Top 5 Areas the Recession Has Hit My Friends

Some Vancouverites definitely live in a bubble sheltered away from the recession. Hence the sold out $85/person wine festival last weekend. How are all these people so confidently drinking away their money? I guess in good times, people drink; in bad times, people drink. But despite Vancouverites living in a bubble and personally only knowing 1 person that was laid off in my social circle, the recession has hit some of my friends in other ways. OK, there are 6 this time!

Friend #1: High school teacher in North Vancouver
Who would've thought recessions hit the public education sector. This friend claims that his public school is getting ready to take in the predicted onslaught of students whose families can no longer afford private school! This, combined with the fact that young families can no longer afford housing on the north shore, has meant a gradual decline in students there over the last few years. Fewer students = no need for that many high schools = high school closure = teacher layoff. So his high school is putting on recruitment drives with open houses for the posh kids who will be slummin' it with the public school kids on the north shore. PS - teachers in Surrey are safe, where enrollment is on the up and up!

Friend #2: Nurse in Toronto
Another surprise here! Who would think the recession would hit the health sector? My friend that recently moved from Calgary to Toronto is on the job hunt and claims that it's not as easy as everyone says. Recession-proof is what people like me would think! But she says no, that hospitals may not be laying off staff, but they're cutting back hours and hiring from within. So she doesn't expect to find work for a couple of months!

Friend #3: VP at big financial services firm in Toronto
This friend was the smartest finance major at UBC back in my graduating class. He worked in Vancouver for several years, and then went off to make bigger bucks in Toronto. At the height of the stock market rise. Within months, he was the type A, big swingin' dick flashing his money to anyone who would take it to kiss his feet. Got to be uncomfortable for us regular people. When I saw him recently in Toronto, he was "back to normal", humbled by the recession and the general awareness that he could be fired at any time. And thankfully back to a mindset where he's more appreciative of what he does have.

Friend #4: Former hedge fund guy
This New York City based friend has not been working since end of October. And doesn't expect to work for several more months. When I was in NY with him a few weeks ago, he had food in his fridge for the first time in years, and was talking about downgrading his gym membership.... hmmm, perhaps you should look at your $3500/month rent first?

Friend #5: Husband in wine sales
Like I said about the wine festival, when times are good people drink. When times are tough, people drink. Difference is, now people are drinking cheaper wines. And how perfect for him and his company that focuses on value brands! At least one of us is in a truly recession-proof industry (which not many of us can say!).

Friends #6: Girls who got great shoe bargains at Barney's Warehouse sale
For my friends who are NOT effected by the recession, they can now afford to buy the Christian Laboutin and Manolo Blahnik's that were 75% off at the Barney's warehouse sale. Stock up girls, as this is a once in a lifetime chancge to own a pair of $1000 shoes for $250!

Friend #7: Former Recruiter
One of my friends took a job in 2008 as a recruiter/headhunter. She left a great job in field sales to do this and was loving it. With companies doing more lay-offs than hiring these days, her firm wasn't seeing that much action. She's now out of work and ironically - looking for a job, sitting on the other side of recruiters' desks!

Friend #8: Cop
Last night, I had dinner with a friend who's a cop, and who's husband is a cop. Extremely recession-proof jobs. In fact, when more people are out of work, there's more crime. So much more that in the month of February, she worked double the # of hours she normally would in a month. And of course she gets paid overtime for it (unlike us in the software industry that are expected to work overtime for no more money). So now, she's bought herself a BMW. I guess when times are tough for some, times are good for others!

Top 5 Wines at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

I'm not going to try to pass myself off as some sort of wine guru, because I'm probably the farthest thing from it. Somewhat to my husband's chagrin since he is in the wine industry, and developing quite a palate for wines. I believe in just drinking what you like, no matter what anyone else says or what the price point dictates. So I went to the Barefoot Wines Party and the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival last night.... and here are my Top 5 choices (not in rank order, just in order that I drank them!). You can clearly see that I lean towards sweet, not heavy!

1. Barefoot Bubbly: White Zinfandel
Fun color - pink! Great bubbly for women who need to no excuse to celebrate. It's sweeeeeet!

