No need for a catchy title for this post. The location, Ulaanbaatar, and my guess that I’m the only one to write a review on the Ulaanbaatar business class lounge, make a clever title superfluous.
Chinggis Khaan International Airport has one, exactly one, departure gate that services the limited number of airlines that come and from Mongolia at obscene prices for the point-less people.
Think of Emirates Terminal 3 and its amenities. Now take the inverse of that and you’ve arrived at your departure gate. Strikingly there is an entire floor of Duty Free reminding me of time spent at Changhi Airport.
Regardless, the airport seems functional enough to get me out of the frigid Gobi, even if it only be for a few days.
Comfy seatingOh how beautifulLook at that spreadAwful sandwichesThe collection of libationsThe buffet linePotato chips!Only the finestLook at that bug stuck inside.The only departure gateEndless Duty Free StoresMore liquorSame same
I lived in Shanghai way back in 2010 and it took me four years to return to my favorite city. Tomorrow I’m returning for the second time in 4 months. Last time I stayed at the Park Hyatt and the Waldorf Shanghai. This time I’m going back to the basics by staying in locations meant for fun. That’s not to say that I won’t be staying in style. Thanks to points my 72 hour visa-less itinerary is as follows:
Wednesday night: Hyatt on the Bund: $100 + 7500 Gold Passport Points
Thursday night: Hyatt on the Bund: $100 + 7500 Gold Passport Points
Friday night and Halloween at M1NT: Le Royal Meridien: Straight cash homey but platinum status makes it all worth it.
For the new readers, the a-live section of which I’m writing this post is comprised of quick headlines while I’m on the go so I keep up what has become the fun habit of talking to myself via my alter ego, ThePointsOfLife.
Globalization has taken hold of my advice and disseminated it all over the globe. I, of course, am talking about my book Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong, available for purchase on Amazon (click here). Sales are coming in from the mountains to the valleys to the UK to Germany to Romania, Costa Rica, Turks and Caicos, and Thailand.
People have taken the books’ message [and book cover] to heart by literally leaving their cubicles for good times of a beach. Slowly but surely the word is getting out. Soon enough offices will be empty liberated by the rapture of the anti cubicle movement. It is my intent to continue to publish these tantalizing photos till everyone young and not so old (the target demo is 18-35) heeds the message and like the words from a famous beer ad, finds their beach.
Don’t worry, my advice comes unfiltered (Turks and Caicos)And is pet friendly for cats both wild (Lucky has only lived on a boat, never been on land before)…and domesticThe revolution began in Boston…Then headed to beaches all over the globe.From Costa Ricato Koh Tao, the word is getting out.Change is on the horizon.So order your box today!And this could be your life everyday.
We aren’t stopping in Iowa…
Not only are we going to New Zealand, Michael Fanous, we’re going to the south of France and Oceania and Azerbaijan and North Korea and New Caledonia, and we’re going to California and Texas and New York…. And we’re going to Dominican and Osaka and Washington and Michigan, and then we’re going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House! Byoahhhhhhh!
Phở or pho (pronounced variously as /fʌ/, /fə/, /fər/, or /foʊ/ so please stop messaging me that it’s not pronounced pho! I get it, we all get it but choose to remain ignorant for the sake of levity. Get over the preoccupation with pronunciation and focus on the splendid intoxication that can only come after slurping bowl after bowl.
If you are in need of a guide of where to go, look no further than here for the recap that I will share. Ten places I explored of which you will never get bored.
Right next to the organic coffee shops that line the streets and only steps away from the welcoming women of the skinny alley of the Red Light District is Amsterdam’s Chinatown.
Pho Boston for just about everything: Pho the Celtics, Pho the Red Sox, Pho the Bruins, and but for Tom Brady being a Wolverine I’d say Pho the Patriots.
I’ve been to China Towns all over from China to New York and hands down my favorite is the one in Seattle. They had amazing xiao long bao, great Japanese sake, delightful dim sum, and, above all, the best Pho in just about all of the world.
