. The second sculpture looks quite crude next to the carefully-carved Madonna, but both were made with the intent to ask for protection, to invoke forces that are beyond the physical world.

In the exhibition’s first slide, it is noted that the works displayed were made by human beings, and not by “cultures”, “tribes”, “ethnic groups” or “nations”. It is important to keep this in mind while strolling through the museum, as this exhibition is not an objective comparison between two different cultures, but a soft reflection of human nature.

Address: Am Kupfergraben, 10117 Berlin. Closest stations: Friedrichstraße, Hackescher Markt; Bus TXL Staatsoper, Lustgarten, Friedrichstraße. Opening hours: Monday – closed; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00; Thursday: 10.00 – 20.00. Prices: 12,00 EUR, Reduced 6,00. Website: https://www.smb.museum/museen-und-einrichtungen/bode-museum/home.html Contact: Tel 030 266 42 42 42

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Enjoy the silence in Museum der Stille

Museum der Stille (“Museum of Silence”) is a unique invitation to embrace the silence in the middle of the lively district of Berlin Mitte. It’s a small, free and beautiful exhibition of paintings and architectural models that illustrate different stages of stillness. It is lovely, subtle and, above all, silent. In the middle of the museum, there is only one piercing painting of a woman who’s gazing through you, with a simple wooden bench in front it. The walls are a deep, warm red and the light is dimmed. The profound silence makes the experience sincere and intense; you are struck by a strong feeling of here and now. While at the beginning you might be put off by the awkwardness of hearing your feet clumsily shuffling through the museum, you will gently ease into the museum’s serenity, if you let yourself. For once, you do not have to rush. It’s enough just to take it all in.

Even after leaving the museum and walking back into broad daylight, the spell of silence is not broken. You might be finding yourself humming Depeche Mode and thinking that they were right, perhaps. It is enough just to enjoy the silence.

Address: Linienstraße 154A, 10115 Berlin Closest stations: Oranienburger Tor, Oranienburger Straße. Opening hours: Tuesday - Sunday 14:00 - 19:00 Prices: Free Website: http://museum-der-stille.de/de/ Contact: info@museum-der-stille.de Tel: +49 (0) 30 278 919 90

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CWC Gallery: exploring the modern and the contemporary

If you have a soft spot for art, but find most museums to be too sombre and a little old-fashioned, CWC Gallery might just be the place for you. “CWC” stands for “Camera Work Contemporary” and, as its name suggests, it focuses on contemporary and slightly modern positions found in photography, painting and sculpture. The gallery is in the heart of the bohemian Berlin-Mitte quarter and, while stylish and elegant, it isn’t pretentious and it has an easy-going vibe. It’s also completely free!

The first floor is a homage to the 1990s that recreates the dreamy allure of the era. Wandering around, you are charmed by goddesses of the ‘90s: photos of the iconic Iman, Gisele Bündchen, Uma Thurman and Halle Berry, all captured by Micheal Comte, are plastered on walls. Their half-smile and bouncy curls will leave you longing. You can soothe your temporary nostalgia by moving onto the next floors, where you can admire a beautifully curated and impressive exhibition of modern works of art, some of which display a striking social commentary.

In the same building, you can also find quite an interesting permanent exhibition about The Kennedys, which explores the political success and the private life of John F. Kennedy. The admission fee is 5€.

Address: Auguststraße 11–13, 10117 Berlin Closest stations: Oranienburger Tor, Oranienburger Straße. Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 10:00 -18:00 Saturday 11:00 – 18:00. . Prices: Free. Website: https://camerawork.de/ Contact: info@camerawork.de Tel 030 24048614

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Yoyo FoodWorld: the oldest vegan fast-food joint in Berlin

Yoyo FoodWorld is a hip fast-food joint on the Gärtnerstrasse 27 and the first and oldest vegan fast-food in Berlin.

For almost ten years, Yoyo hasn’t been your typical fast-food. Its atmosphere is similar to one of a quiet, cozy indie bar. Indoors, the light is slightly dimmed and there are photos of famous musicians and philosophers plastered on the restaurant’s walls, along with cult film posters that would make any film student swoon. Soft rock music plays in the background. The outdoor sitting is just as delightful, as the area surrounding the joint is lovely and inviting.

The food is cheap, fantastic and sure to satisfy your cravings, as the options are varied. They have 3,50€ burgers, 6,50€ pizza, 5€ wraps, 6€ schnitzels, 5€ seitan Currywursts, 3,80€ sea food and meatballs at the price of 8 for 3,20€. All the dishes are deliciously vegan and would work perfectly as comfort food or hangover food. It’s also the place to take your friends to convince them that vegan food is tasty.

Another highlight is the toilet, which is exceptionally cool. It’s filled with queer stickers, feminist and political statements, colourful graffiti and carefully scribbled love poems; ideal for a quirky Instagram post.

Address: Gärtnerstraße 27, 10245 Berlin Closest stations: Samariterstr., Frankfurter Tor, Warschauer Str. Opening hours: Monday- Thursday 12:00 - 23:00, Friday - Saturday 12:00 - 00:00, Sunday 12:00 - 23:00. Prices: € Website: http://www.yoyofoodworld-berlin.de/ Contact: kontakt@yoyofoodworld-berlin.de

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Get fettundbetrunken at the Chaostheorie

Chaostheorie is the first vegan cocktail bar in Germany. Their slogan is “fettundbetrunken”: “fat and drunk”, so expect to find a perfect mix of cheap comfort food and funky alcohol.

Onto the first part of their motto, “fat”: the food is fantastic. From a veganized traditional cuisine to more modern dishes, the highlights are juicy currywursts, enormous doner kebabs, fries with dripping dips, pulled mushroom burgers and thick cheese meatball sandwiches. To sweeten things up, the selection of house-made cakes is flavourful to say the least. The Oreo cake, smooth and crunchy at the same time, is a popular favourite. The soft drinks are also a dream: creamy milkshakes, Snickers, Manner or Oreo flavored, and rich freakshakes. You can settle for classic options, too: late macchiato, hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows, coffee with caramelized milk and hot applesauce with cinnamon and vanilla soya milk.

Now, onto the second part of their motto…”drunk”! You can sip traditional cocktails or try out the bartender’s specials: experimental and refreshing mixtures such as Julep Blue, bourbon, blue curaçao, ginger ale and limette.

The place itself is cozy: dim light, soft indie music, shelves stacked with books and a lovely photobooth perfect for making memories.

Even if you’re looking for a quiet afternoon with good food or for a tipsy evening, in Chaostheorie you can find the things you thought you’d never enjoy again once you went vegan.

Address: Schliemannstraße 15, 10437 Berlin. Closest Stations: Prenzlauer Alle, Stargarder Str., Schönhauser Allee. Opening Hours: Mon, Tue, Wed: 17:00 – 22:00; Thu: 17:00 - 23:00; Fri: 17:00 - 01:00; Sat: 15:00 - 01:00; Sun: 15:00 - 22:00. Price range: € (under €10). Website: http://www.chaostheorie.berlin/ Contact: 030/548 907 34; info@chaostheorie.berlin.

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Challenge yourself at the Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art

The Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art is a remarkable contemporary art institution located in the Berlin’s picturesque district Mitte. The building is a sight itself and it has a sophisticated allure, tall and elegant. The outdoor café has a lovely Parisian appeal and it’s where the hip tattooed artists you might have seen on Tumblr sip their coffees in the afternoon.

