Small Talk: The Regency Bar

[Guest]

12 hours ago, ShawnaLanne said:

Capote was actually talented in his own right,

And...most interesting to watch.

[Happy Camper]

5 minutes ago, artisto said:

And...most interesting to watch.

I still rewatch his interviews from time to time with Johnny Carson and Dick Cavett.

Fascinating.

[SuprSuprElevated]

The child-naming discussion from the Divorce thread - 

Girl in my school, last name of Kane.  You guessed it...the idiots named her Kandy.  

Family in a nearby community with the last name of Duck.  You got it...named one of their sons Donald.

You just can't make up this stuff.

[link417]

On 3/17/2018 at 10:51 AM, SuprSuprElevated said:

The child-naming discussion from the Divorce thread - 

Girl in my school, last name of Kane.  You guessed it...the idiots named her Kandy.  

Family in a nearby community with the last name of Duck.  You got it...named one of their sons Donald.

You just can't make up this stuff.

LOL! There was an April Flowers in my school, and a kid named Rocky Day with a brother named Jason . . . whom they called Sonny.

[SuprSuprElevated]

27 minutes ago, link417 said:

LOL! There was an April Flowers in my school, and a kid named Rocky Day with a brother named Jason . . . whom they called Sonny.

April Flowers.  Oh boy.  There is a Jason Day from Australia that is a terrific golfer.

[diadochokinesis]

There was a teacher in my high school whose name was Gregory Gregory. He was adopted.  His birth mom named him and then his adoptive family just happened to have the same last name.  

I also knew twins whose name was flipped.  So, Twin A was First Name Middle Name and Twin B was Middle Name First Name. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

6 hours ago, diadochokinesis said:

There was a teacher in my high school whose name was Gregory Gregory. He was adopted.  His birth mom named him and then his adoptive family just happened to have the same last name.  

I also knew twins whose name was flipped.  So, Twin A was First Name Middle Name and Twin B was Middle Name First Name. 

There really should be aptitude tests for people before they procreate.

[Rap541]

I had twin cousins named Janet Eileen and Janice Aileen.

[SuprSuprElevated]

59 minutes ago, Rap541 said:

I had twin cousins named Janet Eileen and Janice Aileen.

Oh for heaven's sake, lol.  Originality challenged parents, lol.

[Jel]

Here's my day so far:

Son had a friend stay over so they could get up early and start studying. Helpful mom decides to go to the Italian bakery and get some breakfast for them. I come home with 2 chocolate croissants, 2 ham and swiss croissants, one almond croissant a cherry danish, plus had some leftover banana bread I made to round out the huge pastry platter.

Time ticks on, son and friend are still not up.

I decide to have "half" an almond croissant.

 I looked at it and felt I had cut in so unevenly that to leave that small half there is practically rude. So, out of politeness (I'm an excellent hostess) I ate the rest. It was OUT OF POLITENESS!

Another ten minutes goes by and I begin to wonder how this bakery's chocolate croissants are.

Anyway, to make a long story short, does anyone know how to make half a ham and swiss croissant and two pieces of stale banana bread look like a, breakfast pastry platter?

(I am kidding, but not as much as I wish I were!)

[KungFuBunny]

2 minutes ago, Jel said:

Here's my day so far:

Son had a friend stay over so they could get up early and start studying. Helpful mom decides to go to the Italian bakery and get some breakfast for them. I come home with 2 chocolate croissants, 2 ham and swiss croissants, one almond croissant a cherry danish, plus had some leftover banana bread I made to round out the huge pastry platter.

Time ticks on, son and friend are still not up.

I decide to have "half" an almond croissant.

 I looked at it and felt I had cut in so unevenly that to leave that small half there is practically rude. So, out of politeness (I'm an excellent hostess) I ate the rest. It was OUT OF POLITENESS!

Another ten minutes goes by and I begin to wonder how this bakery's chocolate croissants are.

Anyway, to make a long story short, does anyone know how to make half a ham and swiss croissant and two pieces of stale banana bread look like a, breakfast pastry platter?

(I am kidding, but not as much as I wish I were!)

Hah!

I think you should grab your dog, sprinkle powdered sugar around its face and situate him/her near the platter.

