It has been too long of a journey and we will see if it was worth the cost. However, the first video of my Vlog is set to premier on YouTube (see DJI Flip: Blogging, Vlogging, You, Me & TPOL Will Never Be the Same). Bookmark my channel now before I become a celebrity.
February was too short but still great. Here are the best posts:
Monaco Travel Guide is part of the Still The Best Trip Report.
Did you get the memo that there’s nothing to see or do in Monaco? I did not. Before I complain, here’s how to get there:
Here is the beautiful train station in Nice:
With 31 minutes before arrival, I wondered what I would do in Monaco. Would I run into Lewis Hamilton? Would I strike it rich at the Casino, a la James Bond? Would I meet royalty who would take me on her yacht?
Walking
It is a pleasant walk from the train station down to the casino. It is an unpleasant trek up hills, in the sun, back to the train station.
Casino
Come one, come all, and take a photo of the casino.
Gambling
TPOL does not gamble. The risk reward does not make sense for me. I have seen friends waste hours at the poker table ‘winning’ only to give it right back minutes, hours, days, later.
Cars
Before moving to Puerto Rico (see Despacito! TPOL Is Moving to Puerto Rico! Effective Inmediatamente), I was obsessed with cars. Fortunately, the roads here are so terrible that having anything nice is a bad investment.
Yachts
Do you know how much it costs to fill up a yacht? It’s expensive (see Porto Cervo, Sardinia: My Yacht Is Bigger). Fortunately, I don’t have enough money for the petrol, let alone the yacht.
Skyline
If you’re looking for a beautiful skyline facing the Mediterranean, Monaco is not the place to find it. It is old and antiquated.
Formula One
Do you watch Formula One? I do not. But, for those that do, Monte Carlo is the place to be.
TPOL’s Trivia: The first Monaco Grand Prix was held on April 14, 1929, and was not a Formula One race. The first Formula One race in Monaco was in 1969.
TPOL’s Truth: I have no idea what the difference between Grand Prix and Formula One is.
Overall
I spent a few hours in Monaco, enough to add it to my Country Count List (see Where I’ve Been). I didn’t spend any money in Monaco, counting myself lucky to avoid the upper-echelon pricing.
Dream Midtown Hotel Review is part of TPOL in NYC.
Before I requalified for Globalist (see Hyatt Globalist: Now What?), I was a simple Explorist. To help a friend preserve his Globalist status and to enjoy the perks of Globalist life, I was bestowed the title of Guest of Honor at the Dream Midtown NYC (see Qualifying for Hyatt Globalist: Did You Know?).
Leaving the Feather Factory LIC, I wondered how I would be received as a Guest of Honor. Would it be more special than simply walking in as a Globalist? Would they say, “Welcome Mr. Bachuwa, today you are a Guest of Honor”?
Checking-In
I was disappointed that there were no trumpets and no mention of being honored.
Room
I was not disappointed with the room.
View
There’s no honor in this view:
Bathroom
“The royal penis is clean your highness.” There were no bathers, either. 
Location
The hotel is located in the worst part of NYC – Midtown. If you’re here for work like I was, then the location is convenient. If you’re here for fun, then get out of Midtown.
TPOL’s Tip: The address is 210 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019
Rooftop Bar
Knowing that Midtown is a tourist trap without many great bars, I purposefully chose this hotel because there is a rooftop bar.
TPOL’s TIP: Unless it’s spring/summer, a rooftop bar isn’t the place to be.
Champagne Happy Hour
In the lobby, there’s a complimentary champagne happy hour. I suggest having a few glasses before heading to those dreaded networking conferences.
Bonus
The hotel does have a fish tank.
Overall
Guest of Honor sounds like quite the title. While I was treated great, I was expecting more pomp and circumstance from such an esteemed title.
Nice to Monaco by Train is part of the Still The Best Trip Report.