The works of art exhibited in the Institute are complex. You can marvel at political activist art, video art, visual art or interactive art. They’re also controversial, with people either excitedly praising them or dismissing them as meaningless. The exhibitions are divided into rooms: in some rooms you might be deafened by booming nature sounds, while in others you might be asked to take off your shoes and wander into an empty, soundproof room, where you’d be faced with a gut-wrenching documentary about the condition of the modern black artist. However, you never know what to expect, as the exhibits change constantly. Nonetheless, the works of emerging young artists are unique and do not hold the reassurance of traditional art: they challenge you and shake you. They draw out a strong response, be it positive or negative.

Finally, even if you occasionally roll your eyes at modern art, you should give the KW Institute a chance. At least one of the works of art displayed might move you.

Address: Auguststraße 69, 10117 Berlin. Closest stations: Oranienburger Tor, Oranienburger Straße.  Price: 16€ general entrance, 10€ reduced. Opening hours: Monday: 11:00 – 19:00. Tuesday: Closed. Wednesday: 11:00-19:00. Thursday: 11:00-21:00. Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 11:00 – 19:00. Website: https://www.kw-berlin.de/ Contact : +49 30 243459-0, info@kw-berlin.de.

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Be Here, Be Queer at the Schwules Museum

The Schwules Museum is the world’s first gay museum, originally opened in 1985. It exhibits the violent history and the injustices the LGBTQ community endured in the past, as well as Berlin’s current queer life.

Schwules is not your typical queer museum. If you expect it to be bustling with colour and rainbows, you might be taken aback. To an extent, it is exceptionally colourful, with cheeky illustrations of young gay couples kissing, soft porn photos and neon slogans about love. But a more serious tone is predominant. The permanent exhibitions also depict gay history milestones, such as the feminist revolution, the composition of the first feminist songs of the German movement or the protests of a working group of lesbian teachers. In the middle of the museum, there’s a memorial dedicated to the LGBT people who were killed in concentration camps. Their names are written in blood-red. You will also shudder upon entering the museum, where you can see a lengthy list of countries where homosexuality is currently considered a punishable crime.

It is important to go to the Schwules Museum because you will be reminded of how painful history is and how the free world we live in required sacrifices. And how, for some, the world still isn’t free.

It is not allowed to take pictures, which at first might be quite annoying, as your initial impulse might be to want to immortalize everything. However, this might help you take in all the information and carefully weigh what you’re seeing.

Finally, is important to go to the Schwules Museum because you will be reminded of how painful history is and how the free world we live in required sacrifices. And how, for some, the world still isn’t free.

Address: Lützowstraße 73, 10785 Berlin Closest Stations: U Nollendorfplatz, U Kurfürstenstraße, Lützowstraße / Potsdamer Straße, Lützowplatz. Opening hours: Monday: 14:00 – 18:00, Tuesday: Closed, Wednesday: 14:00 – 18:00, Thursday: 14:00 – 20:00, Friday: 14:00 -18:00, Saturday: 14:00 – 19:00, Sunday: 14:00 – 18:00. Price: € 7.50 regular, € 4 reduced. Website: https://www.schwulesmuseum.de/ Contact: 030 69599050

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Sun and wholesome food at The Bowl

The Bowl, self-proclaimed a “clean-eating restaurant”, is the perfect place for a cozy lunch with your friends or for a breakfast date with a book. They only use fresh, seasonal, healthy and gluten-free products. Everything is fully sustainable and vegan. They even use natural sugar! And, truthfully, the food is indeed full of flavour and it leaves you with a sense of freshness. They have a great variety of bowls: from rich breakfast bowls filled with sweet fruit, raw chocolate and creamy soy yoghurt to lavish plates with roasted vegetables, mashed avocado raw crackers, zucchini and smoked paprika.

The desserts are a treat, as well. The highlights are the lush vanilla almond cake, with coconut blossom sugar, raw chocolate and coconut strawberry and bananenbrot, with grilled banana, granola, warm strawberry sauce and raw chocolate.

While it is a bit pricey, 6,50 € for breakfast bowls and around 10 € for the lunch specials, the naturalness of the food, its filling base and vitamin-rich toppings make it all worth it.

The dishes are perfectly Instagrammable and the colourful variety of vegetables and legumes doesn’t even need a filter. While enjoying your wholesome food, you can bask in the sun in front of the large windows and observe the buzzing Warschauer Straße, with hazy, synth-pop music unfolding in the background.

What is more, on the ground floor of the same building where Bowl is, you can find Veganz, a plant-based supermarket with an impressively wide range of products, from cheese and ham slices to cashew cookies, ice cream and the finest chocolate cream.

Address: Warschauer Str. 33, 10243 Berlin Closest Stations: Warschauer Str. Opening hours: Monday: 10:30-23:00, Tuesday: 10:30–23:00, Wednesday: 10:30–23:00, Thursday: 10:30–23:00, Friday: 10:30–23:00, Saturday: 10:00–23:00, Sunday: 10:00-23:00. Price: €€ Website: http://www.the-bowl.de/ Contact: 030 29771447

[aestheticseungmean]

Can you do a idol au for ATEEZ jongho where him and hongjoong have the opportunity to work with a western artist (their main language is English but are learning Korean) and them and jongho hit it off and become friends, until one of them forms a crush 💞 (gender neutral reader please)

I Like You Very Much-Choi Jongho

As an upcoming yet very popular artist, when you suggested to collaborate with Ateez, KQ jumped at the opportunity. It just so happens that the maknae harbours feelings for you.

Gender neutral reader

Warnings: minor cussing

3.4K words

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You were an up and coming artist, sparking interest all over the world with your music. Radio stations and TV shows clamoured to get you into their shows and those who were able to get you, shot up in rating. You talked about all your interests, plans for the future, and the inevitable dating scene. Interviewers often chuckled when you say you are single and not ready to mingle, agreeing with you even though they were all married. The one question that you get asked the most is: “Who would you like to collaborate with on an upcoming album?” The answer is always the same, Ateez. You appreciated the few interviewers who knew the group, but more often than not, you found yourself explaining who they were.

On the other hand, Ateez, despite debuting in 2018, were finding their way into other countries, capturing attention alongside you. They typically get all the same questions from the same interviewers with the same reactions. In one interview, the radio announcer had asked how Ateez felt about you wanting to collab. To which they cheered and wished the same. Apparently, most listened to your music daily, while stretching, working out, lounging around, or even just to create a dance to. An insane amount of pride went bursting through your chest as you listened to them praise you. Ateez, especially, Hongjoong and Jongho, talked excitedly about you, your music, your aesthetic, and overall how you were their favourite English artist.

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Your one year debut anniversary was coming up and you were planning a safe world tour featuring your first songs, as well as the most popular ones. After talking with your company, your plan was to hit a bunch of places, including: America, Canada, Australia, the UK, France, China, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and South Korea to name a few. Many fans sent videos of them showing their support for you. In the same time, Ateez also had a Korean tour as well, performing in some of the same places as you. Just the thought alone exited you. With your trusty manager, Sadie, your language tutor, Mina, and your best friend/personal hype-man, Jake, you were set to go.

Mina sat upon your bed, watching as you frantically pack clothes to practice and sleep in. “You know we have clothes we have to give you? Being famous means you have an image to maintain.” “An expensive one,” you rolled your eyes, knowing that the outfits designed for you were no less than a thousand dollars. “Alright, let’s brush up on your Korean. Sadie said you had the most interviews there so let’s not make a fool of ourselves.” Mina started listing off random words, leaving you to translate them. Between deciphering Korean and remembering what to pack, your brain fried worse than Kaminari after he overused his quirk. Of course you weren’t walking around with a dumb expression but on the inside you were.