2. Pierre Sparr Gewurtz
Smells sweet when you take a sniff, but it doesn't taste as sweet as it looks. Still, a lovely lovely wine. I have no idea what this French website says, but it came up on my Google search for this wine.

3. Sokol Blosser Evolution
Interesting wine.... a blend of 9 grape varietals they say!








4. Caymus: Conundrum
This was one fresh, but still had nice depth.

5. Prospect: Vidal Ice Wine
My wine list wouldn't be complete without an ice wine! I tried a few (that I already knew) and settled on this as my fave for the festival. It's not as syrupy as some ice wines... a good level of sweetness. And a better price point than some more expensive ones too - $39.

Top 5 Things I Like in Toronto This Week

Couple days of personal, couple days of business in Toronto - I discover the east coast side of my personality yet again. Here are reasons I'm liking Toronto!

1. Bigger Everything, Urban Center

There's something about bigger buildings, bigger business, bigger opportunity. It definitely feels like you're closer to the center of action (at least for Canada). Or perhaps I only appreciate this because it's opposite of my regular west coast life. A difference in size creates a subtle difference in culture that you crave to experience and be a part of. Bigger is not necessarily better always, but it's better this week!

2. Friends: Brains, Laughs, and Looks

Got to hang out with Vancouver and C-Town boys in Toronto on Saturday night. Dinner at Vidara, then onto drinks at Adelaide Street Pub. Here, Debb and I are hanging out with The Brains, The Laughs, and The Looks.

3. Queen and King Street West

Saturday night, Sunday day, and Monday night - dinner, drinks,

brunches and strolling down the urban streets of Toronto. Less polished than Robson, more of walking neighborhood than Main, less west coast sporty than Kits, cleaner than Gastown, cheaper than Yaletown. That's the run down of Queen and King Street for an urban girl's ideal shopping and dining!

4. Great meetings!

Along with bigger everything came some great meetings on Monday and Tuesday. Met with partners and potential new partners ranging from channel partners to mobile carriers to mobile device makers. For some of these opportunities, more goes down in Toronto, making flying all the way there worthwhile.

5. Workouts
Surprise! I actually worked out 2 times on this trip away. My PT Josh Neumann would be impressed. Usually, it's a stretch for me to workout once on a trip. This time, I was hauled there by Marc and Debb - thanks guys!

Top 5 Reasons you Know you Travel Too Much

I'm now home from a week's travel, where I went to New York, Chicago, and Milwaukee. I realized I travel alot - mostly for work, and luckily my work takes me to decent cities. How do I know I travel more than the average person? Well - here are the Top 5 reasons:

1. I know my passport # by heart
I've filled out my share of the US Customs forms

2. I feel at home at the United Red Carpet Lounge in Chicago O'Hare
I now hate sitting in regular waiting areas in those seats that have bars in between so you can't sleep. Too many loud annoying people. Trying to find an electrical outlet in which to plug my laptop, only to find that they are against the wall with no seats, so you end up sitting on the floor. And paying for drinks and snacks at the airport is unnecessary when you can get it all free in the comfort and serenity of the lounge!

3. I get EXTREMELY annoyed when travellers don't know what the hell they are doing through airport security
We all have to do it, and it's the same routine in every airport, so I wish people would just quickly proceed, remove their laptop, throw out their water, and move on.

The worst was one time at Toronto Pearson where the teenage girls in front of me were trying to negotiate with the security dude to let them bring through 4 bottles of water. There is no negotiation at airport security. NONE. Putting on a cute voice and tilting your head to the side will NOT make the security dude change his mind. This is not the VIP line up of a club we're talking about. Airport security, girls - ever heard of 9/11? The shoe bomber? As I stood there boring holes through their head with my eyes, I was contemplating whether to kick the girl in the ass to kick her through the metal detector, or pick her up and shove her through the bag screener. These are the rules girls, just follow them and everyone will be safe!

4. I have a collection of the best hotel bathrooms
It's easy to rate hotels by the quality of the bathrooms in the rooms. I don't always remember to take photos of them, but will soon post the Top 5 hotel bathrooms. The Hyatt Regency in Schaumberg, IL where I was for a few days this week had recently done an entire renovation and you could tell - beautiful bathroom counters and tiles!