Then when the boys decide to waltz in....there sits the guilty party

[Jel]

I like the way you think, KFB!

Those dog bones are looking kind of snacky, too, though.

[KungFuBunny]

Nobody is going to get mad at the cute doggie!

You better remember to clean/wipe your mouth of crumbs - you don't need teenage boys going CSI on you and cracking the case

[SuburbanHangSuite]

On 3/18/2018 at 6:08 PM, link417 said:

LOL! There was an April Flowers in my school, and a kid named Rocky Day with a brother named Jason . . . whom they called Sonny.

Many years ago, I was a customer service manager for an A/V products company and I would spend my days calling customers to let them know if there were any backorders or issues with their pending orders.  I pull a customer's file to call about a backordered product and the contact name is:  "Dick Bagge."  

Now, if your last name is Bagge and your first name is Richard, why wouldn't you be a Rich, Rick or Ricky?  Why would anyone self-identify as "Dick Bag?!"

[Jel]

15 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

Many years ago, I was a customer service manager for an A/V products company and I would spend my days calling customers to let them know if there were any backorders or issues with their pending orders.  I pull a customer's file to call about a backordered product and the contact name is:  "Dick Bagge."  

Now, if your last name is Bagge and your first name is Richard, why wouldn't you be a Rich, Rick or Ricky?  Why would anyone self-identify as "Dick Bag?!"

I'm thinking Mr. Dick Bagge is a cousin of famous phone book entrant, Hugh, G. Rection. 

[KungFuBunny]

2 minutes ago, Jel said:

I'm thinking Mr. Dick Bagge is a cousin of famous phone book entrant, Hugh, G. Rection. 

And possibly a nephew to Ben Dover and Mike Hunt?

[SuburbanHangSuite]

18 minutes ago, KungFuBunny said:

22 minutes ago, Jel said:

I'm thinking Mr. Dick Bagge is a cousin of famous phone book entrant, Hugh, G. Rection. 

And possibly a nephew to Ben Dover and Mike Hunt

LOL...right?  And one would assume that I was being punked with that contact name but, nope. Mr. Bagge was a production guy with a local news station and it was a legit name.  I think I just pronounced it with my fake French accent as "BagJay" when I called him.

[KungFuBunny]

3 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

LOL...right?  And one would assume that I was being punked with that contact name but, nope. Mr. Bagge was a production guy with a local news station and it was a legit name.  I think I just pronounced it with my fake French accent as "BagJay" when I called him.

It would be quite unfortunate if Dick has a brother named Dutch - pronounced Doosh

Bwahahahaha

[Jel]

2 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

LOL...right?  And one would assume that I was being punked with that contact name but, nope. Mr. Bagge was a production guy with a local news station and it was a legit name.  I think I just pronounced it with my fake French accent as "BagJay" when I called him.

Nicely done, SuburbanHangSuite!

For a while I worked one day a week, on Tuesdays, and for too many weeks, as I was leaving the office, I'd say "See you next Tuesday!"  

It took me way, waaaayy too long to realize what I was saying, so I guess I shall just go sit on the bench with Dick Bagge and we can look around, cluelessly, together ;)

[KungFuBunny]

2 minutes ago, Jel said:

Nicely done, SuburbanHangSuite!

For a while I worked one day a week, on Tuesdays, and for too many weeks, as I was leaving the office, I'd say "See you next Tuesday!"  

It took me way, waaaayy too long to realize what I was saying, so I guess I shall just go sit on the bench with Dick Bagge and we can look around, cluelessly, together ;)

It would be a great time to pretend you are DJ Muppet Baby

[noveltylibrary]

Aquaria comes to Sonja's gay party, I love it.

[noveltylibrary]

Heather's downgrade to 'Carole's friend'.

[RedDelicious]

An honest question: on his radio show Andy was all over Luann for her choice in costume ideas for Dorinda's party and on the same episode in reference to Janet Jackson asked if the reason she looked so good was because "black don't crack." Words out of his mouth. I don't think that's any more appropriate to say than what Luann did. How about she's got great skin or a great plastic surgeon? Black don't crack sounds like he's making fun and that's what I don't like.