Sometimes, you wondered why you released your song on YouTube and why you signed on the dotted line, but so far you’ve managed. Sure there have been haters, but the amount of support outweighs the haters. Besides, when you feel like quitting, you remember all the amazing artists who have encouraged you to pursue your dreams, and your career. With the likes of Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Meghan Thee Stallion, Lewis Capaldi, Billie Eilish, BTS, and Cardi B all supporting your music, you had no reason to listen to the haters. You only need to focus on a good world tour anyways.

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The tour finally made its way into Seoul. With an unfathomable amount of want for the tickets, your company decided to hold four shows, plus the ungodly amount of interviews. This week was sure to be a tiring week, and you might sleep 24 hours straight when you get home, but it’s worth it to see the fans cheering you as you sang your songs.

The first night, you performed your songs and interacted with the fans in your broken korean. The second night was the same, save for a few idols who came to your show. You were surprised to see a few members of NCT and BTS up in the stands, dancing and wearing your merch. The third night was the night your company decided to surprise you with a last-minute duet of your song “Weeping Willow” with Jimin. You two sailed smoothly through it despite the lack of knowledge of whether your voices would harmonize or collide in a train-wreck.

And last, but not least, the fourth night is where you went all out for your final concert. There were colourful explosions of confetti, pyrotechnics, backup dancers, a live band, etc. You were confused as to why the dancers were there, let alone wearing masks during your performance, but the show must go on, right? Through the night, different dancers came up and spun you around on the stage, baffling you at your skill of dancing while singing. Finally, the final chord of your last song ended allowing you to attempt to talk to the fans in your limited language.

“Thank you guys for coming out to see the show!” The crowd erupted in cheers making you smile. “This country has been very kind to me and I can’t wait to come back. I’ll be here for a few more days so make sure to keep an eye out for me on the streets!” You smiled, hoping you could meet a few fans in your last few days, maybe get some pictures with them. “This has been an amazing concert, although, I do have to say, the dancers surprised me,” you admitted, rubbing the fabric covering your legs nervously. All of a sudden, the crowd went crazy, chanting “turn around” at you. So you did.

Immediately, you dropped to your knees, hiding your face. Standing in front of you in the dancers’ outfits, holding masks, were the one and only, Ateez. You had been performing with them for the past few hours without realizing. “Your manager called us, asking if we’d come surprise you for your birthday. We couldn’t resist. I hope you don’t mind.”You recognized the voice as Hongjoong’s. Of course Sadie would do this. She knew how much you loved Ateez, but she went all out this time. You looked up, your eyes watering from crying tears of embarrassment, joy, and anger. A few boys rushed to make sure you were okay as soon as they spotted the tears. On the screen at the back of the stage, you caught a glimpse of your hunched figure, crying. “This is so amazing,” you managed to stutter out.

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After the show, you headed to the back with the boys to find the two managers talking with each other in hushed words. When they noticed you, they stopped their conversation and turned towards you. “So?” Sadie asked, waiting for your reaction. “I hate you…But I absolutely love you, Sadie.” “I thought so. Now, all of you, go get changed, we are going out to eat, company’s treat,” She said, holding up a card which you recognized as the company credit card. In an instant, you were rushing to your dressing room to change, stomach growling loudly.

The van waiting outside for you, was giant. Maybe a twelve seater. All eleven of you piled in, the managers sitting in the front seats while you and the boys filed into the other seats. “Would you mind doing a V-Live with us?” Seonghwa asked, pulling out a phone. “No, but I don’t know what to do.” “Just be you,” he replied, laughing. Throughout the whole ride, you were sandwiched in between San and Wooyoung who wouldn’t stop making you laugh while Seonghwa flirted to the camera. The others talked or closed their eyes for a little rest before you got to the restaurant. Not once did you feel out of place as well.

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It’s been a few months since you met Ateez on your world tour. You kept in touch through texting since San slipped his number into your phone without you noticing. Not that you were complaining anyways. When you mentioned you were working on a new album but struggling, some of the boys offered to call you, to talk of course, not figure out what the next song will be so they can get a headstart on learning it. Eventually, you took them up on that offer and Hongjoong called. You two talked for what seemed like an eternity, talking about concepts and themes.

The call seemed to help you majorly. You ended up finishing two songs and wrote the meanings behind them, a habit you had because you sucked at explaining things. Hongjoong, on the other hand, got some beats done for a few of Ateez’s future songs. You were still on the phone with him when you realized that you were writing the songs to the few beats you heard. “SHIT!” “When did you learn to cuss in Korean?” Your wooden pencil was slammed down on the desk, breaking. “That’s not the problem. The problem is, I’ve been writing my songs to your beats. I mean I know they can be for another beat but the producers are going to ask me how I want to sing it. I’ll just end up singing it to your beats,” You whined.

Hongjoong laughed. “Let’s hear it then.” “Hear what?” You heard shuffling on the phone before a few mouse clicks. “Let’s hear you sing along to the beats,” he said, hitting play on the computer, starting the music. You sighed and sang along with your lyrics, surprised at how well the music coincided. “You know what? I think I’ll send these beats to you. They sound better with your lyrics anyway,” Hongjoong complimented, hitting send. “You don’t have to,” You protested only to be met with the notification that Hongjoong had sent it to you anyways. “Too late. Can you imagine if we collabed on a song, or an album?”

“That would be amazing, but I know I wouldn’t be able to keep up with your dance skills. Even your least skilled dancer is freaking amazing. Oh wait...You don’t have one because who the hell is the least skilled dancer in Ateez?” you complained, yet complimented at the same time. “Please, you could keep up. You are a ball of energy.” “A ball of energy with two left feet, Joong.” You shut your notebook and put it away, cleaning up your desk. “I don’t believe you.” “You don’t have to, just know it’s true. Anyways, it’s 3am here. I need to go to bed.” He shifted in his seat and frowned. “Okay. I’ll talk to you later. Sweet dreams!” “Night, Joong,” you said before hanging up the phone and throwing yourself on your bed, falling into a deep sleep.

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The producers absolutely loved your songs with Hongjoong’s beats. So much so that the company immediately wanted a collaboration. For the next few weeks, before the release of your newest album, the executives buckled down on getting that ‘magic’ song that would take the world by storm. It wasn’t long before the people at KQ agreed, knowing that the collaboration between Ateez and you would bring media and attention to the latter. And soon, you found yourself on a plane, in business class (because first class was too empty and economy was too crowded) to Seoul.

A few people were eager to see you, but most went to sleep as it was five in the morning. Thankfully, you were granted a window seat so you could look out at the view. Most of the time though, you found yourself entranced in the movies they offered on flight, catching up on the new Tom and Jerry movie. And before you knew it, you found yourself landing in Seoul. Your manager, who enjoyed first class, got off the plane and waited for you. Many fans waited with Ateez signs as you walked by, confused.

On the other side of the crowd, Ateez waited patiently to surprise you with their presence. They begged and begged the company to go get you instead of sending one of their scary bodyguards to. Finally, they gave in, allowing the boys to go get you. Word got out though and that meant they had to keep undercover. Or at least try to, which was not Wooyoung’s strong suit. At one point, Hongjoong threatened Wooyoung to get him to shut up. It worked up until Wooyoung saw you, making your way out of the crowd. He and the others ran up to you, suffocating you in a hug. “Let’s get to the van before the crowd doesn’t let us leave,” Hongjoong commanded.

They rushed you to the van, ushering you in before clamouring in themselves. This time around, you were in between Yunho and Jongho. You greeted them politely, your korean better this time around due to talking with the boys constantly. “So, you’ll be staying at a hotel not far from us. We’ll be sure to always have someone to come get you,” Seonghwa said, relaying the information he had been given. “The whole someone coming to get me is extra.” “Nonsense,” Wooyoung exclaimed. “It’s rude to have a guest and not guarantee their safety. Besides some of our families would have our heads if they found out we weren’t doing the utmost for you,” he added playfully.