5. My friend Dom moved to NYC about 18 months ago and I've seen him there 5 times
Yes, I do love New York, so whether it's personal, business, or study - I love hanging out there. All the better with friends that live there. And friends that have big apartments there. :)

Top 5 Celebrities on Twitter

I'm pretty new to Twitter but have been playing around with it recently. I figure I need to keep up with the online social trends - got Facebook, got Linkedin, got Blog - now, got Twitter. I'm at www.twitter.com/angiehirata. I have a few friends on there, but the most active people on Twitter seem to be celebrities or media people. Anderson Cooper (or his assistant) puts links on there ever 3 minutes. Not very interesting. What's funny is the celebrities that are on there updating what they are doing or thinking every hour, giving us intimate insight into their personal lives. Makes you realize how normal they are. And what a strange feeling to see P. Diddy's new sneakers, or hear about Ashton Kutcher's martial arts classes. If you're ready to be bombarded with minute-by-minute updates from your friends, celebs and other randoms, join Twitter and add these celebs to your "Follow" list - just to check out this bizarre phenomenon:

1. Ashton Kutcher: http://twitter.com/aplusk

This guy is addicted. Or he has an active personal assistant that just follows him around and updates everyone on his thoughts and his activities. From jogging on the beach today where he commented on the paparazzi's shots of him, to getting ready for Demi's private Oscar party, to commenting on his step-daughters shopping. Is this for real? I actually think he might be really doing this one.

2. P. Diddy: http://twitter.com/iamdiddy

Top of the list for most annoying celebrity Twitter person I've come across. I may remove him because his Tweets show how much of a self-centered jackass he is (check out his Twitter home page screenshot to the right - a little narcissistic, no?) and his over-use of multiple punctuation!!!!!! (annoying!). But first want to send him a personal Tweet asking if he thinks Rihanna should get back together with Chris Brown!

Anyways, he posts pics of his ugly-ass sneakers, tells people about his upcoming audition for a movie that Ashton is backing, writes self-motivating tweets! Yesterday's tweet: "see even I have to fight for my dreams. Ashton is my friend but I still have to audition . I will fight. I will win. I will succeed!!!" I'm not kidding - that's a direct copy and paste.

3. Kevin Smith: http://twitter.com/ThatKevinSmith

Not that active, but of course, really funny and witty. I wish he'd post more often so he can drown out the annoying voices of P. Diddy on Twitter. He has posted about Jason Mosier ("Jay" from Jay and Silent Bob), Wayne Gretzky, and his daughter's lack of softball skills.

4. Britney Spears: http://twitter.com/britneyspears

This one is a mix of personal stuff and self-promotion stuff posted by her assistants/managers. Not particularly a fan of her, but it's interesting to see some down-to-earth comments and insight into her life. Beyond what the paparazzi is saying about her, I'm actually happy for this girl that she can actually self-promote where she can control the message. And tell the world random things like the fact that she got take-out and went home to watch Pride & Glory. Weird.

5. Demi Moore: www.twitter.com/mrskutcher

OK, this one is probably not real. I think her PA is tasked with updating. She's not as funny as Ashton and kinda lame. And some of her playing off of what Ashton was tweeting about is a little pathetic. I did learn today that she bought a Kindle. Don't know what that is? Don't worry, a few days ago I didn't either... until I saw a dude on one of my flights this week with one, saw Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com founder) interviewed about it, and then bought a present on Amazon.com and saw it promoted on the home page. Suddenly, it's everywhere. Check it out: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00154JDAI

Know of other celebs on Twitter? Let me know!

top 5 Things a Cop from Appleton, WI said to me in a 5-Minute Conversation

This morning, in a crowded hotel breakfast buffet in Milwaukee, I sat down to enjoy my morning yogurt with a guy at a table. Turns out he was a cop from Appleton, Wisconsin that showed me that stereotypes ARE based on some truth! Where's Appleton and what are the stereotypes you ask? Doesn't matter where Appleton is, I'm just saying it's small town mid-west USA!

