Today, the University of Michigan football team visited the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Harbuagh’s goal is to spread the Michigan brand all across the world. After taking in the sights, the team will also be practicing at AC Roma training center in preparation for the next season. Besides that, Harbaugh incredibly managed to arrange a meeting with Pope Francis. It’s been rumored that Harbaugh’s baby boy will be baptized by the Pope as well.
It’s nice to see where the Pope stands in the fight between good and evil (OSU).
Go Blue! (from the Vatican)
Harbaugh in Italy to Receive the Pope’s Blessing
Gogo Inflight: The Only Time Friends Pay Attention
I know you received my WhatsApp message. And please do not tell me that you did not receive my email. Tagging you on Facebook also does not get your attention. Then you find yourself on a Delta flight riding peasant with a Gogo day pass. Then, and only then, do you have the time to respond to all of the above at lightning speed.
My latest rant is not directed at anyone specifically but to demonstrate a few points: a) There are way too many ways to get a hold of someone. b) We are far too busy doing who knows what to remember not to forget our friends. c) Gogo Inflight is a great tool to catch up on life.
I have criticized Gogo in the past. It is terrible on laptops. It sometimes isn’t available. And it isn’t free. Still, with nothing to do on a plane besides drink, Gogo gives us a chance to take care of business we would otherwise overlook i.e., talk to friends who normally are not worth our time.
I’m not the only one that ignores my friends until I am bored at 30,000 feet. I’ve been on the receiving end of Gogo attention. All of a sudden, my friend likes my Facebook posts, is interested in my blog, and responds promptly to my email. This instantaneous correspondence is short-lived. Once his plane descended below 10,000 feet, communication ends and I’m left talking to myself.
Are you a friend only by flight?
The Westin Guadalajara: The Other Option
The Westin Guadalajara Hotel Review is part of the Detour in Mexico Trip Report which covers:
Getting There: Uber is your best option from the airport. It took over an hour during rush hour which seems to be all hours of the day in Guadalajara. Indeed, each time I went anywhere in the city, I was told it would be fifteen minutes. Multiply that amount by four.
Westins feel like home. They’re comfortable and familiar. The Westin Guadalajara had the chic appeal of a W, without the IKEA furniture and unremarkable service. Since I was going to the World Baseball Classic the day I checked in and the airport the next day, I did not get to make use of the hotels facilities. After three nights in Guadalajara, where I ate and drank everything, I was more than happy to spend my time in the upgraded suite.
The Location
The Westin is located across the street from the Expo-Guadalajara convention center. Other than that, there was not much happening around the hotel. The aforementioned sites of drinking and eating were ‘fifteen minutes’ away by taxi. As stated above, fifteen minutes equals one hour.
The Lobby
The lobby is impressive as is the hotel bar.
The Room
The suite was uniquely designed. I’m not sure who would need that much closet space, but it’s available if you do.
The 1/2 Bath
I loved the faucet in the other bathroom.
The Amenities
A Nespresso machine with chocolate covered strawberries and other sweets were a nice touch.
The Bathroom
I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again, “Why are my hotel bathrooms way better than home?” I’m hotel rich and house poor.
The Soaps And the Little Stuff
I love Westin’s white tea aloe soaps. I took the extras home with me. I also appreciate when they offer mouthwash and toothpaste.
Overall
I liked the Westin more than the Hyatt and would stay there again, though I have no plans on returning to Guadalajara in the near future.
I Don’t Want to Visit Every Country
The debate about what is and is not a country has been litigated on this blog for quite sometime. Do you go with the TCC list that includes Hawaii, or do you go with the United Nations list that excludes Taiwan? I recently read a post by my friend and fellow T-Bird grad, Lee Abbamonte, called Why I Chose Not to Go on My Expedition. Lee is 6 short of hitting the TCC total of 325 countries and decided that an eternity at sea would not be worth inching closer to that goal. In the post he says that he doesn’t care if he reaches the milestone as much as he previously did. I agree with him. The more I travel, the more comfortable I am with how I travel. I don’t care to see museums. I don’t want to set foot into another temple. And I do think that spending 3 to 4 days is more than enough to experience the country. By year end, depending on where the readers send TPOL to live next, I will clear the 100 mark for TCC and will hit at least 72 UN countries. After I reach that goal, I will still go to new places because I want to go, not because I have to go. To be clear, I never wanted to go to half of the places on the TCC list. I just enjoyed the idea of having an endless adventure and reaching the mythical number of 100. Here’s where I stand with the UN through 2017. The TCC list still needs to be updated. Click on the hyperlinks to see TPOL’s adventure in each country.
