Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

Simply The Best: TPOL, The Professor, Turns 9!

thepointsoflife

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March 19, 2023

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

Older and angrier, I am ever more consumed with frustrations on just about everything and am never shy to voice my opinion, even if by force.

2015 Real Writers Don’t Use Smileys

Capture — If blogging is regarded as the lowest form of journalism, then smileys are the lowest form of expression.

2016 “Click Here!” How Blogs Make $

a laptop on a desk in front of a water bungalow — Caution: you are about to enter a no spin zone that details how blogs make money. Actually, I’m already lying since most blogs do not make anything.

2017 I’m Not Tipping Uber Either!

Tips not included — If you’re an Uber driver and hate your job, then get a new job. Don’t make passengers feel uncomfortable by asking or implying that a tip would be appreciated. (And, yes I used to be a taxi driver.)

2018 Remember That Time TPOL Moved to Mongolia?

a person lying on the stairs — It was the 1st of August. And it was 2014. That was the day I made the Mistake of Moving to Mongolia. (And no, that’s not me drunk, passed out in the stairwell.)

2019 I Don’t Tip at Lounges Either

a red awning over a building — I don’t feel bad for not tipping.

2020 Happy New Year from TPOL: The Year & Hindsight Is 2020

a golf cart and a helicopter — Hindsight is 20/20 and the year is 2020. Looking back at this decade, I’ve made three mistakes. While those mistakes left me busted, I have made three great decisions to make up for it.

2021 Are You Guilty of Traveling Under the Social Influence?

a man standing on a ledge with Victoria Peak in the background — These days everyone seems to talk about how they are waiting for life to return to normal so they can travel again. I nod in affirmation but smugly think to myself, “Travel again? Where did you go before the pandemic?”

2022 Inventing Anna v. TPOL: Do You Know Who I Am?

a man standing on a dock with a body of water and huts in the background

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?

a two black rectangular computers with red and yellow text — At some point, my hobbies in Puerto Rico turned into obligations. Now, I need a break from them. I don’t apologize for this smug statement. It wasn’t long ago that yours truly was living in exile in Mongolia. Back then, I thought that suffering was a natural part of life. I attribute my feeling of perpetual guilt in moments of pleasure to my Catholic Arab upbringing which I have endeavored to renounce. Maybe that’s the real reason why I’m not going to visit that church in Madrid. Perhaps that is why I can finally do nothing and not apologize for doing so.

And there you have it, 9 years of the Professor schooling everyone.

March Madness Surprise: Free Trip to Puerto Rico!

The Deal Ticker

thepointsoflife

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March 17, 2023

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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.

a palm tree on a beach — Come talk shit in PR.

*Family members excluded ** $250 cap on cost of flight.

TPOL’s March Madness: Surprise Announcement Coming Friday

The Deal Ticker

thepointsoflife

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March 16, 2023

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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.

a golf cart on a golf course with palm trees — What could it be?

Last Call to Enter TPOL’s March Madness Bracket! Thousands in No Prizes

The Deal Ticker

thepointsoflife

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March 15, 2023

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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.

a passport and ticket on a piece of paper — No free flight to Baghdad for you.

Enter TPOL’s March Madness Bracket for a Chance to Win…

The Deal Ticker

thepointsoflife

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March 14, 2023

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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. Here’s the link!

a golf course with a body of water and buildings — If you want to come visit, pay for your own damn ticket.

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

thepointsoflife

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March 13, 2023

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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.

a map of the world with red lines — When ANA devalues its rtw ticket, I’ll be upset.

Espectacular Carne, Callos, Y Vino: Taberna El Rincon Madrid

thepointsoflife

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March 10, 2023

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Taberna El Rincon de Jose is part of The Adios Puerto Rico, Hola España Trip Report. Read TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?

Try this place. Hardcore madrileños only. No tourists. I challenge you to find better callos anywhere. The place has been there for like 100 years.

That’s the sort of recommendation that made me leave my Chamberí neighborhood and head to Huerta, another barrio of Madrid (see Saturday Night in Huerta). It is the authentic local endorsement for which I have been searching. So, how did it measure up? Tourists The issue when a place has been around for 100 years is the inevitable arrival of tourists. So long as the proprietor maintains the quality and tradition that made it great in the first place, it is not a red flag to see non-locals. When the menu is on a placard with flags from different countries, that is a good warning that it is time to move on. During my visit, there was a good mix of Spaniards and people from around the world.

a group of people in a room with bottles of wine

Vino In Madrid, it is not worth ordering a bottle (see Best Tapas Madrid: No Budget Cuts Here). The house wine is good enough.

a bottle of wine next to a glass of wine — I asked for two cups and ended up with a baby bottle.