1. "This is a nice hotel"

I'm talking Brookfield Suites, not even in Milwaukee, but in Brookfield, Wisconsin. This is not the usual caliber of hotels I stay at in big cities. In Brookfield, I thought I was in a timewarp, circa 1986 with pink walls, green doors, cream trim, and way too much tropical floral.

2. "I've never been out to the west coast before"

This is not a child I'm speaking with. This is a man in his 40s. Never been out there? You don't even need a passport to go there, don't need to cross a body of water, and you haven't been there? Hopefully, he's left Wisconsin. But then, I did meet a person a few years ago that came to Vancouver, having left Arkansas for the first time in her life. Americans need to get the duece out of their state.

3. "Is it Vancouver or British Columbia that's hosting the Olympics?"

OK, I know at Expo 86's Saskatchewan Pavilion, Americans asked where the country of Saskatchewan was. But Vancouver and British Columbia - are you serious? Maybe Obama's plea for American kids to stay in school and "not give up on your country" will be extended into some more basic geography lessons for Yank kids.

4. "Wisconsin is a big drinking state"

Apparently, drinking and driving is also a big part of what they do here. I guess being the home of Miller, lots of dairy cows, and the Greenbay Packers has somehow fueled this.

5. "A guy from Wisconsin died in Vancouver last year."

Great, thanks for cheering me up at 7:45 this morning. (He was talking about the guy that died on Grouse Mountain hiking the grind at the wrong time of year).

Top 5 Highlights from MacLean’s “The End of Democracy?” Cover Story

In the March 9th issue of MacLean’s, the cover article, “The End of Democracy?”, points out that autocracies are on the rise around the world, and democracy is only prevailing in North America, Western Europe, and a handful of other countries. Whereby other countries may be looking to Russia and China as “success stories” for the fact that autocracy and economic success can coincide together. So here are some interesting observations from that article.

1. “Political freedom expands during prolonged periods of prosperity and contracts during regression or stagnation.” – Benjamin Friedman, Harvard University economist

This seems to make sense that when there’s a recession, people just want someone who can get them out of the recession. They are thinking less about capitalist and selfish desires and freedom per se, and more about the basic need for surviving – getting medicine, food, the basics. Something that autocratic leaders can capitalize on to get into power.

2. “’Exporting democracy’… describes a thing that cannot be. [It] is not a product that one consumes. It is a set of values, habits, expectations, and principles… So by its nature it cannot be exported.” – James Traub, director of policy, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

Interesting. Just like you can’t have a “war on terror”, because terror is not a tangible person or thing (as my husband always says), you cannot export democracy. Traub believes that democracy cannot be forced, but it can be nurtured.

3. “…the best way Americans can spread democracy around the world is to be the best model of a working democracy that we possibly can.” – Peter Beinhart, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations

This comment would be true for Canada as well. That said, wouldn’t Canada be a great representative? Our economy is doing better (for now), our healthcare system is better, our education system is better… so why did MacLean’s interview more American “experts” for this article than Canadians? If the US wants foreign autocracies to take note of a working democracy, they better get their economy, healthcare, and education system in better shape.

4. “Chinese are better off and more satisfied than ever, and value stability and security over democracy.” – Maurice Strong, former Canadian diplomat

So we are led to believe. That may be, but isn’t the stability and security false if you don’t believe you have the freedom to read what you want, think what you want, and write what you want, about your country? So they are plodding along, and some enjoy the material goods of capitalism. But can political autocracy and economic capitalism exist together?

5. “…Over time, more democratic societies seem to be more prosperous and therefore better trading partners and treaty partners.” – Thomas o. Melia, adjunct professor at Georgetown University and executive director of Freedom House

He argues that democratic countries need to promote democracy abroad, not just for the freedom of the people and to “fight terrorism”, but to have an economy. He clearly ties a strong economy to democracy.