UN Country List
| Country | Visited |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | |
| Albania | x |
| Algeria | |
| Andorra | |
| Angola | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | |
| Argentina | x |
| Armenia | |
| Australia | x |
| Austria | x |
| Azerbaijan | |
| Bahamas | x |
| Bahrain | |
| Bangladesh | |
| Barbados | x |
| Belarus | |
| Belgium | x |
| Belize | |
| Benin | |
| Bhutan | x |
| Bolivia | x |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | x |
| Botswana | x |
| Brazil | x |
| Brunei | x |
| Bulgaria | x |
| Burkina Faso | |
| Burma (Myanmar) | x |
| Burundi | |
| Cambodia | x |
| Cameroon | |
| Canada | x |
| Cape Verde | |
| Central African Republic | |
| Chad | |
| Chile | x |
| China | x |
| Colombia | x |
| Comoros | |
| Congo, Rep. of | |
| Congo, Dem. Rep. of | |
| Costa Rica | x |
| Côte d'Ivoire | |
| Croatia | x |
| Cuba | |
| Cyprus | x |
| Czech Republic | x |
| Denmark | x |
| Djibouti | |
| Dominica | |
| Dominican Republic | |
| East Timor | |
| Ecuador | |
| Egypt | x |
| El Salvador | |
| Equatorial Guinea | |
| Eritrea | |
| Estonia | |
| Ethiopia | x |
| Fiji | |
| Finland | x |
| France | x |
| Gabon | |
| Gambia | |
| Georgia | |
| Germany | x |
| Ghana | |
| Greece | x |
| Grenada | x |
| Guatemala | |
| Guinea | |
| Guinea-Bissau | |
| Guyana | |
| Haiti | |
| Honduras | |
| Hungary | x |
| Iceland | x |
| India | x |
| Indonesia | x |
| Iran | |
| Iraq | |
| Ireland | x |
| Israel | x |
| Italy | x |
| Jamaica | |
| Japan | x |
| Jordan | x |
| Kazakhstan | |
| Kenya | x |
| Kiribati | |
| Korea, North | |
| South Korea | x |
| Kuwait | |
| Kyrgyzstan | |
| Laos | x |
| Latvia | x |
| Lebanon | x |
| Lesotho | |
| Liberia | |
| Libya | |
| Liechtenstein | |
| Lithuania | |
| Luxembourg | x |
| Macedonia | x |
| Madagascar | |
| Malawi | |
| Malaysia | x |
| Maldives | x |
| Mali | |
| Malta | x |
| Marshall Islands | |
| Mauritania | |
| Mauritius | x |
| Mexico | x |
| Micronesia | |
| Moldova | |
| Monaco | |
| Mongolia | x |
| Montenegro | x |
| Morocco | x |
| Mozambique | |
| Namibia | |
| Nauru | |
| Nepal | x |
| Netherlands | x |
| New Zealand | x |
| Nicaragua | |
| Niger | |
| Nigeria | |
| Norway | |
| Oman | |
| Pakistan | |
| Palau | |
| Panama | x |
| Papua New Guinea | |
| Paraguay | |
| Peru | x |
| Philippines | x |
| Poland | x |
| Portugal | x |
| Qatar | x |
| Romania | x |
| Russia | x |
| Rwanda | |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | |
| St. Lucia | |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | |
| Samoa | |
| San Marino | |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | |
| Saudi Arabia | |
| Senegal | |
| Serbia | x |
| Seychelles | x |
| Sierra Leone | |
| Singapore | x |
| Slovakia | x |
| Slovenia | x |
| Solomon Islands | |
| Somalia | |
| South Africa | x |
| South Sudan | |
| Spain | x |
| Sri Lanka | x |
| Sudan | x |
| Suriname | |
| Swaziland | |
| Sweden | x |
| Switzerland | x |
| Syria | |
| Tajikistan | |
| Tanzania | x |
| Thailand | x |
| Togo | |
| Tonga | |
| Trinidad & Tobago | x |
| Tunisia | |
| Turkey | x |
| Turkmenistan | |
| Tuvalu | |
| Uganda | |
| Ukraine | |
| UAE | x |
| United Kingdom | x |
| United States | x |
| Uruguay | x |
| Uzbekistan | |
| Vanuatu | |
| Venezuela | |
| Vietnam | x |
| Yemen | |
| Zambia | x |
| Zimbabwe | x |
| Total | 87 |
US Bank Altitude Is Cool But Will You Get Approved?