After finishing the small bottle, I asked for something with more power – ‘mas duro’, to compliment my steak order. C. Valduero 1 Cepa, also served by the glass, was one of the best wines from Ribera del Duero I’ve had (see Guns & Butter: Ribera Del Duero, Madrid Travel Guide (Vino Edition)).

a bottle of wine on a table — The wine and food menu.

Callos My friend challenged me to find better callos. The problem is that I had no idea what callos were. A Google translate revealed that it was tripe. TPOL and tripe do not get along. I do not care for it in any form, even in a bowl of pho. This was different. The callos were served in a zesty stew, typical of an Arabic dish. None was left.

Pan A note on bread. In my tapas post, I wrote how generous bars and restaurants are in providing free food. This is not true when it comes to bread. They charged me for it at Ten Con Ten (see Ten Con Ten Madrid vs. City Hall Scottsdale), and they charged for it here. That’s an interesting difference between Spanish and American restaurants.

a bowl of potato chips and olives — Don’t fill up on potato chips and olives.

a bowl of food with crackers — The breadsticks are extra.

Carne Roja a la Parrilla

Take all the Spanish courses you want, but most will not teach you the words on the menu (see TPOL The Polyglot: A Better Way to Learn Multiple Languages). Arrogance in assuming you know what a dish is will also backfire. To make sure that I was receiving cuts of beef, I Googled ‘lomo de ternera’ and checked the restaurant’s English website for the picture. Being honest and modest in your language aptitude is better than being bold and presumptuous and ending up with fried chicken feet. This time I won and won big. This was the best beef cuts, rivaling City Hall Scottsdale (see Ten Con Ten Madrid vs. City Hall Scottsdale) at a fraction of the price.

Overall Go here and hope there is a table.

TPOL’s Tip: Taberna El Rincon Madrid is located at Calle del Duque de Medinaceli, 12 Madrid 28014

Alaska Business App: BoA Wants What?

thepointsoflife

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March 9, 2023

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There’s KYC and then there’s go to bed with your customer. If you thought that Barclays was over-the-top for its business application (see Barclays AA Business Aviator App: History Repeats Itself), what do you make of these requirements?

Proof of business ownership or authorization to borrow on behalf of the business (e.g. corporate resolution, organization’s meeting minutes, articles of incorporation, articles of organization or certificate of incorporation).
Verification of the legal structure of the business. Verification may include Articles of Inc/Articles of Org/Cert of Trade Name/Partnership agreement. For Non-Profit, provide primary mission (U.S or International) & legal classification (e.g. 501(c)(3)).
Your two most recent years of federal personal tax returns with all schedules. If you filed a tax extension, please provide a copy of your most recent W2 forms or, for sole proprietorships, an internally prepared year-end profit and loss statement.

Would Donald send all this in just to get 70k points?

a white background with black text — ‘Some additional information’?

Mazál Bagels: NY in Madrid, Why Not in Puerto Rico?

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March 8, 2023

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Mazal Bagels is part of The Adios Puerto Rico, Hola España Trip Report. Read TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?

A residency trip requires two components: 1. Cultural immersion in a new city. 2. The comforts of home. In my Madrid residency, I have tried to balance both (see Best Tapas Madrid: No Budget Cuts Here & Junk Burger Madrid: Way Better Than Shake Shack). The reason I have gone to fewer Spanish restaurants and more diverse places (see A Taste of China, Hong Kong, and Japan…in Madrid) is because the aforementioned ‘comforts of home’ are not available in my home, Puerto Rico. When I see a place that sells NY bagels and mimosas, I have to stop in. I ordered an everything bagel with turkey and a jug of OJ & bubbles. With each bite, I wondered why I had to take a plane to find an American bagel instead of driving down the street. Even the eggs were fluffier than the imports to Costco.

Overall I can go on about the quality of Mazál Bagels but I will not because I don’t want to be upset when I return to Puerto Rico and read about how the most basic of foods is not available.

Most Wanted: GUILTY Cookie Shop Madrid

thepointsoflife

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March 7, 2023

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Guilty Cookies is part of The Adios Puerto Rico, Hola España Trip Report. Read TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?

There was a cupcake store in Scottsdale whose line would be out the door. I never understood why. Unless it’s Top of the Muffin to You!, how is there a demand for sweet treats? In Madrid, there is a cookie shop called GUILTY near my flat. The sign in the window says, “America’s Most Wanted Cookies.” I couldn’t get the marketing out of my head. Do people in America really want the cookie and go out of their way to buy them? Or have Americans only heard of the GUILTY cookie but, given the location of the shop, could only long for such a cookie? While I still cannot answer those questions, I can say that the $14 price point for 4 cookies left me with no regrets.

Perhaps they should change the name of the shop.

TPOL’s Tip: GUILTY is located at Calle de Fernández de la Hoz, 48, 28010 Madrid, Spain.