Street Vendor Fired for Selling Hot Dogs to Tourists for $30. I Blame the Tourists.

by Gary Leff

May 24 2015

A street vendor in New York was charging tourists as much as $30 for a hot dog. He’s been fired. He was apparently telling the cart’s owners he was getting only $2 and pocketing the difference. And yet it’s the cart owners who are facing fines for “being too close to a crosswalk, having items outside of his cart and failure to list prices” (this last in furtherance of overcharging tourists). I don’t have a problem with charging tourists $30 for a hot dog, per se. I do have a problem with tourists who would pay $30 for a hot dog. Nonetheless, contra Gawker, the guy isn’t a hero because his fraud in my view was perpetrated against his boss. That said, If Ahmed Mohammed had built a shitty “prix-fixe” dinner restaurant charging $60 for…

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Review: Flying First Class (and Showering) Onboard Emirates A380 First Class, Dubai – Dallas

by Gary Leff

May 23 2015

Having flown Emirates first class onboard their Airbus A380, I can say it’s truly one of the best first class products in the world. The suite isn’t as spacious as Singapore’s or Etihad’s. But the service is good, the food is good, and despite the bling (there’s a *lot* going on, and a lot of *stuff* they give you) there’s substance to it too.

Most of all, they have the single greatest amenity ever introduced into an aircraft: two giant shower spas, with heated floors. Taking a shower in the sky prior to arrival can’t be beat!

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American Express Centurion Lounge Miami Opens Early June

by Gary Leff

May 22 2015

American Express has begun operating their own network of “Centurion lounges,” which are a step above what travelers have become accustomed to from US airline-operated lounges. I consider the American Express Centurion lounge in Dallas one of my favorite airport spots. It’s one of the two lounges I visit most often. There’s a Centurion lounge already in Las Vegas and at New York LaGuardia as well and also San Francisco. American Express Centurion Lounge San Francisco There’s an additional known lounge in the pipeline for Miami, and a more modest lounge coming to Seattle. The Miami lounge is about to open in the North Terminal, convenient for American Airlines passengers. According to the Miami Herald it opens early June. As for the food, [Celebrity Chef Michelle] Bernstein’s buttermilk-brined fried chicken and Greek-style local watermelon salad…

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