To the shock of none, the best place in the world to get a bowl of pho is Vietnam. My favorite country in SE Asia and one of my favorite countries in the world is the birthplace of this breakfast food.
To the shock of none, the best place in the world to get a bowl of pho is Vietnam. My favorite country in SE Asia and one of my favorite countries in the world is the birthplace of this breakfast food.
But, I would be a simpleton to merely say, “Vietnam is the best place for pho” and leave it at that. Much like BBQ in the United States, the debate rages about which part of Vietnam makes pho the best. Is it in the north in Hanoi or the south in Saigon? How about a scolding hot bowl in the centrally located beach town of Nha Trang?
To satisfy your pho appetite, ThePointsOfLife set out on a journey all over Vietnam to find the best of the best of the best places to get pho in this new series. From Da Nang to Ha Long Bay to the next time I return, I am phoever searching for the next bowl.
Here’s a preview of what’s to come:
The journey began in SaigonWith some new friends at the Cu Chi TunnelsWith many pho restaurants along the wayFrom a Vietnamese cooking school in Hoi An…To the beauty of Ha Long Bay…ThePointsOfLife is phoever researching where to find that perfect bowl
I’ll start by saying that Seattle wasn’t my favorite city to visit. I stayed at the W Seattle and wasn’t all that impressed. I went to the Public Market and had the halibut and was not that impressed. I went to the Starbucks and…well you get the picture. Seattle because of its overcast, rainy climate just gives you a sense of bleh even on a sunny day. Perhaps that is why everything I did and saw deemed mediocre.
But then, on the rainiest of rainy days, I went to Seattle’s China Town. I’ve been to China Towns all over from China to New York and hands down my favorite is the one in Seattle. They had amazing xiao long bao, great Japanese sake, delightful dim sum, and, above all, the best Pho in just about all of the world. All great Asian restaurants have one thing in common: a lack of decor. Instead, the ambiance of a great Asian restaurant is in its simplicity: the stools, the uncleared tables, the questionable health inspection certificate.
Although, this post is supposed to be all about pho, I had the make some detours and pit stops along the way as everything looked and tasted so good.
Entrance to Food ParadiseAvenue’s literal translation in Mandarin is big street (the T looking character)On the way for pho my stomach was distracted by Ping. Who did not disappointIn need a break [and a drink] it was time for some Japanese Asahi and sakeAppetite restored, I made my way to the best pho restaurant in the world (apart from #1 on the list)Fried rolls, spring rolls, yum yum yumThe bowl came…And went…But I pressed onSum dim sum…And beer…Made the abs disappear
The best thing about a yummy bowl of pho is who you go with to eat that yummy bowl. I’m not sure how the tradition began but every time I went to Toronto to visit my cousins, I would always go for an extra large bowl before heading back to the States. Our restaurant of choice is Pho Hung and it is located at 350 Spadina Ave right in the middle of China Town.
Pho Hung: The best pho in Toronto
Whoever arrived first was responsible for finding a table as the place is always slammed, especially early Sunday afternoon. When everyone did eventually find parking and the group was reunited, we would all take a deep breath, laugh about whatever happened the night before, and drink the tea provided to help us with our ailments.
I was in charge of ordering and would scribble in chicken scratch too many orders of fresh spring rolls, fried spring rolls, some arbitrary dish, and, of course, enough bowls of pho turning a quick lunch into an enduring holiday dinner. The service is so so at Pho Hung so count yourself lucky if you order extra onions and the waiter returns with them. But, the service is not why we come. I, along with dozens of strangers, come for the atmosphere, the delicious food, and the warm feeling that comes from sipping a bowl too quickly while sharing a good time with your best friends.
Next time you’re on your way out of Toronto make sure you stop by Pho Hung then a nap before making the journey home.