So there are interesting and opposing views in this article. My conclusion? I believe in democracy and capitalism, but also believe in the role of government in social provisions like healthcare and education (yes, truly Canadian, aren’t I?). So I’m still skeptical of how autocracy and a strong economy can exist together. But perhaps I’m being naïve and China will show the world how this is done…

Top 5 Highlights of my Weekend in New York

I just had a chill weekend in NY and for the first time in my life - did NOT shop there! The only things I bought were "necessities" - a bluetooth earpiece for my BlackBerry, and a copy of "Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. No shoes, no bags, no make-up, no clothes. A difficult challenge that I survived. And being on a budget, I strolled around and enjoyed cheap eats. Here are my highlights:

1. Dangerfield's Comedy Club (Upper East on 1st Ave. at 61st St.)
This was our biggest night out, and it wasn't cheap (with mandatory drink minimums and forced tipping), but worth the price. There was a great line-up of stand-up comedians that were all great. No amateurs, no bombs. All professionals with crowd experience. If you don't want to be made an ass of - do NOT sit in the front. The annoying LA valley girl in the front got slammed for her Paris-Hilton-esque annoying as hell voice. The only annoying thing was that each act that came up all asked the same thing to the people in the first few rows - "where are you from?". Some should remove this from their act, because hearing "LA", "Tallahassee", "Boston" - over and over and over from the 3 groups in the front is a little annoying. If you want to head there, print off the 2-for-1 coupons from here.


2. Taim Falafels in the West Village

My friend Dominic has taken a liking to cooking shows on the Food Network (god knows why since the only thing in his kitchen was saltine crackers and tuna). One of which is Bobby Flay's Throwdown, which featured this restaurant on his show. Since he's on a mission to do more sight-seeing in his own city, we went down to the West Village to check out this 4-bar-stool little restaurant for lunch. Great falafels and salad. Fresh ingredients, freshly made falafels, hot and crispy on the outside, tasty on the inside.

3. Top of the Rock
The big tourist outting this time was the Top of the Rock, on the 68th floor of Rockefeller Center - home of NBC Studios, Radio City Music Hall, the ice-skating rink. If you want spectacular views of NYC, this is a better bet than Empire State Building - since it's easier to see around (glass instead of cage). Great stop if you're on 5th Ave (it's between 49th and 50th St.), it's $20 to get to the top (no restaurants or anything up there, just the view and some souvenir shops), and you can get a $2-off coupon from the people in red jackets at the bottom of the building.

4. Observing the Recession First-Hand
Vancouverites are pretty sheltered from the US recession. When I was in New York in the fall, I felt the recession first-hand, as thousands of local people were suddenly out of jobs - having been laid off from Lehman Brothers and other fin services firms. But the hot restaurants were still full of trend-setters and money. This time, the friend that I stayed with was also not working full-time, and many of his friends were in the same boat. Consequently, the former spending crowd in New York - the ones with no kids and no committments - are cutting back and eating in, or eating cheap! It will be interesting to see in the next while, how many of those trendy restaurants and bars in New York actually survive.

5. Relaxing, relaxing, relaxing!
I actually had the time to get a mani/pedi (hmmm, maybe that wasn't in my budget), read, watch TV, and just chill out. Who would think that I would go to New York to do this, when I'm usually shopping till my feet are dropping!

Top Recent Indicidents that Indicate Canada Needs Harsher Criminal Punishment

All this recent soft left-wing treatment for killers has got me thinking that it's time for Canada to take a harsher stance on people who kill. If you're endangering others, killing innocent people, killing small children - I'm less of a believer in accidental manslaughter and mental illnesses. If we think that this person may repeat the same thing again - they need to be put away, or put to the same death as their victims. So let's take these recent examples (OK, I only have 3 that are top of mind from last week):

1. Greyhound Bus De-Capitation
This guy is being sent to a mental institution. Even after saying that he should be put to death. Are you kidding me - a crazy farm? Who's going to assess whether he's good enough to be let out onto the streets again, and how accurate is that going to be? With our track record of letting people out of mental institutions early (or at all) - this guy is going to be free in no time. And I certainly don't want to be anywhere near him. Because the scariest thing about this one is that it was COMPLETELY random. It's not targeted at gangsters or prostitutes or women on the east side, or anyone - completely random innocent stranger. As far as I'm concerned, someone should saw this guy's head off.

2. Native Guy Who Accidentally Killed 2 Daughters
He gets drunks and accidentally lets his 2 daughters freeze to death and then says that he shouldn't be sent to prison because his family is better off with him, than havin him in prison. Oh, sorry, right - so you can accidentally kill more of your children. WTF? It is appalling that we put little value on these girls lives and give this guy another chance. And who the hell wants this pathetic excuse for a father around? We should leave him outside in freezing temperatures with no shoes and see how he feels.

