For those who entered, one of you will be receiving a free flight to PR. For those who didn’t, maybe you’ll wise up by next year.
I continue to prove that I am horrible at sports gambling.
Wide World of Sports: The Best of Where I’ve Been
I am running out of stuff I want to do in life (see I’ve Done Too Much, Now What?), especially in the world of sport. While I have been to many sports events around the world (see The Stadium Guide), these are the highlights in order of greatness:
- The 2004 NBA Finals (Pistons beat the dreadful Lakers in Game 5).
- The 1998 Rose Bowl (Michigan beat Washington State to claim the national championship).
- The 2002 NHL Western Conference Finals (Red Wings blanked the dreadful Avalanche 7-0, forcing Patrick Roy into retirement).
- The Game in Columbus in 2016 (Michigan was robbed by the refs, contributing factor was Harbaugh’s stupidity (see The Game: A Wolverine’s Guide For Surviving Columbus)).
Who reverses on 4th and 1 short call? Crooked refs, that’s who. - The Final Four in 2013 and 2018 (Michigan lost to Louisville, title since vacated (see Final 4 Free). Michigan lost to Villanova (see Final Four San Antonio: Go Blue! Left Blue)).
The Road Ended There. Now we have terrible Juwan Howard. Bring Back Beilein. - The Big House in 2004. (Michigan comes back to beat little brother after being down 17 in the 4th (see The Best Sports Stadiums: The Big House)).
- El Clásico! in 2023 (see El Clásico! Tickets, Game, Pre & Post Libations Guide).
They lost, I still won. - The World Cup in Pontiac, Michigan in 1994 and The World Cup in Doha, Qatar in 2022 (see Coupe du Monde Trip Report).
Representing Iraq in Qatar. - A Bullfight in Madrid (see A Range of Emotions).
- The World Baseball Classic in 2017 in Guadalajara, Mexico (see Kenny Powers’ Stadium).
Overall
How can life be better you ask? Looking back, Michigan could have won some of those games. Looking forward, the Bills (or Lions) could go to the Super Bowl and I could receive free tickets on account of my celebrity status (see Bills Lose, But Who Can Afford Super Bowl Tickets?). Beyond that wishful thinking, I am satisfied for this lifetime.
Shogun Madrid: Hibiki, Kobe, & Wagyu
Shogun Madrid is part of The Adios Puerto Rico, Hola España Trip Report. Read TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?
I went to an underwhelming pho restaurant in Madrid (see Pho Madrid: No Me Gusta). I went to the novel sushi train restaurant twice (see TPOL’s Tip: Arrive Early to Avoid Sushi Terrorists). And I went to the Hong Kong, Japan, China combo restaurant as well (see A Taste of China, Hong Kong, and Japan…in Madrid). To cap off my local Asian food in Spain experience, I went to Shogun, an upscale Japanese BBQ.
Hibiki
Having consumed enough red wine in the last few weeks (see Best Tapas Madrid: No Budget Cuts Here), I decided to switch to whiskey. When in Madrid, Japan, that can only mean one thing: Hibiki.
Set Menu
There are two set menus: One that is expensive. And one that is more expensive. Since it is unlikely that I am going to return to Madrid, Japan in the future, I went with option B. Here’s what I received:
Appetizers
- Edamame
Fancier than your local sushi joint. - Madrid, Japan Croquettes
- Gyoza
Gyoza con Panda - Udon Soup
The Beef
I came for the beef and I paid more to receive the best cuts of Kobe.
The BBQ
The directions were simple. Put it on the grill. Take it off the grill. Enjoy life.
Dessert
Sadly, it was over far too quickly. Dessert was plum liquor and sweets.
Overall
You may be wondering, how much did it cost? The less expensive menu is 47 euros per person. The upgrade is 82.50 euros per person. With two Hibikis, I spent $200.
TPOL’s Tip: Shogun is located at C. de Málaga, 3, 28003 Madrid, Spain.
Madrid Fiesta: Saturday Night in Huerta
Saturday Night in Huerta is part of The Adios Puerto Rico, Hola España Trip Report. Read TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?
What do you do when you finally leave the cozy Madrid neighborhood of Chamberí? First, you go to a great restaurant. I went to Taberna El Rincon Madrid for spectacular tenderloin (see Espectacular Carne, Callos, Y Vino).
Full, but not feeling fat, it was not yet time to go home. It was time to go hopping from bar to bar.
TPOL’s Tip: Taberna El Rincon Madrid is located at Calle del Duque de Medinaceli, 12
Madrid 28014
Stop 1: La Dolores
Exit Taberna and go right. There you will find La Dolores. The place is packed with atmosphere and history.
TPOL’s Tip: La Dolores is located at Pl. Jesús, 4, 28012 Madrid, Spain
Stop 2: Trocha
Slightly fatigued, I popped into Trocha for an espresso.
Since it is the home of the caipirinha, I had to have one.
After caffeine and caipirinha, I was convinced that I would resume trumpet lessons upon my return to Puerto Rico. The next day that desire wore off.
TPOL’s Tip: Trocha is located at C. de las Huertas, 55, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Stop 3: La Esquina
The final stop was La Esquina. After red wine, beer, and liquor, it was only natural to switch to white.
While I wanted to keep the party going, we were promptly shown the door at 1AM.