Frequent Miler wrote a breakdown about the US Bank Altitude Card. It seems like a good one to add to the arsenal, especially if Chase hates you, Alaska is over your antics, and Citi has shut you down. I used to have the Northwest Airlines card with US Bank until the Delta merger and still hold onto the Club Carlson cards. The question is not whether I want the Altitude card but whether I will be approved. US Bank has strict lending policies which were around way before the days of 5/24. Years ago, I fought hard to get the LifeMiles card and was finally approved. It’s anyones guess if they’ll be handing these cards out like Skittles in order to gain market share or if they’ll be as conservative as ever. I’ll find out on May 1st. What about you? Are you going to risk an inquiry in exchange for a hefty annual fee and some points, along with a unique feature– 3x points on mobile purchases?
Hyatt Regency Guadalajara: Pretty Good
The Hyatt Regency Guadalajara Hotel Review is part of the Detour in Mexico Trip Report which covers:
Getting There: Uber is your best option from the airport. I took over an hour during rush hour which seems to be all hours of the day in Guadalajara. Indeed, each time I went anywhere in the city, I was told it would be fifteen minutes. Multiply that amount by four.
The Hyatt Regency Guadalajara has only been open for a year. It’s located in the financial district of Guadalajara. It is also surrounded by my nightmare– a strip mall of the worst restaurants and shops known to mankind. Somehow the way to validate that a city has come up is by opening an Outback Steakhouse and Louis Vuitton (there’s a Louis Vuitton in Ulaanbaatar, direct evidence that debunks this hypothesis.) Ignoring the symbols of capitalism at its worst, I will write about the hotel itself.
The Hotel Itself
The hotel seems to be a do-over of the stale Park Hyatt New York. There’s a magical door that slides open which leads to the escalator for the impressive lobby.
The Gym
I managed to go to the gym one time in an effort to offset the effects of tacos and tequila. It is well equipped if working out is something you can force yourself to do while away.
The Pool
Like the Park Hyatt New York, the Hyatt Regency Guadalajara has a beautiful pool. It’s partly indoors but heated.
The Club Lounge
This is the reason I fought so hard for Hyatt Diamond Globalist. The lounge has a nice patio, a great selection of tequila, and very good appetizers. Again, the lights reminded me of the Park Hyatt NYC.
The Room
Since it was The World Baseball Classic, there were not any suite upgrades available. The standard room on the club level was a prototypical Hyatt room– comfortable and refined.
The Bathroom
Some people like to take 100 photos of the toilet. I only do that when it is a Park Hyatt Guangzhou toilet that doubles as a spaceship. The reason I am mentioning the toilet here is because of the poor design of its enclosure. It does not provide the ventilation or buffer zone that Costanza would require. My other complaint is the lack of water pressure in the shower.
The Breakfast
TPOL is not a big fan of breakfast, and this one was nothing special. (contrast the best hotel breakfast in Shanghai and the paid nonsense at IHG Bora Bora). Sometimes GlobalDiamonds are permitted to have breakfast at the Club Lounge or in the main restaurant. There was a miscommunication which led to an awkward moment when the bill arrived, and the waitress said it was not included. I demurred and they agreed to include it.