3. Gangsters with Guns
How the hell is it that we can't charge people with machine guns in their trunks to higher penalties? And how the hell can people claim that they didn't know there were guns in the trunk of their car? Let's cut the bullshit and not let the gangsters spit all over the judicial system. There's a limit to how much "innocent until proven guilty" makes sense. When there's an all-out gang war in the city, it's time to lay down some harsher penalties and put some of these guys away.

Now I'm not all right-wing in my views on crime. My husband makes a great argument for educating on drugs like coke and heroin. Take away demand, and the supply goes away. Like he points out, it worked with drinking and driving, and smoking for those of us who grew up in the 80's. Bring a few heroin addicts from the eastside into every elementary school and scare the crap out of them to never try it. And not a recovered addict - a homeless dude who's currently addicted to it. That should do it to put a decline in hard drug use in the generation to come.

Top Reasons Why Rihanna Needs to Leave Chris Brown or Jay-Z Needs to Step In

It is shocking and unbelievable to me why Rihanna is taking Chris Brown back. Media today is pointing to puppy love. And this being a trend with victims of abuse – that they go back several times. Well, I think there are many victims in this situation that Rhianna represents. Just as Barack Obama represented hope for Americans for a better country, a better economy, a better world – if Rhianna does the right thing here, she can represent hope for a better world for abuse victims and minority women. But even if she can’t do the self-less thing and think of the bigger picture that this represents, she can do the selfish thing and think about herself too. Here is my personal plea to Rihanna to do the right thing. And if she doesn’t listen, then Jay-Z knows what the right thing is, and should step in to make it happen.

1. For the Progression of Blacks in America
The US gets a black President and first family, who represents hope for all American minorities and a beacon against the “defeatist culture of black victimhood”. And just a short while later, we have the epitome of stereotypical Black ghetto culture of violence against women, getting the checkmark of approval from one of pop’s brightest stars. Not only does this shatter the hope for blacks, that their role models perpetuate the culture of putting women down; but it perpetuates the negative racial stereotypes that whites hold against blacks. Just take a look at the comments posted on gossip websites like WWTDD.com, right after this news broke, where people were laughing and making sarcastic remarks about “a black man beating up his girlfriend – that’s a first”. Obama took one giant leap forward for America, only to be put back one giant step by Rhianna.

2. For Women and Young Girls
Regardless of color, Rihanna needs to leave for the sake of other abused women and young girls that look up to her. Abused women need hope, someone to look to for strength. Young girls need to be guided in the right direction that it’s not OK to be abused by a boyfriend. She goes back, and she puts all women’s groups efforts for equality backwards by several steps with her high profile abuse case. Whether she likes it or not, she is an idol and a media sensation, and needs to hold herself to higher standards of representing women.

3. For Jay-Z’s Empire
Jay-Z hasn’t made his fortune by accident. With his smarts, he has helped bring hip-hop to mainstream listeners. With Rihanna as a member of his entourage and empire, his own image and, subsequently, profits, are on the line. Yes, he has Beyonce and others, but if he wants to keep leveraging the bank of young Rhianna, he needs to convince her to leave or step in with a heavier force.

4. For her career
So if she didn’t want to take the selfless route and do it for blacks or for women, she should at least take a look at her own career. People want to believe that pop stars are a step above the rest of us, that they are untouchable, that they have beaten the odds. That’s why we put them on a pedestal. Rihanna being beaten by her boyfriend? That’s far too close to reality for some, and not the kind of girl that (hopefully) young girls want to have pin-ups of on their bedroom walls. Just as Chris Brown’s album plummeted in the Billboard charts immediately after the beating, Rhianna’s career will plummet if she goes back to this.

5. Because he’ll do it again
OK, so if she can’t be selfless, and can’t think about her career, do it for your damn personal safety and happiness. She admitted that the beating that took place the night before the Grammy’s wasn’t the first. What makes her think it’s going to be the last? Wake up honey, you can find happiness and love where men won’t beat you, or threaten to beat you.