[ShawnaLanne]

15 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

An honest question: on his radio show Andy was all over Luann for her choice in costume ideas for Dorinda's party and on the same episode in reference to Janet Jackson asked if the reason she looked so good was because "black don't crack." Words out of his mouth. I don't think that's any more appropriate to say than what Luann did. How about she's got great skin or a great plastic surgeon? Black don't crack sounds like he's making fun and that's what I don't like.

I've heard friends say this about themselves,  as we all age together,  but no,  I couldn't say that. Andy is a pile of stinking crap. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

13 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

Many years ago, I was a customer service manager for an A/V products company and I would spend my days calling customers to let them know if there were any backorders or issues with their pending orders.  I pull a customer's file to call about a backordered product and the contact name is:  "Dick Bagge."  

Now, if your last name is Bagge and your first name is Richard, why wouldn't you be a Rich, Rick or Ricky?  Why would anyone self-identify as "Dick Bag?!"

Thought it would attract da ladees?

[Jel]

Here's hoping his middle initial is not n.

[Baltimore Betty]

11 hours ago, noveltylibrary said:

Aquaria comes to Sonja's gay party, I love it.

Gosh, all that craziness seemed like a bit much for a Wednesday night and how come we never heard of this party before?

Did Sonja say she was considering renting out her town home?  So much has be done to it before that could happen...most renters would not be happy with brown ice, wonky plumbing and a leaky roof.

Funny how Sonja said that Dorinda said that she looked fat.  

Show of hands of who feels sorry for Bethenny's assistants, she can see them from her window or as she said that she could watch their every move.  Also do we have an under over bet how long that guy she hired to manage whatever will be there?  The office looked cluttered with very odd tchokes and ugly chairs, well who put them there?  Seems odd that Beth would let anyone else decorate her office...seemed fake to me.

Tinsley going after Luann at dinner could be her way of proving what a good friend she is to Carole, like "see Carole, I am taking up for you!"

Kudos to Carole for finishing the race, I admit to getting teary eyed.  

Ramona was planning a party for Carole but did not think to ask if she even wanted it or check the date with her and it's in the Hampton's?  I wish Carole would have said she was not available or did not want to to go to the Hamptons, lol.  How about that call to her catering friend with the I love yous? Ramona cannot ever not seem desperate.  She mentally dry humps in every conversation she has with men, it's wince worthy.

Dorinda, I cannot hate her ever, cherry sweater and all.

[noveltylibrary]

3 minutes ago, Baltimore Betty said:

Show of hands of who feels sorry for Bethenny's assistants, she can see them from her window or as she said that she could watch their every move. 

 I actually thought she was calling friends for a second.  Silly me. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Yeah, when Sonya was talking about renting her house, I thought.....cha ching.  That place would require LOADS of repair work to get it in shape for renters.  

Sometimes, when I see them walking around town, meeting for lunch or dinner, it makes me long for NY.  I've visited, but, never lived there. They do make it attractive.

[Sun-Bun]

16 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Sometimes, when I see them walking around town, meeting for lunch or dinner, it makes me long for NY.  I've visited, but, never lived there. They do make it attractive.

I completely agree—I’ve *always* wanted to live in NYC. With the caveat that I could live there in the upscale fashion/style/addresses in which these women and other ladies who lunch live there, of course((aka I’ll probably never end up there unless I won the lottery, so there’s that)).

But it’s a tough city otherwise, even if you have money. It’s dirty, loud, and requires constant money and stamina to deal with the endless flow of energy and activity the city demands. I have several friends who moved there to pursue Broadway careers and after a few years they had to come back home because they ran out of money and simply couldn’t handle the struggle and pace of Manhattan/Brooklyn living. And easy chores we take so for granted otherwise, like going to the store to get groceries or going shopping and shlepping your bags on and off the subways or taxis was always an ordeal. 

I think that’s why these particular women are so interestingly strong and resilient compared to all the other Real Housewives: you gotta be a pretty tough broad to handle the required rigors of NYC. On the plus side, you can also drink more living within the insular safety of Manhattan bars, at least!

[SunnyBeBe]

I've been threatening to return to London for years.  I visited once long ago and vowed to return, but, just haven't.  Life has a way of taking over.  I went to Paris too, but, that was enough for me. lol  I haven't been in NYC in a long time, but, I do have some fond memories!