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The next day, you dressed in comfortable clothing, not caring about your fashion. The agenda for the day was to write a song with Hongjoong and Jongho. When you first found out you were only collabing with those two, you felt a little sad, but when Sadie told you it was a trial collab, to see how well it would do, it didn’t make it any better, in fact, you felt worse. You protested and argued for the whole group, but all the bosses said was, “If this goes well, you can have an entire album with them.” Sure, the excitement for an entire album with Ateez would be amazing, but what if it didn’t go well?

You thought about that the entire time it took you to get to the KQ building. Only then, it was Jongho who brought you out of your head. “Hey, ________! The studio is this way. It’s my first time watching Hongjoong hyung make the beats,” He said, smiling brightly. You couldn’t help but smile back. “Mkay, Jongho. Lead the way,” You mumbled, following the maknae to a secluded room. Inside, Hongjoong was already set up at the computer, messing with some beats.

You took in the room around you. The lights were dimmed, probably to help hongjoong focus. A sleek desk with a soundboard was pushed up against a wall with glass, allowing you to look into the other room. A few of the spinny chairs were worn down, a sign of heavy usage. In the other room, you could see a typical setup for a sound booth. A microphone stood in the middle, headphones hanging off of it. The sound-proof padding looked fairly new with a few different instruments lining the walls. It reminded you of home. Of the studio you usually work in.

Hongjoong greeted you as soon as he caught a glimpse of movement. “Hey guys! I was checking some different beats and tunes for the song.” “You’re good. Shall we get started?” You asked, pulling out your beat up notebook. “That thing has seen better days,” Jongho joked, looking at the binding peeling off. You giggled and nodded. “I’ve had it for many years. I need a new one, but I haven’t gotten around to it. Besides, this has all my songs. Even the unsung ones.” “So that’s your most prized possession then?”

“I guess you could say that,” you hummed. “But it’s not like I’m playing keep away with it. I don’t care if you guys read it because I trust you. It’s randomly leaving it in public and never seeing it again that I’m worried about.” “Understandable. My flash drive is always with me,” Hongjoong said, pointing to the drive that was sticking out from the computer. “ You smiled softly at Hongjoong and grabbed your pencil. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

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The next few days were tedious with the finishing of the song, the practicing of pronunciation for both parties, and making the beat. You found yourself growing closer to the two boys, even helping write a few of their future songs. In response, they taught you how to make beats and successfully break an apple, although that only happened once and you still haven’t been able to do it again. There was a different aura around them when you hung out. Hongjoong felt more calm and brotherly even, whilst Jongho had a more timid feeling. Like he was hiding something. You pushed it off, thinking it was him being a bit skeptical of you still.

When you finally thought all the hard work was done, Hongjoong dropped a choreography on you. The thing you dreaded the most. Thankfully, the duo were willing to take things step by step slowly with you, guiding you through the most miniscule things. A couple of the days, Hongjoong couldn’t make it, leaving you to practice with Jongho, who became more stand-offish.

Until you had enough of the ridiculous behaviour because it had come out of nowhere. “Are you okay, Jongho? Is there something I’m doing wrong?” You asked, taking a drink. “No, you’re dancing fine.” “I meant generally? You seemed fine in the beginning and now you look like you think I’m poisonous. Do you not like me?” Jongho looked taken aback, mouth opening and closing like a fish gaping for water as he tried to figure out the words he wanted to say. “It’s not that,” He managed. “Then what is it? I don’t want to feel like I have to walk on glass around you.” “Let’s just get this choreo learned okay?” You huffed and got back to practicing, angry that he ignored your question.

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“Okay, one more time,” the producer demanded, signalling you to start your verse over again. You did as he asked and cheered when he praised you. “Jongho, you’re up.” “You got this, Jongho,” you tried to encourage him. He gave you a nervous half-hearted smile and headed to do his part. He sang beautifully, even more than when you three were practicing by yourselves. You couldn’t help the cold chills that ran up your arms giving you goosebumps. “Woah,” you breathed out, in wonder.

You went to praise Jongho again, exclaiming how he was so amazing. An embarrassed smile graced his features making your heart swell. “So cute!” “Quiet, everyone,” the producer said, preparing for Hongjoong’s rap. You turned your attention towards the leader, preparing yourself for his rapping. Jongho took this chance to excuse himself from the room. As usual, Hongjoong owned his rap and you almost felt bad for Jongho missing it, but then you remembered that he could easily hear it again later.

It was a quick session after Hongjoong finished. Just a few harmonies here and there and you were done for the day. All of the boys wanted to go out for food to celebrate. Yeosang offered to go to the chicken place on the other side of town and Mingi agreed. Once again, you found yourself sitting by Jongho, except this time, you were sitting in the pair of seats in the second row, allowing it to be just you two. He pulled out a package and handed it to you, blushing. “I got you this.” You smiled and took the carefully wrapped package.

“Can I open this now or do I have to wait?” “Um, you can now,” Jongho said, his ears turning red. You opened the wrapping carefully to find a new journal. “Oh my god, Jongho!” You opened the cover to look at the pages to find a cute little note waiting. Jongho had written the words ‘I like you very much’ in english, with cute little doodles surrounding it. “Wait? Like-” “Like a crush,” he stuttered. “Well, I like you too Jongho,” you admitted, gaining a few wolf whistles from the surrounding boys that were watching the exchange.

[comrade-meow]

Big Banks With Big Investments in the Gender Identity Industry

Last week I did a deep dive into the bankers behind the leadership of the LGBT agenda. Let’s now take a look at the banks themselves, twisting themselves five ways from Sunday to support the tiny part of the population calling themselves “transgender.”

Again, before we begin this exploration, lets contemplate for a moment, the enormous and rapid, global changes underway in institutions, corporations, stores, governments, schools, medical facilities, women’s organizations, etc. for people avoiding the biological reality of their sexed bodies and how expensive these changes are. Dictionaries are being overhauled, laws are being fought to allow men into women’s sports and safe spaces, young women who’ve elected to have their breasts amputated and who believe they are now and have always been male, are being used in corporate advertising, signaling progress. Corporations, stores, bars, restaurants and institutions are overhauling their bathrooms and their health insurance policies. Pronouns are being added to everything and a gargantuan global, political infrastructure has been built to drive the normalization of body dissociation. AND, supposedly, this is all happening because governments, politicians, Amnesty International, the ACLU, the UN and other myriad organizations, care so much about these people with identity issues. Dang, I have a bridge to sell anyone who is buying this nonsense.

But, let’s move on. Banks. Who are the giants making way for .03% of the population?

Last year, Mastercard created the very first credit card for people calling themselves “transgender” and “non-binary,” as if they were some subset of humans and not the males and females they were born as. “True Name” Pride credit card, was the name given to this roll out, which basically allows people to use whatever the hell name they want on their credit cards. I doubt they’re allowing for a change of social security number along with it.

