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About Gary Leff
The problem with generic luxury
Jet Set Lara, the blog of an international escort, offers some observations on the generic sameness of many Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons hotels. I have a recurring nightmare. In it, I wake up in a hotel room. The bed is perfect with four down pillows, 400 thread count linens, and a 2000 coil pillow top mattress. The clock radio is blaring classical music having been left on as some sort of primitive turf marking by the housekeeping staff. Oh – there is the green/gold bedspread rolled up behind the pale yellow armchair, along with the two overstuffed decorative pillows that will be placed back on the bed when it is made up. Ah yes, there are the faux-tique writing desk and armoire. Rubbing my eyes, I trudge to the bathroom – as I thought –…
Juniper Bank to issue Visa for Merged USAirways-America West
Aug
09
2005
When the USAirways-America West merger was first announced in May I noted that a key detail was a planned cash infusion from a credit card partner in the neighborhood of $300 million. It was curious that the partner wasn’t named, while Bank of America was already partner to both airlines. So, despite the Charlotte Observer calling the news “somewhat unexpected”, it shouldn’t be all that surprising that Juniper Bank (which issues Frontier and Airtran cards) will become the issuer of the USAirways card.Taking the place of Charlotte-based Bank of America will be Juniper Bank, a subsidiary of British-based Barclays PLC, which agreed Monday to pour $455 million into the merger between US Airways and America West Airlines. In exchange, Juniper will have the exclusive right to market the US Airways credit card beginning in 2008,…
Undersea Accomodations
The Vancouver Sun runs a story on the emergence of underwater hotels. The Maldives Hilton already has an underwater restaurant. This property has been on my list of places to check out, but has been bumped down a notch since I’ve recently been to Bora Bora Nui. How many overwater bungalows do I need to stay in in a year? When the fully underwater properties are completed, perhaps even by the end of next year, they’ll no doubt make the list at UnusualHotelsoftheWorld.com. (Hat tip for the news article to Tripso.com and for the Unusual Hotels directory to Marginal Revolution.)
Free iTunes Download
Aug
08
2005
Sign up to receive information about a checking account with Wells Fargo Bank and you’ll be sent a code for a free iTunes download. You can get one download per email address you use to sign up. (Hat tip to the Flyertalk S.P.A.M. forum.)
Google SMS
Google SMS is pretty amazing. I saw it recently and made a note to myself that I had to check it out, finally had a chance this afternoon. You can send a text message to GOOGL (46645) with a request for information, and you’ll get a text back in a matter of moments. My first test was for driving directions from Reagan National airport to my home. I entered “From DCA to [Street Address City State]” and I had turn by turn directions in seconds. Then I asked it for a definition, sending “define blog” Final test, how what is the population of Virginia? “virginia population” Verdict: very cool.
I’m hungry
Time for dinner, and this looks absolutely delicious.
A variety of free samples
Aug
06
2005
Bombay Sapphire cocktail book Your choice of Kraft ingredients Maxim subscription Head & Shoulders shampoo sample Durex lubricant sample here and here
Where do I even start?
Boston’s Logan Airport offers wireless internet for $7.95. Continental offers wireless internet free in its Presidents Club. The airport is trying to force Continental to stop competing with its pay service, claiming offering internet for free to club members is “an unacceptable potential risk” to airport security. (Somehow when passenger pay $7.95 it’s no longer a risk.) Security as a catch-all for prohibiting behavior is a clear risk to liberty. Fortuntaely Continental is fighting it. (Hat tip to David Rowell.)
Problems with France
Via David Rowell, it turns out the the French realize that they are pathetic losers. Maurice Lévy, the head of the media giant Publicis, whose company owns Saatchi and Saatchi and has offices in 100 countries across six continents, said France had failed to get the 2012 Olympics because the world now saw it as a nation of perdants – “losers”. For good measure, he described the 35-hour week as “absurd” and the wails of complaint that followed Paris’s loss of the Games to London as “pathetic”. … “What I wrote was hard, but true. France is not in a crisis, it’s worse than that. A crisis is usually sudden and short, while we are in an endemic situation,” he said. “I’ve just had enough and wanted to say what I felt.” In the article,…