I've also threatened to visit California again, but, haven't.  I have relatives there, but, have to just set a date and do it. With all the crazy stuff in the world, I think I get complacent with not traveling the way I used  to. 

Edited April 17, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[diadochokinesis]

OMG.  I love Paris. London is ok.  My fav place though is probably Salzburg, Austria.  Some of the bigger European cities just don't have the local feel as much.  You could trade them out for any major city.  Salzburg though still feels very Austrian which is great. Some of the favorite places I've been in Europe are the smaller places (Normany, Munich, Salzburg, Irish countryside, etc). We are doing the Med this summer so I'm excited about that. When my youngest gets a bit older and less crazy we are going to do an African safari.  I'm hoping that one will be in the next year or two. 

[Mindthinkr]

6 hours ago, diadochokinesis said:

OMG.  I love Paris. London is ok.  My fav place though is probably Salzburg, Austria.  Some of the bigger European cities just don't have the local feel as much.  You could trade them out for any major city.  Salzburg though still feels very Austrian which is great. Some of the favorite places I've been in Europe are the smaller places (Normany, Munich, Salzburg, Irish countryside, etc). We are doing the Med this summer so I'm excited about that. When my youngest gets a bit older and less crazy we are going to do an African safari.  I'm hoping that one will be in the next year or two. 

You echo my feelings about Europe. I too love Salzburg. I like that the Howives travel abroad but would love to see them do more than (over) drink where they are staying and see more of the city’s general sites. 

[SunnyBeBe]

18 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

My mom went on a London/Paris trip about seven years ago. She loved London but said Paris was a dirty town and didn't enjoy it very much. If we are talking international, I would rather go to a place in a country that would be like an average town in the US and get a feel for the regular-ness of a country, if that makes sense. 

@SunnyBeBe  You should try to make an effort to travel again, if you once did it for enjoyment. Don't over think it, just go at whim without a thought. You won't regret it, when you look back.

I gave my dad an Ancestory DNA analysis for Christmas and we discovered that at least on his side almost all Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Wales,  with a little Eastern European, Iberian Peninsula, and Scandinavia.  I suspect that's why I loved England so much. I honestly think I could live there.  It just felt like home to me.  I loved London, but, ventured out by train seeing countryside up through northern England and getting out to visit a local pub in a small village.  It was awesome.  

You're right about just doing it.  I think it would be good for me.  I have some responsibilities right now that prevent me from doing a lot of things, but, that may change.  (Long story.)

I liked Paris okay.  It's just that for me, England had more to offer.  Not many people mention it, but, The Tower of London was so incredible.  The jewels....omg.  And Windsor Castle was awesome too.  I took  Holy Communion at St. Paul's Cathedral on Easter Sunday!   A lot was packed in to those 10 days, so, next time, I'll have a more leisurely pace. lol

[Jel]

It's funny how a city has its own energy, but they all definitely do.

[diadochokinesis]

17 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

You echo my feelings about Europe. I too love Salzburg. I like that the Howives travel abroad but would love to see them do more than (over) drink where they are staying and see more of the city’s general sites. 

YES!!!  I got so irritated when they came to Dubai and all they did was Dubai Mall, the aquarium at the hotel, and go out to the desert.  There was so much that they could have done that would have been VERY interesting and honestly, eye-opening for Americans. I would have loved for them to have gone to Al Bastakiya, the Gold and Spice Souq, and then go down to Abu Dhabi (one hour away) for a trip to Al Ain Oasis (google it, it is BEAUTIFUL) and also the Grand Mosque (also gorgeous).  I would have loved for that moment of really showing the culture over here rather than just the mall. 

15 hours ago, Jel said:

It's funny how a city has its own energy, but they all definitely do.

They really do!!!  That’s one of the reasons why I love NYC as much as I do.  I just love the vibe of the city.

[Jel]

8 hours ago, diadochokinesis said:

YES!!!  I got so irritated when they came to Dubai and all they did was Dubai Mall, the aquarium at the hotel, and go out to the desert.  There was so much that they could have done that would have been VERY interesting and honestly, eye-opening for Americans. I would have loved for them to have gone to Al Bastakiya, the Gold and Spice Souq, and then go down to Abu Dhabi (one hour away) for a trip to Al Ain Oasis (google it, it is BEAUTIFUL) and also the Grand Mosque (also gorgeous).  I would have loved for that moment of really showing the culture over here rather than just the mall. 