TPOL’s Tip: La Esquina is located at C. de las Huertas, 70, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Overall
The intersection of Calle de Jesus and Calle de las Huertas is a great place for food and drinks.
Simply The Best: TPOL, The Professor, Turns 9!
How is it possible that I have been writing this blog for 9 years? Besides being a life-long student, I have not done anything else for this long. For this birthday post, I would like you to get to know me more. Accordingly, I have picked 10 posts starting in 2014 from The Professor category, the place where TPOL rants and raves about everything and everyone.
2014
No One Listens to the Professor
2015
Real Writers Don’t Use Smileys
2016
“Click Here!” How Blogs Make $
2017
2018
Remember That Time TPOL Moved to Mongolia?
2019
2020
Happy New Year from TPOL: The Year & Hindsight Is 2020
2021
Are You Guilty of Traveling Under the Social Influence?
2022
Inventing Anna v. TPOL: Do You Know Who I Am?
After watching the show, I had the following questions:
- Have you been threatened with arrest at your own hotel (see The W Hollywood: Unwelcome Even on Your Birthday)?
- What level of research do you think hotels do before you arrive? I doubt they research TPOL but if they did, I can only imagine what hotels think (see Have You Ever Not Complained?).
- Why am I not in the ‘database’ for VIP connections in the big city? supra #2
- Do you tip the concierge in 100’s? I don’t tip at all, not even Uber Eats. supra #2
- “Why would we leave the hotel?” Which of your favorite bloggers does that sound like?
- Who had the better hustle – Tinder, Swindler, or Anna? The answer is TPOL.
- To that end, why don’t I have more IG followers? Follow me, please.
2023
TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?
And there you have it, 9 years of the Professor schooling everyone.
March Madness Surprise: Free Trip to Puerto Rico!
They do love me. Even if it’s only a handful of people, I would to thank the TPOL March Madness entrants by, once again, offering a free flight to (not from) Puerto Rico to the winner of the bracket. The winner will have one year from April 8th to book the ticket.
*Family members excluded
** $250 cap on cost of flight.
TPOL’s March Madness: Surprise Announcement Coming Friday
I put together my yearly March Madness bracket. This year I did not include a free flight to PR (see Enter TPOL’s March Madness Bracket for a Chance to Win…) because the winners never came (see TPOL’S March Madness Bracket: 20 Entrants=Free Flight Giveaway). Once again, I have received 20 entrants. I have a surprise announcement for those loyal readers who entered just for fun. Stay tuned.
Last Call to Enter TPOL’s March Madness Bracket! Thousands in No Prizes
Looking for a free flight to PR? You should’ve joined last year’s bracket. This year you get nothing for winning. Join anyway here.
Enter TPOL’s March Madness Bracket for a Chance to Win…
Nothing.
Here’s why:
Every year I set up a bracket challenge. Every year I give away a free flight to Puerto Rico. Every year no one comes (see Last Call: Giveaway to Puerto Rico). This year I am not giving away anything. Enter if you want to talk shit about how you beat TPOL in March Madness. Or don’t.
And if you want to complain about click-bait headline, please do so in the comments below. I’ll be sure to respond to your Duke@hotmail.com fake address.
Virgin Atlantic Devaluation: I Waited Too Long
In November 2017, I wrote the post: Good News: Virgin Atlantic Card Approved, Bad News: The 24k Spend. In November 2018, I wrote: Keep Vs. Cancel: Virgin Atlantic Card. In it I said, “I transferred MR’s using Amex’s 30% bonus to reach the 120k threshold for a RT to Japan on ANA first from the east coast. Now that the card is closed, the only thing left to do is book my trip. I’ve been to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. While I would like to see other cities, I wouldn’t mind going back, especially if I can stay at the St. Regis Osaka again.”
On March 5th, I told Ms. TPOL that we have no immediate plans to go to Japan either for a TPOL trip or for a residency (see Vote Where TPOL Moves AFTER Albania…And I’ll Go!). I said that we’ve been hanging on the Virgin points for so long that they’ll be devalued by the time we’re ready to go.
On March 7th, my premonition came true. The 120k first-class round trip to Japan was gone (see Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Devalues ANA Awards). The new cost to fly first from the east coast is 170k.
I only have myself to blame for hoarding these points for five years. At the same time, I no longer care as much about the novelty of flying first as I did before. Once Alaska devalued the Emirates first redemption, I began to accept that aspirational awards on certain carriers would become increasingly challenging. I shifted my focus from getting to point A to point C with a stopover in point B stylistically (see Emirates First Class to Shanghai: Don’t Stop the Party) to getting from point A to point B, C, D, E, F efficiently i.e., using round the world and other clever booking tricks (see Revealed: An Insane Use of The United ‘Free’ One way (Part 1 & Part 2)). The last round-the-world trip I flew 25,000 miles in business to too many destinations (see 25,000 Mile RTW Trip Including Iraq Booked!). While the logistics are noteworthy, I don’t think anyone was jealous of my LOT business class flight from JFK to WAW (see LOT JFK-WAW: It’s How You Finish) or my 8 business class flights on Turkish (see Vilnius to IST: Turkish Flight Review 1 out of 8).
This brings me back to the Virgin devaluation. It would have been nice to plan my Japan residency and use these to arrive and depart in style. But sometimes I miss out on redemptions. And that’s ok.