Top 5 Reasons I Love to Go to New York

Since I'm going to New York on Saturday on a 2.5-day before heading to Chicago, thought it'd be good to remind myself of why I love it!

1. Bright lights, big city
Literally. It's the best big city in North America. Even though I hate it when local New Yorkers say that it's the center of the world, and everything happens there. It's actually kind of true. Never admit that to a New Yorker though.

2. Dining
Love the food, and love to laugh at the insane handling of reservations in that city. Last time I was there with Michelle and Nicole, they made Michelle put her Visa # down to hold our Nobu reservation. And if we didn't show, they'd charge her $25 per head. WTF? Only in NYC do they take reservations SO seriously. Thank god Vancouver isn't like that - yet! This time, not sure what I'll hit up. Jennifer from our PR agency recommended STK Steakhouse, and the website looked pretty cool, so check that out.

3. Shopping
Hello, shopping! Love the variety in all the neighborhoods - SOHO, 5th Avenue, department stores, Chinatown illegal pure-making sweatshops. This trip, I will be removing myself and my Visa from these kick-ass shopping districts! It will be painful, but will be distracting myself by attending a musical or play matinee on Sunday. Shopped out and budgeted out after LA.

4. People, People, People
Everyone does and says whatever the hell they want. Black, Asian, Hispanic, White. Rich bitches, street purse sellers, ambitious ad agency and financial types, illegal Chinese immigrants making fake purses, students, artists.... they all mingle in the same city. People are friendly and helpful. There are undercover cops keeping people safe in Central Park. There are crazy hoochie-mama bitches working in Century 21 where you think they're a character in a movie, but really - they just speak that way! For real?! Uh huh.

5. Friends
Last, but definitely not least, it's great to have friends in the best city in North America. And friends with big apartments right in Manhattan that let you stay there and will hang out with you and put up with your friends. Where would I be without these friends? Definitely not in NY!

So after my trip, I might have other things to add to this. Or at least, specific top 5's from this trip!

Top 5 Restaurants in North America (Outside of Vancouver)

Since I did the Top 5 restaurants in Vancouver, I've gotta do the Top 5 outside of Vancouver within North America that I've been to. I'm lucky that my work travel brings me to the best cities in the US (in my opinion), plus I have friends/family in some of those cities so I get to combine business with pleasure while I rack up the travel points. So here are some great restaurants I've been to.

1. Nobu in South Beach, Miami
This is in the Shore Club Hotel in South Beach. Dave and I were lucky to go there while on a hurrican stopover in Miami. We were en route to Jamaica in 2006, when we were "forced" to stay one night in Miami while we waited for the hurricane to pass! I think Nobu started the fusion Japanese trend, and still has this mastered. There are great ones in Vancouver (like Hapa, Gyuu, Kingyo), and there are others like Koi and Asia de Cuba - but Nobu is the best of the best when it comes to flavorful fusion Japanese. The ambience of this location is uber uber South Beach, too, so a cool experience overall. If you're in NY and want to go to Nobu - note that the "original" location does not have the same modern ambience as the South Beach location and looks a little more run-down and traditional Japanese in nature.

2. Koi in LA
On La Cienega near Melrose and Hollywood, I originally went here because you read about celebs hitting this restaurant so much in the tabloids. Celebs aside, the food here is kick ass too.
Again, like Nobu - fusion Japanese with extreme flavor! And celebs do go there too. We saw Will Smith, Simon (American Idol judge) both there.

3. Katsuya in Brentwood, CA
Another great fusion Japanese. Guess I like this stuff. Not as good as Koi,but if you're in LA, worth checking out. Interior is very LA, and they have a big menu of lots of great dishes to share with friends.

4. Tao in Las Vegas
OK, another fusion restaurant. Don't remember alot of the details of the menu, but remember the food being savory and fantastic. Going here for dinner also lets you skip the insane lineup to get into Tao nightclub. So worth the big dinner bill if you're looking for an experience at a hot Vegas club afterwards.

OK, so this is supposed to be Top 5. I can only think of these memorable spots right now. But I'll add to this when I hit a few spots in some upcoming trips.