They really do!!!  That’s one of the reasons why I love NYC as much as I do.  I just love the vibe of the city.

We have similar city-energy affinities, Diadochokinesis -- I love NYC too, and Paris and am "meh" on London.  I feel almost bad saying that because it's obviously a world class city, but there's just something about the energy of it I don't  like. 

I have not been to Saltzurg, but now it's on my list.  The things you learn from this forum!

[diadochokinesis]

1 hour ago, Jel said:

We have similar city-energy affinities, Diadochokinesis -- I love NYC too, and Paris and am "meh" on London.  I feel almost bad saying that because it's obviously a world class city, but there's just something about the energy of it I don't  like. 

I have not been to Saltzurg, but now it's on my list.  The things you learn from this forum!

Yeah, I can’t quite put my finger on why I’m “meh” on London.  I just am.  But NYC... Oh man, NYC.  There is just this energy that pulses through the city that I love. 

Salzburg is fantastic for getting a true Austrian feel.  Sound of Music filmed there so I highly recommend taking one of the tours.  My husband and I went and it was FANTASTIC.  We were all (ok, the wives) singing the songs on the bus as we drove from one place to the next.  Old Salzburg is absolutely gorgeous and there is an ancient fortress there (saw a chamber orchestra performance there), it is the birthplace of Mozart, and statues everywhere. You can do it in a couple of days.  We hit Salzburg in between Munich and Paris and it was a nice slower pace coming out of Germany (Munich and Frankfurt) before heading to France (Paris and Normandy). 

[Jel]

2 minutes ago, diadochokinesis said:

Yeah, I can’t quite put my finger on why I’m “meh” on London.  I just am.  But NYC... Oh man, NYC.  There is just this energy that pulses through the city that I love. 

Salzburg is fantastic for getting a true Austrian feel.  Sound of Music filmed there so I highly recommend taking one of the tours.  My husband and I went and it was FANTASTIC.  We were all (ok, the wives) singing the songs on the bus as we drove from one place to the next.  Old Salzburg is absolutely gorgeous and there is an ancient fortress there (saw a chamber orchestra performance there), it is the birthplace of Mozart, and statues everywhere. You can do it in a couple of days.  We hit Salzburg in between Munich and Paris and it was a nice slower pace coming out of Germany (Munich and Frankfurt) before heading to France (Paris and Normandy). 

That sounds like an awesome itin!  Where are you going in the Med? (We did an Italy and Greece cruise last year and it was fantastic.)

[TexasGal]

On 17/04/2018 at 11:30 PM, diadochokinesis said:

Some of the bigger European cities just don't have the local feel as much.  You could trade them out for any major city.   

I felt this way about Madrid.  I've never been to Paris, but many of the people in Madrid were rude in the way that Americans always imagine Parisians will be.  I loved Barcelona though, people were much friendlier and OMG the food and architecture.  

[diadochokinesis]

13 minutes ago, Jel said:

That sounds like an awesome itin!  Where are you going in the Med? (We did an Italy and Greece cruise last year and it was fantastic.)

We also tacked Ireland on that.  We took a ferry from Normandy over to Waterford and then just rented a car and did Ireland for a week.  We were in Dublin for a couple of days (same complaint as most big European cities as it doesn’t feel Irish) but spent most of it staying at Dromoland Castle (OMG, look it up) and driving around from there.  LOVE Ireland. 

We start and end in Barcelona.  We will hit Monte Carlo/Nice, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Milan, Palma de Mallorca, and Pompeii.  I’m looking forward to it.  My husband has been to some of the cities but not all.  We are waiting for my youngest (he just turned 2 and he is CRAZY) to get a bit older and then we will hit up Africa and also China/Japan for the Disney parks over there (I’m one of THOSE Disney people).  Seychelles is a popular destination here but I live at the beach.  I don’t get vacationing at another beach.  LOL. 

13 minutes ago, TexasGal said:

I felt this way about Madrid.  I've never been to Paris, but many of the people in Madrid were rude in the way that Americans always imagine Parisians will be.  I loved Barcelona though, people were much friendlier and OMG the food and architecture.  