Overall
This was a solid hotel but a bit far from the fun spots of Guadalajara, unless you enjoy eating and shopping at the same restaurants from home.
Vodka: A Legit Reason to Hit the Call Button
Delta has been so good to me lately. I’m upgraded to Comfort + so regularly that I have forgotten what it’s like to be Delta Uncomfortable. On this short flight from PHX-SLC, I got the friendly acknowledgment that I’m still a part of the club. The ticket scanner flashed red and a new boarding pass was printed. I boarded the plane and waited for us to reach cruising altitude while contemplating what cocktails I would enjoy. During takeoff, the captain came on the loudspeaker and said that drink service would be momentarily suspended. We reached cruising altitude but the drink cart never came. I began to wonder if it ever would. I tried my best to wait it out because ringing the call button is only for emergencies. In withdrawal, I decided that this was an emergency. I rang the call button and the flight attendant said only water was available. I replied, “How about vodka?” She said, “How about a double?”
TPOL’s New Home Election: Porto? It’s No Albania
It has been confirmed by Rep. Nunez that my previous election, Vote Where TPOL Moves Next! And I’ll Go There, was compromised by foreign actors. Like Turkish President Erdogan, I have to consolidate power to make sure that the process remains ‘democratic.’ As such, I have revised the list to ten choices. The front-runner is Porto, Portugal, but not by much. Where should I move? You decide (not BOTS) and I will go.
| # | City | Country | Cost of Living per month | Temperature in December (Celsius) | Internet Speed (mbps) | Safety | Nomad Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taipei | Taiwan | $1,862 | 20 | 20 | 100% | 100% |
| 2 | Kaohsiung | Taiwan | $1,456 | 21 | 10 | 100% | 84% |
| 3 | Coimbra | Portugal | $1,762 | 16 | 29 | 100% | 84% |
| 4 | Las Palmas, Gran Canaria | Spain | $1420 | 21 | 24 | 85% | 91% |
| 5 | Braga | Portugal | $1343 | 15 | 39 | 82% | 93% |
| 6 | Aveiro | Portugal | $1883 | 14 | 23 | 82% | 73% |
| 7 | Porto | Portugal | $1658 | 16 | 26 | 80% | 100% |
| 8 | Ko Samui | Thailand | $1400 | 30 | 15 | 80% | 86% |
| 9 | Lisbon | Portugal | $1949 | 15 | 11 | 80% | 78% |
| 10 | Bangkok | Thailand | $1123 | 31 | 40 | 79% | 93% |
Delta Sky Club JFK: The One Without the Hot Dogs
The Delta Sky Club JFK Lounge Review is another post in the series of TPOL in NYC.
I need to start taking note of where in the airport I am. I write reviews about Lounges (a noble cause without question), but I often neglect to put which lounge it is. That’s exciting for readers because they won’t know which lounge they will end up in if they read my posts. This cruel trick backfired on me when I arrived at the Delta Sky Club in JFK. I was hoping that it would be the one with hot dogs but it was just a basic Sky Club. There were plenty of places to sit and crispy carrots, but there were no hot dogs. I liked how it overlooked the gates which soothed my constant paranoia of missing a flight due to lounge libations.
Juno: Another Rideshare, Another Discount Opportunity
How many ride services do we need? I have Uber (where I don’t tip), I use Lyft (which has grown on me), tried GETT (which doesn’t surge), and have written about VIA (the greatest glorified bus service). And now I’m promoting a Juno Rideshare Discount Code.
The latest is Juno which is supposed to be Uber with a heart. Juno, as described by the driver, is a ride service that shares its profits with the drivers sharing. It is better for the drivers because they have a stake in the company.
Right now Juno is giving new subscribers a discount on rides. Here is my promo code if you are in NYC and want to check it out.
Somehow it doesn’t matter what ride service I take because I’m always stuck in traffic on the way to JFK.