According to Business Statement for “Transgender “ equality, Bank of America, Citi Bank, BNP Paribas, BNY Mellon, Deutsche bank, Ernst & Young, HSBC, JP Morgan Chase and Co., Morgan Stanley, US Bank, and Visa are just a handful of banks, credit card companies, and investment houses that are all-in for trans, under a banner of “inclusivity and diversity (I&D).” This I&D corporate-speak is being rolled out everywhere and looks a helluva lot like uniformity of thought and behavior that people are being punished for not abiding by.  Citi Bank, Bank of America and Capital One Banks are all-in supporters of PLFLAG. Rolddy Leyva, Vice President of Global Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (DIB is a variation on I&D) for Capital One is particularly concerned with black “trans women," who he believes, become targets of hate and violence with appalling regularity, when of course there is no proof of any such thing. According to several reports, the number of men of color pretending to be women killed in the US in 2019 was 20. Twenty men who like to wear dresses and perform femininity, many working as prostitutes, a dangerous experience to begin with, were killed by other men over the course of one year. Let’s put this into perspective. In 2018, there were 238 women killed by male single-offenders in the state of Texas alone, not to mention the other 49 states. Somehow, none of these corporations, stores, restaurants, bars, medical institutions, or banks care about the vulnerability of females. There have been no special workshops to create a safe environment for women at work. No encouragement for employees to be an ally to women, no lacquered placards denoting allyship and no education to enlighten employees to the fact that women are basically under siege in the US, let alone elsewhere in the world.  

Wells Fargo, funding GLAAD, is making it very comfortable for their male employees to pretend to be female.

In 2007 Goldman Sachs added health-insurance coverage for unnecessary genital surgeries on people rearranging their sex markers, as part of a push to attract top talent and recruit and retain a more “diverse” workforce. The surgery alone could cost an individual anywhere from $5,000 to $150,000 if they paid out of pocket, depending on their particular situation. That figure doesn't include hormone and other drug treatments. Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500)' plan covers the actual surgery, as well as “transgender”-related prescription drugs, such as wrong-sex hormone injections. Goldman is not the only financial firm that offers such “benefits.” Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), Deutsche Bank (DB) and Wachovia (WB, Fortune 500) also offer some level of coverage for brutal, dangerous and unhealthy sex characteristic rearrangements.

Maeve DuVally, a male managing director at Goldman Sachs with a penchant for black, high-heeled pumps, finds it easy to pretend to be female at work. Sachs has made it not only effortless, but surely provided part of the impetus for DuVally to discover his “transness” after attending a meeting last year at the bank.  Prior to the meeting in March, DuVally was only comfortable dressing in “women’s clothes” at home. Then, “an invitation went out to the bank’s employees: Goldman’s L.G.B.T. network was hosting a panel on “how to be stronger allies to the transgender and gender non-conforming community.” DuVally showed up to the event, in Goldman’s auditorium, in a wig and makeup, and afterward he introduced himself to some bank employees. At the November 22nd meeting employees were instructed to stop using pronouns which recognize the average biological, physiological, and psychological distinctions between men and women, and included a video and complex instructions on the new order of business.

“DuVally found the event encouraging. One co-worker, who watched it remotely from London, took copious notes and emailed them to the communications group afterward. Everyone who attended received laminated cards explaining correct pronoun usage. DuVally realized, he said, that it was time to come out as “transgender” at Goldman.” He went on to “come out” on various international talk-shows and news platforms as well.

Goldman has also begun an initiative to update its banks internal directory to allow employees to designate their preferred pronouns.

Barclays has long been leading the charge on LGBT+ rights in the workplace. The bank was headline sponsor at Pride 2018 around the world. Head of Region for Home Solutions West at Barclays, Amy Stanning, another male pretending to be a female, has been made quite comfortable at work too.

Aside from the obvious cognitive dissonance of these corporate D&I programs which in part seek to balance out sex-based inequality on their staff, but then hire men that can then be counted as women, there is the curious massive corporate interest for .03% of population pretending to be the opposite sex, or to not have a sex. At least, this should make people curious, and yet if they are, they aren’t talking.  It almost seems as if these corporations are expecting a lot more people identifying as something they are not.

Let us not lose sight of the powerful lunatic behind this façade of inclusivity and his agenda. Martine Rothblatt, the founding father of the transgender empire, headed a luncheon with Beth Brooke-Marciniak in 2016 to celebrate LGBT OutWOMEN Business Leadership. Brooke-Marciniak, head of public policy at Ernst & Young and Co-Chair for Partnership for Global LGBTIQ+ Equality, was voted one of the most powerful women in the world ten times. Rothblatt is a transhumanist that supports corporate I&D events while simultaneously promoting the idea that transgender is an onramp to transhumanism at other events, events funded by Arcus Foundation, the most powerful LGBT NGO in the world. “The re-creation of the human body has already begun,” Rothblatt tells us.

It would make far more sense that these D&I policies purportedly for .03% of the population, are in actuality for the generation of biologically augmented humans bound to follow the corporate normalization of body dissociation for profit.

[nomanwalksalone]

MAKING THE MYTH

by Réginald-Jérôme de Mans

Why make a myth? I had that question reading David Dowsey’s Making the Cut, a history of the Australian tailoring firm John Cutler. By coincidence, I’d also finally got round to reading Roland Barthes’ Mythologies, his exploration of myth-making in the modern world, where pro wrestling is our morality play, the steak frites is a sort of French Eucharist, and soap flakes promise absolution to our flatware.

It is blessedly easy to mythologize bespoke tailoring: its vocabulary is arcane and ancient, its true practitioners rare and its initiates often exult in being part of the elect – men (generally) who have not only cash, but the time and the unnatural will to have sought out a legendarily disappearing craft. Tailors now hold themselves out to be – or are held out to be by credulous bards in the media –not only that modern Jedi, actual craftsmen, but practitioners of a sort of wizardry, who lay hands on cloth and thread to create garments that transform the wearer – supposedly slimming the fat, straightening the stooped – into the icon he dreams of being. And the price of that magic is also of another world.

In fact, it was the price of one Cutler garment that caused whatever global notoriety he enjoys, and which was the likely trigger for Making the Cut: in 2013, Meg Lukens Noonan came out with The Coat Route, an examination of all of the materials and crafts that went into the creation of a $50,000 custom coat Cutler made out of a length of vintage Dormeuil vicuña for a customer who had given him carte blanche. Noonan visited vicuña conservators in Peru, met with Cutler’s horn button suppliers and the smith who made the gold chain inside the coat, and interviewed Stefano Ricci, who supplied a length of his trademark garish silk for its lining, as well as, of course, Cutler in Sydney and his Canadian customer.

Noonan found that nearly all of her interviewees were endangered species (now humanely herded and sheared instead of killed for their wool, the vicuñas are an adorable exception). For seeking them out, customers of bespoke clothing can pride themselves on being connoisseurs, not least the coat’s owner, who I believe has now ordered a second one.

As it happens, Dowsey, the author of Making the Cut, first met Cutler (one of a long series of tailors of that name) on a Ricci-sponsored junket in Italy. Like its subject’s custom clothing, Making the Cut itself has been hard to obtain, exquisitely packaged and prohibitively priced: various special editions came with bottles of Scotch or lengths of vicuña cloth, all reminders of Cutler’s creating the most expensive coat known to popular imagination.

Making your vanity book so rare and expensive it itself is a luxury item seems a strange way to make a myth, to get the word out about your subject. Certain of the Savile Row tailors Making the Cut explicitly references sell their books on their websites and through online booksellers, and use their publication to do tie-in articles and pictorials in magazines like The Rake and Vanity Fair. Making the Cut definitely draws on those dutiful and dry tailors’ histories for inspiration. It repeats their narrative arc: heroic founder, struggle of heirs against unforeseen challenges, and eventual restoration to a secure footing, recounting the Cutler dynasty’s immigration to Australia and gradual development into a prestigious bespoke tailoring business making for the rather colorful Australian great and good – athletes, hotheaded sheep farmers, politicians and businessmen. Dowsey compares the Cutlers’ rise to that of another traditional bespoke craftsman who had emigrated to Australia, John Lobb, who became successful making boots during the gold rush there before returning to London and opening what is undoubtedly the most famous custom shoemaker in the world. The Lobb family’s own history, The Last Shall be First, came out 45 years ago. Making the Cut seems intended to set Cutler among these otherwise British legends of traditional craft.