I’m looking forward to Barcelona.  One of my friends is from there and she talks about how wonderful it is all the time. I love Europe for the architecture.  

[TexasGal]

6 minutes ago, diadochokinesis said:

I’m looking forward to Barcelona.  One of my friends is from there and she talks about how wonderful it is all the time. I love Europe for the architecture.  

I'm sure you know this, but just in case - if you can get into Sagrada Familia (I think sometimes its closed) do it!  I am not a religious person at all but the inside is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.  I was so moved by it.

[Jel]

12 hours ago, diadochokinesis said:

We also tacked Ireland on that.  We took a ferry from Normandy over to Waterford and then just rented a car and did Ireland for a week.  We were in Dublin for a couple of days (same complaint as most big European cities as it doesn’t feel Irish) but spent most of it staying at Dromoland Castle (OMG, look it up) and driving around from there.  LOVE Ireland. 

We start and end in Barcelona.  We will hit Monte Carlo/Nice, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Milan, Palma de Mallorca, and Pompeii.  I’m looking forward to it.  My husband has been to some of the cities but not all.  We are waiting for my youngest (he just turned 2 and he is CRAZY) to get a bit older and then we will hit up Africa and also China/Japan for the Disney parks over there (I’m one of THOSE Disney people).  Seychelles is a popular destination here but I live at the beach.  I don’t get vacationing at another beach.  LOL. 

I’m looking forward to Barcelona.  One of my friends is from there and she talks about how wonderful it is all the time. I love Europe for the architecture.  

Sounds great Diado!  If you are at all nerdy (like me), I really recommend hiring an archaeologist as a guide for Pompeii (and if Herculaneum is open this year, that too). We also did Oplontis and toured Nero's second wife's villa (think it was hers anyway) .The site is so well preserved that in some places there's still beeswax on the frescos.  PM me if you need a recommendation for a guide.  

[breezy424]

It's funny.  I grew up in NYC.  Spent two years of college at FIT (where both So and Ro went).  I couldn't wait to get away from it. 

Yeah, there's nothing like pizza, etc in the city but I guess when you get to see the seedier side like riding the subways and always looking behind your back....

I now live not that far from DC.  Like NYC, I love DC at night.  It's gorgeous.   But I'm still the city kid who is always on the look out.  It will never change for me.  Last weekend we went into Baltimore to see a garden well know for its tulips.  There was a delay on the hwy we were on.  My son's girlfriend did a google and we ended up in a neighborhood that was wtf (we had two cars and I was in the second car following).  She grew up in the suburbs of Long Island.  Bronx girl in me came out.  We had the dog in our car.  Dog is the friendliest dog in the world but at the red lights I kept telling her to sit up and look 'mean'.  When we got to the tulip place I was like wtf.  She was like I didn't know.  I'm shaking my head.  My son was looking like jeez I'm so sorry.  Baltimore is a strange place.  At least in NYC you know the bad areas.  In Baltimore, it can be safe, then not safe, then safe.  It's a one block thing. 

[diadochokinesis]

5 hours ago, Jel said:

Sounds great Diado!  If you are at all nerdy (like me), I really recommend hiring an archaeologist as a guide for Pompeii (and if Herculaneum is open this year, that too). We also did Oplontis and toured Nero's second wife's villa (think it was hers anyway) .The site is so well preserved that in some places there's still beeswax on the frescos.  PM me if you need a recommendation for a guide.  

I’m looking forward to Pompeii.  My dad did it in the 60’s and still talks about it.  

4 hours ago, breezy424 said:

It's funny.  I grew up in NYC.  Spent two years of college at FIT (where both So and Ro went).  I couldn't wait to get away from it. 

Yeah, there's nothing like pizza, etc in the city but I guess when you get to see the seedier side like riding the subways and always looking behind your back....

