What’s the best way to meet new people while traveling?
The best way to meet new people while traveling is to eat where the locals eat. Get to the location and ask them for recommendations from the menu. Initiate small talk and take it from there.
This is assuming that the place is friendly and peaceful.
What’s the longest trip you’ve ever taken?
This is an unconventional answer, but it was a trip to my cousins’ place for the summer. When my sister and I were younger, our parents separated. We would spend the weeks during the school year with our dad, while we usually spent the weekends, holidays, and summers with our mom.
But, one summer was different. My sister and I stayed at our cousins’ place in Rockland County for what seemed like the entire summer. (It was only six weeks, but felt so long to the younger me.) It was such a cool experience. We were in a different part of the state, hanging with our extended family, playing and having a good time. The daily routine consisted of waking up, watching MTV and BET, and playing PlayStation. It was a very simple time.
What are five simple exercises to do at home?
For a simple prompt, I’ll give some simple exercises. These are not in any order.
And more. If you were to combine those into 30 reps for each exercise, you can do a circuit. 4 or 5 of those circuits will get your day off to a good start.
I hope helps. Cheers!
What’s the longest book you’ve ever read?
The longest book I have ever read was the Power Broker by Robert A. Caro, many years ago. I used to read this blog daily and the author recommended this book as a great source of New York City history. Based on that, I decided to buy it, and read it for myself.
It was certainly worth it. The hardcover copy that I bought was over 1,000 pages. Nonetheless, I remained undeterred because the story intrigued me. Robert Moses, the Yale graduate, rose to power in New York through many offices. And he used that power to shape the city’s and state’s landscape.
This was a long book that took me several weeks to read. It revealed how the decisions of one man influenced New York City and State to evolve into what it is today through the highways and parkways.
I would definitely recommend it if you have some time to spare.
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
For this one, I’ll have to give you my favorite character from when I was a kid. I currently do not have a favorite cartoon character.
It’s Michelangelo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They were such a cool bunch of characters. They ate pizza, knew martial arts, and fought crime. These guys were the good guys.
There was a Burger King promotion around the time the Ninja Turtles began to be shown on TV. BK was giving away a TMNT episode on VHS cassette tape with the purchase of a kids’ meal. They were offering 4 different episodes. I convinced my mom to buy kids’ meals so that I could get all 4 episodes (over the course of a few weeks, not all at once).
Michelangelo was my favorite because he had a laid-back attitude but he was still able to get the job done. That attitude resonated with me: succeeding did not require stress! He was such a contrast to his brothers.
Michelangelo was the legitimate party dude who could fight crime and have fun doing it.
What’s the best and worst airport you’ve been to?
The best airport that I’ve been to is LaGuardia Airport. The facility’s recent renovation has made it a wonder to behold. The concourse and terminals are so shiny, open, and clean. The shops are welcoming. I do not mind spending time there.
But if it hadn’t gone through that renovation (read: reformation), then it would occupy the bottom of this list. It was so dingy, closed off, and messy. There was so much construction within the facility that it became quite the turnoff.
Now, the worst airport that I’ve been to is O’Hare Airport in Chicago. I do not hate the facility, but I am not impressed by it. I cannot pinpoint the source of indifference. There’s something about the airport that does not stand out. The experience of being at O’Hare makes me lukewarm. If that experience could be transformed into a glass of water, I would spit it out.
But that’s just me.
If your pet could talk, what would be the first thing it says?
It would say nothing because I don’t have a pet!
Which fictional world would be the most fun to vacation in?
I would want to go to the Springfield of The Simpsons. (Now, reader be mindful, I have not watched this show in decades!)
My first day there, I would visit the Simpson household and then the Flanders. Then I’d go by the nuclear power plant for an afternoon tour. That night, I’d watch a Springfield Isotopes game, and finish the night with a glass of cranberry juice from Moe’s Tavern.
Day 2, I would go to Krusty Burger for my first meal. Then, I would go to a taping of the Krusty the Klown show. After the taping, I would need something to give me a pep in my step after sitting all day. A Squishee from Apu’s Kwik-E-Mart would do the trick.
My last day, Day 3, I would buy some souvenirs from the Leftorium at the mall. (I need to develop my left-handedness more and help others do the same.) Then I would go watch the Rainer Wolfcastle classic, McBain, in the theaters. (By this time, I’d sneak some Krusty burgers into the venue for snacking during movie.)
What’s the weirdest coincidence you’ve ever experienced?
I had traveled to Miami to board a cruise for my friend’s aunt’s 50th birthday. His whole family clan was going and at this point, I was part of the extended family. We had gotten in town a couple of days before we were to board the cruise, so one night, we decided to go hang out in the Brickell downtown area just to experience the Miami nightlife.
(This was my first time ever being in Miami.)
We went to a few spots in the downtown/Brickell area. Then, we decided to go to a nightclub, and I ran into one of my coworkers (from the job back then). And here is where this chance encounter becomes uncanny: at that very moment I was DM-ing another one of our mutual coworker friends when this all transpired.
I saw the coworker at the bar and said what’s up. We were quite surprised. We DM’ed our mutual coworker friend about this random encounter.
That was a fun coincidence. Or maybe it was a providential sign of the beginning of an awesome trip.
What’s the best thing you’ve ever found randomly on the street?
A few Labor Days ago, we were at the Strand Bookstore. As is the norm, they have their bargain-book racks outside. One of the books that was on sale was this huge biography of Ulysses S. Grant. It was a 1,100+ page work on the 18th President and only $5. That was a steal in my mind. So much so that it still sits on my bookshelf, untouched since that day.