But why? The reasons the British tailors and bootmakers whose stories set the pattern for Making the Cut came out with books were apparent: age-old houses, many under different, corporate ownership now, seeking to spread their reputations in an age of new accessibility. Their continuity was assured. In contrast, Making the Cut itself notes that the current John Cutler’s children are not likely to enter the business, and that most of the cutters and coatmakers instrumental to custom clothing have gradually left. So this book, for all its painstaking immigration details, vivid recitation of John Cutler’s romantic histories and dozens of pages of press cuttings and customer pictorials, attempts to create a myth without much commercial justification – the justification for so much of today’s myths. Cutler the man, Cutler the business may soon be names out of time.

Does recognizing the components of a modern myth collapse it? Both The Coat Route and Making the Cut approvingly inform the reader that no less an authority than Forbes magazine proclaimed that Cutler was one of the best tailors in the world. The reader must be expected to imagine that Steve Forbes (or Teve Torbes) himself announced this epiphany. Unfortunately, the article in question is a clickbait listicle from the Forbes website, which is better known for unhinged and unsupported op-eds that would make The Wall Street Journal opinion page blush. Its support for why Cutler is the best appears to be that a customer can also order a custom overcoat and a pair of shoes there. But any tailor who makes suits cam make an overcoat. As for being able to order shoes, if variety meant quality then the Chinese place near my house that also sells sushi and Thai food must be the best restaurant in the world. In any case, Cutler’s shoe offer was a special order service with the late Italian shoemaker Stefano Bemer, not a true bespoke service with a custom maker creating a wooden last for each customer and welting shoes by hand. For all I know, Cutler may be one of the best tailors in the world, but the Forbes list isn’t why. I have no personal experience with Cutler or any Australian tailors, but my friends and I have worn out the carpets at the good tailors of Paris, where the Forbes article recommends solely the bespoke section at the department store Galeries Lafayette, which is a bath-salts level of unreliable, crazy and stupid. None of us had ever heard anything memorable about this service, although my 2003 Paris sur mesure does mention, as an alternative to good full bespoke and cheaper made-to-measure tailors, a demi-mesure service at Galeries Lafayette, where customers could select cloth for a factory special order made to stock sizes, with the possibility of some alterations after the fact. But in no way could that compare with having someone who knows what he or she is doing measure, create a pattern for, fit and otherwise hand-tailor you.

With Making the Cut, Cutler no longer needs to found its myth on Forbes’ shoddy support. It has all the architecture (long history and heritage, glossy photos and testimonials and mildly entertaining anecdotes) for today’s mythmaking, craft trades edition. Even if it’s a final snapshot for a family album.

Quality content, like quality clothing, ages well. This post first appeared on the No Man blog in 2018.

[mydeztination]

Solo Female Travel Mexico - Is Puerto Vallarta Safe? + Yelapa & Los Arcos Video

Is Puerto Vallarta Safe?

Puerto Vallarta is located on the West side of Mexico and is lined by the Sierra Madre Mountains & a lush jungle coastline. Puerto Vallarta is known for its warm tropical weather, inexpensive cost of living and traditional Mexican culture. During whale season (November to March), you are guaranteed to see whales every day in the Bay of Banderas, and sting rays and dolphins year around.

So, is Puerto Vallarta safe for solo female travelers?

The answer is - YES!

As a solo traveler myself I have lived in Puerto Vallarta for almost 4 years now and have never run into any situations that I felt were dangerous or unsafe.

Is there a lot of theft or violence in Puerto Vallarta?

There is not a lot of theft, danger or violence in the tourist areas of Puerto Vallarta and any of the surrounding cities, but like with any place you choose to travel to it is smart not to wear a lot of flashy jewelry and keep a small amount of cash on your body.

The key here is: don’t come to a third world country and flash your first world luxuries and you should be just fine.

Puerto Vallarta is very safe and violent crime does not exist in here.

What is public transportation like in Puerto Vallarta?

Taxi’s, Uber, the bus and now INDriver are all available to you in PV and are all equally safe. Taxi’s are the most expensive option while the bus is still only $10 pesos (.50$ USD). Uber and INDriver are reasonably competitive.

The bus is currently the most used form of public transportation in Puerto Vallarta and personally my favorite! Can you drink a beer or a margarita on the bus in YOUR home country? Didn’t think so!

Is the ocean safe in Puerto Vallarta?

Tides, currents and jelly fish are all things to watch out for anytime you’re in the ocean, but there is no reason to be overly concerned.

In the Bay of Banderas, waters are calmer here than most other parts of Mexico because it’s crescent shape protects the beaches from currents out in the open ocean.

Sharks are not a concern in Puerto Vallarta which is one of the main reasons the humpback whales choose to breed here as well as bring their young calf’s to the warm tropical waters.

There are life guards on the beach at some beaches, but its good to pay attention to the flags on the beach:

Green Flag: Water conditions are safe for swimming.

Yellow Flag: Use caution while swimming.

Red Flag: Dangerous conditions.

Black Flag: The highest warning level. Do not swim.

Is it safe to eat the food in Puerto Vallarta?

Street food stands are located everywhere in Puerto Vallarta and are safe to eat at. Some of the best food in Mexico comes out of a little mom and pop street food stand because it is delicious and cheap.

Is it safe to drink the water in Puerto Vallarta?

That depends on where you are in the city and where you are staying. A lot of the major hotels have a filtration system and will inform their guests that the water is potable - ok for consumption.

Locals and visitors do not drink tap water in Puerto Vallarta, so we purchase a garrafon (5 gallon filtered water jug) 2-3 times per week from any OXXO or grocery store for around $35 pesos.

Is there crime in Puerto Vallarta?

Puerto Vallarta is safe, but that doesn’t mean you should always be letting your guard down. Crime still exists, but crime levels are low, especially compared with the rest of Mexico and significantly lower than the crime rates of major cities in the U.S. like Miami and Las Vegas.

Is there Cartel activity in Puerto Vallarta?

Puerto Vallarta has largely remained uninvolved in Cartel conflicts. Violent crime is rare, and in the few instances of violence that have occurred, the victims were expected to be involved with the cartel in some way.

Crimes that do occur are usually petty in nature, and mostly crimes of opportunity such as bag snatching, pick-pocketing or theft. But even these aren’t very common.

Mexico has this reputation…

Mexico has a reputation - mostly with Canadian and American travelers - that it is not a safe destination to travel to for people like retirees and solo female travers, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

In 2018, AARP ranked Puerto Vallarta the #1 place to retire in based on safety and the cost of living against 100 other cities around the world.

10 Quick Solo Female Travel Tips for Puerto Vallarta

Double check the license plate of your Uber/InDriver.

Never leave drinks unattended.

Take your belongings to the bathroom with you.

Smile and acknowledge the people you pass, most of the time they just want to say hello.

If you need help, ask for it. Almost everyone is here to help you enjoy your time in Puerto Vallarta.

Don’t wear flashy jewelry.

Always be conscious opening your wallet in public.

Be aware of leaving your purse open and pick-pocketers.

Don’t carry too much cash. $200 USD per day is more than enough.

Avoid walking home at night if you don’t know the neighborhood.

watch the video below

More Videos on Youtube

Travel Experts Interviewed in this video:

**Current COVID-19 Safety Protocol in Puerto Vallarta**

Masks are required in all public places & social distancing is enforced. Public beaches are open & groups are limited to 10 or less, with mask use optional once you are on the beach & distanced from others.