I now live not that far from DC.  Like NYC, I love DC at night.  It's gorgeous.   But I'm still the city kid who is always on the look out.  It will never change for me.  Last weekend we went into Baltimore to see a garden well know for its tulips.  There was a delay on the hwy we were on.  My son's girlfriend did a google and we ended up in a neighborhood that was wtf (we had two cars and I was in the second car following).  She grew up in the suburbs of Long Island.  Bronx girl in me came out.  We had the dog in our car.  Dog is the friendliest dog in the world but at the red lights I kept telling her to sit up and look 'mean'.  When we got to the tulip place I was like wtf.  She was like I didn't know.  I'm shaking my head.  My son was looking like jeez I'm so sorry.  Baltimore is a strange place.  At least in NYC you know the bad areas.  In Baltimore, it can be safe, then not safe, then safe.  It's a one block thing. 

Atlanta is the same way.  I lived there for 6 years and did home health and it was insane.  You’d be in a section of town that would have million dollar houses and then go one block and have to have a drug dealer watch my car for me (they liked me because I did “community service” by helping the older people).  I love living in cities but man. We looked at moving to DC but my problem is that we would want to live IN DC and the crime rates... I’m spoiled by living in Dubai.  It is just so safe here.  Like Carole, I never lock my doors to my house or car but that is because of how safe it is. 

[ivygirl]

On 4/18/2018 at 9:31 PM, diadochokinesis said:

YES!!!  I got so irritated when they came to Dubai and all they did was Dubai Mall, the aquarium at the hotel, and go out to the desert.  There was so much that they could have done that would have been VERY interesting and honestly, eye-opening for Americans. I would have loved for them to have gone to Al Bastakiya, the Gold and Spice Souq, and then go down to Abu Dhabi (one hour away) for a trip to Al Ain Oasis (google it, it is BEAUTIFUL) and also the Grand Mosque (also gorgeous).  I would have loved for that moment of really showing the culture over here rather than just the mall. 

Thanks for adding your perspective. I’d been thinking about the Dubai trip and how comparatively boring it was (to me) to other trips. I thought, what’s the point—If I want to go to huge hotels and malls, I can save myself several thousand dollars and go to Vegas. Even the stuff they did outside the hotel/mall seemed stagey. I know the ME is far more interesting than they showed on that trip. 

[SweetieDarling]

6 hours ago, ivygirl said:

Thanks for adding your perspective. I’d been thinking about the Dubai trip and how comparatively boring it was (to me) to other trips. I thought, what’s the point—If I want to go to huge hotels and malls, I can save myself several thousand dollars and go to Vegas. Even the stuff they did outside the hotel/mall seemed stagey. I know the ME is far more interesting than they showed on that trip. 

Considering it was a group of BravoTv Housewives in Dubai, I just assumed they tried to make sure the women were limited to places their behavior and style of dress would be least likely to get them arrested. 

[ivygirl]

4 hours ago, SweetieDarling said:

Considering it was a group of BravoTv Housewives in Dubai, I just assumed they tried to make sure the women were limited to places their behavior and style of dress would be least likely to get them arrested. 

Right. But for me that wasn’t exactly compelling television. It was a big ad for the hotel/tourism industry. 

I realize that’s true of most of these trips, but it just made Dubai look boring. I’m not the most adventurous traveler, but I do like to get a local flavor when I go places. I’m not heading to Dubai anytime soon but I appreciate knowing that there’s more to do. The Berlin trip and a few others have opened my eyes to places I never  really had thought to go—even the trips on Shahs of Sunset (Israel and other parts of the ME) were more compelling in what they showed. 

On a 100% different note—anyone seen LuAnn’s #CountessAndFriends show? 

[diadochokinesis]

16 hours ago, SweetieDarling said:

Considering it was a group of BravoTv Housewives in Dubai, I just assumed they tried to make sure the women were limited to places their behavior and style of dress would be least likely to get them arrested. 

Enh, they wouldn’t have been arrested.  I was just at the mall yesterday in shorts and a t-shirt.  There was a women on the escalator in front of me whose whole labia was hanging out of her shorts (Dorit must have designed them). Cursing is frowned upon as is public drunkenness but Westerners (especially wealthy ones) tend to get a pass as long as you aren’t going after the locals. Now, the mosque would have been different.  You cover your hair (I just wrap a scarf hijab-style) and cover up but most of them will supply abayas for tourists.  The oasis would have been fine though as would the souqs and Al Bastakiya. 

[AnnA]

Does anyone know why some posts appear pink?   In case it matters,  I'm on a iPad.