The tradition of haircuts abroad continued. This time, I was in Baku. I opened the door of a barbershop in the basement of a building near the Hyatt Regency. Inside, there were two chairs, but no one was there. I heard the familiar sound of NFL Live as I asked if anyone was home.
A man came out and told me it would be a minute before the barber came. When he arrived, I was told to take a seat. While waiting for my haircut to begin, the barber switched on the overhead lights, turned on chill house, and put football on the tele.
Since he did not speak English or Russian, I communicated with simple sign language what I needed. 1 on the top and fade on the side. Typically, this haircut only takes a few minutes, but I was there for thirty.
I committed a cardinal sin by writing this post: Eat Like A Local: Madrid, Spain. I knew that using the words ‘eat’ + ‘local’ would invite criticism. Readers are predictable. While I can’t help but respond to their nonsense with my counter-nonsense, I also have to thank these nincompoops. First, it’s nice to know that someone is at least opening the article. Second, responding to their comments gives me a break from saving the world (see CFPB Dead! Sorry Musk, Bachuwa Law Still Alive). Finally, ill-informed comments provide content for posts such as this one.
I Am Not a Foodie. And Neither Are You.
Wikipedia defines a foodie as “a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food, and who eats food not only out of hunger but also as a hobby.” Let’s break down this definition. To be a foodie, you first need to have a passion for food. There are times that I am excited about eating, and some times when I do not want to be a fat pig (see The Tahiti Diet: Making the Bungalow Selfie Count). I would argue that having an ardent interest in food is an affliction that requires professional help. Ergo, I do not have an ardent interest in food.
Per the definition, one doesn’t have to either be ardent about food or have a refined interest in food. This is more controversial. What many consider refined, I consider intolerable. How refined does one have to be to appreciate a greasy slice of pizza (see Who Agrees? Detroit Style Pizza Is The Best) or a Coney hot dog (see Detroit Delicious)? While I will concede that the Italian Garden isn’t the gold standard for Olive food (see Times Square: Real Italian Food), I would not want to eat at a Michelin restaurant with any frequency (see Mont Bar Barcelona: Am I Michelin Material?). Ergo, I am not refined.
The final part of this definition states that a foodie eats ‘not only out of hunger, but also as a hobby.’ If my hobby were eating, I would be a 500lb fat guy sitting in a basement blasting Pulitzer Prize quality blogs like The Points Of Life. Stated differently, eating on its own is not a hobby. It is something done in conjunction with another activity e.g., traveling. Ordering oysters and caviar from Uber Eats is not a memorable culinary experience. Ordering them in Tallinn, Estonia is (see Seafood in Estonia: What a Treat).
Having deconstructed the definition, I would like to meet a foodie in person. I wonder if they’ll be as intolerable in person as they are on my blog.
Have your points been clawed back? Has your credit card company closed your account? Thanks to President Musk, you have one less option if you are trying to pursue justice. DOGE is saving the big banks hundreds of millions of dollars by closing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. While this is bad for consumers, I was not a big fan of the agency because they lacked meaningful enforcement and, more importantly, punishing powers. Fortunately for consumers, your favorite points blogger, and the angriest attorney you know (subscribe to The Angry Attorney Podcast), is still alive and well. While Bachuwa Law, cannot guarantee results, I can guarantee that The Angry Attorney will fight for you!
I need to do a better job of researching hotels before booking. I assume when I see a brand-name like Hyatt it automatically is in a great location. Clearly, I have not learned my lesson from my stay at the Hyatt Osaka (see Where Are You Hyatt Regency Osaka?).
Location
The Hyatt Baku is not located near the old town or close to the major sites. This is not the hotel for tourists looking to explore Baku by foot.
Baku, but not BakuFar from the center
TPOL’s Tip: Bolt only costs a few manat to get to the old town.
Price
Perhaps the reason I did not research the location is because of the measly number of points it costs to stay here. The room retails at $166 per night but goes for only 5,000 points.
Room
As a Globalist, I was upgraded to a junior suite with a lot of furniture. When staying alone, I would rather have a deluxe oversized room than two rooms of which I will only use one.
Bathroom
The room had an extra toilet in the living room that I did not use and a bathtub in the master that I also did not use. The shower had low water pressure.
Suite
Coming for business? Plenty of space for those key meetings.
The view
Lavazza
It’s often an adventure to figure out how to turn on the espresso machine. I managed to do so and make espresso. The next time I tried, it was blinking red and my attempts to troubleshoot proved fruitless.
Lounge
I was staying on the 8th floor. The lounge was conveniently located on the 7th via a dangerous spiral staircase. It was easier to head to the lounge for espresso than wait for an engineer to come to my room.
TPOL’s Tip: From 6-8PM there are also drinks and light snacks.
Overall
The hotel was good enough but I would recommend the Courtyard Baku for those here for leisure.
My plan is to live in various parts around the world for a month at a time (see TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?). The biggest issue is finding a long-term rental that is not an overpriced Airbnb that delivers big on pictures but low on quality. Looking for places to live, I stumbled across TheBlueGround.com, a website with apartment listings worldwide. I knew I wanted to stay in the upscale neighborhood of Chamberí and searched accordingly. I was able to find a two-bedroom apartment for a little more than $100 a night.
TPOL’s Tip: The minimum stay is 31 days.
TPOL’s Tip: If you pay by credit card, there is a processing fee. The issue is that the security deposit is also subject to the processing fee but said fee is not returned.
A key is required to enter the front door. From there, take the lift to your apartment.
2 Bedrooms
I was looking for an apartment with a living room, an office, and one bedroom. The best I could find was two bedrooms. This proved excessive as the room was never used.
Bedroom 1
Bedroom 2
TPOL’s Tip: Traveling for two? 1 bedroom is sufficient. A studio is not.
Church Bells
Initially, we kept the window open for the cool night air. It was nice to be awoken to the sound of church bells.
2 Bathrooms
The advantage of having a 2 bedroom was the second bathroom. Most of the 1 bedrooms only came with 1.
Hallway bathroomMasterMasterMaster
Kitchen
Food is so cheap in Madrid that you don’t need to cook at home (see Eat Like a Local: Madrid Spain). Should you have the desire, groceries are cheap and wine is basically free.
Don’t underestimate grocery store pizza.
Espresso
Is it better to have an espresso at home or an espresso followed by beers and tapas out (see Espresso? Beer? Both?: My Madrid Morning Routine). I’ll let you decide but the apartment did come with a Nespresso machine.
Living Room
Looking to entertain? There was plenty of space in the living room.
Garden
Madrid is chilly in February. We were only able to enjoy this spectacular garden towards the end of our residency.
Overall
Looking to do a residency in Madrid? Stay in Chamberí. Book through The Blueground.
South of France is too expensive for TPOL (see Guns & Butter: South of France Travel Guide (Budget Edition)). Luckily, I missed my flight to Nice and only had to come up with the funds points for one night (see Lufthansa LIS-FRA-NCE: Finally Arrived). Still, finding a points hotel was not easy. The Marriott properties were going for extreme rates. I had a Chase stay cert that was expiring and was happy to burn it instead of paying $250.
Location
The hotel is within walking distance to the beach. It is also within walking distance to the train station to get to Monaco.
Go right out of the hotel to go to the beach.
Go left out of the hotel to go to the train station for Monaco.
Room
I spent my day in Cannes. This was the extent of my photography skills when I arrived at the hotel late.
Overall
If you’re looking to get the Nice experience, staying on the waterfront is the way to go. If you’re looking to get a taste of a life you cannot afford, the Holiday Inn may be the way to go.