Restaurants & bars have limited capacity, but isn’t much of a problem since tourism is so low right now since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Wearing a mask or not wearing a mask is not a political statement here as it is in the US, but from my observation, most seem to follow the protocol.” - Jim Kellett.

“As of January 26th, 2021, all passengers on international flights bound for the United States will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, PCR or rapid antigen, or written documentation of recovery following a COVID-19 infection. Canada only requires the PCR test.”

Testing requirements for both countries must be within 72 hours prior to departure.

COVID Testing locations and prices in Puerto Vallarta: https://visitpuertovallarta.com/covid-19

Puerto Vallarta Activities x My Deztination

Book now!

What is the weather like in Puerto Vallarta?

From December through April, the average daily high temperature is about 81 degrees, with a low at night hovering around 65 degrees, so not too hot during the day & no air conditioner needed!

During the rainy season (June through November), temperatures are higher at around 89 degrees, with full-day sun and lightening showers in the evenings.

Where is Puerto Vallarta?

Puerto Vallarta follows the coast of the Pacific Ocean & shares the same latitude line as Hawaii, making it the best year around weather in the world. Most tourists visit the East coast of Mexico first because they assume that the Caribbean Sea will provide a better ambiance, but once those same people come to Vallarta they realize it’s the only place in Mexico where the tropical ocean is lined with the lush jungle of the Sierra Madre Mountain range.

Thanks for reading!

Puerto Vallarta Activities

by My Deztination

Read More:

[transformersaesthetics]

Top Ten Expensive Transformers

The hiatus is over! Thanks for your patience with last week folks. Something a bit different today Tumblr! Not the long awaited project, but a fun little aside. A while ago, I was scrolling around on Google, and I saw a clickbait article that alleged to discuss ‘the top ten most difficult to obtain Transformers’. I was curious, and, perhaps foolishly, I clicked on it. To my disappointment, the article was merely a list of expensive MISB G1 figures, which is… Well, boring. So, today, I hope to correct that grave injustice with an article about, in a loose order, 10 Transformers that are difficult to obtain, even if you’re willing to lay out a lot of money. 

A couple of rules before we jump in; First, these aren’t the most expensive Transformers or the rarest transformers, because those questions don’t really make sense. How much a figure costs varies from seller to seller, so it’s impossible to establish a list of the absolute most expensive. Also, many figures that are famously expensive are not expensive in absolute terms, but for their price point.  Similarly, with an exception we’ll discuss in a moment, actual rarity can be quite hard to establish. As far as contents of the list go,  Takara Tomy will occasionally create special ‘lucky draw’ figures for contests in magazines and things. How many they produce varies from figure to figure, but it generally is between 50 and 10. These will be excluded from the list, because if they weren’t, the whole list would be lucky draw figures. (Although they’re cool as shit and you should go take a look http://www.luckydrawtransformers.com/)  Similarly, there are a ton of figures like Victory Leokaiser that command a lot of money on the secondary market just because they were japanese exclusive. These would also take up a ton of room on the list, so I’m going to avoid them unless there’s a really good reason to have them on here. Same for convention exclusives. Without further ado, let’s get started! 

10: Action Master Thundercracker 

Normally, when a toy is exclusive to somewhere, it’s Japan. However, as we’ll discuss later, in G1, Europe and other parts of the world saw some strange distribution. (NexusShard17) Towards the end of G1, “the European Hasbro branches continued releasing new toys which the USA would never get.”(NexusShard17) Perhaps the most notorious of these is Action Master Thundercracker, which has one of the most magnificent color schemes ever seen on a transformer. Where Thundercracker is traditionally blue, Action Master Thundercracker is neon pink, lime green, and a bunch of metallic copper paint and baby blue thrown in for good measure. (Geewunling) Because of the exclusivity of the figure, and it’s desirable, awful color scheme, it tends to command quite a bit on the secondary market. 

How do I get one? 

You can reliably find him on ebay in varying states of completeness, which of course impacts the price. For the figure itself with a few accessories, he goes for around 70-80 dollars, ranging to 150 and up for MISB. 

9: Dark of the Moon Wheeljack/Que: 

Who? 

Wheeljack/Que had a bit part in Dark of the Moon. He was mostly kind of around until he got shot towards the end of the film, for emotions or something. (SFH) He had a toy fully produced, but, when the DOTM line was prematurely axed, Wheeljack’s toy was left in limbo. Takara was eventually able to release Wheeljack in their markets, but he never saw an official US release. (SFH)  

How do I get one? 

Because the toy did actually see an official release somewhere on the planet, it’s not particularly rare, just expensive for a deluxe. You can generally buy one for around $100 on eBay. 

Notes: 

This fate is actually fairly common for toys. Most of the final wave of DOTM was eventually released by Takara. Similarly, although much of the tail end of Transformers: Animated was genuinely axed, figures such as Blackout did see release in Japan.(Abates) (And are also quite expensive.) I mostly picked Wheeljack because he’s the one I always think of. 

8: Masterforce Browning

Who? 

Browning was exclusive to the Japanese G1 line, Super God Masterforce. However, what really makes him difficult to come by is his alternate mode; Browning turns into a Browning M1910 pistol. (TVsGrady) Not only does he turn into a real model of gun, it’s a pretty convincing alt-mode from a distance; no orange safety cap, just sweet sweet chrome the whole figure over. Obviously, this would not fly in today’s toy market, and that makes a reissue of Browning extremely unlikely.

How do I get one? 

Between the reissue problem, the fact that his alt-mode is honestly really cool and novel, and his limited, Japanese release, it’s tough to even find an original Browning for sale on Ebay. Even when he is available, he tends to command a clean couple hundred. Your best bet would be dedicated trading forums. 

7: Hasbro DOTM Leadfoot 

Who? 

Much like Wheeljack, Leadfoot had a bit part in DOTM. He showed up for a few scenes with the Wreckers and built a spaceship and made Nascar jokes. Also like Wheeljack, Leadfoot was planned to receive a deluxe class figure, but with the untimely demise of DOTM, it was not to be. Takara did release a version of Leadfoot, and, like Wheeljack, this is expensive, but not unobtainable. What is excruciatingly hard to come by is one of the unreleased Hasbro two-packs of the character, which contained Leadfoot in a different deco from Takara’s, and a deluxe Topspin. Packaged samples are known to exist, but never officially saw release in any market. 

How do I get one? 

Takara’s Leadfoot generally commands $80-150 on eBay, and you can generally find one or two floating around. If you want the Hasbro deco, well… Good luck. The transformers wiki confirms that there was once one listed on eBay.(MSipher) Now, nine years after DOTM, your best bet would be to know someone, to know someone who knows someone, or to have an in at a place where things like this are discussed and trafficked. 

6: Rally Rhinox 

Who? 

Many of you are likely familiar with the Beast Wars character Rhinox. Many of you are probably not familiar with the promotional toy that character received at local American chain Rally’s. (S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) It looks nothing like Rhinox, or even really like a rhino.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) However, “Most people didn't realize the promotion even existed until after it was over, and the restaurant chain is fairly small and somewhat regional.” (S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) Because collectors are how they are, it tends to be quite expensive. 

How do I get one? 

The cursory ebay search I did recently didn’t turn anything up. However, a little more digging found some previous listings on old transformers forums. It appears to have gone for about 100 dollars, which is quite a bit, considering it’s a worse happy meal toy. 

5:Latin American G1 product 

What? 