I miss you man!The menuPho tai of courseThe spring rollsThe bowl
Cadillac is trying to build an American luxury automobile that competes with its European counterparts. The transition began with the development of the Escalade, the discontinuation of the STS and DTS, the transformation of the CTS, and introduction of the ATS. (The XTS is garbage in my opinion.)
As part of its marketing strategy, Cadillac has implemented a few gimmicks to promote the brand. The first silly idea is to move Cadillac’s headquarters from Detroit to New York City in attempt to exploit the cachet of the Big Apple to increase global car sales. This runs afoul to the Cadillac name itself. For those of you from Michigan, you already know that Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, known today as Detroit. Why take the essence of what is Cadillac and transplant it to a city that has nothing to do with automotive? The reason is the president of Cadillac didn’t want to live in Detroit. But for the fact that nothing and no one who leaves Michigan ever comes back, I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years a new president of Cadillac returns to the Motor City, citing a need to get back to Cadillac’s roots.
Cadillac’s second silly idea is to partner with American Airlines to give first class passengers an Emirate’s style chauffeur service to the plane aboard a Cadillac CTS. I used to own a CTS and though the new ones are a lot nicer, make no mistake, the C in CTS still stands for Catera, a failed Cadillac brand.
Imagine being escorted to the plane in this baby! (Image courtesy of wikimedia)
And now for the third gimmicky idea; Cadillac is giving away 7500 AAdvantage miles for anyone that goes into the dealership for a test drive. For points people and for people who love going to car dealerships for fun, this is a great deal to top off your AA account and refine your bargaining skills. For Cadillac as a brand, this cheapens a product which is in need of subtle exultation not Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! disgraceful gratification.
Before moving to Mongolia, I had to part ways with my beloved Red Cadillac ATS 2.0 Turbo. Unlike the old CTS, the ATS was fun to drive, a beauty to behold, and a head turner wherever it went. At the time I was leaving, I literally couldn’t pay anyone to take my baby off my hands despite it being such a great vehicle. And now, I have to read story after story from blogger after blogger of test drives with my lost love, which are nothing more than sickening tales of a proud brand being pimped out in a miscalculated effort to sell a few vehicles.
The whole thing makes me sick.
To Cadillac, I say shame on you. To points enthusiasts, I say stop bragging about how you didn’t even take the car for a spin in the name of free points. Do the right thing: take her out for a real date, treat her right, then hold onto her forever. Don’t make the same mistake I did.
Pho Boston for just about everything: Pho the Celtics, Pho the Red Sox, Pho the Bruins, and but for Tom Brady being a Wolverine I’d say Pho the Patriots.
Apart from those negatives, I have to say that Boston’s pho is phoking delicious. After you curse Rondo at the Garden, boo Chara at the same, and give big Papi the bird at Fenway, head over to Boston’s China Town for some of the best pho you will ever have. The service at Pho Pasteur is efficient, the spring rolls are fresh and full of pep, and the pho is everything pho should be: hot to trot, rare but fair, and green but clean.
2013 MLB Playoffs: Scalped tickets for $25 eachHow’d I get my fingers on these Sox Championship rings? Apologies to my Tigers for this betrayal (incidentally Detroit lost to the Red Sox following my cursed decision)Go Wings Go! Red Sox and Bruins game in the same trip! Scalped tickets for $20 each.Heaven in BostonToo hungry to stop and try some exotic cocktailsOne of the best pho restaurants in the entire worldFresh spring rolls, fresh basil, tons of sprouts, and great peanut sauceLook at that distribution of tiny onions, green onions, tons of meat, and cilantro. I wish I was there now.
A visit to two new cities, Osaka and Kyoto, Japan for who knows what to kick start the Trip Reports section.
A stopover in Beijing for second hand smog.
I will be handing out plenty of business cards to unsuspecting tourists and locals alike in promotion of my book Everyone’s Advice Is Wrongthat is receiving all sorts of accolades by friends and strangers alike. A free preview is available on Amazon if you still have doubts.
Till then, keep churning, keep traveling, and keep enjoying the points, the points of life that is.