With an afternoon to spare before my flight to Corsica, I went to Monaco to check off another country (see Where I’ve Been) and to see if it was worth the hype. The Nice train station is only a few minutes walk from the Holiday Inn Express.
Arriving at the station, I found a massive queue of people trying to buy tickets to Monaco. I also found a train station with no a/c that was sweltering hot. The combination of the two made everyone ornery. It also did not help that one of the machines was out of service. Impatient, I tried to see if there were a way to buy a ticket online. It may be possible, but I couldn’t figure it out.
Standing in line, I pondered why I had not made enough money to go to Monaco the right way – via helicopter. Flying Blade, for 195 euros, I could be there in 7 minutes. Instead, I was stuck in a long line of sweaty tourists, reevaluating my life choices.
Rich or poor, I still advise taking the train. The views are great, the ride is only 31 minutes, and it costs $10 round-trip.
TPOL’s Trick*: Monaco isn’t worth going to more than once, effectively rendering the title of this post useless and necessitating the use of an asterisk (see Crapping Out in Monaco).
Couryard Baku Hotel Review is part of the Reunion Tour Trip Report.
Different brands have different significance in different countries. In China, Buick is a highly regarded brand because the last emperor drove a Buick. I don’t know who stayed at a Courtyard in Central Asia, but when I said I was staying at the Courtyard in Baku, I received looks of approval. Here’s why:
Location
Unlike the Hyatt Baku, the Courtyard is located closer to the city center. A taxi is still required to go to the walking street, but there is an excellent shawarma place nearby (see Guns & Butter: Baku Travel Guide).
Hotel Itself
The exterior of the hotel is beautiful. 
Suite
The room was excellent. My only complaint was that the beautiful balcony was inaccessible. Can we really not be trusted out there?
Bathroom
Much more modern than the Hyatt Regency Baku.
No Pool
Baku is hot in September. I was surprised that the hotel did not have a pool like the Hyatt.
Bar
While there was no pool, there was a bar with a mixologist. I recommend the IG-worthy Purple Magic but would stay clear of the rest. 
$10/day
As a Titanium Elite, I was given a voucher for $10/day. I was staying for one night and was surprised that I was told that I would receive $10 for each day. Of course, when I checked out, I heard a different story. Indeed, it was $10 total meaning I would have to pay for my bad drink choices.
Overall
For 17k points, this is the place to stay in Baku.
By now you have read all the posts in the Madrid, Spain Residency Trip. But you may still have questions about where I am going and why I am going there. To start, let’s discuss the why in an FAQ.
Where will I live?
Initially, I was going to do two residencies a year. One of those two had to be in my two favorite cities: Shanghai, China or Cape Town, South Africa. By going to the same city every other year, I could spend more time enjoying and less time having to deal with setting up a routine. The second residency would be in the following cities with no repeats allowed until I completed the list. Having thoroughly enjoyed my residencies in Madrid, Melbourne, and Bangkok, it may be hard to stick to this rule.
With all of that out of the way, here is the residency list:
December
May
Player Options: I also allow myself 3 bonus options in case war, budget, or intrigue takes over.
Overall
Life is good in Puerto Rico. Life is great in residency.
The best idea I have come up with in a while is to live in various cities in the world for a month at a time and act as if I were a local (see Residency Directory). The first residency was in Madrid, Spain. It was a great success. Here is how it all went down:
Residency Lessons Madrid is part of The Adios Puerto Rico, Hola España Trip Report. Read TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?
What did I learn from my first residency experience?
Iberia Business MAD to SJU is part of The Adios Puerto Rico, Hola España Trip Report.
The experiment of living abroad has come to an end (see TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?). What is more fitting than flying Iberia business again directly from Madrid to San Juan?
TPOL’s Tip: Don’t sit near the front, the bathroom light is irritating (see Iberia Business SJU-MAD: Beware of the Bright Lights).
And just like that, I was back in Puerto Rico.