G1’s international distribution was a bit of a mess. Hasbro handled the US, but “The earliest toys released in continental Europe (minus Italy) were distributed by Milton Bradley, which was in the process of being taken over by Hasbro at that point.”(NexusShard17, The Transformers) In Latin America, the situation was even more complex. No fewer than five licensees were producing G1 figures, often in unique and striking color schemes. (Whalermouse) With the passage of time, the exact scope of what was produced has become unclear; for example, “There are supposedly upwards of three dozen different mold/color combinations altogether, many of them unique to the Peruvian line, but the ravages of time have made samples stunningly rare and reliable information scarce.” (Whalermouse) The actual rarity of the figures depends on what specific piece you’re after, but all of them command outrageous sums. 

How do I get one? 

Many of these pieces are available to purchase on ebay. However, even the mini-vehicles tend to command on the order of 300-400 dollars. However, as you can imagine from the fact that it is uncertain what all exists, some individual colors and figures might prove exquisitely difficult to find. 

4: W Cassettebots 

What? 

Wouldn’t it be cool if Soundwave had some cassettes that turned into dinosaurs? What if they combined? Well if you lived in Japan in the 80’s, and preferred Blaster, you didn’t have to dream. There were two teams of cassettes that turned into dinosaurs, and that combined, albeit somewhat awkwardly. (M Sipher, W Cassettebot) At the end of the Headmasters, “there were a number of toys exclusive to Japan, most of which today command large sums on the secondary market due to rarity (or at least perceived rarity) in the West.” The W Cassettebots were solidly in that category. However, unlike other such exclusives, the W Cassettebots didn’t see a reissue until 2018-2019. (Interrobang; S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) For decades these figures could command 2000-3000 dollars for the pair. Even knock offs would go for several hundred dollars. Although these are expensive simply because of their exclusivity, their notoriety earns them a place on the list. 

How do I get one? 

If you’re a reasonable human being, you buy the reissue. It’s two orders of magnitude cheaper and you can actually play with it.  If you’re actually interested in the real deal, an accepted path is to buy some KOs to familiarize yourself with what those look like, and then… find the boys themselves somewhere? Likely by reaching out to an individual seller; I’ve never even seen a real pair on ebay. 

3: G2 Bomber Megatron 

A toy that essentially anyone can buy, but with a packaging variant that is next to unobtainable? Oh baybee, welcome to this version of G2 Megatron. “A planned-but-more-or-less-canceled redeco of Generation 2 Dreadwing, this two-pack of Megatron and Starscream was only released to test markets in Ohio in very limited quanities, and never saw a wide release… the toy was instead made available, with just a few small deco changes, in the Beast Wars II toyline as BB and Starscream.”(ItsWalky) Why do we care about how difficult this is to obtain? My god, because it’s there. Because it’s there. 

How do I get one? 

I’mma say you don’t. I’d guess less than 500 samples of any sort of this are around, and new in sealed box which is the only thing you’d care about? You’re at the mercy of Ohioese children of the 80s not playing with the cool toy they were bought. Good luck finding one. When you do, be prepared to break your wallet in half. 

2: G2 Defensor and Menasor 

These guys really should be number one on the list (but they’re not quite for a good reason). The place they occupy in transformers culture is legendary. It’s a newsworthy event when a set of these figures even becomes available to buy. Even Hasbro has lampshaded the rarity of these figures in the bio of one Shortround, a Cybertron toy. (KilMichaelMcC; Bronzewolf) Much as the first entry on our list, Action Master Thundercracker, had a phenomenally garish color scheme, Menasor and Defensor were going to be released that way in G2. However, between one thing and another, they were canceled. In spite of that, several samples are known to exist. Imagine it. A G1 combiner, unreleased, with this magnificent, gaudy color scheme, all those delightful little bits and pieces to lose or misplace over the years, a bare handful of extant ones in any event… The stuff of legends, to be sure. 

How do I get one? 

Know someone who knows someone. These tend to go for in the neighborhood of 20000 dollars. If you have the 20k to drop on one of these guys, you probably know someone who can put you in contact with one. They are also, rarely, listed on ebay. 

1: Chrome Optimus Prime

Okay, I know I said no Lucky Draw figures, but this one is special. There aren’t ten, or fifteen, or fifty of these. There are exactly two, as part of a single display. (MasterX224) “Won by TFW2005.com member James Zahn, this one-of-a-kind (well, two-of-a-kind) piece is an almost fully vacuum-metallized Leader-class Optimus Prime in red, silver and blue (based heavily upon Generation 1 Optimus Prime), presented with a custom display base with an embossed silver Autobot insignia and a perspex display case.” (MasterX224) The fact that there are two of this figure catapults it to the absolute stratosphere of rarity. It’s difficult to imagine what figure that actually exists could be rarer than this. Maybe a one-off thing for a valued Takara employee? Maybe the very first prototype of Optimus Prime? Even things like Menasor and Defensor have a handful of samples. What has just two? Well… this Chrome Optimus Prime. 

How do I get one? 

Well it helps to be James Zhan. And… yeah I think that’s really all. He’s certainly not going to give it up any time soon. Maybe if you meet him he’ll let you take a look at it some day? 

I hope you all enjoyed this loose list of some of the rarest/most expensive for what they are Transformers. There’s a ton of other super notorious lads, (cough G1 Raiden cough) that really do deserve to be on here. These are just a few of the ones I thought were interesting and, candidly, know about. I’m not in the circles of those folks who are collecting the rarest of the rare. If there’s anything you know about or would even like to spread rumors about, mention it! I’d love to hear about them. Also, if this caught your fancy, make sure to check out the lucky draw website. They have all sorts of interesting stories up there.

TVsGrady et al. “Browning” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Browning Accessed 11/1/2020

SFH et al. “Wheeljack (Movie)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Que Accessed 11/27/2020

Abates et al. “Blackout (Animated)” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Blackout_(Animated) Accessed 11/27/2020

NexusShard17 et al/ “Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Dark_of_the_Moon_(toyline) Accessed 11/27/2020

MSipher et al. “Leadfoot (DOTM)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Leadfoot_(DOTM) Accessed 11/27/2020

S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 “Rhinox (BW)/toys” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Rhinox_(BW)/toys#Beast_Wars Accessed 11/27/2020

NexusShard17 et al. “ The Transformers (European toyline)” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Transformers_(European_toyline)#1985 Accessed 11/27/2020

Whalermouse et al. “The Transformers (Toyline)” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Transformers_(toyline)#Mexican_.26_South_American_Transformers Accessed 11/27/2020

MSipher et al. “W Cassettebot” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/W_Cassettebot Accessed 11/27/2020

M Sipher et al. “Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers! (toyline)” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_The_Headmasters_(toyline)#1987_.28The_Headmasters.29 Accessed 11/27/2020

Interrobang et al. “Graphy” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Graphy#Vintage_G1 Accessed 11/27/2020

S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 et al. “Dairu” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Dairu#Toys Accessed 11/27/2020

Geewunling et al. “Thundercracker (G1)/toys” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Thundercracker_(G1)/toys#ActionMaster Accessed 11/27/2020

ItsWalky et al. “Megatron (G1)/toys” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Megatron_(G1)/toys#Generation_2 Accessed 11/27/2020

Bronzewolf, “Unreleased G2 Menasor Prototype listed on Ebay again” Siebertron

https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/unreleased-g2-menasor-prototype-listed-on-ebay-again/36662/ Accessed 11/27/2020

KilMichaelMcC et al. “Generation 2 Defensor and Menasor” TFwiki.

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Generation_2_Defensor_and_Menasor Accessed 11/27/2020

MasterX224 et al. “Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Optimus_Prime_(Movie)/toys#Leader_Class_toys Accessed 11/27/2020